Chapter Text
The anticipation was a nervous kind of energy.
It tingled through me like electrical sparks on the way to the ground, gathering in my toes; the excitement bubbling up within me—almost unbearable— and a smile was tugging at my lips… and I just couldn't help it.
It felt amazing to be back. My heart was pounding in my chest but I tried to ignore it and slow my breathing.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
In… and out.
I stopped to take in the atmosphere: a vast throng of people, easily thousands strong, that I could see coming and going through the each of the six giant archways resting at the edges of the plaza. Even the staircase leading to the water-garden, wider than a hundred men across, was jam-packed full of players; the intimidating Black Iron Palace lying beyond, as I could just barely see above their tufts of hair. Past even that, the Room of Resurrection cordoned off by the city guardsmen—curious… I wonder what that was about?
I let myself ponder for a brief moment, before turning my attention to the people around me.
The crowd had been so jubilant, singing the songs that belonged to the inebriated and joyful; they rubbed shoulders, never minding that their toes were often trodden upon nor that that were in closer proximity to these strangers than they usually were to friends or even family. There was something magical about being just another face in this crowd, almost an easing to the loneliness within.
We act the same, cheer at the same moment, feel the same emotions, together.
What I read on their faces was written on mine, and in that echo of our humanity, we were as close to being one as we would ever be. In that moment of unity, there was a feeling of freedom that I'd never managed to feel in other parts of my life.
It struck me then: I'm really here. In this world, in Sword Art Online. A place more real to me than many others; a home that was more home than home ever was.
I was here.
And so was everyone else. The anticipation was killing me after seeing so many people; it was time to grind. Everything had been reset for the official launch, and what better way to make use of my prior knowledge than to stay ahead of everyone else, to be the best?
After all, if I don't—ding.
Excuse me?
Ding!
DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!
The noise rung in my head, reverberating harshly, nary a few seconds after taking my first few steps forward into the world.
My mouth moved before I caught up with it. "What the hell is wrong with that rat?!" I winced after, hoping she hadn't been nearby to hear it. I stared at the notifications in the corner of my vision, as if they'd spontaneously combust and disappear if I'd glared hard enough. Unfortunately, however, they did not. Over a dozen messages, a few expired party invitations, and a single valid friend request, all sent to me by the same person. And just by the virtue of the name alone, I could feel an oncoming headache; it was hard to resist letting loose a groan of misery.
Argo.
Of course, that name alone was enough of an explanation for any trouble that ails the world.
She must have been hoping to catch me as soon as I logged in, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. Instead, I decided to ignore the friend request for now. I'd accept it and add her later… maybe. She knows that I don't play with others—I offered as a haphazard excuse to myself. But still, I hesitated.
Bringing up a hand to the menu, intending to close it, I paused. My finger stood there, hovering. Mere centimeters away from freedom. Then all the reasons not to do this came flooding in and I struggled with which was the right decision. She could be pretty persistent about these things, taking them as slights, and if she ever found out… there would be hell to pay.
Absolute hell.
Letting out a shaky breath, I closed the menu anyway. There it was done. And with that, I took off toward the western gate.
Ignoring the noises in my head—because of course, I couldn't catch a break and she couldn't take a hint—and pushing people aside, I made my way through the crowd in the plaza. Past the worst of it, I took in the sights while breaking into a light jog. I listened as shopkeepers screamed out their offers at the top of their voices; desperately attempting to attract customers, who would then haggle trying to get the best possible prices. This was one of the many open-air markets lining the streets; a place where there would always be at least a few people bargaining at all times of the day. But now? I couldn't see a single empty spot between the stalls. It felt a bit strange seeing everything so lively, even considering the area I was passing though.
There was nowhere near close to this many players in the beta.
As I was running through the area, I had to keep apologizing for each time I stumbled, bumped into, and shoved past a person—and even suppress the urge to stop and help someone I'd accidentally sent flying headfirst into a colorful stall selling fruits.
