WARNING: This story contains mature elements such as manipulation, Non-Con, humiliation.
Chapter 14: Reaching Out
Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 50, Great Hall —15th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
The human psyche had a tendency to send warning signals in the body and mind whenever there was suspicion or concern when it came to something or someone, and often times, they're not always wrong.
And in this very moment, Asuna couldn't possibly understand why, but she had a really, really bad feeling.
It's not often that she would feel this way in a place that's safe, and yet… well, she might as well have an excuse for feeling as such, since the reason for her wariness was sitting right across her, her beautiful visage a sharp contrast with those narrowed eyes that were watching both her and another girl.
The other girl that she was watching was Alice, who also felt on edge, her blue irises kept focused on the other woman despite the fact that they were in the middle of a really important discussion—it's not often that she would ever allow her attention to divert from what mattered, but she could hardly care right now.
You could think of a number of things as to why this was so, but only one answer was necessary.
And the answer was literally beside her.
"…Not much to report, huh? Well, I suppose that's a small blessing. At least nothing bad has happened," hummed Kirito, scanning all the documents spread out on the table. Every writing was neater than anything than anything that he's ever seen, with soft curves and fine lines that make it clear for him that he would never be able to write that neatly. "Hmm…"
There were a lot of things that they had, yet too little information about them that they could properly prepare themselves for.
The Dark Forces. Supposedly, someone must have logged in to join their side, thus already preparing the army for the war. And since it's someone from the real world, that alone was enough to incite worry in his being.
The 'Final Load Test'. Though he's gotten information from both Cardinal as well as Asuna and the others, neither parties were able to come up with a definitive time for when such an event would happen, so that left a dreaded feeling in his chest. What if it was tomorrow? What if it was today? They're prepared, sure, but the precipitation in his heart is strong as ever.
The other problem at hand… was this strange tension he was feeling!
'What in the Goddesses' names is going on here..?' He sweat-dropped to himself, feeling somewhat nervous. He looked around himself, and found nothing out of the blue. He looked to Bercouli, but he was too busy reading something. 'Ah, forget it. Focus, man!'
Here they were, in their regular meetings with everyone present; both rulers of the Human Realm, Cardinal, the Integrity Knights, his best friend, along with Asuna and the rest of the gang. They were to discuss everything important, just as they had done every time, but man… he wasn't sure if he could keep on focusing on this if things remain this way!
Bercouli's eyes shifted away from the papers and towards the ravenette… then promptly looked back down, a bead of sweat on the back of his neck as he steadied himself and attempted to mask his nervousness with that of his usual calmness.
All the other men in the room shared his sentiment, and could very well see just what sort of position the black-haired boy was in; it wasn't like he had any choice in the seating arrangements, of course—it was a free-for-all. And yet, there he was, with Alice and Asuna on either side of his while Quinella was directly in front of him.
Usually, Kirito would prefer having Eugeo sitting beside him. However, in this precarious situation that he was in now, he could be compared to a fish in a barrel, with three hunters having their guns aimed—not at the fish—but each other.
Imagine how the fish, or Kirito in this case, would be feeling. Terrified, that's for sure!
"So far, how many people number in our army, Bercouli?" The oldest man there perked up when his name was mentioned.
"Hmm… I can't really say, but there's around forty thousand," he says, and a few in the room shot looks of surprise at him. "Of course, that's including the foot soldiers, the sky soldiers, and any magic casters in our ranks. Thankfully, the nobles from all four empires were generous enough to lend their own soldiers as well."
"I see… That's actually pretty good," nodded the ravenette, leaning into his seat and crossing his arms. "We're going to need a lot of rations too. Have we managed to get into contact with the villages?"
Three knights in the room nodded.
There was a pretty good reason why he sent three Integrity Knights to each three sections of the Human Realm; Bercouli to the south, Deusolbert to the west and Fanatio to the east. It was to establish a connection with the individual major cities and villages there, and that was to deliver the message.
That someday, in the upcoming future, there would be war with the Dark Forces. Their assistance would be required. And as such, they would require soldiers and any rations that they were willing to give.
As for the northern regions, well, Alice's father had immediately offered his assistance, seeing that his daughter had returned and that she was an Integrity Knight. He understood just how vital it was for them to win this war.
