Disclaimer: I own only the idea (which I'm pretty sure has been thought of before so not even that is mine.)
A/N: I noticed that my timeline was a bit off, so I adjusted some of the text in the previous chapter to reflect that. Kirito met Silica in March and I'd placed that meeting in February. My bad.
xxxxxxx
April 1st, 2024
Location: The Hunt Guild Quarter's
Kitchen
"I brought some cider and cakes." Kirito said as he sauntered into the kitchen for his bi-weekly diner visit. "That nets me a meal, right?"
"I should make you join if you're going to be here more often than not." Kagome replied. "You're lucky you know how to suck up to the chef."
"May she cook forever." Kirito intoned, setting his purchases on the sturdy table. "I'm not up to guild life. Besides, you wear white. I like black."
"I'd say we could swing it for you, but that would be lying. We've worked really hard on getting everyone classified and there are no black squads here. There's green for daggers, purple for axes, blue for swords, pink for potion support, yellow for porting and so on and so forth but no black."
"And white as the base color. Blurgh." Kirito wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. Kagome giggled. When his foot wasn't down his throat, Kirito was a great person to spend time with.
"I'll change your mind yet." She threatened, waving her spoon at him. She turned back to the pot and began stirring. In moments, Kirito was looking over her shoulder into the pot. Being a front line guild leader, she often found rare or odd meats that sometimes didn't look like they should be eaten. His habit of checking the pot had started after she'd accidentally poisoned them both. She elbowed him and he blocked, smoothly catching the blow and dropping her arm. She rolled her eyes and leaned closer to the pot, shielding it from view. She stopped stirring and before she could pull the spoon back, Kirito's hands were around her waist, lifting her out of the way and taking her place.
"I put my bet on boar stew tonight." He studied the contents of the pot. "Or beef stew. It could go either way."
"Kirito." She growled, glaring at him. He winked at her and went back to the table. She rolled her eyes and dropped in the last couple of ingredients before turning down the fire. She wiped her hands on her apron and meandered over to the black-clad boy. Adopting her most mischievous smiled, she leaned way into his personal space. "Spar later?"
Kirito stared at her until she wobbled and then steadied her with a hand on her hip before smiling back.
"Always."
xxxxxxxx
April 20, 2024
Location: The Hunt Guild Quarter's
Reception Hall
Kagome studied the group of four in front of her. She remembered them. Remembered their casual cruelty and the way they had left her alone to deal with the Carrion Crows.
She remembered them.
But they?
They had forgotten.
"The Hunt is not a PK guild. We may fill a bounty on a PK-er, but we do not function in that capacity." She said politely, her chin on her fist as she looked down on them from the throne-like chair and dais La-La had procured from … somewhere. The blonde had thrown herself into guild duties since her lover had passed, and Kagome let her do as she pleased.
"We'd actually prefer not to take part in PKing." The spokesman said. She remembered him well. He'd smiled and waved at her as they ported away, pleased with the thought of her coming death.
"Oh? That's good." She turned her head to look at La-La. The blonde was sitting on her right, redesigning the guild crest for the thousandth time. Kagome fought the urge to wince when she saw it was still based on the green of Agil's armor. She'd dropped the color like it burned when he'd told her about his wife and had fully committed her wardrobe to whites and grays and with few pops of color that were influenced by Sesshoumaru. Obviously, the blonde didn't care about that. "What do you think La-La?"
"What are you good for?" She asked, not looking up from the crest.
"We've got a decent mix, I think. No long-range support, but we function well." The spokesperson replied, surveying his team.
Kagome slid her gaze over to them.
"Any beaters?" She queried.
As one, the groups faced screwed up as if they'd smelled something awful.
"Never. Those cheaters would be better off packed away in the Black Iron Palace. They just steal resources from the rest of us."
"Mmm." Kagome sat up and reached for the end of her fishtail braid. She began unplaiting it, taking her time to run her fingers through after each loop was undone. "What would you do if you had to work with one?"
"We wouldn't." The spokesman shrugged and grinned at her conspiratorially. "Though, if you needed us to, we could help one get … lost."
