[PP-F2] I'm Here (Keith, Kiru)

[Guest]

Keith laid on his back in a field of flowers, animals were hopping about and birds chirped happily in the distance. A few cicada bugs cried on nearby trees, along with the gentle gurgling of water from a nearby stream that trickled down the rocks. It was the late afternoon and the sun was warm, letting all life feel pampered under it's humble glow. Keith had removed his sword and jacket, and had his eyes closed and his arms behind his head. And of course, he was wearing a flower crown. Ruby sat on his chest, curled up in a ball and purring softly, sleeping humbly while wearing a crown as well. It was a nice day.

[Kiru 0]

The sun was out, the animals were lively, and the supposed sounds of "nature" echoed throughout Aincrad. Normally, just hearing these sounds would cause me to complain and make a fuss about it but today I had way too many things on my mind to even notice they were there. The sudden disappearance of Zelrius, Mari's insanity being lost, and my role in Aincrad were all things that weighed heavily on my mind. Up until now I hadn't had any free time to just think and walk around. Since today I didn't have anything to do I paced around and wandered aimlessly. Things were getting stressful and I needed to think everything through. 

 

As I stumbled in random directions I scrolled through my friends list. This was mainly to ease my unsettling thoughts but it was also to check up on my small circle of friends. About halfway down the list was where I began removing certain people from my friends list. Either I was no longer friends wit that person or I regretted meeting them. I continued this until I got to where Zel's name was supposed to be. Except there was nothing filling that space, he was no longer there. A crease formed into between my eyebrows as I quickly scrolled back, on to abruptly stop at Keith's name. My eyes lingered on every letter of his name until I noticed his location. Floor 2. Literally every time we met we have always been on the same floor at the same time. It was weird but I guess it was Aincrad's way of keeping us close. I exited from my HUD and walked along the small path until I saw Keith. His hair was a dead giveaway but I already knew this spot. He sat there laid back in the field of flowers with his strange carbucle cuddling with him. From far away it seemed like he was sleeping, especially with his eyes closed and armor off, but I knew that wasn't the case. I approached him slowly until I could see his face; it was peaceful. I smiled inwardly and took a seat carefully next to him. "Oi, where's my crown? Aren't I the princess?" I asked with a chuckled and poked his cheek. 

[Guest]

Keith opened one eye and looked at the voice who had just poked him. A smile tugged on his lips as he made a small yawn, stretching slightly. Ruby fidgeted slightly and then sneezed, falling off Keith's chest and into the daisies. Keith made a small laugh and sat up, looking to Kiru as he placed his hand on her's. "Hey there, you!" He said playfully, as Ruby climbed onto Kiru's lap, yipping excitedly as he tried to cuddle her. Keith smiled and got to work on weaving another daisy crown, effortlessly linking the daisies together into the crown.

[Kiru 0]

"Hey." I replied and shifted. I tucked my legs under myself, criss cross style, and welcomed the visitor in my lap. I stroked behind the creature's ears and greeted the light purr with a smile. We both watched Keith weave the daisies in and out until the finished product came out: a crown. I tried to study the way he made it so I could one day make my own but I couldn't, he worked too fast. He made it look so easy too. "You're quite good at that, I bet you were a great brother." I added after leaning forward to allow him to place the crown upon my two toned head. Then, I remembered something: Keith had sisters and I had met one of them. "Speaking of family...your sister, Haine? She's a little...different? We ran into each other and it didn't really start out very well. I guess we just don't like one another." My voice had a hint of sadness, but it wasn't like I was disappointed that we weren't getting along. It was that she wasn't the sister that I imagined Keith would have.

[Guest]

Keith shrugged as he placed the crown on Kiru's head, adjusting it until it was on right. "Well... I like to think I'm a good older brother. Though, I don't think it's really fair for people to compare them to me." Keith admitted, rubbing his head and ruffling up his messy blue hair, which was always ruffled and wind-blown from his constant running around. "I mean, just because most people know me doesn't mean that they should be a carbon copy. Each of us have our own little quirks. Besides, Haine may just take some getting used to is all. It took you time to start liking me." He said, closing his eyes and smiling. While all the Yudai kids were the same in their own right, each had a few slight variations. Keith, being the boy, wanted to take after his father more. Though his dad was never around, this was easier said than done. He became more of a leader, a boy determined to win, and courageous in the face of conflict. Though, time with his gentle mother made Keith more caring, outgoing, gentle, empathetic. Haine followed along entirely on their mother. She focused on spreading joy, and helping others when possible. She was high energy, and determined to get her job done. Ruri, being the youngest, followed after Haine. She a little more quiet, and had more of a humble nature. She still put others before herself and kept the same attitude as her siblings.

