A thank you to Mike Kromer, Pizzajon, Drmonicblood, FLARECROWN, Guest, Ryujin Kami, Raketsou, Noobiehunter, Dreddman, Lilly, Rolo-chan, Miko, Guest, KatieSky12, Fuko-Sun, Ravena Wolfborn and Guest. For commenting!

I know there aren't any Bow and Arrow in SAO, but for this story.

There is.

Deal with it.

Chapter 2

Found You

She stumbled on impact.

Sachi flinched. Her body swayed.

She hooked her fingers onto the small rope and pulled it back. Her breathe hitched in her throat. She released the arrow.

Said make-shift arrow zoomed through the air. It split the wind as it begun to advance on the target.

At first, Sachi held hoped that maybe now she'd hit it, but that faith automatically melted away when the tip of the arrow hit the top metal handle. This made the arrow to bounce through the air.

It impact into a nearby marble tree.

"O-Oh." Sachi whined.

Sachi's shoulders sagged with disappointment.

Sachi poked her bottom lip out. Her soft, lavender eyes looked down to her small hands. She sighed upon seeing the tiny red cuts and bruises.

All from the hours Diavel had her out in the training field.

"Ah. You're getting better." Diavel said.

Diavel stood to the side. He was leaning against one of the trees. His thin lips pulling into a small smile.

"You at least hit something this time." he cheerfully added.

Diavel pushed himself from the tree with his left foot. He walked towards the arrow still sitting in the tree.

Diavel chuckled.

He could practically feel Sachi's annoyed glare. For such a small person, she sure does have a powerful glare, a glare that reminded him of his Mothers.

"W-Why? Why d-do I have to u-use bow and arrow? W-Why not my spear?" Sachi said.

Sachi turned the wooden bow in her hand over. She ran her thumb over the wood.

It didn't look anything special, as normal as it could get.

She whipped the sweat from her brow.

"I-I'm not good with b-bow and arrow…I o-only ever used bow a-and arrow was d-during…the b-beta test." Sachi said.

She mumbled the last few words shyly. It was almost as if she was expecting somebody to jump out from the trees.

Since Kayaba Akihiko announcement...

He had created a world for himself. He was using them as guinea pigs. Other players hadn't taken nicely to beta testers.

Sachi had even heard of a young female beta tester who had made her rank known. It hadn't ended well, as she was quickly backed into a corner.

Not by the monsters of the game, but by the players.

'T-They blame us…A-And that didn't end well."

Sachi looked at the ground. Sachi wanted to give up so badly. She believed she wasn't getting any better!

Hell, she was barely was able to holding the arrow up straight. Not just that, either; she was tried and excused.

Diavel had been getting her up at the crack of dawn to train.

Sachi wasn't as strong as Diavel, but at least she was levelling up better than in the beta round. Still, it was useless.

Sachi was terrified to face a monster. Even a low-levelled boar scared her.

Diavel let out an overdramatic sigh. He flickered his sky blue hair over his shoulder.

Sachi could only stare with her eyebrows raised. Her friend being flamboyant in so many ways.

"Sa-chi! I've told you!" He said. "Despite being somewhat decent with your spare, you really are not good at close combat. You have few skills, but not nearly enough. So the best course of action is for you build up your skills as a distance fighter, rather than a close fighter."

Diavel smiled. He held up a single finger and spoke in a somewhat matter of fact tone. His bright blue eyes closed. He grins wider.

"The bow and arrow is such a delicate weapon! It suits you perfectly, Sachi! An elegant weapon for an elegant girl. It's a perfect man's MPG fantasy!" He said.

'D-Diavel-kun you're the smartest p-person I know…b-but I guess even you can be a p-pervert…'

"Diavel-kun? W-Why are we t-training so h-hard?" Sachi asked.

Sachi had frowned as she spoke. She noticed Diavel narrowed eyes slowly.

Something was definitely up.

Sachi knew the guy.

She had known the boy for so long, she could tell when he was hiding something.

"W-What are you hiding from me?" She asked sternly.

Diavel's eyes skittered about. He tried to avoid looking in Sachi's direction.

