(Insert Doge meme here) Much Wow, So Early, Wow, Too much Wow-ing here
OKAY HI AGAIN! IT'S VERY LATE I KNOW BUT MERRY CHIRSTMASU (Ya noob you're like 4 days late) YES I'M VERY SORRY OKAY ... BUT FINALLY HERE'S CHAPTER 5 FOR SAO : Atarashi no Kisetsu (Bleh this took awhile ... FINE IT TOOK A LONG TIME)
Well there's sorta a backstory for all this (Excuses you noob)((LOLOL I'M SORRY)). This is sorta my first time writing these type of cheesy romantic emotion scenes (GIVE ME COMBAT NOT THIS) and it took a long time (Like a whole week ... seriously) for me to finally be satisfied and leave it at that. THEN I LOST ALL IDEAS TO WRITE THE LAST 2 AREAS (The place where there's lines ... yeah ... places :P ) and then I took a break. So I decided to binge watch anime as a form of leisure so I picked up what my friend recommended me namely Charlotte, Clannad and Little Busters (OKAY I KNOW ITS HERESY BUT I ACTUALLY NEVER WATCHED THEM BEFORE) AND GOD DARN I SORTA FELL IN LOVE WITH CHARLOTTE TOO HARD AND REWATCHED IT AND ACCIDENTALLY WROTE A TINY FANFIC ABOUT IT... ERRR ... YEAH ... DELAYS (Include massive heartbreaks at watching 3 endings of those animes ... NAGISAAAA, USHIOOOO, KYOUSUKEEEEEE, YUUUUUUU and don't forget, NAOOOOOOOOOOO (best gurl)
On more serious matters, SAO : Kurohime (My other fanfic) is delayed cause the text file went missing (I think I forgot to save ... darn) and I'm also helping a friend co-write a fiction (YEAP, FICTION, NOT A FANFICTON) but on the good side, MY PART TIME JOB WILL END THIS WEEK ( equals, More free time , YAY!, till school starts, [Joins Criminal Guild] )
Reviews for this chapter is extra appriciated as stated earlier, kinda my first time writing this way (More emotions and stuff) and as always, messages are a thing for questions and random spam (Spam equals block so err ... don't spam :P )
Once again, another apology (sorry :( ) but here's Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Melting Hearts
Lying on the ground, facedown, Yuuki regained consciousness suddenly. Her memories were still fuzzy and disorientated as she slowly sat up, shaking her head. Then she realised, something was off. She was in a large empty space, snow white and seemingly endless as far as her eyes could see. There was also no one here with her. No raid party, no angry cow bosses, no Agil, no Asuna, no Kirito. It was deathly silent.
"Am I ... dead?"
She asked the air around her. There was a presence behind her. She could not explain how she would have known but maybe it was a sixth sense, she felt something or someone behind her and she turned.
"Aa ... A-Aiko?!"
Standing there, a pale fog shrouding her body was someone Yuuki could painfully recognise. The twin sister that she had left behind, Konno Aiko. Leaping up to her feet, she ran after what she hoped was her sister. Yuuki's hand reached out, trying to claw for the figure which never seemed to come closer to her even as Yuuki pumped all her energy into her legs. Finally, tiring from the run, Yuuki's legs gave way and she kneels down, defeated. In front of her, Aiko was standing there, expressionless, watching Yuuki with blank eyes.
"I-I miss you ... Aiko ... Save me ... I'm scared."
Emotions pent up and shoved to the back of her mind poured out all at once. She had endured through so much yet, home was still so far away. She had tried her very best, keeping a positive attitude but progress was so slow, she couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to get out. She wanted to see Aiko again. She wanted to be saved.
As if in reply, a hand patted her shoulder. It was firm and strong as it gripped her tightly and gently. Slowly turning around was a face she did not expect to see in her world of white. Messy long black hair reaching to his eyebrows, shiny pitch black eyes and a stoic poker-face, it was the face of the black swordsman, Kirito.
"Thanks ... Then I trust you ... Kirito."
