A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all! In this chapter, I bring you a rematch that's been about a year in the making-Kirito vs. Lon'qu! Time to see just who really is the better fighter!
I also through in an extra shenanigan for Robin to deal with- good luck trying to figure out what it is!
Also, if you haven't already, go check out my newest story, The Red Swordsman: Shattered Fragment. If nothing else, the end of the chapter that I just released contains details on my latest work that I will begin releasing on New Year's 2017, so please give it a look! I'll touch briefly on what the project is here at the end of this chapter, but for full details, go check out the afore mentioned story!
Now, please, enjoy yourselves in the latest chapter of Fire Sword!
Rematch
"This oughta be a good show," Mataras smirked as he leaned back in the bleachers.
"I think it will be interesting, if nothing else," Yui smiled as she sat beside him.
They were in the Shepherd's base, sitting on the sidelines for the training grounds that also served as a sparring field. Around them were about half of the Shepherds, many of them placing bets on the competitors standing on either end of the field. Lon'qu stood straight, eyeing his opponent with a studiously blank look on his face. Kirito was already in a slight crouch, twin practice blades vibrating in his hands as he readied himself to fight, his face hard. The rematch between the two swordsmen had been the talk of the elite Ylissean fighters for some weeks, and both of them had been hard at work to perfect their skills before engaging in this battle.
"I'm honestly not sure which one is going to win," Robin said as he put his chin in his hand. "Lon'qu is probably the more skilled of the two when it comes to swordplay, but Kirito has more of an advantage with two blades and his wings."
"Not to mention that we fairies are naturally stronger and faster than normal humans, even without our attack magic and flight capabilities," Mataras added.
"Wait, you are?" Robin asked, surprised.
"I've taken multiple lightning spells, two of which went clean through my arm, and yet I was still able to force myself to fight," Mataras smiled slightly. "The last time that Kirito fought Lon'qu, he was on the level of a normal human, unless I was misinformed?" He glanced his question over at Yui, who shook her head in the negative.
"No, you're right, he didn't have his Alfheim magic yet," she said. "So maybe now Sir Lon'qu won't have to hold back at all, and Daddy can have the fight that he wanted."
"Perhaps," Robin mused. "We don't have to wait long to find out. Frederick is about to begin the match."
"Kick his butt, Kirito!" Asuna called from the stands. At four month's pregnant, she was sporting a somewhat rounded belly, though she could still hide it if she wore thick enough garments.
"Give him a beating, Honey!" Lissa counter-called. This lead to the two women grinding foreheads against one another as they growled through bared teeth. Asuna wasn't the only one dealing with gestational hormones- Lissa had recently announced that she and Lon'qu would be expecting this timeline's Owain, though this time around they would be naming him Odin, at the request of the future child.
"Combatants, are you ready?!" Frederick called from the sideline.
"Ready," Kirito nodded once.
"Hmph," Lon'qu grunted, his sword coming up in a ready stance.
"Sir Kirito has decided to forfeit his ability to use combat spells for this match, though he retains his rights to use his wings," Frederick announced. "If he uses combat magic, he will forfeit the match. A single hit by either combatant in a vital area will result in their victory. Combat, begin!"
Kirito blasted forward, running at top speed with the help of his wings, both swords coming up for overhanded blows that whistled through the air to strike at Lon'qu's shoulders.
Thwack! The Feroxi warrior slapped aside his right-handed sword and whirled to the side to dodge the left one entirely. In the same motion, he aimed a straight blow at Kirito's exposed backside.
The Spriggan used his wings to shoot up and backflip over the quick swipe before turning a one-eighty to try and slash at Lon'qu from above. His opponent leaned back like a tree in gale wind to avoid the blow before bringing up his practice katana to stab at Kirito's midsection.
The boy smirked and floated just above the reach of the blade, much to Lon'qu's frustration. Kirito beat his wings and landed several yards from his opponent, saying, "Oh yeah, this is way better than before. I can definitely see how you held back last time."
"And you've improved yourself a great deal, Black Swordsman," Lon'qu nodded. "You've done well to come this far." Then the talking was over as the two of them dove back into the fight, the sounds of their wooden swords echoing throughout the small arena as their comrades cheered them on, encouraging them both to go as hard as they could.
Kirito's wings proved to be great assistance in dodging Lon'qu's attacks, but the roof over their heads prevented him from gaining too much height, lest he accidentally slam into the rafters. Lon'qu conserved his energy by staying in one place as much as possible, content to let the Black Swordsman tire himself out as he kept coming at him time and time again.
