Aincrad, Floor 71: Labyrinth 6:30 AST (Aincrad Standard Time)
"Goddammit! Faster!" The violet embossed blade attempted weakly to follow it's wielders bellowed request; issuing a chorus of ever frantic and increasingly unstable strikes to the towering level forty Frost Bone mob.
The creature's skeletal frame was tall and robust; far reaching limbs exuding an aura of dangerous power despite the lack of any notable flesh or muscle. The mob seemed to hardly bat a non-existent eyelid at the flailing and lumbering strikes of its opponent; each consecutive blow countered with a sharp swing of its imposing hatchet.
With a low, menacing growl the now aggravated monster reared one arm back, preparing to land a blow on its now vulnerable assailant.
The sharpened axe head glinted in the low dungeon light as it rose, falling with tremendous speed back towards it's stationary target...
Before being met with another blade. This opponent was cloaked in the veil of darkness, it's blade seeming to become a blur of frenzied movement with a battle cry rising to match the mobs own. The swordsman's weapon deflected the mobs own and, in a surgically precise arc, the blade now issuing a bright lilac hue as if set alight, cleaved deep into the Frost Bones exposed chest for the final time.
The mobs primitive AI barley had the time to register its own demise before deteriorating into the familiar turquoise particles which framed the two figures before them briefly before dissipating as rapidly as they had appeared.
"Yuuki?"
Kirito turned away from the now vanishing Frost Bone to look upon his fallen partner with a look of concern. Yuuki was sprawled on the ground with her head hung in what might have been shame, her breath laboured and wheezing. She didn't move to meet his gaze.
"Yuuki?" he questioned once again, moving to place wary hand on her slouched shoulders.
"I'm fine" she muttered bitterly, brushing off his hand and using her sword as a stabilizer as to help her stand. He didn't miss the drawn out pained hiss that escaped her clenched teeth as she righted herself.
It took more than a moments warring with himself and staring at her back that was now turned towards him before speaking up.
"No, you're not." he was thankful his voice came out as even and calm as it did, with the tornado of emotions currently stirring inside him. "It's your joints again isn't it?" She twitched slightly which he took as confirmation, "You can't just keep pushing it like this y'know you might end up..."
"Stop."
Yuuki was facing him once more with a tired expression, her avatar's weight supported only by the longsword which kept her upright. "I know you are just trying to help but please just..." she ran a hand through her tied back hair in irritation, "...lay off for a little bit ok?" her voice was small as she finished.
Kirito was conscious of his throat constricting and felt his resolve weaken completely. The sight of her in such a dismal state was unbearable no matter the situation.
"I'm sorry Yuuki." he moved to her and gently embraced her, his extra height allowing him to tuck her head under his chin. He felt her lean into him slightly and gladly accepted her exhausted petite frame with as soft a grip as he could manage.
"Are you sure it's nothing to do with the sword?" he murmured to her after a moment of welcome silence.
Yuuki glanced down at the weapon she wielded, it's polished surface staring back at her.
Absolute Sword was the name the Cardinal System had issued Yuuki's side arm upon her obtaining it after achieving an LA Bonus and it seemed a perfect fit for the elegant yet incredibly deadly weapon. The blade had been Yuuki's primary weapon during the clearing of Floor 71; making short work of the many field mobs present in the heavily forested level, often requiring no more than a few well placed strikes in the hand of Yuuki to wipe out even the highest level of them.
"Definitely not the sword." Yuuki mused, the thought bouncing around her fried mind, "It's the wielder that has the problems."
Yuuki shook herself out her own thoughts and replied to Kirito in a low voice; "No, definitely user error."
"I'm barley able to keep up now when you're on your game, I wouldn't say you are holding it back any." Kirito countered, " Quite the contrary; If anything I'm worried I'll be left in your dust."
That was finally able to bring rise to a small giggle from the lithe body huddled against his own.