An Inn on the 3rd Floor, December 9th, 05:05
It was still warm. On her right shoulder which Kirito held, there was a comforting heat which made Yuuki feel safe and reassured. However, unlike the previous world, the world she had woken up in now was full of feelings. There was the rough sensation of blankets covering her body as well as the softness of the feather pillow. Slowly opening her eyes, she took note of three things. First, it was a dark room with moonlight illuminating what few furniture there was, a table, couple of chairs and a chest. A typical room in an inn. Second, there was something heavy on her shoulder, it wasn't pressed down but it was just there, on top of the blankets which covered the shoulder. Lastly, Kirito's face was right in front of her's. His eyes were closed as he slept with one arm stretched up, holding onto Yuuki's shoulder.
Ba-dump
What was with this situation! Its just like he had seriously answered her in the white world which she now assumed was a dream. But more importantly, why was he sleeping here with her?! Thinking back, she finally remembered the events that had occurred before she had passed out. Asterius was still alive even after her relentless assault and having used too many skills consecutively while heavily fatigued (From Low HP), her last memory was looking at that tiny red bar of Asterius health refusing to move as its fist flew towards her. She should be dead but apparently, she wasn't. Also, now that her head was clear, she got a feeling of deja-vu.
But unlike last time, she hadn't jumped out of bed and knocked Kirito away. Back then, she had no idea who he was and he might have just been a random pervert, trying to chance his luck with a sleeping girl but now, she had said that she trusted Kirito. Plus, she admitted with a slightly flushed face, that this was indeed, comfortable with Kirito's reliable hand transferring security and warmth to Yuuki. His expression was also one that she had never seen before as he was most of the time, expressionless or fully serious, a frown on his face as he concentrated intensely in battle. Now it was surprisingly peaceful.
"And rather cute ... Mhmmm what am I saying."
Making sure that she kept the same position, she closed her eyes for another few hours of rest.
"Aiko ..."
Seated on the chair in the room, half-asleep, he perked up on hearing the tiny pleading voice. He shook his head, trying to wake himself up and ensure that he wasn't dreaming. The swordswoman who fought on par with him, a Beta-Tester named the Beater, one of the strongest players in Sword Art Online. The girl who was ever so cheerful and innocent during their short adventures on the 2nd Floor. He had never heard such a frightened tone from her and it was ... scary somehow.
"Save ... me."
"Oi ... Yuuki! You okay?"
Pushing himself off the chair, nearly knocking it down in the process, he crossed the short distance between him and the bed in two long strides. Crouching down to be at eye level with Yuuki's face, he confirmed what he had seen. Shining in the moonlight as it leaked out of her closed eyes, pearly tears gathered around the edge of her eyes before beginning its journey down her pale face which bore an expression of pain and sadness.
Maybe this was not the best way to handle the situation. But back in the real world when he was younger, his aunt would pat him to sleep after a rough day in the family dojo, training with his strict grandfather. It did work whenever she had done that and he hoped it worked now as he slowly reached out with a hand and reaching the thin, shaking shoulders of the crying girl, he began patting it gently.
"Thanks ..."
It was all he can do at the moment. Reassuring her that she was not alone in her pain, he sat down on the ground beside the bed. The name that Yuuki had called out to was likely someone from the real world. A loved one whom she dearly missed but could never see, hear nor feel as long as she was stuck in this death game. Thinking about this, Kirito finally remembered why him comforting Yuuki was so painfully nostalgic.
"Didn't I use to do this for you ... Suguha ... How are you and mother faring back there ... I miss you too."
His younger sister and mother were likely worried for him as he laid in bed, a metal cage on his head, trapping him in a world they could not see. Even if he had been rather distant to Suguha recently due to his guilt over certain problems he had caused for her, he still remembered their more innocent and friendlier days in their childhood.
"You're just like her Yuuki."
But as he ebbed away into the realm of sleep, a voice echoed at the back of his head.
"But Yuuki is not Suguha."
Maybe after all that reminiscing he did before he accidentally fell asleep, he had hoped for a vision of the past, to be able to see the family he had left behind but instead, he got a dreamless night. Facedown against the bed, seated on the ground, it was a bad position to be in and his back were already starting to feel the pains of the de-buff "Uncomfortable sleep".
