It was around nine when Luna woke up the next morning. Sunlight soaked the floor as it peeked through the sheer curtains she had over her window. After her morning routine she made her way downstairs where a blonde haired woman sat on the sofa with Luna's parents. "Ah Luna, you're awake. Karen came by to visit." said Akira. "Morning." said Luna. "Morning, dear." said Karen, waving at her. Before Luna could take her seat at the table for breakfast, there was a rap on the door which she went to answer. "Morning, Luna." Piper and Fi were both standing there smiling at her. Piper was wearing a long blue dress with buttons going up the middle, Fi had a white blouse and a blue striped skirt. "Morning. Are we heading out this early?" asked Luna. "Of course we are, we have to get a head start so we can get everything before you go to work." explained Piper.
"You could have given me a heads up, I thought we were going to meet at the mall." "I like surprises." said Piper. "Being surprised or surprising others?" "Both." she answered bluntly, a smile wide on her face. Luna let a quiet giggle out before sitting down by the door. She slid on her boots and grabbed her coat from the hook. "I'm heading out, Mom, I'll be back later." she said, looking back to the living area. "Alright, honey, have fun." Piper noticed the blonde woman on the couch and leaned over to Luna. "Is that Clair's mom? They really do look alike, I thought you were exaggerating when you told me but they could be twins." "Yeah, they really could. Come on, you were in a hurry right?" Piper nodded and the three of them headed for the local shopping mall.
Piper led the way, dragging them from store to store for two hours straight before Luna convinced her to stop for lunch. Piper gave in and then made their way to the food court where various storefronts were all lined up. "I think you went a little crazy there Piper." said Luna, examining the pile of bags she had at her feet. "Nonsense. I think it's the perfect amount. Oh and this is for you, Fi." Piper handed over a large bag that held a white box. On the cover was a picture of the AmuSphere and a bunch of details about the console. "Thanks, Piper. I'll try to use it as often as possible so you didn't waste your money." "Don't worry about it." said Piper, smiling. "How do you afford all of this stuff?" asked Luna. "I do have a job you know and I do happen to be fairly efficient with my money." "Yeah, it looks like it." said Luna, her voice full of sarcasm.
"Quit judging me alright? I like to buy stuff, get off my case." pouted Piper. "I'm not, to each their own." Luna looked at her phone and saw that the time was just after twelve. "Shit, I need to get going." she said, standing from the table. "That time already?" asked Fi. Luna nodded and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Piper, be at my house around six and we'll get the tutoring started. Later, guys." Luna rushed off and in the nick of time she made it through the cafe's doors. The clock on the wall read "12:34". "You cut it close today, Luna. Getting here four minutes late is a little risky." said a girl wearing a maid uniform. "I know I know, calm down." she said, running past the girl and into the back changing room. She opened a locker with her name on it and pulled the black clothing from it.
She swiftly stripped off her hoodie and jeans and pulled the black frilly dress over her body. She put her hair into her usual ponytail with her black ribbon. She removed her boots and slid on a pair of white knee high socks with little black bows tied at the top and tied a black bow around each wrist. "Good." she said before reaching for a black pair of boots that rested at the bottom of the locker. "Mirahai, hurry it up. It's lunch hour and we need you out here!" yelled a deep man's voice which belonged to the manager of the cafe. "Coming!" she yelled back. She tied another black ribbon into a bow around her neck and exited the room. The next couple of hours were spent taking orders and bringing out the food and she only had another fifteen minutes remaining of her shift.
A skinny man in a black coat with a ball cap on his head entered the restaurant and took a seat in the back corner of the room. Luna approached him, menu in hand and a smile on her face. "Can I be of assistance, Master?" she asked, her voice soft and kind. He tilted the hat forward a little and spoke without looking directly at her. "A cup of coffee would do, my dear and I like it sweet." "Of course, Master. Right away." she said, writing the order down and walking away. She felt like a pair of eyes were glaring at her as she walked and returned to him with the glass. "Here you are. Anything else, Master?" "This is fine enough, run along now." he said, his voice was smooth and had a posh tone to it.
Luna walked back to the counter and was heading to the changing room. "Shift up?" asked the girl behind the counter. "Yeah, heading out for the day. See you Monday, Kira." she said as she passed by her. Luna took off all of the ribbons and changed back to her normal attire before walking back out of the cafe. She felt a cold stare watching her every move as she reached the door. She turned her head but didn't see anyone looking her way. She scanned the room once more before leaving and heading for the train station. The eerie feeling persisted until she boarded the train and it suddenly vanished. "I'm just getting paranoid." she thought aloud before stepping onto the platform. When she finally got home, the clock on the wall read "5:45" and she ran up the stairs to tidy up her room some before Piper arrived.