Sachi had this cold aura around her whenever she was concerned. She was so similar to his mother that it wasn't even funny.

Eventually, however, Diavel cursed himself as his eyes flickered to look at her for a brief second, which made his resolution crumble.

After a few more seconds in silence, Diavel let out a groan. He threaded his fingers through his tight, blue curls.

"I was really hoping I could keep this from you until after it had been accomplished." He said.

Sachi frowned even deeper to herself

"…so, um, a couple of nights ago, my team found the boss door of this level." Diavel added.

Sachi's eyes grow wide. Her jaw dropped in shock.

'This level's boss?'

She felt her heart drop at the mare thought of it. Sachi wasn't present during the beta round's first boss, but she had heard how it had gone.

It had been a long and tough fight. They eventually defeated the boss, but at the same time, they had to spawn many times. They had failed many times before winning.

This time, however, there are no restarts!

"W-What? You can't be c-considering what I think y-you are…r-right?" Sachi said.

She remembered that a week after being trapped in SAO, Diavel had come to her. He had told her that he was going to gather a team and try to defeat the boss.

Sachi had been so worried that she hadn't slept at all that night.

She couldn't describe how she felt when he returned the next morning. He looked so disappointed. The dungeon, which held the boss, had been moved.

The scenery had changed. That meant everything they knew from their previous experience could be wrong now.

Sachi went cold, pure cold.

"I'm holding a meeting later on today. Everyone who is a high enough level will be gathering in the ring-hall." Diavel explained.

Sachi trembled as she listened to the words. Her stomach coiled and her teeth pressed into the sensitive flesh of her lip. She let out a sigh.

"We're going to come up with a strategy to defeat the boss with the help of the guide book. Even though there is a chance a few details might be wrong, it's all we've got." He added.

Sachi sighed. Her poor heart beat harshly in her chest. She carefully pulled her own manual out. Sachi stared at the greyish cover.

It was written by a beta tester. She knew that by fact.

The writer was Axel. He was a beta tester that Diavel had trained with. Axel would hang out with Sachi every now and then.

Both Diavel and she had added a few things they remembered.

Sachi was snapped out of her thoughts when Diavel suddenly marched up to her. He grabbed her by her shoulders.

Sachi immediately snapped her head up with surprised eyes.

"You should come to the meeting. You'll see. We actually have some pretty stronger players. There's no need to worry." Diavel said. "You've progressed so much!"

She's progressed?

'Really?'

She doesn't feel like she'd gotten any stronger than the last time she played.

Sachi can't even shoot an arrow properly.

How is that progress?

"O-Okay…I t-trust you. Just…b-be careful, okay?" Sachi said quietly.

"Aren't I always?" Diavel said.

Diavel grinned. He was cocky. He ruffled Sachi's short hair.

Sachi frowned deeply. She groaned.

"S-Stop treating me l-like a kid." She mumbled.

Sachi slapped his hands away.

Diavel just grinned even more.

"Anyway! Back to training!" He cheered proudly.

Diavel pointed a finger up in the air. He cheered loudly. Gleefully.

"Practice is everything, Sachi!" Diavel added.

Sachi groaned again. She did not want to practice but she knew she had too. She lifted her bow.

"…O-Okay…" She murmured lowly.

There really was no point in arguing with Diavel. He could be quite stubborn.

Once, he had a thought in that rock of a head of his, he couldn't be talked out of anything.

Sometimes, Sachi really questions their friendship.

Sachi pushed her deep blue hair out of her face. She tried to smile but it really came out as a grimace.

All the targets lined up perfectly. A few hanging from the tree branches.

Sachi hadn't even hit one yet. Not even on the outside of the target. Sachi looked down at her bow. It was quite small in her opinion, reaching from her elbow to hand.

Sachi wondered if maybe, one day, she could somehow gain a larger bow. She had to level up the weapon, like everyone else. That is how one would get a strong, and powerful weapon.

Well, first, she had to get better at aiming the arrows.

Sachi almost laughed to herself. That was an amusing thought.

Her being a good at archery.

She could hardly do anything right. The only thing she was good at was cooking but that's because she had been cooking since she was young.

What could she really bring to this game? She's a failure at everything.

