Two days after her release from the hospital, Luna logged into Somerant and woke up in the dusty dimly lit room. Voices were echoing through the hall from the living room. She tried to sneak to the front door but was intercepted by a book whizzing past her head. "It's been days and you're not even going to say hi?" asked Zin. "Let her be." said Heti, turning through a page in his book. "I'm kind of in a hurry at the moment, I'll be back in a minute." She walked through the door and made her way to Hilor's warp gate and passed through it. Once inside Capital City Luna made her way up the cliffside to the royal palace. Dozens of players both old and new were pacing around the front courtyard. It was a rather open area despite the fact of being inside the mountain.
Several different species of fauna decorated the grassy patches that circled around the stone pathways. A massive mahogany colored tree that stretched to the cave ceiling dozens of feet above the ground was planted in the center of the plaza between the castle and cave entrances. The area was lit primarily by the glowing fungi that grew from the damp walls but also had several lanterns burning around the area. Luna scoured the courtyard before turning to the sound of running footsteps. "Luna! Right here!" yelled the approaching voice. Luna examined the girl as she stopped in front of her, catching her breath. She was a hybrid like Luna but had cat-like ears and a smooth long tail both of which matched her dark purple hair color. Her eyes were sky blue and glowed in the low light environment.
"Yumi?" asked Luna. The girl nodded. "I feel really weird here, different somehow." she stated. "It'll take a second to get used to it. People have stats in this world so you might feel heavier or lighter than you normally do outside of the game. Everything else feel alright though?" "I think so." "Good, like I said, it will take a minute but once you get used to it I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between this and your real body. Did you get through the tutorial stuff?" asked Luna. "Yeah, I'm all good to go. You said you were going to take me somewhere right?" "I'm taking you to my home here. We'll have to take the long way since you can't teleport to the city yet but with horses it shouldn't take too long. Shall we be off?" Yumi nodded and Luna grabbed her hand before pulling her out of the courtyard and down the mountain.
The stables were located just outside the main gate leading out of the city and sold a multitude of horse breeds. Luna rented two mid-priced steeds and pulled herself up onto the saddle. Once Yumi mounted her own, Luna led the way down the road with Yumi close to her side. "This place is beautiful." gasped Yumi while gazing at the forest that surrounded them and observing the wildlife leaping from tree to tree above their heads. "It doesn't even feel like a game." said Yumi. "I felt that way when I first went to…" Luna paused before finishing her sentence. "First went where? Another game?" inquired a now curious Yumi. "Yeah, it was another VRMMO like this. It blew me away how real it felt and this game is even better than that one."
"What was that one called?" "The game?" asked Luna. Yumi nodded. "SAO. Sword Art Online." answered Luna after another second of silence. "The game that was on the news all of the time? You were one of those players?" asked Yumi, her voice growing louder. "I was." "What was it like there?" "It was kind of like living a normal life after a while. You find somewhere comfortable and settle down or you fight on the frontlines to clear the game or you open a small business and earn a living. People made friends and found love and sometimes they lost them. It really wasn't that much different than the real world now that I think about it. I suppose red players were a bit more of a threat than anything out there." explained Luna.
"Red players?" "People that killed other players. Some people did it out of enjoyment and some was because they didn't believe people were dying in the real world. Either way, it was sickening. I can't really talk though." the last words leaving as whispers from Luna's lips. "I get that's bad but how are they worse than what's outside of the game?" "The amount of them and the knowledge that you can get away with killing others. At least out there you have the law to worry about but SAO didn't have that. Later, guilds and other parties began arresting or killing them but for a while they just got away with it. It was scary sometimes." "Did you ever…" "Kill someone?" interrupted Luna, finishing Yumi's question. "How would you feel if I answered yes to that?"
"I don't really know. I imagine if you did then you probably had a good reason." "At the time I felt like I did. Looking back now I'm not so sure." "So you did?" "Unfortunately. For better or worse I killed two people while I was there but I would rather not go into it right now." said Luna. "Yeah, sure. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory." "It's fine. I was at peace with it but the more I think back I feel like I could have dealt with those situations better. I could have prevented those things from happening. I guess it doesn't really help to dwell on something you can't change though. We'll be at the cabin shortly. I have some friends there that I met in SAO that I think you'll like. Zin's kind of iffy at first but he'll grow on you. Heti is usually pretty calm and tends to be the level headed one in the group so he's kind of like you I think."
