POV:Kayoko

"Move!" I am shouting as one of the petals floats past me to rest on my face.

"I heard about these from an information broker,"

"They're Sakura Wolves, their special ability is to dissolve into petals then attack while the player is blinded."

"Then we just have to stay together." Keita calmly says, whilst he examines the area behind him.

A white blur suddenly comes together behind the guild leader and I am moving towards it, charging a sword skill without thinking.

"Behind you!" He whirls but it is too late as the wolf reaches out its paws, mid air.

I knock it aside with my sword skill, the system taking over my movements as I strike it again and again.

Anger soars. How many players had my designs killed already? If I had known... if...

"Kyo!"

"Roger."

Kyo doesn't hesitate as he knock the wolf further away, the white body scrapping against the dungeon floor and a satisfying yelp sounds.

Then, in practised unison, we draw our sword apon my creation. Mixture of blue crystals fly around us as I turn back to the Moonlit Black Cats.

They stare. Just stand there and stare at me and Kyo. We just pulled something way off what our levels allow.

I take a deep breath, still scanning the space around us. Each sprite transforms into a cluster of exactly 64 petals, if I remember correctly.

And if my counting is correct, there are still five wolves left.

"If you want to live, listen to me," They all glance back at Keita, who nods. "We stand back to back, lessen the chance we get caught off guard."

"Try and have a damage giver and then a forward." Kyo adds whilst we get into position

"One knocks the wolf aside and the other attacks. The odd one out stands in the middle and alerts everyone on the enemies location."

With Kyo one side and Keita the other, we circle slowly, steps careful, swords out like we are a deadly fan.

"In front of Kira!" Ducker shouts from inside our deadly fan.

The wolf peers at me, colbolt eyes full of hate. Was that always there, the hate? But I have no time to think about that now as its paws spring towards my face.

With the flat of his blade, Kyo swats the beast away like a fly, then steps back into the circle.

"Keita it's all yours." I tick my head towards the dazed creature and as he moves to attack, I guard his spot, ready.

Petals still fall around us as the next wolf shatters, then the next, until there are only another two left of the pack.

"Sachi!" Ducker warns the blue haired girl, the animal teleporting just side to her face, flattening her to the ground.

"Don't break the circle!" I press my arm to keita's chest as he advances to help. "Kyo. take my place."

Then I dash fast, pulling and slashing the wolf of the struggling Sachi.

Her eyes are wide, heath bar heading towards the red as she pants. Her sword is shaking violently as she grips it tight.

"Hurry Sachi!" I holler at her "We need to move."

She opens her mouth to say something, moves her hands to get up but her fear gets the better of her.

"NOW!"

I give her no reason to disobey and I don't care if it means her hates me, I had to. To save one life out of the 10000; it was better than nothing.

Then we are moving, heading back towards the circle, to safety but the wolf is up, reaching in one desperate attempt.

And it succeeds.

Sachi shifts her weight from side to side, before tumbling to the ground.

And that is when everything falls apart.

"Sachi!" Keita is rushing towards us before I can tell him not to and the other two follow, leaving Kyo alone.

Ducker swings his hammer, shoving the animal aside until it shatters into nothingness.

"What the hell!" I scream, losing my leached temper "Do you even want to live?"

Panic holds me in a tight grip as I recall one detail. One detail that changes everything. And leaves Kyo in great danger.

The wolves target lone players and take them back to the rest of the pack.

Then I am up, so fast, I stumble and I cry out to my friend,

"Look out!"

The petals hover, then starts to swirl suddenly around Kyo and I am so desperately trying to be there.

I cannot be late again.

I am about a metre away when the petals grow thicker, until Kyo is forcing his hand through the shield, yelling my name.

And I have reached a new level of desperation, I don't even care that my sword skill is too strong or what I am yelling, it is just me and Kyo and the danger of the petals.

I reach for his hand, feeling the tips of his fingers around mine before I fall to my knees in nothing but air.

And I am yelling his name, over and over but knowing I am, again, too late. I am forever late.

"Kyozo!"

POV: Sachi

I don't know what send shock spiraling into my veins more; the name, how she yells it and what she does next.

"Kyozo!" Her voice is a record that has splintered, repeating the same phrase. Desperate, needing riddling her cries.

Her hands shake as she brings them up to her face, as if to check this is real. This is happening.

There should be tears streaming down her cheeks. Tears, warm and salty dancing and intersecting into rivers in her eyes, falling into oblivion.

Kira is too strong for those tears to show. The red head just clutches her arms round her waist, holding, grasping, stoping herself together.