"Lady Cardinal," the short woman perked up, looking at the boy. "Any successes thus far?"
There wasn't any context behind his words, yet it took her only a moment to comprehend what he was talking about before shaking her head. "No, there isn't."
A short answer that didn't necessarily answer anything, but that alone was good enough for him. He nodded his head, then turned his attention back to everyone. "Alright, then. Considering how there isn't much to report, I won't waste any more of your time. Thank you for being able to come today, everyone. Let's get out of here and get back to our duties, yeah?"
Everyone nodded and left their seats, some choosing to stay to make small talk with each other while some others just left the room. Kirito looked around himself and sighed.
In truth, on the same day that Cardinal had told him about the 'Final Load Test', back when he and Eugeo had escaped prison beneath the Cathedral, he had requested her to try and pinpoint the exact date for the event. That should give them all the advantage that they would need, and perhaps come up with an even better plan.
All that they knew was that the Eastern Gate would collapse… and that's it. And that, in the other world, there were invaders who were looking forwards to seizing two Fluctlights; Alice's and Eugeo's, based on what Asuna had explained to him.
'First off, are they seriously going to just sit outside there and not do anything?' He thought to himself, hand on his chin as he closed his eyes. 'That would be highly unproductive. Given their ease at breaching into the Ocean Turtle, they must have highly skilled hackers on their side…'
That was one thing that he worried about. That they could potentially manipulate the world (he doubted they'd be able to pull that off, considering that even Rath didn't hold such authority) and change the FLA anytime they wished to, that they might have access to anything that may give them advantage… or worse, allow them to dive into this world.
That last part was the thing that worried him the most. After all, wouldn't that mean that they could increase the number of fighters in their ranks? That could potentially give them the advantage in numbers and simply overwhelm them without a chance to fight back.
'And the other thing, the Fluctlights,' he gazed to his right, seeing Alice and Eugeo speaking to Bercouli. 'It makes sense why they're wanted. After all, they're the only people who broke the seals, which is technically what Kikuoka and his team at Rath want. But it's weird that they would set that up in the first place. Almost like they didn't want that to happen…'
«Seal of the Right Eye», also known as «Code 871»—or, at least, the code is within the seal.
The people working in Rath couldn't possibly have input this seal in the system, if they were planning to develop an A.I. capable of free thought and desire—and this Seal simply goes against their mission.
Honestly, his mind hurt from all this thinking. He couldn't properly discount the possibility of some things, since they either made too much sense to just be ignored or… well, he didn't know.
Asuna had actually told him of Kikuoka's plans; that they needed to take Eugeo and Alice to the World's End Altar, where their Fluctlights would then be ejected, and thus completing the mission. And yet, that was only possible once the Eastern Gate collapses, so they'd need to engage the Dark Forces' army either way.
No matter what perspective he looked at things, realistically speaking, there was no avoiding the inevitable bloodshed.
"Too bad we can't fly through. Our dragons would be too tired to continue the ascent, and the high altitude will be too cold…"
"Kirito-kun."
The boy was broken out of his thoughts at the voice of his friend, her face holding a soft smile that always worked its magic.
He felt soothed, almost immediately. His smile came back on, and all the worries on his mind had been burnt away into nothing, realizing that he didn't have to worry whatsoever.
"Sorry. Just… in thought," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "How are things?"
"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. With that serious look on your face, I bet you're thinking about something serious. And you're thinking on how to solve it on your own, I would assume," at her accusation, she leaned in towards him with a pout, making him take a step back. "You do know that you're not alone in this one, right? You have all of our help!"
"W-Well, yeah, I do know that!" He gulped back, offering a shaky smile that didn't convince the lass in the slightest. "I'm glad, I really am. I'm getting so much help from you and the others. I wouldn't forget that for even a moment."
The honesty in this words are enough for her to lean away from her, sighing. "Honestly, Kirito-kun… This is just like Floor 74."
The mention of that event causes him to flinch in response. "H-Hey! We don't talk about that anymore! That's long behind us already! Water under the bridge!"
Seriously! That dumbass of a leader just marched forwards and attempted the boss battle despite all his soldiers clearly exhausted. And he paid the price for it, losing his life in the process along with some of the knights.
