Big Book of Anime One Shots [REQUESTS CLOSED]

Fem! Kirito x Male! Reader ~ Guardian Angel

Requested by @JohnnyChhun

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He'd expected her to be strong. He'd expected her to be intelligent. He'd expected her to be resourceful, and experienced, and everything else that the tales told of her embellished.

He just hadn't expected her to be so damned attractive.

Her dark hair, cropped short and falling in layers around her face. Her large gray eyes, staring up at him inquisitively. It was a wonder than more men hadn't found themselves interested in this girl, but maybe they were frightened of her strength and prowess. Even so, she was small and slender, looks belying her true experience.

"[y/n]? We really need to get going." Kirito looked at him in that adorable way of hers, head titled slightly to the side.

But he shook his head, clearing it of those empty thoughts. "Of course," he said, [e/c] eyes glinting. "We should probably leave now."

The woman rolled her eyes before taking the lead as they walked out of the small town on floor 34. Their mission today wasn't intended to engage the boss of this floor, but instead to clear out a few of the surrounding creatures that could be a serious annoyance to the larger group of front liners as they marched through sometime in the next couple of days. [y/n] had no idea what type of minions would be in this dungeon, but he certainly hoped that they weren't overly grotesque or strong. Either could be disturbing.

They walked in companionable silence. It wasn't cold or awkward, as many silences tended to be, but was instead warm and almost comforting, and only broken as [y/n] opened his mouth to speak.

"Where's Asuna, anyways? I thought that she was coming with us today."

Kirito shrugged. "I thought she was too, but she messaged me early this morning saying that the Knights of the Blood Oath were having some sort of meeting, and as second in command she definitely needed to be there." She chuckled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm sure she'd much rather be out here with us, though."

[y/n] nodded. Kirito and Asuna were very close friends, and had been almost since the day that the first floor boss had been defeated. Though for a while they seemed to almost hate each other, they'd eventually made up and now had each other's backs nearly all the time. Everybody considered Asuna to be the real beauty of the strong pair, but [y/n] thought otherwise. How could he not fall for Kirito, with her ready smile and tomboyish personality?

He looked around him, suddenly wary. The dungeon was quiet- eerily so. There was no vegetation, but only rocks and the faint sound of a mountain stream trickling somewhere nearby. Still, though, despite the seeming safety, something was off. [y/n] opened his mouth to voice his disquiet to Kirito, but by then it was nearly too late. A minion sprang out at them from behind a nearby rock, fangs bared and blue tongue lolling.

Great, [y/n] thought irritatedly to himself. Ugly and strong. The damned thing had two health bars, and while that in and of itself wasn't difficult to defeat, if there were dozens -or even hundreds- of them around, then he and Kirito would all be royally screwed. He swung around his broadsword, slicing the creature in half. It almost immediately disappeared, and be sighed in relief.

A surprised noise from Kirito made him turn around, though.

Another muffled explanation of shock escaped his own lips as he saw the giant half circle of creatures surrounding them.

"There's so many!" He shouted,believing his broadsword through a group of them, only for the minions to replaced by more. "How the hell are we going to get out of this mess?!"

Kirito paused, before closing her eyes and seeming to come to a decision. "Cover me!"she yelled, bringing up her menu.

[y/n] cursed to himself. What the hell could she be doing that was so important? Some sort of crazy item that she needed to find?

Either way, she was the more experienced player, so he followed her orders. Slashing his broadsword left and right, left and right, he twirled around, a seeming force of destruction.

But it was still too much. Numbers alone began to overwhelm him and [y/n] flinched as claws and teeth grazed his flesh, slowly but surely causing his health bar to lower. As he drove his sword into one creature, though, another launched itself seemingly out of nowhere and landed on his back, claws and teeth ripping mercilessly at him. [y/n] fell to his knees, vision blurring. Was this the end? Was this where he died? Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as he had thought it might.

Then she came, leaping into the fray like a savior from the sky. She was bearing two swords now her usual ebony black blade and a new one, colored bright shade of aquamarine. He smiled slightly, although his health bar was still falling at a rapid pace. So she'd come to save him after all...

With Kirito on the scene, the minions didn't stand a chance. They fell to her twin blades like nothing more than dust, disappearing the way all things did when they died here. At last it was done and they were gone; but instead of falling to her knees with exhaustion she raced over to where [y/n] lay, crumpled on the ground.

"[y/n]!" she cried, fumbling through her menu inventory looking for a healing potion. "Hang in there!"

"Kirito... No..." [y/n] whispered, lips barely able to form the words. "It's just about too late now. And I don't even know if I want to be saved."

She froze, finger poised above her menu screen. Her grey black eyes were full of unshed tears as she spoke. "But why?"

He coughed. "Because... Because I'm tired of fighting and killing to live. I wanted to go home, to live my life in the real world, but soon that goal became ever more distant in my mind. I think... I think that if I stay here in SAO much longer I'll become a person that I never wished to be."

The woman shook her head violently. "No! Y-you can't die! Wouldn't you stay, even for-" she swallowed. "Even for me?"

[y/n] chuckled softly. His health bar had barely any red left. "Don't worry, Kirito. I'll be here for you. I'll be your guardian angel..." He breathed in, and breathed out, and then his chest stilled. With barely a sound, his body turned to clear white shards, and disappeared into nothingness.

Kirito crumpled to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Why?" she whispered. "Why must they all die? First the Midnight Black Cats, and now- and now [y/n]!" She slammed her fist into the rocky ground, as if trying to vent her grief. "Why?"

She suddenly seemed to feel a presence of some sort. The woman looked around, desperately hoping for some sign that this was all an illusion, that [y/n] wasn't dead. There was nothing, though, and her head bowed down once more with grief. If only I had been faster, she thought miserably. If only-

"Now now," a voice whispered around her, seeming to wreath around her very being. "Didn't I tell you that I would be your guardian angel? I don't break my promises, you know."

And even though it hurt, even though she knew that this strange voice couldn't possibly be real, Kirito smiled through her tears. Because anything was possible in a game, right?