Chapter 10: Budding feelings.
I do not own SAO or Rurouni Kenshin.
Jin was clenching on his covers while sleeping. The past battles against the red guild, Laughing Coffin, have taken a great deal of his mentality. Sachi noticed him in the bed showing signs of seeing a nightmare. She held on to him to try and relieve the nightmare.
"Jin-kun... Don't let your nightmare consume you in despair... I can't bear to see you in so much pain..." She said.
Jin was visibly calming down. However, a lone tear was shown flowing out of his right eye. Seeing the tear glitter in the moonlight, Sachi broke down. She was hurting from seeing him in so much pain without rest.
'Jin-kun... When we finally meet in the real world, I want to be there with you.' Sachi thought.
She held his head close to her chest. Jin slept quietly while Sachi held him. A lone tear came from her left eye in response.
The next morning, Sachi woke up. She noticed Jin was on her chest. Before protesting, she recalled trying to relieve him from his nightmare.
'I wish we will be able to finish this game... I'm already afraid of losing you...' She thought.
She heard Jin grunt in his sleep. Soon, he woke up, looking fatigued.
"Good morning, Jin-kun." Sachi said.
"Good morning..." He replied somnolently.
Jin wiped his eyes. Sachi noted his irises were red.
"Jin-kun... Your eyes..." She said.
He realized his eyes were red and calmed himself down. His normal eye color came back before changing back to red, but he still felt slightly disoriented.
"I must have cried in my sleep... Didn't I?" He asked.
"You did. You had a nightmare which was the cause of it..." Sachi said with a soft tone.
"I don't even know how many times I've shed tears... In the real world, I would be crying tears of blood, due to a medical condition." Jin said.
This made Sachi gasp softly. She held his head close to her chest in response. Jin gave a downhearted expression as he felt Sachi's heartbeat.
"Thank you, Sachi. I'm better now." He said with a melancholy smile.
Soon, the other members of the Moonlit Black Cats came in. They noticed Sachi giving moral support to Jin. They saw his eyes were still red.
"You have been suffering from your nightmares again, haven't you?" Keita asked.
Jin nodded his head in silence. The other members sympathized in response.
"Will you continue helping the Clearers finish SAO?" Sasamaru asked.
"I have to. I don't want anyone I know suddenly disappear like a memory here." Jin said.
He then stood up, equipping Amaterasu. His eyes went back to normal.
"Come back safely, Jin..." Tetsuo said.
Sachi held on to Jin's right hand. He looked at her in silence. Both didn't exchange any words, but understood each other as they looked at each other for a few seconds. Soon he blinked, shedding a single tear.
'Jin-kun...' She thought.
As though they have understood each other mentally, the other guild members parted from him in respect. When they saw Jin outside, he equipped a red robe of fire designs.
Jin was fighting off the monsters around him in Floor 56. He kept pushing himself, fighting off small creatures made out of stone and dirt.
"GeoCrawler spawn... These things haven't decreased in numbers since the boss was raided." He said.
Soon, one of them lunged at him. This prompted Jin to retaliate.
"Hiken: Houken!"
Using the fiery blade extension on Amaterasu, he stabbed the monster down.
'Intense vibrations from the molecules on my sword can pierce through anything, even armor... I guess there's more to knowing of the Secret Swords techniques.' Jin thought.
Soon, a group of four players came into view. They were all wearing silver armor that looked similar to dragon scales. Jin knew these people.
'The Divine Dragons Alliance or DDA... If I can recall about them, they are SAO's most active Clearers. They could even make the Knights of the Blood Oath look like children.' Jin thought.
"Halt! State your business here." A member asked.
Jin looked at the one who requested him to answer. The man had short, sports club, ace-like brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a square jaw. The voice he made sounded almost magnetic. He was holding a 2 meter long guard lance and a tower shield.
"Just a wanderer who is training." Jin answered.
The man looked at Jin, recognizing him. Immediately, he got on guard in response.
"Lower your weapon... I'm not here to cause PK fights. I only came here to train on sharpening my battle skills." Jin reasoned.
The man lowered his weapon in response, but he still kept his guard up.
"I know about you... You're the PK hunter who hunted down the PK guilds all across Aincrad. The Fiery Battosai..." The man said.
"I don't care whether people know about me or not. I'm making sure to clear this game and take down any PK guilds that cause trouble. That's my goal." Jin said.
"Too bad we can't sign you up with us. I can see that you recently joined a guild." The man said.
'Way to the point the obvious...' Jin thought.
"Who are you and the people that are following you? I know you're members of DDA, but I do not know your names..." Jin questioned.
"My name is Schmitt." The man said.
He then looked at the three people behind him, intending to introduce them to Jin. The player at the left was a male, brandishing the armor with the color scheme of the DDA. He had a helmet that concealed his face, but left his mouth exposed. He was wielding both a sword and a shield. The next player was also male. This particular person shocked Jin as he recognized who the player was looking like.