I might be a solo player, but I am not an asshole.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, damn it!"
Okay. Not that much of an asshole.
To be on the safe side I took a quick turn down the rough cobbled streets, leading toward an alleyway and away from the shouting behind me. The buildings were tight together, looming overhead like a forest of stone. And when I looked up, the roofs were so close together that I could only make out a silver of the blue sky, mirrored by a tiny stream of light that trickled down along the cold and harsh stone road.
The alleyway twisted and turned back on itself, first going to the right, to the left, and then again to the left before an even more narrow path could be seen to the right, out of sight from the first glance of any casual observers. The maze-like roads of the town—more a city, really—wasn't an issue for me. Not when I knew this map like the back of my hand. I'd spend too much time in the beta to ever get lost on the starting floors, but for whoever was following me? Well, good luck to them.
I felt the corners of my lips tugging upward in mirth, but much to my chagrin though, I didn't make it very far down the new alley before I turned another corner and crashed into someone.
The world rushed by in a blur and I winced in anticipation of the coming pain. It goes by fast, slow, almost suspended. Then the impact comes. Even in the game, I could feel my bones move in a way they shouldn't; jangled. Slowly, I rose back onto my feet from the cold cobblestone ground.
Ugh.
Can this day get any worse?
First, the flat tire on my bike this morning. Then, having to talk and pretend that everything was normal with Suguha, my cousin, and my aunt and uncle. The less said about the sham that was my family, the better. And as much as I enjoyed being apart of that crowd earlier—having a party's worth of people around me still made me anxious, let alone the sheer number of them around me earlier. Then again, now. I practically just tackled someone down to the ground with me! At the rate I was going, forget getting to the village before anyone else, I'd be lucky to even get the blade in a reasonable amount of time. I needed to hurry up and get moving again, oh! And apologize, I guess.
"S-sorry!"
Hopefully they'd accept that pathetic offering. Now, I just needed to go through the motions of helping them up and I could be on my way!
"Jeez, what's yer problem?" A vaguely feminine voice sounded out. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't put a name to it. "Pay more 'ttention ta where yer going, kid."
Wait. Wait, it can't be. But that voice and the way they talked, it was too… similar.
I begged to any gods that would listen: please, please don't let it be her.
Before I held out my hand for the person to take, my eyes roamed over the body splayed out on the ground and bright golden eyes stared back at me with a twinkle of mischief, golden-brown curls framing her petite face—mercifully, her pale cheeks lacked the three characteristic marks on either side of her face that would identify her as Argo, "the rat" as some called her.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
Jeez, she almost gave me a heart attack—and here she comes for round two; a light hue dusted my cheeks and I averted my eyes shyly, suddenly feeling awkward. She was… actually kind of cute.
Thrusting my hand out to her, I ignored the heat in my cheeks and beckoned for her to grab onto it. "Here, let me help you up." She took a hold of the offered hand and I pulled her up to her feet, and at that point I could have walked away had it not been for the smirk.
Because of course, I couldn't catch a break.
"Thanks, Kii-bou! I know how much ya missed me, but it's only been a few days since we last talked, ya know. No need to go on n' run me over ta hug me cuz yer so happy to see me. Ya could've just asked fer a hug, y'know?"
The smirk that grew into a grin and spread over her face, wide and open, showing her pearly white teeth; I could see it in her eyes, the inner delight. She was savoring the moment.
A muscle twitched involuntarily at the corner of my right eye and my mouth contorted in a rigid grimace as I yanked my hand back. Folding it tightly across my chest with the other, I stared in apprehension. Apparently, today can get worse. I know I'm not the most pious of people, but this was unbelievable. The gods had forsaken me—I'd go to a shrine and honor them in penance first thing when I logged out, if only they'd get rid of her—and meanwhile, I should probably deal with this before Argo got it in her mind to be… creative.
"What's with the silent treatment, Kirito, rat got yer tongue?"
She looked especially proud of that one.
"Nehehe."