With an uneasy frown, she released the arrow.

However, no matter how much Sachi kept pushing it out of her head, the time for the boss fight conference eventually came.

Sachi shifted in her hiding spot.

She was hiding behind one of the many pillars. The area where the meeting was a ring of large stone steps that the players were using as seats.

Diavel stood in the middle of the roman-style hall.

High, soft grey pillars that had gentle symbols engraved within the stone lined the hall. The stone plates underneath her feet had a few creaks, but was mostly in good shape.

Sachi's eyes gazing intensely at all the players. She painfully noticed there were no female players.

Sachi knew most of the male players within SAO were a bit sexist, but she didn't know it was this bad. With that thought, Sachi shifted further behind the pillar all the while tugging on the dark purple hoodie-like cloak.

Thankfully it concealed her feminine form. It reached just below her knees.

"Listen up!" Diavel bellowed out.

He sounded almost amazingly cheerful.

Sachi stared on after Diavel. She felt so anxiousness.

Diavel looked at all the players. They was staring back at him. He smiled a little and clapped his hands together.

"I'll be starting the conference now! Thank you, everyone, for responding to my invitation. My name's Diavel, and my class is…" Diavel began.

Diavel placed his hand onto his hip. His other hand gently slapped his chest. He smiled, his eyes shifts to the side thoughtfully before nodding his head to whatever he was thinking.

"Informally, Knight!" He said.

Diavel fisting his chest proudly.

Sachi sighed to herself. She didn't even know ranks still existed in this game before.

She should have known Diavel would say something as goofy as that.

She watched as the players began to tease her dear friend. Thankfully, Diavel took it all on the chin and laughed along with them.

Diavel closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened them, and a serious expression graced his face.

"Today, on the highest level of this floor, my party discovered the boss room." He finally said. His voice deep and firm.

Everyone gasped and leant forward to hear what Diavel had to say.

"By defeating the floor boss and reaching the second floor. We'll be able to show everyone in Starting Town that this death game can be cleared. It's our responsibility to do so!" Diavel said.

He threw his hand in the air and clenching his hand. His fingers digging into his the soft flesh of his palm.

"Don't you agree, everyone?"

Sachi placed her full weight on the pillar. She lowered her head and rests her cheek against the cool stone.

Sachi let out a breath of relief as everyone burst into claps and whistles.

So good, so far.

She closed her eyes briefly. Her knees buckles underneath her and she rocked forward just a bit more. Her small button up nose wiggles and she lets out a low sneeze from the small amount of dust within the air from the area around them.

"Okay. Now, I'd like to begin discussing our battle strategy. For starters, we're going to split up into parties of six." Diavel explained without any worry on his shoulders.

Sachi had no good experiences at games with only a little knowledge. Sachi frowned unsure of what they meant.

Why would they need to be in parties of six?

She found herself wondering. She lightly scratching the back of her head through the dark purple cloak she wore.

Sachi's fingers pressing much firmer into the stone. Her fingertips feeling the tiny bumps underneath.

Sachi suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The familiar sensation of eyes drilling into her small body. At first, Sachi froze on the spot, just staring at the stone across from her.

Sachi finally lifting her head. Her body slowly raised, feeling horrified.

Sitting roughly three or four rows down from Sachi herself was a male player.

The boy looked to be on his own. He was sitting apart from the groups.

Sachi's heart easily began to pound within her chest. She watched as the male furiously snapped his head back and forth.

The boy turned his head to look right at her.

Sachi's eyes widened so much that the skin around her eyes burned. She didn't expect anybody to look to the back, much less look at her. Sachi felt herself transform into jelly as narrowed.

She wasn't used to being stared at by strangers.

Sachi normally would run away from strangers. She hated meeting new people.

It was...creepy to be stared at like that.

The boy had midnight eyes. They stared up at her. They was gazing up at her with an indifferent glint within those orbs.

Sachi let out a sharp and soundless gasp. She quickly stumbling fully behind the pillar in embarrassment. Sachi puffed out her cheeks and reached up, her fingers gently tugging on the hood of her cloak.

