Chapter 5
It had been a week, a whole week since Sachi had stumbled across the boys. She still couldn't quite grasp that they were really here, in Sword Art Online. Just the mere thought made her head spin. How? This is unbelievable. The boys are just as hyperactive and friendly as they were in the Real life, and for a second, Sachi felt the familiar flame of pink warmth. Her eyes would glass over as she stared after them, her lips pulling into a tiny smile as she was reminded of life before entering the game. They were exactly the same, and it just made her tremble with love.
She missed them, missed them so much, missed Duckers cheesy and yet amusing jokes, Sasamaru's awkward present while he tried to avoid every comment thrown at him, Keita's confidence and proud smile, and Tetsuo's gentle, and yet kind, peaceful words, trying to prevent two certain boys from leaping at each other. She missed each and every one of them, and her heart clenched as she thought of them disappearing into the baring fangs of Sword Art Online.
Sachi is more than happy to come across them. She felt back at home, that the deep shadows couldn't touch her at all, that the cruelty of the game wasn't true, and for a little a while, she was allowed to forget the troubles of her hardship. It was an understatement to say she was eager to accept the guild invitation.
Unfortunately, they all were low level. So low that Sachi had to double look when she saw their levels. She couldn't believe it. It was unreal to her. She would never have thought in a hundred years that they would be that low, that even Keita would be so low. They were barely touching level 20. He was the most proud and determined person she knew. She thought out of the whole group, he would be pretty high, much higher than her meekly level 33 but nope. He was barely above level 17.
Sachi puffed out her cheeks, carefully easing herself from the tree behind her. Her lavender eyes spills across the scenery the glide had entered. Keita, their guild leader, thought it be a good idea to take on a mini-field boss, to increase their skills. Sachi wasn't so sure, her fear of death had greatly grown after joining the glide. Sachi couldn't bear the thought of losing them now. She adored them too much to let them go.
Diavel, he was so much stronger then herself, able to defend himself so well and look what happened. Sachi still couldn't believe it had happened, but it had. She had to be careful, she had to keep a watchful eye upon the other boys, to make sure they don't step on that blood red line. Her heart clenched as she thought of her blue haired friend, feeling incredibly hurt as his smile appeared in her mind.
He was gone, and she was still there. Still here. She had to make some kind of difference. She just had too.
"Sachi?" Ducker grinned widely.
Ducker's bright sky blue eyes sparkling as he made his way over to the quiet young girl, throwing a familiar arm around her shoulders and pulling her close into him. She meekly arched her back and shyly smiled up at him. His aqua eyes flashes as he winks teasingly at her.
"You know. You never said what level are you, Sa-chi!" he sang out brightly, lips pulling into an even wider smile as he looked at the timid girl with a curiosity glint shimmering in those crystal eyes.
Making a low sigh, Sachi shifted on her weight, twisting her hands around the spear she had chosen to use again in favour of her beloved bow. It was a great weapon to help hide her secret. Nobody questioned it when she summoned the spear out. Sachi did not like it. She wanted to use her bow, so badly. Her bow and arrow was the strongest weapon she possessed at the moment, it was peaking at 300!
She was very proud of that fact. Her spear was barely over 100, it could easily be snapped in half by a higher levelled monster but what was she going to do? She didn't want them to throw her out, not after finding a place where she felt somewhat safe.
Even though Sachi knew they would never do that, deep in her heart she couldn't be too sure. Sword Art Online had brought out the worse in people. She had seen it with her own eyes. People could change with a drop of a hat. She wasn't ready to let them know, let them know her level or that she was a Beta Tester.
"M-My level?" Sachi meekly repeated.
Sachi shyly looking at Ducker who nodded eagerly. Her breath hitched into her throat, her heart had beat almost painfully in her chest.
"Oh…I-I'm, um, l-level…15. I guess I-I'm the weakest, h-huh?" She murmured quietly.
Her fingers twitching around her spear and forcing a strained smile on her face, while tilting her head to the side. Her lavender eyes shimmering in the bath of the hot ball of fire above her.
"Ah. Don't worry Sachi." Tetsuo spoke warmly, You'll catch up soon enough."
He kindly patted her on the head, while smiling his famous eye-smile. Tetsuo nodded his head in agreement with his own words. Sachi could only gaze up at him blankly and after a few seconds, she smiles and nods her head, her cheeks flushing crimson.
Keita's lips pulled into a wide smile, he arched himself backward and stretched his arms out, creating pops and snaps to filter up his arms.
"Yeah. Practice is everything!" he cooed, looking back at Sachi.
"Hm." Sachi made a bubble sound as she bobbed her head up and down.
Her gorgeous, indigo eyes shine brightly as she pulls her spear closer to chest and bent herself forward. Sachi's lips twisted together as she stared at the taller brunette. Watching the familiar dark brown bangs falling across his forehead, making his amber eyes standing out from his milky white skin. She had to admit, he was rather good looking, and Sachi wondered how many confessions he would have got back in School, at least two or three month.
Keita had to be popular, and in her mind he was pretty much everything a girl could possibly want. At that thought, her face heated up, and she quickly looked down. She reached up a numb hand and gently tugging on a gentle raven colored hair that hung in front of her face. How embarrassing.
"Here it comes!" Ducker's voice echoed around them.
Sachi blinks her eyes furiously, snapping her head around to look at the Treasure hunter. His wide blue eyes standing out, with his blonde hair crushing against his forehead and neck. His lips pressed together briefly before they pulled into a large 'O' shape. He turns his hand, summoning his long and sharp sword out. He holds it out in front of him and arches his back.
"Everyone get ready."
"Who's the leader here?" Keita teased, shaking his head before turning his soft eyes onto the charging head first towards them.
A wolf like creature stood rather high with a large body, covered in amber fur with small white cuffs around its beefy paw-like arms. The creature howled loudly, throwing its head back and rolling his lips back, revealing his saliva dripping fangs.