Yeah, that's Argo alright. Forget being the first one to get the Anneal Blade, there goes any chance of me nabbing it today. I let loose a sigh of despair, "hey Argo."
"Don't 'hey' me!" She snarled with sudden ferocity.
I watched her cross her arms and click her tongue with a disapproving huff; this was about the messages and invites and the friend request, wasn't it?
"You've been ignoring me, don't play dumb! Don'tcha know how many times I'd sent you that stuff in the last five minutes Kii-bou?!" She angrily shifted from one foot to the other, "I know yer a stubborn loner, but come on Kii. Ya managed it just find in the beta 'n every other game since! Stop being a brat and add me already." Pausing, she stood there and looked at me expectantly.
Me, who was standing still, sulking. Nope, not moving a muscle. Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away? "Ow!" She freakin' pinched my cheeks, that hurt!
"Hurry up now, we ain't got all day Kii-bou."
Fine. Fine. I swiped my fingers down in the open air to my front, in a gesture to bring up the menu. Navigating to her friend request, I stared long and hard at it. I could be petty and just reject it on principle—the thought was rather tempting, I had to admit.
"Kirito..."
The unsaid threat hissed was loud and clear. I rolled my eyes, pressing yes and closing the menu.
"See, that wasn't so hard!" She cheered, "now add me to yer party 'n let's get goin' Kii-bou!"
She has no right to be this chipper. Disgruntled, I did as she said without argument—and just who was it that kept screaming, "hey you," behind us like a deranged monkey—because what else could I possibly do at this point?
Argo has joined your party
"Good!"
Why was she poking me?
"Hey Kirito, I think someone is lookin' for ya."
The circus act never ends. On that note, I tried to escape. "Let's go, we're behind as it is." Quickly, I attempted to move around her to no avail. Argo latched onto my arm and turned me right back around to where I started, grinning cheekily all the whilst.
"Nope," she said, popping the "p." "This is what you get for being a naughty boy."
I grunted.
"Yeah, yeah. Suck it up, kiddo. 'sides, I think you'll like this one." She chortled and point at someone making a ruckus, presumably whoever was the idiot making a fool of himself.
Might as well take a look, I reasoned, and my eyes move to the direction she was pointing at; it was the man he'd knocked down earlier, he noted in surprise. That funky headband was pretty notable, same as the bright red hair. He looked like a tomato. But, he was an otherwise average player given the appearance of his equipment; the typical leather armor and basic weaponry given to beginners.
I looked on in faint disgust as he placed his hand on his knees and bent over, huffing and puffing in exertion after running through the crowds and the alleys. Either he was a complete newbie, or he was really into role-playing. Neither options were something I wanted to be associated with.
"H-hey! You there, with the b-black hair." He struggled to speak with ever breath he took, "w-wait up, please!" After a few moments later, it seemed like he had finally caught himself. "You're running like you know the place, man. You must've been a beta tester, right?"
At this point, I tried to walk away again, but Argo quickly put a stop to any such thoughts; she wrapped herself around my arm and held me in place, glaring.
Fine.
"Yeah."
"Please man! It's my first day playing, show a new guy like me a couple of tips on playing and… maybe about the first couple of lower floors?" He begged, clasping his hands together and prostrating himself on the floor before me.
I stared, bewildered at the suddenness of the request and his bizarre actions. Did he really just… who does that in this day and age? It was difficult not to laugh at him. Maybe… Argo was right; this guy is kinda funny. That won't change my answer though. It was always going to be the same, no matter how much of an idiot he acted like.
"N—" Before I could even get the words out of my mouth, that little rat stomped on my foot. It didn't damage my health, of course, since we were in a safe-zone. But, I could still feel it and it hurt, damn it. Way more than it should've… my brow furrowed and I turned to look at her.
"What Kii-bou here… means to say is 'yes,' isn't that right?"
Of course, she answered for me. What was the point in her pretending I had a choice in this nonsense then? I huffed and turned around.