She panted for breath. It felt like her throat was being squeezed. Sachi leant against the pillar. Sachi's breathe hitching in her throat as she sucked in as much air as possible.

She was so terrified that she would have an asthma attack.

Her large, lavender eyes slide shut; and Sachi held them closed for seconds. Her chest shuddered with the familiar stinging sensation, and she waited silently for the sensation to melt away.

It did.

Sachi's gentle eyes slid open once more. She stared at the twirling symbols of the pillar. Sachi then peeked out from the pillar from the other side.

She automatically zoned down to the boy.

The boy that had been staring at her.

Sachi felt relief.

The boy was no longer looking in her direction. A pleasant hum escaped her lips and she leans her head gently against the pillar side.

She watched as the boy moved towards another player in a cloak. A dark crimson cloak that covered the player's whole body.

She stared with glassy eyes.

The boy was a little odd looking in her option. He had incredibly thick pitch black locks that curled around his face, the little ends brushing just below his eyes. He looked to be taller than herself with high cheek bones and somewhat round midnight eyes.

Sachi had to admit, she hadn't ever seen anybody with such dark eyes before.

Maybe she was being a little bit hypocritical. She had thought him creepy for staring at her, but now she was doing the same thing.

He wore simple clothing like everyone else on the first level. The normal male starter uniform.

A dark navy shit that was tucked into his deep brown pants.

She deflated her shoulders. She looked at Diavel.

He had worked hard to find all his armour. However, underneath the armour, he wore the same clothing as the other males.

The only different between the players were the colours. The colours that they're assigned.

Everyone starts out in the colour that was assigned to them at the very beginning.

Approaching footsteps rang through the air.

Sachi turned her head. She let out a surprised cry from the fast approaching male. She had to duck to the side to avoid being pushed out the way as the player charged full-hearted towards the meeting.

Sachi slowly raised from her crouching position. She looked over to the player.

Sachi noted he was quite lanky with low shoulder-blades and dark brown hair that was smoothed into odd spikes. He wore a simple stitched grey shirt with armour plates imprinted across his body, leather straps, as well, with what looked like a sword strapped to his back.

Sachi wasn't sure. She barely had enough time to think about it before he leaped through the air. He pushed himself from each stone-step with easy.

"The name's Kibaou!" He said.

Kibaou's body hunched over just a little. Kibaou raises his hand and thumbs his chest. His other hand curling to his hip.

"There's something that I need to get off my chest. I'm positive that there are some amongst you that should be apologizing to those who've dies so fair." He added.

Sachi froze. Her hand pressed tightly against the rough edge of the pillar.

Sachi stared at Kibaou with wide eyes. Her bottom lip shuddered and parched.

The man's words echoed through her head. She lets out a low gasp.

Deep sadness filled her body. Her eyes almost swelled up with tears.

She hadn't know anybody personally who had already died, but she understood the sorrow that their families would be feeling.

Sachi had recently lost her beloved Grandpa just last summer.

Promptly, the air around the group grew thick with a sickly sensation that just makes her throat tightens. She wanted to cry, and a few tears leaked out from her eyelashes.

"Kibaou-san…" Diavel began. "The people that you're referring to are the beta testers, correct?"

Kibaou's eyes widened. They then narrowed. He launched forward a step, stomping his foot into the ground underneath him.

"Of course I am!" He hissed.

Kibaou's fingers dugged into the palms of his hands. It sent little crinkles of pain up the flesh. Evidenced by the way his eyes squirted.

"On the day that this crappy game started, the beta testers disappeared, abandoning all us beginners. They monopolized the good hunting grounds and profitable guest, prioritizing themselves over others. And afterwards, they feigned ignorance for doing so." He added.

"Some of you are sure to be beta testers!" Kibaou finally snapped.

Kibaou's dark eyes flash dangerously. He peered around at the other players.

"We should have them kneel in apology and hand over the money and items they've been hoarding! I cannot, and will not, entrust my life to such people!" He yelled.

Sachi let out a shaky breathe.

"Beta testers…" She repeated.

'I-Is…is t-this…this all our fault? M-My fault?'

"Mind if I speak?"

A rather tall and muscled man spoke up. He lowered his arm and easily gets to his feet.

