Just a couple of short stories I had made earlier this year featuring Jaymes and Sinon, ranging around the T and M rating. I uploaded them elsewhere and meant to do the same here. I really wrote these just to get the of pairing my OC with Sinon out my system. Of the three storyline pairings I've had with Jaymes (Lisbeth, Koharu, Eydis) and three other pairings I've written him with (Philia, Kureha, Sinon), Sinon is my preferred right under Koharu. If I could change the past, I would change bringing back Koharu and going with plan C for 'War of Underworld', Sinon would be main girl right now...and it would make writing Unital Ring in the future somewhat easier. Yet, at the same time, I like their friendship too.

Most of them occur right before or after Unital Ring. They all kinda follow the last Sinon short, "Ignite", and takes place after alternative timeline of "War of Underworld" and "Abyss of the Shrine Maiden" if I didn't bring Koharu back. There's also a reference or two to the upcoming Alicization stories here and there since they'll happen no matter what.

Hope you enjoy these shorts.

Jaymes' Apartment, SBC Glocken, Gun Gale Online

Jaymes turns his head as the doors to his apartment/Crimson Squad's base of activities. Entering the apartment is Sinon, the teal-haired girl walking directly to him as he returns his gaze to the hologram in front of him. "Sup, Asada."

"Hey, Hardin… Oh, looks like it's finally just the two of us. However, it's unnatural for Rei not to be around you when you're online. Did you lose her again?"

Jaymes scoffs as Sinon sits on the arm of the chair he occupies. "Like I'll do that again. She's her independent gal. She has her freedom, her will, her goals…"

"...You have no clue."

"She hasn't responded to me. I have to make it up to her for being absent so long. But I was in Underworld, then unconscious, then we had Premiere and Tia to deal with, plus my dad… And it's not like I haven't seen her. I brought my Augma to the festival we went to, and she's fully integrated into my house. I don't get her nowadays. She was so loyal and loving…"

Sinon frowns in mild disgust. "You have a Rei-complex, and it's amazing because you've known Strea longer."

Jaymes sighs. "If Strea did this, I might die."

"You're pathetic. Anyway, you're free right now, aren't you?"

"Mhm. Just comparing notes on homework with Asuna, Rika, and Kotone… Well, two of them are completely cheating. What's up?"

"Would you mind going out with me for a bit? I want to hunt down some enemies. Let's say school has frustrated me today, and some poor saps are going to be used as stress relief."

Jaymes nods and performs a few stretches. "Well, I haven't been on here since the last Squad Jam, and the fifth Battle of Bullets is close. Might as well dust off the rust. Where are we going?"

Sinon looks to the nearby windows, the hub-city skyscrapers blocking most of the light of the descending sun. "I've already got a place in mind. It's somewhere where there shouldn't be any shortage of satisfying enemies to hunt."

Jaymes grins devilishly. "That's what I like."

Jaymes retracts his blue Ameno Murakumo G9 as the defeated android NPC stares at him in anguish before spawning out. Rolling his shoulders, he holds his left hand to his ear. "Anyone else?"

"That was the last of them. This area is now clear of enemies. I'll head over to meet up with you."

"Ten-four." Jaymes straps the disengaged blade to his belt and scans the perimeter. He takes a deep breath, relishing the air of the post-apocalyptic world that makes up Gun Gale Online. Oh, how he's missed it...and how he's missed hunting scrubs with Sinon. The last time they went on a hunt, it was during the War of Underworld when they fought (and, depending on who tells the tale, won or lost) against Subtilizer. After Jaymes, Asuna, and Kirito put an end to the war, he wouldn't see Sinon again until over a month later. And then he asked her out on a date, and well...here they are, mid-September. Just days ago, they were in Sword Art: Origin on that game's version of Aincrad again, now he's back here, hopefully done with any virtual armageddons for a long, long time.

Or at least until after Battle of Bullets V. He must beat Sinon this time.

"Phew, well done," Sinon says as she catches up to Jaymes, bumping his fist and walking in line.

"Thanks, although you were as impressive as ever yourself. no matter the enemy, they go down with just one of your shots."

"Other players are one thing, but I seldom miss an enemy. There's a pattern to pretty much all of their movements."

"Even so, it's awe-inspiring how you can hit them from such a long range."

She waves off the continued compliments. "Well, I'm even more amazed by how you always fight with that Photon Sword. You're good with the twin pistols too, but your swordwork, it's even better than Kirito."