"We were 'bout ta head out to farm some trash mobs over by a clearing to the northwest. Yer more then welcome ta join us!" She turned to me and stared expectantly, again.
She squeezed my arm.
…
Oh right, the party.
Rolling my eyes once more, I returned to the menu to send him an invite. But… hmm, what was his name? This was our first meeting and he was on neither of our friends list, so his username wouldn't show unless he revealed it to us. I normally loved the anonymity provided by the game, but in this case it worked against us.
Uh.. how was it done again? Oh yeah, the cursor. I tapped at the green symbol floating above his head cursor and tapped it twice; once to select it and the second to invite him. I clicked my tongue at finally managing to send an invite.
"Aw yeah! My name's Klein, nice to meet'cha both!"
Seriously, he couldn't have said that a couple a minutes ago?
Klein has joined your party
And he's in now. That's just great.
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"Kii-bou!"
There were frustrating times when my veneer of politeness lapsed around people. It's no excuse, I know. I have to own up to my own behavior: I was abrasive beyond wildest imaginations at times. I try to be at ease around people, to be good to them—I really do. But when it comes down to it… my temperament gets the best of me, and I'm not proud to admit that it was the cause of a more than a few hurtful comments and fights at one point or another. With family, friends… it didn't matter who it was as I struck out at the people around me. I know that this was something I needed to work on, and so, I'll admit I was in the wrong earlier.
I was unnecessarily rude to someone who was at no fault and had only asked for some help. He's a newbie, sure. But I shouldn't have been taking out my frustration on him when he hasn't done anything to deserve it.
No.
Eyeing the auburn-haired menace walking next to me only reaffirmed it. That particular honor belonged to her.
"Kii-bou!"
That damned nickname. She'd always use it to get under my skin as she goes about doing whatever she pleases.
"Kii-boooou!"
Soon after we had left the western gate, walking out of the crowded city, a heavy silence settled over the group; thicker than the uneasy tension in the atmosphere. That's how it felt to me at least. At first for a bit, Argo humored that new guy's rambling while I remained silent, but apparently she'd stopped being in a generous mood sometime ago. The sigh that followed these thoughts was resigned and weary...
"Kii-bou~"
My eye twitched. No, she's more interested in irritating me right now.
Poke
"Hey Kii-bou."
Poke
"Stop ignoring me."
Poke
"Kii-bouuuuu!"
Where was the anti-harassment system when you needed it?
Blessedly, this… Klein, interrupted Argo's idea of fun. He cleared his throat to grab our attention and I looked on raptly, thank the gods for small merc—"Uh, hey! So you're 'Kii-bou,' right?" I seethed, this was a mistake. I'm going to kill Argo. And this guy… what kind of idiot was he? He can see our names in the party list. "Then what's her name?" Oh, for the love of… huh. My eyes drifted towards the aforementioned girl. She looked surprisingly aggravated for some undisclosed reason. I waited to see if she'd say anything before I answered Klein.
"Hey, hey, hey!" I heard her squawk out.
The corners of my mouth lifted. It looked like my patience would be rewarded after all.
"First things first, buddy. You can call him, 'Kirito.' Nothing else, got it?"
What was this warm feeling in my chest right now? She's actually using my name!
"'Kii-bou' is for my use only."
Ah.
Yes, this feeling… it was the bitter and familiar feeling of disappointment. Remind me, me—why was I friends with her again?
"And second," she carried on, "two hundred cor for my name, newbie." She finished cheekily, holding out an empty palm.
"W-what?!"
Klein looked shocked, and I couldn't help but laugh at his expression of betrayal. In fact, I didn't even try to hold it back, as I watched him almost stumble down face-first into the dirt. This guy was just too much! Shaking my head, I tossed him a bone to make up for earlier. "Her name is Argo—"
"The Rat," she helpfully supplied.
"… yes, the rat," I continued dryly. "She likes to pretend that she's some kind of spy or information broker." Heh.
