SAO FB: Scars

Is It Over?

——March 11 2028 — 0000 hours———
Kaito opened his eyes and gazed through the Amusphere. He saw Takamine sitting next to him holding his hand. The warm sensation of love filled his mind. He felt the pain from the game and winced. He gritted his teeth and slowly pushed himself up. He rested his back on the cold wooden panels. Takamine gazed up and saw Kaito awake. She stood up and took off the Amusphere for him. When Kaito's vision saw Taka's face, she was tearing up slowly.

"You're such an idiot," she scolded him.

"I'm sorry," Kaito apologized. "Thank you though."

"For what?"

"For being here."

The two embraced each other for a moment. Outside the door, a faint whistling sound could be heard. Takamine opened the door and a shadow immediately shoved her into the ground. She impacted the floor and glanced up to the doorway. In the figure's hand, a pair of white high-pressure syringes. Kaito, upon hearing the commotion, got up from the bed and met the figure's eyes. He saw a person with a denim jacket. On the right sleeve was a crudely drawn wolf.

"Hello Kaito," the person greeted. "I hope you're ready to die!"

"Shit, it's Shu."

The person bolted forwards and brought the syringes to his side. Kaito grabbed the golf umbrella nearby and deflected the blow from the syringe. Kaito kicked his foot into the side of Shu's knee, causing the latter to lose balance. Takamine was still on the floor when Shu caught off glimpse of her being defenseless. Kaito noticed the shift in attention and tried to stun Shu. The latter shoved him into a nearby wall, stunning Kato instead. Shu scrambled across the room to Takamine who was slowly pushing herself away from the fight. Shu raised the syringe and placed his thumb on the release. Kaito brought himself to his feet and noticed Shu's blitz. He sprinted toward him. As the syringe approached Taka's leg, Kaito opened his arms and tackled Shu to the ground. Takamine moved her way to the door and saw Kaito get off of Shu and place himself between him and Takamine.

"Get out of here," Kaito shouted. "Go!"

Takamine ran out of the room and down the hallway. Kaito raised the umbrella and observed Shu's eyes. They darted around the room to find a way past Kaito. Shu's fighting style involved getting close to the target. The syringe was poised in a familiar position. Kaito responded in kind, subconsciously placing the umbrella in a sword skill ready position.

"Don't do this man," Kaito pleaded. "The police are already on their way."

"What's so good about being alive if you're still here?" Shu spoke. "We need to finish what we started."

Shu lunged forwards and extended his arm that held the syringe. Kaito deflected the blow and shoved him back to create more space. He felt himself being transported back to the Laughing Coffin dungeon. The syringe had turned into a dagger and the golf umbrella became his sword. Shu repeatedly jabbed the syringe toward Kaito. The tip grazed his shoulder and Shu prematurely pressed the pressure release button. The contents of the syringe were ejected and landed on the floor harmlessly. Kaito started to push the advantage with the golf umbrella. However, he pulled his blows to prevent any significant damage. Shu noticed the lack of power and tackled Kaito to the ground. Kaito hit his head on the ground hard, causing him to black out for a second and to lose the umbrella. As he opened his eyes, he saw Shu with a knife by his face. He tried to move his arms but Shu's knees were pinning them to the floor.

"Game over fantasma," Shu spoke.

Kaito kicked his legs into Shu's back. Shu lost his balance and the blade of the knife sliced part of Kaito's cheek. Kaito shoved Shu into the foot of the bed and got onto his feet. He kicked away the knife as soon as Shu reached for it. The two stared each other down as Shu's eyes darted around the room again. He got up quickly but Kaito shoved him back into the ground. Gaining the advantage again, Kaito made full use of it by pinning Shu to the wall. Kaito balled up his fists and started to punch Shu with reckless abandon. As the time passed, Kaito's fists became more bloodied and his arms became sore. As a last ditch attempt, Shu took the spare syringe and tried to inject it into Kaito. Kaito grappled Shu's wrist and pressed his thumb into the nerves of his hand. This caused Shu to drop the syringe. With his other hand, Kaito took the syringe and jabbed the needle back into him. He activated the syringe and the contents entered Shu's body. He took a good look at Shu who was no longer able to put up a good fight. His rage simmered down slowly as the reality of the situation settled in. The battle had been finished. Shu stared at Kaito and smiled. His face and teeth were covered in blood. As he coughed out the blood in his lungs, Shu spoke one last time.

"How does it feel to be just like me?" he coughed.

Kaito watched as Shu's eyes became dark and dull. His labored breathing slowed before it stopped completely. Sounds of pounding footsteps approached the hotel room followed by a large bang from the door. Police officers and Takamine entered the room to see Kaito standing in front of Shu's body. His hands were bruised and bloodied from the many punches. Near his feet was the expended high pressure syringe. Police officers ordered Kaito on his knees, to which he complied. Takamine watched as the cops placed in handcuffs and escorted him out of the building. It was painful for her to see him that way.

After a few days of questioning, Kaito was eventually cleared from the death of Shu. The court cited self defense, meaning that there were no legal repercussions. Takamine's parents, despite knowing Kaito for a while, ordered their daughter to return back to Japan at the end of the month. They feared their daughter's safety and believed that Kaito had become deranged. Kaito and Takamine tried to plead their case but to no avail. On the final day, Kaito and Takamine were together in front of Denver International Airport.

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?" Takamine asked.

"I'll be fine," Kaito answered. "I'll miss you though."

"I'll miss you too."

They said their goodbyes before Kaito saw Takamine pass through the security checkpoint and back into the gates. Kaito's life became normal slowly. He went to work and then went home. He didn't bother touching his Amusphere. Instead, he opted to stick with his PC and playing a few games and watching movies by himself. He appreciated the momentary peace and quiet, but he was now an empty version of himself. There was no one else to talk to and he was alone in America. He bought a pet corgi named Eins to keep him company but that didn't fill the void. He sighed and started to log onto Gun Gale Online after a month. Rei worked as a stop gap for now, but he longed for a real human to talk to.