Disclaimer: I don't own K-On or SAO. They belong to their respective animation companies, so...yeah. On with the show!
KingofBeasts Productions Presents:
K-Online: A Sword Art Online and K-On Crossover
Chapter 5: Where have you been, Yui?!
"Mio-chan! Ricchan! It's so good to see you guys!" Yui joyfully exclaimed as she held both of them in a hug that felt like a trash compactor.
"So good to see you too, Yui..." Mio said weakly, she and Taiga gasping for her air while the guitarist held on for dear life.
"Oh, so sorry guys!" Yui gasped when she realized that she was crushing her friends and immediately let go, finally allowing her friends to breathe.
"Man, that was painful..." Taiga said in between breaths.
"Sorry, Ricchan. I guess I don't know my own strength..." Yui said apologetically, a huge grin plastered on her face as she scratched her head chuckled.
"To be honest, I kinda missed those hugs of yours." Taiga stated honestly, matching Yui's grin with her own. Mio smiled in agreement, though deep inside, she had mixed feelings; while it didn't sit well with her that another one of her friends was trapped in this death game, she was genuinely happy to see the ever-optimistic brunette with them.
"Uhm, what's going on?" The three of them turned to see Asuna, s bewildered expression on her face as she was left quite confused by this turn of events. By that time, Klein had already left to check on his friends, leaving the four girls alone.
"Remember when I told you about the ditzy guitarist in our band?" Taiga pointed at Yui "This is her, right here."
Grinning from ear to ear, Yui turned to regard Asuna for the first time. "Hi! My name is Yui! I hope we can get along!"
"Ah..." Asuna recalled the conversation she had with Taiga at the inn earlier. She turned to the other brunette with a gentle smile and gave a light bow. "Hi, my name's Asuna. It's nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you too, Asu-chan!" Yui greeted her with one of her signature goofy grins.
"A-Asu-chan?" The bruntette with long flowing hair looked shocked, especially at the girl who had instantly thought of an affectionate nickname for her on the fly.
"She really is like that." Mio chuckled, then turned her attention to the guitarist. "I'm really happy that you're here, but how did you end up in this game in first place?"
"Yeah, weren't you visiting your relatives with Ui?" Taiga asked, curious and wondering why Yui was here in the first place. "And you're using your name like Mio?"
"Ehehe...I was in a hurry to see you guys, so I didn't have time to think of a name." Yui laughed sheepishly "As for how I got here..."
...
~0~
...
At the relative's of the Hirasawas, One month and Two weeks ago.
"Ui!~" Yui rolled around the floor by the living room, since their relatives were out with their parents "Ice Creeeeeeeeaaaam!"
"After dinner, Onee-chan." Ui, the younger of the two sisters, gently reminded her while she was cooking. At the time, the T.V was on the news channel and the buzz regarding the new game Sword Art Online was the current story.
"Aww, man..." The elder sister pouted in defeat. Since she had to wait patiently for her beloved frozen treat, she had to think of a way to pass the time. At first, she tried practicing "FuwaFuwa Time" on her beloved Gitah. It worked for a while, but she soon got bored after that. It was a good thing that dinner came around by the time she put Gitah down in boredom.
The Hirasawa sisters enjoyed their dinner in relative peace, except for Yui's elation when Ui finally brought out the ice cream. After stealing a glance at the TV while devouring said treat, she remembered something important.
"Uwah~! Mio-chan and Ricchan are in that game waiting for me right now!" With the boundless energy that she had become characteristically known for, she ran up to her room, where the Nerve Gear Mugi bought for her was waiting.
Watching her enthusiastic sister prance up the stairs warmed Ui's heart. It was a few seconds after her Yui entered her room that the younger Hirasawa heard her cellphone ring. She ran to check it out, finding that the caller was Nodoka Manabe, an old friend of her's and Yui's.
"Hi, Nodoka-chan! How are-"
"Ui! Is your sister there?! Has she used the Nerve Gear?!"