"I see." Kagome pulled her newly-freed hair over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it. It was a relaxing motion, and she could finally see why Sesshoumaru was always petting mokomoko-sama. "How do you go about doing so?"
"Well, it depends on the beater." Kagome made an encouraging noise as she gathered her hair up. One of the boy's face had transformed into horror, but their designated spokesperson continued on. "See, it's best to take them to a field and agro as much as you can to the beater. You just have to make sure they can't port out."
"Mmm." She pulled her hair into a ponytail and stood, cracking her neck. "If I could justify it, I would kill you all. After all, filth like you don't deserve to cling to the pathetic lives you live."
"What the hell did you just say?" The spokesperson screeched, his face flaming.
"I hate PK-ers, but at least they've got enough balls to kill their targets face to face or close enough to. You though, you're just scum, scrapings of filth from the bottom of a shit-bucket." Around him, the others gaped at her. The one who'd recognized her was backing away, edging his way to the door.
"What the fuck?" One of the two girls shrieked. "You're just a beater-sympathizer!" The other girl nodded in agreement.
"Oh no." Kagome said mildly as she stepped down from the dais. "According to you, I'm a beater." Another step and she was face to face with the spokesperson. "I don't deserve to live." She reached out and grabbed his collar. "After all, I don't have family IRL. I don't want to clear the game so I can wake up to see my parents, my friends. I want to stay here, with trash like you. Right? That's the only reason beaters exist, right? To keep everyone down and in the game. I mean, it's not like half the Clearers were beta-testers right? They aren't out there, risking their lives for little shits like you. They're just sitting around basking in all of the resources they've managed to collect floors after the last floor they were able to access in beta. Why, they know all of the tricks!" She tossed him backwards and watched dispassionately as his party supported him.
"You're the filth!" The foul-mouthed girl screeched, stepping forward threateningly. "You're letting us die out there every day, when you could do something to help us!"
"Oh? I've formed a Guild, where I take care of my guildmates. I support the children who shouldn't be here, the ones that came to me, the ones that I've found. I go to every boss fight, and I do my best to ensure that anyone who accompanies me survives. I feed my guild, I clothe my guild, I pay for everything that you see before you with hard work. But I'm only a beater, so nothing else matters."
The girl with periwinkle colored hair, the one who'd yet to speak, put her hand out in front of the other girl.
"You're right." She murmured. "In some ways, you are right. But you're still a beater."
Kagome fairly cackled.
"You'll never believe me, but I wasn't a beta-tester. I was out of country during the beta-release." She lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug. "But now, I need you to leave." She turned back to the dais and paused on the bottom step. "Oh, before I forget." She turned to look at them over her shoulder. "Your party has been designated orange-level. Neither our guild, or any others in the top ten, will ever accept you, be it separately or as you are now. You are filth, vermin. Know that I will never raise a hand to assist you."
She strode up to her throne and sat in it, resting her chin on her upturned palm.
"You can't do that! We don't PK!"
"Your hands are just as blood-stained as those who actively commit crimes. If you can lead others to their deaths, you can accept your status." La-La snapped from her seat. "To come here, to act as if you're better than the trash that we should cull, to call Saya-sama a beater, you deserve death. She is kind enough to not give it to you." The blonde pushed herself up from her seat. "You don't deserve that kindness."
Kagome closed her eyes. She hadn't told La-La what she'd done, but Pluto had. For that, La-La had become almost slavish in her devotion.
The party fell into sullen silence.
"I thank you for your kindness." The girl with periwinkle hair bowed shortly before spinning around to march from the room. The remaining two looked at each other uneasily before following. Kagome sighed softly and closed her eyes. She kept them closed when La-La rested a hand on the crown of her head.
"You were too kind Saya-sama."
"Was I?" She breathed, opening her eyes. "I felt rather cruel." La-La pressed a kiss to her head.
"You could never be cruel." She intoned, almost reverently.
"You don't know me well enough to say that." Kagome closed her eyes and ignored the sound of La-La's disagreement.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
May 5th
Location: Floor 59, Danac
Kagome sat under a tree waiting for Agil. He was running late.
