[PP-F2] Why Don't You Just Drop Dead? [Daeron][Completed]

[Lessa 1]

A soft breeze blew across the meadow, and the long blades of grass bowed with it. On the air was the soft scent of flowers, mingling with the earthy smell of the soil below. Leaves on a nearby tree rustled, and a single bug hovered a few yards off. Its soft whine carried in a place as quiet as this. There certainly was a sort of serenity here. No monsters spawned, and no players wandered. This was a paradise. It was easy to forget the horrors that took place daily inside SAO, and the cruel reality of the grim situation. A year had passed, yet the players had only cleared nine floors. There was little to celebrate, and few reasons to have hope anymore. But this meadow, these flowers, worked to remind a person of the wonders of life. Even in a virtual world, there were things to be grateful for. The warmth of a hug from a stranger on the street. The laughter of an afternoon with a new friend. The security of having someone you trust at your side. The satisfaction of defeating an enemy. The raw emotion of losing someone you hold dear, and the liberation of recovery. And the smell of roses, wafting across this impossibly beautiful place.

This was why Lessa had chosen this place to reflect. Blue eyes were red and puffy, evidence of the emotion she had shed in confusion, anger, and sadness. But those salty tears had dried up some time ago, leaving Lessa's features hard and unreadable. Though her mind raced, her face revealed little as to what she was thinking. The blonde was fully equipped, silver breastplate and gauntlets throwing the sun's rays with every movement of her body. Hell Rose was strapped to her back, its glow dimmer than usual on this particular morning. It was as if the weapon understood that its handler was hurting.

Half an hour before, the swordswoman had messaged Daeron, asking him to join her. The message had been vague, but she had had little interest in explaining herself through text. When Lessa had realized she could not make sense of these emotions alone, she had reached out to him. Whether he would be able to help her or not, the woman could not say for sure. But she needed to try something. There were questions that needed answers.

[Daeron 1]

Daeron had practically fallen asleep, as he had nothing to do this day. The sun's rays shone down on him, but didn't interrupt his slumber which he was truly enjoying. Deep down, he needed this- a time to just sit back and relax. Of course this wouldn't last because just recent moments ago, Daeron was woken up by the pinging noise of the message he had received. "Who would message me so early in the-" he stopped short of finishing his sentence realizing two things. First, it was no longer morning, it was about noonish if not later, and the message came from Lessa.

 

Standing up and stretching, Daeron let her know that he is on his way and that he will be there any minute. The second floor was different, he hadn't spent a day on this floor that he didn't need to. It was actually nice and peaceful on this floor, where no person roamed and they were safe from the difficult monsters.

 

Arriving at the location, which he had been told to meet, he saw the blonde not too far away now. In fact, he approached her with slightly faster steps, but he didn't bother running, it would seem childish almost. And although she looked like she always did, beautiful blonde hair, her fair skin, and her shining eyes, she didn't seem to be the same for some reason. Not knowing what it was, Daeron didn't let it bother him too much.

 

"So. How's it going, Guild Leader." he said jokingly, putting emphasis on the "Guild Leader" part just because it was funny to be listening to a player half of his own level, just about. This was mainly because of his arrogance though, which he didn't let show much. Looking at the player that stood before him, he scanned her from top to bottom several times through his orange eyes and brown bangs that hung loose over his face.

[Lessa 1]

If his guild leader comment had any affect on Lessa, she did not show it. Her body did not even turn to the man upon his arrival. Instead, she continued to stare out over the grassland. Her hands rest on her hips, and her mind was a million miles away. It was rude, yes, but she paid it little mind. Manners were of no great importance to her at the moment. There were too many other issues occupying her thoughts.

Finally, she spoke. "You remember Alkor, right?" Perhaps it was a bad idea to discuss the amber-eyed player with Daeron. Alkor had a way of making enemies, and for all she knew, there was bad blood between them. Were she in a better state of mind, Lessa might have decided against allowing this conversation to take place at all. But there was no going back at that point, so she continued. "He removed me from his friends list about a month ago. And I-" Her voice caught in a choke, a small sob bubbling up. But she stopped, closed her eyes, and let it pass. She was stronger than that.

"I thought he was dead," she finished, her voice returning to the monotone she was striving for. "I wanted to kill myself. I was going to." The memories flooded back, of her moment of insanity and the vision that changed her mind. She did not wish to share any of that with him, so she said simply, "but I stopped myself. And I was getting better. I was almost back to normal, until I ran into him again." The next words were spoken slowly, as if she had a difficult time putting voice to them. "Alkor is alive. After all this time, he's been alive." Her face twisted in pain as she screwed her eyes shut. "And I don't know what I did to cause this."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron stopped behind her, hearing her words so that he could interpret them. Taking a few light steps so he was behind her. Thinking for a moment, he needed to find a way to respond. As far as he could tell, she was calling for help. Reach around her stomach from behind, he held her lightly in a hug.