He shifted slowly. He climbed down the stones, and his feet making small thuds as he walked.

The man had dark skin that stretched across his body, making his muscles pulse. He wore a sleeveless white and dark brown strap shirt. It sticks to his body like another layer of skin.

A simply chest plate armour covered his chest with matching armour on his arms.

"My name is Agil."

"Kibaou-san, basically you're saying that the beta testers should take responsibility for the many deaths by apologizing and offering reparations because they didn't look after us new players, right?" Agil questioned calmly.

Agil's dark eyes peered down at the much smaller man.

Sachi lets out a soft sound. She moved from the pillar and stepped forward bravely. She found herself desperate to hear what this man had to say.

From the sounds of it, he was a very intelligent and wise man.

Kibaou stumbled backward. He ducks his head and glared up at the other nervously.

"Um…Y-Yeah." he grunted.

"This is the guidebook." Agil said.

Agil held up a small leather grey bound book from his pouch. He held it up for everyone to see.

"It's up for free at the item shop, after all." He said.

The short man snorted. His nose flaring almost like a pig would.

"I do!" Kibaou grunted out.

Kibaou looked unimpressed.

"What about it?" he asked.

Agil let out a loud sigh. He seemed to be tired with Kibaou already.

"The people who distributed these were former beta testers." He said firmly.

Agil turned around. He faced the other players. He was still holding up the bound book. His fingers tapped against the leather case.

"Listen, this information was available to everyone, yet many players died. What I thought we'd be doing here was planning how to fight the boss using what we learned from these deaths." Agil said.

Sachi listened to the admiring words. This man, Agil, was so confident. Sachi had no doubt he was strong.

She lets out a skittered breath of awe. She wondered for a split second if one she could be like that someday.

Sachi shook her head with a small frown. What a stupid thought. She decided.

There was no way she could ever be like that.

She was to weak.

A burden and a failure.

"Okay. May I continue?" Diavel said.

At first he spoke almost jokingly. He looked to Kibaou, who sent him such a dirty look before throwing himself down.

Kibaou crossed his arms stubbornly.

Diavel lets out a low sigh. He shook his head. His eyelids twitched while he pulled out his own guidebook.

"About the boss. The truth is, the guidebook that was just mentioned had information about it in its latest version." He said.

Diavel opened the book. He looked down and frowned.

"According to this, the boss is called Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he has mobs called Ruin Kobold Sentinels guarding him. His arms consist of an axe and a buckler. When the last of his four health bars becomes red, he switches to a curved sword called talwar. His attack patterns also change." He explained.

Diavel smiled wearily. He tilted his hand to the side and closed the book. He throw it into the palm of his hands.

"That is the end of this conference. Lastly, concerning loot distribution. The money is automatically distributed, EXP goes to the party that lands the last hit, and the items belonged to whoever gets them." Diavel added.

"Any objections?" He bellowed out.

Diavel put his guidebook away.

"Okay, we'll leave at ten in the morning tomorrow. You're all dismissed." Diavel finished.

Sachi watched with low confidence as everyone rushed around Diavel.

Diavel smiled widely. His eyes shining as he talked and actually befriended the other players.

Unlike herself, Diavel's friend list was always growing every day.

What surprised her a little was how Diavel had quickly befriended Kibaou. He had locked his arm around Kibaou's. He bumped his fists together.

Sachi whimpered.

Diavel was like the sun. He was always drawing people to him.

Without him, and Sachi wasn't sure what she'll do.

He is her best friend after all.

Diavel chuckled. He grinned at Kibaou. He added the brunette to his friend list.

Sachi turned around and exited the arena.

Diavel was not the only one to notice her leave.

The sun moved across the sky.

Before Sachi knew it, the sky had grown dark. Her head felt heavy as she feared what was to come in the morning.

She sniffled. Her nose twitching as she walked through the streets with her head down. She felt a cold bitter breeze roll past her.

Sachi, at that moment, had her hood down. Her mind was a puddle of worry, thinking that anything could happen tomorrow. She could lose her best friend, and so many players could lose their lives.

Sachi sighed to herself. She paused in step. She pushed a curl out of her face tiredly. Maybe she'd just retire back to her room.