Whatever happened next was all a blur to Ui. She was able to pick up something about microwaves in what the bespectacled girl said, but one thing she said remained crystal clear to her as she practically ran up the stairs:
"Whatever you do, make sure Yui does NOT put on the Nerve Gear!"
"Onee-chan!" Ui called out desperately to her sister as she approached the room. Fortunately, the door was unlocked so she had no trouble forcing herself inside.
The sad news was that, to her horror, Ui Hirasawa was already a little too late.
..
~0~
..
"Then, when I got in, the sky was red!" Yui exclaimed as she animatedly told her story
"There was red goo dripping all over the place and-"
"No!" The three of them turned to see Mio cowering in a corner, shivering in fear.
"Oi, where did your earlier confidence go?" Taiga asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Anyway..." The brunette with shoulder-length hair continued "By the time I got there, the huge guy with a cloak was saying scary things like 'You're trapped in this game forever! Mwahaha!' or something like that. And now, here I am."
"Uhm...I'm pretty sure he didn't say that." Asuna laughed at Yui's way of telling her story. For some odd reason, she found that she liked being around this plucky girl, and had a feeling that they would be good friends.
"How about we get some rest for the time being?" Mio suggested once she snapped out of it "It's been a long night, and no doubt we're going to have a longer day tomorrow."
"She recovered quickly!" The three of them exclaimed in their heads once she got to her feet.
"I agree with her, though." Taiga said after recovering from the shock "We're gonna be spending the day killing stuff tomorrow, so we might as well get all the sleep we can get."
"Right, Captain!" Yui give Taiga her best salute, her pseudo-seriousness making her look adorable.
"Glad you understand, Private!" the drummer fired back with a grin. Mio laughed while watching this. It was indeed a delight to see Yui again. How she had missed the plucky guitarist and her sunny outlook on life.
"You guys are something, you know that?" Asuna smiled as she joined the others in leaving the restaurant and walking back to the inn.
..
~0~
..
December 17, 2022. 2nd Floor: Urbus. 9 am, The Next Day.
"Yui, Wake up!"
"It's saturday, Ui..." Yui lazily swatted Asuna's hand away, unwilling to rouse herself from her slumber.
"Yui, there's cake!" Taiga tried to bribe the guitarist with her well-known kryptonite: sweets.
"Really?! Where?!" The brunette shot straight up from her slumber, only to find that there was no cake. "Liar." she pouted "There's no cake..."
"Sorry, Yui. It was the only way to get you up." Mio giggled while watching her struggle to get off her bed.
"Don't worry, we'll get cake later after we're done." Taiga assured Yui, who suddenly burst into life as she practically jumped off the bed highly motivated.
"CAAAAAAKE!" was Yui's battle cry for the day.
Meanwhile, Asuna could only stare in disbelief as the brunette, who was a lifeless heap earlier, act as if struck like a lightning bolt. "Is she always like this?" She asked Mio.
"Yes, she is." The raven-haired girl laughed softly "You should see her during band practice. She always slacks off and only budges when food is involved."
"She does have her moments though." Taiga grinned at the still skeptical Asuna "You'll see what we mean when the time comes."
"Ready to go!" Yui exuberantly declared, now clad a brown leather vest with a white shirt underneath, light brown trousers and black boots. On her back she slung a sword big enough to be of the one-handed variety.
The others nodded in agreement; Taiga was clad with a slightly sturdier version of the breastplate she wore a few weeks ago and had long since replaced her [Whacker] with a [Spiked Mace] she bought from the shop. Mio and Asuna still had the same gear they had on, although there were small changes, like Mio's new [Curved Saber] and Asuna's [Wind Fleuret] strapped securely around their waists.
"Alright!" declared Taiga "Let's move out!"
"Wait! Let's have breakfast first!" Yui cried out, her stomach grumbling due to her hunger.