[Kiru 0]

"Thank you~" I sat up straight and looked up, admiring the woven masterpiece on my head. I was careful not to disturb the balance when I lowered my head to look at Keith again. I felt a lot more comfortable wearing it now, unlike months ago when I threw his creations on the ground and rejected them. The arranged flowers bothered and embarrassed me up until now. Now I loved them when they were here and missed them when they were gone. Their absence from my head for awhile even made me feel gloomy. 

 

I shrugged my shoulders slightly frowned. It was hard to explain but there really wasn't anyone like Keith. And when I did Keith stood out and the others faltered. Keith and I being so different should have drove us apart but I guess the "opposites attract" card came into play for our case. It was weird but I learned just to accept it and be with him. Finally, I spoke. "Well when I compare you to everyone else, no one else compares really. You are Keith and Keith is awesome." Then, I thought about it for a little bit more and added onto my speech. "I guess. I don't think that there's anyone else like me around either. If anyone tried to act like me then it probably wouldn't end well." This was true, other than Mari I don't think there was anyone that remotely resembled my personality or style. "Who ever said I liked you?" I said sarcastically and smiled. 

 

My smile slowly went from thin lips to a frown. A look of concern filled my icy eyes and I crossed my arms. "Keith? It's been bothering me for awhile...uhm. What happened to...Zelrius? He just suddenly vanished from my friends list and he hasn't replied to my messages. It's bothering me. Everyone's leaving..."

[Guest]

Keith's cheeks turned a little red when Kiru began to give her thoughts on him, and he rubbed the back of his head with a little chuckle. "Ahaha... Well, I try." He said a with a smile, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb. Until, she then brought up Zelrius. Keith blinked and looked down, gripping his hands together until his knuckles were white. "It's... I... He.... He died..." He said, gulping slightly, looking over to Kiru, his eyes full of sadness.

 

"I don't know who did it... But I'm going to find them..." Keith hated fighting. He was a pacifist by every meaning of the word. But Zelrius was one of Keith's closest friends. If it weren't for Zelrius, Keith would not be alive today.

[Kiru 0]

I knew something was wrong when Keith got quiet. My face paled to a ghastly color when he didn't say anything for awhile. It became especially scary when he couldn't find the correct words to say. "Something must have happened...Oh...please don't be..." I thought with a disturbed look on my face. I waited until he finally explained. His words weighed down on me for awhile, it was hard to even imagine that Zelrius was no longer here. After attempting to process the information that Keith had just given me my eyes widened with shock. Everything came crashing down and suddenly something inside me shattered. Zelrius. The Zelrius died? There was no way. Was there? The blonde boy who tried to beat me in multiple contests? The one who had more ego than I did....died? I bit the inside of my cheek and calmed down, easing my eyes to a less vibrant blue, almost dull. I was being denial right now, which was normal but I knew there were more important things, like Keith. I could tell that this hit him pretty hard. I recalled knowing then as friends so I could think of a few things that Keith would be thinking right now. I swallowed hard, forced a smile, and placed a hand on his shoulder. I gave it a squeeze and let out a slightly choked laugh while trying not to bust out and cry. That was the absolute last thing that Keith needed right now. "It's going to be okay. We'll find whoever did this, we- we'll find them okay? So...don't worry." I tried reassuringly.

[Guest]

Keith cupped his hands over his face and let out a deep breath. "Zel was always throwing his weight around, but... Who would actually kill him...?" Keith said, shaking his head and putting his arms around Kiru, bringing her into a hug. The scariest part was that Zelrius was a higher up at Azure. Even more so, Zelrius was actually stronger than Keith to some extent. If someone was able to kill Zelrius, what was stopping them from coming after Keith or Kiru? "Whoever did it... They must be stronger. Even stronger than either of us. I don't think it was Vile... But we need to start training if we're going to find who did this." Keith said, letting go of Kiru and standing up. He opened his menu and equipped his vest and sword, pulling off his daisy crown and throwing it to the ground.

[Kiru 0]

"I don't know...I can't think of anyone. Whoever did this muse have really hated him. Or they could have been jealous that he was so strong? It could have been a PK guild or something that wanted to eliminate his "threat."  He is- was.. a really strong player after all..." I said, not liking the fact that I was already referring to Zelrius in a past tense. It was painful to admit that he was no longer here to lead boss raids or just kill mobs. Zelrius was viewed by many as a leader but some people really didn't like him. To go as far as to kill him though? That was too much.

