AN;… Sorry, I didn't expect having to make all of you wait so long.
Disclaimer: I don't own SAO or Bleach.
Chapter 7: Gift of the Shinigami
Mugetsu woke up to the sound of Sōgyo no Kotowari playing tag with Ukitake. But the game stopped upon Ukitake taking notice of him rising. "Oh, your awake. So how do you feel, do you need any help getting up?"
"No thanks, I'm fine. The only problem is this splitting headache I have," he said rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, I almost forgot. What happened to the one you were looking for?"
At this the twins that had continued their game without Ukitake stopped and gave a saddened look. "He's dead, most likely devoured by that hollow we fought last night. And it seems that he wasn't the only one." Mugetsu looked at home for an explanation. "We found a bow near the fight. Our friend did not use one. And judging by its kind, it seems there is a second war approaching before we even finish this one. Well in any case, don't feel bad. Our friend will most likely be in a better place now."
"I see…" A sense of regret hit him. Could he have saved that person if he had run faster? This might all not be real, but the pain that Sōgyo no Kotowari showed was all too real. 'I need to get stronger. That way I won't fail to save someone again. Be it an NPC or another player, I won't let them die if I'm around!'
But his focus quickly shifted to something he realized once he was on his feet. 'Is it me or is there a reason that I feel lighter?' Looking Dow he saw that it was due to his new attire. He now wore the same black kimono that Ukitake had, minus the white coat. "Um, is there a reason I'm wearing this, Ukitake?"
"Well you see," he began. "Your armor was nearly destroyed by the hollow. So I decided to give you a spare shihakushō I had. It might seem like it won't offer much protection, but it can slightly increase your physical abilities." Wanting to confirm this, Mugetsu opened his status window. But whhat he found was more than he expected. His shihakushō was giving him a 7% boost in all his stats and skills, and his level had reached 12.
"What the hell!? Last I checked my level was 10. So how did I level up twice already?" While he continued talking, Ukitake and Sōgyo no Kotowari mearly looked at him like he had grow a second head. "It must have been that hollow. Even if that thing was on the first floor of this game, that thing was extremely strong. Most likely it was ment to be fought with a larger group of players."
"Um… excuse me, what game are you talking about?" This caught him off guard. For some reason or other Ukitake and the twins seemed overly self aware. But in any case that wasn't particularly a problem for him.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. I was just thing out loud for a moment." He was then tackled by Sōgyo no Kotowari with a hug to the ground.
"Play tag with us! You said you would play once it was all over." Both sat atop Mugetsu's chest while he rubbed the back of his head due to the fall.
"Sure thing, but could you get off me first." An so all four of them played for about half an hour before Ukitake had to take a break. But both kids still seemed to be completely unaffected.
"Ok now, settle down you two. How about we eat before continuing the game. I'm sure our new friend must be hungry after what happened last night." Mugetsu was about to say he was fine, but his virtual stomach growled before he could even get a word out.
The meal that followed was calm and simple. They ate some rice balls Ukitake had and some bread that Mugetsu had bought back in town. To drink they just had some water and tea that Ukitake brewed.
"Oh, before I forget. There is one more thing I'd like to give you for your troubles." He pulled a long katana from behind him before handing it to Mugetsu. It had a blue string tied to the bottom of a hilt rapped in red. The guar was a rectangle with a few simple designs on it. "This," he said, "is a zanpakutō. It's the primary weapon of us shinigami, though I won't go too much into that right now. In any case, that blade will only become as strong and powerful as ones own strength."
"Are you sure," asked Mugetsu. "I failed to save your friend, and I nearly got us all killed. Should you really be rewarding me?"
"Pardon me," said Ukitake with a smile. "Are you forgeting that it's thanks to you that we slew the hollow in the end? Now with that monster gone we don't have to worry about our enemy getting ahold of our friend."
'Wait, is he really ok with letting his friend die just to stop someone? No, he protected me from those red blast. If he wanted me dead he could just have let me to die rather than heal me. Is there more to his words or something?'
"As for our friend," he continued, "he might not be by our side anymore, but I'm sure that he will still find his path." Sōgyo no Kotowari stood at Ukitake's sides, who then kneeled and hugged them.
"I see…" 'It's not that he would sacrifice his friends, but that he believes that they will still find peace.' Mugetsu might have failed to meet the original goal of the quest but still managed to gain much from it. He had managed to level-up in the span of one night and received a powerful new sword along with some intriguing gear. And most of all he had found the time to simply relax and enjoy some of the things this death game had to offer. 'Wait… didn't I have to meet up with the other players for the boss fight today?' Glancing at the time he saw it read 8:52. "Shit, I'm late!"
Ukitake and the twins looked at Mugetsu who seemed to be in a panic. "Is something the matter?"
"Sorry but there is somewhere I need to be." He got up and grabbed the zanpakutō he had been given. "Thanks for everything but I must leave."
"Oh don't worry, we understand that you have your own problems to attend to. Come to think of it, there's someone we have to see ourselves."
"Thank," responded Mugetsu. "By the way, what do think of finishing our game if we ever meet again?" At this Sōgyo no Kotowari's face lit up with a joyful smile.
"You promise," they asked in unison. Their new friend merely nodded his head. "Yaay! Mister said he'll play with us again!"
"Well, guess that's everything. See ya around." And with that he left while the three companions waved him goodbye. 'Man, can't believe I forgot about the boss fight!'
AN: Again, sorry for not updating in a while. I'll try to add at least two more chapters before the end of the year.