Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the new updated chapter!
A special thank you to HappyTheCamper for beta-ing this!
Chapter 13
She couldn't breathe.
It started with a small cough that stuck in the centre of her throat, it quickly formed into a thick bubble that never popped. Instead it became thicker and harder, making it so very difficult for her to breath. Almost like she was breathing through a squished straw, like somebody was squeezing the air out of her body. She really wasn't in control of her body.
Sachi laid on the lumpy bed, her fingers digging into the blankets underneath her. Her body was tensed, her chest shuddering and face sweaty, pale. Every time she tried to breath in, she felt a rope being tightened around her throat. Her eyes became wider with every struggle to breath normally, her eyes began to tear up becoming glassy and red, tears slowly dripping down her pale cheeks.
It was like she was suddenly thrown underwater and had ran out of breath. Just like resulting to sucking in water and just choking herself even more. Each time Sachi breathed in, it burned, and she chocked even more. Horrible, awful sounds escaped her lips and she struggled to just breathe.
A hook. A really sharp hook was stuck in her throat, it was burning and itching. Her hand shot up to her chest, as if she was about to push the elephant sitting on it off, but there was nothing there. Her body was shaking horrible, sending vibrations of pain up and down her spine.
It just hurts. Hurts to much, way to much. She couldn't think. The room was spinning, or was it her? Was she the one spinning?
Sachi pressed her hand down on her chest. She clenched at the light blue and white nightgown she wore, panting in and out. In and out, but it was agonizing, like acid had been forced down her throat and was now eating at her lungs.
Ever so slowly, it became easier. She could get the taste of the air, it was slowly seeping between her lips. Her heart racing, echoing through her ears until she was laying in a small puddle of her own tears and pain.
It was horrible.
It was a sunny day, he sun beams was streaming through the open window of the Inn she was staying out. So different to how she was feeling right now, the day outside was beautiful and probably supposed to be a 'good' day.
"Why is this happening?" Sachi whispered in a dry, broken voice, "I'm in a game, this isn't supposed to happen…"
Sachi covered her face as she let out a soft sob, slowly sitting up with her body trembling.
"It's getting w-worse," she hiccuped, "It w-wasn't this bad o-outside."
It's not far. Not far.
She can't even be normal in a game?
"It's…it's s-starting to really h-hurt," she mumbled meekly, rubbing her eyes and sniffling.
Sachi looked at the window, her eyes red and itchy. She hiccuped once more, and sighed softly. It was then that she heard a 'beep' erupt from her, she blinked in surprise and lifted her head. Sachi sniffed as she opened her messages.
'Dear Sachi-san.
I hope you will reconsider. Somebody with your skill, and expertise should not be wasted. The Knights of the Blood Oath could really benefit with somebody with your certain proficiency expertise. I am sure the guild can offer you a place to harnesses your skills and sharpen them to the best of your ability.
I do hope you will reconsider my offer.
Heathcliff.'
Sachi inhaled softly. She bit her bottom lip and closes the message, while pushing her hair out of her face. This wasn't the first time she had received a message from the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. She had asked Asuna about it, but she swore she did not tell Heathcliff about her.
She didn't think somebody like Heathcliff knew about her, or would even want her on his guild. It was oddly a scary thought. The Knights of the Blood Oath is the biggest guild, with powerful front line fighters.
Wiping her face, Sachi finally climbed off the bed. Her legs shook a little, with her chest aching, reminding her of the quite cruel asthma attack she just had. After she washed her face, and then opened her clothes menu; shakily picking her new armour suit.
Her bow clicking to her back, with the new sword strapped to her hip. The sword that Lisbeth had given to her. It wasn't very big, quite small honestly but Sachi was comfortable with it. She was just too nervous holding a big sharp, deadly sword. The sword Lisbeth had developed was nice, and easy to hold.
Sachi wasn't sure what the sword was called, but it was pretty. The hilt was a baby blue colour, that had white cloud-like patterns over the surface.
What was her plans for today? The same plans she had every day, if she's not cooking and training, she would be doing quests and trying to get stronger. It was the only thing she always planned for, to become stronger. She didn't really need to focus on cooking anymore, even if she did enjoy it and would do it just for fun, she had finally reached maximum level for it.
"What should I make today?" she wondered to herself, leaving the Inn with a soft hum. She tried her best to ignore the ache in her throat, it will take awhile for it to fade away, but it will, in time.
Sachi walked along the busy streets of the 50th floor. She giggled to herself as she made a list of all her favourite but fun meals to create.
"I haven't made Gyoza in while," she said with a smile, "Hm., I'll need some extra herbs."
She suddenly paused. It was strange, she wasn't sure what it was but something was weird. So very weird. Sachi didn't know what it was, but it was a sense she had been getting for a while now. Ever since she had done that quest with Asuna a few days ago, this feeling had been following her. Her asthma attacks have been getting worse too, she wondered if it was because of how anxious she was becoming.
Sachi blinked her soft eyes, she looked around herself as if she was expecting to see something, anything…but no. Only the familiar buzzing streets of floor 50. Sachi shook her head, and sighed, pushing two fingers against her head.
"I must be imagining t-things," she whispered to herself, lightly rubbing her arms before scattering onward.
She quickly made her way to the familiar market place. Many stalls were set up, with all sorts of things. Things that ranged from small herbs, to the finest silks. Sachi would spend a lot of her time down in the market place, she had purchased many things from the market. Some with the money, some with doing quests.
"Ah! Sachi-chan!" a familiar voice called out.
Sachi smiled, "Hello Lisbeth-san," she said.
The pink haired girl grinned widely, "You don't need to be so formal, Sachi-chan."
"Oh, well are you sure?" Sachi asked. She was raised to always be formal, it was strange being told not to be so formal.
Lisbeth chuckled, she pulled on her bright white apron, "Oh, I'm more then sure. Being called 'san' makes me feel old. I'm way to young and beautiful to be old yet," she said.
Sachi let out a soft laugh, "If you're sure," she said softly, "Then hello Lisbeth-chan."
"Better!" Lisbeth chimed, "So, what are you doing out here? Looking for anything special? No kick-ass quest with Asuna today?"
"Afraid not, Asuna-chan's busy with doing some Knights of the Blood Oath stuff," Sachi said quietly, shovelling her feet feeling shy, "Just myself today. I'm doing a some shopping, looking for more herbs."
Lisbeth hummed loudly, rocking on the balls of her feet, "Herbs? Are you going looking to make more ketchup?" she asked, a sparkle in her bright eyes.
Sachi laughed, "What happened to the bottle I gave you the other day?"
"Ah, well…you know the food is like here," Lisbeth said sheepishly, looking off to the side, "Stale bread and all, especially for somebody like me with like, zero kills in cooking…."
Sachi blinked, her lips forming a circle briefly. She tilted her head, and opened her inventory, "Here Lisbeth-san, oh, Lisbeth-chan," she said, taking out a rather large bottle of red liquid, "I just made this one last night, and it should last you awhile."
Lisbeth looked like Sachi was giving her diamonds or gold, or something like that. Either way, she was staring at Sachi with glowing eyes and eagerly making a grab for the bottle, "Gosh! Sachi-chan! You're a life saver!"
Sachi smiled, her face heating up, "No problem Lisbeth-chan, I don't mind making you any sauces you want."
"Any sauce?" Lisbeth repeated, "Salad cream? Mayonnaise? HP sauce? Gravy? Oh! Sweet chili sauce?"
The other girl let out a soft laugh, "Sure Lisbeth-chan. I'll make whatever sauce you want."
"Oh! How about Teriyaki sauce? Or Daikon sauce?" Lisbeth gasped out excitedly.
"They'll be a little more difficult, but yes, I'll do my best Lisbeth-chan," Sachi said softly. Her hands twitched, she suddenly had a very strong urge to pet the way to excited girl. Lisbeth was like a little adorable pink puppy dog.
Lisbeth cheered, she bounced up and down while clapping her hands, "Oh Sachi-chan! You're the best!" she said, wrapping Sachi into a hug.
Sachi smiled, she hugged Lisbeth in return. She couldn't help but notice how cute the shorter girl was. As she was gently patting Lisbeth on the head, and listening to the girls cheery; exciting ramblings when that strange feeling returned. It inched up her spine and made Sachi shudder.