Sachi felt all the hairs on the back of neck stand on end as she took in the beast, standing in the only way out from the clearing. The long trees stand up on either side of the ground, stretching out widely with large, fat branches. They twisted together, curling around one and another, much like the spider web Sachi remembered from last week.
Sachi gulped a painful lump, her knees buckling and pressing firmly together. Her hands shook as the beast's yellow and green, slit eyes turned towards them, taking in their many forms standing across from it. Sachi felt as if her heart had dropped to her stomach, and her hands shook while holding her spear, pulling it close to her chest.
It had happened so fast, Sachi barely understand what was happening. One moment the growling beast stood at least a foot from her, and in the next, it hard charged with unexpected speed, slashing at them all, making them all roll backwards out of the way. Its large claws slash through the air, and it spits saliva out as it roared. Sachi gasped, hitting the ground harshly. Her head throbbed as it smacked against the ground below her.
She let out a low groan and crawled backward, seeing the beast round on her. Its eyes flashing like lightning as they stared at her, baring it's fangs into her soul as it began to stalk towards her, sending the poor raven haired girl further and further into the tree behind her, and a long root spurts from the ground and twirls along her sides. Her heart pounded harshly in her chest as she pressed her back firmly up against the rough surface of the tree.
"Sachi." One of the boy cursed.
Sachi wasn't sure which one, though, because her head was spinning a little too fast. Making her feel more than sick, like any moment she was about throw her guts up. Her stomach flipped as the beast moved forward, coming closer and closer to her.
Sachi wheezed, feeling her throat burn as she turned her head. Preparing to accept her end, her heart shuddered in her chest as the beast threw itself back onto its back legs, lifting one of its large sharp clawed hands, ready to strike its sharp claws across Sachi's face when suddenly, green oozing blood splashed out from its face. The blood gushes through the air as a midnight, sharp blade ripped straight through the beast's face. Sachi's head tilted up, watching with wide eyes as the sword sliced through the flesh, ripping the softness apart like Swiss cheese.
The long sword twisted in the beast's face before being yanked back out from the other side. This made the beast sway on the spot, and its health bar dropping quickly. Just as the beast slowly regained its footing, the sword slashed through the air, gutting the beast easily.
"Whoa! Did you guys see that?" Ducker's voice echoed out, though Sachi couldn't quite grasp it.
Her head was still spinning. The insides of her head throbbed, and she hiccupped lowly, watching as the massive wolf like creature slammed to the ground and disappeared into scarlet shards. The sword still hung in the air, the sharp point almost cutting into her cheeks as it pulsed black. The dark light swirled around the blade, crawling through the air like many tiny midnight fingers that seemed to wiggle in every direction.
Sachi hissed through clenched teeth, gasping for breath with her eyes wide. She stared point blankly up at the figure hunched over, across from her. It's a male, and he blinks his own black eyes back down at her before carefully easing himself back and lowering his 's lavender eyes flickered to the side, watching as the jet-black light melted away into nothingness.
"Err, hi…" the boy breathed out awkwardly, shifting his body weight from one foot to the other.
Sachi puffed out her cheeks and sent a strained smile, weakly laying back against the tree roots.
The boy was familiar, Sachi knew it, and the longer she stared, the more she began to remember. It was him, she realized, feeling her very being sucked out of her small petite body. It was him, though he wore different clothes. He still had that black coat that seemed to hug him just right, outlining his somewhat lean body with a grey shirt underneath that tucked into matching black jeans.
All in all, Sachi had to admit, he looked good, especially with the chest armour that clung to his shirt with matching black leather straps crisscrossing over his body. Sachi felt her face burn brightly as she realized just how long she had been staring, and so, she quickly turned her eyes from the familiar player to the ground. She stumbled to her feet and would have almost fallen if the boy hadn't grabbed ahold of her arm to prevent her from face palming the ground.
Letting out a somewhat embarrassing squeal, Sachi ripped herself from the double black haired player. She almost stumbled over her feet as she moved away from him, avoiding his bewildered gaze. Sachi couldn't help herself. She was so stunned to see the boy again. She thought she wouldn't see him again, especially considering how high level he was. It was shocking to see him here.
He was, after all, the Black Beater, the Black Swordsmen, and as she peeked at the other boys, she felt the need to face palm. It wasn't too hard to piece together. Still, Sachi could help but shudder as she glanced at the boy. Why was he here? Not that she wasn't grateful, but she hadn't ever seen him this far down. Sachi didn't expect to see him again, and she figured he would most likely be gone by the next morning.
He was not. In fact, Sachi found herself standing awkwardly next to Keita. She held her glass of pumpkin juice tightly, her fingers pressing firmly against the cool glass. Sachi breathed sharply through her nose and sighed to herself, peeking out from behind Keita, looking at the raven haired boy sitting anxiously at a table. She wheezed under her breath when the player, by chance, turned his head and looked in her direction. Sachi didn't stay long enough to see his expression before she hid once more behind her friend.
So many thoughts filled her head. Does he recognize her? Could he tell what she was just by looking at her?
Sachi frowned to herself, shaking her head furiously. How stupid, of course he couldn't. She hid herself most of the time, and she doubted the skill to read minds was available in Sword Art Online.
"Here's to us! The black cats of the full moon! Cheers!" Sachi was ripped from her thoughts, blinking slowly from the cheers that erupted around her. She glanced at the members of the black cats of the full moon, watching as they clinked their glasses together. Sachi had to stretch herself out and move quickly to clunk her own glass with the others, her hands shaking furiously. Her soft eyes glanced at the raven haired male, noticing the odd, confused expression appearing across his face. His large midnight eyes grow fast, and his lips twitching while he held his own glass up.
"And here's to Kirito-san, our savior!"
'W-When did he i-introduce himself?' Sachi wondered to herself, tilting her head to the side and breathing in sharply.