This caused both Mio and Asuna to sigh in exasperation. Taiga, however, just laughed it off and a huge grin was plastered on her face.
"Some things never change."
~0~
Thankfully, breakfast didn't take too long (even though Yui went for seconds) and they were on the road towards the gate, eager to farm some levels and col.
"I'm looking forward to bashing things today!" Taiga exclaimed, slinging her mace over her shoulders. "Hey, Mio! Think we'll run into some slimes today?"
"I-I hope not..." Mio stammered, her courage wavering.
"You mean those green blobs that jiggle when you hit them?" Yui asked with her signature sunny smile "They're so cute when they jiggle!"
"Please take this seriously, Yui..." Asuna shook her head, obviously not as used to the the girl's eccentricity as the other two.
"Aww, don't be like that, Asu-chan." the brunette answered back with her high pitched voice "I'm taking this as seriously as much as you guys are. I mean, I've survived on my own for a month after all..."
"She's got a point." Taiga patted 'Asu-chan' on the shoulder "'Sides, Yui's the kind of person that becomes unimaginably focused if she wants something. Ain't that right, Mio?"
She turned only to find that her childhood friend wasn't beside her. They all looked back to find a cowering Mio crouched down, her skin paler than usual, mutter "I don't wanna see, I don't wanna see." over and over.
"I think you broke Mio-chan." Yui stated bluntly.
"I swear, it's like I'm watching a comedy skit." Asuna shook her head, wondering what she got herself into when she teamed up with them. Nonetheless, she found their camaraderie amusing, if not heartwarming. 'Even though they're trapped in this game, they can still put a smile on their faces and continue to see the good things in life.' she though with a smile as she watched Taiga and Yui try to snap Mio out of it. 'Thanks to them, I can keep going. All the way until the end of the game. I'm glad that I met them. I really am.'
It was after Mio finally recovered from her shock that a scream was heard.
"What was that?" Taiga asked the others, who began looking around for the source of the noise.
"It came from the town square!" Asuna said as she ran there, the other three following closely behind.
"You don't think a monster came in, do you?" Mio asked, visibly scared but doing her best to keep a cool head.
"Not likely!" Taiga called as she struggled to keep pace, having the lowest AGI stat among the four of them. "Like it or not, this game's pretty fair when it comes to Monster AI!"
"So what could have happened then?" Yui asked as she ran with them.
"We're about to find out." Asuna answered as they got to the source of the commotion.
There, they saw a girl around Asuna's age, with short hair with a bluish tint and mostly clad in blue, hugging what looks like a basket of potions tightly while being harassed by four men in black-tinted armor and army green cloaks. Mio, Taiga and Asuna were able to recognize one of them; the porcupine-styled hair and cocky smirk were images burned into their minds.
"Kibaou..." Taiga growled as she narrowed her eyes venomously.
"You know that guy?" Yui asked her enraged friend "His head looks like a cactus."
"Let's just say we have a history." Mio said calmly, fixing a cold glare at him. "Let's just see what happens first..."
"D-don't!" The terrified girl shivered while holding on the health potions for dear life "I need these for my friends! Just take my col instead, just don't take my potions!"
"No can do, missy!" Kibaou gave a leering grin "Ya see, we need as many resources as we can to clear the second floor so that we can all get outta here. Your potions happen to be one of those things we need."
"Yeah!" the other goon agreed "If ya wanna get out of this game faster, then hand those potions over!"
He reached out to grab the potions the girl was holding, which began a tug-of-war as each party refused to yield.
"We have to do something!" Asuna whispered to the others when she saw no one from crowd that gathered due to the commotion do anything.
"Agreed." Mio nodded, Taiga and Yui as well, as they stepped forward to confront the bully.
"P-please..." the girl pleaded while holding on for dear life. "Don't do this..."
"OI! Didn't you hear the lady? Let those potions go!"
The four thugs turned to see Taiga, flanked by Asuna, Mio and Yui, stand before them defiantly.
