The Lightning Flash

Chapter 36: The Lightning Flash

Asuna used the palm of her hands to push herself up off of the sandy terrain that she had collapsed onto, the right side of her face still feeling numb from being slashed by Shino's red photon saber. Despite the blood covering the entirety of the right side of her face, none of it was, physically, painful for Asuna. Sure, it felt numb...but it paled in comparison to how much internal pain Asuna was feeling from being betrayed by someone she considered a friend...no, more than that...a sister. Someone she had invited into her home...hung out with after school...played VR games with and...even...had dinner with, alongside Kazuto and Yui. Now, Shino was standing a few feet away from Asuna, still holding her red photon saber, after having allowed Asuna to pick herself up. In the corner of Asuna's eyes, she could see the camera man smiling with glee at what had just transpired, almost like it was something that he had been waiting for, this entire time.

"There it is!" shouted the camera man, excitedly. "The moment that we've all been waiting for! Not going to lie, Lightning Flash, you aren't looking too good, right now, since my girl just knocked you on your ass. Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Shut up, Kyouji," commanded Shino, calmly, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, Shino," apologized Kyouji, seeming hurt by the rejection in Shino's voice. "I...was just a tad excited is all. I thought you would be happier about all of this. Isn't this what you wanted? For her to be embarrassed and bloodied in front of everyone watching the Bullet of Bullets tournament?"

"That may be true...but I won't be happy with a simple strike across her face," claimed Shino. "She still has health left...until her HP bar is zero, there's no time for celebration. So, do your job and keep filming while I show the world how truly weak and pathetic, 'The Lightning Flash,' is."

"S-Sinon—"

The words hurt too bad that they wouldn't even leave Asuna's mouth.

"What...are you going to say something along the lines of, 'I thought we were friends,' or, 'how could you betray me like this after everything we've been through?'" asked Shino, mockingly. "If it makes you feel any better, my weaker self did actually consider you—"

"Sinon, I trusted you," interrupted Asuna, staring at the sandy ground beneath her so Shino couldn't get a good look at her face. "I...thought of you as a sister...I let you into my home...I let you...meet Kirito and Yui."

Shino noticed that Asuna was bending down to pick up her pink photon saber that she had dropped. As soon as she picked up the weapon, Shino observed that Asuna's right hand, that was holding the photon saber, was shaking, violently, which caused Shino to smile to herself, thinking that Asuna's fear of knives was getting the best of her at the most inopportune time. Unfortunately, little did Shino know, this wasn't the case at all. Asuna's right hand wasn't shaking in fear...it was shaking with fury.

"I...always...wondered why Klein...why was Klein targeted...and how Death Gun knew about him being friends with Kirito and I?" continued Asuna. "It was you, right, Sinon? It was your idea to kill Klein...to make an example out of him...to hurt me. To make me suffer."

"He was the perfect candidate," answered Shino, coldly. "Although, it's partly your fault since you and your dumb ass boyfriend were the ones, who introduced me to him. His little girlfriend is all alone, now, because of you, Asuna. Klein's death...is your fault. It wasn't very heroic of you to let him die like that."

"Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

A scream echoed throughout the wasteland as Asuna dashed towards her former friend, ready to cut her down with her pink photon saber but her blade was thrusted into nothing but air since Shino had already teleported to a different location, behind her.