Rolling the name 'Kirito' over in her head. It had be fake, it just had to be. She hadn't met anybody with that name before, so it was only logical, right? What does Kirito even mean? Sachi shook the thoughts away when she suddenly felt pressure on her head, a hand gently began to pet her on the tip of her head. She blinked once more before looking at Keita owlishly.
"K-Keita-kun?"
"This girl here, her name is Sachi." Keita introduced her, his lips pulling into a wide grin while his eyes seemed to hold this odd shine that only made Sachi frown.
What was he up too?
"I'm planning to have her switch to using a sword and a shield so she can also be a vanguard. Problem is, she doesn't really know what to do," he said.
Sachi frowned to herself, her fingers pressing more firmly against her glass. She let out a tiny sigh, her dark hair pressing across her face briefly. Her eyebrows raised, and her lips press tightly together, pulling into a long line. If only Keita knew, knew how much she had improved and worked. Granted, she couldn't exactly use a sword. That was true, she couldn't hold the sword probably nor could she really fight with one.
So maybe, Keita was right in some way. Puffing out her cheeks, she shook her head and tilted her head up to look at the tall brunette. Even though he was somewhat right, Sachi couldn't help but feel frustrated with him.
"Q-Quite belittling me." Sachi breathed out deeply, trying to glare up at the man. She tried to step away from him, yanking her head to the side.
"I mean, its natural t-to be scared when you're thrown into a close combat battle all of an s-sudden." She tried to speak bravely and sniffles. She lets out a tiny grumble, her feet twisting around one another.
"Don't sweat it. You can just hide behind your shield. Jeez. You're always been such a scaredy-cat." Keita laughed in amusement.
His grin widens if it was possible, coursing Sachi to pout deeply. Sure, she was kind of a scaredy-cat, but she wasn't that bad? Was she? Maybe, she couldn't be too sure.
Suddenly, Keita let out a deep hum. He rotates his attention to the very quiet young raven sill watching the two with a somewhat blank look on his face.
"Um, Kirito-san….I realize this is prying but mind telling us your level?" he speaks, looking at Kirito with a dead serious glint within his warm amber eyes.
Kirito's eyes widen briefly, his lips twitching as he slowly tilts his head to the side. Sachi frowns, staring as Kirito hunches his head forward while his bright black eyes lowering sadly.
"Around, um, level 20…" he finally spoke after seconds of pure silence.
Automatically, Sachi frowned and tilted her head. She knew he was lying, after all when she first met him, he had told her his level was 22. Unless it was possible to go backwards, then Kirito knew he had be lying. Sachi leans back, just a little and wondered what level Kirito was really? He had be at least in the 40s. After all, Sachi remembered hearing that the 'Black Swordsmen' was one of the highest levels in SAO.
"Wow, that's pretty close to ours. I'm amazed that you survived on your own." Keita spoke thoughtfully, while he rubbing his chin. His eyes shined warmly and he chews his bottom lip.
"Keita, don't be so damn polite." Kirito suddenly spoke sharply.
Sachi feels herself jolt, not expecting him to sound so serious. Just a moment ago, he sounded so laid back, relaxed with an odd, harsh edge. That being said, Sachi shouldn't be surprised. She had heard the Black Swordsmen was something along the lines of a dick. So all in all, it wasn't too bad. Considering the stories other players had to tell.
"Solo players like me just target lone mobs. It's inefficient." Kirito added as an afterthought, his eyes narrowing while he spoke the words.
"O-Oh…I see." Keita murmured softly, he purses his lip as his mind fell into a deep thought. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he was hit with a great thought. Sachi couldn't help but let out a meekly groan under her breath.
"In that case, Kirito, I know it's bad time to ask, but how about joining our guild? Tetsuo's the only one that can act as a vanguard since he's a mace user. So, mind coaching her a bit?" he added.
Sachi let out a low gasp from the back of her throat. She swallowed a thick and somewhat painful lump in her throat. She turned her head away from the double black haired player and stepped away, moving to standing behind Keita once more. She puffed out her cheeks and let out a low grumble. Trust Keita to enforce something so stupid. Sachi almost rolled her eyes.
She didn't honestly want to learn sword fight. She preferred her bow and arrow, hell she was having trouble using her old spear again. Which, in all fairness, wasn't a very high level anyway.
Keita let out a deep breath, his shoulders seeming to relax. "Everyone here is a member of our town's PC Research Club." He said clearly and grinned widely, swing his glass of pumpkin juice through the air. He lifts his free hand and rested it against his hip. "Oh, don't worry about that. You'll fit right in. No doubt about it." Keita added cheerily, speaking smoothly and arching himself. Placing all his body weight onto his right leg, giving a posture of confidence.
"Right!"
Sachi tilts her head thoughtfully. 'Will he really join?' she found herself wondering in pure curiosity and steps out from Keita's shadow, moving to stand next to him, wanting to hear the dark haired male's answer. She watched as his head dipped and his narrowed black eyes lowered in thought before he lifts his head with a troubled expression on his face.
'Is he really c-considering it?' she thought, biting her bottom lip.
It wouldn't be too bad to have him in the guild, of course. He was a great player and could easily protect the others, or at least she thought so. Not just that, other than the somewhat reputation he had gained for being a, well, a dick. He had been nice to her, friendly even. It couldn't be too bad to be friends with him. Of course, she still felt nervous about sword training with him.
'It must be p-pretty lonely being an s-solo player…' At the thought, Sachi's eyes softened.
She breathes in a sharp breath through her nose, and her shoulders slowly began to raise. She blinks a little when Kirito looks at everyone in her guild, and finally, his midnight coloured eyes looks at her. She couldn't help but give him a friendly smile, encouraging him, comforting him. It was special talent she had inherited from her mother, gentle motherly eyes.
"Then…" Kirito murmured, trailing off quietly.
He tilts his head and slowly closes his fingers into small fists, pressing his fingers into the palms of his hands. "I think I'll accept. Thanks." He breathes out, his pale lips pulling into a friendly smile, a smile that Sachi found herself liking. It suited him more than the scowl he was wearing for most of the night. Sachi smiles in return, just standing silently while watching as her teammates began to cheer. Their voices echoing around the small pub they sat in, bouncing off the walls.
