I've had terrible writer's block lately. I've been taking an online course, but I've had to use up so much mental energy doing assignments that I've had barely any for fiction, which is ridiculous, as I should have more mental stamina than this. So I hope you enjoy this update. It's harder for me to think of ideas when there's so much noise at home and barely any quiet time, which is how I think and imagine things.
Chapter 8 Reawakening Memories (and Yui comes into the fold)
Human beings are odd. They're an odd, odd species. So strange, so unordinary, so odd.
Why are they the way they are? She knows she is a mere machine, an A.I, designed to do nothing more than watch over everyone trapped into this illusory world. She is an illusion, as much as this world itself is. It is quite odd to see some humans who are happy.
The majority of the populace trapped inside this inhumane prison wind up killing themselves, killing others, or going insane, much to her displeasure. She can't forget how many times she's seen people dead and cried over them, knowing she's not supposed to feel these things, she's supposed to be nothing but a mere illusion-someone who can't feel, someone who knows how it feels to be a mere immortal and watch, oh, just watch all the suffering she feels!
Oh, how lonely and wretched her existence is! How she wishes someone could understand her pain, her sorrow, her woe! But alas, no one hears the young A.I. known as Yui, the one who feels, who talks like a human being. She swears, while she is crying, that she hears someone singing a song to her, and stroking her long dark blue hair, and telling her it will be okay.
She looks up into a pair of golden eyes and gasps. The woman before her is very beautiful, with long emerald green locks that flow down her back; with a strange red mark on her forehead, and she wears an odd white and gray outfit that looks like a prisoner's outfit. Yui senses imminent sadness from this person, this lady is very lonely and unhappy, she is not human, she is immortal, unfeeling, like her.
"Are you like me...lady?" Yui sniffed.
The girl nodded. "Yes, you are a machine with a conscience, I am an immortal. You may call me C.C. Only one human being has ever known my real name. Shall I entrust you with the knowledge of my real name, little one?"
"What is a name...?" Yui asked.
"A name means...you're important to someone, you're existing. Right now, you are just a program, you see. Without feelings or thoughts to people. But the game you're in is causing lots and lots of emotions to pour into you. You're seeing the evil in people's hearts and the good. I've come to ask you a favor. Would you mind...trying to find a certain human being for me?"
"I can do that," Yui said. "I'm a program. I can find anyone in this world."
"He's a very special human to me. I would like to meet him again-he's the one who gave me faith and the power to keep on existing. His name is Lelouch. He's been reborn, you see."
"Reborn...I do not understand."
"Bits of data get deleted, you see," C.C. said, putting her hands on the girl's shoulders. "But humans can die and become someone else entirely, living life out in a different body, even a different gender. But no matter who Lelouch is now, I want to find him and get to know him again. Can you do that for me?"
Yui nodded. "In exchange, could you...seal my memories of me being a program? I want to live as an ordinary human...for a little while."
C.C. looked at her. "...I see. Then I will grant your wish, little one, in exchange for you helping me find who I care about most. Lelouch is a special boy."
"Thank you so much." Yui whispers as her memories vanish and she becomes a human for an achingly short time and all goes black.
When she meets the boy known as Kirito, C.C. is most surprised at this turn of events. She had not been expecting to meet Lelouch's reincarnation in such an odd way and in an unlikely event. Him fighting someone.
She had merely been watching an orange-haired girl fighting a monster when suddenly a black blur darted in and a black-haired young man showed up, slashing at the monster with his swords at super fast speed, almost comparable to that of Suzaku's.
It was hard for even C.C. to notice his movement, he was that fast. However, he caught her attention when he turned and she noted his face. Same spiky black hair, check. Same messy hair style, check. Same black outfit he always wore, check.
However, two things were different about him, no actually, four things were. First, his physical stamina and talent with swords. Lelouch had been terrible with exercise. Second, his ethnicity. He was Japanese now rather than Britannian. It was ironic, seeing Lelouch as a Japanese teen.
Third, he had grey eyes instead of purple. That was a change. She would miss Lelouch's eyes. Fourth, he seemed innocent and very naive, much unlike Lelouch. And finally, he was a stranger to her and she a stranger to him.
His eyes met hers and he stared at her before his brow rose, ever so slightly, before he spoke, his voice polite and neutral, but wary nonetheless. It was so weird hearing Lelouch speak Japanese like this. "...Excuse me, but who are you and why were you following us?"
She paused. Didn't he remember her? "Don't you recognize me, Lelouch?"
The boy jumped upon hearing that name. So he did remember. His grey eyes were wide in shock.
