Hey everyone~ It's ya favourite Kitsune coming back with a brand new thingy for y'all!
Okay. So.
Mental health took a very bad dive over the new year. A lot of issues going on have left me struggling to do the simplest things of taking care of myself, let alone anything else. Even now, I'm struggling with it all despite being on medication again after a few years. Just be patient with me, since I'm just working on a few things before the usual updates for ETK:R okay? I haven't forgotten!
Things haven't been the best and I'm not doing as well as I'd like to be right now, so even this has been a little bit of a struggle honestly... yet I hope all of you who read this enjoy what's been written~
For now? This is another small writing event from the SAO Discord that I'm a part of (which, feel free to ask for the link in the reviews/PMs!) that now focuses on the main pairing of SAO itself; Kirito and Asuna~
As usual, seven days with seven different prompts! So without further ado... day one of seven! c:
~KiriSuna: Black Lightning~
~Partners~
Over two-thousand people. Three hundred or so have been confirmed to be Beta Testers. No longer among the living.
It was a sobering thought, yet it proved to be the first real breakthrough they had made since the Death Game started. In just under a month, players had banded together to take the mantle to find the pathway towards the boss room blocking the way to the next floor. A lot of the initial Beta players had a hand to play in the discovery of the boss room, despite the specifics of where the room actually was being different than before.
It was the first real beacon of hope the collective players had since they first landed in the game, after the heartbreaking revelation of being trapped in a death game. And it was a beacon that was surely needed.
Yet despite that, his mind was elsewhere.
His mind flashed back to yesterday; remembering how close he had been to not making it in time for another player to lose themselves due to carelessness on both his and their part. He remembered taking the near-catatonic woman who nearly killed herself from the way she was trying to play, and quickly escaping the dungeon they were in via the use of one of his Teleport Crystals.
Not even a minute after making it back to safety in the Town of Beginnings, did she turn to him with heat in her voice and lambast him for his intervention and for involving himself in a situation he had no business being in. Kirito soon returned the favour by ripping a new asshole into her and drilling the point home that she could have died if he didn't block the final attack.
Heated words left her fuming and stunned into silence, listening to him drive the point home that she would not be here if it wasn't for him stepping in. She thought him a genuine asshole once he told her he should've listened to her and let her be but... she found herself unable to say anything. She would be a hypocrite if she responded how she wanted to that comment, so she remained to stew in her angry thoughts as she watched him walk away.
'Asuna', he remembered. The thing that bothered him was that she wasn't bad. She just didn't have the knowledge of a gamer, or the mindset of one. She expected to come in, make mistakes, and have everything reset if she got it wrong. That was no longer an option. Sensing some potential in her, he told her about the meeting today. What she did with that information was up to her, and no longer any of his concern.
He swiped his menu open, bringing up his messages and hovering his finger over a small whiskered-chibi icon that sprung up in front of him. Clicking on the icon, he reread the message for the fifth time; some persistent player looking to buy his 'plus-six' Anneal Blade for a hefty amount of Col. He wasn't looking to sell the weapon, given that it was a drop from a small hidden dungeon he remembered from the Beta, himself. Swiftly giving a reply, he closed the menu and returned his attention to the meeting in front of him.
The meeting was boring as expected; some dude by the name of Diavel trying to take the lead and organize the raiding party for the boss room, some player complaining about the Beta Testers being a part of the game and having an unfair advantage, and an update on the number of deaths. The latter part had his attention and held it, forcing him to turn retrospective for a few moments while the other players scrambled around to form teams.
"Something on your mind?"
It took all his willpower to not shout in response to the sudden voice out of nowhere, leaning back from the new figure like he would be burned by their presence alone. He noted the new figure was wearing a small cloak over their head, concealing their frame from the rest of the onlookers that turned their way thanks to his startling outburst. Once he calmed down, however, he noted the voice sounded familiar to him, and the unmistakable caramel orbs of hers...
"Asuna?"
Spoken in a hushed whisper, the figure nodded in response to the name. Kirito stiffened slightly, the air turning awkward between the two of them after the events that took place yesterday. Now mostly ignored by the players once more, he shifted his posture slightly to face her properly.
"I'm sorry!"
Both Kirito and Asuna spoke in tandem, startling one another, as the two spoke unanimously. They paused before the two burst out into a peal of light laughter before composing themselves once more. Kirito shyly scratched the back of his neck, unable to face her caramel orbs that regarded him fully before he spoke.
"I'm sorry about being so harsh on you yesterday. I could've handled myself better and not sounded so condescending and egotistical to you, and chosen my words and tone a lot better. We... don't have any second chances or 'do-overs' if we mess up, and I didn't want you to be another life lost to this game," he admitted softly, still unable to look Asuna in the eyes. Would he have been brave enough, he would've seen the widening of her own eyes while the shy smile continued to grow more sincere.
"I can see the potential you have, and I'm sure a lot of people would be sad to know that you're no longer alive because of stubborn pride. I... can't say much myself on that front, knowing I'm proud too. But, yeah..."
She paused, the silence settling between them that no longer held that awkward quality. Letting a hand rest on her chest to calm the slight breathlessness that hit her before speaking in response to his words.
"No, I'm sorry. I... tried to show myself that I was capable like everyone else but ended up placing myself in unnecessary danger. It's like you said, we've no second chances here. I wasn't thinking about that and I'm sorry that I snapped at you. So... thank you for coming to my aid, Kirito."
Asuna bowed slightly, freezing Kirito in place from the gesture. Glancing around, only a few people remained and the meeting had long finished while the two of them continued to talk among themselves. Having gotten the time and place for tomorrow's raid, he gently tapped the back of her hands to let her know he accepted the apology.
"Well, we know where to go tomorrow and what's going down. If... you don't have a party, then you're welcome to join me? if you'd like?" Kirito offered with a smile, having it returned with one of her own.
"I guess this makes us partners then, hmm~?"
~Chapter End~
And there we have it! Prompt one, done! Sorry if it seems a little short and a tad underwhelming, it was pretty difficult to try and find a starting point for this prompt! xD
Nevertheless, this chapter will likely be the odd one out from the rest of the chapters since the others will have a running 'theme' to go with it; just felt like going back to the foundation of Kirito's and Asuna's relationship and going from there~
I should also mention; a HUGE thank you to my fellow partners-in-crime! To TigerCry and DHersheyPlus, who've made this event happen in the first place! Both are fantastic writers in their own right so please give them both a check out too! And to TigerCry; a special shoutout for the amazing artwork you've provided for everyone in this event, so thank you sis! :D
So! Keep tuned for the next sets of prompts over the next week or so! Kitsune, signing out~! :3
