Disclaimer: I am not the owner of ROTG or Sword Art Online
"Jack, get in here!" Kleine called outside, noticing the winter spirit was still out on the lake after the sun had come up. Jack turned around, flying back to the house quickly. "Sheesh, do you ever walk?" he asked, noticing that the winter spirit had a habit of flying around everywhere.
"Hey, if you lost your magic for two years you would overuse it too when you got it back." Jack countered, only managing to confuse Kleine.
"How am I supposed to know that? I'm not a magical being!" Kleine argued, stepping inside. Jack's eyes widened when he saw Kirito and Asuna kneeling down in front of the little girl from last night.
"She's awake!" Jack said, rushing over to the girl who was speaking with Asuna and Kirito.
"Hey, kid! The girl's up, get out here!" Jack yelled, getting Jaimie's attention from inside of his room.
"I think my name is…I think…Yui. That's it. Yui." the girl was saying, staring over at Asuna and Kirito with a thoughtful expression as she tried to remember.
"That's a cute name. Nice to meet you. My name's Asuna and this is Kirito." Asuna said, gesturing to her and Kirito.
"Those two have been obsessing over her since she woke up." Kleine commented, watching them continue to try and get her to remember more. Jack knelt down by her as well, standing beside Kirito as he smiled up at her.
"Hey, don't worry about remembering things. I've had issues with it myself too and I managed to find my memories eventually." Jack told her, giving her a smile. When she didn't respond, Jack began to feel a sinking feeling. "No…you can't hear me, can you?" he asked, watching Asuna and Kirito frown over at him.
Yui was still panicking, on the verge of crying over not being able to remember anything. Kirito was the one who stepped in and tried to calm her, realizing that Jack's plan wasn't working. "Well, you're awake. Can I call you Yui?" he asked with a smile, watching the girl nod. Jack stepped back, knowing he couldn't be a part of this anymore. She was a kid, but she didn't believe. He was invisible again and this kid was only a reminder of how lonely his real life was back home. As much as he wanted it back, part of him wished his visibility would stay even in the real world. It was the best part of Aincrad for him, the ability to interact with everyone rather than a select few children who believed in Jack Frost.
It didn't take long for the kid to decide Kirito and Asuna were her parents, based on what Jack could hear. "I'm up! Where is she?" Jaimie asked, stepping out of his room and nearly running into Jack. He stared at Jack's face for a brief moment, noticing the sad look on the winter spirit's face. "Oh, she can't see you, can she?" he asked, making Jack nod and crouch down by his door, holding his staff against his cheek.
"Go ahead, kid. I'll be alright, it's just been a while since I've been invisible." Jack told him, giving him a weak smile before he ran off towards them.
"Hey, I'm Believer, I heard that your name is Yui." Jaimie said, introducing himself to the girl.
"Belber?" she said, making him laugh softly. After a moment, Yui shook her head and grinned wildly at him. "Brother! Mommy, Daddy, and Brother!" she cheered, making Jaimie glance back at Jack who was laughing at the look on their faces. Asuna was happy about it, but both Kirito and Jaimie looked stunned and unprepared for this kid.
"Congrats on the family guys, have fun with this one. I think I like her already." Jack told them, while Jaimie shook his head at his friend.
"Alright, I'll be your brother. You know, you remind me of my sister, Yui." Jaimie told her, watching the girl smile.
"Anyway, are we all ready for breakfast?" Asuna asked, standing up while Yui got up as well.
"Okay!" she said, clearly excited about the idea.
Jack had moved from his spot by Jaimie's door to the kitchen when Asuna went to prepare food. He was planning on talking to her about the situation alone, since Yui would get confused if anyone spoke to him right now. He wasn't expecting the kid to try following her into the kitchen, giving him another blast from the past. A cold sensation rushed through him as she walked directly through him, making Jack touch his waist gently where she had just been. He hated that feeling, the feeling of someone walking through him as if he was nothing but air. Kleine, Asuna, and Kirito were staring at Jack in shock, not understanding what had just happened. "I told you, she can't hear me. She doesn't believe." Jack told them, walking off and letting Asuna start working on making food.