"Ha! Don't let him hear you say that. We haven't had a duel since…since...well, I guess since our time in the Underworld." He barely remembers that duel, or any of the time during the 200 years/20 minutes the boys and Asuna stayed in that realm. They visited the Roppongi branch of Rath two days ago, where Jaymes' Fluctlight told them some details, mostly centered on what happened about a year and a half after the war. "But that's a compliment, is it?"

"Yes, it is. It's a very bold fighting style that I know for one could never use."

"It's just natural to have a sword in my hand,"

"With you fighting out front, it makes it easier for me to act as a sniper. After all, you're always conscious of things like my position or line of fire."

"Well, I feel like that sort of thing should just go without saying. We've been working together as partners for a while, after all."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"So, do you want to keep hunting for a little while longer? Or should we head back to base?"

Sinon hoists her rifle up. "Well, I still have plenty of ammo… What? Is something wrong?" Jaymes had placed his hand up and stopped walking, quietly scanning the area. If Rei was here, she could act as a radar of sorts to assist him, but eventually his ears pick up the sound of something bouncing off the ground.

"Hyper Awareness!" Jaymes grabs Sinon as the skill activates, moving them passively from harm as a flash of light erupts in front of them. As they come to a stop, Jaymes and Sinon take cover immediately. "That was a grenade… Sinon?"

She grunts as she holds her chest limply. She might've gotten hit; the grenade was right in front of them and burst simultaneously with the activation of Hyper Awareness. "Jaymes… I feel...weird..."

"Alright! Direct hit!"

"Here we go! Open fire!" Enemy players...and based on the chaotic sounds of gunfire, it's a whole group, more than Jaymes and Sinon can handle without knowing where they're at. No, he could take them on. Hyper Awareness will make him unhittable for another two and a half minutes. Leaving Sinon exposed in her condition, however, is not an option.

"D-Don werry 'bout meh!" Slurred speech, limp limbs… Sinon's been stunned. Great.

"I'm not about to leave behind a friend of mine who's just been stunned. We're moving." He carries her bridal style and runs for dear life, trying to focus on where his footing is as Hyper Awareness shifts him through the bombardment of bullets. Worse, it looks like they're being chased down.

He feels Sinon place the Hecate II sniper rifle on his shoulders as best she can, firing back at their attackers. Whether or not she's able to hit anyone, it results in the recession of the attack. Reaching into Sinon's left pocket, he grabs a few smoke grenades and flings them towards the ground, creating a smoky veil between them and the enemy.

Even when Hyper Awareness timed out, Jaymes didn't stop running until he found a suitable place for him and Sinon to hide, that being a cave not too far from the fight but far enough for his tastes. After making sure their position is secure for the time being, he relaxes a bit and walks back to Sinon, still paralyzed, as she sits up with her back against the back of the small cave. "Looks like we're good for now. I'm not sure how long we can keep this up, though."

Sinon sighs. "I-I;m sorry. I'm only slowing you down."

"What are you talking about? You saved me back there. If you hadn't fired back, we would've been chased until Hyper Awareness wore off." He kneels in front of her, taking her hand. "How are you feeling? Is it still bad?"

"It's...a level three paralysis. But I'm starting to get some feeling back, yet… I think it's going to take a little longer before I can move."

He nods. "Alright. I guess we'll just have to buy ourselves some time here. I'll stand by the entrance. Message me when you're totally fine."

Sinon squeezes his hand. "Joshua, wait...with my body all numb like this, I won't be able to fight on my own if you go down. Hyper Awareness has a long cooldown, too, so you won't be able to rely on it for a while, either. So please...stay close to me."

If she's calling him by his real name now, she's not doing very well. He ignored it at first, but he could see how troubled she was by her facial expression. "...Okay." Jaymes sits to the right of Sinon, and she leans against him.

"I'm sorry, Joshua. Stay here like this just a while longer."

"No, no, it's no problem."

"...They're looking for us, aren't they? They're looking for us right now, even as we stay here like this."

"Probably, but this cave is pretty well hidden. I think we'll be able to buy enough time."

"This is a pretty bad situation, I know, but...somehow, this makes me feel safe. It's funny, isn't it? We're both being hunted down, my body's numb, so I can't move, it all seems really bad, and yet…"

"Well, I feel better knowing you're here too, Shino. I think it's the same thing."

Sinon smiles and forces a giggle. "Thanks. By the way, do you mind if I tell you something?"

"Go ahead."

"I don't know if I said this before, but until I came into the world of GGO, I was always alone. No, even while in Gun Gale, I was still alone until I met you. Then I met friends I could trust, both here in Crimson Squad and with Kirito and the others. All of a sudden, I started to feel like it was good to be alive too, even though we almost died on the same day."