 

By thoughts subsided when Keith leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back, squeezing tight until he broke away and stood up. He usually wasn't the one to end a hug or a kiss, I was. Stupid as it was, his one movement of breaking away made me feel different somehow; it had a different effect. It was strange to see someone who was normally overjoyed and carefree to suddenly be serious and less self expressed. Due to this occurrence, Keith now was not who he was a couple days ago. In that short amount of time I had been away from him he changed drastically. The way he talked to me, his actions, and his motives changed. It was also scary though. To see Keith change so much over one event scared me so much that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to cease the negative thoughts. I took a deep breath and sighed as I stood up.

 

"Yeah, I guess we should train then. Lead the way." 

[Guest]

Keith honestly didn't know where to go. He was so caught up in getting stronger now, he hadn't thought through a proper location to train. So he just began looking around, for something, anything he could just go vent on. However... Nothing. The mobs on this Floor were hardly worth making an effort and travelling to another Floor would require too much time. Ruby walked over to Keith's side and sat down, looking up at him with concern. Keith looked back down and he sighed, crossing his legs and sitting, cupping his chin in his hands. "...It's no use... If someone is strong enough to kill Zel... Then it's just no use..."

[Kiru 0]

As soon as I stood up, Keith sat down again expressed doubt. He stated that attempting to find the murderer of Zelrius wouldn't do any good and that we couldn't do it. This made me extremely annoyed. He was always so sure of himself so I didn't have to be there to boost his confidence. I wasn't used to this Keith, not thinking he could do anything. I clenched my teeth together and stared at the ground. ".....back at Vile's castle with Shade I couldn't help but feel useless compared to the two of you. Being able to inflict only a small amount of damage compared to you didn't feel good...it made me feel weak and I didn't really give it my all. To other people I'm like a goddess with magnificent powers because of my levels but to you I merely make a scratch. So don't go around saying that you cannot do something-- you are one of the strongest people I know Keith." I said, trying not to sound to pathetic. I didn't want to be pitied by Keith, I just wanted him to know that he could do anything once he set his mind to it. He just wasn't...Keith right now, which really bothered me. I tried to keep my annoyance hidden but it was difficult. Keith wasn't as contained as he usually was and had the attention span of a fish. I took in a deep breath and continued. "Keith. I know this has been hard but I never want you to say you can't do something ever again. I can't say I've been in the exact situation but I can say I've been in one similar...so I can kinda empathize. His unfortunate end has me shaken too you know. I have gone out of my limits way too many times to be left hanging when I need it most. We have taken care of Mavericks and even have come face to face with dangerous people. Are you seriously going to sit there and say that you won't at least try to solve this? You're Keith freaking Yudai for heaven's sake! Get up and let's get moving on this!" I extended my hand down to him, motioning for him to take it.

[Guest]

Keith looked up and then blinked, shaking his head. "Yeah.. Yeah, you're right!" He said, standing up once more after taking Kiru's hand. He then pulled her in close and put his arm around her, pointing one finger to the sky. "If Zel were here, he would kick my teeth in for not getting out there and working to avenge him. For his sake, my sake, your sake, for the sake of all who look forward towards advancing in this game, we have no choice but to press onward with all our might! Anyone who dares to stand against us will be pushed aside by our force of justice! For those who have passed, and those who will proceed, it's up to us to make this world into whatever we want it to be!" Keith then lowered his hand to his hip as Ruby made an proud yip on his shoulder.

 

"I'm Keith Yudai! And you are Kiru the Kiru! Together we set the stage for our own performance of existence! This is who we are!"

[Kiru 0]

Once again Keith's mood changed in the blink of an eye. He bolted up from his sitting position and wrapped one arm around me with another pointing towards the sky. My eyes followed his finger towards the bright sky and made my flower crown fall from my head. I didn't pick it up though, what Keith was saying was important. Instead of claiming for something to be too hard he spoke of moving forward and avenging Zelrius. As he spoke a smiled spread across my face. Keith's words were really going somewhere. His speech was cheesy, it was weird, but it was his and it was cool. Any feelings of frustration or sadness were now gone- that was the effect of having Keith around. I turned my head and looked at him, still smiling. "Yeah...we'll clear this game!" I added with a chuckle."So, what are we going to do now that Keith isn't moping around? I suggest thinking back to the last time we saw him, who he was with, and what he was doing. Then we'll go from there."