"What's ... this?"
One of his hands were in contact with a smooth material, warm to the touch and between his finger and thumb, was a strange object, seemingly of the same feeling but it stuck out. Curious as he was, he pinched it lightly and found out that it was soft and squishy. Still dazed and confused from having just woken up, he was unable to figure out why his hand was in such a position nor what was he holding in his finger and thumb.
"Uhm ... Kirito?"
A weird, thick voice asked him. Ah ... he just remembered that he had gone over to the bedside and had accidentally fallen asleep there. So whatever his hand was touching right now likely belonged to the girl who had hit him the last time a similar event happened. Slowly and abit fearfully, he raised his head from its position and then, he was looking right into Yuuki. Flushed with his hand on her cheek and its fingers squeezing her nose shut, Kirito blanked out as he finally understood what he had done.
"Err ... let go already?"
The nasal voice which made Yuuki sound like she was having a cold reminded him that he should release his hold on her nose and as soon as he does that, she takes in a deep breath and Kirito unconsciously edged back, as if preparing for a sudden blow. But there was none to come as they both stared at each other for a few silent moments.
"It's nice but ... maybe your hand too?"
"Ah, sorry ..."
Under the refreshing morning rays that lit up the room, Yuuki's face might have resembled the sun, crimson red like a bright tomato. Gradually creeping into the woolly blankets, she hid herself from Kirito mostly, with her little ears showing through the top of the blankets like fresh chilies.
Cute, the dark whisper echoed in the back of Kirito's head.
Outskirts of the Town, 3rd Floor, December 9th 10:06
"Why do you still follow me?"
After a silent walk from the inn to the exit of the town, Kirito finally spoke but though Yuuki should only see his back, something about his tone made her uneasy.
"What do you mean?"
They had stopped in the lonely and peaceful forest, off the roads that led to the Questing areas where they would not be overheard by anyone passing by.
"I killed two people whom you have known."
He didn't need to mention names for Yuuki to know that he was referring to Diavel and Maru.
"Kirito, it's not your fa ..."
"If I had been faster, Diavel wouldn't have died. If I had not shown up for the Boss fight, maybe she wouldn't have died. Maybe ... if I died instead, none of this would have happened. You ... also thought of maybe killing me like her ... ri- ..."
*slap*
He was cut off from finishing his sentence by the sudden blow to his cheek and he didn't look up again, unwilling to meet Yuuki's eyes.
"Kirito ... Didn't you ask me whether I trusted you? I said I did so where's your trust in me?"
Though trying her best to sound harsh, her voice sounded more hurt than angry.
"Don't say that ever again ... dummy ..."
"... sorry. I should have had more faith in you ... sorry."
"Diavel told me, the only way to go is forward. I know you tried your best ... and there's nothing wrong with living so don't be caught up in the past where it can't be changed and just continue staying alive."
He knew she was right and now he felt stupid that he had brought up such a depressing topic.
"You're right ... sorry ..."
Punching his shoulder gentle with a bright smile on her face, Yuuki replied in a light tone.
"It's okay already. Enough sorry-ing."
"Sor- ... Never mind Sor- ..."
She was not ready for the unexpected attacked. On Kirito for the first time in her view, a small, weak smile crept onto his face as he meekly scratched his chin. It was a simple expression of one's happiness or relief but on a person whose main feature had been a plain, uninterested and serious look for the entirety of their time, to Yuuki, it looked so peaceful. And maybe slightly cute and a tiny bit of handsomeness.
"I think you slapped me too hard just now. Was it necessary?"
"There are some things that can't be conveyed with words, remember Mr Sorry?"
Town of Beginnings, 1st Floor , December 25th 17:47
"Ah Agil. He's over there."
Pointing out the person they were meeting to the huge brown giant, he nods as he sees who they were supposed to meet.
"That's ... interesting."