A couple of minutes later the wooden drawbridge that allowed passage into Hilor came into view with the disheveled walls of the city behind it. "This is where you live?" asked Yumi. "For now. It's not as bad as it looks… Mostly." answered Luna. They dismounted the horses at the stables and entered the city on foot. A short walk later and the cabin was within sight with Zin leaving through the front door. As he walked down the path towards the two girls, he whistled as he looked at Yumi. "Who's the cutie?" "This is Yumi, my roommate. Yumi, this is the currently engaged Zin, although I don't know how much longer that will last if Remi catches him whistling at other girls." "I was kidding, there's no need to mention it to her." he said to Luna before looking at Yumi. "It's nice to meet you by the way, Yumi. I hope she hasn't given you too much trouble, she can be a real handful sometimes."
"Uh, no not really." muttered Yumi. "Another quiet type, I guess birds of a feather and all that right, Luna?" "You're treading thin ice, Zin." "What? I happen to like the quiet types, Remi isn't much for conversation either and you don't hear me complaining do you?" He leaned over to Yumi's ear and hid his mouth with his hand. "See what I mean?" he whispered. Yumi giggled as he pulled away. "Anyways, it really was nice to meet you. I hope we see more of each other." Zin winked at Luna as he walked away and Luna stuck her tongue out at him. "You two seem close." said Yumi. "I guess. After Clair, he was a big part of me getting better." "Clair?" "The friend I told you about before, the one that died. We were really close in SAO and Zin was like an older brother to her so I got close to him through Clair."
Yumi nodded but remained silent. Luna opened the door and let Yumi enter before her. Heti was still sitting on the couch not taking his attention from the novel. "Back already, Zin?" "Just me, Heti." said Luna. "Ah, good. I get my quiet for a little longer. Uh, who's that?" he asked, looking up at Yumi. "This is Yumi, my friend and roommate." "Heti, nice to meet you." "You too." said Yumi. "What are you reading?" she asked. "It's about two lovers from different species that can't be together but want to. Original concept right?" he said, smiling. "Not so much. Is it any good?" "It's not bad but it makes me want to read the original. I'll wait to see if they fix that awful ending in this one." "You don't like how it ended? I thought it was rather romantic." said Yumi.
"I wanted them to have the love they deserved, they shouldn't have died in my opinion. It's a tragedy that comes from a place of love but It left me feeling unsatisfied. I was never a fan of unhappy endings though, I read these books to escape reality, not to experience it." "I definitely understand that. I'll let you get back to it." said Yumi. "It's fine to bother me, it's nice to have another book lover around to talk with." He flipped the page in the book and continued his reading. "What?" asked Yumi, noticing Luna's wide smile. "Nothing, come on and I'll show you my room. We'll put another bed in here so you can spawn in and don't worry about space, we'll be moving soon. Ah, don't tell them about that, I want it to be a surprise." "My lips are sealed."
Luna rushed out with Yumi to buy a cheap bed and returned to place it in the bedroom. "Good, now you can call this place home." "Is it alright for you to just move me in?" "It better be. In a way I paid for some of this cabin and besides, the other two rooms are literally just spawn points, there are only beds in them with no other furniture. Also everybody has jobs and stuff so we're all on at different hours anyways so it shouldn't bother them." "Do you have a job?" asked Yumi. "I work part time at a cafe after school." "I didn't know you're going to school? Do you go to university?" "Nope, I'm still attending highschool." Yumi gave a curious look before Luna smiled at her. "It's an SAO thing. We had to make up the two years we spent there so they put us in a special school to help with that." "I'm sorry if I am asking too many questions." "It's no big deal. I'm actually happy that you want to get to know me better. Ask anything you want and I'll answer it to the best of my ability."
"Speaking of jobs, do you have one?" asked Luna. Yumi shook her head. "Not at the moment." "We'll have to do something about that. Maybe I can get you a job where I work." said Luna, pondering different options. "It doesn't really matter where, I'll find something. I don't expect to live with you for free so I'll start looking tomorrow." stated Yumi. Luna smiled at her. "There's no need to hurry, you should probably let your bruises and stuff heal up first." "Luna, I got your text." said Jin, walking into the room. "Ah, you must be Yumi." he stated, walking closer to the two girls. "Y-yeah. Nice to meet you." "You're just as cute as Mom said you were." Yumi blushed at Jin's comment before he continued speaking. "Now, to get back on track, why did you want to meet up?" he asked, looking at Luna. "Is Zin back yet?" asked Luna.