"Sachi-chan?" Lisbeth asked, tilting her head cutely, "Are you alright?"
Looking around them, Sachi nervously smiled, "Oh, yeah I'm fine. L-Let's, um, keep on moving, yes?" she said quietly.
Lisbeth blinked, she peered around them, "Is somebody bothering? Tell me, and I'll make sure they'll never bother you again!" she said with a growl.
It was really something to see. Sachi was a little concerned with the axe Lisbeth suddenly had. She stared down at it for a few seconds, before gently patting Lisbeth on the shoulders.
"No, no, I, um, I don't think so," Sachi said quickly, "But let's just…get moving."
Lisbeth hummed, she shrugged and followed after Sachi, "Well, okay then. If you're sure nobodies bothering yah."
"I'm sure Lisbeth-chan," Sachi smiled, "But what are you doing in the market?"
Lisbeth skipped a little, "I'm just looking to see if there's any interesting on sell. You never know what you may find, I once found a massive ruby! I melted it down into a pretty cool looking sword, if I don't say so myself!" she smirked with pride.
Sachi smiled brightly, "That's pretty amazing, Lisbeth-chan. So you're looking for blacksmith materials?" she said.
"Yeah!" Lisbeth grinned, snapping her fingers and winking.
Swallowing a thick lump in her throat, Sachi glanced over her shoulders. She couldn't help but shake that feeling. She couldn't see anything that would make her feel this way.
"Whoa!" Lisbeth let out with excitement, "Iron!"
Sachi immediately turned her head. Lisbeth had rushed up to a stall and was now arguing with the seller. Sachi watched in awe as Lisbeth fought against other buyers to purchase the iron on display. So many players was yelling out different type of numbers, to which Lisbeth would yell even louder to beat them out of the great deal.
"Alright!" Lisbeth shrieked, bouncing up and air punching with excitement.
Laughing behind her hand, Sachi observed the shorter girl as she was somehow able to carry such a large stack of iron. She tilted her head as Lisbeth grinned with victory, and stepped up next to Sachi.
"That was exciting," Sachi said quietly.
Lisbeth's eyes sparkled, "I know right! What a score!" she said, putting the massive stack into her inventory, "Today is going to be an awesome day! I can already tell!"
"I'm sure it will be," Sachi agreed.
"What are you looking for, Sachi-chan?" Lisbeth asked, following after the girl. She crossed her arms behind her arms.
Sachi hummed. Her eyes moved from stall or stall, looking at all the products, "Nothing in particular, just any herbs that's on sale I'd be interested in," she said sweetly.
"Hmm," Lisbeth nodded, "You really like cooking, huh? Asuna isn't really a great cook in the real world, but in here, she throw herself into it. I think it's almost maxed out? Last I heard, she had it up in the 8000."
Sachi gasped in awe, "Really? Asuna-chan really is amazing."
Lisbeth grinned widely, "She's such a cool role model!" she said in agreement, "Do you, like, cook every day then?"
"Pretty much," Sachi said, "In the real world…my parents are very strict on me, they, um, don't allow me to do much but cooking was something they allowed me to do. I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen, either following the recipes or just experimenting with different recipes."
"In Aincard, I found myself picking up my hobby again," Sachi added fondly, a sweet smile gracing his lips, "You can really make anything, Aincard has almost every herb, so you can make whatever you like or something very close."
Lisbeth looked up at Sachi with a starstruck expression on his face, "You really love cooking…" she said breathlessly and then finally smiled widely, "It's so cute."
Sachi's face heated up form embarrassment, "Oh Lisbeth-chan…I-I don't think cooking is anything special…it's just something I like doing…"
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying what you do," Lisbeth chimed brightly, "I love creating weapons, that's why I opened a blacksmith! You should open a restaurant! Oh! Or a bakery! Well, something that makes you happy!"
Sachi closed her eyes briefly, "Maybe I'll do that…" she mumbled softly. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it before. She did like cook, a lot. It's one of her favourite things to do, which probably came from the fact it was the only her parents allowed her to do.
She doesn't want to rot away in an inn, she wants to get stronger and be able to fight back. She wanted to do what her parents had always told her she couldn't do. Yes, maybe one day she'll open a small bakery.
Lisbeth blinked up at Sachi. She tilted her head with a hum before she turned her head and gasped. She quickly rushed towards a stall, "Sachi-chan! Is this a herb?" she asked, picking up a strange look plant.
Tiling her head, Sachi quickly moved to Lisbeth's side, "Oh, that looks like Viridescent," she chimed, taking the green herb from Lisbeth.
"Viridescent?" Lisbeth repeated, clocking her head in confusion.
"It's very similar to mitsuba," Sachi explained.
Cryptotaenia japonica, also called East Asian wildparsley, Japanese cryptotaenia, Japanese honewort, white chervil and mitsuba, is a plant species native to Japan, Korea, and China. The plant is edible and is commonly used as a garnish and root vegetable in Japan, and other Asian countries
"Mitsuba?" Lisbeth gasped, eyes widening in awe. She looked back at the herb with a snort of laughter, "It's pretty cool that Aincard has herbs similar to the ones back in the real world."
Sachi nodded in agreement, "Like I said, you can almost find all the herbs in Aincard, they sometimes have different names. For example, this one," she said, picking up a familiar looking root like vegetable from the stall, "Is called Rhizome, but it is basically a Wasabi root."
Lisbeth nodded eagerly, "Oh! I get it! So this one, um…" her eyes looked across the stall before picking up a plant like herb, "Is called herbage but is coriander?"
The smile on Sachi's face brightened, "Yes! That's exactly right! It isn't exactly the same as coriander, but it's similar enough."
Nodding her head even more furiously then before, Lisbeth's eyes became large like owl eyes, "Oh! Sachi-chan you're amazing! You know what all these herbs are!" she cried out loudly.
"I suppose," Sachi giggled.
The AI sitting behind the stall smiled widely at the two girls, "What can I get you?"
Sachi smiled. She picked out a few herbs that she could use to create something as similar as possible to Gyoza. She hasn't made dumplings in a long time, however it will be a little difficult but Sachi was up for the challenge.
Once she purchased her herbs, Sachi happily stashed them away with excitement. She would always become rather excited at the thought to cooking, especially considering Aincrad didn't have the exact same ingredients needed to make the food. Sachi was always able to figure out how to get the right results, that was why she would become excite.
"That was fun," Lisbeth laughed as the two walked away from the market.
Sachi smiled at the few stalls near them, "It was."
Lisbeth grinned widely, her eyes sparkled as she throw an arm around Sachi's shoulders, "We should totally hang out more! Come around my blacksmith more often Sachi-chan! We can have lunch together!" she winked.
"You mean I make lunch for us?" Sachi asked.
"Well, when you say it like that," Lisbeth laughed, shrugging and pushing a loose pink hair out of her face.
Amusement on her face, Sachi gently pats Lisbeth on the head, "I promise to stop by your blacksmith."
"You better!" Lisbeth lightly punching Sachi's arm.
Holding her arm, Sachi giggled, "You're really something, Lisbeth-chan. I'm happy to have met you."
"Aw! You're going to make me blush," Lisbeth teased with a smirk, she put her hands onto her hips, "But yes! I am the best after all! Ah, Well, I gotta get back to my blacksmith. I got weapons to make!"
Sachi waved goodbye to the girl. She watched until Lisbeth had disappeared into the sea of players, and shook her head. Lisbeth sure was something. Sachi hadn't met anybody like her, so bright and happy, so positive. All the people she was meeting was amazing, and one of a kind. Lisbeth was a brand new type of person to her.
She hoped Lisbeth and her would become good friends.
A itchy, painful cough crawled up her throat. Sachi paused in step, she brought her fist up and gently coughed. Her other hand shot up to her chest, and pressed down. Thankfully it didn't break into a full on attack this time.
Just a few seconds of coughing.
Sachi shook her head, and moved to turn around. To make her way back to the inn, in hopes of cooking the special meal of Gyoza when suddenly she paused once more. Her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise.
'Is that what I think it is?' she thought.
She leaned in towards the stall, "Is that really a steam pot?" she said, looking at the familiar looking wood pot. It looked just like the ones from the outside world.
"Yes, it sure is!" the AI chipped behind the stall, "It's a one of kind!"