"If it isn't that little brat." Kibaou hissed "I never forgot that slap you gave me!"
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Taiga taunted with a wicked smile.
"You should know better than to extort resources from a helpless girl, Kibaou." Mio reasoned, her tone serious, as she and Asuna tended to the girl. "Are you alright?"
"I-I think so." The meek girl they were terrorizing answered.
"Extortion? We're just simply getting the much needed support from the lower-leveled players." Kibaou responded with a sneer "We all need to be in equal footing in order to finish this game, you know."
"Don't give me that 'equality' crap!" Taiga shot back in anger "You're just trying to hog all the resources for yourself under the guise of clearing the game. Honestly, you're worse than those 'beta-testers' you keep harping on about!"
"Don't compare me to those cheaters!" Kibaou shouted back at her, losing his temper "Those guys never did anything for anybody! They just took off on the first day to leave everyone to die!"
Yui, who had just been watching the entire time, remembered a conversation she had with a friend a few days ago before they parted ways
..
"You're leaving? But why?"
"It's dangerous for you to hang around, since I'm a beater."
"A beater?"
"A combination of a beta-tester and a cheater. To many people, I'm just a guy who cheats to win the game. A guy who's only in it for himself.
"But that's not-"
"That's why I must leave you, for your own safety."
"No! I-it's not fair! You're not a bad guy! You've been so nice to me, teaching me everything I need to learn to survive! If it weren't for you, I would be all alone..."
"Thank you, Yui. I really appreciate it. You remind me so much of someone I know."
"Please, don't leave..."
"Good bye. Let's meet again in real life, okay?"
"H-hai..."
..
Yui snapped out of her reverie, tears trickling down her cheeks at the memory. 'It's been three days since then, huh?' She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes before the others could see. Thankfully, Taiga was busy getting in a heated dispute with the cactus head while Asuna and Mio were tending to the fallen girl and thus had not seen Yui cry.
'Not all beta-testers are bad. Definitely not him.' the brunette turned to Kibaou with renewed determination. 'He was nice to me. He was a really good friend, and I'm not letting this guy insult him!'
"Excuse me, cactus-san?" All turned to see that the girl who had been quiet the entire time spoke with her usual radiant tone "How about we settle this with a duel?"
"A duel?" Kibaou looked at the girl questioningly.
"Yes." Yui continued "If we win, you leave this girl alone, and never bother her again."
"And if I win?"
"You can take the potions, and my sword." Yui replied confidently.
"So I take that you'll be the one dueling me?"
"Yup."
"Deal!" Kibaou grinned evilly, then turned to his men "Back off boys. This girlie's mine!"
"Yui, are you nuts?!" Taiga looked at the brunette "He may not look like much, but he's taken on a boss before!"
"You really should have thought this true." Asuna agreed "I've seen him in action before, and he's pretty strong."
"Don't worry guys" Yui told the other with her signature goofy grin "I know what I'm doing."
'I worry when you say we don't need to worry' Mio thought as she watched Yui accept the duel request that was sent to her. While she had her usual sunny disposition, she happened notice something else in her friend's chocolate eyes. They did not have the same jolly glint, but instead, the bassist saw a fire that continued to burn with increased intensity.
'Wow, she's serious about this.' Upon that revelation, Mio turned to the other two who were still protesting Yui's choice. "It's okay," She began "We just need to trust Yui. I know she's a bit of a goof, she pulls through when it counts."
After some thought, Taiga knew how right Mio was; not only had she snagged a perfect score in a test at one point, but the girl had performed flawlessly in their live shows time and time again. Upon this realization, she chuckled while shaking her head "You got that right! Let's see how Yui will handle this."
Asuna was about to open her mouth to protest, since she knew Yui the least, but when she saw the faith these two were willing to put in her, she let it go. "Very well." Asuna sighed in defeat "Let's see how it goes."