"Yeah, why?" "Good, come on." Luna walked past her brother and into the living room. While the others took a seat, Luna remained standing in the center of the room. "If you wanted me for something then you could have said so before I left." said Zin. "I could have but I felt like interrupting you would be more fun. I wanted to give you guys this." she said, placing a bag on the table in front of them. Jin picked it up and checked the amount of gold that was inside. "Are you sure?" asked Jin. "How much is it?" asked Zin. "25,000. It's my earning from the tournament. I figured it could go to getting a new place to live. This place is getting a little cramped for my liking and it would be nice to move to a nicer city." said Luna.
"This certainly brings us a lot closer to our goal." said Zin, tapping on the bag. It vanished from the table and he leaned back into the couch. "Thank you." said Zin. "Still, are you sure about this? You worked pretty hard for that." stated Jin. Luna nodded. "It was never about the money. I fought because I wanted to, not for the reward so I don't mind putting it to a good cause." "I don't mean to interrupt but Mom's supposed to be stopping by your place right?" asked Jin. Luna glanced at the time real quick and nodded. "Yep, so I have to get off real fast. Thanks for reminding me. Yumi, go lay down in the bed and tap the logout button in your journal." Yumi nodded and headed for the room. "See ya later." said Luna, following behind Yumi. Soon there was a knock on the door and once Luna opened it, a small balck and white dog was jumping at her legs.
"He's like a different creature when he sees you. He was so calm on the way here." said Akira. "Sorry for the trouble." said Luna, kneeling down and petting Shu. "It's no big deal. He was missing you anyways so I had to bring him by at some point." Luna stood up and hugged Akira before letting her inside. Shu followed behind Luna and leapt up onto the sofa once she sat down. "It's nice to see you too." she said, scratching his ears. "It's nice to see him moving around again." said Akira. Shu jumped from the couch and bolted to the hallway where Yumi was standing and began sniffing her. "Hey." she said softly, kneeling down and letting him sniff her hand. He licked it and ran back to Luna who was still on the couch.
"He's cute." stated Yumi. "He'll be staying with us from now on." said Luna. "Hello, dear." said Akira, smiling at Yumi. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Mirahai." said Yumi, bowing her head. "So, how have you two been? Are you feeling any better?" asked Akira. "We're fine. Everything is healing up nicely." answered Luna. "How about you Yumi?" "I'm doing much better. Thanks for asking." "That's good to hear. I can't stay long but it was nice to see you again Luna. I've missed you so much." "It hasn't even been that long yet and you're already crying?" asked Luna. Akira wiped her eyes and pulled Luna into a strong embrace. "I can't help it. My little girl, gone and on her own. It feels like yesterday that I was changing your diapers and feeding you with a bottle and now look at you." Akira wiped the scar on Luna's cheek and looked into her eyes. "You're all grown up now and it all happened in the blink of an eye." she added.
"I'm only eighteen, there's no need to over exaggerate." "It doesn't matter how old you are, I'll always see that little girl with pigtails going to her first day of school or the girl jumping and flipping around the backyard scaring me because I thought you might hurt yourself. I can't help but get a little emotional seeing you where you are now." "I feel like this isn't just about me moving out." said Luna. After a pause Akira wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm just scared of you being on your own. I'm worried that I won't hear from you for days and then I find out that you were in the hospital again or…" "I'll be fine." said Luna, removing her mother's hand from her cheek. "Everything will be okay so don't worry too much. Besides, I got Yumi here now so it's not like I'm alone."
"I know, Luna, but it's my job to worry about you especially after everything that happened these last few years." "Look, I love you and I appreciate the concern but you can relax a bit, okay?" stated Luna. "I suppose I'll have to believe you. I'll get out of your hair for now, goodbye Luna, Yumi." "Bye, Mrs. Mirahai." said Yumi. "Love you, Mom. See you later." Luna hugged her and watched as she walked out of the door. "Your mom's really nice." said Yumi. "Yeah, she is. Are you okay?" asked Luna, noticing Yumi's eyes watering. "It just makes me miss my dad. The way you and your mother have treated me, the way she treats me like I'm her daughter, it brings back memories when my family wasn't so… broken." Yumi wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
Luna picked up Shu who was sitting at her feet and held him out to Yumi. "Hold him for a minute." she instructed. "Okay?" said Yumi, taking the dog in her arms. He licked her face and rested his head on her shoulder. "What's the point in this?" "It's to cheer you up. You can't be sad holding something like that can you? Enjoy his company for a minute while I make some tea." said Luna, walking into the kitchen. After several minutes passed she returned with two mugs of tea and placed them at the table in front of the couch. "Enjoy." said Luna, taking a seat next to Yumi and Shu. Yumi took a sip and her face lit up. "Good, right? Amazing what a little bit of honey does for the flavor." "Did you learn this from the cafe you work at?" asked Yumi. "It was Clair actually. Early on while traveling together she would always make breakfast and this was the tea she always made to go with it. It wound up being a favorite of mine so she taught me how to make it. The perfect amount of sugar and honey is needed or it would be too sweet and unbalanced, that's what she told me anyways."