Kirito hadn't charged in alone to fight that thing, duh. He had a lot of help; Asuna and Klein were there, of course, and they managed to keep the boss monster in check long enough so that he could activate his 'Dual-wielding' skill and take him out.
But, uhh… okay, in the process of fighting the boss, he took it on all by himself. Guess that's reason enough to be annoyed at him, huh?
Coughing into his fist, he stared back into her eyes, trying not to seem too nervous. "So… what now?"
"Kirito," the boy perked up, turning around to see a smiling Alice walk up to him with Eugeo in tow. "I have something I require your assistance with."
"Huh? What's up?" He asked back, not noticing the pout on the chestnut-haired girl's face.
"Your techniques… 'Aincrad style', as Eugeo has told me. You taught both the academy students and Eugeo your technique, had you not?" At his slow nod, the blonde slammed her fist against her chestplate. "Please, teach me the 'Aincrad style' as well. In seeing your match against Eugeo that day, I've decided that I shall try to learn some techniques, in hopes that I become a better knight."
"Oh. Well…"
"Huh? Match?"
Quinella came over with a curious look on her face, and the flaxen-haired boy, ever the nice one that he is, answered her question. "Indeed, Lady Quinella. We actually had a sparring match against one another back in Rulid Village… and, well, it was, to put in Kirito's terms, awesome."
"I don't always say awesome for everything, you know," snorted the ravenette. In response, he drew both swords from their sheathes, earning a gasp from the purple-haired woman. "Eugeo named my sword as Night Sky Sword, while I named the one you gave me as Ivory Apostle. I, uhh… even though I lost my memories, I actually remembered that I could use two swords. Dual-wielding."
"Indeed he could. And he always looked amazing when he does so," smirked Asuna. "It's at least a good thing that he doesn't show off."
He deadpanned at her, almost ready to give a retort before feeling a small tug on his sleeve. He looked at the arm and gazed all the way to the source. "Can I see it, Kirito?"
"Eh? Uhh…" He would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling awkward, but knowing that it must mean a lot for Quinella considering that she's never seen him wielding her gifted sword, he supposed he could at least do that much for her. "Sure. I don't mind—"
"And what of my training?" Huffed the blonde, crossing his arms. "I would prefer if you didn't take too long in this one. Eugeo and I must return to Rulid Village soon enough, and I'd at least like one demonstration."
'I can just teach you back home anyways! You do know that, don't you?' Sweat-dropped the boy, looking to his best friend, who shrugged a nervous one. 'Thank you!'
He wasn't even sure why he was thanking him.
"…Alright, how about this? Lady Quinella, do you want to join us on our trip back to Rulid Village?" His question elicited looks of surprise from everyone present. "I'm sure that the people would welcome you into the village. And Alice, I'll teach you there. Deal, everyone?"
The three women in the room looked at one another for a moment, and he swore he could have seen sparks transmitting amongst the three of them before they nodded.
"That's fine, Kirito-kun."
"Very well. If you say so."
"Anything you wish, Kirito."
The boys looked at one another and shrugged, proceeded to take their leave with the group of women in tow—they didn't turn around to see how they were basically pushing one another, almost as if they were fighting. It was just a miracle that none of them had pulled out their swords.
Underworld, Rulid Village—15th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
"We're finally back..!"
"Good to be home…"
The trip from Centoria to Rulid Village always took too long, and by the time they got here, it's already pretty dark. Kirito sighed, but knew that it was probably not going to change the plans that he had unwillingly placed himself in.
Well, at least it had to do with swords fighting, and nothing more.
While it was a worry that the Head of the Human Realm wasn't present in the Cathedral, he supposed that a day or two being away wouldn't do anyone bad. Plus, it wasn't healthy for her to keep herself crammed inside her room forever, so this was a good opportunity for her to step out of her comfort zone.
When Kirito jumped off the driver's seat of the carriage and touched ground… the door of the carriage opened up and his arm was immediately claimed, making him almost yelp.
"So this is Rulid Village…" Quinella's voice was incredibly soft and low, staring around herself with narrowed eyes, though not with any form of hostility. "It's beautiful. So you live here?"
"When I woke up, yeah. Stayed here for a few months before we attended Swords Mastery Academy in northern Centoria," nodded the boy as he looked around. People were beginning to return to their homes, and the streets relied on the light from the several street lights to remain clear. "Fresh air, nice people… You'll like it too."