Sachi's face flushed, with a small smile peering down at the pot again, "One of a…kind, huh? How much is it-" she began, trailing off as a familiar sensation ran through her body.
The familiar shudder ran through her body. Something was off. Sachi tilted her head, and lifted her head, blinking her eyes slowly. She stood up straight, and arched her back, that feeling was back. Something wasn't right.
Sachi stepped away from the stall, just as she became aware of a presence to her left. She turned around to see a familiar, taller man staring at her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she tilted her head slowly.
"Oh," she mumbled softly.
The familiar man in red and white, stepped towards. His eyes narrowing into a terrifying glare, it sent a horrible shudder down Sachi's spine.
"Um, h-hello, er, K-Kuradeel-san," Sachi said shakily, "What a-are you doing here?"
Kuradeel sulked towards her until he was towering over her, "Hello again, Sachi-san, the White Arrow," he said, staring down at her intensively.
Sachi gulped, she tried to stand with her head high, "Yes, hello again…" she said awkwardly, "C-Can I help you?"
There was just something wrong about this. Sachi just wanted to get away, but she held her ground. Maybe she was just over thinking things again, as she always did in times like this.
"So tell me dearest Sachi-san, what are you doing around here?" he asked, his eyes looking around the market with something similar to distaste.
Sachi stared at him for a good few minutes. Did he just call her dearest? She didn't agree for that, but she decided not to say anything. Maybe he was trying to make up for what he did the other day? She hopes so, but she couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness off.
"I…like the market," Sachi said quietly, taking another step back, "Um, so…where's Asuna-chan? Aren't you her, um, bodyguard? I mean you aren't still harassing her, are you?"
Kuradeel snorted. He closed his eyes briefly, and waved his hand in distaste, "Of cause not. You made it very clear the other day dearest Sachi-san. I don't know what Asuna-san is doing, I no longer protect her."
"Oh," Sachi blinked. Maybe it had worked a little too well, at least he wasn't bothering Asuna anymore.
She was too busy thinking of Asuna, and how relieved she was that Asuna no longer was having trouble with the man, that she didn't notice Kuradeel advancing to close to her. It was only when he was literally looming over her, and directly in her personal space did Sachi snap out of thought.
Her head tilted back to peer up at him, her heart skipping a beat in nervous click, "U-Um, Kuradeel-san…."
"If I may, dearest Sachi-san, is the Knights of the Blood Oath not good enough for you?" he breathed out, reaching out and swiftly grabbing Sachi's wrist. He held it tightly, and dug his fingers into the martial painfully.
Sachi winced, and tried to pull herself free but Kuradeel held even tighter, "W-What?" she said, her eyes widening in realization, "W-Wait, you told Heathcliff about me?"
"Of cause I did, you are the White Arrow after all! You belong with the strongest guild, the Knights of the Blood Oath!" Kuradeel said, "Now come. We will go see Heathcliff and you will accept the Oath."
Gapping a little, Sachi stumbled over her feet when the man began to drag her along. Her eyes widened further, and heart began to race even faster, becoming even more painful. She let out a deep cough, and then swiftly spun herself. She ripped her wrist free, and fell back into another stall.
"A-Ah, I'm sorry," she squealed to the AI.
Kuradeel clenched his teeth. His eyes narrowed further if it was even possible, and he tightened his fists until his knuckles became white, "Such disrespect," he grunted out, "I will not tolerate such insolence, my dear!"
"What?" Sachi breathed out nervously, stumbling back when the man grabbed her wrist. She let out a shuddered gasp as he yanked her forward.
"Now, my dearest Sachi-san, I will let it slid," Kuradeel said darkly, "However we must hurry to the Knights of the Blood Oath. Come."
Sachi's eyes widened so much that they began to tear up. The blood rushed up to her head as she found herself being helplessly dragged along behind Kuradeel. She tried to stop herself from being dragged, but it was effortless.
"S-Stop," she let out, "You're hurting me."
Inhaling sharply, Sachi arched her body and used her legs to kick the back of Kuradeel. It sent the man stumbling forward, and successfully released her wrist. She stepped back, while holding her wrist to her chest, she started at Kuradeel with glassy eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," she said. She hadn't meant to kick him so hard, just enough to make him let go of her.
Kuradeel stood up straight, his face was hidden by his hair, "How dare you," he grumbled, "Listen here dearest Sachi-chan, I will not repeat myself, you must show me respect! How dare you resist my order! You must obey me, submit to me!"
Sachi's face became pale. What was he talking about? She doesn't even know him, she had only either met him once before. Why was he talking as if she owned him something, or…even worse, that he owned her? She wasn't even partied up with him!
Taking another few steps away, she slowly shook her head, "N-No. No. Please, just stop…"
"Dearest Sachi-chan, no behave!" he snapped in return, slowly stalking towards her.
"Stop!" Sachi cried out, "J-Just leave me alone!"
The murmur of the sea of players echoed through the air. Sachi could feel a terrible sensation lick up her spine, and when it looked like Kuradeel wasn't going to listen to her, quickly advancing back up to her with the full intention of grabbing her wrist again. Her heart beat loudly in her head, and was beginning to make her feel dizzy.
She stumbled backward, and spun around. She let out a soft gasp when she knocked into another player, but kept moving. She pumped her legs as fast she could until they was burning, she could hear Kuradeel try to follow her, yelling that damn 'dearest Sachi-san' over and over, screaming at her to stop misbehaving and to come right back…but Sachi felt her fear grow. She had fought all sorts of monsters before, and Sachi would never be able to describe how much fear she felt every time she had to hold her trusty bow to protect herself. This….what she was feeling right now from Kuradeel was something almost the same but had an sickening twist.
She hadn't felt this type of fear before, and all she knew was to run away. She did not belong to him. He didn't own her. She was just so scared, she could feel her eyes running already as she twirled in between the players.
Get away. Get the hell away from this danger.
Sachi was running until her throat was throbbing. Coughs itching up her throat, but she ignored it until she slid around a corner, skidding on her feet and pressing her back up against the alleyway's wall. Her hands pressing firmly down on her chest, as she coughed, struggling to catch her breathe.
"D-Did…is he g-gone?" she mumbled, peering around the corner hopelessly.
A shudder run down her spine. She could see Kuradeel looking for her in the sea of players, she let out a whimper, her wrist twitching with the reminder of how tight he had grabbed her. She pressed her lips together, and spun around, rushing down the alleyway before he saw her.
The alleyway was familiar, as if she had been there before. Maybe more then once, the more she made her way down the alleyway, the more she felt like she knew where she was going. It was only when she found herself pushing open an door and stepping into what could only be an item store, did it click in her head.
"Sachi?" a familiar voice said.
Sachi blinked, her eyes ran around the store. It was safe. She felt safe here, and very comfortable. She let out a shaky breath of relief, and turned her attention to the counter.
"Sachi," the voice repeated, and footsteps approached her, a gentle hand taking her shoulder.
"Oh," Sachi said softly, "Kirito?"
Kirito stared down at her, an eyebrow raising in concern, "Hey? What's wrong, has something happened? You look…scared?" he asked, his voice becoming oddly dark as he spoke. He looked to the door briefly, and glared, "Is somebody bothering you?"
Sachi shook her head, "No, I'm…" she began and bites her bottom lip, "Fine. I'm okay Kirito. You don't need to worry…"
Kirito frowned, "If somebody was bothering you, you would tell me, right?" he asked.
"Of cause," Sachi smiled, "But you really don't need to worry about me."
She didn't want to bother Kirito with such a silly problem. If she couldn't handle somebody like Kuradeel, then what use was she? Sachi just didn't understand why she had became so afraid of him.
"Alright," Kirito said, not sounding completely convinced.
Sachi just smiled. She peered around the familiar item store, and hummed in pure relieve. She had came to one of the places where she really did feel safe. She trusted the man who ran it after all, he had helped her out a couple of times.
"Hello Agil-san," she said, looking at the friendly man at the counter.
Agil was leaning on his counter, he lifted his head and smiled, "Ah, hello Sachi again. I thought we've been over this? You don't need to be so formal with me," he chuckled, his eyes softening at the girl.
Sachi hummed, "I know. I apologize," she sheepishly said.
Kirito stared at Agil for a good few seconds, before his eyes turned back to Sachi, "Your armour," he suddenly said quietly, "It's new."