The doorbell rang right at six and Akira showed Piper to Luna's bedroom. "Your friend is here, Luna." said Akira, opening the door. "I'll leave you girls to it. Have fun." she said before heading back downstairs. They studied various subjects starting with English and History as those were Piper's weak points for a few hours. Shu was resting up against Piper's legs by the time Luna called it quits. "You're an amazing teacher, Luna, I feel like I get it so much better when you say it than when we're at school." "Thanks. I didn't know how it was going to go so I appreciate the compliment. If you ever need help then I would be glad to do this again." said Luna. "It's gotten pretty late huh?" said Piper, looking out of the window. "I guess we lost track of time. You can stay the night if you want?" "Are you sure?" asked Piper. Luna nodded and went to her bedroom door. "It's no problem at all. I'm gonna let my parents know real quick."
After school the next day Luna went straight home and logged into Somerant. She spawned in a room that was set as hers in the cabin they all gathered in. She heard voices coming from the living area as she exited the bedroom. Tami and Jin were both sitting on the couch talking with Zin and a girl with such dark brown hair that it bordered on black. "Remi, how have you been?" asked Luna, approaching the group. "I've been great. How about you?" said Remi, hugging Luna. "Better than usual. I haven't seen you in a while, what have you been up to?" Remi looked at Zin and once he nodded, she turned back to Luna. "I've been planning a wedding." she said, smiling. "A wedding? That means you and Zin are engaged?" Remi nodded. "Yeah, he proposed last month, I'm surprised you didn't hear about it." "It just never really came up." said Zin, scratching his head.
"Congratulations you two, I can't believe it." "Me neither. The wedding is still a ways off but my mother said it's good to get a headstart in planning it. I'll make sure to send you an invite when we have a date." "I would be honored." said Luna. "It makes me wish your brother would propose, it's just so romantic." said Tami, holding Jin's hand. "We're still young so there is no need to rush things." stated Jin. "I'm gonna take off, I didn't mean to interrupt you guys." said Luna, moving to the door. "You don't have to go, why not hang out a bit?" said Tami. "Sorry, I got some plans for today. It was nice seeing you again, Remi." "You too, Luna, take care." Luna waved at them and left the cabin. She walked through the dirt filled streets of Hilor until she was walking into an inn close to the town gate.
The sign above the door read "The Pit Tavern", the building was in poor shape but it matched the rest of the city so it was nothing new to Luna. The month or so she had been playing, this town had been home. Zin and the other guys bought the first place that they could afford that fulfilled the room requirement and it just so happened to be here in a city full of thieves and hired killers. Hilor was one of the more popular places to hire those types of NPCs in Somerant, so much so that even players began setting up some more nefarious guilds there. Luna entered through the aged wooden doors and sat at a table in the corner of the room, pulling out the leather journal from her bag. A figure wearing black clothes and a hood covering his face walked in soon after and sat at the counter towards the front of the room.
The ominous feeling of being watched returned causing her to look around the room. She scribbled a few more notes into the journal before closing the book and standing from the table and leaving. The feeling stayed as she walked through the town, even when walking through alleys to lose her follower. "Could you stop?" she snarled. She turned around only to see the path was empty. "That can't be right. I knew som…" Her ear flicked as she heard a sudden rustle from the opposite direction. The second she turned around a hand latched onto her neck and she was up against the wall. The cold of steel was pressed against her throat, cutting into her skin. In front of her stood the black cloaked man with a haunting smile upon his face.
"Hello, little wolf, did you miss me?" he asked, tilting his head up so his glaring blood red eyes became visible from under his hood. Luna felt a sudden sickness in the pit of her stomach and an uncontrollable fury swelled in her chest. "You son of a bitch!" she yelled as she squirmed her body to break free. He pinned her leg to the wall with his and leaned his body into hers to hold her still. He moved closer to her ear and licked it causing her body to shiver. "I'm simply ecstatic that you remember me because the time without you has been utter torture." he whispered softly. "What are you doing here?" she growled. "I wanted to… no, I needed to see you again. I just couldn't get your face from my mind while we were separated." "Let go of me." she snarled. "Why? What's in it for me? This seems to be a fantastic set of events for me, I can do anything I want to you right now." he said, digging his knife deeper into Luna's skin.
"I'll give you one more chance to let me go." she said. He removed the blade and thrust it into her shoulder and grabbed her face with his now free hand. "Or what, little wolf?" Luna squirmed her head and the second he let go of her chin she bit his hand. "Ah! Hahahaha, I was really hoping that you were a biter." he said, laughing and full of joy as he spoke. He slammed Luna's head against the wall and threw her to the ground before standing over her. Blood leaked from her head, neck, and shoulder as he yanked the dagger from her body. "I bet you wish you would have killed me back then now. I must thank you though for extending our little game of tag because you see, I am a sore loser and I really didn't enjoy the outcome of the first round." "It's not like you can kill me here. The only thing you can do is cause a little bit of pain and cost me levels. Unlike in Aincrad, this really is just a game." stated Luna, rubbing the back of her head.