"Is that so? Then I'll take your advice for it," she looked at him with a smile on her face. "Thank you for inviting me here, Kirito. I appreciate it."
He was taken aback by this strange softness, merely nodding back when he felt like he couldn't articulate any proper response.
Eugeo had stepped down and stretched his back, letting out a soft sigh as he watched the two with a small smile. Kirito was right; they really became good friends, judging by how comfortable she was with him, and how close she was to him, literally.
He made to open the carriage door for the other girls to step out… only to blink in surprise at the sight of an empty carriage.
"Kirito-kun, you need to get some lunch first! You're exhausted!"
"No, I request training first!"
"Nngh..! Stop pulling him around!"
The boy had shared this sort of idea with the rest of the male Integrity Knights; that his best friend somehow had some sort of power when it came to girls, considering the fact that they seem to gravitate towards him at almost every turn.
And right now, well… it was kind of hard to refute that sort of thought.
There was a difference between training and demonstration. To demonstrate was to simply initiate the move as way of showing, and to train was to actively help someone replicate that same move.
So when he first started off with a demonstration and it finally became a training session (an exhausting one, his mind supplied), he was left panting as he sat on the stairs of Alice's porch, a hand on his chest and trying very hard not to lose his breath.
He knew that this was less tiring than his duel with Eugeo, but this was mostly mental exhaustion.
"I did not! He's fine, isn't he?"
"Hardly! You hit Kirito-sa—I mean! Kirito in the chest back there!"
"Kirito, you alright?!"
He knew that he should be happy that all his friends cared so much about him, but this was a little too much for him.
He had first demonstrated some of the 'Dual-wield' «Sword Skills» for Quinella to see, and she looked so amazed at first, it kind of made him feel glad. And then he moved on to teaching Alice some techniques in 'Aincrad style' that he assumed was simple enough for her to pick up on.
Although, he didn't exactly want to focus on one-hit «Sword Skills», but rather, «Sword Skills» that had more hits.
So far, he attempted teaching her «Savage Fulcrum», «Horizontal Square» and «Sharp Nail». Alice had some difficulties while Eugeo, having been taught by him for two years now, was able to perfectly execute all three «Sword Skills» with ease, while all his friends were able to do the same.
«Howling Octave» was the strongest One-Handed Sword «Sword Skill» there is, so neither Alice nor Eugeo could pull it off.
Quinella hummed in interest as she watched him. Considering that she has access to the system, might she know of the «Sword Skills»..?
Well, this world was indeed based on the 'SAO' system, so there might just be «Sword Skills» in this world to a certain extent—he'd been able to pull off a lot of the «Sword Skills», after all, and all nobles in this world had to study some too.
He shook his head, deciding to shift his attention towards another matter at hand. 'Quinella will need a place to stay. I wonder where she'd like to…'
"Kirito," he perked up, noticing Yuuki coming to a stop by his side and watching him with a little smirk on his face. "Don't tell me that you're tired already? I thought our residential 'Black Swordsman' had all the energy to fight all he needed to."
"Hush, Yuuki. I'm still a person through and through…" Groaned the boy, before staring forwards at the scene of Quinella arguing with some of the girls about things he didn't bother to care about. That made him smile. "Well, I guess I'm just glad that Quinella's at least talking with people. Staying inside of her room for years without any social interaction…"
The purplette by his side, too, averted her gaze towards the group at the front. "Man, you really care about her, huh?"
She was right. No matter how much he could try to rebuke her statement, he knew that he really cared about her. Kind of reminded him of himself, to be honest.
After all, he was a loner too, but that was because he was just a dumbass. At least then, people reached out to him and attempted to help him through everything. So was he just doing the same with Quinella?
Well, he supposed at least, he was kind of doing the same thing, though it started off not in the way it should have. After all, he… raped someone. That's not something he was necessarily proud of. No, he isn't proud of it, but… maybe his idiocy and naivete didn't help him see another way. Perhaps, back then, he could have done something else.
But there he goes, doing something that couldn't be taken back.
He did what he did to her, tried to help her down the right path, and he… he…
'…Actually, now that I think about it, when was the last time I actually talked to her?' That sudden realization came as a surprise to him, and he gazed once more at the subject of his thoughts.