"Saya?" She turned to look at the man who'd called her name. He didn't look familiar and his name was ringing any bells. "You are Saya, right? GuildMaster of The Hunt?"
"I am." She replied.
"How fortuitous!" He clapped his hands together. "I've heard so much about you." He walked closer. "May I speak with you for a moment?" She shrugged and gestured to the grass around her.
"Feel free to take a seat." The man adjusted his glasses and took a seat across from her. "Can I help you with something?"
"Mmm, yes. But not at the moment." He fiddled with the grass in front of him. "They say you wield two weapons, is that true?"
"It is." She gestured to the bow next to her. "I personally prefer the bow. I practically grew up with one in my hands."
"Ah. Archery captain?" He queried.
"No. Though I probably could be if I wished." He made a faint humming sound.
"How do you split your stats between them? I mean I understand you favor the bow, but from what I hear, you're skilled with the blade."
"I use one today and the other tomorrow. It' that simple." She studied him again. "Do I know you?"
"No, no. I've just wanted to meet you for a while. You know, it's rare to see the GuildMaster away from their guild. A lot of the ones in your rank just dedicate themselves to the guild itself and distribute the actual work to those lower than themselves."
"I subscribe to the old school chain of command. I don't send anyone anywhere I wouldn't go. And I will always be on the field of battle. Helps keep morale high."
"That's quite generous of you."
Kagome shrugged. She looked up and spotted Agil walking up the path. She waved at him and he waved in return. The man in front of her turned to see who she was waving at. When he did, Agil's expression darkened.
"Oh dear, is he your husband? He looks quite angry to see me here." He remarked, standing up and dusting off his pants.
"Hmmm?" Kagome responded. "I didn't hear you." Agil was jogging towards them, the look on his face menacing. Kagome couldn't recall a time he'd ever looked that way.
"That man, is he your husband?" He asked again. He looked down when she didn't respond.
She was smiling up at him.
"Why, you're very forward. Are you interested in me? Maybe … ah, I see. You're one of those fans."
"My, you are a smart one, aren't you?" He adjusted his glasses again. "I didn't think you were."
"Mmm, you were wrong." She rolled her shoulders. "I'll see you some other time, yeah?"
"It's more likely than not." He agreed before walking away.
"Oh!" Kagome called, waiting until he had left the grass and Agil had stepped onto it. "Tell Yumi I said 'Hello!' please." The man faltered on the path. "I've heard she's been climbing through the ranks. It's a pity though, she should have just done what I suggested. It would have been for the best." The man squared his shoulders and strode away.
"Did he threaten you?" Agil asked, hand on her shoulder. He was crouching in front of her, studying her face.
"Not really. However, there's a bounty on my head thanks to PoH. So, it's the usual ''I'll catch you later' speech." She rolled her shoulders. "You're late Gorgeous. What have you been up to?" She waggled her eyebrows at him.
"This isn't a laughing matter Saya." He frowned at her as he pushed himself to his feet. "From what I've heard, that bounty is pretty big." He crossed his arms.
Kagome leaned back languidly, bracing herself with her elbows and looking away from him.
"Nothing will come of it."
"Oh? Can you promise me that Saya?" Kagome frowned. 'Saya' instead of 'Sweetness' was odd. He'd called her Sweetness so often it was practically her name. "Saya?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and then looked away. "Saya!" He snapped.
"Don't make me lie to you Agil." She lowered her left arm and turned on her side, body relaxed. "We both know you won't like it." The man let out an aggrieved sigh and sat next to her in the grass. She closed her eyes when he tugged her backwards, into his lap, and then his hands were cupping her face. It was awkward, made doubly so by the fact that he was married and it all felt terribly intimate.
"Saya, I need you to look at me." She pouted and kept her eyes closed. "Please."
She cracked open one eye and then the other. He frowned at her until she had both eyes fully open.
"Agil?" She questioned.
"I need you to promise me that you'll be safe."
"That would always be a lie. I'm a Clearer, so long as I'm on the frontlines, I can never guarantee that."
