Fear coursed through Sachi's veins as she ran, stumbling over tree roots and rocks. The monsters were just behind her, and in her mind's eye she could see them, slavering jaws hanging open with drool from the thought of her tasty virtual flesh dripping from their fangs. She had always known she was going to die in this death game, had just been waiting. Really, she would have rather been hiding in a house at the town of beginnings, but… There was that tiny, cursed voice telling her that she should at least die with a blade in hand, fighting for survival. Then she could have something to say in the afterlife, at least.
With one last excruciating breath, Sachi's foot finally collided with something too hard to shift, and she crashed to the ground. She tumbled, coming back up facing her chasers, her eyes glazed in terror. She had no idea if her guild mates were even alive, let alone where they were. The ambush had been so sudden, so unexpected, they had scattered within the first few seconds. And now she would die out here, alone and terrified.
Sachi was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even noticed the first of the bears with dark fur and demonic red eyes disintegrating, shards of light falling to the ground in place of its virtual body. It wasn't until the second met a similar fate that the girl reacted, squeaking as her eyes darted around for any sign of what had destroyed the Mobs. She spotted it a moment later, a flash of grey appearing over the back of the third and final bear, which had paused when its allies disappeared. Sachi barely picked out a soft grunt, before the beast howled in simulated pain, bursting into shards just as the others had and giving Sachi a glimpse of her saviour.
It was hard to see in the darkness of the forest, but the shaking girl could just make out a figure draped in grey robes with a hood over her head, the slightest glimpse of red lips showing underneath. Sachi's breath caught as the person stepped a bit closer, her head tilting to the side a little to allow a few strands of steel grey hair to fall out.
"Are you injured?" Instinctively, Sachi glanced to her lifebar. She had taken a few blows early in the fight, bringing her health dangerously close to the red, but it had recovered over the duration of her desperate run. She shook her head slightly, earning a slight smirk from the hooded girl. "Good. Stick close, there may be more about." hesitantly, Sachi took the hand that was offered with the words, pulling herself up. Her saviour said nothing more, instead turning back towards where Sachi had just come. Strangely, the young girl felt no hesitation at following her. Whoever this person was, she was strong. Perhaps even strong enough that with her help, Sachi might survive the night.
XXX
"Cheers!" Bella smiled slightly as she watched the celebrating group smash their glasses together, lifting her own to her lips. Kirito was there, ever at the center of attention, along with the guild of five that the two Beaters had rescued earlier that night. She herself was standing in the shadows, as was customary for her, keeping an eye out for trouble even as she observed her friend. It was always good for Kirito to socialize. Bella was certain she made horrible company, especially when stuck on the front lines for several months, with little to no contact otherwise.
"Hey, Kirito, where's your friend?" The guildmaster, Keita, asked. As Kirito's eyes landed on her hiding place, Bella knew he was aware of her presence, but wasn't worried that the black-haired boy would reveal it. He knew to respect her privacy. Indeed, as if in response to that very thought, Kirito waved a hand vaguely around himself as he answered.
"Around. Bella doesn't like crowds." Said girl was suddenly forced to choke back laughter at the comment. She actually didn't mind crowds at all; they were perfect places to disappear. She just preferred to observe, rather than be observed. People like her never retained their freedom for long if they were in plain sight. At least, that was the case before SAO.
"Oh, well, do you think she'd mind if you told us your levels?" Bella's lips quirked upwards. What was this guy up to?
"Uh, we're both level… twenty." Bella frowned at the answer. They were far higher than that, and Kirito knew it. What the hell- oh. Bella cut her thoughts off as she saw the nervousness reflected in Kirito's eyes from the light of the fire. These people didn't seem to recognize that they were Beaters, and the boy really was desperate for someone other than Bella to be with. More than that, he was desperate for even the slightest bit of the burden the two players had taken on to e relieved. Perhaps these people could help with that.
"Brilliant, that's just a couple levels above us! I've got a proposition for you two, then, but it can wait until she gets here." At the word proposition, Bella perked up, sitting just the tiniest bit straighter in her spot.
"You can say it now. She won't mind." Bella couldn't help but smile at the confidence in Kirito's voice. It was amusing to watch people react to things like that.
"Oh, uh, well then. We were wondering if, actually, you guys wanted to join our guild." For a moment, Kirito paused, glancing over to Bella. His eyes were wide in surprise, and just a touch of desire. It was obvious how much he really wanted this. With a small smile, Bella pushed herself up, stepping out of the shadows to place a hand on Keita's shoulder, surprising the entire group.
"I have no objection. Kirito?" Bella ignored the stares that everyone except Kirito was sending her, pulling up a chair calmly and glancing at her partner. He smiled at her antics, shaking his head.