She's been holing herself in the Cathedral again, this time doing work that benefited the Human Realm, but… he hadn't been thinking about her. He's been ignoring her.
He was being an idiot all over again. And he hadn't realized it quickly enough.
'…Shit..!' He closed his eyes and thought about things. He really hasn't been doing a good job on the 'being a good friend' part. And she trusted him the most. 'Man, I blew on that one.'
When was he going to learn?
He received a soft pat on his shoulder, and Yuuki's smiling visage was the first thing that he saw. "You look like your mind cleared up. Feeling better?"
"…Not better, but I think I've realized something really, really important," nodded the boy. And his smile returns to him, patting her on the head, catching her off-guard. "Thanks, Yuuki! What would I do without you, huh?"
"A-Ah…" The girl goes oddly quiet, and she merely hums in happiness as she accepts the patting—is she blushing? Eh, probably not.
Well, at least he'll know what to do after this.
Kirito turned in early for the night, excusing himself with the need of getting some sleep because he was far too tired for anything else. Eugeo offered to walk him to the church before he, too decided to return to his home.
But his house wasn't his destination after all.
With a small yawn, the boy walks towards his childhood friend's house, already spotting quite a number of people at the porch. Selka is the first to notice him, and he waves back.
"Hey. Just sent Kirito home," he told them, and noticed that everyone was here. "So, Asuna-san, why'd you call us here?"
In response to his question, she looks to everyone present here before nodding to herself. "Well… I thought that, since we're all here, and we've finally gotten a break from things… I was, well, curious. I wanted to ask about Kirito-kun, ever since he's been living here with you."
"Is that it? Well, that wouldn't be too hard to manage," sighed the blonde, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, I can't say I know him all too well, so Eugeo, you might have to do the explaining."
That was a lie on her part. After all, since regaining her memories, she's remembered the fact that Kirito, too, was a part of her and Eugeo's childhood. And yet, he seemed to have forgotten all about the both of them, so she held back from mentioning anything just to prevent herself from seeming suspicious.
The flaxen-haired boy looked at her and pointed at himself. Receiving a nod, the boy sighed. "Fine… So, this is supposed to be some sort of story session? Where we just talk about him?"
"Ooh, we can do that!" Leave it to Yuuki to be the one to move things forward. "We could all share our experiences with him! It'll be really fun!"
"Now that sounds fun," snickered Lisbeth, cracking her neck. "Man, we've so many places to start. How about we begin from the most obvious?"
"Huh? M-Me?" With all the attention shifting towards her this time, Asuna lets out a sigh. "Fine… Although, it's going to be a really long story, so this'll take a while."
No one shifted from their seats, and the stories began…
[ Ocean Turtle ], Pacific Ocean, Near Izu Islands—6th August 2026
Too long.
Despite knowing that it was just going to be a few more hours that they had to last things out, it was still such a boredom. And Higa didn't know how people dealt with that.
Of course, he had all the time in his life to simply play around and tinker with things here. And yet, right now, the Ocean Turtle was under attack by outsiders, and were they being any less careful, someone was going to get hurt.
Thankfully, no one who's logged into Underworld has suffered any repercussions. And it's still a mystery to him as to how so many people had managed to log into Underworld without using the 'STL's, something of which should be impossible on so many levels.
The young man sighed, knowing that he should have stopped thinking about this a long time ago. The fact that Kirito is still somehow alive despite the course of electricity through his 'STL' is already a miracle, so he'll just think of it as being his 'power' all over again.
What he does want to know, however, is what in the world was going on in there… The 'Final Load Test' was going to happen soon enough, yet none of them knew just when it was going to happen.
'All of them trust Kirito so much… That he's going to be the one to end the war, and save everyone,' it sounded like a joke. Like a story straight out of a fairy tale, and yet, with all the feats he carries under his belt, it didn't sound so impossible anymore. 'He definitely won't let any more people die on his watch.'
If everything can go well, then he might reach the 'Best End' of this story…
Underworld, Rulid Village—16th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity
"So he slashed down against the being. 'An Incarnation of the Radius', and prevented the deaths of thousands…"
"Whoa…"
Everyone who had been there during the fight knew just how mad everything was. To stand up against a god-like entity that towered over everything that existed was a story none of them thought to have lived to tell, yet here they are, and none the wiser.