"Hey! I take my job as Aincrad's top dealer of information veeeery seriously ya know. I can't believe you'd say that Kii-bou," she said, scandalized.
I'd seen her pout from the corner of my eye and my lips twitched upward into a small smile, and rubbing salt into the wound, I let loose a few laughs. It was fun riling her up.
"Kii-bou stop it!"
Even a rough shove from her did little to cease my laughter; in fact, it was even funnier now. Consider this payback for earlier, Argo.
"Hey guys..."
Eh, was Klein trying to say something?
My head turned back to look at him.
"Thanks for bringing me along and um… sorry for being a third wheel, haha?"
That laugh at the end was beyond awkward in my opinion, but more importantly… third… wheel?
"And uh… sorry for using your boyfriend's nickname as well, Argo. I thought that was just something he liked being called by rather than his username." He stopped walking to bow in apology.
I stopped, stupefied. Boyfriend?
Worst of all, Argo stopped.
That snapped me out of my shock, and I turned to look on in horror at Argo, as she pounced on the opportunity.
"Nyahaha! It's 'kay Klein. My… boyfriend here accepts your apology." My arm was snatched away from me by Argo and held tight against her chest. "And he just… loves it whenever I call him Kii-bou; it's something special to us. An… inside joke of ours, you could say," she all but practically purred.
"T-th-thats…!" I couldn't help the sputter; I was mortified—frozen to the spot! I felt traumatized. "No, not true. That's not true—that's not true at all!" I'd never live this down for as long as I'd live. She'd be reminding me of this even as I lay on my deathbed.
There was nothing for it, I'd have to leave Kawagoe. Cast off my identity and start off somewhere new. A different life, a different man.
Good-bye, Suguha and… mom, dad. Thank you for everything, but I have no choice.
"Aw, Kii-bou." She winked at me, "don't be all shy and embarrassed, it's okay!"
I died inside at the sight of it. But then, she squeezed my arm between her ches—No, I repeated to myself and whimpered. It's not okay. Not okay at all.
"Oh… and uh, do I really need to give you t-two hundred cor?"
I heard a desperate voice behind me, unaccountably Klein. Huh, way to have your priorities straight.
"That's almost half of the starting cash they give us!"
Shaking her off, I answered him. "No, keep it." Fending off another attempt to latch onto me, I continued, "Let's just go and hurry up. The clearing was right ahead, and it didn't look like there were too many people there right now." Suppressing the urge to leave them both behind and go somewhere else, I walked forward.
I regret everything.
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It was… fun, I suppose. Helping teach Klein the game that is; he certainly picked it up fast enough.I hated to say it, but maybe… just maybe… running into her today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
"Hey, Kirito… Argo!" His voice carried from across the field, loud enough for both me and Argo to hear it over the sound of the mobs we were grinding. Wesoon stopped in our tracks at the ruckus and quickly cleaned up the monsters we aggro'd.
We turned around to face him, but I quickly gave a questioning glance to Argo for some kind of answer, as if she'd knew what this was about. Her lips were in a thin line, and she shrugged. Curiously, she seemed upset about something.
While he continued on his path towards us, Argo spoke to me. "He sure is excitable, huh?" She asked nonchalantly. I felt my eyebrows raise as I watched her; clearly, she had another motive for wanting to talk to me.
I tilted my head. "Yeah…" I said cautiously, "I guess he is."My eyes then shifted back to Klein as he approached us, still going strong. I snorted as he was charged at by a boar.
Her brows furrowed as she looked down at the ground between us. "You 're not mad at me… are you?"
A pause. I shook my head slowly. She sighed softly, her shoulders relaxing slightly at my response.
"Is something wrong?" I cut to the heart of the matter.
She shrugged again, shaking her head as she looked back at me. "Dunno. I just have a… bad feeling. Can't tell ya what that is exactly, but… stay close. Please, Kirito."
My eyebrows raised at this request. Her words were uncharacteristically serious. "Alright. You got it, Argo." I decided to humor her, for now. I wasn't heartless and I could clearly see something was on her mind. Later though, that would definitely need more explanation. Was something going on with her family again…?