"That's not what I mean and you know it." She watched as his gaze turned thoughtful. He moved one hand down and captured one of hers and tugged it up, to his lips. "You'll stay safe for me, right?" Kagome made a strangled sound and yanked her hand back. She rolled to her side and clambered to her feet, stumbling back, away from him.
"You don't do that." She whispered. "You don't ever do that!" She wiped her hand on her leg. "I don't lie to you and you don't make gestures you can never follow through." A sob caught in her throat. "Why would you … why would you do that?" She shook her head. "Why?" She looked at him, and her face crumpled. "He did that to me all the time! He made me believe he loved me, but I was nothing to him! No," She shook her head. "I was less than nothing. How … how could you?"
"Saya?" He'd stood up. There was a terrible sadness on his face. "That was wrong of me. No, it was worse than that."
"Why?" She repeated. He took two large steps forward, and gathered her into his arms.
"Come Saya. Let's get you home." He fumbled at his port crystal. "C'mon." She activated her crystal, porting away to Algade. When they hit the port gate, he swung her up, into his arms. This was common enough between the two of them, that the regulars at the gate just waved at them before returning to their conversations. Agil made his way to her guild, walking up the back stairs so that no one would see them. He winced when he came across Pluto.
"Agil! I haven't seen in you in like a day! I seriously think you should just join up. You'd get a bedroom near the top." The purple haired general winked at him. "Right Saya? You've got a room up there reserved for him, don't you?"
"It's a guest room, you ass, and there are three of them." She muttered. "Run along and leave me alone." The purple haired teen rolled his eyes and made his way past them. Agil continued up until he reached her floor and strode down the hall to her bedroom. She pressed the door open, and he stepped in, kicking it closed behind him. He set her gently on her bed and knelt beside it.
"I'm so sorry Saya. I'm so, so sorry." The black haired girl remained silent. He took one of her hands in his and pressed a kiss to it before laying it gently on the bed. He turned his back and sat on the floor, elbows on his knees as he considered what he'd done.
Hours passed in silence.
Kagome wondered if she should just tell him to leave. That man had done that to her. Had pushed and pulled and kept her close to his side by feeding her lie upon lie. He loved her. He couldn't live without her. She was his world.
She had been none of that to him.
He'd been all of that and more to her.
She ran her fingers over the hand that Agil kissed. The one that was scarred in real life.
She'd done everything for him, and he'd tried to reward her with death.
Another hour passed. Agil hadn't moved. So she did. She sat up and turned her back to him.
"I loved him, you know? And I thought he loved me. But I was less than everything to him. In fact, I was really only good for one thing." Behind her, Agil tensed. Kagome frowned, considering how to word her story. "I grew up on a shrine. One with a fairly long history. There is this one artifact we have that goes with that history. In some circles, it's rather well known. It's priceless, more than priceless, it's beyond compare." She paused. "He wanted it. At first, he tried to bully me into just giving it to him. But I refused. It was our history. So he changed tactics many, many times. He was handsome. A little rough around the edges, but brilliant all the same. One day, he saved my life."
"Did you give the artifact to him then?"
"Oh no. I appreciated what he'd done, but even my life wasn't worth it. So he went about it a different way. Everyday he'd visit the shrine. And as I saw him more and more, I came to believe that I understood him. A man with an overbearing brother, one who'd been cast from his home and denied his birthright because he was illegitimate. A just, kind man who didn't know how to express himself after growing up in the streets. An honorable man." Kagome paused to look down at her hand. "He told me he loved me, asked for my hand in marriage. So I foolishly gave him the artifact."
She stopped to gather herself.
"I was wrong. There was no honor, no kindness, no justice. The brother I thought was a villain was a savior. Everything was all wrong. After it fell into his possession, he turned against me."
Next to the bed, Agil grimaced.
"He waited until I was alone and attempted to kill me. I was skilled enough to keep him at bay until his brother arrived on the scene. Disgusted of his brother's betrayal, he broke him, bit by bit and gave me the sword to end it all. At first I couldn't. I loved him. Even though he was a liar. Even though he had nothing in his heart for me, I loved him. And then his brother told me what he'd done to my friends. He'd broken them. Had left them for dead. So I killed him. For them. For me. For what he could have been."