Asuna remembered, very clearly, as he donned his black cloak and proceeded to scream, to cry, to roar—his swords slashed and swung, and he made quick end of what should have been the hundredth floor boss of 'SAO'.
They were really glad that he ended up fighting Heathcliff to free them, and not that thing.
Still, the fight shouldn't have been a thing in the first place. For some strange reason, a glitched part of Cardinal had bled into the systems of the 'Augma', and so many lives were in danger. The sheer desperation in Professor Tetsuhiro's voice that night, pleading to all of them to defeat the boss monster…
Of course, knowing Kirito, he didn't back down. That's not like him.
"That's why we owe him so much, you know? So many things happen, and he's always picking up the pieces and saving the day. He tends to be too hard on himself, but at least he's learning to give up sometimes and leave them to us," sighed the chestnut-haired girl, hands clasped on her lap. "That's why I'm really grateful to the both of you, Eugeo-san, and Selka-san. You took care of him for us when he came here… we owe the both of you so much."
"W-What? No, of course not! You don't owe us anything!" Quickly denied the young boy, smiling back. "It'd be the opposite, if anything else. He was so patient in teaching me how to fight, and that allowed me to find my strength to save Alice. I really appreciate that."
"Indeed, I hadn't known the reason for both of you becoming swordsmen was simply to save a friend," giggled Quinella, everyone looking at her now. "I would have thought that the both of you wanted to kill me or something, just because that brat Cardinal let some things slip."
"Well, that's how it goes most of the time, then," sighed the boy, before perking up once more. "Seriously though, I wonder how he lost his memories. It's a good thing that he still remembers you, or else that would have been hard. I… I could definitely understand your feelings had he did."
"Eugeo…" Muttered Alice, looking down in guilt.
She hadn't recognized her childhood friends back then when she flew to their academy, seeing them as nothing else but two criminals who had broken the «Taboo Index», whereby a fellow student had been maimed and another killed.
But they hadn't willingly committed murder. They were simply fighting to protect their own pages.
'That's enough,' she shook her head, knowing that hating herself would bring about no good. It's in the past, and she's just glad that things didn't turn out worse. "I still find it odd as to how he managed to learn how to wield two swords. How did that come to be?"
Silica opted to answer on everyone's behalf. "He mentioned something about reaction speed. Basically, he could react very quickly compared to everyone else, and his discipline helped him make use of two swords."
"That's true. While some could argue that it was a skill bestowed to him, I'd like to think that he earned the right," hummed Vabel, closing her eyes. "Kirito… I truly wonder, if he never existed, what would happen to all of us?"
The thought of such is depressing, and Quinella was the first to look away.
She'd be holed up in her room forever, away from the people that love her.
She would make use of her Sword Golems, and would sacrifice so many good people for such a cause.
She would inevitably cause this world to burn to the ground in the aftermath of the war, all because of her own foolishness.
She looked at everyone, and noticed how morose everyone seemed. Kirito… he must mean so much to them, that whatever sort of relationship she shared with him just didn't mean anything. He was their hero, their friend, their brother.
What was she, in turn..?
'I've been too selfish again, haven't I..?' She sighed to herself, clenching her hand. 'All this time, I keep complaining about not being able to see him… but he's not doing this on purpose. He simply wishes to focus on what matters. To save his loved ones. And I'm trying to stop him, aren't I?'
She knew that he'd blame himself if she ever showed weakness, and that was the last thing she wanted for him.
"…Asuna," she called, getting the younger girl's attention. "Kirito. He's… You have fought by his side for two years, have you not?"
"Umm… More or less, yes, though I would say it's around three years," nodded the girl. "Why?"
"Nothing. It's just… I can see now, why he's such a wonderful person," sighed the woman with a little smile. "I can never thank him enough for confronting me that day. To keep on climbing the Cathedral to face me… I thought he was an enemy. But he was, truly, such a wonderful person… I almost killed him back then, I'm glad I didn't commit to it."
Everyone went silent at that, seeing how, for the first time, the woman previously known as the Administrator was now baring herself before others.
She had kept herself guarded from everything, a fortress so tight that no one could understand what she was thinking of or what she desired.