"You're right, I can't really do much here but someday soon I will end this game of ours. I just thought you would like to see me again, you know, to be sure that I'm still your biggest fan." Luna's body was trembling from both fear and anger as he stood above her laughing. "I'll see you soon, little wolf. Just know that I am always watching over you. I can't have something happen to you before I get to bring this to an end." He bowed his head and vanished out of the alley as Luna crawled to the wall behind her and rested her back against it. Why is he here? How is he here? What does he want?" Questions raced through her mind as fast as her heart was beating against her chest. Why couldn't I do anything? She hit the wall as hard as she could causing a wound to appear on the side of her hand.
"I'm supposed to be stronger, better. I was able to fight him before." she thought aloud as she rested her head against the wall and looked up to the darkening sky. "Luna?" asked a voice from the end of the alley. "Tami?" gasped Luna. Luna's health was recovering and the blood that spilt on the floor and on her body was evaporating into puffs of smoke as Tami approached closer. "What are you doing there? What's wrong?" "It's nothing, I'm fine. Can you give me a hand?" she asked, reaching her hand up to Tami. Tami grabbed hold and hoisted Luna up to her feet. "Your hand is shaking, are you sure you're good?" "I'm fine, really." Luna patted Tami on the back as she passed by her and left the alley without looking back at her friend. "Luna, come back here." Luna ignored Tami's plea, turned the corner, and disappeared.
She walked until she was out in the surrounding forest and slouched against a tree, clasping her shaking hands together. "Calm down, calm down." she pleaded squeezing tightly. She looked around nervously, scanning the trees and watching for any signs of movement. She slumped down into a sitting position and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. After a few minutes the shaking subsided as she listened to the wind blowing through the branches and to the birds chirping overhead. A crack of thunder boomed in the sky and the sound of raindrops resonated in her ears as they hit leaves and splashed on the ground around her. She slowly peeked her eyes open and gave one more look around her. She felt alone and her surroundings felt still and at peace.
Luna took one more deep breath and exhaled slowly before letting her body relax. "I can't take him seriously, there's no way he's been watching me all this time. I can't start getting paranoid." she said quietly to herself. An icon resembling a piece of paper with a quill writing on it appeared in the lower left of her vision indicating a new message was received. She removed the journal from her bag and opened it to the message section, noticing that Jin's name had a number one next to it. "Tami said something was up, she said you looked pretty afraid so I wanted to check up on you. I'm always here if you want to talk and I promise not to joke about it if it's serious. Let me know if you're okay or not, please. Love ya, sis." Luna smiled and tapped the reply button spawning a pen in her hands. "It's nothing I can't handle, thanks for the concern. I promise if it gets out of hand then I'll talk to you but for now, don't be too worried. See you at dinner tomorrow."
She stood up from the pile of leaves she had slid onto and replaced the journal in the bag. She pulled a purple crystal square from her bag and held it up in front of her. "Capital City." she said clearly. A purple glow enveloped her body and when she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of a massive stone halo with a purple swirling mist filling the center. People were walking in and out of it while others were appearing out of various colored wisps of light like Luna had. The amazement of the structure wore off after the second time seeing it so instead of staring like some of the other players, she moved on to her destination. The cliffside waterfall wasn't the only high point in the city, the whole thing was surrounded by a mountain range with shops and homes carved into them.
Luna ascended a particular stone staircase for what felt like ten minutes before reaching a smaller shop whose sign read "Megaris's Quality Equipment". A small bell chimed as she opened the door, she examined the room before removing her drenched coat and put it on a bench that was by the entrance. "People have to sit there you know? I would get constant complaints if they had to sit on a wet bench." said a man with shiny black hair that reached past his shoulders and a well groomed goatee. "Sorry about that but I didn't want to keep wearing it and I had to put it somewhere." said Luna. "It's fine I guess, I haven't really been busy today anyways. Here to pick up your order?" he asked. "If it's ready." said Luna. "If I told you today then that means it would be done for you by today." he said, smiling and placing a black sheath on the counter he was standing behind.
Luna picked it up and removed the blade. It was a little longer than most other daggers around Somerant, the blade was pitch black and resembled a straight bladed katana. Both edges were razor sharp and the weight was a little heavier than her other weapon. She flipped it around a bit and did a few practice swings before placing it back in it's sheath. "You really outdid yourself this time, Megaris, thank you." "So it suits you?" "Perfectly, the balance point is just where I want it and the weight is just heavy enough to have some impact. Here, you earned it." Luna placed a large bag on the counter that jingled when it touched the surface. "Four thousand just like you asked." He took the bag and tapped it to confirm the amount before it vanished in a blue mist. "How are you always able to afford my work?" he asked. "I get a lot of business, plus my usuals like giving me extra sometimes." she answered, smiling. "Extra huh? I get the impression that their extra isn't voluntary."