Face heating up from embarrassment, Sachi looked down at the armour covering her body and lightly pulled at it, "It's not bad is it? Asuna-chan helped me pick it out from a tailor named Mio-san," she said, a sweet smile gracing her lips.
"You don't look bad," Kirito said, "You have a sword too?"
"Lisbeth-chan made it for me," Sachi said, gently pulling the sword free, "I-I haven't used it yet…"
Kirito put a hand to his chin, before he carefully took the sword. He held it up and lightly swung it, much to Agil dismay, "Ah, it's a Wakizashi," he said.
"Wakizashi?" Sachi questioned, clocking her head in confusion. She knew next to nothing about weapons, her parents wouldn't dream of letting her have a sword of all things.
"Yes," Kirito nodded, a smile appearing on his face, "It is a traditionally sword. It's said that they are worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. This one looks pretty strong and well made. This one is 55cm, not bad. The longest blade is 60cm."
"Considering you don't like close combat, it's good for you. You can use it if something does get to close," Kirito said, "Why a sword thought? I would have pictured you taking a spear, you had one back then."
Taking her wakizashi back, "I know. My skill for a spear is bigger then a sword, but I figured a sword would be worth more for me then spear. I want to get my skill higher anyway."
Agil whistled, "What level are you know Sachi? You've been working really hard to level up. Did you finally get to 68? I remember you telling me you was struggling to reach that level."
Sachi smiled, "I did. I'm actually level 70 now, I know, it's not anywhere close to your level," she said, looking between the two men.
"It's not bad at all," Agil smiled, "You're almost the same level of me, I'm 75."
With awe on her face, Sachi couldn't help but smile brightly at that. She was getting stronger, it washes over her, and she is practically glowing with happiness. Sure, she's still not on the level of the front liners like Asuna, whose around 78, or Kirito who is…
"What's your level now, Kirito?" she asked, turning to the boy.
Kirito blinked, breaking out of thought and smiled, "I'm really impressed. You've made so much progress last time we saw each other," he said, gently patting her on the head, "But…I'm, um, level…"
"Level what?" Agil asked, leaning forward to hear the black swordsmen.
Kirito sheepishly scratched at his cheek, "I said I'm level 81."
"Seriously?" Agil groaned, "I'm never going to catch up to you."
Sachi giggled, she gently played with a loose hair. It was only when she felt the familiar feeling of eyes gazing at her, did she blink and look up.
"Um, is there something on my face?" Sachi asked quietly.
Kirito shook his head, "No. It's, well, your health bar…" he trailed off.
Sachi blinked. She tilted her head, and looked up as if she could see her health bar. It was only when she heard a soft chuckle, and her face heat up did she realize Kirito could see her health bar due to still being in a guild together.
"What about it?" she asked.
Kirito narrowed his eyes, "Why are you down a point? Did you just come from a quest or something? You should keep an eye on these things, I don't want anything to happen to you," he said, opening his menu and taking out a small potion, "Here, this will heal it right up."
Sachi swallowed. She took the potion in confusion. She hadn't been doing anything that would have affected her health bar. Bringing up her green health bar, she found, true to Kirito's words, she was down to 99%. How did that happen? Sachi swore she had gone to bed last night with a full 100% health bar.
"O-Oh…thank you," she mumbled, taking the potion and watching as it went back up.
"What are you doing here anyway, Kirito? I thought you would be on the front lines, looking for the boss room," she asked, tilting her head with curiosity, but also to change the subject.
Kirito rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, well…I have this item that I wanted to see if Agil would be interested in buying or trading with me," he admitted.
"An item, huh?" Agil said, crossing his arms and narrowing his arms, "Alright. Let's see this item."
The dark haired warrior brought up his black menu and quickly moved through his pages of items until he found the right one. Both Agil and Sachi stared in surprise at how many things Kirito seemed to carry around, how and why was beyond them.
"Here it is," Kirito said, bringing it up to Agil.
The man stared down at the item, a hand going to his chin before he gasped, "What!" he let out loudly, "Is that what I think it is?"
Sachi tilted her head, "What is it? Is it something rare?" she asked, looking at it, "It looks like…meat…is there some of kind rare meat?"
Agil stared Kirito down, and pouted, "Where did you even get a Ragout Rabbit?"
"Ragout Rabbit?" Kirito repeated.
"You don't even know what it is!" Agil gasped, eyes widening. His jaw practically dropped.
Kirito shrugged innocently, "I don't know. I saw the rabbit moving, and just throw a knife at it. It died, and well, yes…" he said sheepishly.
"You…only just realized it was an S-class item now, didn't you," Agil sighed deeply, "You are really hopeless, huh."
"Well, don't say it like that," Kirito said.
Sachi scratched at her head in confusion. What was a Ragout Rabbit, and why were both Kirito and Agil talking like it was a super rare thing? She's never seen or heard of it before. Still, as she looked down at it, she couldn't help but not be very impressed by it. She's seen more beautiful meat before.
"Haven't you thought about eating it?" Agil questioned, rubbing his chin.
Kirito sighed deeply, "Of cause. When I first got it, I thought about cooking it…I'm guessing it's not something I'll find again."
"Then why not?" Agil asked.
The dark haired swordsmen clicked his tongue, and crossed his own arms, "Well, finding someone with a high enough level is going to be difficult to say the least," he admitted, "If I tried, I would probably burn it to a crisp. It would be uneatable."
"I understand that," Agil nodded, "Talking about this is making me hungry."
Sachi hummed. She smiled, and let out a soft giggle when Agil's stomach growled. She opened her own white menu and looked through the dishes she had recently cooked.
"Here Agil-kun," she said, taking out a container, "I tried to make Kare-Raisu yesterday. You can have it."
Kare-Raisu is a rather popular meal, it is just a rice dish with curry. The taste is supposed to be different to the normal curry dishes. One could us any sorts of meats or vegetables, but Sachi had went with the easiest to get a hold of, chicken.
"It's a bit more hotter than normally," Sachi said, handing the container to him, "But I think it tastes good."
Agil eagerly took the counter, and pulled the lid off. His eyes widened before they began to tear up, "Oh Sachi! You are really a gift from god!" he said, inhaling the smell of the meal deeply and groaning, "It smells delicious."
Kirito stared down at the container with a pout forming on his lips, "How come you offer it him and not me? I thought we was good friends," he said.
Agil smirked, "Jealous?" he said, pulling the container away from Kirito when he made a move to grab it, "I'm not sharing."
Sachi laughed again, "I'm sorry Kirito. I'll make you something another time, I promise."
Kirito pout deepened. He peered down at the curry with a deep whine, before he suddenly shook his head. His eyes widened, and he looked back at Sachi with glowing eyes.
"What level are you?" he asked, "I mean your cooking level? How high is it?"
Sachi blinked again in confusion, "Um. Well, I maxed it out a little while ago…why?"
"Oh my god," Kirito let out.
He practically leaped forward, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close. He gasped deeply, "Sachi! I don't suppose you'll cook my rabbit?" he asked, "I mean the Ragout Rabbit!"
Agil gasped, his eyes moving between Kirito and Sachi. His mouth was full with the curry, "Seriously? Sachi can cook already amazingly…I can almost taste the rabbit."
"….Cook the Ragout Rabbit?" Sachi repeated softly, looking down at the meat that Kirito showed her, "I'll have to turn it into a meal…wouldn't it be boring if it was just a roasted rabbit?"
Kirito blinked, he nodded his head with his lips twisting together, "You're right. Hmm. Oh, like a slow cooked rabbit stew? The spicy ones?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, I can make that Kirito. I think I still have my spices," Sachi said sweetly, "I don't really understand the fuss about this…um, Ragout Rabbit, but I'll do my best for you."
Kirito felt himself grin at that, "You'll get it as soon as you taste it! It's supposed to be the best meat found!"
Sachi hummed. She didn't get it, but oh well, if it made her friend happy, she'll do her best. So, she smiled, and nodded her head.
Kirito glanced back at Agil, "Well then, sorry. I guess it's not up for sale anymore Agil."
Agil blinked, his cheeks puffed out, "Wait a minute. Kirito, we're friends, aren't we?" he gasped, swallowing.
"We are," Kirito shrugged, a dark look appearing on his face.
"Then, can I have a bite?" Agil said, "Please! Come on Kirito."