"I would never do that to you."
"Oh?" She queried lightly. She looked over her shoulder. "But you'll manipulate me with a love that will never be returned? You'll kiss my hand so prettily, and hold me so closely, knowing that you are married and anything we ever built would never last?" He tensed and lowered his head. "Do you know why I avoided you after that Christmas?"
He shook his head.
"We were friends. You told me bits and pieces of your life, but you never mentioned your wife. You might love her with everything that you are, but you're still human and she isn't here. I've learned that I am selfish, and while you aren't weak, how long would it take for your resolve to crumble? I'm pretty enough, kind enough, brave enough."
"You're all of that Saya, but I love my wife."
"So you didn't kiss me back? Ah, I see. It was all in my head."
"That was a mistake."
"Was it?" Kagome closed her eyes. She scrubbed her hand over her face. "Could you just, leave for a little bit? Just a while?"
"Because that worked so well last time." He fell silent. "What the hell are we doing?"
"I don't know. What are we doing?"
Agil closed his eyes. He sat sentry at her bedside, waiting until she fell asleep before moving again. He stood then and turned, looking down at the petite girl in the huge bed. He tugged the blankets up over her and tucked a pillow under her head. He hesitated for a moment before bending to press a quick kiss to her forehead and leaving the room.
He loved his wife, loved her with everything he had. But lately, lately he'd been having treacherous thoughts. He felt sick knowing that he wished she'd logged in with him when Sword Art went live.
At least then he would never have known what temptation was.
xxxxxxx
August 15th
Location: Laughing Coffin Guild Quarter
Kagome frowned as she looked at the players around her. The Laughing Coffin had finally overstepped its bounds, and they were going to put an end to them. Of the forty-nine players around her, ten were from her guild. La-La was there, looking particularly happy. She had a thing about murder guilds and felt that they should all be cast into an abyss and left to die. Kagome closed her eyes and chewed on the end of the scarf by her mouth. She paused and tipped her head to the side. She spun suddenly, bow deflecting the dagger that had been aimed for her head.
"Saya! You came all this way to see Yumi!" Yumi called. The girl was clad in black. Kagome wondered if she knew how stereotypical she appeared.
"I don't really much care about you." Kagome shrugged. "But if Yumi feels that she must face Saya, Yumi will regret it." Above her, on the ledge, Yumi fumed.
"You're such a fucking bitch."
"What was that Yumi? Saya's profanity filters are on. Saya cannot bear to hear such awful profane things being said." Kagome mocked. "Maybe if you said it nicer?" Beside her, La-La chortled gleefully.
"Is that La-La? Did she finally surface from between your legs?" Yumi asked sweetly. La-La gasped and growled loudly, cheeks red.
"Why? Did Yumi want a turn?" Kagome retorted. "Saya is very sorry, but Saya has decided she likes men … and maybe Pluto, he's unconfirmed."
"I'm male." Pluto muttered. "Male. All male. It says so on my birth certificate. I've got a dick and everything." His hair was pulled into a top knot that let his exquisite bone structure shine. He'd also added piercings, three on each ear. He was still too pretty for his own good. There was a ripple of laughter from the other Clearers.
Yumi's lips flattened into a line.
"Saya is mine PoH, you said so." As if summoned, the other members of the murder guild appeared from the darkness.
"I may have to rescind. She seems fun." One of the hooded figures intoned, flipping a dagger in his hand. "Maybe I give you the bounty for introducing us."
"Saya must say she has yet to be introduced." Kagome called. She ran her fingers over her bow string. "In all fairness, I feel that you should all know that you can walk away from this. You'll have to reside in the Black Iron Palace, but that's more than fair. After all, once this over you can see your loved ones again." She gestured to a player holding a crystal. "He'll give you a crystal tuned to that location."
The cavern remained silent. Kagome shrugged and readied her bow.
A stocky man leaped at her and was treated to solid wood slamming into his trachea. It was a more than critical strike that was helped along by another to his newly uncovered head. He hit the floor hard and burst into motes of light.
"Fatality." Kagome murmured into the silence.