"It absolutely is, they know if they mess with me then I charge more, that's how it works." "Now that business is dealt with, how have you been?" he asked. "Fine." "I don't believe you. My wife says that in the same exact tone." "So." said Luna, looking puzzled. "She says it like that when she is the opposite of fine. What's going on? Is it, you know, Clair?" Luna shook her head. "No, I'm doing okay on that front. I just… ran into someone from SAO earlier and it kind of surprised me." Luna kept the smile on her face in an attempt to lighten the situation. "I'll be okay though, it's nothing I can't handle. I've dealt with it before and I will do it again if I have to. How have you been?" asked Luna, trying to change the subject. "Good, the little girl is already turning four, can you believe it? They grow up so fast and she looks just like her mom too. If there's one thing I'm grateful for it's that."
Luna couldn't help but smile as he went on and on about his daughter. "What's her name? You never told me before." "Rinna." "That's a beautiful name." He thanked her and turned to grab a couple of cups from behind him and a glass bottle of what Luna assumed to be a wine of some sort. "Want a drink?" "Too young, sorry." she said, grinning. "Are you sure?" he said, filling the cups. "I gotta go anyways, maybe next time, Megaris. Thanks for the weapon." Luna fixed the sheath to the back of her waist, replacing the old dull leather sheath that was there before. "I'll hold you to that, Luna, have a goodnight and try to be safe out there." They waved before Luna put her damp cloak back on and lifted the hood over her head.
The rain was coming down even harder than before and strikes of lightning illuminated the sky. Less players now crowded the streets as they tried to avoid the rain by taking refuge in shops and taverns. Luna smirked as she saw other players running for cover from the weather. It was something that never bothered her even in the real world. It was quite the opposite, one of her favorite things since she was a kid was to sit in the rain and listen as it splashed around her. Her mother would always have to drag her back inside so she wouldn't get sick. Luna giggled at the memory of it and felt a sense of melancholy as she approached the portal. She walked through it and appeared back at the much more lackluster warp gate in Hilor. A short walk later and she was entering through the cabin door. The room was now empty and silent with no signs of people being there. Luna went back to her room at the end of the hallway and logged out.
Throughout the next few days, the persistent feeling of being watched intensified. She felt like she was just getting out of hand with her paranoia but she couldn't help but feel that way after running into that red eyed man in Somerant. By the end of the week the feeling had continued even as she was close to home. "Something going on with you, Luna, you've been acting weird all week?"asked Piper. "N-no, nothing. Just forget about it, we have that test on monday that you have to study for." They were both in Luna's room for another tutor session due to Piper's lack of confidence in the next english test. "I refuse to forget about it, tell me what's going on." Luna refused again before Piper tackled her to the ground.
"Talk." demanded Piper. Luna shook her head and Piper began tickling her sides. "Tell me and I'll stop." "N-no. Forget it." she said in between the laughter. Piper continued on until Luna couldn't take it anymore. "Fine fine, just stop." pleaded Luna. Piper remained sitting over her and had a smug look on her face. "Out with it, Luna, or do you want me to continue?" "Don't laugh alright?" "I won't, promise." "I… I feel like I've been being followed lately. It's like I'm always being watched." Piper's face grew grim and full of concern in that second. "Did you honestly think I would laugh at that? Luna, that's a real problem. You need to tell somebody like the police or something." "Tell them what, that I have a feeling? I can't just go to the cops, I need proof or something." "Then tell your family like Jin or one of the guys." "What would they do? They can't watch me twenty four seven and I wouldn't want to impose that on them. Like I said, it's just a feeling, it'll be okay." "I'm not going to agree with you but it would seem I can't convince you. If anything happens, let me know alright?" Luna nodded and checked the time real quick. "Ten already? We should get to bed if we're gonna get up in time for school." Piper agreed and before long the two were fast asleep.
As the next couple of weeks went by, whatever was following Luna around had stopped. By the middle of December, things had gone back to normal to some extent and everyone was gearing up for Christmas so she tried to put her worries to the back of her mind. Their cabin in Somerant had been decorated in red and green ornaments and wall hanging while the developers of the game changed the weather to be mostly snowy. The usual dirt filled streets of Hilor now had a somewhat clean sheet of white cast over the streets and houses. A gigantic Christmas tree was erected in the central plaza of Capital City with various decorations that represented the different races of the world.
