[PP-F4] Way Past Cool (Keith, Kiru)

[Guest]

Keith felt the jacket thrown into him and he pulled it away from his face, looking to see Kiru had gone to sleep. "She's... Weird..." Keith said to himself, taking the jacket off him and putting it around Kiru. He looked up at the sky, watching the lights dance across in every color. "I'm sure there's good in her... I just have to help her find it." Keith whispered again, looking at Kiru as he pet Ruby in his lap. She seemed much more at ease when she was sleeping, and not so stressed or angry like usual. He would even go as far to say she looked a little cute, but he knew he would be caught dead if he said that aloud. He just looked forward again, feeling the cold snowflakes land on his skin and melt, waiting for the sun.

[Kiru 0]

Not a lot of time had passed since I had fallen asleep but it felt like much longer because of the floor's natural time setting. The small streams of light coming through the trees above reflected off of the white snow. It would have been a pretty sight if it hadn't bounced off the snow in front of my and right into my eyes. I blinked a few times before actually opening my eyes all of the way. I looked around, confused as to why it was morning already. I looked over at Keith with my face back to normal, nothing at ease anymore. My jacket fell of my back and landed in the snow behind me. I barely gave it any attention. What time is it? And how long did I sleep? I asked him without any form of a greeting first. If I had slept longer than I should have then I was going to be upset, it would totally mess up my sleep schedule. 

[Guest]

Keith rubbed his eyes and looked over, blinking a few times as he rolled his eyes. "Well, good morning sunshine." He said with  yawn, rubbing his back. "And the time is... Twelve. At noon." He said with a smirk, Ruby stretching with a sleepy 'Yip' on his lap and then rolling onto his back, snuggling against Keith as he scratched him behind the ears. "When we first met, you always seemed so... Tired. I figured you needed a little extra sleep. And don't even bother arguing with me. I let you sleep a little longer, so yelling at me isn't going to fix it." Keith said, smirking smugly as he stood up. â€‹"Now come on, Sleeping Beauty. We gotta get to the prison. These cuffs are seriously starting to chafe."

[Kiru 0]

When Keith said the time I literally exploded. My eyes grew dark and wide as I stood up in a hurry. You idiot! My entire sleeping routine has been screwed up because you let me sleep longer than I should have! I'm going to fall asleep while fighting a monster or something now... Also now we have cut into our time that we need to find that dungeon jail. Are trying to keep these on forever?! I yelled, visibly furious now. A normal person would have been thankful for the extra hours but I wasn't a normal person. I had no time to rest as of right now, I had way too many things to do and too little time to accomplish those things. I picked up that jacket that dropped when I stood up so quickly. I placed it in my inventory and stared at Keith, somehow he was more comfortable being around me. I guess yelling won't get them off either, let's go. I said, diminishing the anger in me and making the problem disappear. It was hard to say those words though, they wouldn't come out so easily as I anticipated. And don't call me that. 
 

[Guest]

Keith snickered and pulled Kiru along, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger. "Hehe, well, excuuuuse me, princess." He said as he rolled his eyes childishly, walking back through the snow. "Anyway, tell me about yourself. Plenty of time to do it. And from what I've learned about you, this is probably a sob-story. So, honestly I expect another "Shut up, don't talk to me, loser." after I finish saying this." Keith said, as Ruby scurried up his leg and under his vest, popping up onto his shoulder and cuddling up against his cheek happily.

[Kiru 0]

I walked along side Keith after catching up and giving him a glare for going so fast. You've said that like five thousand times, are you quite done with it? Surely by now you would come up with another one. I said monotonically, staring out at the snow. Looking at it was blinding with the bright light of the morning but it was also semi-shaded by the trees. Clumps of snow here and there would fall off tree branches as we walked by them. 

 

After a long silence I let out a deep breath. Keith was wanting to hear about me, and I didn't want to tell. Other players had asked about, curious as to see what I was "really like," but I never told. Keith told me something personal, so shouldn't I? It feels right but I don't think it's a good idea to just bleed out everything about myself, even if we are together for a long time. I glanced at him. He was so happy and curious, yet enraged and fearful at the same time. He was definitely something. 

 

Where do I start even? I asked, hoping he wouldn't get too excited that I was finally telling him something other than my name. After all, this was the first time I had breathed an unsarcastic word of my past. 

[Guest]

Keith blinked and looked over at her, surprised she was actually going to do it. "Oh! Well, I honestly wasn't expecting you to go through with it this time. So... Anywhere, really. Just start off where you feel most comfortable starting." Keith said, feeling the crunching of snow underneath his shoes with each step. It was Christmas Eve in Aincrad, and all through the Floor, not a creature stirring, not even the Boar.

 

"But... Yeah. Just start anywhere and I'll listen." 

 

(Sorry it's short, not a whole lot I could respond with. :I )

[Kiru 0]

(That's okay, I was hesitant to post because I didn't really give you much to work with.)

