A/N: Time skip ^_^

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Ty to my Beta tester Ph1n4l

Reviews:

Pyrohellguner: Au contraire, I am a horrible writer who y'all misunderstand as tolerable. Nu-uh. It won't. Yes it did. The twists! Sooo good! Yeah I like it when he lives. … Oh yes, consider many things. Its better with him not dead. Now Kirito isn't a beater so he can join a guild.

AlexCaffri: Lol ^_^Ty. I do indeed. I do love twisting plots. It was, quite.

GGGEEEUUUSSSTTT: Why thank you.

kyrito: Oh good, I only need 998 more beta testers now. Thank you, i thought so too.


The Archery Skill

Chapter 8: The Red-Nosed Reindeer


Two weeks after the boss fight The knights of the blood oath had become the strongest and second largest guild in the game, after the Aincrad liberation army. The Lead Group has reached floor 29. Meanwhile, Sinon and Kirito have just been assigned to train a party that just joined the Knights of the Blood Oath; they call themselves the Moonlit Black Cats.

Kirito and Sinon were in charge of the military, and tactics for the guild. Diabel, in all his charismatic-ness was in charge of recruitment; Asuna was the one in charge of guild internal affairs. Zoë oversaw everything, but she usually helped out with dungeon raids and recruitment. And then there was Arekkusu; no one was really sure what that kid did, but he or she was almost always with Zoë.

"Ok everyone join the party, today we're going to grind the floor 15 dungeon. I know this is more advanced than the places you're used to grinding, but with Sinon and I to power level you guys you should be Lead Group material in no time." Kirito said (he had gotten better at giving orders and being a leader since floor one, and he was no longer as anti-social either). The Moonlit Black Cats had previously been a guild, but when Kirito saved them from a dungeon and offered them a place in the Knights of the Blood Oath, they quickly took it as an opportunity to reach the front lines faster.

Everyone had joined up now and the party list read:

[Kirito]: 1,200/1,200 Lvl 48

[Sinon]: 1,000/1,000 Lvl 49

[Keita]: 800/800 Lvl 24

[Tetsuo]: 800/800 Lvl 23

[Sasamaru]: 650/650 Lvl 22

[Ducker]: 500/500 Lvl 21

[Sachi]: 650/650 Lvl 20

This was going to be harder than he thought. Kirito decided that to achieve the level the group required he should eventually take them to the floor dungeon on floor 27. In the mean time they would just farm field mobs and become acquainted better.


After three weeks of leveling and teamwork, Kirito thought they were ready. He called them all together before everyone went to sleep, but Sachi was missing. "All right everyone, spread out and look for Sachi, and tomorrow I'll take you to your final test to join the front lines." Everyone left in different directions. Kirito opened his friends list and used [TRACE] on Sachi. He found her under a bridge. "Sachi!"

"Kirito."

"I was worried."

She looked down at the water in front of her. "Hey, Kirito… Let's run away together."

"Run away from what?" He asked

"From this town, from the monsters, form the Black Cats… from SAO"

Kirito looked horrified. "D-Do you mean a double suicide?"

"Heh, that might be ok. Sorry, that was a lie. If I had the courage to die, I wouldn't hide within the safety of this town, would I?" She said sadly, "Hey, why can't we leave this place? Why do we have to die, even though it's a game? What's the point of this?"

"I don't think there is a point." He answered.

"I-I'm afraid of dying."

"We're all afraid of dying."

"I'm so scared, I haven't been able to sleep lately…"

"You won't die… I promise." He promised.

"Really, how can you say something like that?"

"KotBO is a strong guild. We've always got at least one over-leveled player in the party to keep the others safe. And right now, you've got Tetsuo and me, so there's no reason for you to be a forward."

"So I really don't have to die? I can go back to reality someday?"

"Yeah. I won't let you die. Now let's get back to the inn, I'm sure everyone else is worried." He stood up and walked over to her, extending a hand, she took it.

"Okay," She said, "Hey Kirito, can I sleep with you tonight."

He looked slightly confused. "Why?"

"Well," She blushed, "You make me feel safe."

"I guess it's all right." They walked back to the inn, and she slept better than she had in months.


It was morning, Sinon was walking on point with Kirito, and the rest of the group was behind them, appearing to be having a great time. They were in the floor 27 dungeon and had encountered almost no resistance so far, which was strange. Sinon remembered this dungeon having quite a few [Dwarven Miners]. The players on point were so focused on scouting for enemies that they had completely missed a secret door.

