Rainbow Sprinkles and Freedom

July fourth floor 32: Town of Vellbeck

Fourth of July. American Independence day. As a former serviceman, I should be happy. Happy that America has been free for two hundred and fifty years. But, I'm not free now. Me, Naomi, Miya, Haru, and everyone else in this fucking game is not free.

But, it's still the Fourth of July. Hell yeah America! The sun started to rise in the mountains to the east of the town of Vellbeck. We were staying at a local inn that day. We were on the frontlines again, but I haven't ran into any of those fuckers who killed Haru's sister Kit.

I opened my eyes slowly. "Ugh." I muttered as I blinked the stars out of my eyes. But, I didn't get up quickly. I felt something on my chest. "The hell?" I murmured. I looked down. A pale arm rested on my chest that rose and fell with each passing breath.

"Uh" was all I could say without waking the woman next to me. Naomi's arm was draped on my chest, as if she was hugging me. Trying not to move, I looked to my side. There, her still and beautiful face mesmerized me. Even when she was drooling, she was cute. I also felt some sort of pressure on my arm. Looking down to my arm, I saw something that made me paralyzed.

Oh God. I thought as I felt her, um, thingies hugging my arms. I could feel myself turning red, my ears hearing the sound of my blood racing in my veins. I don't know if I should move or not. As both sides of my brain are debating, Naomi started to move a little.

"Cotton candy for me you bitch." she muttered in her sleep. The fuck is she dreaming about?

"Get that monkey. He stole my purse." she muttered again. Must be one of those ridiculous ass dreams where nothing makes sense.

She moved her arm off me and grabbed one of her, cough cough, boobs, cough cough. But at least I can move now. I'm free! As carefully as I can, I took off the covers and, barefooted, tiptoed out of the room before you can say "Hooah!"

I equipped my uniform and other necessities. I noticed the room where Miya and Haru slept had the door open a crack. Haru does this every morning now. He would sneak out of the room early and go to his favorite spot. Every major town has a church with a tower, so I instinctively hurried over there.

Haru sat at the edge of the tower, his legs dangling out into the empty space. This tower was a little different. The tower back on floor 25 was bare and didn't have anything in it. This tower had a green brass bell.

"You know, you don't have to keep coming here." Haru said. He turned around, his surfer blond hair glistening in the morning sun.

"Looks like you need the company." I said, leaning against the brass bell. Haru chuckled. I sat down next to him, my legs dangling from the tower as well. "Besides, it's quiet up here." I said.

"I like to come here. I like to have my legs sticking out of these towers. It reminds me of my father." he said, "When he took me out for a spin in his helicopter, sometimes I would sit in the back of his Huey. I would have my legs dangling out of the chopper like those soldiers on TV."

"That's dangerous." I said, smirking. I was imagining a little kid in combat gear flying in a helicopter. That made me laugh on the inside.

"Yeah, well I was strapped down." Haru laughed, "I'm not strapped down anymore. I can move and do anything. Just until I got stuck here." Oh yeah. We're still stuck here.

"When we get back to the real world, you'll be able to do anything." I said, walking up to Haru. I sat down next to him, crossing my legs.

"I don't plan on going back." he said. What does he mean by not going back?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean that I would help you and Miya and Naomi and everyone else in this game!" he exclaimed, "But I won't come back! I will never come back! I can't go back."

"Yes you can," I commanded, "That's an order." Don't tell me he's gonna kill himself.

"No I can't!" he yelled, "I can't go back!" Tears started streaming from his eyes. He covered his face with his hands and cried. "I can't go back!" he sobbed, "Not when my only family has died here! Kit has died here! Here in this fucking game!"

I kneeled next to him. "I will get you back into the real world. I promise you." I told him. "How? A part of me will forever be here. You may bring my mind and body to the real life, but I myself will forever stay here." Haru looked at me.

A part of me was left in Afghanistan was whatI wanted to say, but I decided not to. Instead I said this: "Anyways, let's at least do something today. Hell, it's the fourth of July! I'm an American. Let's do something!"