"I think it's a good idea. It gets lonely out there, even with a partner." And just like that, Bella felt something shift inside her, and a warm glow filled her as she glanced around the table. They weren't the people from outside, the ones she had struggled side by side with before being trapped in SAO, but maybe, just maybe, they could become close enough. After all, a guild was like family.
XXX
As Bella stepped out of the teleportation, she paused, the quiet beeping of her message system attracting her attention. Curiosity driving her hand, she swiped to open her menu, then the message that popped up.
"Hey, Bella. Sachi ran off, and we can't find her anywhere. I know you're pretty good at tracking, think you could give it a try?"-Kirito
Ice filled Bella's veins as she listened to her best friend's voice. Sachi was the youngest and weakest of the group. If she had run off into the fields alone, for whatever reason, then she might be in danger. Even in a town, she wasn't particularly safe, since any unsavory characters that might be around would be drawn to her timid and fragile demeanor like moths to a flame. With this in mind, the silver-eyed girl set off, activating her Tracking skill as she went.
It didn't take long to find Sachi, the blue-haired girl leaving an obvious trail to the bridge she was sitting under. With a slight frown at the rather depressing choice of venue, Bella swung herself down to land on the thin walkway, only a few feet away from her quarry.
"There are better places to hide than under a bridge, you know." Sachi's head whipped up to look at her, and Bella was taken aback by the bloodshot eyes and tear-stained face. She had been crying, and it didn't look like they were tears of joy.
"Oh, it's just you, Bella. Figures you'd be the one to find me." When Bella heard the slight trembling in the girl's voice, an obvious and not very effective attempt to hide her emotions, she didn't hesitate. With a swift and graceful motion, the older girl took the last two steps to close the distance between them, before crouching down and wrapping the younger in her arms. Ignoring Sachi's yelp of surprise, Bella tucked the blue-topped head into her shoulder before speaking in a soft voice.
"What's wrong, little one?" Bella felt the girl in her arms stiffen at the unusual contact, but didn't let go, even tightening her grip as she shifted to sit down beside Sachi. "Speak. Holding your emotions in is never a good idea." I should know. She thought silently, but shook it off in order to focus on the person she was currently comforting. It was a position she was well-used to, despite never having believed she was an appropriate choice. After a few moments, in which Bella started to rock Sachi slightly, a motion which she knew from long experience could help calm people down, the younger girl spoke, her voice warbling.
"I-I'm scared." With a heavy sigh, Bella closed her eyes, fighting the well of emotions rising inside her as she listened. "I'm scared that someday, I won't be strong enough, and I'll die. That a monster will kill me, and I'll never get to see my family again." From where she was sitting, Bella started humming, even as Sachi suddenly burst into tears, mumbling apologies as she did so. The older girl sat and held her, letting the younger divulge herself of all her tears, despite the fact that her robe was getting ruined, even with the self-cleaning algorithms of the game. Only once the girl had shed everything she had, did Bella speak, having deemed it better to reason only once Sachi was no longer quite as emotional..
"So you're scared." A soft nod was her answer, and Bella smiled softly, although her companion couldn't see it from her position. "Okay, I can understand that. But tell me, were you afraid of being run over by a car in IRL?" Sachi stiffened at the odd question, and when Bella willingly let her arms fall apart, the younger girl rose from her position to look at the older's eyes with her own confused ones..
"Wh-what does that have to do with anything?"
"Just answer the question." Bella said and so Sachi shook her head. "Then were you afraid of being mugged and shot? Or of choking on your food?" Again, the younger girl's head swung from side to side, confusion written clear across her face.
"Why are you asking me this?" She questioned, her voice hoarse from the crying.
"Because you need to hear it. All those things I just asked? Those are very real dangers in the real world, just as likely to kill you as a monster is here in Aincrad, but you never thought about them, did you?"Now, with just a tiny bit of understanding crossing her face, Sachi shook her head once again, prompting Bella to continue. "It's ironic, really. IRL and SAO aren't all that different, if you actually think about it. The real world is just as dangerous as in here, if not more so. The only difference is that where there the danger is hidden behind an veil and illusion of safety, while Aincrad just shoves it in your face. Funny, isn't it? The game is more honest than reality." Bella's smile had now turned bitter, and Sachi stared at her. There was something broken in the older girl now, a kind of sad resignation with depth that far outstripped Sachi's own self-pity, and, hesitantly, she reached out to touch the her shoulder.
"But… if that's how you feel, why do you fight? If you're so sure the world is dangerous whether in real life or not, why try to get out?" Bella just gave a tired chuckle, leaning her head back to rest it on the wall behind her and closed her eyes.
"Because I'm not trying to save myself. I could care little and less whether I die or not. It's going to happen eventually, so why bother? No, it's not me I'm worried about."