"T-Then…let's do o-our best…" Sachi breathed out quietly, and she doubted anybody had heard her, but she felt good that she had said those words at least.
Her smile practically glowed as she watched in amusement, eyeing the way the boys locked Kirito into a head lock and ruffled his black hair. She couldn't help but chuckle at the star struck look on his face. She guessed he doesn't have many friends.
Sachi inhales a deep breath. After that fateful night in the pub, Sachi had found herself in an unfamiliar field. The rolling mountains of lush green grass surround them, cutting them off from the monster-filled forests and any towns that held unfortunate players and AIs that would accidentally stumble into the battle. Hardly no grass was visible right where she was, only dusty, dirtied mud stuck together to make large boulders to which they stood upon. What looked like rocks had been smashed and crushed, scattering all around her, piling up on all sides.
A whole week had passed since Kirito-san had joined the Moon Lit Cats, and now came the day which their apparent fearless leader, Keita, set up. Sachi wasn't sure how to feel about it. Her fingers seemed to still against the blotchy object in her hands. She peered down at the wooden stick and frowned. Out of all her fears and wonders, she never thought in a million years that she would have thought of this. Her gentle eyes gazes down at the stick. It was rather thick and quite long, almost the same length of her leg. Sachi tilts her head and carefully raises the stick, holding it up firmly and resting the side of her head against the stick with her frown deepening.
"Um...Well. I don't think you're ready to fight with a, um, normal sword." Kirito began to speak, his lips twisting to the side thoughtfully.
His smooth voice came out awkwardly, and Sachi couldn't blame him either. The two wasn't as close, Kirito was much closer to Keita, oddly. Sachi often wondered how somebody like Keita was able to break through Kirito's cold walls. Keita wasn't the kind of person to be sensitive and see the signs when somebody doesn't want to talk. More than once he had been punched in the face for overstepping the person boundaries. Kirito seemed like a person who wouldn't put up with that. Sachi had expected to see him and Keita clash, and oddly enough, they have not.
"So, pretend this is a sword." Kirito added, shifting the stick he, himself, held in his hands.
Sachi's eyes dropped to the stick. "But…i-it's not. It's a stick." She murmured cluelessly, frowning. She watched, feeling a little starstruck when Kirito groaned and facepalmed himself. Pressing his hand into his face and sighing deeply, his shoulder lifted and fell.
"I know. But let's pretend it's a sword. Okay?" Kirito said, turning to look at Sachi with dark eyes.
Sachi swallowed a lump, looking at her own stick and then back to Kirito, slowly nodding her head.
"Good. So, pretend it's sword and try to attack me with it. There are high levelled enemies with swords, axes and even bows and arrows. So, it would benefit greatly to, um, have sword skills." Kirito explained quietly, Sachi blinks once while she listened to his words.
"So, attack me as if I'm one of those monsters. Remember, um, if I was a monster, I would not hesitant to…" Kirito trailed off, twisting his own stick and lightly pressing the tip to Sachi's chest.
Pressing it into the part where her neck connected to her chest. Lightly, as not to probably hurt her, he twisted the stick to add pressure to the spot. This action coursed Sachi to stumble backward, lifting a hand and touch the spot where the stick had tapped against with a pout.
"Pretend I'm one of those monsters. Um, don't worry you won't hurt me…Understood?" Kirito questioned, clocking his head to the side. His lips spread open and he allows his eyes to slide close a little.
"Right, so the first thing-" He began, only to be cut off with a loud yelp.
He cried out loudly as he stumbled backward, his backside thumping against the rocky ground. Little speck of numb pain ran up his spin and the side of his head throbbed with sudden pain. He breathed in a sharp breath through his nose, lifting his hand to press against the right side of his head.
Kirito's midnight eyes sprang open and he looks up at Sachi who shifted her weight from one foot to the other, while pulling her stick back to her body.
"What? Why'd you whack me on the head for?" he grumbled out, wincing as he massaged to area. The throbbing quickly fading away, thanks for being a very high level small things like this doesn't affect him much but it still annoyed him and confused him.
Sachi blinks cutely. "Um…y-you said to pretend you're one o-of those monsters…" she frowned deeply, hunching her shoulders up and pressing her knees tightly together.
"I would h-have repeatingly s-smack you over the head with the s-stick and then run away...or just hitting t-till it's health bar w-was gone. Honestly." Sachi quietly mumbled, twisting her both of her hands around the stick, using it as a leaning post.
It was hard to focus, her nervous was shooting through the roof. She was terrible with people, and what made it worse, she couldn't help but worry. So many questions filled her mind, and sure, logic was able to answer most of them, but it didn't make her feel any better.
Kirito blinks owlishly, staring point blankly up at Sachi. Sachi flushed from embarrassment and turned away from him. Kirito purses his lips thoughtfully, climbing back to his feet and dusting off his black pants. By now, the throbbing his head had fully healed. Healed within 3 seconds. Kirito reaches down to his own stick that he had dropped before turning to look at Sachi. His lips twitched before he makes a low chuckle, which gained Sachi's attention.
"That's…some strategy. If you're skilled enough. It could work." He smiled, chuckling quietly and slowly shaking his head.
He twists his fingers, spinning the long stick around with such skill that Sachi knew his sword skills were much higher then what he was suggesting.
Sachi couldn't help but smile at Kirito. She turns her head a little, looking at her stick for a second before finally returning her attention to the double black haired boy. Kirito closes his eyes and runs his free hand through his hair. He smiles and arches his body backward, twisting his legs and posing himself. Kirito holds the stick forward and looks towards the young female.
"If you put your weight onto your back leg, you should have a strong front. Um. It is important to stretch and limber your muscles and joints before actually using a sword, which is why we're practicing with sticks first. You have to get used to the way your body moves with the weapon." He explained firmly, shifting his feet into a firm straight line, "Pay specific attention to your wrists, shoulders, legs and ankles."