Kirito snorted with a laugh, "How about I write you an 800 word essay on how good it was, I'm sure it will be heaven like," he said with a wave.
"W-What?" Agil gasped, "That's not fair! Sachi! Sachi! Will you save me some!"
Sachi looked at him, and before she could speak, Kirito covered her mouth, "We'll think about it," he said, gently pulling Sachi along.
~#~#~#~#~#~
"You don't own a house?"
Sachi awkwardly shovelled her feet. She smiles sweetly, as she let Kirito in, "Oh, well I like living in Inns. They're nice, and I found not two Inns are the same."
Kirito hummed, entering the room, "I thought you would have brought a house by now, honestly."
"Keita brought a house," Sachi whispered quietly.
Kirito paused, "Right," he said, and glanced at the girl, "Well why don't we buy a house? We're in the same guild, after all."
"Are you saying you no longer want to share with me," Sachi chuckled with a teasing smile on her lips.
The room Sachi had purchased was a reasonable size, with a bathroom and kitchen contacted to the bedroom. It was nice and spacious, with lime walls and a matching carpet. It was really cute looking, with a wooden table and chars near the small bed. It was actually adorable. It wasn't like any other inn room the two had shared together in the past.
"W-What?" Kirito let out.
Sachi laughed, "I'm just teasing you. It feels good to be the one teasing this time," she hummed, turning towards the kitchen and taking out a pot. She was beginning to cutely singing to herself as she began to check on the rabbit stew.
"It should be ready soon," she said over her shoulder, "In the meantime, I'll make some garnish. Maybe garlic bread?"
Kirito tilted his head. He watched as Sachi began to prepare the bread, still humming adorably. He blinked his dark eyes, and slowly walked up behind her, his eyes moving between the things Sachi was preparing and the pot of stew.
"Don't get you ever get bored?" Kirito asked softly.
Sachi paused, she tilted her head back, "Bored about what?"
"Cooking, in Sword Art Online, it's different isn't it," Kirito said, "To the outside world, watching you go looks so…easy…"
Sachi hummed softly, "Sure, there is so many work around. Sword Art Online does make it easier, the higher level you become, the easier it is…I guess it looks so easy now because I am maxed out, but no. No I don't get bored," Sachi said, a smiling appearing across her lips, "Honestly, I miss cooking in the real world, so I sometimes still do the steps anyway."
Kirito stared in awe, his lips forming an circle shape, "You're amazing. Can I do anything to help?"
"Oh, well you can cut up this to add to the stew," Sachi said, bringing out the vegetables, "They'll cook fast, so we don't need to worry much."
The swordsmen nodded in determination, he held the knife and looked down at the ripe-looking vegetables in front of him, "Um, okay," he said softly.
Kirito inhaled sharply, he brought the knife down to the vegetable but then stopped. His lips settled into a wary frown, he kept changing how he was holding the knife.
"Kirito?" Sachi said, "Um, it's not that hard. Don't think about it, see, up and down. Chop-chop."
He gazed down as Sachi gently placed her hand on top of Kirito's and began to show him to cut them up. Her touch was delicate on his rougher hands, and he just gazed as they sliced up the vegetables together.
"Shouldn't it be slice-slice, instead?" Kirito teased, "Not chop-chop?"
Sachi giggled, "I suppose. They are sliced, not chopped up."
"Oh," Kirito began, "What was you doing in Agil's store? Why did you rush in like that?"
Sachi let out a nervous laugh. She didn't want to bring up Kuradeel, not when she had forgotten about him. Instead, she hummed and looked away, "Well, I was out with Lisbeth-chan."
"Oh, the blacksmith," Kirito said.
"Right," Sachi said with a smile, "I heard you broke her best sword."
Kirito's eyes widened, and his face paled a little, "You heard about that? Oh, I made up for it. We went to defeat the crystal dragon, and she built me a new sword…" he said softly, peeking away from Sachi.
"I heard about that too," Sachi teased, lightly poking Kirito in the cheek.
Kirito pouted, "How mean of you, making me panic."
Sachi simply giggled, "Lisbeth-chan and I was looking around the market. She brought so much iron," she said in awe, "We then went separate ways, and I, um, wondered into Agil-kun's store."
It wasn't a complete lie. A half-truth, sort off. Still, Sachi turned away and made her way back to the stew when it suddenly beeped, and a flash of green appeared above it.
"It's ready, I wonder what makes it an s-class item," Sachi said softly, lifting for the pot's lid and carefully pulling it off. The bubbling liquid was seriously glowing a golden light, it was strange to see but for some reason, her heart fluttered in her chest.
"Whoa," Kirito let out, peering into the pot too, "It smells so good!"
Sachi gulped, "You're, you're drooling," she said with a sweet laugh.
Kirito grunted, cheeks a little pink, "It looks great Sachi. You are a really great cook."
"Lisbeth-chan thinks I should open up a bakery," Sachi said, dishing the rabbit stew carefully. She pushed a loose raven hair behind her ear.
"A bakery?" Kirito repeated, helping out the best he could. He wasn't that great at this, he was so much better with a sword and fighting, defeating himself and everyone else. Cooking was not one of his strong suits.
Sachi bites her bottom lip, "Well, I really do enjoy cooking," she said, "While I am all about pushing myself to become stronger, to get my level higher…I do sometimes want to do something else…"
"You should do it," Kirito said, placing a hand gently onto Sachi's head, "If it's something you really enjoy doing, then turn it into something else that will fullfil you."
Sighing softly, and leaning into the other, Sachi wanted to do it but she couldn't. She felt like she still had so much to do, to become better then what she is. She hasn't changed enough, haven't became a braver person yet.
"Someday," she said, "Let's eat."
Kirito looked like he wanted to say more, but decided not to. Instead, he nodded in agreement. When he looked at the food calling for him, his stomach growled and his mouth watered. He wanted to stuff all of it into his mouth as soon as possible. The bowl looked beautiful with thick, rich liquid filled with pretty plump meat and vegetables.
The meal looked glorious.
Sachi peered into the bowl, and lightly used the spoon to scoop some up, "An S-class ingredient, I've never eaten one before…" she said nervously, "What if I've…botched it? Made it taste horrible?"
Kirito hummed. He looked up from his own meal, "I doubt that! You need to put more confidence in yourself, Sachi. You're an amazing cook!" he said brightly, and then as if to prove it, he shoved a massive spoon full into his mouth.
The swordsmen suddenly stopped. His shoulders was hunched up with the spoon sticking out of mouth. His eyes was wide as sources, his face becoming a purple-ish colour and slowly a whine escaped the back of his throat.
"I-Is it that bad?" Sachi whimpered, "Spit it out Kirito! If it tastes that bad, I don't want you to force yourself for me!"
Shaking his head furiously, Kirito grabbed the glass of water and gulped it one large mouth full. He then slammed it down and swallowed, "No!" he yelled loudly, his voice making poor Sachi shudder.
"This tastes magnificent!" Kirito let out, "Tremendous."
Sachi blinked owlishly at him, it was an eye-opener. Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked down at the bowl, "Is…i-is it really that good?" she asked timidly.
"No, Sachi, it's better then good," Kirito grinned widely, "There's no words."
Heart shuddering in her chest, Sachi slowly spooned up a small spoon full, "Well here goes something…" she whispered.
Sachi pushed it between her lips and tasting it on her tongue. Immediately her body trembled from the taste running through her veins. It was like pure warmth washing through her body like sea waves. Almost like a thunderbolt hitting her, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"It's…" Sachi began in something she couldn't describe.
"See what I mean," Kirito smirked widely, "I think I've died and gone to heaven."
Sachi giggled, "I-I'm pleased you like my cooking…" she mumbled shyly.
It took them barely ten minutes to demolish the rest of the meal. It left the two leaning back in their chairs, just staring at the empty bowls while groaning. Sachi couldn't believe she had eaten so much, she hardly ever eat that much. Her stomach hurt but she felt so good about it. Her body felt good.
"Whoa," Kirito let out.
"You've said that…like…ten times now," Sachi hummed, "I don't eat that much…I-I can't believe I just did…"
Kirito closed his eyes briefly, "It was….definitely an s-glass meal," he said with a wide smile, "I don't think I'll ever be able to eat something as good ever again."