Back in one of the many Inn's within the town for a good rest.

Sachi lifted her head. There was laughter. It echoed out across from her. Her soft eyes blinked once, then twice, as she stares up the street to see it open up into a large area where players walked around. All of which were laughing and holding cups.

She bet Diavel was also down there. He was socializing with everyone he meets, the complete opposite to herself.

At first, Sachi wondered if it was alcohol, maybe beer? But she quickly discarded that thought.

This game was for children, after all. Well, kind of, anyway.

It's more likely it was pumpkin juice, as that was the only liquid, other than water, that could be gained on this level.

Sachi frowned to herself. She wondered if maybe beer or wine was available on higher levels.

Sachi ducked her head once more. She reached back, and pulled her hood back up. She tugged on the soft martial cloak.

Sachi pulled the cloak tighter around her body. Sachi slowly walked forward. She walked past an alleyway quietly until she entered the area. She nervously looked around.

Just as she thought, Diavel was snickering with other players. At least he was having fun.

Sachi smiled. She rolled her eyes around the spacing. The buildings lined up the space with a fountain in the middle. The marble trees scattered around the fountain. Lanterns hung from the branches, glowing beautifully in the night sky.

It almost reminded Sachi of her home.

As soon as the thought past her mind, Sachi felt herself become sadden.

Her chest tightened, and her stomach coil with the thoughts of her home. She remembered her house with the warm carpets and light colours, her loveable and bubbly mother and her strict father.

Sachi automatically began to shake her head furiously.

Her breathe hitched in her throat as she quickly spun on the balls of her feet. Sachi speed walked towards another street leading out of the area.

She didn't want to break down in front of so many people. The mere thought made her hiccup with pure sadness that bared its fangs into her body. Sachi's back arched as she almost stumbled over her feet.

Sachi walked around a house corner. She almost tripped down a small staircase. Her face swiftly heated up. Her throat shuddered as she tried to climb down the steps. As soon as her foot hits the bottom, she shatters.

Sachi fell down on the last step. Her legs arched upward. Sachi stared point blankly ahead of herself.

'There a-are two.'

Sachi stared up at the two moons. She felt a little stupid.

Of course there was two moons. There are two suns. Of course.

Sachi's lips pulled into a sad smile. Her fingers shook as she rested them on the hardened skin of her knees. Her eyes shuddered while she stared at the moon, and her eyes began to blur. Her shoulder begun to shake.

She tried to breathe. Fiery hot tears peeked at the ends of her eyelashes, as she whines softly.

She felt the fat, hot tears roll down her sensitive skin. It stained her pale, round cheeks. Her head felt heavy, and she made a deep sound from the back of her throat.

Sachi's arms wrapped around her knees. She buried her face into them. A broken sound escaped her lips. Her teeth ripped into the soft skin of her bottom lip. Her fingers pressed into the clothing she wore.

"Nee. It's a nice night, isn't it?"

Sachi felt a deep and freezing cold chill run down her spin.

Sachi's eyes widened. Her head shoot up. She turned to look at the one coming up next to her.

Sachi immediately rubbed her eyes furiously. She sized up the other. Sachi's heart dropped to her stomach as she noticed it was the creepy boy from earlier.

Sachi automatically found herself frowning shyly. Sachi draw her knees in close to her as a scary thought past her mind.

'D-Did he follow m-me?'

Sachi felt quite panicked at the thought. She wasn't used to any attention from anybody.

Sachi nervously eyed the boy through the shadows of her cloak. She peered at the other player.

He walked down the steps. He then flopped down next to her.

"It's funny, isn't it? Even though there are two, the moon looks exactly like ours back home." The boy said calmly.

Sachi raised an eyebrow at the strange player. She frowned even deeper to herself.

It wasn't an odd thing to start with...it was quite normal really.

It was polite to reply, wasn't it?

'Do manners still exist in the game?'

Sachi wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't talk to people, and she was no good at being social.

In complete honesty, Sachi was known to be one of the people who would hide in the library more than anything else. Sachi felt a cool chill go up her spine once again.