"Kyozo," Her voice had shattered, the word she forced out through the shards of glass is rough. Sharp.

I know that name. I know that name as sure as I know my own. Know it as the boy I sat in front of ever since I can remember.

The boy that causes my heart to beat at such pace, it shouldn't be possible. But it is. Love makes the heart to take the pressure the quickening beats.

The boy that was now most likely dead.

I refuse to believe they are one in the same person. Besides, if they were Kayoko would be with him.

Kayoko who has riches, a bright smile and the only boy I could ever want stuck under her thumb.

The girl who has everything.

And the niece to the monster to trapped us in the game. And the niece who couldn't even bother to warn us.

Kira doesn't look a bit like Kayoko; red hair, striking blue eyes, opposite to Kayoko's brown skin, eyes and hair. Kira is strong, powerful and Kayoko was shy, weak and pathetic.

Kira manages to struggle to her feet, swaying from side to side before stabilizing herself; both physically and emotionally.

"Let's go." She flatly says before walking back the way we came.

Keita protests "What about Kyo?" the others nod with what he is saying, though I stand as still as death.

"We can go and resuce him."

Kira doesn't bother turning around before replying bitterly

"To resuce what? A corpse?" Something that sounds like a laugh mutates in her throat.

"Get it into your heads, Kyo is dead."

Then she is off, a storm of death following suit after her. Though as she breaks into a run, I swear a single sliver of a silver tear run down her face for her friend.

Now forever gone.

POV: Kayoko

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Every step echoes with the word, my soul rejection to the world, to destiny. I want to shout it. Scream it. Until everyone could hear the pain and the suffering.

Until I could drown out the single tear on my face.

A single tear. Is that all my friend was worth? A single tear filled to the brim of memories, over flowing from the sheer emotion contained in that one drop.

One beast makes it final mistake, jumping out to attack me. Filling out all my anger into my sword skill, I swing it in one long slash.

I am swimming in blue and red, my blade one arc of blood redemption, leaving blue luminous squares and triangles.

I wonder if death hurts here. Do you feel the electrical strike of that snake coil of electricity that fries your brain?

Or does everything just stop, frozen in ice and blacken into the darkest of nights?

I never wanted to know. Now I am considering it, returning to that cycle of life.

But I know Kyo would never want that for me. He would want me to move, beat the game and live until my hair is grey.

And that is what I will do.

I have to. It is the least I owe him.

And one part of that is leading the Moonlit Black Cats to safety.

We don't talk as we hurriedly back our way back to the mouth of the dungeon. We don't talk about how I yelled Kyo's real name. Or that he was taken by Sakura wolves and killed.

Or that Saki is sure to know who I am now. Or that my level is fake. But I she gone beyond caring for those things.

I gave up caring when my fingers missed his.

Exhaustion is heavy in my bones, all I want to do is sleep, close my eyes and maybe, just maybe when I open my eyes tomorrow, he will be sitting before me, stupid, stupid smile on his face.

Maybe.

Maybe is all I would ever need.

"This is where we say goodbye." I open my menu, de-equiping the heavy sword.

"Wait Kira!" I have no energy to bother with this now, but I turn to Sachi, her form quivering.

"Are you okay?" Her voice is soft, too soft for this game, her figure too delicate.

"I am fine."

"But...but" she stutters.

"I AM FINE!" It comes out stronger than I intend it to, the maddening anger boiling inside me.

"But Kyo is...is" her mouth refuses to shape the words, like the coward she is.

"Dead and never coming back." I finish for her.

Then I am walking back down the hill, back where we joked only 30 minutes ago, and almost to the teleport point where we waited and waited.

"Kira!" Keita, huffs with the effort of keeping speed with me.

"Leave me alone."

"No but it is important," Keita still insits, "Kyo's alive!"

"Please. Please don't make this worse Keita." I beg.

"He's still on the friend menu."

Hope beats, lighting my heart up with a spark as I swipe for the menu and in the menu, finally one button isn't missing, the void nonexistent.

Kyo's button. That means...that means...

"Wait here!"

"But..but..Kira!"

"No buts, you'll only slow me down, please Keita, I have to do this."

Then I am running, towards something, though I don't know what, happiness or despair waits for me back in that dungeon; it is a scale shifting from one side to another.

Which side would it land on?

It doesn't matter which side that scale lands on; despair or happiness. I can only think of the hope that flows through my veins, and that one word.

One word that could change everything.

Maybe.

I grasp that word close to my chest, never once letting go.

Because maybe. Just maybe. My friend isn't dead after all.

That maybe is all I need.