Special thanks to Lady Lily Anne for helping me flesh out Fem!Kirito's past. As an aside, Asuna shall remain female and be BFF and partner to Kirito. Please review!
Coper wasn't a talker, which really didn't surprise Kirito all that much if she were to be honest with herself. If he'd come out here on his own he was likely a beta tester, and chances were their kind were not going to be looked upon fondly in the near future.
Luckily, Kirito didn't actually give a damn what most people thought about her so she just continued murdering tentacle rape monsters alongside her redheaded friend as he rambled on about Star Wars of all the Gods be damned things.
"Don't get me wrong," Klein stated as his sword stabbed through what was likely his three dozenth 'Little Nepenth', "Rey's a great protagonist, she just doesn't have the life that the Legends universe gave Jaina and Jacen." Coper finally showed some emotion by letting out a frustrated growl as the monster he had just slain dissolved into flashes of light swirling around him.
"Are you telling me you actually prefer the absolutely bat shit insane Legends universe to the revamps?" At this he poked the bridge of his nose as if to push up eyeglasses that were not there, much like Kirito tended to but she actually managed to stop the impulse for the most part.
Damn did she hate those things, especially since more than one pervert told her they made her look like a sexy librarian. She was fourteen for crying out loud!
"Dude!" Klein exclaimed as he slammed his sword into the ground, leaning against it for support as he crossed his arms. "Seriously all they did was rehash the original trilogy while throwing away thirty years of backstory! And they killed Han! Han was a badass! How could they have killed Han?!"
Coper rolled his eyes at that as he turned to the newest respawn, "Because Harrison Ford is as decrepit as an old man can get without being dead and they didn't want to pay his insurance for the later movies?"
Kirito actually snickered at that as she slaughtered yet another horrible plant rape monster, unrelated note she really should stop naming opponents after the first thing that pops in her head. She blamed said ill thought out names on the doujinshis floating around her school that she had unfortunately failed to resist reading.
Curiosity and cats as they say.
"He's got a point there you know. Don't get me wrong, I love Indiana Jones but holy shit man, he did not age well." Klein growled a bit but before he could offer a rebuke he let out a choked gasp as a newly spawned 'Little Nepenth' nearly took his head off, Kirito sighed as she cleaved it in half saving her somewhat belligerent friend from his newest near death experience.
"Thanks kiddo...that was close," Klein muttered as Kirito simply shrugged in turn. The trio took the limited breather waiting for respawns to down water and healing potions, eventually Coper turned his gaze to the female of the group.
"You fight well, fluidly, and it isn't just the system enhancing your movements." It was a statement, not a question, shrugging Kirito swung her blade a bit before nodding as she glared at the empty field surrounding them.
"You're looking at the unofficial regional kendo champion gentleman, been practicing the art since I was seven when my bast-...wonderful grandfather forced a blade in my hands and ordered me to defend myself against him."
Coper simply cocked a brow at her slip, Klein though didn't suffer from such inhibitions as 'being polite' so he let out an incredulous, "Holy shit..."
Snickering Kirito nodded slowly as she began stalking the newest respawn, "Yeah, ok story time. Coper you wouldn't have gotten a read on it yet but Klein probably has. I don't like attention from large groups or individuals, like at all."
Klein snorted at that as he baited her target to charge at him and deflected the blow as Kirito rushed it from behind stabbing it in the back, "No shit, cute girls rarely roll grungy looking guys as their avatars if they want people to shower them with attention."
As the monster erupted into polygons Kirito nodded quickly, "Right, anyway we were having semi-finals during the regional kendo tournament, my little sister Suguha and I ended up facing each other at the end. I won, barely, but the thing was I had no desire to participate in the championship. Me and crowds that size? Hell no. Suguha realized this so when I forfeited she accepted the nomination like a good sport instead of looking at it as a hand out."
Coper slayed a 'Little Nepenth while nodding, "She sounds like she has a sound head on her shoulders, or at the very least understands her sister."
Kirito grinned at that as she wiped her brow clear of sweat with her already soaked through sleeve, "Yup! Anyway, little sis goes to the regionals and wipes the floor with the competition rather handidly. So about a week later I'm in the dojo practicing in full gear when the guy she beat for the title shows up screaming out our family name demanding a rematch."
She snickered at that rolling her eyes to the sky as she readied her stance for the next respawn. "I step forward, quite automatically mind you, and ready myself for a fight. Next thing I know this idiot charges me and I take him apart in less than thirty seconds, not really sure what the hell happened but it wasn't a real fight for sure.
"The guy starts screaming, stomping about like a child demanding I give his honor back, after a few minutes of this it stops being funny and I get bored. Eventually I just shrug and turn to leave, as I enter the locker room there's Suguha, tears of pride gathering at the corners of her eyes before she snaps and wraps her arms around me declaring me the best big sister ever."
Kirito snorted at that as she approached Klein offering him a canteen, "Long story made short, I beat Suguha but bowed out for the finals, but we both ended up wiping the floor with the runner up so I'm technically the winner but regardless little sis is a badass."
Coper chuckled at that as he ran a hand through his sweat stained hair, "Well we're lucky to have you in our group then aren't we?"