Yumi took another sip and Shu yawned while he stretched in her lap. "Feeling any better?" asked Luna. "I wasn't really sad to begin with. I was happy to feel loved again. That night at the police station, your mom stood up for me when even mine wouldn't and she had never met me before that. She asks about how I feel and about my well being and acts like I'm part of your family. It honestly makes me feel a sense of belonging that I haven't felt since my dad passed away. I don't feel like an outcast or like I'm useless. In just the short time of being with you, your parents accepted me, your friends were nice and didn't ridicule me, and you… You wound up in the hospital because of me and still offered me a place in your home without asking for anything in return. I'm not sad, Luna, I'm overwhelmed and I don't know if I could ever thank you enough for what you've done for me."
Luna began leaning in close to her, closing her eyes but swiftly turned away. "Y-you don't need to mention it. I'm going to take a quick bath." Luna stood up and rushed towards the bathroom at the end of the hall. "Luna?" muttered Yumi as Luna vanished around the corner. She closed the door behind her, her face red and feeling hot. She turned on the water before undressing and soaked for almost ten minutes before drying off and getting dressed. Luna cooked a simple dinner of beef strips and white rice for the two of them and after Shu's walk, Yumi and her were sitting on the couch watching the T.V. "Are you feeling alright, you kind of rushed off earlier?" asked Yumi. "It's nothing, I just felt a little off, it's not a big deal." replied Luna.
"I didn't say anything weird did I?" inquired Yumi. Luna shook her head. "No, not at all. Really, don't worry about it, I'm all good now. I only needed to clear my head for a second." Her face was becoming more red as she flipped through the channels, avoiding eye contact with Yumi. "Alright, if you say so." said Yumi, flashing a curious glare in Luna's direction. Luna glanced at the clock hanging on the wall after putting the remote on the table. "10:30? I'm gonna head off to bed. Goodnight Yumi." Luna stretched and stood up from the couch. "Goodnight." replied Yumi and Luna returned to her bedroom with Shu in tow. He jumped up and curled into a small black and white ball at the end of the bed as Luna yawned before closing her eyes to sleep.
Luna woke up just as the sun was rising. She got ready and ate a quick breakfast before leaving the apartment and headed for school. Piper and Fi met her at the school's front gate with concerned expressions at the sight of her. "I thought you said it wasn't bad." said Piper, examining the various bruises on her cheeks and the small healing cuts on her lips. "It's not, at least not right now. See, look." Luna held up her phone, pulling up a picture she had taken after waking up in the hospital. "How did this happen to you?" asked Fi. "It was just a small fight, nothing major. Come on or we'll be late for class." said Luna, smiling and walking past them. More and more questions came her way as the day progressed, revolving around her new injuries until she escaped to the roof at lunch to enjoy a few minutes of silence.
She leaned against the metal railing, staring out at the cityscape in front of her. As her mind began to wander, images of Yumi crept to the front of her thoughts. Her face turned red as a warm comforting feeling arose in her chest. "I shouldn't be feeling like this. I didn't want to feel like this again." she muttered to herself. "Feel like what?" asked Fi, startling Luna. "Uh, nothing. What are you doing up here?" asked Luna. "Looking for you. The three of us were going to eat lunch together but you disappeared once the bell rang. What are you doing up here?" "I was trying to avoid the interrogations. I know they're all just worried or curious but it gets old being asked the same questions repeatedly." explained Luna. Luna took one more glance at the city before grabbing Fi's hand. "I guess my quiet time is over and the bell's gonna ring soon anyways. Let's go find Piper and enjoy the time we have left." Fi nodded and the two of them left the roof together.
After school ended, Luna said goodbye to Piper and Fi before making her way back home. As she entered through the door, Shu leapt from the couch and jumped at her legs, his tail wagging back and forth. Luna stroked his ears before putting her bag and jacket on hooks next to the front door. After removing her shoes, she walked over to the sofa and sat down with Shu lying on her lap. A sweet aroma filled the apartment causing Luna to stand up and wander to the kitchen. There she saw Yumi pulling a baking sheet from the oven full of small differently shaped cookies. "Ah." yelped Yumi as she noticed Luna standing in the doorway, almost dropping the tray. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." said Luna, giggling. "I-It's fine." said Yumi, putting the metal tray onto the counter. "I didn't know you baked." stated Luna. "I wanted to surprise you, I didn't think you would be home this early." "I came straight home after school today, so sorry I guess? What's the surprise for?"