Wearing a red bandanna which held up his ridiculously spiky reddish-brown hair, armoured in dark red leather armor, Klein had indeed tried his best to look like a samurai though his hooked nose and slight beard made him look more like a highway robber. Spotting out Kirito approaching him, Klein taps his friends beside him and they stood up and approached Kirito.
"Long time no see Kirito! Glad you could make it."
"Same here Klein. Glad to see you're still alive."
They both shook hands and Klein then pulls Kirito by the shoulders to his friends.
"Dynamm, Issin, meet this overpowered, dense idiot Kirito. Kirito, Dynamm and Issin."
Grinning mischievously as he introduced Kirito to his two friends, he then turned around to look at Agil curiously
"So Kirito ... didn't I ask you to bring two people? I assume this person is your friend"
"Ah yeah. This is Agil. Agil, Klein."
That introduction provoked a reaction from Klein and his two mates as they stared at Agil with eyes, widened from shock.
"Agil?! The Agil here?!"
"The Ogre himself?! Seriously?!"
"K-Kirito ... you're ... really ... how do you know him?"
Ever since the boss fight on the 2nd Floor, Agil made quite a big name for himself for the extremely flashy way he finished of the boss, Asterius the Taurus King, by throwing his Two-Handed Axe across half of the room to destroy the last bit of HP and clear the 2nd Floor. And that name being the Ogre, the insanely strong axe-wielding menace that decimated his foes with a gigantic swing of his deadly axe.
"Yeah ... so ... Agil ... Klein."
Kirito awkwardly waved his hands to conclude introductions. Agil, eyebrows raised from the biggest reaction he had seen from his name thus far, was still curious.
"So Klein-san, what are the rumors of me now?"
Already, in a matter of two weeks, the story of the giant slayer, the Ogre had been exaggerated to such a large degree that it didn't even sound real anymore. Legend speaks of the massive man called the Ogre who first appeared on the frontlines of the 1st Floor, bravely leading the players to defeat the 1st Boss and then on the 2nd Floor, he continued being the leader and when the boss came, nearly everyone was killed but! The Ogre demonstrated his god-like strength, wrestling the 5-metre warhammer from titanic Asterius the Taurus King and then throwing it at the boss, crushing its entire body in one strike.
"... Seriously?!"
Deep laughter erupted from the hero who was laughing at the tales of himself and joining him, Kirito who was hearing this for the first time, also released a snort and began laughing lightly. But only briefly as Klein grabs him again, ruffling his messy hair.
"Woah! That's something I never thought I'd see. But anyways, one more member is missing?"
"She messaged me she was coming."
Kirito felt his head twisted to meet Klein's face as he asks.
"A she?! ... my my Kirito's growing up."
To that, he received a not to gentle elbow to the stomach.
"Is it Asuna-san?"
Agil asks Kirito who shakes his head.
"She's busy. But instead it's ... never mind she's here already."
All eyes turned to face the direction of the teleport gate and they all saw the one girl that was walking towards them. Long piano black hair that reached her waist, bright crimson red eyes, dressed in a violet blouse and windswept skirt with black metal plates protecting her upper body, a thin and long black sword, almost a rapier hung at her side but her most noticable feature was her height, around 150 cm which was rather short.
Yuuki waves over to them and Kirito was about to return the wave but he was suddenly pulled back and turned around by Klein, who had Kirito in a headlock.
"Oi oi ... I never thought those kind of girls were your type."
"Its nothing like that ..."
"Oh ... then she's free for the taking?"
Right here, Klein and Agil were both expecting a reply which went around something like "What are you, a middle-aged pervert?" But instead.
"N-no ..."
In his arms, Klein could see the nervousness and a tiny hinge of shyness on Kirito's face as he said that.
However, Klein and Kirito weren't exactly whispering as they had their exchange which was clearly overheard by Yuuki who after hearing Kirito's unexpected reply, looked away hurriedly with a slightly flushed face. Looking between the two youngsters, Agil and Klein both snorted and looking at each other, they knew what each other would say.
"Ah ... Youth."
And together, both youth's replied indignantly.
"It's nothing like that!"