"How do you know that? That's not my name. My name's Kirito."
"Kirito...? Is that the name you call yourself now? I see. In a past life, we were partners, friends you might say. I'm glad I could find you again." She said, pushing her green hair back with her fingers.
He edged away from her, hands on his sword. "I don't trust you."
"Of course not. You've always been the paranoid type, haven't you?"
Kirito frowned at her, shaking his head. "You remind me too much of Heathcliff. I don't trust people like that. You're cruel."
C.C. laughed. "Me? Cruel. You were quite cruel in your past-"
Kirito laughed. "I'm nothing like what you think. I'm not some arrogant jerk who thinks everyone has to bow down to him."
C.C. looked at him. She watched him interact with Asuna in disbelief, as they interacted with the little girl named Yui.
'He really is different,' She mused.
She hung around with him for a bit before simply deciding to go on some adventures and level up. He could do his own thing.
Kirito stared at Yui. Why was she disappearing? This wasn't fair. She was just an innocent girl.
'A young girl was falling to the ground, blood streaming from her stomach, a gun falling from her hands, as her long pink hair trailed behind her. Her purple eyes were filled with confusion as she whispered...'Lelouch...why?'
'Another girl with green eyes and orange hair was lying on the ground, bleeding out and telling a boy she'd always love him...the boy cried and tried to bring her back to life, only to fail.'
Kirito shook these weird feelings off and watched in horror as Yui disappeared from Asuna's arms, leaving the poor girl a sobbing mess.
Kirito glared at Kayaba. "How could you do this? Lie to Asuna and me, and use all of us for your sick games?"
Kayaba laughed. "...Foolish boy. You may challenge my rule if you wish. But no one defeats me, I have full knowledge of your moves."
Kirito charged at him manically, swinging his swords back and forth, but Kayaba dodged every blow. Dammit, how the hell was he so fast?
Kirito heard a crack...and then his sword broke. He stared at it in horror. This was impossible.
"Goodbye, Kirito-kun," Kayaba said snidely, he swore he saw pure malice in the man's eyes as he raised up his blade to strike, give him the coup de grace, so to speak.
Kirito closed his eyes, preparing for the final blow, when suddenly, a figure races in front of him, taking the fatal blow instead. His eyes widened as he saw...a figure with long hair. It's not Asuna. It's that girl, the green-haired one.
Her HP gauge goes into the red zone and she stares at him, weakly, smiling. Asuna is still paralyzed, staring with wide eyes, apparently she had been moving towards Kirito but had stopped just in time, inches from Kayaba's blade.
"Why would you do this for a stranger?" Kirito whispered to the girl as she smiled.
"...We are not strangers, we are partners. Your life matters more than my own. I will not die. I cannot die. Farewell for a bit, Lelouch, or Kirito."
Then she shatters into pieces.
Kirito stares at where C.C was, looking shocked.
"Well, well. Of all people to interfere, I didn't think C.C the witch would intervene. How troublesome. It seems to me, she found you and couldn't help but sacrifice herself."
"You monster." Kirito growled.
"She'll survive. She's immortal, you see. She cannot die. That blow wasn't enough to kill her. She'll regenerate. As for you, though..."
Kirito feels the blade go straight through his chest, fuck, fuck this brings back bad memories. He remembers more now.
'Suzaku...kill me to bring peace to the world...peace for all...I destroyed worlds to create them anew...'
'Geass is a gift I wish to share with the people of the world, Suzaku.'
'I command you all, die.'
'You should only kill if you are only prepared to be killed.'
His HP goes down to zero, and then he disappears.
"Kirito-kun!" Asuna cries, horrified upon seeing her boyfriend disappear.
As he dies, however, a hand grabs his.
"You will not die here. You have a reason for living, a power that lies inside you. It's time to use it." She said, putting her lips on his.
Kirito stares at C.C. with wide eyes, as suddenly all the memories come back. Nunnally. Marianne, his old mother, Euphemia, the girl he killed with his Geass, the Black Knights, Shirley, a girl who died loving him, Suzaku, his best friend, the Student Council, Cornelia, the Royal Family, Rolo, Mao, Milly, and most importantly...a red sigil in his eyes.
He understands now why she sought him out. But the past is in the past. He cannot change what his old self did, he can only change the now.
"...I don't care about any of that." He says. "I want power to protect Asuna. Give me this power."
"All right then, Kirito. Your power is...it's different from how it was last time. In your old life, you could-"
"Control people's minds?" Kirito mutters. "Yeah, what is it this time?"