"Good boy," she cooed, patting me lightly on the shoulder. Argo nodded in satisfaction, seeming to have reassured herself somewhat with my compliance. She smirked before walking away from me towards where Klein was still struggling with the boar, leaving me confused. I followed suit after she did so.
Also, Klein. Really, this mob is still giving you trouble—are you kidding me?
Argo was already on the scene, standing off on the side with her arms crossed as she waited. She motioned for me to join her, but I shook my head as she looked up at me expectantly. The look that I wore must've conveyed my meaning; she relented.
"You're getting sloppy!"
I barked out a few instructions to Klein, analyzing his movements. He was quick to adjust and he was able to avoid several attacks thanks to those directions. With each new command, Klein executed them perfectly and I couldn't help but smile as I saw him do so; I reiterated a thought from earlier: it was fun teaching him. He was good, and given time he'd be better. It also helped that I think he liked this game just as much as I do.
Soon enough, it came time to finish this monster.
As he finished it off, he wiped his forehead with the palm of his hand and took a deep breath. "Thanks for everything, you two!"
I gave him a thumbs up with my left hand, distracted. Only for Argo to suddenly pinch my arm as he spoke again.
"Hey Kirito, Argo. Thanks for everything! But, uh... I gotta get going for dinner and after that well, I already promised I'd meet up with some friends I know from another game." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kirito, you should join us!" He looked sheepish again for a brief moment, "oh and uh… you too Argo." A wave of his hand and a gray screen materialized—he should really change his privacy settings—and I could see Klein fiddling with it before he looked back up at us. "I don't know what you two have planned after this but, if you wanna join us and uh, ya know—friend 'em too or join a guild with us…"
It was a kind offer but—"Kii-bou here doesn't do guilds or friends, really. Trust me, I've tried ever since I met 'em and I've barely managed to get myself on his exclusive list."—looking at Argo, I flashed her a grateful smile. Sometimes… she just seemed to understand me. It was odd, but comforting.
He scratched the back of his neck again, looking embarrassed. "Oh, anyway then… yeah. See you guys later. Have a good night."
"But I'm preeeetty sure he wouldn't mind adding you as a friend at least, right Kii?" When Klein turned to face me with a hopeful look, I could see Argo mouth something from the side of my eye.
You. Owe. Me.
Once I recovered myself from the sudden surprise, my eyes couldn't roll harder if I tried. Although, I nodded anyway: "Yeah, that's right." I replied to Klein, "if there's anything else you wanna know, just message me." I awkwardly reached out with my hand for a handshake, "because Argo will charge you an arm and leg if you ask her instead." At least, it felt awkward to me.
Klein shook my hand enthusiastically, grinning widely at me. "Thank you so much, Kirito! I'll keep it in mind!"
It soon transitioned to a one armed-hug, much to my consternation. What was he doing?!
"I promise I'll pay you back someday Kirito, thank you so much! And you too Argo, I appreciate the chance you gave me earlier." A few quick pats on the back later and Klein let go of me.
But what was all that in the first place? I just wanted a handshake!
"Have a good night guys!" He repeated, much more brightly this time.
"Have a good night too, Klein." I responded, nodding alongside Argo.
That's how the exchange ended.
I took a small step backwards after he moved away, rubbing my arms. That was strange. Then I heard Argo clear her throat from beside me.
"Well, it looks like you've made a new friend." She stated, smugly. She crossed her arms with a smirk on her face.
"What's wrong with that?" I said, flustered.
She snickered, "nothing. Don't worry your pretty little head about it too much. Although… congratulations, that makes two—I'm sure you can make another one eventually."
Her expression told me all that I needed to know about it; she'd been plotting against me this whole time! I groaned quietly as I rubbed my temples; I just wanted to get through the rest of the evening.
"Uh… guys… the logout button… it's gone."
Gone?