"Good posture is critical. If not you would definitely be injured. You must strive to keep your spine perpendicular to the floor at all times. Shoulders should be relaxed and level. Keep your feet underneath your hips, and hips underneath your shoulders." Kirito spoke, moving his body with each word.
Carefully moving his body into the right pose, and arching his arms and legs, "Chin slightly held in and your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet."
Kirito smiled as he watched Sachi as she began to try and get into the right pose. He shook his head slightly and eased himself out of his own structure. He walks towards Sachi, seeming a little more relaxed within her present. He carefully reached out a hand and gently posed her body into the right structure.
"Left foot slightly behind the right with the left heel slightly raised, both feet parallel, is designed, primarily, for explosive forward motion. Its narrow base requires perfect posture in order to maximize stability. Your centre of gravity should be centred between your feet as shown in the diagram at the right," He explained, using the stick to push her feet apart.
He smiles as his eyes runs over her pose and nods, "Yeah. Like that."
Sachi breathes out deeply, she sways on her feet just a little before she shakes her head. She tilts her head and looks after Kirito, watching as he moves to stand across from her. Sachi holds her stick out, watching while Kirito too got into the exact same pose.
"Ready?" he called out to her, and Sachi could only mutely nod.
She sighed to herself, her long eyelashes twitches. Sachi's heart pounded, her hands tightening around the stick, preparing herself to strike. With a tired groan, Sachi glanced at her hands. They had turned reddish from the long morning of training. She tilts her head, watching as her sword-stats pops up in front of her face, watching the numbers glowing and increase a little.
"I g-got more points." She gasped out, staring her once empty bar. It wasn't much, but anything was higher than zero.
"T-Thank you." She breathed out, looking at Kirito with a sweet and kind smile.
Kirito's eyes widen briefly, and he slightly swayed on the balls of his feet. He let out an embarrassed wheeze and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Um. It's no problem, really. Let's train again tomorrow. Hopefully, in a few weeks, you'll be able to use a sword. You might even be able to earn a few proper attacks." He spoke awkwardly, looking to the side. He rubbed his cheek, a habit he had which he hadn't grown out off yet.
Sachi smiles warmly. She turns on the balls of her feet, pushing her short and somewhat dusty hair out of her face, mentally commenting on the need for a good shower later on.
"W-We should meet u-up with Keita-kun and the o-others. He said they'll b-be levelling u-up in the outside of t-the town of Astinanera." She spoke, running her hand up the back of her neck.
She wiggles her feet against the rocky ground, digging the tip of her booted foot into the ground. Sachi moves the stick out in front of her and stores it away. She turns her attention to Kirito and smiles even kinder if it was possible.
"I h-hope I can be a g-good sword fighter one day," she said.
"Ah. If you, um, practice enough. I'm sure you'll be a fairly good sword fighter." Kirito encouraged.
Dusting himself off, he looks at his own stick and holds it up, allowing it to fade into dark light, storing it away into his storage. He smiles nervously to himself and moves to walk alongside Sachi, noticing the shy way she moved to walk with him. Kirito realized she was one of those timid girls, the kind that would avoid violence and walk behind rather than beside. He nods in agreement with his thoughts and turns to face ahead.
Sachi curls her hands together, threading her fingers between one another. "That fighting s-style. It's familiar…I t-think I've seen it before…" she muttered thoughtfully, trailing off and glanced to the side. Her mind turned as she tried to remember where she had seen that style before.
Kirito chuckled, gaining her attention once more. "It should be. The style is very popular back home." He commented in amusement.
His arms swayed at his side, the sword strapped to his back shifted side to side as he walked. Sachi looks at him in curiosity.
"Kendo. Back home, my grandfather had me and my sister practice kendo every day. So, I have a fairly good idea on how to defend myself," He says, nodding his head while he spoke.
Sachi stared after him, her eyes brightens up as she made the connection. "S-So, that's why you're g-good at fighting…" she trailed off before smiling. She turns her attention to ahead of herself, walking out of the clearing and back onto the trail leading back to the familiar town, "You m-must have trained an l-lot back home."
"Kind off." Kirito commented absentminded, he scratches the side of his head as she Sachi frowned to herself.
"I got bored of it, when I was young. My grandfather wasn't very happy with me when I decided to quit it," He shrugged to himself, pressing his lips into a firm line.
Sachi chewed her bottom lip, unsure of what to say, so, instead she decided to not comment on it. Sachi was getting the feeling it was a very sensitive subject, and she decided it was best not to push it. Bobbing her head slightly while she walked, her shoulder hunched up from the quite uncomfortable silence that filled the area between the two. She chewed her bottom lip, peering off to the side and fidgeting as the AI's automatically greeted the two.
Sachi had always pitied those programmed human-like figures, always having to smile and speak awkwardly, giving everyone an unnerving feeling, especially Sachi. She always felt strange when talking to one of the AI's. They're eyes seemed to haunt her. It was almost like there was something else to them, something everyone was missing, and Sachi is no exception.
Kirito seemed to brush the somewhat friendly AI's with a wave his hand. Sachi trailed behind him, her warm eyes flickering off to the side, and stared after the somewhat digital humans. She hums lowly under her breath, puffing her cheeks out and struggling to keep the dark player in her sight, noting mutely that Kirito had long legs and obviously had a great built body. He obviously was a much higher level then what he suggested, that was for sure.
Sachi wondered that maybe Kirito hadn't told the others the truth for the exact same reason of herself? Could he fear being judged? Being casted out with hateful eyes? Sachi almost snorted to herself, of course he was. He had to, for Sachi too had that fear after all, and she had seen it with her own two eyes. Sachi's more than certain that Kirito had seen his own fair share of the cruelness.
"S-Sword Art Online…b-brings out t-the w-worst in-in p-people…" Sachi whispered to herself.