"Who, then?"
"The lost souls." At the answer, Sachi froze, tilting her head in confusion. What did she mean by that? As if she had felt the motion, since her eyes were closed and she was unable to see, Bella lifted her head, opening her eyes to look into Sachi's. "I fight for the children taken from their parents, the separated lovers, and the siblings divided by different realities. I fight for those taken from their families and loved ones without a choice, in order to fulfill this mad, sick ambition of Kayaba's. For those who died lost and confused, without a soul to note their last actions, and those who are yet to meet a similar fate. They may die later, in days, months, or even years from now, but i'll be damned if I don't do my best to ensure that when that time comes, they have someone to hold their hand as they leave the world, virtual or otherwise."Sachi was struck cold by the words, never having guessed at such a depth from her guild mate. Bella had always seemed so distant, cool and calm and collected. Sure, Kirito looked at her with a great respect, and he would always mention that she was more than she seemed, but Sachi had never actually thought of the possibility. Now, she didn't know what to say to the older girl.
"How do you do it? How do you risk your life for people you don't even know?" Bella smiled sadly, her eyes finally leaving Sachi's to stare at the water in the river beside them.
"There's no how about it. It's just… someone has to. Why not me?" Her head turned back to Sachi's, and the younger girl's breath was stolen by the shimmering kindness of Bella's quicksilver eyes, the moonlight playing across them like captured fairies. She couldn't say anymore, but she did lean forward and wrap Bella within a tight hug, a proper one this time. The older girl was just so… selfless. She didn't even really think what she was doing was important, just a service she could provide.
It was a long while before the two girls left that bridge, too comfortable to move out into the night's cold, but when they did, Sachi was feeling almost reborn . Yes, she could be a coward, and end her life, but that wouldn't do any good, she could now see. She would be leaving so many others behind to suffer without her, and Bella all alone to carry her burden. She had seen it, amidst the sparkling light and currents of quicksilver; a tiny shred of darkness, a depthless exhaustion from bearing her burden, even if Bella would never admit it. And now… now Sachi would help her carry that burden, even if it meant dying along the way. If nothing else, she could spare the older girl the pain of worrying over her. It was the least she could do, after all, for the one who had saved her life, among so many others.
XXX
Bella smiled from the back of the group, watching Sachi as she took the lead in their tromp through the twenty-seventh floor. The young woman had grown so much in the past few weeks since that night under the bridge. There was a determination burning within her, and while Bella may not have know what exactly changed, she was glad of it. No longer was the blue-haired girl timid and weak;she had slowly but surely started taking on more and more responsibility within the guild, both on the field and off of it, and the change showed.
Bella was drawn out of her musings when she heard a sudden call of admiration from Ducker, who was right behind Sachi. As the hooded girl raised her head to see what the fuss was, she noted a tension in Kirito who was just a little ahead of herself, and when she saw the open door leading to an almost empty room with just a single chest, she knew exactly why. Kirito and Bella, as Beaters, had both been up to this floor and beyond already, and traps like these were almost commonplace. Before she could call out a cry of warning, however, Sachi, Ducker, and the other two exclaimed loudly in delight and ran forward without hesitation. With a muttered curse, the hooded girl dove forwards, right behind Kirito.
The instant her companion crossed the threshold, a chill ran up Bella's spine, and she knew something was wrong. Before she could wonder what it was, however, a wall snapped down directly in front of her, cutting the girl off from the rest of her guild.
No, She thought, her veins turning to ice. Eyes wide, she stepped forward and laid a hand to the wall, unable to believe what she was seeing. No no no no no no no no no no no no no… With a yell of frustration, Bella smacked a hand against the wall, ignoring the sharp pain that erupted underneath the skin. This could not be happening.
As she struggled to get in, utilizing all the techniques and skills she could think of, Bella was forced to listen as a loud blaring alarm rang throughout the room just beyond her reach, and the chitter of monster appeared. As she worked, shudders ran through her when one, and then another cry of surprise and loss rang through the air, and three voices fell silent. Then, finally, her heart jumped with victory as the door once again slid open, only to dive even deeper into her gut at the horrible scene before her.
Ducker, Sasamaru, and Tetsuo were nowhere to be seen, and a pang of dread struck Bella's heart for a moment. That was nothing, however, when she saw Sachi, separated from Kirito by far too much space for her warning shout to do any good, was approached from behind by a stone golem. With wide, helpless eyes, she watched as the girl was struck and thrown forward, not a sound escaping from her. The world seemed to slow down, and for a moment, Bella could've sworn that she saw the pale pink lips of the dying girl forming words, even as her turquoise eyes met Bella's own quicksilver ones. A moment later, the girl burst into shards of blue light, and Bella's mind blanked.