In this very moment, she wasn't the Head of the Human Ruler. She wasn't the Administrator, or the pontifex…
In fact, the girls and Eugeo could pretty much put a finger on what this was; she was just Quinella, a simple woman who might just be infatuated with their favourite black-haired swordsman.
While Eugeo silently wished his best friend good luck, the other girls bemoaned the fact that he has another devout fan. Then again, that's probably hypocritical, considering that they're the same.
"Actually…" Premiere's soft voice manages to grab everyone's attention, as her tone is filled with curiosity. "What did Kirito do?"
Fuck her. Fuck her senseless and left her wanting more ever since—
Was what she would have answered, but she knew that was only going to cause too many rumours to spout.
Still, she couldn't help but laugh. "Nothing, truly. We talked, and… I suppose we had a stupid bet. Whoever fell in love for the other first would lose. It was honestly so hilarious!"
In perfect sync, everyone's lower jaw fell unhinged as they stare at the woman with eyes as wide as platters. Did they hear her right? The bet was for the person to fall in love with the other person first? Was that the stinking bet?!
Chuckling at their moment of confusion and hysteria, the woman looked up into the sky, noticing the rising light of Solus. "Ah, it's a new morning already?"
"Oh? Oh man, we've been up for so long, talking throughout the entire night…" Leafa lets out a yawn, accidentally allowed to draw out for long. "Okay, I think that's enough of a story time. I need to go and, hwaaah… Get a nap…"
A resounding shout (really, it was more of a lazy yawn) of agreement has everyone dispersing, with Eugeo shaking his head in amusement before he made his way back to his own home. He bade everyone and his childhood friend farewell, bowing at Quinella before leaving.
Alice and Selka glanced at one another for a bit before looking at the ruler of the Human Realm. "Lady Quinella, would you like to…"
"No, I think I won't," shook her head the woman. She seems a little happier now, more calmer than before that it surprises the Integrity Knight. "Do forgive me, but… I think I should go."
"Huh? Now? You can stay first, if you'd like," suggested the young orange-haired nun.
Stay with them… The offer was tempting, but she knew that she had overstayed her welcome. She had far more work to be done, and she couldn't simply stay here.
She really wanted to stay here, but she didn't find herself willing to do so. "Please, go get some rest. I wish to take my leave soon."
The two didn't press her any further, simply bowing to her before retreating inside. She watched them enter before turning her attention towards the church. She heard that he's been living in there, treated as an amnesiac and given shelter and food there.
The day began anew as some early risers got up, all refreshed and ready for the day as they started tending to the farms and their livestock. The sky is dressed in blue once more, and the greens that stretch out before them are more vibrant now due to the light that's thrown upon them. The rivers that are in the distance shimmer elegantly, looking like jewels in the water that are home to countless fresh water fish.
Cold wind blows against her face and she couldn't help but let out a sigh. This is where Alice lived in before she was taken away, and this is where the person she loves also resides.
She supposed there are just some things that she doesn't know of.
Countless people walk by their ruler, surprised at first before committing to courtesy and bowing before her. She, in turn, simply nods back—a gesture of acknowledgement as she takes a seat at a bench outside of the church, left to her thoughts for a moment.
Now that she had all the time to herself, she knew what she had to do now.
Once she confronted Kirito, she would tell him what she was going to do. She would finally be able to be true to herself and do what was right; no longer would she have to hold him back all because of her selfishness.
She's thought long and hard about this throughout the night, just as stories filled the silence and solidified her conviction. She could no longer allow herself to be selfish.
She has to change. And to do, she needed to get rid of her desire.
"Lady Quinella?" She perked up, seeing an old lady in a nun's outfit walking up to her. "It's odd to see you here. Is there something that I can help you with?"
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just here to see a… friend," right. That's what they are. Friends, even if that sounded wrong. "Kirito. I'm just here to speak to him about something."
"Oh, is that so? Well, I'll be back soon," smiling, the lady bowed and retreated back inside, leaving her once more alone.
Some time passed with her alone with the world—the trees, the sky, the water, the running children, the wind—until she could hear soft footsteps from behind. She did not turn her head around, knowing whose footsteps they were.
She made to shift to the side, allowing the person to sit beside her. They were quiet for a bit, but he did speak up after a while.