"Well, It is way more accurate than my previous sword and hits like a truck!" Yuuki's voice pitched up a tad with blatant enthusiasm.
"Hell, if I didn't know any better I'd say it even surpasses your dear Elucidator." Yuuki mocked, reaching around him to point at the ornate black and silver leather scabbard hanging from her partners back.
"I mean, It's practically useless now... I'm sure Agil would take it off your hands as scrap." she moved towards him, putting her arm out as if to reach for the sheathed weapon.
Kirito let out a chuckle, eyes rolling in disbelief.
"Yeah right, when have I ever let anyone, besides myself, touch this thing or come anywhere near it?"
As much as he hated to admit it, Kirito could recognize that he had become hopelessly attached to the gracefully deadly curves that comprised his cherished sword. Even after twenty floors he still held onto, and wielded, the mass of gleaming obsidian that was dubbed Elucidator; that was a ludicrous amount of time to sport one weapon, even in SAO.
And that was a feat in of itself, as in a death game where allies besides yourself were hard to come by players tended to become attached to their only lifelines.
"Still." Kirito thought idly, "No-one has ever accused me of being 'normal.'"
"Ah whatcha saying Ki?" Yuuki whispered her voice airy and teasing.
"Scared of me touching your sword? You know it's impolite to keep a lady waiting for too long..."
System Shutdown.
If any amount of nerdy, slightly scrawny, male teens could conjure an eloquent and smooth reply to a question of that nature from a person of the opposite sex Kirito certainly wasn't one of them.
"Wait... WHAT?!" Kirito leapt back from Yuuki in a panicked fashion, not dissimilar to prey running from a particularly terrifying but oddly alluring predator.
Yuuki began to shake violently with uncontrollable laughter which echoed around the enclosed Labyrinth, staining the dark cavern walls with light. As she wiped tears from her closed eyes, she gradually composed herself and moved to capture him to continue the earlier embrace.
"Ahhah, god you're too much fun Ki." she said once wrapped back in his now slightly tense arms.
"Look, how about I make it up to you, we've been here all day clearing why don't we grab some grub back in Qrow?"
Some semblance of life finally returned to Kirito and he gently planted a kiss on Yuuki's lavender tresses. "I'd love too, but don't you go pulling what you did the last time we went out for a meal, I'm paying." he moved his gloved finger to cover Yuuki's lips as she began to protest.
"You do enough for me Yuuki, at least let me treat you with dinner." Kirito felt Yuuki let out a defeated sigh as she stepped away from the warm embrace.
"Fine, just don't overspend ok?" Kirito simply chuckled and pulled Yuuki's hand into his own, "I promise, now shall we get going?"
Yuuki's grin returned as the two began the long walk to Labyrinth's opening.
"Yeah... And Kirito? I was serious about the whole 'overspending' jazz... I'm not going to date any sugar daddy."
For the second time that day Kirito wished he could he could simply vanish as Yuuki's laughter broke the silence of the corridors once more with tenth-fold the intensity.
/Scene Change/
why do you even bother
"Full yet?" Kirito said in amusement to his partner sitting opposite him; she nodded swallowing the last bite of her desert, her face quickly being dusted by a light blush as she did so.
"Sorry, I guess I did kinda go overboard" she apologized, her eyes scanning the many empty dishes adorning the table between the two. Kirito only let out a warm chuckle.
"I'd be worried if you didn't eat much, you've been really going at it on the field lately, and with your current... complications, I imagine it's been all the more tiring for you."
Yuuki smiled slightly as she pushed her dish to the centre of the table and leaned back into her plush chair.
Kirito was temporarily enthralled, the small jar held candle which sat among the many empty dishes cast a soft light upon Yuuki's graceful features. Her recently adorned smile, stunning crimson eyes and silky lavender hair seemed to become even more prominent under the flames meagre glow. Even if she was still in her slightly dirty clearing gear, Yuuki was immeasurably beautiful to him.