"I wanted to thank you for letting me live here so I thought this would be an okay way to do it." explained Yumi. "You already said your thanks enough times. You didn't have to go and make sweets." "I know but I wanted to. I'm not really that great at a lot of stuff but my dad was teaching me how to cook and bake since I was a little girl so I figured I should use this to thank you properly." "That's really cool, I'll have to have you teach me sometime. My cooking leaves a lot to be desired." "I would love to, anytime you want." said Yumi. Later that night Luna was sitting on the couch with a sketchbook and a pen in her hands.
Yumi took a seat next to her and was drying her hair with a towel. "You draw?" she asked, glancing over at Luna's book. "Kind of. I haven't been doing it that long so I'm still not that great. Want to look through it?" asked Luna, handing over the book. Yumi took it and began flipping through the pages. "What are you talking about? These are great, Luna." Yumi stopped on a picture of a cabin standing alone in a grass covered field. Two young girls were sitting on the porch holding each other as the sun sat overhead. "Is this somewhere special to you? I see it in a lot of these." asked Yumi. "My old home in SAO. I still dream about it quite a bit so I draw it pretty often. "Did it really look like this?" "Pretty much if you subtract the sun. The only thing above you was the next floor of the castle so you couldn't see it just by looking up."
"So were you always inside or something?" "Inside the castle? In a manner of speaking I suppose but the floors didn't have walls keeping the players in and every one had anything from forests to deserts to rushing streams and so on. You could also see the sky if you were at the edge of the floor. It stretched on forever with no end, honestly it was one of the most beautiful things to see." "It sounds amazing." muttered Yumi as she continued through the pages. "It was after the first year or so. Eventually I began to feel like it was home." Yumi handed the book back to Luna. "They really are great, thanks for letting me look through them." "No problem. I'll be happy to show you some more later." said Luna.
After two weeks had passed, Luna found herself at a small jewelry shop not far from her home. "Here you are, miss." said the clerk, handing her a small black box. Luna took it and removed the lid to peek inside. "It's perfect." she said, closing it back up. She handed the payment to the cashier and stuffed the box into her jacket. After entering her apartment Shu did his normal routine of jumping around her legs before following her to Yumi's room. Luna lightly knocked on the door. "Come in." said Yumi. Luna entered and Shu rushed over to Yumi on the bed and curled up next to her. "Traitor." said Luna, smiling at him. "Do you need anything?" asked Yumi. "Uh, yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner tonight?" asked Luna, nervously.
"I don't mind. Is it a special occasion or something?" "Kind of. It's nothing too fancy though so you don't have to go crazy with what you wear." answered Luna. "Oh and we'll be leaving in about a half hour so get ready soon." she added before walking out of the room. After taking a quick bath, Luna led the way to a small restaurant not far from the apartment. After ordering and eating most of her food, Luna pulled the box from her pocket. "How is it?" asked Luna. "Really good, especially the sashimi. Thanks for this." answered Yumi. "Here, I got you this as well." said Luna, handing her the box. Yumi glanced at Luna before gazing down and untying the purple ribbon that wrapped around the lid.
She opened it and pulled out a small silver ring hanging from a matching chain. Small purple glass-like stones were fixed around it and laid flush with the metal band. "Luna I…" "It's pretty right? I wanted to get amethyst but it was a little out of my price range so I figured this would do." said Luna. "I don't know how to thank you for this." "You can thank me by wearing it." Luna grabbed the necklace from her hands and slid it over Yumi's head. "Why?" uttered Yumi while holding the ring in her palm. Luna pulled the silver chain from under her shirt and held it up to Yumi to reveal the small ring dangling from it. "It's kind of a tradition for me to cement our friendship. This one is a replica of the one Clair had gotten me back in SAO so I thought since we've grown pretty close, I should get you one. Do you like it?" "I love it." answered Yumi, wrapping her arms around Luna.
After their meal the two returned home. Yumi stretched out on the couch while Luna went to the kitchen and made tea. "Here ya go." she said, handing a small glass to Yumi before sitting next to her. "Hey, Luna, why do all of this today?" asked Yumi, breaking the silence that surrounded them. Luna set her cup down on the table before answering. "Because I decided to be honest with not only you but with myself." "Honest?" asked Yumi, setting down her glass. Luna nodded her head. "This is harder than I thought it would be." she said, smiling. "I um… I have kind of fallen for you. I've been trying my best to get rid of this feeling but it doesn't want to go away. Every time I'm with you I just feel happy and like every problem has melted away if even for just a moment."