 

"Lessa. You've done nothing wrong. He wants you to chase him... to get a rise out of you." he said staring out into the distance with her. He didn't say much and just held the silence for a moment until he broke it with his voice, "I'm not sure how to help, but I'll do anything to keep you alive. Otherwise I'd die, myself." he said, placing his chin near her shoulder.

 

"If you need to... No... Go ahead and cry. It's alright. I'm here for you." he said putting his right hand over hers, keeping the hug. The day had been so nice, but quickly the mood of the environment changed as well.

[Lessa 1]

A shiver raced up her spine as she became aware of Daeron's body pressed to hers. His arms found her waist, and his breath was warm on her ear. Though the sensation was far from unpleasant, Lessa found it provided her with no comfort. It was not what she wanted, or what she needed. "Daeron," she protested softly, her voice barely a whisper. Taking a step forward, she peeled herself away from him. "I appreciate it, I do," she told him in a voice that assured him she truly did. Her words were sincere, but so was the pain on her face. The physical contact had done nothing to alleviate her troubles, and his words had only worked to complicate matters. "But I don't need comfort right now. I need answers."

 

Both hands went to her face, and she stood a few paces off for quite some time. Then, fingers moved upward, weaving themselves into her hair as she held her head. When she finally turned back to him, there were the faintest traces of fire in her sapphire eyes. "I won't cry," she told him flatly. "I'm done crying. And now-" her hands fell to her sides, before clenching into fists "-now I'm not so sure he is even worth my tears." She inhaled deeply, and after blowing the air back out, she spoke. "There was no reason. That's what is killing me. He had no reason for what he did. Did he just do it to hurt me? He had told me I was poison once, but was it truly worth all of this?" The small rant was capped by an exasperated sigh. "I just don't know! I want to know why. If he never wants to see me again, fine. I've survived without him, and I do not need him like I used to." Through gritted teeth, she concluded with, "but the least he could do is respect me enough to tell me why."

[Daeron 1]

He thought quietly to himself to find the best way to answer. After exhaling, his gaze met hers. "Listen. I was alone with him when he removed you. I was defending you for the things he had done to you emotionally and he said that he doesn't want to bother. He said you weren't worth his time."

 

Feeling the wind hit his forehead after waving his bangs with the wind. "I don't know what happened between you two, but it seems like you care more than you say you do."

 

He wasn't sure what else he could aside from that. He hadn't a clue based on her void expression that he was helping or not. He liked Lessa, but she seemed to be harder to talk to than usual. Last time he had been with her, she seemed reliant on others. "Look, I challenged him to a death match that day. I was tired of the pain he kept causing you, but he had turned down. After hearing you were about to kill yourself, I'm glad he declined that day." he explained, never breaking his eye contact with her once.

[Lessa 1]

Her first instinct was to draw her sword. A hand even flew to the hilt of her pink claymore, tightening around its thick grip. The raw anger that struck her like a freight train was both severe and irrational, but she wanted nothing more than to run the man through with her blade. Finally, she was able to place her blame in someone other than herself.

But after she closed the distance between them in two great strides, it was not her weapon that struck him. Her pointer finger hit him in the chest, once, twice, and then she bellowed, "I do not need you to speak on my behalf. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Don't you dare to defend me again, do you understand?" She pulled her hand back, clenching it into a fist that wanted nothing more than to meet his jaw. When she spoke again, her tone was different. It was not so loud, but it had a dark edge to it. She wondered later if she had ever spoken in such a voice before.

"You don't know me, Daeron. You don't know what I want, or how I feel." Shaking, Lessa took a step back from him. "Maybe you should have challenged him to a duel. Clearly, he wants nothing to do with me." The woman clenched her jaw. "I think it hurt less when he was dead."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron hadn't the slightest clue of what had gotten into the girl he liked. To go from a girl who seemed fun to be around to becoming... angry at him for trying to help her for the better simply didn't make sense. Daeron looked towards the ground before his feet for a moment before he looked back up at her. He didn't bother showing any sort of bother to her bickering at him.