 

Okay...I said, thinking of where exactly I should start. It was hard to explain myself without getting a whole lot into to detail. It wasn't in my best interest to share everything though. I finally sighed and started to speak. Well, as a kid I started noticing that my parents weren't coming home as often, therefore not having time to spend with me. I was a destructive child, one time I even lit the curtains on fire just to get heir attention. This didn't get me the correct form of recognition though. It got me sent to my room. That didn't really work considering that me as a seven year old had all the toys in the world to play with, not that they interested me. Growing up I started to become more mature and in a sense began to realize that my parents had to work. They were each a crucial part to their industry. I was about fifteen then, just starting high school and I had begun to attend a private school, the one we went to. I was tutored at home until middle school so I was still a little new to the whole thing. It was stressful at first but I got over it and even became somewhat popular. I was being known as the prettiest freshman. Then a few years rolled by and in my senior I dyed my hair constantly. I settled on white and black and now I'm here. Not a really interesting life so... What about you? I asked, not really paying much attention to what I was saying. I told him about my family and school, but that was it. I didn't really want to break down every emotion I felt along the way to get to where I was now. My left hand reached to my right hand, I held my own hand to keep it from shaking. Another bad habit of mine was shaky hands when I was nervous or anxious. I looked over at Keith and waited for him to respond, hopefully he would be positive and move onto another topic. 

[Guest]

Keith blinked and tilted his head, thinking to his own origin story. "My life? Well... It's a little lengthy..." Keith said, clearing his throat as he got ready to speak. "I really came from Sweden. My father was one of, if not the best, game developer in the whole country. And when he was asked to come work on Sword Art Online, he took it for the challenge rather than for the money. So my family packed up and headed out to Japan. When we arrived, we knew it would take a while until SAO was really finished, so we all attended school. Me and my younger sister, Haine, went to high school, and my youngest sister, Ruri, went to middle school. Really, I'm not a big gamer to be honest. My real passion is sports, like track. I was actually captain of the track team back in the real world. Eventually, when SAO was finished, my dad did ask the three of us to test it. So we did, and I became hooked. I never knew video games would be this cool! But then, the whole incident happened. I made it my job to get Haine and Ruri out of here safely, but... I can't find them anymore. I couldn't imagine my mom's grief if just one of her children came out..." Keith said, looking down at the ground. 

 

​"I guess that's the whole reason I became a Maverick Hunter. To save as many lives as possible. There's always going to be someone out there to grieve if a player dies, and I want to make sure we get as many players out as we can." Keith finished with a sigh, looking back up and then to Kiru. "And you already know the part about how I had to leave a copy of SAO in a locker."

[Kiru 0]

I nodded my head as he spoke, comparing us to each other and contrasting the differences. Well, I guess we're similar in a way. Our parents are wealthy people but that's about it. I was an only child while you had two sisters. You moved while I lived in the say house with the same uncountable rooms in Japan my whole life. I guess I can't say I've been through what you have though. Grieving...I don't really think that if you...I had the urge to voice my opinion about the death in this game but I couldn't bring myself to it. Keith seemed to be a little unstable about killing. For once since I had stepped foot in this game I did not roll into my spur about how you don't actually die in game. This ticked most players off and started fights but it amused me to see everyone's reaction...expect Keith's. I definitely wasn't eager to await his reaction. 

[Guest]

Keith blinked and tilted his head a little to the side, looking over to Kiru. Keith was pretty naive by most people's opinions, but he still saw the game as a "Worse-case-scenario" type of situation. That's what kept him alive this long. "Well, even if we don't die, we're still stuck in here with no way out. So we need as many people as we can to do their part to get everyone out of here." Keith said, looking back forward. Death or not, there was still that factor in play. If someone did die, but were still okay in the real world, they wouldn't be able to help everyone else escape. There were plenty of factors in play here, which had been told to Keith by one of his 'Brainy' friends. Keith really didn't pay much mind to it, since he wasn't into mathematics and numbers, but he still grasped the concept. Everyone had to do their part, so everyone gets to go home, simple.

[Kiru 0]

I let out a breath of relief, I didn't know why I did it though. There wasn't any reason for me to be relieved at this point. Then I noticed something, my voice and how nonchalant I was being. My entire image was dissipating in front of Keith and it was scaring me a little. The rude behavior and sarcastic manner I had worked so hard on was crumbling down in an instant. I then rolled my eyes at myself, I was over thinking things. ...Or we can just clear the games ourselves and carry on with our lives. I mean, it's better to just get it done yourself than wait on other people to do it for you. Then I smacked my forehead, the situation I was in right now just contradicted everything I said. As of now, Keith and I relied on each other to move at the same pace and not let our combined health down to zero. I rubbed against my right wrist and tired to adjust the handcuff, that didn't work so well. Never mind that, how close are we to the supposed jail on this floor? As you said earlier these cuffs are starting to seriously chafe...

[Guest]

Keith slid open his menu with his right hand, which he was starting to get better at, and checked the map. "Well, we should be nearing the area now. We didn't notice earlier because... Well... This thing is underground. There's no landmarks to telegraph where it is." Keith said, tapping his bottom lip with his index finger. "...But, there isn't anything to telegraph how to get in exactly, either. Which means we're going to have to do a little searching before we actually make any progress getting out of these extremely uncomfortable cuffs." Keith, however, had grown more comfortable in the cuffs then when they started. Not really in a physical sense, but he felt more at ease around Kiru now. Like maybe she wouldn't maul him after they get uncuffed. 