That seemed to lighten the mood. Haru wiped the tears from his eyes, the drops of water becoming drops of light. "What should we do?" asked Haru, standing up and staring at me.

"Let's let off some steam," I suggested, "let's go to the amphitheater."

Later, in the city amphitheater

There was an amphitheater in each major city where people come to watch duels. But today, there was no one there, so it was a good chance to teach Haru how to fight.

Our swords clashed and locked together. I could see Haru with his face of determination. He grimaced a bit, but then he pushed hard. I stumbled and fell onto by ass. There, he stood over me. "Good job, mate." I complimented Haru in an Australian accent.

"Don't talk like an Aussie ever again." he smiled. He reached out to me with a hand and I took it. He pulled me back to my feet.

We have been fighting in the amphitheater. I was teaching him how to fight without using skills. I was teaching him how to fight without power. It was like when my dad was teaching me how to fight bullies in middle school. "Appear weak when you are strong," I remembered him quoting off of Sun Tzu's Rules of War, "and strong when you are weak."

In about a minute, we were back at it again. "Okay, keep your defense up. The best defense is the best offense. Wear out your opponent and then strike when he's tired as hell." I explained. Haru nodded in affirmation. "Alright. Let's get back at it again."

And again our blades were interlocked. I could see the fire in Haru's eyes. He really wants to fight those killers. I backed up quickly, dodging a few swings of Haru's silver blade. I ducked from one of his wide swings, leaving him wide open. It was the perfect opportunity. I got my sword ready and dug the blade right into his stomach. He fell backwards.

"I told you to keep your defense up." I smirked as Haru sat back up. He wasn't losing any health since we were in a safe zone. We haven't initiated a duel, so there's no way any of us would die.

"Damn it!" he yelled in frustration. He stood up and pulled out the sword in his gut. "I will never be able to do this!" Haru tossed the sword aside.

"Hey, it's alright. It takes practice." I assured him. I put a hand on his shoulder and said "We'll get those fuckers." The sun was already rising up into the blue sky. Up in the seating area, Naomi and Miya watched us spar, and by spar, I meant me wiping Haru's ass all over the amphitheater floor.

Many times, Haru would fall down because of me. And every time, he would get frustrated. And every time, I would try to calm him down. And every time, Naomi and Miya would make fun of me whenever I failed to calm him down. The cycle would go on and on.

After about ten times in, a voice called out from the entrance of the amphitheater "You guys want to see how the master does it?" I turned to look and saw the black swordsman himself leaning against the entryway.

"Fuck you Kirito!" I yelled back. Haru, Miya, and Naomi couldn't seem to refrain from laughing. I'm actually glad that Haru's somewhat fine now. Kirito smiled and walked up to us.

"Glad to see you still soldiering on!" he remarked as he walked up to me. "Glad to see you're still cocky as hell." I said back. He chuckled.

"Oh come'ere man!" I said as I pulled him in for a quick bro-hug.

"Ey, if you're gonna hug me any longer, you gonna have to say 'no homo'." I joked after we hugged for about a second longer than it should have been. We stepped back as Naomi and Miya walked up to us.

"Hey." Miya waved a hand to Kirito. "Wassup?" asked Naomi.

"Eh, nothing much." said Kirito, "As I was saying, shall we see how the master teaches the apprentice?"

Guy's still cocky. Still acts like a beater. Badass. "Yeah," I said, "let's get to it!"

I proceeded to sit down up in the seating area while watching the two duel it out. Haru charged Kirito with a vengence, slashing and hacking blindly. "Defense, numbnuts!" I yell out as I watched Kirito block the barrage of strikes intended to hit him. Haru was worn out easily and Kirito ran around him and brought him from behind. Haru fell down hard.

"Looks like Haru ain't doing so hot." Naomi smirked as she sat down to my right. She rested her head on my shoulder.

"Well, he's gotta start somewhere." Miya sat down to the left of me. I saw Haru standing up again and start going all angry while Kirito tried to calm him down.

"C'mon Haru!" yelled Naomi with her cupped hands over her mouth to act as a bullhorn, "How are you gonna get us outta here?"