Kirito smiled blandly at that as she turned her gaze towards Coper and paused, "About goddamn time!" Both males turned to follow her gaze and a moment later locked onto a 'Little Nepenth' with a flower on its head.
"Good god that took too long...and we still need two more...lets gets this over with," Klein groaned. Nodding Kirito approached the newly spawned group of mobs and turned to address Coper.
"OK I want you to...Coper?" Her eyes widened in confusion as the young man approached another group of Nepenths, he turned towards Kirito locking his sorrowful gaze upon hers, and muttered "I'm sorry," as his sword lashed out and cleaved through the red fruit jiggling about the head of the monster nearest him.
"No..." Was all she could manage in a strangled gasp as Coper faded from view. Suddenly, as the ruptured fruit did what it was supposed to, she and Klein were swarmed with all the newly respawned 'Little Nepenths' in the area.
"FUCK!" Klein screamed as he began swinging his blade about as if it was a butchers cleaver, trying to clip as many of the monsters as possible as he backed up to Kirito who had just regained her senses.
"Why?!" She screamed, as she brutally stabbed one of the monsters, glancing over her shoulder she deflected a blow that would have connected with Klein's head a moment later as he just as quickly slipped past her guard to knock back one that was about to lash her from the side.
"Does it matter?!" He growled out as he grabbed the younger girl and pulled her to his side, she glanced to where Coper had vanished and gasped loudly.
"Coper you moron! The 'Hide' skill only works on sight checks, these things operate on scent!" Before she could do anything a half dozen 'Little Nepenths', including a newly spawned flowered one, rushed towards the bushes their erstwhile ally was hiding in.
"Oh, Oh god no, STAY AW-!" Coper's terrified cry was cut off at the sound of shattered glass and the flash of fluttering light, closing her eyes Kirito turned back to Klein and felt something she hadn't before. A burning, seething desire to survive, and so with a roar, she charged forward.
A rather harried time later the pair stumbled from the forest, neither really functioning on terms one would label 'coherently', but they were alive and just with it enough to follow the compass back to town.
Yay them.
Leaning against each other they wandered back into Horunka village and found themselves in the tavern once again, not even thinking about it Kirito showed Klein how to disable the morality function and soon both were deep in their cups.
Klein for his part didn't know what to think, he had liked Coper, sure he hadn't spoken much but he seemed a decent sort...then...then he'd just left them to die so he could collect the quest item.
A. Quest. Item.
A collection of 1s and 0s and some snot nosed kid had tried to murder him and Kirito over it, he just didn't know how to handle this other than through a large amount of alcohol.
Kirito was in a similar mindset for different reasons though. Coper had been kind, cordial, and pleasant to look at, she'd actually considered adding him to her friends list when they were done with the quest, get to know him a bit better as she quested.
And he had arranged her murder.
That was what ran through her mind as she swallowed another mouthful of the bitter swill that passed for beer around here, someone had tried to kill her and Klein.
For an item they were willing to help him grind for.
Shuddering she demanded another drink and ignored the tears forming at the corners of her eyes, refusing to acknowledge those signs of weakness as she tried to bleach her mind of the days events.
It didn't work, after a time she was drunk and emotional rather than just emotional, shoulders shaking she dropped her head into her crossed arms and began sobbing uncontrollably.
She'd liked Coper, and he'd tried to murder her...it...she just couldn't comprehend it, it was too much too soon.
Why? What did he have to gain other then to get an item a few minutes earlier? It...it didn't make any goddamn sense! She lifted her head to shakily take another sip of her beer when the drink was knocked away by a leather clad hand, turning to glare at her companion her rage was quelled as she looked upon Klein's suddenly dead serious visage.
He kept their gazes locked a few moments before he shook his head and scooped her into a bridal carry earning him an surprised and rather enraged shriek as he turned towards the stairs leading to the room they had rented.
"Put me down you ginger prat! I need to be drinkier...drunkier...put me the hell down so I can have booze!"
Klein sighed at that as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling, "Not happening princess, you're drunk, distraught, and most importantly, pissed off. You're gonna sleep this off and we're gonna start fresh tomorrow, you'll thank me in the morning."
Still squirming in weak resistance Klein carried her into the room then rather unceremoniously dropped her on the bed as he kept walking to the couch. Plopping down on said furniture he kicked his legs up on the table while muttering 'Lights off'.
A moment later the room was lost in darkness and the young man tried to force himself to sleep, doing his level best to ignore the fact that he'd likely be dead today if it hadn't been for a teenage girl with an attitude problem.
He sat there for a few minutes before he heard a huffing noise, eventually he felt a weight land next to him that soon wormed up to his side, a moment later he had a head of soft hair resting on his chest.
"I hate you," Kirito muttered as she pulled a blanket over them.
Klein rolled his eyes again as he threw an arm around her shoulders, "No you don't."
Relaxing fully into his side she eventually nodded, "No I don't." They remained silent for a time before she let out a tired sigh, "Today sucked."
Klein responded with an exhausted laugh as he let his head drop back, "Fuck did it ever...talk to you tomorrow Kirito..."
She remained silent for a time, before muttering, "Keiko...my names Keiko..." and before he could reply, she was snoring.
I view Klein as adorkably protective and scarily competent at the same time when it comes to Fem!Kirito, hope you enjoyed!