[Kiru 0]

We were pretty close actually, we've been walking for a long time now. Talking to each other really made the time fly. I looked around at the terrain. It was snowy, and untouched from the continuous snow that fell from the sky of Aincrad. I see, so it's playing hide n' seek. We will just need to start stabbing the ground, or maybe look for a sign. Maybe it's here somewhere. I muttered and opened my inventory. I pulled out my sword thorn and began to stab repeatedly at the ground, hoping to find something under the blanket of white. 

 

After hitting a circle I hit the center. Suddenly I felt a pressure rise into my hand. The sword dropped from my hand in pure shock and landed onto the snow with a light noise. I was hitting the ground so hard that when I hit something solid it hurt when I did. I shook my hand in the air and looked at Keith. I think I found something...Maybe a rock but it's something. 

[Guest]

Keith blinked and then got down on his knees, wiping away the snow to reveal two cellar doors, both made of a thick stone with iron rings for players to pull on to open. "Well, guess we found the way in." Keith said, grasping one of the iron rings and grunting as he pulled it open, the sound of stone sliding against the hinge lingering on the air as he swung it open, revealing stone steps that led downward into the darkness. "Have a teleport crystal ready, just in case." Keith said, standing up as he descended into darkness with Kiru. 

 

Upon entering, Keith saw the guards. Sleeping. Heavily. "What the...? What's this?" Keith said, picking up a slip of paper on a table and reading it. "I'm heading out for the day. I left the keys on the desk, and left to do my rounds. Don't fall asleep this time. -Chief." Keith picked up the keys and looked to Kiru. "Well... I guess this is where we part. You wanna do it?"

[Kiru 0]

I picked my sword up out of the snow it had landed in and wiped it off as Keith revealed the cellar doors. They were medium sized, only a little smaller than a shop entrance. The inside was dark, a staircase leading down to the unknown. There could be guards to greet us, monsters to harm us, or just nothing- a trap. I kept Thorn in front of me defensively as I entered the dark stairway. I have no crystals. I huffed and walked slowly down each stair. I had a habit of tripping in the dark, I didn't want ti fall right now so I went slowly. 

 

When we finally got into the lighter part of the stairs I could see the guards. They were sleeping! I facepalmed and sighed with a grin, pointing my sword at one of them. If they weren't sleeping then they would have responded to my threat. After confirming that they were asleep I turned to Keith as he read the note. Supposedly the chief was out and we were having really good luck. He then picked up the keys laying on the desk. Absolutely. I took the keys without hesitation and unlocked them. They shattered into tiny crystal and a status window appeared in front of me, telling me that I was no longer affect by the handcuffs. So..This is bye I guess? 

[Guest]

Keith rubbed his wrist as Ruby ran up his leg and plopped onto his shoulder, snuggling against his cheek as he looked to Kiru. "I... Guess it is." Keith said, opening up a menu and sending a friend request to Kiru. He just stood there awkwardly for a few extra seconds before breaking the silence. "Ya know, it would be nice to just hang out. Get some friends to join, too. I mean, Christmas is coming up. If you like, we could try setting up a little party, and get together with our friends." He said, rubbing the back of his head as he kicked a small pebble on the ground.

 

"But, ya know, you don't have to if you don't want to. I understand if you have a lotta things you gotta take care of." 

[Kiru 0]

I began the massage my right wrist after the cuffs disappeared. It felt good to finally ave control over my own actions and emotions especially. I looked at the friend request that appeared in front of my eyes and sighed. I reluctantly pushed the accept button while looking at Keith as he suggested we throw a party. I don't think that's going to happen. Ever. My party experience has been ruined already. I said, dismissing the idea for now. The last party I went to was an absolute mess, it screwed up my trust in a lot of people and made me even more suspicious of everyone I met. It would be nice to host a party I don't think I can handle that kind of pressure.

 

I gave him a nod, almost as if we were starting from square one as strangers, and turned on my heel towards the stairs. It was hard to explain but I wanted to leave before I actually became a really good friend of Keith's. Getting too attached to someone would just result in back stabbing. It was always something I was wary about. I walked up the first stairs and stopped. I took one last glance at Keith before exiting into the darkness. Maybe a party wouldn't be too bad...things have changed. 

[Guest]

Keith smiled and gave Kiru a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry! I can be there to host it with you! Just leave all the social matters to me!" Keith said, adjusting his blue vest all classy-like. When it came to parties, Keith was some-what of an expert. He had a lot of background knowledge on how they go, and how they are to be handled. "Just set up a place and time, and then I can take care of the rest. Besides, I'm interested to see what kind of friends you have." Keith was actually Kiru had people whom she considered to be friends. Most of the time, she seemed like the type who had only assets, no time for "Niceties". Regardless, he still considered Kiru a friend in his own right. Though, he thought Kiru didn't really like him a whole lot. After all they had been through, she probably thought he had a punchable face by now.