"This feels like you and I are at some sort of game for our son, with you egging him on and me silently watching." I muttered.

I could see Naomi smile and blush. And before you say that I'm clueless, I'll tell you to shut up. I ain't an idiot. I know her and Miya are into me. I just... I just don't want to say that I like Naomi because what about Miya? How will she feel? It ain't good for unit cohesion. That happened back there and, well, look how that turned out.

"What do you think of Haru, Shi?" asked Miya.

"Too cocky and arrogant," I said, "It's gonna get him killed." I could see Ryan in Haru. Ryan. He was my best friend. The one who was killed in that ditch. He was really cocky over in Afghanistan. His cockiness got him killed.

I shook off that thought. What the hell is wrong with me? "He's only fifteen Shi." Miya murmured. "Only fifteen?" I squeaked. Fifteen? Hell, I thought he oughta be, like, nineteen.

"Yeah, fifteen." Miya answered. Damn, there has been fucking kids in this game.

Clang! Haru blocked a swing from Kirito and their blades were in the middle of a tug of war. "Rah!" Haru roared and pushed as hard as he can. Kirito stumbled back until he tripped. Finally!

Naomi and Miya applauded Haru. I did too. "Maybe we might get through this after all." I muttered under my breath. "Huh?" Naomi tried to hear what I said.

"Nevermind." I answered. Haru looked toward us with fire in his eyes and smirked. "Good job!" I called out. He bowed from the waist.

"Sergeant Shi!" a voice yelled from the entrance, echoing through the amphitheater. I turned my head to look. There stood a guy in white and red armor sporting the arms of the Knight of the Blood Oath. Don't recognize him though. Kid looks pretty young.

"What is it, son?" I called back. The girls and I stood up and started walking towards him.

"Teams A and C are in a fight out in the Badlands." he pointed east. To the east were the Badlands, a series of canyons creating a labyrinth in the rocks. It was like navigating a frigging ant mound.

"Monsters?" I asked as I got to the entrance.

"No," he shook his head, "Laughing Coffin."

I felt myself turning pale. Laughing Coffin. That fucking guild. That guy, Johnny Black. He's part of that guild. The guild that kills. Laughing Coffin was on the frontline's shit list. They were a red guild filled with murderers and psychopaths. And Johnny Black was there. Kit's killer was there. My mission was to take out Laughing Coffin and any other murder guild.

In Afghanistan, there is no room for error. In here, it's the same story.

"They're surrounded and cornered in a dungeon. I barely got outta there." the kid said. I could hear the horror in his voice and see the fear in his eyes. "You gotta help," he said, "please. They're stuck in a safe zone, but without food and supplies, they'll starve."

So the two teams in a siege inside a safe zone in a dungeon. Those safe zones are supposed to keep players safe by having them not be able to take damage in there, but you can surround the safe zone with lots of people, basically cutting them off from their food supply. Kayaba thought it was a good idea to put a hunger system in the game for immersion. Damn, I will strangle him when we get outta here.

I turned towards my comrades. "Well? Should we help?" I asked them.

"Yeah, let's do this." Miya said. I looked to Naomi. She just nodded in agreement.

"Haru? What about you?" I asked the nineteen-year-old kid. Shi, why are you asking a kid?

"Those bitches had it coming." Haru mumbled. I could still see the fire burning brightly in his eyes.

"What about you, Ki?" I asked the man in black.

"I'll go." he replied. I smirked.

"Alright!" I yelled, "Let's give them a taste of freedom!" We got our mission. Free our buddies from enemy hands. They were surrounded in

I'm a soldier. I always accomplish my mission.

I'm a Ranger. Rangers lead the way.

Rangers lead the way.


A/N: Hello! It's the Sanman. Nothing much going on. School's starting to get boring again. Anyways, so we see Shi and his squad with a new mission objective to break this siege between the murderous Laughing Coffin and the honorable Knights of the Blood Oath. Will Delta Squad rescue the beleaguered allies? Or will the two teams starve to death? Also, this chapter feels very familiar. I just don't know why. Anyways, until next time, soldier on! This is the Sarge, signing out!