"Why?" interrupted Yumi. "Why deny it?" she added as Luna opened her mouth to speak. "I was scared." answered Luna. She clutched the silver ring tightly in her hand. "I was scared of falling in love again. I was scared of letting someone become that close and suddenly lose them again. However I realized lately that I can't live like that. I want to move on from what happened back then and I feel like you're the key to doing that. I never would have thought that I would feel like this again about someone but then I saw you and after the time we spent together, I couldn't help but fall for you." "How? He was right that day back at the dojo, I'm broken and flawed and…" "And you think that I'm perfect?" asked Luna, cutting off Yumi's sentence.
"I'm just as flawed and broken as any other person but that is what I find attractive about you. I like that you're quiet and shy. I like that you get scared or nervous while we're out eating. I love the fact that you look to me for help now instead of hiding yourself away and facing whatever it is alone. I love everything about you, flaws and all." "What's so wrong about you?" asked Yumi. "You're funny and cute and you get along well with everyone you know." "I also killed people whose faces will haunt me for the rest of my life. I have fought tooth and nail to survive in an unforgiving world that I was trapped in and one of those battles even followed me here, and now…" Luna rolled up her right sleeve and unbuttoned the front of her shirt to reveal the scar on her stomach and the numerous cuts on her upper right arm. "And now I look like this. I'm not perfect Yumi, no one is but I love you despite your supposed flaws."
Yumi stared at the multiple marks on Luna's body before staring into her yellow eyes. "Disgusting right? Most people wouldn't really find this attractive so if you don't I can't really blame you." stated Luna, her voice faint, as if anticipating Yumi's disgust. Instead Yumi leaned closer. "If you're willing to love me for my faults then I can look past a few scratches." she stated. Luna kissed Yumi but she pulled away. "Sorry if it was sudden." said Luna. "I-I've never been with anyone before so I'm a little nervous." stated Yumi, her face reddening as she looked away. "Then we'll take it slow if you want. Here." said Luna, pulling Yumi's arms onto her shoulders. "Now just move your hands down." instructed Luna. Yumi moved her hands as told and slid Luna's shirt down. Luna pulled her hands from the sleeves and threw the shirt onto the floor. "Now wrap your arms around me." Yumi moved and as her hands touched Luna's bare back she felt several rigid marks scattered on her skin.
"Can you still look past them?" muttered Luna. Yumi nodded as she clung tightly to Luna. "They don't bother me." said Yumi. "I'm glad." said Luna. A sense of relief chased away any doubts or worries that had swarmed in her head. "Do you want to continue?" asked Luna. Yumi nodded again. After a while the room was only lit from the light of the moon and Yumi was fast asleep on the sofa. Luna had a sheet draped over her and was sitting on the chair next to the couch watching Yumi as she slept. Shu came waddling over from the hallway and laid curled up at the base of the chair. "Can't sleep either huh?" whispered Luna, smiling at him. She turned her gaze back to Yumi after scratching Shu's ears for a moment.
"Thank you." muttered Luna before closing her eyes. Shu jumped up and laid on her lap as Luna drifted off to sleep. She awoke to a slight tugging on her sheet and saw Yumi adjusting it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. The sheet slipped off and you'll catch a cold like that." said Yumi, stepping back. "I appreciate the concern." said Luna, lifting Shu off of her before standing up. Luna walked over to the pants and shirt she had thrown to the floor and picked them up. Yumi kept her eyes fixed on Luna's back while she was getting dressed. "I didn't get a good look at that before. How did something like that happen?" Luna smiled back at her before pulling the shirt over her body. "I went through a glass table." "Is that where the other one came from?" "No, that was a knife." answered Luna. "I told you I was a mess." she added while picking up her underwear from the ground.
"I'm gonna take a quick bath before going back to bed." stated Luna before walking to the hallway. "Oh and, Yumi." "Yeah?" "Thanks for last night. It helps me more than you know. Goodnight." Luna left Yumi alone and walked down the hall to the bathroom. When she had finished her bath and returned to her bed she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. "3:24" "March 3, 2026" was shown on the screen. The next day both Luna and Yumi logged into Somerant and awoke in the dusty sunlit room. "Have any plans today, Luna?" asked Yumi. "Some but nothing really important. I was going to get my gear fixed and Piper wanted some help with something if I remember correctly." "Yeah I did and you're a half an hour late." stated a posh and irritated voice.