My ears twitched. I could've sworn I heard something besides Klein's prattling… actually, why was he still even here?
RING
I looked at the horizon, confused. Was that a… bell?
RING
It was. "Argo, do you hear that?"
"Kirito get—"
"Hang on…" I muttered, turning away from Argo briefly as my eyes darted across the area. I could have sworn I just saw someone standing there in the tree-line, watching was going on here?
RING
On the third note from the bell, I vanished in a flash of blue.
My eyesight was blurry. The world spun and having lost my balance, my arms were flailing desperately for something to latch onto. I closed my eyes, blinking away the sudden sense of nausea. The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself standing on stable ground.
I looked around at the surrounding area once I had regained my sense of vision. I blinked slowly, trying to focus my gaze; it was so disorientating that at first, I had thought I must've been at home, in bed with my NerveGear.
Then the cold breeze came upon me, and it sent shivers down my spine, despite my body's natural warmth. The sounds of hushed conversations, of the odd person here and there crying. The realization that I was standing soon hit me, and with it the world around me erupted into chaos.
The noise… It was deafening.
I had never before experienced anything so loud. Or so terrifying. My head began pounding from sheer volume and the cacophony of voices assaulted my eardrums as soon as I had stepped outside of the blue light.
A forced teleport to the plaza, but why?
Klein… he wasn't speaking nonsense. The game must really be malfunctioning if logging out isn't working—gone, I corrected myself. If it was gone.
Absurd.
More importantly, Argo. Where was she? She might know what was going on. Turning my head side to side, I quickly realized it was impossible to spot any single individual in this crowd. We were packed like sardines in a can—and I didn't have time for this. The throbbing pain in my head worsened and I nearly snarled at the next person that brushed against me. I was trapped against people surrounding me. No way out, no escape, nothing but a sea of humanity.
I had to find her, now.
If I didn't find her and get out of this crowd in the next few minutes, I would seriously start losing my already tenuous grip on sanity. looked around for any sign of her, scanning everyone around me for anything that might resemble Argo.
I ran and started shoving, frantically weaving between people; twisting and turning through the throng. Just looking with sight alone wasn't an option—the plaza was huge and there were too many people everywhere—so I started yelling, calling her name, over and over until I ran out of air.
The sound of my own voice only amplified the pounding in my head, causing me to grit my teeth. The scratchy pain in my throat and the humiliation of it burned; I tried swallowing, but every time I did, it hurt just as much as the screaming. This was so stupid. This was so fucking stupid. Today, all I wanted to do was grind and enjoy my time in this world. Not… deal with this.
"ARGO! ARGO, OVER HERE!"
None of these people mattered. They weren't who I was looking for, they weren't important. I looked frantically through the crowds; trying to catch glimpse of anyone who resembled her.
"Hey hey hey! Whoa there!" Someone suddenly said, grabbing me by my collar. I struggled against their grasp, but they held on tightly. "Let me go, dammit! Let me go!" I growled, struggling harder, but the strength of the hold was beyond me—this was the last thing I needed today. They needed to get out of the damn way!
They laughed, pulling me closer. "Hey buddy! Take a chill pill man, you're making such a scene! Just calm down before you hurt yourself. Don't worry, the staff will fix this in no time!"
I saw red; lunging forward without warning, I headbutted the stranger straight in the face. Hard.
"OW!" The man yelled in pain, releasing me from his grasp as he held his face. "Sonofabitch! What the hell—" The crowd around me blurred and swayed. I didn't have a plan. I just kept walking and shouting, ignoring the situation completely as if it hadn't happened. My heart was thumping violently in my chest, pumping adrenaline throughout my body as I pushed and shoved people left and right, heading towards the exit. I didn't care; not anymore. As long as I could get out of there, everything would be alright. Even though I knew I should probably still check up on Argo…
I pushed past yet another person—huh?
I stopped running for a moment, searching for the source of the familiar female voice. No way… my breath hitched.