"Apparently, you can now read the feelings of others, and this power makes you physically stronger the more someone is hurt. Your Geass becomes stronger the more you protect someone. However, that will make you rely on others too much and if you overuse it, you will certainly go insane trying to tell people's feelings. Is that acceptable?"
"I agree to the terms of the contract." Kirito said. A blazing pain took over his left eye. Then all went black.
He stood back up then, his left eye glowing bright red and his other a strange golden color as he charges forward at Kayaba. "This is for nearly killing her!" He says as he destroys Kayaba.
Kayaba looks surprised but mutters an insult as he vanishes.
Asuna races to his side. "Kirito-kun!"
Kirito notices his eye has changed back to its regular color.
Right before SAO is destroyed, he, Asuna, C.C, and Kayaba talk.
"I knew you in a past life, you were my son. We didn't exactly get along. I'm sorry I treated you that way. I've grown up. Playing God was childish and immature."
Kirito shrugged. "The past is the past. However, killing Sachi and the others was uncalled for."
"I don't care how others feel. You're strong. The strong shall inherit the world. I will go now." He said, not even looking at them as he left.
"What will you two do now?" C.C. asked as Aincrad fell apart below them.
Kirito looked at Asuna. "Well, I suppose we'll both go back to school for a while."
Then everything heads to black as Asuna and Kirito kiss.
In the real world...
Shouzou Yuuki sat by his daughter's bedside, watching her sleeping figure. "Asuna..."
She suddenly stirs, surprising him. The old man watches his daughter's orange eyes open.
"Otousan..." She says, sitting up weakly. "I'm back...I'm home."
Her mother and brother are there. Her brother hugs her tightly, and her mother smiles wanly, though she can tell her mother is starting to cry.
"Two years...my daughter, I was without you. Two long years...finally, you're back."
Shouzou turned to the shocked figure in the doorway, and beckoned. "Come on in, Sugou-kun. You should see it, Asuna-chan has woken up."
Sugou's mouth fell open as he took in Asuna, who was sitting up, glaring at him fiercely.
His glasses fell off his face, he was so stunned. Before he picked them back up and put them on his face, he let out a sigh. "Well, I'm glad you're awake, Asuna. Are we going to get married?"
"She just woke up, and she's still unwell." Shouzou said, holding his daughter's hand protectively.
"I hate him. I'm not getting married to him." Asuna said coldly.
Her brother glared at Sugou.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Shouzou asked.
"Sugou-san has tried to take advantage of me before. When I was younger, he put his hand down my skirt and touched my chest, telling me it was okay. He's also touched my hair. I don't like him."
Shouzou's eyes widened upon hearing this before his lips settled into a frown. "Sugou-kun. Is this true?"
"How dare you take advantage of my daughter." Mrs. Yuuki said, getting up and glaring at Sugou, who was now paling.
'Damn it, how do they know? Why is she awake? My plans are ruined. Ruined. Thanks to that stupid brat. Think.'
"...She's lying. She's nothing but a miserable brat."
"Get out." Asuna's mother said, sharply. "You heard me, Nobuyuki. Get out. I don't want you near my daughter again. You hear me? You're not suitable for her. I don't want a man who defiles girls."
Sugou glared at them all and punched the wall as he went out. "You'll all be sorry, especially you, Asuna-chan!"
As he walked out, a foot tripped him and he fell on the ground.
A dark-haired girl was glaring at him, her blue eyes filled with anger.
"Keep your hands off girls, you pervert." Suguha said coldly. "People like you make the world a bad place."
Sugou ran off, terrified and vowing revenge.
'That was sweet little Shirley. I'll definitely make her mine and mine alone.' He thought, licking his lips.
Suguha led her brother out. "Onii-chan..."
"What is it-"
Kirito's mouth fell open as he took in a weak, emaciated Asuna.
"Asuna!" He said happily.
"Onii-chan, who's she?"
"She's my girlfriend. I met her inside the game. Her name's Asuna Yuuki."
"Pleasure to meet you. Are you Kirito-kun's sister?"
Suguha looked hurt for a moment, but swallowed and smiled. "I'm Suguha Kirigaya, his cousin. Pleasure to meet you."
They shook hands, though Asuna noticed a look of hurt cross Suguha's face before it disappeared.
Suguha sat on her bed, huddled in a small ball. 'I'm glad Onii-chan's awake...but he already found someone else...am I not good enough for him? Perhaps I can just...take things one step at a time. I have to be nice to her, she is a person after all. We can be friends. I want to get to know him first...then maybe I can fall in love with you, big brother. After all, we're only cousins.'
She fell asleep.