Luna was fast asleep while sitting on the sofa in the cabin. In her lap laid an open book that was turned to a page with an unfinished sketch showing a girl standing alone in a field of roses as the sun rose behind her. The pen she had been using fell from her open hand onto the floor. A chilling wind blew through the building as someone opened the door causing a shiver to run down her body, waking her up. "Sorry, Luna." said Tami. Luna yawned and wiped her eyes. "Don't worry about it." "You seem pretty tired lately, well more than usual at least. Having trouble sleeping?" "No less than normal. I haven't really slept well since Aincrad so I guess it's all just catching up to me. Plus this weather has the tendency of making me drowsy." "Try to get some rest when you log out. I'll see you later." "Leaving already?" asked Luna.
"Yep, I just came to get something for Jin real fast." "I feel like you spend more time with him than me nowadays." said Luna. "I feel the same way with you and Piper." said Tami. "True enough, I have been hanging out with her a lot lately. Sorry about that." Tami giggled while reaching for the door. "I was only joking, Luna, you're like a sister to me at this point so if you want to hang out with another person instead of your really awesome sis then I understand." "Whatever helps you sleep at night." said Luna, smiling. "That would be your brother actually, or maybe it's the opposite." "I didn't need to hear that." stated Luna. "Love ya, Luna." sang Tami as she stepped out the door and closed it behind her.
Luna picked up the fallen pen and continued the sketch. In several minutes the drawing was finished and she placed the book onto the table before stretching her arms and yawning. She glanced over at a clock that was hanging on the wall and saw the hands positioned on "10:05". "That late already? It's no wonder I dozed off." She packed the sketchbook into the leather bag resting next to her and pulled out her worn journal to logout of the game. She woke up in her room with Shu resting in his usual space at the foot of the bed. Moving easily to not wake him up, she crept from the bed and left to go take a quick bath and change into a long t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. Luna went downstairs afterwards to grab a quick bite to eat and say goodnight to her parents before returning to her bed.
At some point in the night a loud crash of shattered glass startled Luna awake. Shu jumped and rushed to Luna's side, scared from the unexpected noise. Luna scratched his ears and put her fingers to her mouth. "Shhhh, it's alright buddy. Wait here for a moment okay?" Even if he couldn't understand her, she still felt like she had to try to calm him down. She placed the sheet over his body and gently stepped forward to her bedroom door. Upon cracking it open she heard faint voices and then a scream that sounded like it belonged to her mother. A sudden urge to rush down to help quickly became replaced with fear as another voice spoke above the rest. "Come on down, little wolf! I suggest you do so quickly!" yelled a voice that she unfortunately recognized.
She stepped out of the room but she couldn't progress any further. Her feet wouldn't move and her body was trembling while her mind went blank from horror. "I'll give you ten seconds to get down here before this beautiful woman's blood covers the floor!" he said, his voice high pitched yet more intimidating than any other she had ever heard before. "Ten! Nine! Eight!" He continued counting. Luna forced herself to move by the time his count had reached four and was at the bottom of the stairs by one. She saw a tall scrawny man wearing black with a knife pressed to her mother's neck who was on her knees next to him. Next to Akira was Enji who was lying on the floor with blood around his head and a shattered vase scattered around him.
"I'm here." she muttered. The words were difficult for her to get out but she had no choice but to force them. "Ah, the star of the show." he said. His tone hinted at glee yet it seemed to hide a poison with it, a wickedness that had slipped through that latched onto Luna, sending a shiver down her spine as she looked at him. "You look confused, scared. Excellent, very excellent, however, that is not the face I was hoping for, I wanted fury and rage with a hint of murderous intent. I was sure this would have worked." he said, disappointment filled his voice as he moved the knife away from Akira. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" she asked, her voice shaky and hoarse.
He simply laughed and looked around the room before staring back into her eyes. "What does it look like? I'm here to finish our game and as it would happen, I can't kill you in the game anymore so I had to make a house call. I do hope you appreciate the lengths I went through for you, this wasn't exactly easy. Now, there's a knife right there. I want you to pick it up." he said, nodding to the wooden table at the foot of the stairway. Her hands were shaking as she reached out but instead of grabbing hold of it, she stared back at him. "Grab it, now." he demanded. He once again pointed the knife at Akira who was shaking her head and whimpering through the cloth that was stuffed in her mouth.
Luna took one last look at her mother before closing her eyes and grabbing the kitchen knife in front of her. "Good, I wanted this to be fair otherwise there wouldn't be any satisfaction after I killed you." he hissed, a grin stretching on his face. At those words, Akira began moving more vigorously towards the man, her face soaked with tears. He kicked her onto the ground. "Don't touch her." growled Luna, staring him down with a pure hatred in her eyes. He laughed before stomping on Akira's body resulting in muffled groans of pain to fill Luna's ears. "Leave her alone!" she yelled as she lunged forward, the knife tightly gripped in her hand.