"Hey leaders," Called Keita, "There's a super sneaky door here."

Sinon locked eyes with Kirito. How had the entire lead group missed that coming through here? They heard the grinding noise of crystal sliding against crystal and the hissing of pistons. They turned around and ran back. They were too late the door had closed behind them. Kirito kicked at the door, trying to get it open, but to no avail. They heard screams from within the chamber. "Sachi!" He yelled pulling out his sword, he began to swing at the door wildly, tears staining his cheeks. "KAYABA, YOU BASTARD!" He screamed. Falling to his knees he began to weep.

Sinon leaned against the door and slid to the ground, pulling Kirito into a hug. She too, was crying now. "It happened again," She said, "But this time… This time it was for real."

Kirito looked into her eyes, "We could've saved them. I promised I wouldn't let her die." He whispered.

"Kirito-kun, you can't save everybody," She started, looking down a little, "We can just try our best, and keep on living. So we can beat this godforsaken game. So we can save everybody who's left."

Kirito wrapped his arms around her and said, "You're right… we need to live… we're the hopes and dreams of everybody stuck in this stupid thing."

She looked back into his eyes, their faces were centimeters apart now. She leaned forward slightly, and kissed him. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was full of meaning.

His eyes were wide now, and they had both stopped crying, "What was that for?" He asked quietly.

"I'm glad you're still alive Kirito-kun."

"I'm glad you're alive too."

She smiled at him and stood up, extending a hand to him, he took it and got up. They walked out of the dungeon together. Their hearts heavy, but their determination restored.


December 24, 2023

The [Elite Party] was gathered in Zoë's office. "Ok everybody," She said happily, "We've received news of a one-time event item that is said to be able to resurrect the dead. We need that item." Everyone agreed that it would be a nice item to have. "The boss is said to spawn under a special fir tree: so we're going to split into teams of three and search the more probable spots, while I send out everybody else in the guild to check everywhere for this tree. The teams will be Kirito, Alex and me on team A and Asuna, Sinon, and Diabel on team B. Questions?"

"No ma'am" Replied everyone.

A B

[Heathcliff]: 5k /5k lvl 86 [Diabel]: 3k/3k lvl 79

[Kirito]: 2k/2k lvl 82 [Asuna]: 1,800/1,800 lvl 79

[Arekkusu]: 1,500/1,500 lvl 80 [Sinon]: 1,200/1,200 lvl 82

I got to be on a team with both Kirito, AND Sissy, that had to be one of the best things ever, I thought to myself.

"Ok guys," Kirito said, "I think I know the tree the rumors mention. It's on the 35th floor in the Forest of Wandering."

"Let's go then," Said Zoë

We arrived at the forest. Everything was going smoothly and then a strange group of players dressed as samurai appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey, Kirito." One of the players yelled.

"Klein." Kirito sighed.

"You know these players?" Zoë asked Kirito.

"Kirito, I thought you were a solo…" His eyes landed on Zoë, who he suddenly appeared in front of, bowing, "H-Hello, my name is K-Klein! I'm 24, single and looking for a girlfr-" As suddenly as he appeared he flew back and landed on the snowy ground with a dull thud, having been kicked my me.

"THAT'S MY SISSY YOU CREEP!" I shouted.

Everyone present drew their weapons. The sound of a large group teleporting nearby drew their attention. Enter: The Holy Dragon Alliance.

"Okay children step out of the way." A man who looked to be in charge of the large party said.

"If I may introduce myself," Zoë hissed at him, "My name is Heathcliff, but you can call me Zoë. I am leader of the knights of the blood oath, a guild ranked superior to your own, a veteran commander of the lead group, and I'm currently the highest level player in the game. I would advise you step out of MY way."

"You're bluffing, why would some like that be here?" He said skeptically.

"THAT, is none of your business. Now I suggest that you leave immediately, unless you would like to start a war, which I also advise against."

The leader of the squad looked conflicted, not wanting to risk his guild, he backed down. "Fine, see you at the next boss fight." He motioned for a retreat, and they were gone.

"Now then, Klein," Kirito started, "Why are you here?"

"Oh I followed you," He stated bluntly, "More importantly, WHEN DID YOU STOP BEING A SOLO PLAYER?"

"When I met her." He gestured to Zoë.

Klein's jaw dropped, "So you guys are lik-"

"What he meant to say was, when my sissy appeared after the first floor boss fight, our party formed the Knights of the Blood Oath."