Jack waked outside, letting them all enjoy being near Yui by themselves. He was not in the mood to be invisible again, not after two years of being seen by the world. He had almost gotten used to it, to being able to talk to anyone and be heard. No, he hadn't forgotten about being invisible, but he had hoped it wouldn't come back so soon. It was part of the reason that he didn't really focus on beating the game. As soon as he was done, he would be invisible once more. Jaimie joined him outside after a few moments, bringing him a plate of food as he sat down.
"Asuna is a really good cook, you should try some of this." he told Jack, while the winter spirit simply stared at the plate now in his hands with an empty expression. "Look, she'll see you eventually, Jack. Besides, you knew this would happen again eventually." Jaimie told him, touching Jack's arm.
"Yeah, I know. I just hoped that being visible would last until we got back to the real world. I think you actually got me hooked on these virtual reality games, kid, they make it to where I can be seen by the world." Jack said, staring off at the lake which was thawing without his magic to keep it frozen.
"Hey, we can keep playing them when we get back then. I've had a lot of fun in here with you, regardless of the fact that we're kind of trapped here." Jaimie said with a smile, finally getting Jack to return his grin.
"Hey, you wanna go have some fun while we wait for them? I could get some snow here and we could go sledding, or have a snowball fight?" Jack suggested, getting up off of the porch.
Jaimie nodded, setting his plate down and getting up. "What do you have for us to use as a sled?" Jaimie asked, curious to know what he had planned.
Grinning, Jack opened his inventory and pulled out a shield he had never even touched since the beginning of the game. "I think this'll do nicely. Want to give it a try?" he asked, watching Jaimie grin and get on. Jack took a moment to start making it snow before creating some ice beneath the shield, starting the path for Jaimie to slide across. "Ready?" Jack asked, watching Jaimie nod with a huge grin on his face.
Jack pushing him to get it started, before flying ahead and continuing his path of ice. Jaimie was laughing as he slid across the ground, now following a path that curved him around the lake with Jack by his side, weaving him through the few trees spread out along the edges of the lake. "Faster, Jack!" Jaimie called out, making Jack fly closer to get the wind to help push Jaimie along. The kid screamed as Jack made a small ramp for him to jump off of, landing on a path of ice that kept him moving forward for a ways.
"Alright, hold on tight kid!" Jack yelled, turning sharply and bringing Jaimie onto the lake that Jack had refrozen for this trip. He made a more slick path for Jaimie to follow, building snow on the edges of the path to keep Jaimie going straight. "Uh, Jack? Did you figure out how to stop?" Jaimie asked, realizing they were about to hit the house.
Jack laughed, turning him around quickly before he collided with it. "Stop? Why would you want to stop?" he asked, while Jaimie laughed in response. "Alright, if you insist." Jack told him, sending a wave of snow and making a pile of it build up on the lake. Jack directed Jaimie towards it, making one last ramp for the kid that would make him land right in the snow. Jaimie screamed as he flew into the air, holding onto the shield tightly as he landed with a thump into the snow, a bright smile on his face as he got up.
"That was awesome! Just like back home, except I didn't lose a tooth this time!" he cheered, getting up and brushing off some of the snow that had gotten on his shirt.
"Frost, Believer! We're heading over to the Town of Beginnings with Yui, want to join us?" Kirito called out, getting their attention. He hadn't even noticed that they were watching.
"Sure! We'll be there in a sec." Jaimie replied, grinning over at Jack as he pulled out his teleport crystal.
"Alright, let's get going. Maybe Yui will figure out that I'm real soon." Jack commented, watching Jaimie grin and transport himself to the starting city. Jack joined him shortly, finding Kirito, Asuna, and Kleine there with Yui already.
"Brother!" Yui cheered, running over to Jaimie and hugging him. Jack smiled at the sight, watching Jaimie smile back at her and grab her hand.
"Alright, Yui, we're going to hang out with you for a bit. You don't mind having me along do you?" Jaimie asked, watching Yui smile and shake her head.
"Hey, Yui, do any of these buildings look familiar?" Asuna asked, gesturing around her. The girl frowned, looking confused as she focused.
"I don't know…" Yui mumbled.
"Asuna, she doesn't have any memories. Something like this won't trigger any kind of recall. You need to find someone who recognizes her if you want to find her home." Jack told her, watching the girl get upset a bit over her lost memories. Kirito quickly calmed her down again, but it was obvious that they were all confused about what to do with her.
"Man, this place is huge? How are we possibly going to find her parents in this place?" Kleine commented, as they made their way through the streets.