The feeling of holding a real knife wasn't so much different than in SAO or Somerant. It felt familiar in her hands from the grip of the handle to the weight and balance of the blade. She lunged forward with the comfortable feeling of control over her weapon of choice. She slashed at him but he swiftly dodged and tripped her onto the ground. She scrambled back to her feet, not taking an eye off of the grinning man before her. She couldn't even if she had wanted to. His red eyes seemed to captivate her to the point where she could not look away. All of the times she had seen those eyes before, from the forests of Aincrad all the way to the tree covered trail where she had thought this to be finished as he was teleported into the game's prison. The fear and anger she always had every time those eyes flashed in her mind and the image of herself that she saw reflected in them. The unrecognizable picture of herself that she had long wanted to forget about since that day.
Her face twisted in anger and her teeth bared as her uncontrollable fury boiled over. She was now staring back into those very same eyes once more but this time it was in her own home and her family was now in danger as well. Even if it meant becoming that same image that she thought was left behind in SAO, she needed to win this fight. She let out a growl as she kicked from the ground and watched his every movement with extreme caution. He swung his weapon which was a similar knife to the one he had provided her with. She leapt up and kicked off of a dresser against the wall she was next to, aiming a kick towards his head.
He grabbed her leg in midair and swung her down at a glass coffee table that was in front of the couch in the living area. The glass shattered as her body fell through it, sending an immense pain to run through her body. She felt several sharp burning sensations along her back and some on her right arm which had hit the table first. A warm liquid soaked the back of her shirt causing it to cling to her skin. She slowly rolled off of the pile of glass as multiple tiny shards cut deep into her body while others fell to the ground, covered with her blood. She felt it dripping down her back towards her pants and a trail of it running down her right arm under her sleeve as droplets hit the floor below.
"That looks like it hurt, I didn't mean to handicap you so early on but I guess it can't be helped sometimes." he said, chuckling as he moved closer to her. Now standing over her, knife raised, Luna suddenly scooped up a handful of shards with her left hand, cutting her palm and fingers in the process, and threw them at his face. She didn't intend to hurt him much with it, she just wanted to buy enough time to get back to her feet. She found the knife that she had dropped a few feet away from the mess and dove to grab it as fast as she could. "You little bitch!" he yelled, brushing the fragments off his face, being careful to not get them in his eyes. Just as her left hand touched the handle, she felt a sudden impact against her ribs and heard a crack as she flipped onto her back. "Gahhh!" A screech of pain involuntarily escaped her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
He pressed his foot against her throat and laughed as he watched her squirm and hit his leg repeatedly with her right hand. The fear and pain caused an intense panic as she went into a fight or flight type response. She hammered away before reaching the knife with her bloody left hand. Luna stabbed at his leg, the blade stopping halfway through it due to the bone it had hit. A bellowing howl of pain filled the room as he fell backwards to the ground and grabbed for the blade protruding from his body. Luna was holding her throat, panting heavily and savoring the feeling of air returning to her lungs. Her whole body was hurting and she could barely move but knew that he would be back on top of her again if she didn't do something.
"Get up! Now!" she yelled at herself through gritted teeth as she forced her muscles to propel herself upward. Her mother's whimpered cries echoed in her ears but she couldn't pay attention to them. She struggled back to her feet. Every breath sent a massive wave of pain across her chest and she felt the area she had received the kick swelling up. The blood still dripped down her arm and back as she stumbled forward to the man, unarmed and blank minded, as she attempted to keep the pain out of her thoughts. He continued to laugh as he observed the state she was in and took to his feet, putting more weight on his left leg than his wounded right one. He lunged forward, knife cutting through the air, but despite her injuries, Luna was still able to move faster.
Adrenaline rushed through her body, almost numbing the pain for the moment as she dodged his attack and kicked straight into his ribcage. He stumbled back and in that one opening, she jumped as high as she could, spun somewhat horizontally to build up momentum and kicked down at his head, sending both of them to the ground. He landed on his back and Luna on her stomach, both a foot or two apart from each other. Luna's yellow glaring eyes were fixed on his body. Exhaustion and dizziness washed over her as she crawled atop the man. "Luna." she heard a muffled voice say from behind her but she ignored it. Her mind was hazy and only one thought ran through it, "Kill". That bounced around as she felt her senses dull and her hands moved to wrap around his neck.