"Over here!" It called again, louder this time. "Kirito! I'm over here! Wait, don't run off again!"
Where?
"Kii-bou I'm over here!"
Where?
"Kii-bou!"
There! My legs moved before the rest of me caught up and I took off in a sprint. Without thinking, I ran as fast as I possibly could in the direction of her voice, shoving bodies to the side and weaving around the ones I couldn't.
One moment I was rushing forward and in the next went flying downward at a speed that seemed almost unreal; constricting my throat so that I could hardly draw a breath. In the brief few seconds it took to reach the ground. I knew it was going to hurt. Oof. My hands flew out, trying to grab onto something, but I ended up slamming face first onto the ground; it was surprisingly soft against my cheek, thankfully. But the same could not be said elsewhere: a grunt escaped my lips as I landed somewhere hard enough to bruise my stomach. I laid there for a second or two, contemplating my mistake.
This was the second time I've ran into someone today. I really needed to pay more attention to what's around me. Finally catching my breath, I rolled over; wincing when the move caused a fresh wave of pain to course throughout my head. Damn, it hurt.
I don't remember my headaches ever being this bad.
"We have really got to stop meeting like this Kii-bou."
Is that... Argo? No way, my luck wasn't that bad.
"I know the prince is supposed to sweep the princess up 'n off her feet, Kirito. But I think yer takin' it a bit too literally."
Yeah. That was Argo alright—breathing heavily; my eyes stung and the edges were blurry. I was trying not to cry. I refused to cry. But—god damnit.
"The 'least ya could do is ta catch me when yer sendin' me flying like that Kii-bou."
She sounded pissed off, but still amused as hell at the same time, as I could hear the faint giggles behind the words. She was teasing me again, wasn't she?
I tried to get up, only for Argo to quickly put an end to that—"Watch yer hands, Kirito."—and I blushed.
"Oh."
I had landed mid-way between her stomach and chest; a hand on her upper thigh and the other near her upper-right side. How mortifying. I buried my face in her shirt… only to find that it had ridden up, and that I had just nuzzled her bare stomach.
It was silky soft, like silk. Like a girl's skin, my brain helpfully supplied. My heart raced and my cheeks flushed even further when a soft, feminine laugh slipped past her lips. I risked a glance over to her, meeting her mirthful golden eyes.
"You know, we're kind of in public, Kirito," she teased. "Maybe ya oughta try keepin' some of that in your pants?" Pausing, she continued after a second of mock-thought. "Then again, if yer into that sort of thing…"
"What?! N—"
I felt like I should say something or deny it. I don't know. But then her gaze flickered down, meeting mine. My cheeks darkened even more when she leaned closer, her face inches from mine, and whispered:"You wanna know somethin' Kii-bou? I've been watchin' ya. Since the very beginning."
Her eyes glittered as she winked. "And if you're looking for someone special, well I can help ya out on that front." And she slowly, deliberately began to lean closer…
"Ouch!"
… and flicked my forehead.
"Argo, you can't just say stuff like that." I muttered, embarrassed at her actions, as I pulled myself up.
She simply shrugged. "Can too. What'd you expect, anyway, huh?"
I groaned—she's impossible. She knew exactly what she was doing. How does anyone live under the same roof as her sometimes? I almost felt bad for her mother.
Argo let out a quiet chuckle, pushing herself up from the floor she had been sprawled out on.
Before I had any chance to respond, her voice grew serious and her gaze became distant as she spoke in a matter of fact tone. "But let's not get distracted right now." She pointed up. "I mean, Kii-bou. Look at that freaky shit.
My eyes followed her finger.
A piece of the… sky was... I couldn't believe it. I honestly couldn't believe it.
"What the fuck…" I breathed, staring. That makes as much sense as anything else today. "The sky is bleeding."
"Yep, they're really working for that 'M' rating."
My hand came up to cradle my newly throbbing forehead . "I blame this on you, you know." I shook my head. The only thing I know for sure is that this was somehow all Argo's fault.