"Well, there is a daycare nearby. I've stopped by a few times to hang out with the kids." Jack told them, walking ahead of them. "I don't know if any of them still believe I exist, but it is worth a shot if you want to find her home." Jack added, watching the others stare at him uncomfortably. None of them seemed to know how to act after seeing just how a lack of belief affected him. Yui had to be kept happy, but they all wanted to support Jack as well.
Jack was moving forward towards the daycare when he heard trouble nearby. He saw a few members of the Liberation Army beating on a few kids, demanding taxes and all of their gear for living in town. "Hey! Leave those kids alone!" Jack yelled out, running forward. The Army members didn't even glance at him, but the kids heard Jack's voice and saw him. "Frost! You came back!" they cheered, looking a bit happier now that he was here.
"Who are you talking to?" one of the men said, staring into the space where Jack was.
"So, I'm invisible to you guys too, huh? Well, I guess that means this is someone else's fight. How about it, Asuna? Wanna teach these guys a lesson for picking on these defenseless kids and the daycare manager?" Jack said, turning back towards his friends.
"With pleasure. Don't worry, this is a safe zone. Your HP won't deplete, but there is a feeling of getting knocked off your feet. Even so, a fight with me is still gonna scare the hell out of you." she insisted, pulling out her rapier. Jack smiled as she began slashing out at them, sending them flying back on the ground multiple times before they began to retreat. The kids all surrounded her quickly, grinning and complimenting her on her fighting skills. Jack was listening and watching silently before he noticed something. Yui was looking strange, almost faint as her gaze grew distant from the others.
"Hey, something's wrong with her!" Jack said, kneeling down next to Yui as she began to mumble something.
"Their hearts….everyone's hearts are…" she was saying, getting the attention of both Kirito and Asuna right away. They really were taking their roles as her makeshift parents seriously. Jack was surprised at how concerned they were, but then again they were chosen by the game to be Guardians. Maybe there was more to it than just seeing the wonder or hope in the world. Maybe they had to have a deep concern for the other players as well to be chosen. "Everyone's hearts…" she said again as they tried to figure out what was wrong. Her eyes were fluttering, looking like she was still deep in whatever trance had started.
"Guys, I think she's gonna pass out." Jack warned them, watching Kirito and Asuna still try and get her attention.
"Yui!" Kirito yelled, while Asuna was a bit more gently about it.
"Did you remember something?" she asked, but Yui's gaze was still very distant when she spoke.
"I…I was never here…in this place…I was always alone….in the dark…" she mumbled, making Jack freeze a bit. Alone, just like him. In the dark, just like Pitch Black. He had done something to this girl, something that she had suffered from since day one, he was certain of it. He just didn't know what. "Mommy, I'm scared…Mommy…Daddy…." she said, trailing off as she collapsed completely.
"My god…Yui…" Kirito said, stunned from what she had said.
"What was that?" Asuna asked, clearly not expecting an answer to her question.
Jack stared at the kid, wanting to help but knowing there was nothing he could do right now. "Pitch did this to her." he said softly, watching the others turn to look at him in confusion.
"Wait, what?" Kirito asked, not understanding how he was involved.
"Darkness is his specialty. If she was alone and in the dark, he was trying to make her afraid for some reason. It looks like he managed to quite a bit of damage, but at least she isn't afraid now. Maybe she's the one who was used to make those Nightmares we fought last week." Jack suggested, trying to figure it out himself.
"Poor girl." Asuna said, stroking her hair gently as they began walking through the town.
"Hey, Sasha, do you think we could stay with you for tonight? She's been through a lot today and I really don't want to drag her all the way back to my house. "Jack asked, turning towards the girl.
Sasha nodded, smiling over at them. "Of course, right this way." she told them leading them through the town towards her make-shift daycare.
Sorry for Yui's lack of belief, I just couldn't see her believing in Jack Frost when she doesn't remember a thing. Don't worry, she'll see him eventually.
Thank you for reviewing! Honestly, that was the first review I've gotten in over a week...I'm beginning to wonder if anyone is enjoying my stories. Views are still up, so I guess people are still reading. Even if you don't like the story, please review and let me know what I can do to improve! At the moment, any reviews are better than none, I am slowly beginning to loose my inspiration to write and that is not good.