"Diavel...?" He asked with shock.
The player gave an understanding expression to him. He was one of the witnesses who saw Diavel's death, especially when Jin killed the first boss.
"No, I'm not Diavel... I just modified my character to look like him as a remembrance... I'm glad that his memory isn't forgotten." The player said.
"Lind, try to show some appreciation for Jin. We all know why he reacted like that." Schmitt said.
"So your name is Lind... Keep living on till the end. His memory will not be forgotten..." Jin said.
The next player was another male. He was wearing the standard DDA armor. The player had tanned skin, short thick eyebrows and black hair tied in a spiky ponytail. His eyes looked droopy.
"The last person here is Yamata. The man with the armor is Shivata. We were all here to train ourselves and farm for EXP to get stronger." Schmitt said.
"Forgive me for intruding then. I'll head out to a different region so I can train. As a payment of apology for intruding, take this." Jin said.
He handed them some money to the guild members, surprising them.
"He's not the same person whom we all thought..." Yamata said with surprise.
"He may be a PK hunter, but he was willing to fight anyone who committed the crime of bloodshed. However, when he isn't, he's like anyone we meet." Shivata said.
"He's already a growing legend. Even a person with such a title who has been fighting constantly will be fatigued mentally and physically..." Yamata said.
Jin bowed respectfully to the DDA members and departed from the area.
In Floor 35, Jin was within the Forest of Wandering, fighting off several monsters labeled 'Drunken Apes'.
"Hiken: Funka!"
Stabbing his sword in the ground, an eruption of fire formed. The remaining monsters were all caught in the flames and disappeared into polygons. Soon, Jin heard a familiar voice.
"Jin-kun... Are you training here?" The female voice asked.
"Yes... I was training here, Sachi." Jin replied.
She noticed how calm he looked, despite being surrounded by fire. Soon, they stopped as Jin placed his sword back in its sheathe.
"You can rest for today, Jin-kun. You have been training hard for some time." Sachs said.
Jin began to think for a moment. Since he had nothing to do, he agreed to spend some time with Sachi.
"I know a place we can go to... It's within that area where one would ease themselves if they feel questioned." Jin said.
Reaching to the teleport gate, Jin began thinking of the place.
"Teleport: Floria!"
A teleport gate opened. Sachi and Jin walked through, holding hands.
The pair arrived in the 47th floor. Sachi noticed the various flowers shown throughout the area. She marveled at the sight.
"It's so beautiful..." She said.
"One of the places that I know that can calm one's mind." Jin said.
"That's why you wanted to take me here... It does feel comforting, knowing that you brought me here." Sachi said.
Jin nodded as he overlooked the vast garden of flowers. Sachi went up to him, giving a content hug to the swordsman. It made Jin blush from the close contact, but he didn't protest.
"It's really nice with you here." Sachi said.
The couple continued moving through the fields. Jin noticed a flower with a strange coloration. He picked it from the ground with the root intact.
'A ruby rose... Guess I'll keep it since there isn't much significance.' Jin thought.
An event soon played out. Sachi and Jin were alerted from the sudden message.
-Everyone, welcome to the Flower Harvest event. The event is held here in Floria. There is a grand prize for the person who finds this rare flower. It's called a Ruby Rose. To the lucky winner, he or she shall receive this rare, Diamond Flower! Good luck and happy harvesting.- The message read.
Soon, players began flocking to the vast gardens, much to Sachi's and Jin's dismay. They both fled, feeling uncomfortable of the large presence.
Reaching to the city, Jin and Sachi relaxed after running.
"Who would have thought an event was about to happen?" Sachi commented.
Jin held a snicker back. He realized about the Ruby Rose he found.
"I guess this rose has some significance after all..." Jin said, showing the rose.
"That's the Ruby Rose...! How did you find it?" Sachi asked in surprise.
"Wouldn't you believe it...? It was in plain sight since it looked redder than any rose I've seen." Jin said.
Sachi giggled as she heard Jin's explanation.
"We should head to where the prize is for the event." Jin said.
"I heard about the Diamond Flower. It has the ability to not only increase EXP earned, but also restore health. I think we'll need it." Sachi explained.
Jin nodded in response. The couple was on their way till they encountered several players attempting to block them.
"Move aside... I don't want to cause bloodshed in this garden." Jin said, showing a serious face.
Everyone recognized him immediately. His eyes soon turned red like blood, already hinting his presence.
"It's the Blaze Swordsman! Don't attack him for any reason! He'll kill and burn our corpses down!" One of the players shouted.
Most fled from attempting to rob Jin. A few remained hardy, ready to fight him.
"I don't care if he's the Blaze Swordsman. I will cut him down and take that flower and that girl." One of the persistent players said.