1st Floor Boss Room, 1st Floor , December 25th 18:50
Waiting outside, the party consisting of Klein, Dynamm, Issin, Agil, Kirito and Yuuki gathered together for a review of the information that Klein had collected. At 7:00 PM, Aincard Standard Time (19:00), a special event quest would begin in the 1st Floor Boss Room as a "celebration" of the seasonal holiday known as Christmas. However, there was a minimum level requirement of Level 12 to enter the dungeon which required Klein to scout for other players to join him as out of his friends, only he, Dynamm and Issin barely met the requirements of Level 12 and so he managed to convince Kirito, the Level 18 Beater to join him and bring other front-liners with him and those being Agil the "Ogre", Level 17 and Yuuki, Level 17. The event quest site was empty but that was likely due to the players in the lower floors being unable to reach Level 12 fast enough with only Floors 1-3 open for training as the 4th was occupied by the front-liners who were concentrating more on pushing onward then going on side quests such as these.
"So all I've found out is that this is supposed to be a parody of the 1st Boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord so its definitely a combat event. Aside from that, I have no other information and neither did Argo-chan."
With the short briefing done, a silence fell as the group had no idea of what to talk about which was easily solved by Klein.
"Errr ... so. Hope you don't mind me asking but how do you guys celebrate Christmas?"
At first, no one seemed willing to say anything and that was likely due to the unspoken rule of "not talking about the real world" and Klein realised that as well. Opposite him, he noticed that Yuuki looked uncomfortable as her eyes shied away.
"Ah sorry Yuuki-chan. You don't have to answer."
"It's not that ... it's just that I never celebrated Christmas before so I can't answer."
That made it awkward for the group but once again, Klein takes the initiative.
"Well ... I usually grab my guys, Dynamm, Issin and the rest of my crew and we eat out on Christmas, drinking sake till sunrise while singing Christmas songs. Sounds plain but that's how I celebrate."
The rest of the group now seemed enthusiastic to also share their own experiences.
"Like Klein said, we'll eat together but we also bring gifts to one another, mostly games but its still a present."
"We'd usually go to a park next day and mess around with the snow. You know, snowball fighting and stuff."
Dynamm and Issin chipped in. Agil and Kirito was next in line.
"I'll bring my wife for her Christmas shopping and then we would wait for midnight when the fireworks are launched and the trees are lit up. It is always a beautiful sight that should never be missed."
"With my younger sister and mother ... we celebrate that is. Yeah ... with a Christmas tree and presents."
Maybe one day, somehow, she hoped that she could see such a sight. Somehow ... if she was still alive.
1st Floor Boss Room, 1st Floor , December 25th 19:14
Much had changed about the room since Yuuki had seen it nearly a month ago. Remade to suit the Christmas theme, the floor had been covered in a thin ice and on the walls of the rooms where torches once lit up the whole area, there were now festive lights of a variety of colors. At the back of the room where the throne of the previous 1st Boss Illfang the Kobold Lord once was, it had been replaced with a sleek red sled and ontop of it, sat the reincarnation of the Boss itself. Glittery blue skin, glaring white eyes, a huge shovel beside the sled, it was Chillfang the Snobold Lord.
It was called a parody of the Illfang Boss Fight but no one had expected to be battling without their weapons. Instead, they were forced to join along with the Christmas spirit and fight it the holiday way, snowball battle. It took them about ten minutes but they finally defeated the boss, Chillfang, the Snobold Lord. The room had lost its previously neat look with mounds of snow resembling walls which were hastily built to protect themselves from the barrage of projectiles from Chillfang and his Snobold Sentinels.
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
A hearty, merry voice erupted from the roof of the room and looking up, the party saw a huge shadow plummeting down and finally crashing down at where Chillfang formerly stood before dying. The snow and dust from the landing cleared and in the middle of the tiny crater was a bulging red sack.
"Yeah! Rewards!"
Klein went forward to touch the sack but as soon as he said that, a large number "5" appeared on the top of the sack in a menacing, bolded red color. Everyone at first seemed curious and confused by it but then its changed with a *tick* sound to the number "4". Soon panic spread throughout the group as with another *tick*, "3" appeared.