"Thanks, Mio-chan." The brunette nodded gratefully towards her companions before turning to Kibaou, who had unsheathed his [Wolf's Fang], a two-handed sword he got from a drop. Meanwhile, Yui had drew her own sword. It was silver around the guard and jagged near the hilt, but was straight the rest of the way.
"You're gonna regret messing with me, little girl!" He sneered at her. He was confident that he picked an easy opponent. He believed that he would have harder time facing any of the other three, so he sized her up as the weak link, seeing as she didn't look so threatening compared to her friends.
Still, both combatants steeled themselves as the timer wound down. Each of them went into a battle stance, measuring the other as they waited for the clock to reach zero. All while their comrades watched in anticipation. Mio believed in Yui, she really did. 'But that does not stop me from being nervous.'
The instant the timer hit zero, the battle had begun.
Kibaou made the first move, rushing towards his opponent and bringing down his broadsword with a vicious vertical strike. Anticipating this, Yui shifted her body to the right for a clean dodge. Using this opening, she swung her sword a horizontal arc that left a cut on her opponent's cheek and chipping away at some of his life bar.
"She's fast!" exclaimed an astonished Asuna, amazed by Yui's reaction time.
"Why you little-!" He attempted to swing his sword upwards while Yui was in a vulnerable position. Fortunately, she was quick enough to jump back before the blade could reach her.
"Too slow, porcupine-san!" Yui teased while sticking her tongue out.
'Way to make him angry, Yui.' All three of thought while chuckling nervously.
"Feisty one aren't we?!" Kibaou, desperately trying to keep his cool, charged at his opponent. He swung in three consecutive arcs, all of which were dodged by the brunette. He thought he had her wide open after she avoided his third attack, so he went for an upward thrust aimed at her head. Yet Yui was simply able lean back and evade his attack once again. Seeing yet another opening, she casually swatted his blade aside with her own and nicked his torso before darting away from his reach again.
"I'd thought you'd be a lot scarier, Mr. Cactus." Yui said as she scratched her head in a bewildered state.
"I guess I was wrong."
"Are you making him angry on purpose?!" Taiga yelled from the sidelines.
"Sorry, Ricchan." Yui giggled mischievously
"Shut up!" Kibaou, having already been flustered, was just about to lose it. He stomps his way towards Yui yet again. This time, he swung wildly, hoping that any of them would hit his target. Unfortunately for him, all the Yui did was dodge his weapon effortlessly, or parry it with her sword. Whenever she chance, she'd come close and make an accurate strike before jumping out of his reach.
"Why can't you stay still?!" He whined after Yui's recent hit-and-run assault.
"I have to admit, she's doing great." Mio said while observing the match "And I can see what she's trying to do."
"What would that be?" Asuna asked, interested in what the bassist had to say.
"Yeah, I'm curious too." Taiga joined in as well.
"If you noticed," Mio directed their attention to the fight "She is at a range disadvantage due to his bigger weapon. So she can't go for a direct approach."
"I see!" Asuna perked up in realization "So making him lose it was part of her plan?"
"That's right." Mio nodded at the fencer "Now that his temper is lost, he'll be easier to read. All Yui has to do is wait for him to make a big mistake...
"Then go for the win!" Taiga exclaimed joyfully "Nice one, Yui!"
Yui briefly turned to the three to give a peace sign and one of her goofy grins before turning her attention back to Kibaou. She noticed that his life bar nearly down to half, which meant all she needed was one strike before she could win the duel.
Kibaou realized this as well, which made him even more desperate. "You're going down!" He roared as he began to charge up his blade for a Sword Skill. In response, Yui met his, readying her own Sword Skill. By all accounts, it looked as if she was going for a full frontal assault.
"Yui, what are you doing?!" Taiga yelled, worried that her friend may have made an unnecessary risk.
"Don't worry." Mio patted her friend's shoulder with a smile "She's got this."