 

Stepping closer to her now, he had decided to add his own edge to his own words. "Listen, I was trying to do some good for you. I thought you needed someone to help you out. Last I checked, it was I who was there for you when that ass hurt you. I was trying to protect you from anything. I went out of my own way to help someone I hardly knew. In case you've forgotten, a player killer, no, a killer like me isn't typically one to step out of the way for someone out of the blue like that. I care for you. I cared. But the way you make me feel is that my caring for you has just gone to waste." He let his eyes cut a sharp glare at her, his face turning partially red, his air still in his face.

 

"This is why I don't bother with people, why I don't open up to others, because every time I do, I get a knife to the back. Forget it, since you don't want me around anymore, maybe you should have someone else "help" you. I'll tell you what, I'll turn my back to you right now, go ahead and stab me- I saw you hesitate to draw your weapon." he said as he opened up his UI to unequip any gear he had. Before her, he stood armorless, weaponless, and with no means to defend himself. "Maybe this will help you finally relax. I tried Lessa. I tried to the best of my ability to do everything I can for you. If that clearly didn't help and actually made it worse, maybe you should go ahead and keep your distance from me. Just remember, the next time you need me for something, I may not be there for you. I may be off doing whatever I want to." he said, finishing his last words of the argument.

 

He kept his eyes looking into hers, and he didn't bother moving. He stood still, angry, and enraged hatred hidden behind his eyes, he wanted to go kill Alkor, Keith Yudai, or anyone at this point. For once, Daeron thought he was alright to be his actual self towards someone, but at this rate, he'd either kill someone or be killed.

[Lessa 1]

The outburst caught her off guard. Of course, she should have expected it. What did she think would happen when she challenged someone like Daeron? He had always been gentle with her, but she knew better than to believe that was his default. She had knowingly poked at the hornet's nest, and now she would have to face being stung. And he had stung her, his golden eyes sharp, his cold words sharper. It was a display of emotion unlike anything she had witnessed yet in the game. At one time, such a show might have delighted her. Lessa truly enjoyed watching people open up to her, and she found great pleasure in helping them work through their feelings. But now, she was too tired for such things. In an incredibly short time, she had been completely drained, physically and mentally.

Her body still shook slightly, but when she spoke, the edge was gone from her voice. "Put your gear back on, Daeron." She held his gaze for a moment, her blue eyes dulled with exhaustion. Then, she broke away, turning to look out over the meadow once more. The wind toyed with her blonde mess of hair, and a few stray locks kissed her cheeks. The pair stood like that for a while, the silence heavy between them. She could feel his scathing glare on her back, but she needed to collect herself. When she was finally ready, she heaved a small sigh. "I'm sorry."

Turning back to him, she continued. "I do wish you hadn't discussed me with Alkor. He's unpredictable, and has a tendency to hear what he wants to hear. No doubt you said all the right things, and he made the discussion into what he wanted it to be." A shadow passed over her face. "Now I see that what he wanted was to be rid of me. Who knew he would go to such lengths?"

Despite the warmth of the noon-time sun overhead, she hugged herself. "I'm all mixed up."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron didn't bother with his gear as it would be a waste of time. Instead, he let the silence act as his opportunity to calm himself. Relaxing his thoughts and calming his mind, Daeron looked at Lessa's back feeling bad for what he had said. "Lessa..." he said as he  placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for what I said. It's just. I wanted to make you happy." he said, looking towards the ground. He looked over the horizon as his mind raced for the next words he could say to her to make up for his cold, harsh words.

 

Before speaking, he gave the meadow one last view before he parted his lips to let out the words that were on his mind. "Lessa, I honestly think I'm in love with you. You're the only person that actually knows me for who I am, not what I have become." he said. "That's all I've ever wanted was to be remembered as I was not as I am." he said, as he turned her around gently to look her in her eyes. "I promise you, I would never hurt you in any way. I'd never forgive myself. And as for Alkor, just forget him. He clearly didn't care if he had deleted you without a second thought." he said as he brushed some of her blonde hair out of face to get a better look at her.

[Lessa 1]

His hand on her shoulder was heavy, but gentle. She lifted her own, and placed it lightly over his. It was a small gesture, but it felt right to her. She did want him to understand that her anger was not directed entirely toward him. His actions had not pleased her, and she did wish he had never spoken with the the black swordsman. Perhaps, if he had not, none of this would have ever happened. But there was no use playing the 'what if' game. Despite her outburst, he was still here. That was more than she could say for Alkor.

Then, he confessed his true feelings for her. Love. The dreaded L word. She had not heard it, or spoken it, since her time in Sword Art Online. She had wanted to, on more than one occasion. And she was certain she had felt it. But she had not expected to hear it from someone else. It surprised her, but she did not react. There were so many emotions that she still had to work through, and his words only worked to complicate things. Of course, that was not his intention. She knew that, so she would not hold his confession against him. But she could not return his feelings.