He remained motionless as she gripped as tight as her tired arms would allow her, driving her thumbs into his windpipe as she stared down at his slowly opening eyes. She felt him move slightly but before she could react, she felt pressure near her left lower waist as something punctured through her skin. Blood soaked the front of her shirt as she fell off the man and onto her side. Akira screamed as she finally freed herself from the gag and began crawling desperately to her daughter. "Luna! No, no! This can't be happening!" she yelled frantically while the man laid still and laughed up towards the ceiling. "Goodnight, little wolf. What a way for the game to end." he said softly. He struggled into a sitting position and looked over at Luna who was lying still on the ground with a knife sticking out from her abdomen and blood leaking from around the blade.
"Hahahahaha! All of this time and effort just for it to turn out exactly how I said it would!" he laughed and yelled as he rose to his feet and walked over to Luna's curled up body. He raised his wounded leg to stomp down on her but Akira had dove over Luna to intercept the hits. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact but instead heard two sudden deafening bangs causing a ringing in her ears. Blood spewed from his back as he fell to the ground, lifeless and his last breath quickly faded. "Help her! Now! Please!" yelled Akira, crying over Luna's body. A person standing in the doorway had on blue slacks, a white button up, and a blue vest reading "Police". He holstered his gun and rushed to Luna's side and began talking into his radio. Luna blinked a few more times, her ears ringing and her whole body going numb and cold as she struggled to take in any air she could to fight just a little longer.
Her eyes eventually closed and the world went silent, the sounds of her mother crying, the sounds of the man's voice talking, and more words coming from the static of the radio on his shoulder. Even her own shallow breaths all faded into silence as she felt herself slipping into a slumber. She felt light, her body didn't feel in any pain and anything wrong in the world seemed to be gone. "Luna? What are you doing here so soon? I thought I told you not to chase me down." pouted a young girl. Luna stared ahead and smiled wider than she had in as long as she could remember. "It wasn't by choice, I guess it was just my time." said Luna, walking closer to the girl. The world around her transformed into the flower filled fields of green that were just outside her home in Aincrad. The girl standing in front of her with her arms behind her back had her long blonde hair in a braided ponytail and her sapphire blue eyes stared back into Luna's.
She was wearing a clean white dress that flowed as the wind blew past them and a blue colored rose was placed in her hair. Luna wrapped her arms around her. "Welcome home Luna." she whispered softly into Luna's ear. "I've missed you so much, Clair." said Luna, tears flowing from her eyes as she clung as tightly as she could to Clair's body. "Don't cry, it's alright." said Clair, stroking the back of Luna's head. "I like what you did with your hair." she whispered. Luna chuckled before releasing her hug and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." she said, sniffling. During their short embrace a wooden bench had appeared just next to them. Clair gestured for them to take a seat which Luna happily did.
Clair asked about what had happened which Luna then went on to explain as her memory of the fight flooded into her mind. "That's pretty wild." said Clair. "Yeah it is, I still can't believe it actually happened." "Do you think you'll have some really cool scars?" asked Clair. "I don't know." giggled Luna, shaking her head. "How do you feel right now, Luna?" asked Clair, her face turning more serious. "What?" asked Luna, staring into Clair's deep blue eyes. "Do you blame yourself for this?" asked Clair. Luna was taken aback at this question as a puzzled expression donned her face.
" I don't know, kind of. If I would have killed him back in SAO then none of this would have happened. I had the chance to end everything right then and there and I didn't do it." "Don't let it eat you up, Luna. What you did was the right thing and I'm very proud that you looked past your anger to do what your heart knew was the better alternative. Nobody would ask you to go back and change that and nobody ever will. Don't regret that choice because of something you never knew was going to happen." "I know I shouldn't. I just can't help but feel somewhat responsible. If you could have stopped a man from murdering someone and you don't, doesn't that mean that you had a hand in killing them? That's at least how it feels right now." explained Luna.
"Maybe so, but I also feel like you have enough blood on your hands already and you don't always have to be the one carrying those burdens." "I don't know if that really helps but I appreciate the sentiment." said Luna. "I'm at least trying here." pouted Clair. Luna chuckled and grabbed hold of Clair again. "This however, does help." she said softly before pulling away and caressing Clair's cheek. Luna leaned in and touched her lips to Clair's and closed her eyes. A tingling sensation ran through her body as they kissed but it soon faded. The soft touch of Clair's mouth disappeared and when Luna opened her eyes again she was staring at a clean white ceiling. The sound of an A/C filled the room coupled with a consistent beeping from a monitor next to her.
She felt a weight on her left arm and when she looked over she saw her mom asleep with her head resting on the bed and her arm resting on Luna's. Her whole body felt hot and every bit of it was in variable levels of pain. Every breath felt like inhaling glass and exhaling felt just as painful. The door cracked open and a woman in a white coat walked in with a tablet in her hands. "You're awake, that's good. Try to not move too much, alright?" She walked to the I.V. stand to replace the bag before tapping some things on her tablet. "How are you feeling Ms. Mirahai?" asked the doctor. "Not too well." said Luna, putting on the best smile she could manage. "That's to be expected after what happened. Take it easy for a bit and let the medicine kick in. It should ease some of the pain in a few minutes." She examined her tablet once more and gave a gentle nod to Luna before leaving the room.