"Klein what did you do!"
"Don't ask me!"
"It's going to blow?!"
Before they continued arguing they realised, it was already at "1". Not taking any chances, they all jumped backwards and buried themselves in the snow. There was a rather underwhelming *poof* sound followed by an intense wind, originating from where the ticking sack was, covering everyone in a mist of white snow.
"Is everyone okay?
Agil's voice called out from the white fog and as everyone turned in the direction of his voice, they all saw the same strange shadow. It was definitly his huge bulky mass there but on his head, there seemed to be two long bumps. Slowly as they regained their vision, the blurry bumps solidified into a pair of long branch-like horns and finally when they could see again, it was a comedic sight all around.
"HA! Agil what's up with that!"
Stuffed into a brown suit, a big red nose replacing his slightly smaller normal one and two long, white antlers, Agil might have passed for a reindeer.
"Tch! Ha! Speak for yourself Klein."
It was then he realised, his mouth was warm and well-covered by a glossy white beard and so was his head by a comfy red hat.. Fearing the worst, he checked the rest of his body which now bore the red suit of Christmas's important figure. Following the trend, Dynamm and Issin were dressed similarly to Klein though in the full green to look the part of Santa's elves.
Much to the chagrin and disappointment of the four bizarre transformations, Kirito and Yuuki only had a red Christmas hat propped up on the heads but then, Kirito pointed out to Yuuki that another part of her had changed. Her hair had changed color to a purplish-black and upon checking her status menu, it seemed like it was a permanent dye. At least until she decided to re-dye it.
An Inn in the Town of Beginnings, 1st Floor , December 25th 23:58
"Yuuki ... Yuuki!"
She awoke to the gentle tapping on the door and the hushed whisper of her name. Having recognised the voice of the late night visitor, she opened the door without hesitation to greet the black-haired boy who stood outside.
"Follow me. Quick!"
Pulling her hand, Kirito whisks her away, taking two steps at a time down the staircase and then briskly taking wide steps with Yuuki, dressed in a plain white overall which she used for sleeping had no time to care about her attire as she is half-pulled, half-carried away by the curiously anxious Kirito. Brining her out of the Inn, he led her through a few narrow streets and they finally ended up in the dark central plaza of the Town of Beginnings.
"Only a few seconds to spare. Good."
"Wha ..."
Yuuki didn't have time to ask as flashes of light erupted all around the plaza as fireworks of gold and red sparkled brightly in the endless night. Now in the middle of the plaza Yuuki could now see a huge pine tree surrounded with just about everything that decorated a Christmas tree. Tiny toys, colorful ornaments and of course, glittering lights that lit up, illuminating the entire area with a blast of colors like a rainbow. Beside her she could see Kirito who was unable to contain his smile from seeing her fascinated expression.
"I just thought that since you haven't celebrated Christmas before ... you know."
He said sheepishly, waving his hands to the bright night.
"You usually make a wish here."
Then ...
I wish that next Christmas would be as beautiful as this
I wish that next year we could celebrate in the real world
I wish that you would keep smiling
I wish ... I could have known what would make you lose your smile
MEH WE'VE sORTA COME TO THE END OF THiS CHAPTER. FEELS RATHER UNDERWHELMInG AND A REDUCTIoN OF STAnDARD ...
(I blame the lack of combat scenes for this and also the requirement of writing lovey-dovey scenes ...)
Excuse me I have a tradition to keep, SPOILERRRRRRRR ALLLEEERRRRTTTTT
LEAVE NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED (( Exit's this way - [Insert Exit here]))
SAO : Atarashi no Kisetsu Chapter 6 ! : Moonlight Black Cats (You know what's coming), Sachi (Yeap you know it), A certain room where you can't use crystals (Get me out of here ...), And ... ANOTHER CHARACTER REVEAL! (Should I tell ... should I not ... oemfosgmsts)
(((Actually if you want to know ... look at the first line of this 2nd author's notes.)))
(((( Want another clue? Hmmm ... nopE, LoL nOob))))
(((((FINAL CLUE, HELLO ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ )))))