"Holy shit." Pluto whispered minutes later. "Holy shit." The sound of his voice broke the spell and suddenly, the fight was underway. Kagome quickly lost herself in fighting a small group, each of them wanting to be the one to bring her down. It was a bit tricky to maneuver around them and avoid accidental strikes from the other Clearers, but it was manageable. In what seemed like eternity but not, most of the fighting was over, players either porting away when their health fell too low or surrendering when they were unable to do so. Kagome chucked a crystal at one of the cowering females, watching dispassionately as she was ported away.
"Saya, Saya-sama." She turned to face La-La. The blonde was smiling at her beatifically, arms wide. "Thanks you so much Saya-sama, tha–" There was a shattering sound, and La-La closed her eyes as her avatar broke apart and fell into sparks. Yumi stood behind her, the jagged looking blade in her hand still extended.
"That's one. Oi! Saya-sama, what are you going to now that your lapdog is dead?" Yumi giggled. "Maybe, maybe I should kill Agil. His death will really hurt you, right? You''re always mooning over him"
Kagome tipped her head to the side and considered her once-friend.
"You won't ever have that chance."
What followed was less than a fight. In moments, Yumi was on her knees and Kagome stood behind her. The bowstring was pulled taut against Yumi's neck.
"Please, Saya, no!" The purple haired girl clawed at the cold string against her throat.
"What's that Yumi-chan? I can't hear you. My profanity filter is on." She lifted a leg, and before Yumi had time to react, she struck, pulling her arms back at the same time. Slammed forward by the knee to the back of her head, neck already strung against the bowstring Yumi found herself lifting her hands to the digitized gaping wound across her throat. She chuckled.
"You're a monster."
"Yes." Kagome agreed apologetically. Saya-sama is, and has always been, a monster." With a deft twist, she spun the bow up, closing the gap between string and the wood with a gloved hand and swinging it outward. Yumi dissolved into motes of light. Kagome ran her fingers over the metal wire she'd turned into her bow string. She'd seen Sesshoumaru perform that move exactly once, and it had been an awful, terrible sight. Without his strength, she'd had to modify her weapon, using the metal to cut through 'flesh'. Satisfied, she slung the bow across her back and surveyed the cave. Clearers and murderers alike stared at her as if she was some sort of demon reincarnate. She sighed and pulled out her port crystal.
"Please let me know if you believe I should be residing in the Black Palace." She activated the crystal and vanished.
She reappeared in Algade and made her way to the guild building. Looking at the sprawling English mansion La-La had forced her to buy once the townhouse had grown too small, she sucked in a ragged breath.
La-La had died protecting her from Yumi. It was such an unnecessary death, and it hurt. They'd been friends. La-La had come to her for help in crafting Dyniss' ring. La-La was fun and kind and reminded her of a happier Sango, one unsullied by hardships and too many deaths. Of seeing her' brother cut down her family, one by one.
La-La was a blunt, amazing woman who spoke her mind and was unashamed to love who she loved.
She heard someone call her name, footsteps heading in her direction and she turned tail and ran away. She couldn't face them. Couldn't tell them what had happened.
She couldn't.
She hit the portal and vanished, reappearing on a different floor. With heavy feet, she made her way into the forest, stopping at the eerily clear pond. She walked to the end of the tiny pier and sat before opening the menu and returning her shoes, socks and tights to her inventory. She dropped her feet into the water and closed her eyes.
She'd killed Yumi too quickly, but the purple haired girl had only been a symptom.
She'd been the cause.
She should have killed her in the first place.
She should have sliced her throat open and let her die next to man who'd murdered Dyniss.
She should have …
She should …
She …
Kagome tipped her head back and opened her eyes. La-La was dead. She flinched when she heard the scrape of a boot against the wood of the dock and caught sight of black hair as Kirito leaned over her and pulled her fingers away from her palms. Legs clad in black appeared in her peripheral vision as he made himself comfortable and then pulled her into his lap. She froze there for a minute and he ran his hand over her arm, bringing her into an awkward hug. Kagome sniffed once, twice and then buried her face into Kirito's neck and cried.
La-La was dead.
It was all her fault.