"Luna?" asked her mother, her voice faint and groggy. "You're awake?" She wrapped her arms around Luna and squeezed causing a quiet shriek of pain to escape Luna's mouth. "Sorry!" said Akira, swiftly taking her seat once more. "I'm so glad you woke up." said Akira, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I was so worried you weren't going to make it. How are you feeling?" "Both hurt and glad." muttered Luna. A sense of disappointment also showed itself as the memory of Clair standing with her in that field crept into her mind. The realization that it must have been a dream did annoy her to some extent but she knew she should be grateful with the life she still had and didn't want to dampen her mother's happiness to have her daughter back.
Luna smiled as wide as she could while Akira clung to her. Within minutes the pain had subsided a little due to the medication and she felt exhaustion and hunger creep up on her. "How long was I out?" she asked. "Two days. You lost a lot of blood and they barely got you here in time. They said you were in a coma for a little while but you came back out of it. It's so good you're awake." Akira continued her sobbing while Luna examined herself. Her right arm was covered in bandages. The front of her neck had a small bit of gauze on it where a piece from the table must have cut in the fight. Her left hand was wrapped up as well and her chest was also covered in white wrapping. Her legs seemed mostly fine besides two or three minor cuts and her right cheek also had a scratch that seemed to have already scabbed over.
"They said a lot of it will scar but you should be fine." said Akira, taking note of Luna's self examination. "That's fine. Small price to pay to still be alive I suppose." said Luna, feeling the large bandage that was placed near her stomach. A nurse came with fresh bandages and wrappings. "Alright Mrs. Mirahai, I'm going to change your daughter's dressings. Would you mind stepping out for a minute?" Akira nodded and reluctantly left the room. The nurse removed Luna's gown and began stripping off the old bloody gauze. "Can I see what it looks like?" asked Luna, once her back was completely exposed. She heard the sound of a camera and the nurse handed her a cell phone. Luna's back was riddled in cuts both large and small, most of which looked deep enough to leave behind a scar.
Once the rest of the bandages were removed, Luna re-examined her body. Her arm had several cuts spanning the length of it, the cut on her neck looked deep enough to leave a mark behind and her stomach had several stitches to seal the stab wound. "I really am a mess." chuckled Luna. "It's a shame, someone as young as you winding up like this." said the nurse, pulling fresh dressings from the container next to her. Luna opened her mouth to say something but a sudden thud interrupted her as the door hit against the wall. Jin came bursting into the room with Akira trying to hold him back. Luna's face suddenly went bright red as she moved her arms to cover her exposed chest. "Luna! I'm so glad you're okay!" he yelled, walking towards her. "Get out! I'm not dressed." she said, turning to hide her bare body from Jin. "It's not like you have anything to show anyways." stated Jin. She threw a pillow at him and her embarrassment shifted to anger.
"How dare you! Get out!" screamed Luna. Between the nurse and Akira, they were finally able to escort him from the room and she was able to finish covering Luna's wounds. Soon after Jin was allowed to enter with Tami close behind him. "I can't believe you said that." said Luna. "I'm sorry, it just kind of came out." said Jin, scratching his head. Tami wore a fatigued expression as she looked down at Luna. "Are you alright, Luna?" she asked. "I'm fine besides having to deal with his insensitivity." "Are you sure you're fine? There was a lot of blood at the house and your back is pretty messed up" "I'll be okay. It's nothing I can't handle." "You said that before and then this happened." said Tami.
"Will you tell us what actually happened?" she continued. "I was attacked and this is the result, I thought it would be pretty clear." "That part is but you were acting strange all month and now this. They're related right?" "Yeah, they are. It was a man that tried killing me in SAO and almost succeeded on several occasions. I felt like I was being followed and then he found me in Somerant." "And you didn't think about telling me any of this?" shouted Jin. "I thought it would be just in the game! I didn't know he would find the house." "You should have told me! I would have stayed with you, if I was there then maybe…" "If you were there then you might have gotten hurt as well and I couldn't have lived with that!" yelled Luna.
She shook off her frustration and remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "How's dad?" she asked, keeping her eyes downward. "He's fine. He got hit pretty good but he was up a little after the police got to the house. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask mom since I wasn't there." he said, sadness and regret filled his voice. "Don't act like that, it's not your fault." said Luna. "I thought I could handle it and I was wrong." she added. He smiled at her and the three of them talked for another half an hour before they were escorted out by the doctor. The room went silent once more now that she was all alone. She laid back into the bed and stared up at the ceiling before drifting off into sleep.