"Hey... Kirito." Yuuki's small voice snapped him out of his trance, her tone sounding conflicted.
"I'm... I'm sorry about earlier, about... snapping, I know you do your best I'm just..."
Kirito quickly moved his hand to caress her pale cheek gently. "Yuuki, it's fine. I know you have problems you're not quite ready to share with me yet. But just know, I'll always be here for you, you can count on that." His palm slipped off Yuuki's cheek as she lowered her gaze to stare at the dark hardwood of the table in front of her.
"W...why do you bother?"
Kirito felt as if a cold iron glove had squeezed his heart. Yuuki's voice had grown weak and incredibly muted and copious lilac bangs hurrying to cover her face from Kirito's concerned view.
"Y-Yuuki, what do you mean?" Kirito said his own voice becoming low and hoarse.
"What did I say?" his voice became more frantic and cracked in desperation as she didn't respond.
"Yuuki please, what did I say?" he put his displaced hand over hers. Yuuki took in a shaky, rattling breath and finally spoke again.
"Why do you even bother with me." her voice had grown weaker still, "You're Kirito, The Black Swordsman, you could have anyone you wanted, anyone!" She paused as a wet choke escaped her throat. And yet you chose me, some nobody girl that pestered you on the frontlines and one who is a colossal bitch about a problem you have no control or knowledge of!" Yuuki took another shallow breath, her cheeks slowly being overcome by tears.
"And besides what can I offer you that other girls in this game can't, most are easier to live with, better at this romance stuff and have better assets." her voice trailed off, breaking into wracking sobs that rocked her slender frame her face still hidden by the lilac bangs.
Kirito's face hardened as Yuuki wept and he stood abruptly walking over to Yuuki's side of the candle-lit table, and pulled her upright into his arm; Her hair finally slipping away to reveal her tear streaked face clearly accented by shock at Kirito's sudden actions.
He tightened the embrace between them and whispered in her ear while gently stroking her head.
"I don't want to hear you say that ever again Yuuki Konno." his tone was comforting but was sure in its direction, something uncommon to the awkward swordsman.
"I love you, and you only." he put a finger under her chin and tilted her head to look at him, "Because you we're the only one who stuck with me and cared about me during the darkest point of my life. And you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, you are far stronger than I could ever hope to be."
Yuuki's eyes widened as Kirito pulled her into kiss the depths of which took her breath away, his arms wrapping around her small waist. Once she recovered from her shellshock every fibre of her being moved to return the kiss and wrap her own arms around his neck pulling the two closer still and stirring the flames of something deeper than mere words could portray in both of them.
It took a long while before they slowly separated, Kirito's arms still around her waist and Yuuki's still around his neck, they looked deep into one another's eyes, scarlet into black, before Yuuki moved to wipe any of the remaining tears from her face.
"I... I love you too.. she said her voice awash with emotion; tightening her grip on him.
"You have a right to know what happened to me before this game more than anyone, I want to tell you." Yuuki's face set with determination.
"Because if there is any hope of me getting over it, I need to get it out." Yuuki looked up at him with an unwavering gaze.
"And there is no-one I trust more."
The boy in question could only hold her tighter as he struggled not to lose control of his own emotions.
"Kirito, can we go back to the room? If your done eating that is." Kirito could only mutely nod and allow Yuuki out of the embrace as they moved for the door of the establishment.
Yuuki squeezed his hand as they walked out into the night's cool air and turned to him once more.
"I hope you're ok with staying up a bit late tonight..." she paused
"...I've got a story to tell."
Author's Note: What is this? An actual Chapter?! Yes DoTB is back from it's painfully long two month-and-a-bit long hiatus, and the writer's block has been taken round to the back of the compound and shot full Soviet Style.
Anyways... thanks for sticking with me, NEXT CHAPTER WILL COME FAR SOONER, it's going to be on Yuuki's origin as well... prepare your tissues.
As always please leave a review they help motivate and improve the story.
Till' next time!