The other player frowned to himself. He turned his head to look at Sachi. He realized she wasn't going to speak a single word. He sighed deeply.

"Did you get left out? I didn't see you party up with anybody." He tried again.

The boy hunched himself forward.

Sachi found herself quietly observing the way his midnight hair fluttered in the air before she shook her head. It seemed the boy was younger then him. Only by a year.

Which meant, he must be at least 15 years old? Right?

Sachi was 16. She could easily tell how old people was.

"I w-wasn't l-left out." She said shyly.

Sachi's voice coming out barely above a whisper. It was gentle as ever.

The boy almost missed it. He had to lean closer to the obvious female to hear her. His dark eyes narrowed eyes, hoping to see her through the shadows of her hood.

Sachi leant in the opposite direction of the boy. She did not want him to get close to her. Her heart pounded harshly in her chest, so loud that she almost feared the other could hear it.

"I, I'm n-not going t-to be in the b-boss fight…I-I'm too w-weak…" She added quietly.

"Weak?" The boy said.

The boy's eyes widen.

"What level are you?" He asked.

The boy's eyes looked down to the familiar arm cuff. All players started out with one, and it was normally hidden underneath another layer of clothing or armour. He noticed Sachi's assigned colour was white. He chuckled, because his own assigned colour was black.

"It can't be that bad." He said.

"I-I'm level 1-15…" Sachi trailed off.

She was pathetic, so weak!

She couldn't even make it to the same level as Diavel.

The two trained so hard! So much together!

The boy hummed under his breathe.

"It isn't that bad." he comments.

The boy turned to look at Sachi. His lips pulled into a small, comforting smile.

Sachi snorted. Her eyebrows bounced. She shook her head.

"N-Not that bad? W-What level are you? 18? 19? 20? 2-21?" She said.

Sachi whimpered the words out. Sachi's fingers twisted, and clenched together. They pressed together as she spoke with a shuddering annoyance.

Sachi tried to utter the words bravely. Her throat tightened, and she found herself stuttering again.

"I'm level 22, actually…" The boy uttered out after a few seconds.

A sheepish smile spread across his face. He brushes his deep locks out of his face and glanced to the side for a split second. He sighed to himself when he hheard Sachi snort at his level.

"But 15 isn't, um bad. Most players on this level aren't even past level 10, so you're doing well." He said.

The boy tried comfort Sachi. He was awkwardly and shifted on the step. He could feel the roughness of the stone press into his backside.

"What weapon do you use?" He asked.

"I d-did use a s-spear at one point, b-but Diavel-kun is t-trying to move me o-onto bow and a-arrow…" Sachi explained timidly.

Sachi turned her head to look blankly down an alleyway. She thought, for a split second, that somebody was standing there.

She sighed to herself when a small black cat skittered in between the dumpsters.

SAO sure is accurate, very realistic, she noted to herself. She reached slow hand out to the small furry creature. She smiled briefly as the cat rubbed its wet nose against the back of her hand.

Sachi smiled. It made her buzz with warmth when it let out a tiny meow.

"Bow and arrow? But that isn't as strong as the spare?" The boy commented thoughtfully.

The boy stared at her with strange eyes. He reached a hand up and gently pressed his chin to his hand.

"I-I'm not g-good at combat." Sachi spoke.

She reached her arms back. Sachi smiled as the cat pats it's tiny paws against the side of her leg before leaping onto her lap. It pats its paws repeatedly on her lap before sitting and arching its head back. The cat meowed over and over up at Sachi.

Sachi smiled even more warmly. She stroked the soft fur.

"I f-freeze up when I'm f-face to face with a monster…I'm o-overcome with fear, and I c-can't even get my legs to move. T-They become jelly a-and all I can do is s-stand there…." She said. "D-Diavel-kun says I s-should practice long d-distant."

The silk black haired player clocked his head back thoughtfully. His eyes flickering between Sachi and the cat.

"Bow and arrow isn't as strong as the other weapons, but if you master it, level up with it, you'll be able to cause just as much damage as any weapon." He said.

The boy smiled at Sachi. He puffed his cheeks out as he noticed she wasn't going to talk anymore.