"Sorry, I overslept." said Luna, putting her hands together. "Do you know how many times you've used that excuse? It has to be around a hundred by now and that doesn't even include SAO." "It's not an excuse, I was up late last night and slept past my alarm." "And what exactly were you doing last night that kept you so busy?" asked Piper. Luna glanced at Yumi for a moment before looking back to Piper. "Nothing in particular." "Fine, if you won't tell me then maybe she will. Yumi?" Yumi's face turned bright red as Piper directed her attention to her. "Well, um… we…" "You didn't?" asked Piper, looking back at Luna. "Did you really?" she added. "We might have." said Luna smugly. "Why? Are you jealous?" asked Luna, grabbing Yumi's arm and pulling her close.
"Jealous of you? Why, because I can't get a girlfriend and you can?" "If you would just talk to her I'm sure it would work out. I know she likes you." said Luna. "Who is "she"?" asked Yumi. "Piper has had a crush on Fi for a while now but won't talk to her about it." answered Luna. "I don't want to ruin anything and I don't know if she even likes girls or not. It's not like I should take your advice anyways, I don't remember you being some love guru." said Piper. "I'm not but at least I can get a girlfriend." said Luna mockingly while walking past her with Yumi's hand still grasped in hers. "Come on, we're already running late." she continued while entering the hallway. "We're late because of you in the first place!" yelled Piper, stomping after her.
The three of them were now outside the city walls traversing through the thick forest that surrounds them. "So where are we going anyways?" asked Yumi. "A small temple not far from here. I don't really fight much anymore so I need Luna to get in there and grab a special book for me that's supposed to be guarded." explained Piper. "What made you stop fighting?" inquired Yumi. "I had my fill of combat back in SAO, I mainly play this so I can hang out with Luna and the others more often." "What's so special about this book anyways?" interjected Luna. "It's supposed to be pretty valuable and I heard it's a really good read so I thought Fi would like it." "That's sweet." said Yumi. "It would be sweeter if she was getting it herself." murmured Luna. "You're the one that offered to help." stated Piper.
"I know, calm down. I was only joking." "Is that it?" asked Yumi, pointing ahead at a ruined stone structure ahead of them. Various statues of hybrids standing around ten to fifteen feet tall were placed along both sides of the path ahead of them all of which were in states of disrepair. "Most likely but I don't see any guards." replied Piper. "Maybe they're inside." stated Luna. "It doesn't matter either way I suppose. You two wait out here and I'll be right back." she continued. "I can't come with you?" questioned Yumi. "I would rather do this alone. There might be traps or a really strong enemy and it would be easier for me to escape on my own." explained Luna as she progressed ahead of them.
Luna approached the stone door that was blocking her entry. Various odd lettering was carved in a spiral leading to a white orb protruding from the center of the stone slab. "Hybrid lettering?" questioned Luna as she examined the shapes. "Only with a crimson offering may you be allowed entry." she read aloud. "Crimson offering? Blood maybe?" She pulled her dagger from its sheath and cut her palm. Instead of falling to the ground, red droplets began to float and hover towards the white crystal. Luna held her hand out towards it as the blood began moving much more rapidly to the door. Her health began dropping swiftly as the red liquid gushed from her palm and the crystal's color began to change.
It turned a light pink before slowly shifting to a dark crimson as Luna's health sank into red territory. The blood filled orb turned and the door began to slide open revealing a dark corridor ahead of her. After chugging down a health potion and watching the small gash on her hand close she proceeded inside. A loud crash rang out as the door slammed shut behind her, leaving her in complete silence. Her every footstep echoed through the hall as she progressed forward in the darkness. Due to being a hybrid she was able to see well enough in the dark so it didn't prove too challenging to find her way around. Luna explored several rooms with shelves and wooden cases that were full of books and scrolls but none of which seemed special enough to be the one Piper had been looking for.
She soon found a stairway made of crumbling stone that led downwards to the next floor. She followed it and explored before following it down again. As Luna descended the stairs to the fifth floor she noticed a red flickering light illuminating the walls at the bottom. She gripped the hilt of her dagger as she reached the final step and peeked past the corner into the room. The room had four red glowing orbs of light hovering over rows of pews, a wooden podium stood at the far end under a massive circular stained glass window with a motif of a wolf and a man standing side by side. She relaxed herself before walking down the aisle towards the podium which had a large book placed atop it.