She almost stumbling directly into Kirito's back, but was able to balance herself by stumbling backward and carefully gaining her balance, saving herself from falling to the ground. She blinks a little and looks up at Kirito, and swiftly, her cheeks darken as she found him looking at her over his shoulder. Confusion and bewilder on his face, he had obviously heard her, which made Sachi tremble and wheeze out almost loudly.
"O-Oh! N-Nothing!" she gasped out loudly, wiggling her hands out in front of her. Her fingers stretching out widely, her knees shaking. "Just talking to myself."
Kirito frowned, a dark eyebrow lifting before he shook his head and turns his attention back to his front. "Um. You should pay more attention to your surroundings. Anything could happen when you're not paying attention." He mutters lowly out, sniffling just a little and brushing his raven hair out of his face before stepping forward and shifting his body weight before moving forward.
Sachi swallowed a painful lump in her throat, breathing deeply and pressing her fingers tightly together, holding her hands clasped tightly together in front of her lap. She quickly moved forward to keep up with the other. Walking up the small trail leading to the forest where their guild were, she glanced briefly at their company's menu-map, a clicking green light shimmered to her, the spot where their team was.
She sighs softly to herself, rotating her head forward, twisting her hands, almost sending small specks of pain up her arms as she felt the familiar breeze pass them. The air always changed whenever a player was approaching monsters, and she had grown accustom to them, adapted to them, but that didn't stop the goose bumps from nibbling along her skin, nor the way her heart would skip a beat. Fear filled her briefly.
"Sachi!"
The voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The young female blinks owlishly, feeling her body prickle as if something was fast advancing her. Sachi tilted her head, feeling the air around her seeming to deepen and almost making it difficult for her to breath. Sachi barely was able to understand what was going on, a blurry flash of green shot towards her. Its long, thin arm lifted above her head, preparing to strike her down with what looks like blade like arms, before she was thrown to the floor by a pitch black figure.
Sachi gasped for breath, feeling herself roll back against the grass. She whimpered, her body twitched from the brief throb that bit at her veins. Sachi clenched her eyes shut, wincing from the sudden pain, and when it did faint away, she looked up to see one of the most monstrous creatures ever. It stood above her, towering over her with silk green scales that seemed to hang off its long and thin limbs. It had a large, and yet flat, face that ripped its jaw open with long teeth, roaring furiously at the ones around her.
A grasshopper? Maybe? Sachi wasn't sure, but she felt as if her legs had frozen underneath her. She couldn't move, especially when it turned its blood red eyes onto her, glaring directly at her soul.
"Sachi, step back." Kirito called out, throwing himself up onto his feet.
Sachi realized it was him who had pushed her out of the way. He ripped his sword from his back and flexed it in his hand, throwing it forward when the creature shrieked and slammed its bladed arm back at the two. Kirito grunted from its stretch but pushed back against it, causing it to lose its footing and almost falling to the ground behind it. However, it was able to gain its footing and only stumbled a little.
With narrowed eyes, Kirito pressed his booted feet into the ground and swung his sword once more. His blade flickered as it ripped through the green scaled flesh, cutting off the arm with a switch hand movement. Green blood oozed from the insect's arm, while its cut arm shattered into blood red and blue digital shards.
The insect let out another oozing shriek, swinging it's free arm towards Kirito. The double black haired male ducked underneath the arm and twisted on the balls of his feet, bringing his sword up and slicing through the insect's other arm. Just like the other limb, the green liquid splashed out from the ripped skin, and its arm shattered. "Tetsuo, switch!" Kirito bellowed out to the taller brunette, looking at him and leaping backward to let the other male to take charge.
Tetsuo spread out his legs, hunching his shoulders and swung his large hammer. Allowing it to smoothly roll through the air and slamming painfully into the insect's long neck, ripping through the slimy green scale flesh. This action alone caused the large creature to erupt into a mixture of soft green and red glass-like shards. They sprinkled out through the air before fading away.
Tetsuo let out a low grunt from under his breath, clenching his teeth almost painfully together and forming a large grin. Automatically, a large white menu appeared in front of him and began to increase his fight-skills.
"Alright!" he called out, his eyes widening as he watched his level increase from 22 to 23.
"Congrats." Keita chuckled, placing his hand onto Tetsuo's shoulder. He smiled widely at his team member, "You deserved that."
Ducker cheered loudly, almost leaping off the ground. His pale lips pulled into a wider grin and fist bumped into the air while looking at the blinking number.
"Yeah! You go, Tetsuo!" he laughed, his shoulders jiggling while he laughed, "You did it!"
Sachi smiles at Tetsuo, and nods her head slowly, "Congratulation T-Testsuo-kun." She says gently.
She clapped her hands gently together while the others cheered even loudly, rocking on the balls of their feet and howling loudly. Sachi could only look on happily, smiling warmly and holding her hands in front of her lap.
Sasamaru blinks his wide eyes, his lips twitching as he wraps his arms around his stomach when it let out a loud, gurgling growl. "Guess I'm pretty hungry. Hehe~" he laughed awkwardly, blushing when the other three men around him looked towards him in amusement.
"Hmmm. I'm pretty hungry too," Ducker added thoughtfully, tilting his head back and rubbing his own stomach as he spoke.
Tetsuo snorted loudly, rolling his beautiful amber eyes at the short, blonde haired male. "You're always hungry. You're a bottomless pit." He grunted out, his lips pulling into a smile. He chuckled as Ducker pouted much like a child. They wouldn't put it past him to even stomp his feet like a child.
Ducker huffed loudly, shifting his body weight from one foot to the other and crossed his arms tightly. He holds his head down with his eyes shut, lips pitched to the side. It was almost as if the small blonde was thinking while the others chuckled at his demeanour. It was like a switch in his head. Automatically, he brightened up and grinned, his baby blue eyes sparkling.
"Sachi~" He sang out, throwing his arms out and stumbling towards the short raven haired girl, "Have you by any chance made, with love, a lunch?" He grinned widely, very much like a child would when it was presented with a three scoop ice-cream cone.