Sachi chuckled. She began to pick up the dirty dishes, "What are you going to be doing now? Are you going back to the front lines, to help clear the new levels. They still haven't found the boss room yet, have they?"
"Not yet, we're looking thought," Kirito admitted, helping Sachi by collecting the other plates, "Even I've tried to help find it, it's like it is impossible to find the damn doors."
"You can't find the doors?" Sachi asked.
Kirito sighed, "They blend in the levels unusual design. It's like walking in grey and white clouds, with these black trees. The doors blend in, making it incredibly difficult to locate," he said with a grumble, "A lot of people are starting to worry if we'll ever find it."
"I'm sure you'll find it," Sachi said, putting her hand onto Kirito's shoulder, "If anybody can find it, then it will probably be you. I've never met somebody so determined before."
Kirito reached up and took Sachi's hand, "Thank you. You're just as determined as well."
It was so strange to think about. When she first met him, she was a terrified little mouse. She would run away and hide while crying. It was thanks to Kirito that she is now standing up and getting ready to become somebody better then what she was.
This world of the a game was something like no other. In the real world Sachi wasn't allowed to be this person who she was trying to be.
"W-Want some green tea?" she asked, turning away from Kirito and moving towards the tea pot, "I've made a new pot."
Kirito tilted his head, "Sure, are you alright?" he asked.
Sachi nervously made the tea, and peeked back at him, "It's nothing…it's just, weird. I feel funny is all…" she mumbled quietly, "Like…like I've been living here, in this world ever since I was born…"
Kirito looked down with sad eyes, "Yeah…I've been having the same thoughts too. I've been thinking less and less about the real world too. Even my family hasn't been on my mind much lately," he admitted guiltily.
Shyly, Sachi looks back at Kirito, "R-Really? It's not just me then…" she said brokenly, "D-Does that make me a bad person? F-For not thinking of-of my family? My parents…they wouldn't allow me to do this…I wonder what they would even say…"
Wrapping an arm around her, Kirito hugged her gently, "That doesn't make you a bad person. I said I was having the same thought. It's not just that either, the amount of people trying to clear the game, fighting for freedom, the number has dwindled…." he said, running his fingers through Sachi's short hair, "People fighting on the front lines combined don't even add up to 500, it's way less."
Sniffling, Sachi hugged her friend back. She pressed her fingers into Kirito's white lined, black sweater, "I-I guess…people have became use to it by now. They probably don't think we'll ever get out of here, so they're trying to make to make due…."
"B-But Kirito, I s-still want to go home…" Sachi hiccuped, she tried not too but the tears swelled up anyway, "There's still so much I really want to do. I haven't had a chance to do any of them…"
Kirito pats Sachi on the back, hugging her sweetly, "Yeah," he smiled, allowing her to step away, "I want to go home too, there's some stuff I want to do too. If we give up now, the efforts of the players who have gave it their all, and have been supporting us will be all for naught."
Sachi wiped her red eyes, and let out a wet sound, "Kirito, also, I've been getting this feeling that irregularities in monster behavior have increased. If you play solo, there will be unexpected situations that you can't handle alone. And you won't always be able to emergency teleport away…just like…" she trailed off, her stomach tightening as she thought about their guild.
"Hey," Kirito said, cupping Sachi's face suddenly, "That won't happen. I won't leave you alone, I promise."
Sachi smiled, "Just…be careful out there," she sniffled.
"You're level 70 now," Kirito said, tilting his head a little, "Why don't we party up for a while?"
Breathing out softly, Sachi pulled away, "Like…on the front lines?" she meekly asked, her hands twisting together.
"Only if you want too, if not…then we can do something else," Kirito said in a hurry, "I mean, come to floor 74th, we haven't found the boss room yet but like I said it's a strange floor. You have to see it."
Gulping, Sachi bites her bottom lip harshly, "74th floor?" she repeated.
"Hm," Kirito nodded, "I can't say it'll be fun, but it'll be interesting. There's not many monsters around, but…I think we should stick together for a while."
Sachi stares for a good 3 minutes. She did want to team up with Kirito, she hasn't seen her powerful friend in a long time. The last person she had teamed up with, was Asuna. Pairing up with Kirito made her stronger, helped her level up but to go to 74th floor was a scary thought. That was the front lines. Was she ready for that? Sure she has been working so hard, working towards this.
Her stomach clenched at the thought.
"It'll be okay, I'll be right there at your side," Kirito added in a hurry, "Nothing will happen, I'll be by your side."
"I'll protect you."
Sachi blinked slowly, "But…I don't need protecting. I can protect myself."
Opening his mouth, but then shutting them, Kirito let out a sound before he pressed his lips together. He inhaled sharply, and swallowed. One of the rarest smiles spreading across his lips. It was gentle, and sweet, but encouraging all in one.
"I know you can Sachi," Kirito said, petting her on the head once again, "So, will you? Come with me?"
Sachi swallowed thickly, and nervously smiled, "Y-Yeah…I will…"
"Tomorrow, we'll meet up at 7:00am the central point of the 74th floor," Kirito said with a wide smile, his dark eyes glowing while he gazed at Sachi, "It's safe. The central point of the floor is for players, it's the safe point and the spot where everyone will go when entering the floor."
"Okay," Sachi mumbled nervously, "I'll be there, at 7:00am."
Kirito stepped back, making his way to the inn's door, "I enjoyed the meal, I'll ask you again, or at least that's what I'd hope to do. I doubt I'll find something like that again," he said, pausing at the door and looking back Sachi.
"I can make other meals that taste good too, they won't be as good as the stew but they'll still be tasty enough," Sachi said sweetly, "Anything you want, I'll make it."
Eyes wide, Kirito gapped, "Anything I want? How about Oyakodon? My, um, aunt used to make it for me every Friday night. I really miss it," he admitted sheepishly.
"Oyakodon?" Sachi repeated softly, "Yeah, I can make that. It's just Chicken and egg."
Kirito grinned widely, "You truly are amazing Sachi," he sighed.
Sachi simply smile in return, "I wonder…" she said, turning away to look outside.
"Wonder what?" Kirito asked.
"This world…Is it really what Kayaba Akihiko aimed to create?"
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
A acid-burn cough pushed past her lips. It hurt a lot, and Sachi had to lean against the door of her inn room as more coughs began to force their way out. There wasn't quite a rope around her throat yet, but she could feel it starting to wiggle its way around.
Placing her hand against her throat, Sachi gasped for breath. It wasn't as bad as last morning, but it was enough to knock her straight off her feet. Her body shook a little, but as soon as it came it was gone. Sachi sighed deeply, and inhaled sharply through clenched teeth.
"Pull it together," she said to herself, "You're…You're the White Arrow…and Kirito's waiting for you…"
With that, Sachi straightened herself. She checked over herself, and smiled to herself. She finally exited her room, and made her way to the checkout point on the floor. As she walked, that familiar feeling iced through her body. She blinked slowly, and speed up faster, stalking faster through the streets.
She turned a corner, she could see the checkout point. Sachi quickly brought out her glowing white menu, looking for the teleport crystal. She couldn't believe she was really going to the frontlines, really going to the 74th floor to met up with Kirito. She knew she couldn't be scared, Kirito was going to be there with her and besides, she can protect herself against monsters after all.
So what was the problem?
Sachi shook her head, "Stop over thinking things," she mumbled darkly to herself, "It's going to be fine."
Just as she was about to use the teleport crystal, a hand grabbed her wrist. It came out of no were, and yanked her back. Her feet flying out from under her as she was pulled harshly. She let out a surprised grunt, and gasped deeply, trying to gain her balance as best as she could.
"What?" she mumbled in daze.
The hand holding her arm tightened, fingers digging into the flesh painfully, "Dearest Sachi-san!" a familiar voice huffed out.
Sachi twisted her head around, and gasped, "K-Kuradeel-san?" she let out. Her stomach coiled in that unfamiliar fear, it grow through her small body and made her eyes become wet.
"Dearest Sachi-san, how dare you," he said, his face scrunching up into a scrawl, "I don't approve of you inviting such a suspicious man to your room!"
Trying to breathe normally, Sachi looked around herself as if to find something to push the man away before she sprung her head up. She blinked her eyes up at him in confusion, "W-What? I didn't invite anybody!"
"You take me for a fool? I know you did, that man in black!" Kuradeel snapped in distaste.