It was wrapped in black leather with more hybrid lettering etched in red along its cover and spine. "From Blood to Being." read Luna. "Some kind of religious scripture I guess." she muttered as she picked it up. "Indeed it is, thief." stated a deep booming voice. Luna quickly drew her dagger as she examined the space around her. "Unhand the book and you will be allowed your freedom." said the mysterious voice. "If I don't?" asked Luna, still glancing around. "You will die here I'm afraid." stated a translucent figure as it appeared in front of her. The figure resembled a thin man with ears and a tail that matched her own. "You're one of us yet you steal from our place of worship?" asked the man. Luna remained silent as she watched the man move closer. "Speak!" he demanded. His voice rang in her ears as her head began to feel hazy. "I'm not a thief. I was asked to get it by a friend." The words came out involuntarily and the haziness faded from her mind.
"So that makes it right? That book has thousands of years worth of our races' knowledge held inside and you feel it okay to come and take it. Heretic! Heretic and a thief." he yelled as he bared his fangs at her. She held the dagger in front of her while clutching the book tightly in her left hand. "Get out of the way." she snarled. "I don't think I will. Kneel!" he shouted. Luna began to feel slightly dizzy as her legs began to move on their own. "Drop the weapon!" Her hand released its grip as she dropped to her knees. "I'm going to give you a single chance to convert from your treacherous ways. Hand over the book." he stated, holding out his hand. Luna remained still and stared up at the figure. "So be it. Hand it over!" he yelled. Just as her arm began to move, she bit down as hard as she could on her tongue causing blood to dribble from her mouth.
The pain cleared up her mind as she reached over and grabbed hold of her knife. "Your weapon won't…" Luna dove at him mid sentence with lightning infused around her blade. A large blue gash appeared at his waist as Luna took off up the stairs. "After her!" she heard the man yell as she skipped over steps to climb as fast as possible. As Luna reached the fourth floor a sudden impact drove her into a wall and caused her to fall back down several steps. She looked up and saw a ghostly figure with reptile-like features with a massive hammer held tightly in his two hands. "I don't have the time for this." she snarled as she stood back up. She sheathed the dagger and pulled it slightly back out of the sheath. She charged forward while drawing it leaving a blue trail behind her and was near instantaneously on the other side of the reptile.
After sheathing the weapon again, her body began to glow brightly in the darkness as lightning sparked around her. Luna leapt at the circular wall of the stairwell and jumped from one to the other, proceeding upwards. Within seconds Luna was back on the first floor as a blue trail bounced from wall to wall illuminating the stairs and the figures running up them. Luna continued forward towards the stone door at the end of the hall expecting it to open. "Come on, come on!" she said, attempting to push it. "Ah." she gasped before pulling the dagger back out. After slicing her hand, she held it at the door and the blood began to spill out and seep into the crevices around it. Soon the sound of rubbing stone filled her ears as a red crystal rotated into view and the slab began to slide open.
"Ahhh!" came a yell from one of the approaching ghosts. She turned and quickly avoided it before kicking him with lightning surrounding her leg. He went flying back into the approaching crowd of ghostly hybrids. The blue sparks quickly flickered before fading away despite her efforts of spawning them back. "Out of magic. Fantastic." she thought aloud as she watched the incoming group. Luckily just before they got to her the door opened enough to let in the sunlight causing their advance to falter. Luna slipped out of the door and back onto the path outside before looking back at the ghostly beings as they began to turn into smoke and fade away. Luna dropped to her knees and sighed in relief as she clutched the book to her chest. "Is that it?" asked Piper as she approached.
"I think so, they put up quite a fight for it." answered Luna while handing over the tome. "Were those ghosts?" asked Yumi with hints of fear in her voice. "I think so." replied Luna before glancing back at Piper. "Did you know what that thing was before you sent me in there?" "Of course I did although I didn't expect you to be chased out by some dead priests." "Why would Fi want something like that?" asked Yumi. "She likes this kind of stuff. Back in SAO she read anything that had to do with history and religion. She's even read multiple religious books back in the real world like the christian bible and stuff. She isn't that religious herself but it seems to interest her." explained Piper, holding the book happily against her chest.
"Whatever makes her happy." said Luna, returning to her feet with Yumi's help. "Is there anything else you need, Piper?" asked Luna. Piper shook her head while keeping her gaze fixed on the leather bound book. "Good, I'll see ya later then. Come on, Yumi." "Where are you heading?" asked Piper. "The capital. I need to get my gear fixed and restock on potions." "Have fun you two." said Piper. Luna wearily smiled at her and pulled a small crystal from her pocket. Yumi did the same and the two of them soon appeared at the warp gate in the capital with storm clouds overhead and rain flooding the stone streets.