"You can't make me happy," she replied softly. The words sounded harsh, but her smile was gentle. He had turned her to face him, and she had followed along willingly. Now, she held his gaze. "Happiness is a choice, and I alone must decide if I will be happy or not." The blonde reached for his hand. "But I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me." As her right hand cupped his left, her thumb stroked his skin lightly. "If you're unhappy with who you're becoming," she told him, "then make a change. Let me help you."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron felt her hand cup his, she had offered to help him change the way he is. "That's the problem, I don't know how to change who I am. I don't want to be a killer anymore, but no matter what I do, I will always be one. Nothing I do can change the past for me and I just have to accept that. At this point I just have to look ahead and towards the future, where I wanted to be there with you." he said as he looked into her blue eyes with his orange eyes.

 

He didn't care if he had just said these words to her. He wanted to change who he was, and he wanted to be with her, but by the way she made it sound, he could only change who he was and that he wouldn't have the slightest of chances with her.

[Lessa 1]

Silence fell between them. It was suffocating, as Daeron was expecting her to say something. He waited, his eyes searching hers, but she had nothing to give him. Were his words genuine? Perhaps not. But they were what she needed to hear. Someone needed her. Countless hours had been spent chasing after someone who wanted nothing to do with her. Now, standing before her, was someone who wanted it all. Once, she had shied away from his forwardness. She had found flaws in his character, and convinced herself that he was not what she needed. But, at that moment, he was what she wanted.

 

There was no warning from her. Releasing his hand, she drew closer. Arms snaked around his neck, and she shifted her weight forward onto her toes. Pulling herself up gently, her face drew nearer to his. Then, as she let her blue eyes slip behind their lids, her lips found his.

 

The kiss was not hesitant. Instead, she allowed blind passion to drive her every move. Fingertips traced the soft skin on the back of his neck, moving upward until they found hair to intertwine with. His lips were rough on hers. As they parted slightly to receive her, she savored the taste of his breath. The warmth of it on her cheeks only deepened their crimson color, but she did not stop. Tightening her hold on his neck, her head tilted slightly, and she inhaled sharply through her nose. Her legs shook, but she allowed her body to press against his for support. She remained like that for some time.

 

When she finally broke away, blue eyes were wide. She stumbled backwards a few steps, her arms wrapping about her torso tightly. "That probably wasn't the time for that," she sputtered, but her words were empty, and spoken with lips still slick with his saliva.

[Daeron 1]

Moments of silence had passed, no words between the two had passed. Suddenly, catching Daeron off guard, he didn't know what to do except close his eyes and accept the kiss Lessa had just given him. He placed his hand on her face and cupped it during the kiss, until she had finally pulled away. His cheeks burning a slightly brighter color, unlike they usually do, Daeron kept his expression the same. "Lessa... are you alright?" he asked, wondering where the kiss had come from.

 

Daeron gave her a look as she hugged herself with concern, wondering what was happening with the girl he loved, the woman he had met not long ago had changed in such a short period of time. Daeron knew that this kiss wasn't the same as any other usual kiss. This one had some sort of... difference to it. Then, to return the favor, Daeron let his thoughts race for a moment until he kissed her back just once more.

 

Pressing his lips to hers, he felt the warmth of her soft lips, her skin being soft as well, but he couldn't tell if she was the one who was really warm or if it was him. After kissing her and drawing his lips from hers, he looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, but where exactly do I stand with you?" he asked, slowly backing away from her, trying to figure out what was happening. Everything right now, was moving so quickly, he wasn't quite sure what to say, do, or even think anymore. One moment the two were fairly decent friends, and now the two are having a hard time communicating. If he couldn't talk to her as a friend, why would he think he could talk to her as if she were his guild leader?

[Lessa 1]

"I'm...." her voice died away as her mind worked furiously to answer his question. What was she? She was not fine, not by a long shot. And what good would lying to him do? His expression revealed that she had confused him terribly, which made sense. Her kiss had come from left field, and he had every right to be mixed up. Once, she may have lied to make him feel better. Lessa would have sworn she was great, played the kiss of like a joke, and moved on. They could have pretended none of it had happened. But this time, she could not bring herself to do it. She felt sick to her stomach, and she feared putting on a brave face might make her retch. 

 

Thoughts of answering his question were forgotten as the blonde finally let fly a string of cuss words. Hands went to her her head, fingers raking her heavy hair back from her face. "I don't know, Daeron," the generally calm, composed woman managed to croak. "I don't know what's wrong with me." Her breathing grew labored as she continued. "I thought this was what you wanted. I thought maybe I wanted it. I don't know what I want anymore. I don't know what I'm doing. I do know that I want to beat the game. I want to help people. But how the hell do I do that?" 