Man in black? Sachi's eyebrows pulled together, "You mean Kirito?"
"Kirito! Ha! See I knew you was lying! You shouldn't be so careless! How stupid of you!" Kuradeel said, "I am inferior to this guy, I am a much better match for you so whatever you are planning with him, you should cancel right now."
Sachi stared at him. Her eyes widened further before they narrowed a little, "W-Wait? How did you know that Kirito and I…" she trailed off before stuttering even more, "Y-You was watching me?"
"Of cause, how else will I know if you're in trouble or not?" the man snorted, "Especially after the stunt you pulled yesterday! What a ridiculous thing to do you fool! I will forgive it this once, now we must be going."
Sachi opened and then shut her mouth. She barely had a few seconds to think before she found herself being pulled once again. This time, she fully cried out in pain.
"Stop it," she cried, yanking herself free and stumbling back, "Stop doing that to me!"
Kuradeel crossed his arms, "I bet this is from that green tea you had in bed last night."
"…W-What?" Sachi mumbled nervously, her legs buckling a little, "How do you know I had green tea in bed?...How did you…you was in my room last night? H-How?"
The man in red and white shrugged, "If I have to push boundaries to ensure your safety, then I will."
"…but in my room?" Sachi repeated slowly, "How did you get in my room?"
"Well, I wouldn't have to if you didn't invite suspicious men in," Kuradeel grumbled, "If it makes you feel any better, I have to say you look rather beautiful while sleeping."
Sachi just stared back at him, "You…watched…me…sleeping?" she said slowly, another disgusting shiver running up her spine.
Taking a step back, Sachi felt sick. Her body twisted, and her stomach coiled with something between fear and disgust. She curled her hands together, and hunched her shoulders. She took another few steps back until her back was pressed up against another building's wall.
"You was watching me…" she murmured quietly, looking down at the crystal still in her hands.
"Now then," Kuradeel said, stomping towards her once more, "Sachi-san, lets get going. We have to see the Knights of the Blood Nights."
Sachi shook her head, "No. No. I'm not going with you," she said, inching away from the terrifying man.
"Dearest Sachi-san!" he growled.
She quickly began to teleport away. She held the crystal tightly, and looked down at her feet as she quickly disappeared through the familiar scatters of sparkles. The world of the floor she was just on disappeared.
Her body was moving, Sachi cried out as she found herself teleporting into the 74th floor in the air. Her eyes widened as she looked around herself. She was literally in the air, a few feet above the ground, her heart skipped a beat and leaped into her throat. She let out a loud cry of fear as she found herself falling immediately.
"Sachi?" a voice yelped.
Arms caught her easily. One arm looping behind her back, and another underneath her legs. She clenched her eyes shut tightly a she fell straight into awaiting arms. Her hair bouncing up and down as she was caught easily.
"Sachi, are you alright?"
Sachi blinked. She opened one eye first weakly and nervously before slowly rising her head. She looked around herself, before realizing somebody was holding her.
"K-Kirito?" Sachi let out, looking at the dark eyes staring back at her in confusion.
Kirito tilted his head, "Um, quite a teleport there," he said jolting her in his arms as he spoke.
Sachi's face heated up in pure embarrassment. He was holding her in the traditional sense of a groom with his bride.
"Morning," Kirito said.
Sachi swallowed thickly, "M-Morning, Kirito."
Kirito laughed, "I wasn't expecting this honestly."
She opened her mouth to reply when suddenly lights began to gather up at the platform she must have came from. Her body froze up, and her eyes widened as the sparkles began to form a body. Fear filled her, and she let out a cry, kicking her legs which caused Kirito let go in surprise. She trembled onto her feet, and quickly twisted around Kirito.
Sachi hide herself behind him. Her fingers clenching his long black coat, as she watched Kuradeel appear. Her legs trembled, and she let out a soft cry of fear.
"Sachi?" Kirito asked, looking at her over his shoulder, "What's the matter? Do you know this guy?"
Kuradeel turned his head before spotting Sachi, "Dearest Sachi-san, please refrain from running off on your own. You do know how I worry. Now then, let us make our way to the Knights of the Blood Oath headquarters. We do have some business to take care off."
"…Dearest?" Kirito repeated, his eyes brows raising, "You're apart of the Nights of the Blood Oath now? Why didn't you tell me Sachi?"
Sachi whimpered. She shook her head, "N-No, Kirito! I'm not! They keep asking even when I said no, and-and-and he, Kuradeel-san keep following me a-around!"
Kirito frowned, "So then, yesterday, when you came into Agil's store…" he began, his eyes moving between Sachi and the man, "It was because of you? You scared Sachi!"
"I did no such thing," Kuradeel grumbled, "It's my responsibility to make sure Dearest Sachi-san join the Knights of the Blood Oath."
Making another whimper, Sachi shook her head once more, "And that includes you sneaking into my inn room? Watching me sleep?" she squealed out.
Kirito was lost, his eyes widened, "He did what?" he said, "You snuck into Sachi's room and watched her sleep?"
"Of cause, I had taken the responsibility of monitoring her for the past week," Kuradeel said, "It's my duty to protect you after all. Naturally, that extends to watching over your home, even if it is an inn."
"Since when?" Kirito grunted.
Sachi shuddered, "He was bothering Asuna-chan, following her around and bothering her…I told him to stop and then suddenly, he's following me everywhere!" she almost sobbed, her eyes burning.
"Stop misbehaving," Kuradeel said, stalking towards them, "Stop showing such disrespect, I said I will not tolerate such insolence, my dear. Now come, enough of this."
He suddenly made a grab, once more, grabbing Sachi's wrist. He yanked her forward, making her cry out once more.
"S-Stop it," Sachi sobbed, pulling back, "You're hurting me again!"
Kirito narrowed his black eyes into slit, he swiftly reached forward and grabbed Kuradeel's wrist, "Don't ever touch Sachi again," he said firmly, shoving the man back, "She's spending the day with me, and for now on, she'll be with me. So If you do anything, I will know about it."
"What?" Kuradeel huffed, "How dare you! Dearest Sachi-san, this guys is beater! Guys like him only care about themselves, you're just asking for trouble by getting involved with him! You should stay with me!"
Kirito stepped in front of Sachi, "One, stop calling her 'dearest' and second, she's never going anywhere with you. Besides," he began, a smirk appearing across his lips, "She's a beater too."
"How dare you lie! Don't be stupid, an incompetent player like you couldn't possibly protect her!" Kuradeel growled.
"She doesn't need protecting from monsters, but from people like you? That's another story," Kirito snorted, "So I'll say this again, stay away from Sachi or I will make you regret it."
"I'm a member from the glorious Knights of the Blood Oath!" Kuradeel said, "How dare you speak to me that way! I can do a better job than you, and as soon as Sachi-san joins the guild, I will be by her side day in and out!"
Kirito shook his head, "No. She's not joining the guild, and you're nothing more then a shameful insect for the guild if this is how you act!"
Immediately Kuradeel began to shake with rage, "Seeing how you're so confident in your abilities, you'd be willing to prove them to me, wouldn't you?" he spat out, opening his yellow menu and sending out a duel invitation to Kirito, "Let's battle."
Sachi swallowed, she looked down at the invitation, "Y-You don't have too Kirito," she mumbled quietly.
Kirito looked back at her and smiled, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he'll stop bothering you now. You should have told me earlier," he said, pressing accept.
A timer appeared between the two males. Sachi looked up at it, and slowly backed away. Her heart racing and her arms raising to her chest. She watched as Kuradeel brought out a long red handled sword.
She wondered if this is what Asuna felt while dealing with Kuradeel.
"Watched closely, my dearest!" Kuradeel yelled, clenching his sword tightly, "I will show you who you should be with!"
Kirito stepped forward. He twisted his body, and reached for his black sword. He easily pulled it free, and swung it out in front of him.
"The solo player Kirito, the black swordsmen, and a member of the Nights of the Blood Oath are dueling!" somebody said, "This will be a good show!"
It was then that Sachi realized there was a crowd building around them. Nervousness crawled through her, and she looked back at Kirito with worry. How much trouble she was bring him.
"Kirito," she whispered nervously.
Kuradeel arched his body while holding the sword up, moving a little clumsy compared to Kirito who bent his body a little. Both looking completely different to one another for this battle.