Sachi's pale skin turned pale pink. She smiles kindly, and lets out a soft hum as she nodded her head cutely.
"Yes. I g-got up early t-today to test this out." Sachi says, lifting her hand and opening her menu.
She searches through the food storage before selecting a neatly made box. It glittered and glowed as it appeared in her arms. It reminded them of boxes filled with amazingly made snacks back home, tied up with a pale, lime green ribbon.
"I r-recently found an herb, t-that's very similar to the h-herbs used in soy s-sauce." Sachi explained, opening the lid of the shiny black box, revealing the neatly cut, all stacked in rows, sweet snack. Neat rounded shapes of familiar sweet rice, held together by something that looked similar to seaweed.
"Sushi!" Ducker gasped, like a child on Christmas.
His eyes widen and shined, star struck as he took in the familiar, gorgeously made sushi rolls. All facing up almost with a wide smile, glowing at him. Ducker will admit it, he almost teared up at the tight.
"Oh Sachi. You really did outdo yourself!" he grinned.
Sachi let out a low, nervous laugh and gave her gentle eye smile, hunching her shoulders while Ducker took one of the sushi pieces, "T-That's one of the o-ones I've been tinkering w-with. Spicy T-Tuna Roll. I w-was able to make nori. It t-took me awhile. Nori, rice and t-tuna. I think I've n-nailed the mayonnaise f-flavour, but I'm still struggling with the chili sauce…"
"Chili sauce?" Ducker repeated, lifting the piece up and noticing the beautiful red and orange swirls. He sniffed it a little before pushing it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out. "Whoa! This is great Sachi! The chili sauce is so much spicier then the ones back home! It's great!"
"R-Really?" Sachi gasped out herself, her eyes growing wide like that of owls. She breathed in sharply when Ducker nodded and popped another piece through his lips.
"Sachi, you should try and make the tiger rolls." Tetsuo said, stepping up with a wide smile on his face. His eyes scans the displayed sushi, "They're my favourite. I love the design on top of them too. Ah. I used to spend all my lunch money on them." He laughed, cheeks darkening as he rubs the back of his neck.
Sachi blinks and curiosity tilts her head. "T-Tiger Roll? Is t-that the one with avocado, s-shrimp tempura, and cucumber?" she muttered thoughtfully, remembering the soft, orange dusted sushi with the beautiful swirling design on the outside and inside of the sushi.
Sachi smiles brightly and nods her head. "I'll g-give it my best s-shoot. But f-for now, please try this. I t-tried to copy a Futomaki R-Roll. W-With crab, egg, and a mixture of vegetables. I couldn't g-get crab, t-though. It's on h-higher levels, b-but I was able to make t-the tuna taste like crab b-by using some herbs."
"Futomaki Roll?" Tetsuo smiles, picking up the tear-shaped roll. He holds it up and chuckles at the smooth made paten inside the wrapping of rice and seaweed. Without thinking, he pushed it into his mouth and chewed, his eyes sparkling brightly from the familiar taste dancing along his taste buds. "Sachi. It's really good. It isn't quite the same, but I'm certain you'll hit it on the head in time!" he cheered loudly making Sachi smile in return.
"I want some too!" Sasamaru cried out, waving his hands up. His eyes wide and his lips capping when Ducker took the sushi box from Sachi's hands and backed away from the brunette. Sachi tilts her head, smiling even wider and watches as Sasamaru desperately chased after Ducker, letting out cries and wails.
Keita shook his head, walking up to Sachi with Kirito trailing behind him. His wide, swirling black eyes blinking thoughtfully, slowly as he looked at the sushi box in Ducker's heads. "Trust Sachi to be able to copy sushi rolls from back home." Keita snickered, hands lifting to rest onto his hips. He clocks his head to the side, winking at the short girl who flushes deeper from embarrassment. "I bet that soon, you'll max out cooking!"
Sachi almost raised on the spot, her ears turning redder from the praise. She holds her hands out, her fingers twitching. "I've m-made more. Because I k-knew Ducker would…um, t-take the first one." She chuckled lowly, summoning her second box of sushi and holding the lid open.
"T-This box has p-purely v-vegetable rolls…I e-even tried to make what people call a T-Texas Roll…it, um, didn't come out very good. B-Beef, cucumber, a-and spinach leaves…" Sachi trailed off, glancing to the side and letting out a low hum. "Oh. B-But I was able to make the T-Tampa Rolls! With f-fried grouper, onion, and my mayonnaise sauce!"
"Tampa Rolls! Really?" Keita asked, his own eyes widening, and he couldn't help but snatch one up. He swiftly placed it into his wide mouth and groaned from the delicious flavour. "Damn. It's good!" He sighed, taking another.
Sachi chuckled, looking at Keita briefly. She knew all too well that Tampa Rolls were his favourite. She had been working to make the roll for a while now, and thankfully, she was finally able to find the right vegetables after trading spider slick and such. "O-Oh." She mumbled, turning to look at the quiet black haired male standing to the side.
Sachi looks at him and smiles shyly, holding the box out to him. "W-Would you like to try some. I-I'd really like y-your input."
Kirito blinks a little, breathing in sharply when Sachi revealed the neatly cut up sushi.
"Oh, um, if you don't mind…" he murmured, trailing of unsure, but Sachi smiles so sweetly and kindly, Kirito felt he owed it to her. He blinks down at them, rolling his gaze over the circled shape sushi roll pieces.
"Um. Can I try, um, the Texas Roll? I've heard of them, but I've never really tried one before…" he says quietly, and awkwardly looks to the side. Kirito gently rubs the edge of his cheek.
"O-Of course." Sachi encouraged, holding the box slightly further toward Kirito.
Kirito allowed a ghost of a smile to appear across his lips. "Thank you." He said politely, bowing his head just a little.
