Sword Art Online - The Midnight Shadow

Chapter 12 - The Sword Dance of Moonlight

It was around 8:50 A.M. when Kirito woke up.

As he opened his eyes, he took a conscious, deep breath then let it out.

He couldn't help but let himself sink his face into the soft pillow beneath him.

Although his «Alarm Clock» had successfully woken him up, it was still a matter of willpower to actually get out of bed.

Still half asleep, he remembered that his guild had plans for the day – Although there was still an hour before they actually had to head out.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he turned onto his side and looked to the other side of the bed.

After blinking a few times, it finally dawned on him that it was empty and that he was alone.

She must have been up a while ago...

Steeling himself, he forced himself out of bed, not even bothering to stifle a yawn as he stretched his limbs. Barely conscious, he stepped out of the room without bothering to change out of his sleepwear.

Walking through the short hallways of the Black Cats' guildhouse, it didn't take him too long to get to the main room and as he turned the corner, he saw a girl wearing a sky-blue casual dress at the counter in the kitchen.

"Perfect," she whispered under her breath. At the same time, something, which looked like a vial, disappeared from her hands.

As she was distracted by that, he quickly approached her. Noiselessly, he got behind her back without her noticing.

Then he reached his hands forward and gently wrapped them around her midsection as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Eep!" she quietly squeaked. He felt her turn her head downwards and a few seconds later, he felt her gentle hands on his.

"Good morning," he whispered teasingly.

"...G-good morning..." she responded in a quiet voice.

Shortly after, one of her hands left his as she started opening menus and pulling out items. His hands didn't leave her.

"This is... nice..." she whispered as she worked. "It almost makes us seem like we're actually-"

Getting even closer, he cut her off as he intimately rested his chin on her shoulder, putting their heads directly next to each other. "'Actually'?" he repeated. "...Aren't we already...? You know..."

She lightly squeaked. "W-well, I...suppose... But you should be careful," her voice took on a teasing tone despite how bashful she still sounded. "You wouldn't want the others to catch you like this."

He couldn't help but note with amusement that she was implying that the others will only come after him if they were caught in this position – They both knew that they had her back before they had his. Still... "Why not?" he rebutted. "It's nearly been a year. I think it's about time they found out the truth."

He could feel her tense up at that, then her left hand touched his tenderly.

"...I...guess..."

Sometimes it didn't matter. They may have chosen to continue living with their guildmates for a while, so more intimate moments that they could share like this just felt more meaningful.

He was about to hold her tighter before he heard a thumping sound from behind.

Hastily, his hands immediately retreated from his partner's body and at a speed that he usually reserved for the battlefield, he spun around, rested his elbow on the surface behind him and looked towards the common room.