Only Kirito wasn't tiring nearly as fast as he thought that he would be. After about ten minutes of furious battle, the two of them ended up in a deadlock, whereupon Lon'qu grunted, "You've… been pacing yourself… haven't you?"
"How'd you guess?" Kirito smirked. "Part of my daily training has been to fly for as long as possible without taking a break- it makes for a pretty good endurance workout."
"I admit, I underestimated you because of our last duel," Lon'qu muttered. "But that's doesn't mean you'll win." He stamped his foot forward, slamming his heel into Kirito's ankle, wounding him enough that he couldn't put his full weight on the limb.
He yelped and hopped backwards, using his wings to keep himself steady. "Low blow!" he shouted.
"But not banned by the rules," Lon'qu smirked. "Even if that doesn't cripple you like it would most people, it'll still hurt a great deal. And pain is a distraction that's rather difficult to ignore, don't you think?"
"Well played," Kirito grunted. Then he lifted himself entirely off the ground so that he was floating on the power of his wings alone. "But I've dealt with worse pain than this." He shot forward like an arrow from Sinon's bow.
"I know," Lon'qu replied gravely. "So have I." Their swords danced once again, moving even faster than before, sweat pouring out of their bodies as they both took their skills to the maximum level.
At one point, Kirito thought that he might have gained the upper hand when he smacked his wooden blade into Lon'qu's left hand, breaking the wrist, but the warrior from West-Ferox simply winced for a second and kept on fighting with one hand, despite the obvious pain. This guy isn't human! Kirito thought as he was forced to avoid a slash at his leg.
"Rrgh…" he grunted. "Eclipse!" His twin blades wove and danced in a pattern that was burned into his muscle memory, the brutal power behind his attacks driving Lon'qu back step by step, despite his determination to remain rooted to where he was. It was no surprise- this was the combination that he had used to defeat Walhart the Conqueror.
But it wasn't enough.
"Therein is your weakness," Lon'qu said as he jumped high to avoid the final, swiping dual blows. "You are too used to relying on a pattern that no longer exists around you." His feet landed on the two swords, yanking them out of Kirito's grasp, much to his shock, and throwing him off-balance. The next instant, Lon'qu's practice sword slammed into his back, sending him crashing into the dirt with a small grunt of pain. "Good try, though." And the Feroxi walked away, ignoring the shouts of congratulations from his comrades as he tossed aside the practice blade.
Kazuto, for his part, lay unmoving in the dirt. His back and ankle were killing him, and disbelief was written on his face. "I… lost," he muttered dumbly. Then he became aware of a shadow standing over him, and he had a pretty good idea of who it was. "Going to rub it in?" he asked sourly.
"Nah," Mataras laughed. "I was just going to say that you did well. Keep progressing like that, and we might have a shot at beating Grima." Before Kazuto could look up and say anything in response, Mataras was already walking away.
Yui and Asuna came running up, though his wife was a little slower on account of her condition, and started working on his injuries. "You did a great job, Papa," Yui said with a smile. "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks…" he grunted as he felt his ankle pop back into place- apparently, Lon'qu had dislodged it a bit. "I appreciate that, Yui."
"Anytime," she chirped.
"You did your best, so I'm proud of you too," Asuna smiled gently at him. Then she shot a glare at the back of his former opponent, and growled, "But first chance I get, I'm breaking his other hand."
"Asuna…" Kazuto chuckled as he got up and placed his hand on hers. "I appreciate the thought, but I think it might be better if you avoid fighting anyone until our baby is born."
"Have you picked out a name yet?" Yui asked. "Can I pick if it's a girl?"
"Pretty sure it's gonna be a boy, Yui," Kazuto smiled.
"I know, so I figured that you already had a name for him," Yui grinned. "But if it is a girl, I wanted to pick the name."
"Okay, if we have a girl, you can name her, as long as your father and I agree," Asuna said as she placed a hand on her womb. "What did you have in mind?"
"Hmm… I like the name 'Strea," she answered.
"Strea?" Kazuto replied. "I don't think I've heard that name before. Where'd you hear it?"
"I think I first saw it somewhere in SAO, though I can't remember why," Yui shrugged. "Strange how humans lose their memory after a while. Other than my error compilation, I never had any trouble recalling previous events when I was an AI."
"Part of being one of us, sweetheart," Kazuto smiled as he rubbed her head affectionately. "Comes with the package."