"Then you leave me no choice, you bandit." Jin spoke, showing a calm,'serious expression.
The male player soon charged forward. Jin, holding his sword, began to channel fire on his blade.
"Hiken: Hi Nami Henka: Gōka Messhitsu!"
The familiar technique during the Laughing Coffin raid soon became visible. Jin swung his sword, which created a flamethrower effect. It wasn't an explosion of fire. Rather, it was a stream of flames. The stream engulfed everything within Jin's sight, preventing the players from getting near him. The sight caused Sachi to be frozen in amazement.
"Let's go, Sachi!" Jin said.
Sachi nodded, still processing what she saw. Realization came to her after seeing Jin's actions.
'He was protecting me... Jin didn't want anyone to be in the crossfire.' Sachi thought.
Making their way to Floria, the couple made their way to the event site.
-We have a lucky winner. It's Jin.- The message said.
Jin was given the Diamond Flower. Instead of holding it for himself, he gave it to Sachi.
"You'll need this more than I do." Jin said.
Sachi smiled, holding the Diamond Flower. Soon, they approached a teleport gate.
"We should head back to headquarters. I have to inform everyone that we are okay. Plus, the item we got from the event is also worth mentioning." Jin said.
Sachi nodded. They soon used the teleport gate and disappeared.
Back in Floor 1, the Moonlit Black Cats guild were waiting for Jin and Sachi to arrive.
"I hope they're doing okay." Ducker said.
"He'll make it. Jin has been a strong person so he'll be with Sachi." Sasamaru reassured.
"We owe a lot to him. Without him, we wouldn't be alive in the first place." Tetsuo said.
"I received a message from Jin. He'll be back shortly from the teleport gate in the city." Keira announced.
This got everyone ready and made their way outside.
Jin and Sachi arrived at the teleport gate in the City of Beginnings.
"Good to be back here." Jin said.
Sachi kept her hold on Jin. Soon, she saw her guild mates and smiled in response. They all walked their way inside their headquarters to talk.
"We managed to acquire a new item from an event in Floria." Sachi said.
"Oh, I heard about the event. Turns out you two were lucky to find it." Keita said.
"It was random luck I found the quest flower when the event was about to start. With it, we have a quick pace of growing stronger." Jin said.
"Thanks Jin. You helped ensure we grow stronger in SAO." Tetsuo said.
"All for your survival... Keita, you still have that revival crystal?" Jin asked.
Keita showed the crystal, indicating it was still available.
"Keep holding on to it. A good leader must know when to use it, especially for his or her comrades." Jin said.
Night came in SAO. Jin was resting in a bed with his own room.
'I know what I have to do... I've seen what Heathcliff did. Kirito May have realized it, but I've seen what happened back in that duel... When he almost got his HP low, he quickly boosted his speed parameters for a brief moment.' Jin thought.
The Blaze Swordsman knew he would have to confront Kayaba eventually. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his door open. Looking at the opened door, Jin saw Sachi coming in. She held her pillow in front of her.
"Sachi?" Jin said in surprise.
"Jin-kun... I wanted to sleep with you tonight. Is it okay if I sleep here tonight?" She asked.
"I don't mind if you feel uncomfortable sleeping alone." Jin reassured, though he had a blush in his face.
Sachi smiled sincerely. She got herself in the covers. Jin kept himself composed, in spite of his blushing face. He then felt Sachi's hand taking his right palm.
"Jin-kun... I want to be with you tonight because..." Sachi paused.
Jin knew what she was about to say. His eyes soon showed a somber emotion as they turned red. Tears were shedding from them, giving the appearance of him crying blood.
"I already know what you're about to say, Sachi..." Jin said.
She gasped after seeing Jin shed tears. He took hold of her and gently gave her a kiss on her lips. It was Sachi's turn to suddenly start shedding tears.
"Jin-kun..." Sachi said, remembering the kiss.
She soon moved forward, kissing him deeply. Sachi was on top of Jin, holding him close. It wasn't a romantic action she was doing. Rather, she kept her hold and position on Jin, afraid he would disappear. Sachi felt his hands on her back, warming her from the cool air.
"Sachi... I will eventually have to go back to the frontlines and end this game... Maybe then, I will be willing to be with you." Jin said.
In a tearful embrace with a kiss, Sachi held Jin close, silently crying on his chest. The moisture on his shirt was already enough for him to understand her concern.
'Sachi, I promise I will make it... We will pull through this trap Kayaba made. Maybe it's the reason why I was born in this era... I might have been a warrior of the ancient world. If so, I'll embrace this spirit within me.' Jin thought, musing his current role in life.
Sachi kept her hold on Jin, even when asleep. The boy question held her close, accepting the warm feeling from her embrace.
Note: Sorry it took me a while. I'm back and in a writing mood.