The timer was running down quickly. As soon as the number hit zero, both swords glowed and they shot towards one another.
Kuradeel brought his glowing yellow sword above him, while Kirito ducked down. He held his black sword tightly, and twisted his feet, slashing along Kuradeel's middle while Kuradeel completely missed hitting Kirito at all.
Kirito then twisted his body once more, he swung his sword again. This time hit Kuradeel's own sword before they burst away from one another.
Wind erupted from the action, Sachi took another step back. The wind erupted past her, and pulled at her short hair. Her eyes widened as she watched the top part of Kuradeel's sword dance through the air, and hit the ground.
Kirito had broken the sword in half.
"P-Preposterous," Kuradeel let out.
Kuradeel stood up straight and looking at his shattered sword. It then disappeared in a flash of green. He then let out a groan, holding his middle and turning around to glare at Kirito.
"Whoa, h-he broke his weapon!" voices said around them, "Was that his goal?"
Kirito snorted. He put his sword away, and looked back at Kuradeel, "You can feel free to try again with any weapon you want. I will always defeat you, I am after all, ten levels higher then."
"Kirito," Sachi said, rushing towards him, "You didn't have to do that."
Kirito looked at her and smiled, "I did have too," he said, placing his hand onto her head and gently patting her.
Kuradeel growled. He narrowed his eyes while looking between the two before opening his yellow menu, he took out a smaller sword, "You'll pay for that."
Sachi's eyes widened when Kuradeel charged at them, "K-Kirito!"
Kirito spun around, and side step. He moved so fast that Kuradeel didn't have time prepare for the sudden movement. The man of the Knights of the Blood Oath went flying over his own feet, he let out a loud yelp, falling face first into the ground.
"W-What?" he let out, a sword being aimed at his throat.
Sachi stared down at him, holding her short sword with her hand, "Kuradeel-san, leave me alone. I mean it, stop following me!" she said firmly, her heart beating painfully in his chest. She was doing everything she could to not tremble in front of him.
"Leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you!" she added firmly.
"The destruction of my weapon must have been a ruse!" Kuradeel yelled, face red with rage, "Otherwise, there's no way a dirty beater could have-"
Kirito snorted, "Believe what you want, you've heard from Sachi. Leave her alone, she doesn't want anything to do with you. Not now, and not in the future!" he said, a hand going up his sword once more, "If you don't, I will to more than destroy you pathetic sword…"
Sachi inhaled sharply, she stepped away finally and put her sword away, "You go back to the headquarters of the Nights of the Blood Oath, alone. I do not want to join the guild."
"You picked him?" Kuradeel sneered, "A low life beater over me!"
"I'm a beater too!" Sachi huffed, "I was a beta for Sword Art Online, just like Kirito!"
Kuradeel's eyes widened before they narrowed darkly. He looked like he was going to say more, but changed his mind. Instead, he shook his head and turned around. He stalked back up to the teleport platform, and then disappeared.
Sachi stared after him until her legs gave out, "….I really did that…" she mumbled.
Kirito caught her, wrapping his arms around her before she could fully full over, "Yeah, you did. It was pretty awesome," he said with a smile.
A cough escaped her lips, and she quickly inhaled sharply, "Y-You didn't have to that…it was my problem to deal with it."
"It's alright. I told you, I want to protect you even if you don't need it," Kirito smiled.
Sachi sighed deeply, "Thank you Kirito. Really. Thank you, but now what?"
"The dungeons are this way," he said, pointing out of the central area.
"Dungeons? You never said anything about dungeons," Sachi said softly, hands moving to press together, "What type of monsters are in it?"
"Skeletons," Kirito shrugged, "They're not too hard to defeat. You'll be fine."
"Skeletons?" Sachi repeated.
~#~#~#~#~#~
"I'm not sure," Sachi mumbled.
Kirito smiled encouragingly, and put a hand onto her shoulder, "You can't reply on your bow for everything. Sooner or later you'll run into something that you'll need something more then just an arrow," he said, "You also said you wanted to develop your skill, defeating something on this level will definitely do it for you."
Sachi sighed, she looked down at the wakizashi she held between her hands, "What if I mess up? I don't have any sword skills yet, it's just the normal…brutal strength," she pouted, "Unlike my bow that has more than skills now."
"Ten?" Kirito whistled, "More then ten? That's impressive."
"Kirito," Sachi whined.
Kirito chuckled, "Stop over thinking it. You're not alone, if anything happens I'll swipe in and save the day!" he said with way too much ergo.
Sachi rolled her eyes but smiled none the less. She looked around the 74th floor's dungeon. It was like Kirito had said, like walking along a pathway in the middle of grey and white clouds. Or inside a tornado. It was beautiful, she had to admit. Pitch black trees was littered around, with a few rocks in places.
It was unnerving thought.
"Ready?" Kirito asked, taking out his sword and holding it in front of him.
Sachi gulped, she peered back at the open pathway nervously, "I-I guess…" she said.
"I'll go first, and then you switch in after me," Kirito explained, "The skeleton should have already lost more than enough HP for you to finish it off."
Inhaling sharply, Sachi tightened her grip around the handle of her wakizashi and nodded. That sounded simple enough, she hopped.
With that, Kirito took a step forward. As soon as he did, the monster of bones formed from the pathway. It climbed out of the ground, struggling through the thick stone while holding a thick sword and shield.
Kirito immediately shot forward. He swung his sword, and slashed at it. The skeleton shielded itself, but Kirito was faster, ducked down and went for the monster's bone legs. His sword was glowing with darkness as he slashed repeatedly at the skeleton, going for the legs and then the middle.
The skeleton moved forward, it's body jolting back and forth. It brought its massive sword above its head, and brought it down upon the black swordsmen.
Blocking the sword with his own swords, Kirito swished out of the way. He then arched his body, and slashed at the monster once more.
Sachi swallowed thickly. She stared as Kirito practically danced with the monster, slashing at it whenever he could with speed that Sachi couldn't keep up with. She hadn't seen him fight like this in a long time, and she couldn't help but stare in awe.
"Switch!" Kirito yelled.
Sachi jolted. Her eyes widened and she rushed forward, holding her short sword, "Right," she gasped out.
The skeleton looked to Sachi. It's eyeless eyes staring into her soul, it moved towards her, dragging it's sword along with it. It arched it's bone-body backward, and yanked it sword forward, slashing at Sachi's middle.
Sachi leaped backward, missing the attack. She held her sword tightly, and slashed back at the skeleton. She bites her bottom lip as she misses, but quickly leaped out of the way from the counter attack. She swung around on the tip of her toes, and brought the sword forward, somehow hitting it right in the middle.
She used the opportunity to leap into the air, using the skeleton's knee to boost herself up. Her sword glowed a bright white colour, and she flashed it along the monster's head. She leaped down behind it, the action making the skeleton's head to go flying.
It bounced to the ground, leaving the body moving like an headless chicken. Sachi moved towards it, and then brought her sword down upon the head. Immediately it shattered in green and blue glass shards, scattering around her.
Sachi stood up straight, her heart was beating so loudly that she was a little worried it could heard. She put the sword away, and slowly turned to Kirito.
"I-I did it…" she mumbled softly, watching as her white menu pop up and her sword skills quickly began to increase. It was no where near as high as her archery skill.
Sachi launched forward, she wrapped her arms around Kirito, "I did it!" she cried out with happiness.
Kirito let out a laugh. He wrapped his arms around Sachi, and spun her around effortlessly. He grinned back in return, "You did, I told you, you could do it!"
Giggling, Sachi smiled widely, "I can't believe it!" she gasped, pulling away and looking down a random pathway.
"Come on Kirito! Let's go do it again!" she cried, running down the pathway.
Kirito gasped, his eyes widened and he quickly rushed after. However he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at how excited Sachi had suddenly became.
"Hey, wait up! Sachi!" he called.
The two turned another random pathway, after defeating more monsters. Sachi came to a stop first, her eyes growing wide while looking up at the moving mass above her. She stared at it for a few seconds, and watched as Kirito walked up to it. As soon as they was close enough, it disappeared revealing a massive black door.
"Is that…" Sachi let out, lightly grabbing onto Kirito's coat.
Kirito swallowed, he turned away from the door, "The Boss door…we really found it…"
"W-What should we do?"