"I don't mind," Yui smiled back. "It's nice to be real."
"You've always been real," Asuna said as she patted her daughter's back. "Don't ever think otherwise."
"Yes ma'am!" Yui saluted.
"Kirito!" Robin's voice called out as he approached them on the field. "I have some news for us!"
"What's up?" Kazuto asked as he stood up to face his co-worker.
"Morgan, Marth, and Sachi just returned from their mission," Robin said. "They found Maribelle's son, Brady. I was hoping you would come with me to interview him?"
"Are you feeling up to it?" Asuna asked her husband.
"Yeah, I'll be okay," he nodded. Then he added with a rueful grin, "Well enough to sit and talk with a new kid, anyway."
"Thanks, Kirito," Robin said appreciatively as they began walking off the field after Kazuto had kissed his wife farewell. "We also received word from Ladies Sinon and Leafa that they may have a new lead on Panne's son, but no confirmation yet."
"Good," Kazuto nodded. "Are we missing anyone, then?"
"Yes, Lucina said that Nowi and Donny had a daughter, but no leads on that child yet, though they're still looking alongside Yuuki and Aiko," Robin replied. "We also have yet to hear back from Silica and Lisbeth concerning their search for Sully and Stahl's daughter."
"Wasn't there one more…?" Kazuto asked with a frown.
"Ah yes, Vaike and Miriel's son," Robin nodded. "Sir Agil, Vaike, and Miriel are still searching, but nothing has come up yet."
"Darn," Kazuto muttered. "Oh well, I guess one kid is better than none, right?"
"My thoughts exactly, and maybe he'll have some insight as to where the others might have gone," Robin suggested.
Before Kazuto could make his reply, Ricken came running up to them, tired and out of breath. "Sorry… to interrupt," he said as he straightened himself as best he could. "But we've got a… weird situation on our hands."
"Is everything all right?" Robin asked, concerned.
"Well, we're not sure," Ricken shook his head. "We've got a girl about the future children's age wanting to see you, Robin. Skinny thing, blonde hair, and really shy."
"Okay…" Robin frowned. "It doesn't sound like she's trouble, so what's the problem?"
"It's not so much her as what she has to say," Ricken said. "She says that she's your daughter from the future."
"Wha-?!" Robin took an involuntary step back in shock. "How is that possible? Morgan and Marth never mentioned another sibling!"
"Maybe it's part of their memory loss?" Ricken shrugged. "Either way, I thought you would want to know. The thing is…" He lowered his voice as he added, "She doesn't look anything like Lucina."
"Uh… Does she know?" Robin asked nervously.
"Not yet, but you'd better move fast before word gets out," Ricken said.
"Got it," Robin nodded. Turning to his comrade, he said, "Would you mind handling the new kid for me? Looks like I have other business to attend to."
"Sure, no problem," Kazuto nodded. "And don't worry, I'll keep this thing under wraps."
"I appreciate it," Robin said before he walked away.
The Grandmaster of the Ylissean forces was not surprised to find Frederick guarding the door to the room where the girl was waiting. "Keeping her prisoner?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Keeping an eye on her," the knight sniffed. "One can never be too careful."
"Thanks, but I think I'll be able to handle this myself," Robin chuckled.
"Regardless, I shall keep watch out here so that you remain undisturbed," Frederick replied. "We wouldn't want any eavesdroppers in the vicinity, would we?"
"True," Robin sighed. "Very, Frederick the Wary. As you were." And he opened the door to the room that normally served as his interview office for potential recruits.
Sitting inside was a young blonde girl that looked to be in her late teens, on the verge of becoming a woman. She was painfully thin, and even in the dim afternoon lighting, he could tell that she was very pale. Her expression was a nervous one, and she fidgeted as if she were perpetually afraid of some kind of punishment.
"Hello there," Robin said quietly as he entered the room.
"Oh!" the girl gasped, startled as she looked up at him with pale gray eyes- the very same eye color as his own. "S-Sorry if I came at a bad time."
"It's quite all right," he said, doing his best to set aside his surprise with a smile as he sat down across from her. "What's your name?"
"N-Noire, sir," she stammered.
"Well Noire, you don't have to call me 'sir," he said, keeping his tone gentle and encouraging. "But I would like to know about this business of me being your father…?"
"Umm, okay…" she said as she averted her gaze. "I just… You p-probably won't believe me after I t-tell you…"
"I promise to keep an open mind," Robin said encouragingly. "One of my best friends is a man with magical black wings, so I think I can handle whatever it is that you tell me."