The Beater turned to the horde of monsters, Kirito barely visible among their clustered forms. In what seemed like several long seconds, a heat started to build up within her, and her hands unconsciously went to the two daggers strapped to her thighs. There was no feasible way they could win this. Even two Beaters, who by all rights should have been on far higher levels, wouldn't be able to defeat the sheer number of monsters in this room. But they had killed Sachi. Another soul lost to Kayaba's sick games and twisted ambition. One who had just started to break her way out of the fear and despair that had trapped her. Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Ducker were gone too, innocents, so full of life and light just a few moments before, struck down with cold and brutal efficiency. Now, Kirito, too, was trapped, with no way out and a horde of monsters between him and the door. Kirito, that kindred soul whose light she had followed out of the first floor boss room those long months ago, Taking the hatred and scorn of the entirety of Aincrad in order to protect other Beta Testers.
No. The thought rang through her like a bell on a cold winter's day. No. This was not how it was going to end. They had fought through so much, sacrificed so much, and Kayaba had taken enough from them this day.
With a silent determination, Bella frew the blades whose pommels her hands were resting on, spinning them up into a ready position. Then, as the heat of pain and anger reached a boiling point in her, she took a step forward. No more. Enough had been lost this day.
XXX
Bella's eyes were dry as her hand scraped across the faded, crossed out names on the wall of life, but inside, she was swirling with a storm of emotions, leaving her feeling cold and hollow as she stared. Beside her, Kirito's grief was much more obvious to behold, the silent tears dripping to the floor with an echoing drip. For several long hours, they had stood there, just staring at the four names carved out with a cruel, impersonal streak, one slightly more recent than the others. Now, Kirito turned to her, his broken voice a hoarse whisper as he asked desperately, "What now? They're gone, and… i don't know what to do, Bella."
The girl looked at him, a sliver of pity breaking through the other emotions to shine in her quicksilver eyes. Kirito, more than she ever had, needed the guild. He was a self-sacrificing fool, it was true, but he was also one who needed something to keep him stable. He needed someone to protect, a home to make him feel wanted, even if the entire rest of the world was out to kill him. Bella was there, of course, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't enough, broken as she was. The tearless eyes were testament to that.
For a moment, Bella looked at him, the events of the last twenty four hours washing over her. They were the last of the Moonlit Black Cats. Again, it was just the two of them, but now there were four ghosts walking behind them, visible in the blue edgings on either of their chosen outfits. So much loss, in such a short amount of time… there was only one thing left to do. They couldn't just break down and stop fighting. Keita's dream had been so much more than that, and as she turned back to the stone, her hand once again brushing his name, she spoke, her quicksilver eyes hardening with hatred at the man who had broken such a promising man, and a great leader.
" We fight." She said simply, and when Kirito turned his tear streaked face to her, she took another deep breath before continuing. "That bloody bastard sitting on his golden throne wants to break us, so we don't let him. We can't save those who have passed, but they're not the only ones left. There are still over seven-thousand players in this game, and no matter how much shit he throws at us, I'm not giving up. With every loss, with every attempt to drive us into despair, we're going to spit in Kayaba's face, and we fight. Because all of this?" Bella's arm jerked out, and she turned the motion into a wide sweeping gesture, indicating the entire wall of life. "All of this is on him. I once told Sachi that the real world is just as dangerous as the virtual one, and that's true. But how and when these people died? That's his fault. They died separated from their loved ones with their entire lives ripped away from them, lost and afraid in a world they were trapped in against their will, and their blood is on his hands. That is his sin, and I plan on making that bloody bastard pay for it with every last drop of his soul." Kirito stared at the girl beside him, breathing heavily from her rant. Then, slowly, a small smile came over him, and he reached up to wipe away his tears.
"You're right. The others wouldn't want us to be acting like this, would they?" He asked, earning a snort from Bella as the tension that had been stretched tight between the two was shattered.
"Of course not. All three of the guys would be teasing us to no end, and Sachi would just watch on laughing." With a laugh of his own, Kirito nodded, and suddenly his entire body drooped, the last of the despair and grief that had overcome him before gone. There was just something about Bella that didn't allow him to be sad around her for long.
With one final glance back to the stone where the four names that they would forever hold dear to their hearts resided, the two Beaters and Black Cats gave each other a small nod, and turned to walk out of the room, their heads held high, and eyes blazing with determination. They had work to do.
XXX
All right, it is finally here! Okay, I know a lot of you have probably been waiting ever so patiently for this, or anything from me, really, so I must apologize for the uncommonly long wait. I have been suffering a severe bout of writer's block recently, and have barely been able to get anything done at all. Hopefully, that is a thing of the past, but we shall see. For now, here is your new chapter of The Silver Shadow, and I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave a Review or PM me. See ya!