"Oh, good, so she's sin-" I had dashed up to Klein in the blink of an eye, knife drawn.

"If you want to even think about hitting on my sissy, I first need to see a résumé, a letter of recommendation from an accredited source, and I'll need to interview you." I growled.

Klein looked stunned for a second, then pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here's a personal bio, it should have enough information, you can ask Kirito about me, he's good right, and do you want to do the interview now or some other time?" Klein gritted through his teeth.

"Now. Is. Fine." I said, menacingly.

We walked off together in a random direction glaring at each other.


"Umm what just happened?" Zoë asked.

"Klein's getting Alex's blessing to hit on you." Kirito stated.

"Oh umm lets go fight the boss." She said distractedly. In the distance a bell tolled, signaling midnight.

A zeppelin-sleigh flew across the sky and a steam punk Robo-Clause fell to earth [NICOLAS THE RENEGADE]. He was wielding a brass revolver (With extra cogs and moving parts) and a brass chainsaw powered by, you guessed it, STEAM!

"Tanks, up front," Zoë ordered, "Kirito take all the damage dealers and get in formation."

"Yes ma'am"

The robot agro-ed onto Zoë, and shot all six shots from its revolver which she easily blocked using [HOLY SWORD] and her tower shield. She then spun and sliced its leg. The robot brought down its chain saw on her which she deflected into the snow using her shield "SWITCH!" she yelled jumping back. Kirito flew at its head activating [SONIC LEAP], slashing its eye, he grabbed onto a cog on its head and swung onto the back of his neck. He started hacking randomly at where its cerebral cortex would've been, dislodging a few important looking gears and breaking a few steam pipes. The giant brass Santa swung its, now free, chainsaw at Kirito who back flipped off its neck and rolled. The chainsaw hit where Kirito had been, demolishing the back of its wielder's neck instantly depleting its health to red. Zoë Jumped to the height of the monster's chest and used a quick [UPPERCUT] to deplete the boss's remaining health. "Well you guys helped a lot." She said to the remaining members Fuurinkazan, and highfiving Kirito.

"So what's the drop?" He asked she looked through her menu and cliked it [Must be applied to deceased player within ten seconds]

"Aww, well it still resurrects, so that's cool I guess." She grumbled.

Kirito looked at the ground, "Yeah, just, if anyone ever dies in front of you, please use it."

"Don't worry, I will." She said.


It was Christmas, Kirito's group had found the resurrection item yesterday, and it was kind of a disappointment, but it was Christmas, and that that was a day for happiness… And presents! Sinon crept over to Kirito's bed (Yes they were staying at the only inn were they could get a two bed room it seemed). She lay down beside him and purred into his ear "Kirito-kun, wake up."

The boy shot up so fast she almost had a heart attack. He started to open his menu to draw a weapon, but just realized the alarming person was Sinon. "Oh, hey Sinon… Why are you in my bed."

"Don't you remember last night," She teased, she saw the horrified look on his face and said, "Don't worry Kirito-kun, nothing happened, I'm just kidding. However, it is Christmas and I hope you got me a present." He stared at her blankly. "If you didn't you'll regret it," she said starting to draw a dagger.

"Of course I did," He said opening his inventory, "Close your eyes." She waited with her eyes closed for a few seconds. "Okay." He said. Sinon opened her eyes, in Kirito's hands was a black wooden bow reinforced with a dull black metal, it was beautiful. She clicked it [Hecate +7] was the name; it did more than twice the damage of her current bow. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek, making him blush. She giggled gleefully, "I love it Kirito-kun. Oh, I have something for you too, she pulled out of her inventory, a black cloak with lots and lots of straps all of which were outlined in red. It looked like it had a high kick-ass stat bonus. He put it on immediately, it looked fantastic, plus it had good stats.

They spent the rest of the day with their guild mates, doing the usual things people do on Christmas, like drinking cocoa, singing songs, fighting bosses and generally having a great time.


A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope y'all liked it have a good holiday.

It felt like it was Christmas already when I was writing this chapter… I know its wwwaaayyy too early to think about Christmas.

But anyways, check out the Sinoto community, Ty to Ph1n4l for

I hope you guys liked the length of this chapter, it's my new record: 2.8k. Wow, saying that is kinda depressing. Let me know in the comments if you'd like 1.5k chapters every other day, or 3k chapters every four days.

Sinon X Kirito action is approaching.

Anyways Pleas R&R, read and review, rant and rave, whatever you want, just leave a comment.

As always, Peace Off ^_^