Yes, I realize many many things. One, it's been a freaking year. Words cannot be enough of an apology to you, my faithful readers. I will do my best to make up for abandoning you for so long. Two, Silica will be ooc. It's too late to fix it. It would break the story to bring her back to innocent and without conviction. Please accept it and I hope you can still enjoy. I love you all
Waking up I found myself much less agitated than the last two days I had been sleeping. Having gotten used to a being sharing my bedding space, I was pleased by the radiating warmth from my side. I smiled lightly and rolled over, resting my head in the crook of his neck.
"Hey Silica-chan?" I heard lightly.
"Mmm?" I mumbled out, still half asleep.
"You're drooling on me." I heard, a slight crack of laughter breaking through in the end.
! "Ha!" I yelped lightly, now immediately alert to the offending dampness smeared on my cheek. I wiped it away fervently with evident embarrassment, also noticing the slight glisten of saliva I had left on the shoulder of his shirt. "S-S-Sorry!"
He looked at me with a large grin, eyes dancing at my expense. Stifling a laugh, he sat up and poked my cheek, "It's fine. It was adorable." I slowed down my need for cleaning myself at his words, a faint warmth spreading internally. His hand reached out and thin fingers stroked my knuckles in reassurance. "Plus it's not real saliva or anything; not nearly as gross and the game will get rid of it soon enough anyway."
I stretched, arms flexed and ready to face the virtual world. "Well since you ruined the moment, my sleep, and your chances for a morning kiss, we might as well get some breakfast." The boy with dark hair simply stared at me, mouth agape and an obvious, if not exaggerated, look of disappointment on his face.
Too damn cute. "Hehe," I giggled lightly as I leaned forward and quickly kissed his cheek before jumping over him and out of the bed. "So, food?" I pointedly walked away from his still stunned gaze and slightly outstretched hands. In the bathroom, I swapped my sleeping clothes for something more appropriate for a meal in public. Through the crack I had left open, I heard similar pings and materializations.
Leaving the inn, noting the fact that there were only four days left in my free lodgings, we traveled towards the warp gate. "So what's the plan for today Kirito-kun?' I looked up at him, his hair covering his eyes from the too early sun. Even fighting night and day doesn't make one particularly happy about waking up early.
"Well I figured we would see how your skills have improved. You said you went to floor 49 the other day, correct? And that was with your whole party? How difficult was it?" He seemed to go into a different mode, concerned with stats and levels and trying to help me catch up to him enough to be safe on the same battlefield that he fought with such ease. It was an interesting change.
"Err…" I stumbled, thinking back to my day in the volcano. "It was rougher than I'm used to, but it was doable. Plus I have the advantage of a healing best friend, right Pina?" I looked towards the blue floating mass next to me.
He replied with a resounding "Kyu!" causing both of us to laugh in amusement.
"Well you're with me now," the boy started with a smirk. "So let's aim even higher."
"Eh?!" I was startled. He's crazy! I'm way too under-leveled! "That'll be dangerous though!"
"Yea," he offered blankly, not bothering to fight my claim. "You'll be with the Beater after all," he puffed out his chest and smiled with vigor.
I didn't know whether to laugh at his pride in his label, or to find him utterly insane at the proposition itself. I went for a deadpan. "You're crazy, you know that?"
He responded with shushing me and patting my head. "Don't tell anyone else. Okay?"
I couldn't help but smile serenely.
Seeing the teleport gate, I had to ask, "So what floor are we going to exactly?"
He slowed down at my words, not really moving, lost in thought. Then, after a moment, he turned to me and got on one knee, hands on my shoulders. If it wasn't completely ludicrous, I would have thought he was preparing to propose to me. Twice in a week might be a bit much. The suddenly serious look on his face also failed to scream 'romantic moment.' I never felt more inferior to him until that moment, him looking down on me knowingly. "We're going to the top floor."
! The top floor? I can't do that! I barely was getting comfortable on floor 49. I'll die! I opened my mouth to voice but he instead cut me off, "Do you remember what I promised you on the day we first met?" The first day? A slideshow of tears, embarrassment, and my first kiss flew by me in a flash, but no promise. I shook my lowered head, slightly ashamed, It must have meant a lot to him if he's bringing it up now. "I said I would never let harm befall you, and I mean it. We're going up high, and it will be hard at first, but I will be there every step of the way."
How could I have forgotten that? I'm such an idiot. The silly Kirito from last night was gone, in his place was the one who seemed willing to do anything in his power to keep me alive. I was helpless against my actions, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and clutching him tightly. "I trust you," A simple whisper, but filled with more emotion than I could manage to speak at the moment.
He hugged me back for a moment, then, in unison, we turned towards the gate, activating with a strong and semi-strong "Grandzam."
The blinding light turned into the sight of a medieval stone city. It was nothing new, but it had an aura of 'You're not welcome here.' Next to me, Kirito looked down at his hand and removed his ring. "You should take yours off too. Trust me."
Frowning, I complied, putting it in my pocket instead of my inventory, the small weight enough to keep me from questioning him about that, for now. He said they would hate me, so maybe it's for my sake, so they don't think we're married. He then began to walk forward, feet having taking this path a dozen times leading me towards what would either be my death, or my rebirth as a true front liner. A deep swallow later, I took shaky steps and followed suit.