He slowly reaches out, and curls his fingers around the square shaped roll. Soft spinach leaves hugged the gentle cooked beet, all surround by the sweet rice mixed with cucumber all held together by seaweed. Kirito tilts his head, looking at the roll piece before carefully sliding it into his mouth.
Sachi stared heatedly. Her shoulders slowly raised even more, her lips pressing together tightly. Sachi's gentle eyes grow wide, becoming owlish surrounded by long thick black eyelashes. Her fingers press against the edge of the box firmly, and her heart pounding as she eagerly awaited to hear what Kirito thought of her food, her passion. It was one of the things she was allowed to do, and she actually really enjoyed making the tasty food.
Sachi always gets nervous when somebody new tastes her food. Her heart drops when Kirito lowers his head, his hair shadowing his face and his lips seeming to purse together.
It was hard for Sachi to see if he had disgust on his face or something else. Sachi's eyes almost teared up in fear. Her heart beat echoed through her head, making her eyes ring almost painfully.
Kirito stood quietly, seemingly to be brooding. His hands clenched at his sides, and he let out a sharp breath. After a few seconds of thick silence, Kirito snapped his head up. His black eyes narrowed.
"You'll make a great wife."
Sachi froze, her blood seeming to stop in her veins. Her lips parted, and she wheezed out, Kirito's words echoing through her head. She tried to speak, but she couldn't form the words. Her pale, moon-like face becoming deep red from embarrassment, from fear, from something she had never expected before. "O-Oh…" Was all she could get out timidly, shoving back and pressing her knees tightly together.
"Did I say something wrong?" Kirito asked with a small frown. Looking at Sachi's face, she didn't seem pleased or anything. It really confused him.
Keita grinned widely and threw his arm over Sachi's shoulder, pulling her meek and timid body into him. "Ah. Don't worry. This is just how Sachi is. When she becomes way too much embarrassed, she can't talk." He teased, winking at Kirito who only tilts his head with a thoughtfully expression on his face.
"Ah. I see." Kirito spoke quietly before smiling and looking fully at Sachi. "You're really good. It tasted really good."
Sachi breathed in a sharply and slowly nodded her face. "T-Thank you." She squealed out. She had never had a complaint like that before. Sachi had no idea, how to react to it. All she could do was stand numbly, and she couldn't help but wonder if she really would make a good wife. Just the thought made her turn redder.
The young, raven haired female shifts on the spot, turning towards Keita. "H-Here!" she gasped out, pushing the box towards Keita. "You and K-Kirito-san, c-can…um, s-share the rest." Sachi mumbled nervously, bowing her head and speed walking towards the others with her head down.
"Wife, huh?" Ducker grinned teasingly, winking as Sachi sat on her knees next to Tetsuo. She folded her legs underneath her and whimpered from the blonde's words.
Sasamaru frowned at Ducker and snorted. "Shove it, Ducker!" he said, pushing the other who laughed.
"What? I was just asking." Ducker pouted.
Keita stared at the ground briefly before sitting down. Kirito looked over Sachi for a few seconds before following after Keita, putting his arms into his lap. "…So the clearing group made it past the 28th Floor, huh?" Keita spoke after a few seconds. He swallow a dry lump in his throat, gaining Kirito's attention. Said double black haired boy quickly rounded his head to look at Keita, seeing him holding a newspaper. "Amazing… Hey, Kirito. What do you think's the difference between us and the clearing group?"
Kirito couldn't help but wonder when or even how, Keita had got the newspaper. He didn't even now people were making the newspaper. He reaches up, scratching the back of his head. He eyes Keita. "Um. Information, maybe? They monopolize the most efficient training spots and the like."
Keita lets out a sharp brief. He swallows another sushi piece, and stretches his arms out above him. "I'm sure that's partly it, but I think a major factor is willpower…" he trailed off thoughtfully, tilting his head and smiling widely.
"Willpower?" Kirito asked, carefully taking a sushi piece and pushing it into his mouth. He smiles to himself from the delicious taste. It really was amazing that Sachi was able to mimic the flavours of the sushi rolls.
"I guess you could call it the determination to protect your friends, or rather, all the players. Right now, even though we're the ones being protected, I'd like to believe my determination is just as strong." Keita says, glancing at Kirito and closing his eyes. His lips pull into an even wider smile. His eyes grow warm and bubbles with warmth. "Of course, the safety of my friends is my top priority. However…Someday, I hope we'll all be able to join the clearing group."
Kirito clocks his head to the side with a thoughtful expression appearing across his face. He rubs the back of his neck and his dark eyes flashes brightly. "I see. You have a point." He speaks after a few seconds. He smiles himself, finding himself trusting Keita quickly.
Ducker wiped his mouth, getting to his feet and swiping the last piece of sushi, swallowing it quickly. "Yo, leader! Nice speech!" he laughed, throwing his arm around Keita's shoulders and pulling him backward, trying to tighten his arm across the armour plates.
"Watch it!" Keita cried out, shaking on the spot and pushing against Ducker who snickered in pure amusement.
Tetsuo hums deeply, his eyes shutting briefly as he gets up and dusts his pants off, walking towards Keita and standing over him with his arms on his hips. "So we're gonna be comrades with the Divine Dragon Alliance and the Knights of Blood?" he asked firmly. Hearing those words, Sachi gasped and sat up straight. Worry filled her veins. Become friends with the Divine Dragon Alliance, and the Knights of Blood? She couldn't believe that, at all. There was no way they could go all the way up there.
"Is that a problem?" Keita growled, glaring up at the brunette before smiling widely. "Let's aim high. First, we'll all hit Level 30."
"No way!"
Sachi tilted her head, staring at her team. They could. She knew they could. Somebody weak like herself had, so they should have no problem reaching that level. But why haven't they levelled up yet? Sachi sighed deeply. She had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn't right. Something bad might be happening.
Sachi felt the hairs stand up on end of the back of his neck. She felt her face heat up again, and she quickly turned away from embarrassment. Why was Kirito staring at her again?
'I c-could make a g-good wife? R-Really?'