"You wanted to see me?" Kirito had been the first to break the silence, which didn't really last long since the both of them weren't really much for silence in the first place.
"I just… needed to talk to you about some things," she told him. "We talked a lot about you last night, while you were asleep. Everyone shared stories about you, Kirito-sama."
"Did they now..?" He sounded embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head. "So, what's up? Did you want to know something, or…"
"You're not from here, are you?" Her question didn't faze him whatsoever, knowing what sort of person he was talking to. "You're a human. Rather, a real human being from outside of this world. And those girls… they, too, are visitors of this world, are they not?"
"…Yeah. Good deducing on your part," sighed the boy. Talk about impressive detective skills on her part. "Yeah. I'm not from here."
"What worlds have you visited, then?" She asked once more, looking up. A flock of birds soared the sky, providing a little sense of extra to this wonderful background. "Asuna, your friends… they spoke a lot of your deeds, and I could only imagine that you weren't here before. It sounds impossible. The monsters, the enemies… I would have recognized them if they did happen here, but I don't. Being placed in a remote location, one hundred men and women trapped... They happened, yet the stories aren't like that, are they? They're a little different than what they should be."
...What stories have those girls been telling everyone?
"I… I first logged into 'Sword Art Online', the infamous game that was the most controversial one. The death game," admitting that wasn't difficult, even though most people frowned upon mentioning that to anyone. "I next entered 'ALfheimr Online'. Some sort of experiment was being done on people, so that was that. And I played 'Gun Gale Online' to investigate a killer-on-the-loose case."
"That so..? Wow. You've been really active in all of this mess," her soft tittering has him snorting back, finding truth in her words. "No wonder so many people like you. You're a living incarnation of some fantastic hero from a storybook."
He shook his head at that. "Not like I had any choice in it. And even then, I'm no hero. I just did what I had to, just to save people I love. And besides, outside of all of this… I'm just a teenager. I'm hardly special, Quinella."
She was ready to make a retort at that, but knew that he wouldn't believe her anyways, so she simply kept her mouth shut.
The people chanced a glance at the two rulers of the Human Realm, some of them even lifting their arms to wave at them. Kirito reciprocated the gesture, blinking when something now weighs itself on his shoulder.
"Quinella, what are—"
"Just… Just for a bit. I want to stay like this for a little longer."
He doesn't say anything more, simply sitting there and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.
His heart's beating faster, and if she knew, well… he just hoped she wouldn't look up, because he was pretty sure he was blushing.
It's not odd, is it? For two friends… wait, are they…
"You're real. You are here in this moment, this body and soul that you call 'Kirito'…" Her voice is a whisper, and something about it… it touches his heart. "And you're fighting for a world that's not your own, while I'm complaining about not being loved by my people… I see now why that brat Cardinal would call me childish. I've been demanding so much and complaining all my life, haven't I?
He doesn't answer, genuinely not knowing what to say. She doesn't press him for one, and she continues.
"Kirito-sama… I can see now that our meeting wasn't just some coincidence. You really care about me, and wanted me to change so that I can fulfil my duty for my people and this world. I was too young to know that back then… but I know now, this is what must be done," the woman stands up, leaving her back to be seen by the ravenette. "So I know that… that I can't rely on you. I wish to let go of your hand, and find my place in all of this."
"What?" Something about her statement sounded wrong. It twisted his gut in a way that felt familiar, yet haunting. "No, that's not how—"
"I know… I know, you wouldn't ever do that to me. You'd want to save me too, just like everyone else," Quinella spins in place, skirt billowing with her, and she's clasping her hands behind her back… and that smile. It's so lovely, and the light shines on her, outlining her and making her seem like an angel. "And you already have. So I'll fight, no matter how long it'll take. I'll do whatever I have to protect this world that I love, that you love. I promise."
His hand reached out for her, but she had already turned around and walked away, leaving him silent and confused.
Author's Notes:
This is a Hurt / Comfort story. I need some form of drama, and I thought this would be the best way to put it. Trust me, I'm running out of ideas. Actually, no, more like I have too much of them.
Anyways, I'll try to ease this sort of shaky relationship with the help of the next few (quite a lot, but that's just my opinion) chapters, but know that I intend to go by my promise that everyone will get a happy ending. Ain't gonna' break my promise on that, for sure!