He looked to the small cat, still meowing to Sachi. He watched the two for a few more seconds before he reached out and opened up his storage.

Sachi stared as his fingers moved across the many items he possessed. There was quite a few. She felt pretty impressed.

He had completed so many quests in such little time.

Eventually, he found what he was looking for. A reasonable size bun appeared in his hand.

Sachi's eyes flutter, and her eyebrows pulled together. She silently shifts on the step.

The small cat within her lap turned its wide green eyes onto the boy. It noticed he now had food.

"He's hungry." The boy noted.

He ripped a small piece off the bun and held it out to the cat.

Sachi's eyes softens. She watched as the cat quickly took the offered food and leaped off her lap. It rushed forward a few steps to eat the bread.

The boy sighed to himself. He pushed his onyx hair off the back of his lap and leant back. He brings the bun up to his mouth and bites into it. It took a little while to snap off the bit before he chewed.

"You want one?" He questioned.

He did not wait for Sachi's answer. Instead, he took out another bun and offering it to Sachi.

Sachi stared at the bun quietly. She eyed the way the bread was split at the top before she slowly reached out with shaky fingers. Her fingers twitched around the bun, she pressed her fingertips into the bread and brought it in close to her chest.

"T-Thank you…" She said timidly.

She noticed how stiff the bread was. Almost stale, she realized and smiled to herself.

It almost reminded her of the bread buns back home. The ones that were available to High School students through vending machines. They was never good, always stale and never tasted good.

Sachi wondered if maybe this bun tasted as bad as the ones back home. With that thought in mind, she lifted it to her mouth and bites into the bun.

Sachi let out a sound from the back of her throat. The vile taste fill her mouth, and it took all her willpower to swallow.

"T-Taste just like t-the ones back home…" Sachi gasped.

"Yeah. As stale and tough as they came too." The boy laughed, teasingly.

Once again, he opened his storage up. He looked through the items before taking a small pot out and placed it between the two.

"I like to put twists on it." He said. "Try putting this onto it."

Sachi glanced down at the small pot. She slowly reaches a hand out and gently brushes the tip of her finger along the smoothness of the pot.

She ran her finger along the top part. She jumped in surprise as a glowing orb flickered at the tip.

"…I-Is this…c-cream?" She asked.

She ran the orb along the bread. She blinked at the familiar substance appearing across the bun.

Sachi watched as he does the same thing. The pot between them then disappeared in a clash of blue sparks.

"S-Sorry. You s-shouldn't have wasted that o-on me…" She muttered.

"It was my reward for quest called 'The Cow Strikes Back' from the previous town." He explained.

The boy shrugged. He bites into his own bun. He took a good mouthful of the cream and bread.

He sighs to himself from the taste.

"It's an easy quest. I can tell you how to beat, if you want? Then next time, you can treat." He said. His voice muffled.

Sachi blinked slowly. Her cheeks flushed red as she listened to the words.

Next time?

He wanted to eat together again?

She turned red from embarrassment. She mutely nodded her head. Sachi's stomach bubbled as she her mouth fills with the delicious tastes.

"It's g-good." She said in surprise.

Sachi slowly took another bite. She felt her stomach growl with pleasure.

He smiled as he watched her. He turned his attention forward. He took another bite out of his bun. He then reached forward and placed it onto the ground.

As soon as he leant back, the same cat ran towards it. The cat begun to chew at the half-eaten roll.

The boy made a low yawn and stretched his arms above his head.

The male player clocked his head to the side as Sachi somewhat gracefully pushes herself up.

Sachi's knees buckled under her weight while she stepped a few steps forward. She dusted the crumbs from her skirt. She crouched down next to the alley cat and gently stroke him down its backs. She smiled as the cat purred. It turned in her hands, and rubbed his head against her hands.

Eventually, Sachi got back up. She straightens herself up and turned on the balls of her feet. She peered at the boy quietly.

Sachi pressed her hands together in front of her lap and bowed quickly to him.

"T-Thank you…f-for…for the, err, h-help." She said.

Before the boy could even open his mouth to reply.

Sachi spun on the balls of her feet and ran back the way she came.

Sachi felt such anxious for what the next day will bring.