 

"The Guardians are done," she continued, her voice teetering on the edge of an emotional breakdown. "I received the last of the resignation messages before you got here. Damn it," she growled through clenched teeth, "and I had such high hopes for us. Now its gone. Everything is gone." She glanced up at him, eyes dry but rimmed in vibrant reds. "Everything except you. You're still here. And I can't even sort through my own feelings well enough to tell you what we are. What that was."

[Daeron 1]

"Why do you use the past tense? What we have can become something great. I would never hurt you like Alkor did. I would cherish every moment we have together. I want to be with you, even if it was just for one day." he said, stepping to her to hug her. He hadn't a clue if this was her saying goodbye or something else. He felt awful for her, having a hard time helping her.

 

Daeron brushed some of Lessa's hair out of her face so that he could look into her eyes, which sparkled as the sun reflected from them. "I want you to tell me what is wrong. I want to be able to help you, I've never gone this far to get so close to someone and then to get pushed away." he said with a firm voice "I refuse to give up now."

[Lessa 1]

The woman winced as he mentioned Alkor, her body visibly shaken by the word. "Can we please not talk about him anymore?" Her request teetered on the edge of begging, and she dropped her gaze as she asked it of him. She was ashamed by how Alkor still affected her. True, if she were to recover from everything she had been through, and emerge a stronger woman, she would have to get over this. But for now, in her sorry state, she simply wanted to rid herself of the constant reminders.

 

His fingertips brushed tenderly along her forehead as he moved her hair back from her eyes. The touch was enough for her to glance up at him once more, and when her gaze found his, she found it difficult to look away. "I don't know what's wrong," she confessed to him. "Everything. Nothing." Shoulders rose and fell in a dramatic shrug, but her blue pools did not waver from his. "I'm just lost. I need time. I need to focus. I need... a friend." She braced herself for the fallout, fully aware of the mixed up signals she was sending him. But she had made up her mind. Falling in love had brought her to this point, and she was not eager to make the same mistake again. "Just, for now. Is that okay?"

[Daeron 1]

Daeron gave her a smile as she had at least given him the least he wanted. The fact that she said she wanted to be friends didn't upset him in the slightest manner, because he wants to be able to be with her all the way through this game. "You're joking me right? I'm more than happy with being 'just friends'. As long as we still have something, I don't care really." he said bringing her in for a hug.

 

Though she was slightly confusing for him, he tried to puzzle the pieces together as well as possible. "As for mentioning "that guy", you can count on me to leave it out from now on and just move on with what's happened. If I know you at all, it's that I know you won't just give up right here and that you CAN get through this. Otherwise I wouldn't be pushing for you to move on with your life." he said backing away from the hug slightly and moving his hands to her biceps and triceps, holding them gently.

 

Moments later, Daeron figured he may want to break the tension now and the sadness. "Even though we're going to be just friends..." he began with a huge smirk on his face. "I'm going to hit on you so much more now just because I can." he finished winking at her with his right eye.

[Lessa 1]

He brought her into a hug, and much to her surprise, the action did not bother her. As he pulled her close, and wrapped his arms loosely around her back, Lessa actually found herself enjoying the closeness. A weight had been lifted off of her when he had agreed to their friendship. Now that she no longer had to worry about sending mixed signals, she could simply enjoy the physical contact. Blue eyes closed for a moment as she let slip a relieve sigh.

"Thank you, Daeron," the blonde finally said, feeling him pull away slightly. A gentle, genuine smile graced her pale salmon lips. "For the comfort, the boost of confidence, and your understanding." One hand gripped his arm, and she gave it a light squeeze. "You really have no idea how much this means to me." Of course, all of her concerns had not been dealt with. She still had many problems, and issues that she would have to sort through. But knowing that she had his support made her feel better. Still, a soft voice in the back of her mind questioned the situation. Will he really be alright with 'just friends?'

[Daeron 1]

As she drew away from the hug, she thanked him a series of times. "It's no problem at all. As long as you're happy, I will gladly take friends over anything else. You mean too much to me for me to lose you entirely." he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He yawned towards the sky and then once finished he gave her a smile.

 

"I need to get back to training. But first a nap is needed." he said as he laughed beginning to leave. "I do hope to see you again soon." hhe said as his closing statement before leaving the setting entirely. In a moment's notice, he was gone and off the radar. Something he learned being on the run all the time.