SAO FB: Scars

History

Takamine logged off of Cross Edge and saw the ceiling of her room. She lifted the Amusphere off of her face and saw Kaito sitting on his bed with his head buried in his hands. Takamine sat next to him and saw his chest rise and fall rapidly. She thought about waiting, but she needed to know why the attacker said what he said.

"What did he mean you were a survivor of his killings?" Takamine asked.

Kato glanced at his shelf and saw the NerveGear resting. Next to the logo was a buff mark that held the old logo for the Task Force that brought him back to SAO. He questioned himself on who they could be.

"Kaito," Takamine asked. "What is he talking about?"

She gained the same response from him. Takamine reached for his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart rate. She heard and felt the rhythm slow down as time went on. Kaito opened his hand and Takamine took it. After a few minutes, Kaito's heart rate finally rested at a normal level.

"You okay?" Takamine asked.

"Yeah," Kato coughed. "I think I'll be fine."

Kaito stood up from his bed and staggered toward the kitchen. He made himself a cup of iced tea and took a sip. He sat down on the barstool and took deep breaths. He never felt this weak or powerless before. After a few minutes of trying to relax, Takamine sat across from him and asked her question once again.

"I'm not going to lie. I think it's best that you know a little bit more," Kaito stated. "It's true that I'm an SAO survivor. He was telling the truth."

"You were?"

"Yes. It's true. And that man we faced there, Lobo, was a part of the PK guild called Laughing Coffin. I met him a few times, but he was captured on Floor 74."

——Aincrad—Floor 74—September 2024——

Kato picked up the dagger from the ground. A group of KoB floor clearers worked their way through the dungeon. In the shadows, a hooded figure waited with a sickle. As Kato walked along the path, he heard someone whistling a faint melody. The hooded figure marched from the shadows and blocked the path of the raid party. On his right shoulder, a wolf insignia. The leader raised their sword and told the figure to move to the side. Kato recognized the whistling sound and used a skill to read the player's name. The figure's name was Lobo.

Lobo was the player name of a PKer better known as Silibido Muerte. Silibido Muerte was the fourth Laughing Coffin lieutenant. He was kept off of all Laughing Coffin records to keep the existence of a fourth lieutenant a secret. Silibido was more renowned for one other thing, the way he would kill his targets. A whistle would fill the area, followed by the clanging of metal. He gained the name Silibido Muerte because he spoke Spanish during his murders as well as the whistling sound. If you heard his whistle, you were dead.

The figure blitzed forwards and feinted a sword skill attack. The leader activated Vertical Arc to deflect the sword skill, but Lobo dodged to the right and activated a sword skill. The tip of the sickle reached around the leader's armor and hooked into their back. The motion of the sword skill dragged the tip of the sickle deeper into his armor. The leader spun around before being flung backward behind Lobo. The body flung into the wall before shattering into a sea of crystals. Lobo had added another kill to his long list.

"Oh shit!" one of the players exclaimed.

The group started to shuffle backward. Lobo turned around and faced the group. A pair of red eyes flashed from under the poncho. The group turned tail and started to retreat. As Kato watched from the shadows, one of the players tripped and fell. Lobo leaped into the air and brought his sickle into position for another sword skill. Kato slowly raised the gaiter mask to his nose and reached for his back. Once he felt the leather grip of his sword, he quickly initiated Sonic Leap. Kato jumped from the shadows and caught the blade of the sickle. The dazed player looked up and saw Kato holding back his would-be murderer. As Kato's sword and Lobo's sickle ground against each other, the player crawled away and back to their group. Lobo pushed the sickle further. Kato strained to keep the tip of the weapon from digging into his shoulder. The group of knights retreated while Kato pushed the weapon away.

Lobo's raspy voice spoke, "Interesante. Yo quiero más."

Lobo leaped backward and brought the sickle to his side. Kato spun the sword in his hand and held it in a reverse grip. He brought the sword's edge to his back and felt a low rumble in his weapon. Kato activated the sword skill and rushed Lobo. The latter deflected the first part of the sword skill with his weapon and activated a sword skill in turn. Caught by Post-Skill Motion Delay, Kato watched as the sickle approached his side. Kato positioned his left arm to deflect the blow. The sickle impacted the metal gauntlet tied to his arm and deflected the strike. Kato looked at the gauntlet and saw the red, digital flesh. Kato winced and glanced back at Lobo. His attacker's red eyes burned into Kato's memory. Kato stumbled backward and brought his sword to his side. Kato inspected his health and saw it in the red. He didn't want to die as it would spell doom for the Task Force.

"There they are!" someone shouted.

Kato looked back and saw another contingent of KoB knights heading toward the battle. Kato reached for his side and took out paralyzing picks and a potion. Kato threw the picks at Lobo. Lobo deflected the picks and subsequently broke the potion. The contents splashed onto Lobo. A stream of yellow sparks enveloped Lobo and a stun icon appeared. Lobo fell to the ground and dropped the sickle. Kato turned around and saw the knights. He gave a salute before throwing a small smoke bomb at his feet. As the smoke cleared, Kato was gone and Lobo was successfully stunned. The knights detained the killer and prepped him for the transfer to Black Iron Prison. Lobo glanced up into the ceiling of the dungeon and felt a pair of eyes watching him.

"I'll be back...fantasma de Aincrad," Lobo muttered.

——Colorado—February 2028——

Takamine stared in disbelief. Kaito turned the NerveGear around and stared at the front. He imagined his face and head that were once held hostage by the device.

"I went into SAO expecting a grandiose world. It was hell," he remarked. "I want to forget the hell I went through, but it'll scar me forever. And Lobo killed many back then."

"He's a part of your past isn't he?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me all of this before?"

"I figured that if I didn't tell you, it'd be for the best. Especially back then when I was trying to escape the memories."

Kato grabbed the SAO Survivors Book and contemplated telling the work he did in Aincrad. How his death was covered up and how he worked as an informant. He opened the book and saw the contributor page. His name was nowhere to be seen. He closed the two halves together and returned the book to the shelf.

"I don't want you to know the things I've been through back then," Kaito spoke, "Because I don't know if you'll see me in the same light."