"...That is true, isn't it?"

"Yeah. So for the past year, in ALO, GGO, and SA:O. I wanted to grow. I wanted to grow from being weak to being strong. I wanted to earn the right to be able to stand with you. It wasn't easy to get there. You had Liz, Kureha, Asuna, and Kirito, and most of all, there was Koharu. That alone is a mountain too high to climb. But I believed that as long as I'm with you, Joshua, together we can overcome anything. And we have. We saved Jotunheim and Alfheim, we've helped both Premiere and Tia, we made it through the OS incident, the White Frontier, and even beat Subtilizer together in the war. All of that in a year. I think that's why I feel so safe right now, even though I know we're being hunted down."

"But you don't need to earn any sort of right to stand with us, with me. We're with you because we all want to be with you, and I'm here because I want to be here. It's as simple as that. If anything, you're always saving me. You saved me just now by forcing yourself to move, even though you were stunned. You saved me by becoming Solus and fighting with me against Subtilizer. You saved me long before that. You were the first person outside of SAO to know what I did the day we raided Laughing Coffin, and that was the first time I ever opened up about it. And speaking of the Underworld… I learned I lost control of myself back there and fought both Kirito and Asuna. Almost killed them both, but then...I saw you and regained my senses."

Jaymes' face reddens, and he turns away. Sinon smiles and turns his head towards her. "Thank you, Jaymes. Hearing you say that makes me...happy." He nods and lowers his lips to hers, capturing her in a slow but passionate kiss.

"Dammit, where did those two disappear to?"

"They've got to be hiding somewhere nearby. They took a direct hit."

"But what if the guy ditched that girl and ran off?"

"Hmph! If he did, it just means an extra reward for us on top of all the loot."

"A girl still all numb from a stun grenade… Sounds delightful."

"Hey, don't try anything that'd get us in trouble for harassment. Look, but don't touch."

"You're right. She's quite the looker. Especially when she's angry, she's ultra-cute, dude."

"I would love to--Wait, who was that? Where'd that voice come from?" The two players in conversation and their merry band of ten other players search around the walls of the surrounding cliffs and the narrow path in front and behind Jaymes

leaps down in front of them.

"This time, you're the ones who stepped into our trap." Standing up, he activates the photon sword, letting its blue blade flicker in front of him. After a distant shot of gunfire, he swings the blade, deflecting the bullet and hitting one of the leaders right through the center of their face.

"The sniper!"

"I'll go find and take her out! Shoot him down!"

"As if." Jaymes slowly approaches the squad as the remaining leader attempts to flee and find Sinon. The rest open fire on him but combined with Hyper Awareness and the fact their bullet lines are visible, it makes it easy for Jaymes to deflect and dodge the bullets while cutting down the players. His smile grows as the runner looks back, seeing his allies cut down effortlessly until he's the last one remaining.

Tripping on his feet, he scoots along the ground as Jaymes stands and glares at him. "Wait, wait, wait… Let me go!"

"What was that you said about her? Seeing her numb and helpless would be delightful, huh? You spoke very ill of my partner. The only one who gets to see her that vulnerable is me. No one else." Jaymes turns off the sword and gestures with his head. "Run before I change my mind about letting you go." The player gets up to his feet and starts sprinting, but it isn't long before gunfire erupts through the canyon, and the player is knocked down dead.

"I guess that takes care of that, huh, Jaymes?"

"Yeah. They went down faster than I thought."

"There's no sign of anyone else in the vicinity. I'll head over to meet up with you now."

"Yeah. I'm ready to head back to the Glocken."

"So, um, Joshua. About what I was saying before... I think I must've been really out of it because of that stun grenade."

"Huh? But all a stun grenade does is make your body numb--"

"Shut up! That stun grenade had me all messed up, okay? And it made me say some really weird stuff! So just forget anything happened, and never mention it to anyone!"

"...Who would I tell that--"

"Forget. About. It. And if you ever break your word..." A bullet impacts the ground just in front of Jaymes, making him jump in his virtual skeleton.

"Hey! I get it, okay! I won't tell a soul! But I'm not going to forget about it. I could tell what you said meant a lot to you."

"...Fine. As long as you keep your mouth shut, I guess it's okay if you don't forget it."

Jaymes sighs and smirks. "All right, let's go home. I hope Rei is there. I mostly hope we don't run into more trouble, haha."

Sinon laughs herself through his receiver. "Who knows? There's always so much trouble when you're around, and I have to come save you..."