"You're done!" Kibaou roared as he was ready the thrust his sword into her. For a moment, it looked as if Kibaou was going to land the potentially damaging hit and end the duel. It was at that moment Yui spun gracefully on her left foot, evading the attack beautifully.
"Sugoi..." Taiga was dumbstruck, in complete disbelief at watch she witnessed.
"Wh-what?!" Kibaou said in disbelief, so sure that he would hit her. Now he found himself in a disadvantageous position: not only was he wide open, the delay in using a botched Sword Skill will mean that he wouldn't be able to recover in time.
In other words, Yui had him right where she wanted him.
"Yaaah!" With a mighty battle cry (which sounded way too cute for this writer and some of the bystanders watching) Yui executed a [Sonic Leap] that sent the porcupine head crashing into a wall. Needless to say, the blow brought his HP down to half, effectively ending the duel in Yui's favor.
"She did it!" Taiga pumped her fist in victory, turning to her two compatriots with a smile on her face.
"She sure did." Asuna agreed "She's probably one of the better players I've seen."
Yui took a deep breath before sheathing her blade. Satisfied with Kibaou with her usual radiant demeanor "So, are you going to leave the girl alone now?"
"I...I..." Kibaou stammered, unable to think of what to say. His cohorts helped him up to his feet and together they made a getaway. "I won't forget this kid!" he shouted as he left.
"That was some pretty sick fighting, Yui!" Taiga said as she, Asuna and Mio approached their friend "Where did you learn how to do all that?"
"From I guy I hung out with two weeks ago." Yui grinned while modestly scratching her head "He taught me a lot of things."
"Uhm..." they all turned to see the girl they rescued, still clinging on to her health potions, approach them. "Thank you for your help today. If it weren't for you, I would have lost all those potions I bought with my money."
"Hey it's no big deal." Mio smiled at the girl "It's a pleasure to help you, Miss..."
"Sachi." The girl bowed respectfully "My name is Sachi."
"I'm Mio, this is Taiga" The bassist point to her friend, then motioned to the others "This Yui and Asuna. We're all friends trying to survive this game."
"It's so nice to meet you all, and thanks again for helping." Sachi gave a slight bow before jolting up straight "Oh no! Keita and the others might be worried about me by now." She held on her basket and began running towards one of the inns "Thanks again, and it was nice meeting you!" she called back to them as she left.
"Bye!" All three of them called back to her. To say that it had been an eventful morning would be quite an understatement.
"So...shall we go out to farm?" Taiga suggested as she brandished her mace.
"Can we eat lunch first?" Yui whined "I did a lot of fighting earlier, and it made me I'm hungry..."
This caused all three of them to sigh. She did prove her mettle today, showing that she can be resilient and can understand the situation the best she can, so getting lunch would be a reward for them.
"Fine, you win Yui." Mio shook her head laughing "Let's go get something to eat."
"Yeeeey!" Yui cheered as she made a beeline for the nearest restaurant with Mio and Taiga trying catch up with her. This left Asuna behind, trailing after them as she was lost in her own thoughts.
'That style...' Asuna thought 'The way she moved, the way she held her sword...It's just so familiar some how. In fact, she fights like him. Could it be...
The chestnut tinted haired girl shook of those thoughts then quickened her pace and caught up with the others. Little did she know that her assumptions would prove to be true.
..
End Chapter 4
A/N: Whew! I'm finally done with the latest chapter. Sorry if Yui was a bit OOC. Regardless, I had so much fun writing her parts!
To all who have been following this fic, I thank you for your patience and I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story! There so much more to be discovered, so I hope you all stay until the end of this journey!
Yui: Hai!
Wah! Yui, what are you doing here?!
Yui: Deadpool-san told me that he did this all the time, so I wanted to try it out too!
I swear, I'll give 'Pool an earful when I resume my HIS fanfic...Anyway, since this just about wraps it up, Yui will do the honor of announcing the next chapter's title!
Yui: Hai! Next Time on K-Online: U&!