"Black wings?" the girl gasped. "You know Mataras?"
"Wait, Mataras?" Robin asked in surprise. "I was talking about his father, Kirito. Although now that you ask, yes, we do know Mataras- though he hasn't exactly made very many friends while he's been here."
"Yeah, he's k-kind of scary," Noire said softly.
"Wait, so does that mean you come from another timeline in the future?" Robin asked. "Because we have several children from the future among us, though none of them ever mentioned me having a child- though as it turns out I had a set of twins in a future different from yours."
"You did?" Noire asked curiously. "A-Are they nice?"
"Morgan is very sweet, while Marth is a little more… serious," Robin smiled proudly. "But I take it you don't know them, which confirms my theory about you being from a different timeline, right?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess so," Noire nodded.
"Then tell me, who was your mother?" Robin asked. "I'm already engaged to someone from this timeline, but if at all possible, I would like to see you reunited with your mother, too."
"N-No!" Noire squeaked. "P-Please don't tell her about me! She'll- She'll-!" She began to hyperventilate, causing Robin to get out of his chair and place a comforting arm around the girl.
"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "I didn't realize that your mother was abusive…"
"N-No, it's not your fault," she sniffled as she leaned into his embrace. "In the future, you died before I was even born, and I wasn't exactly… um, conceived through normal means."
"How so?" Robin asked her gently.
"M-Mother took some of your life energy when you were asleep one night," Noire said quietly. "And she used it to conceive me… She used to use me as a test subject for her hexes… It was… awful…" She looked like she wanted to cry. "When she was killed fighting Grimleal, I was almost relieved…"
"Wait, she used you to test her hexes…?" Robin said, beginning to sense where this was going. "Don't tell me…"
"Mother's fixation on you was infamous," Noire nodded. "She never gave up trying to make you hers."
"Tharja?" Robin asked with a bleak expression.
"Uh-huh," Noire nodded. "Please, please… Don't tell her who I am… I'm afraid that-"
"Your mother is in a secure prison where she's been deprived of her magic equipment, and the cell is lined with runes that prevent her from casting any hexes," Robin assured her. "She can't hurt you anymore, I promise."
"Th-Thank you…" the girl sniffled with a shudder.
"Don't thank me," Robin said with a soft chuckle. "Thank Kirito and Asuna. They were the ones that arrested her after she almost attacked Lucina."
"W-Why did she do that?" Noire asked.
"Oh, umm…" Robin hesitated before deciding to be direct. "Well, remember how I told you that I had a set of twins…?"
"Yes…" Noire said slowly.
"It seems that Lucina is their mother," he said. "And Tharja didn't exactly approve of our relationship…"
Surprisingly, instead of being appalled like he had expected her to be after learning that he had formed a relationship with a parallel version of one of her comrades, Noire smiled a little bit and said, "She's a lot nicer than Mother is, isn't she?"
Robin found himself smiling back and then said, "Yeah, she is."
"Then I'm happy for you, umm…" she hesitated over what to call him.
"You can call me 'Father," he encouraged her. "And I think that there's a couple of kids around here somewhere that would be happy to call you their sister."
For the first time in her life, Noire felt tears sliding from her face that did not find their source in grief, but in joy. "That… That would be nice."
Robin: You're a right dastard, you know that?
Mataras: I've been called worse.
Kirito: Hey, c'mon guys! It's Thanksgiving! Let's get along for once!
Mataras: ...Fine. Truce?
Robin: Agreed, but after today, all bets are off.
Mataras: Heh, I'll drink to that.
Asuna: You drink?!
Mataras: No! A- I'm not old enough. B- I have enough health problems as it is.
Chrom: Oh? What ails you?
Mataras: A number of things, but don't worry about it- for now, I have some rather exciting news for our readers.
Yuuki: Are you gonna get all your readers Christmas presents?!
Mataras: Heh, as much as I can, yes. I'll be sure to release (hopefully lengthy) chapters in a month, or on Christmas Day. But that's not all.
Kirito: Oh yeah, you've been pretty quiet about this secret project of yours for a while now. What's up with that?
Mataras: For full details, go read the second chapter of Shattered Fragment, but for those of you that ever liked the Last Airbender T.V. series, I think you'll like what I've got in store for next year, heh.
Robin: Wait, are you doing a Last Airbender Fanfiction?!
Mataras: Hardly.
Asuna: Then why bring it up...?
Mataras: Coming January 1, 2017...
The Legacy of Korra