Rare Gemstone (Kirito x reader)

Chapter 9

(Y/n)'s POV

~Nighttime~

Damn it, why did this always happen to me?! I couldn't fall asleep because of the stupid nightmares I had.

I went outside. Everyone was asleep so I quietly snuck off to a different part of the forest. This seemed like a good spot. Time for some training. If it could keep my mind clear, then I'd be willing to do this till dawn.

I got out my katana and practised my positioning. According to my father, I had to improve everything. I still wasn't good enough to be 'the chosen one'.

Why was a princess's life so hard? Did Asuna live like this?
No! No time to think about that. I needed to get stronger.

I practised and practised on several trees. This had to help me improve. I wasn't going to let my father talk as if I was an embarrassment to him. I'd prove to him that I wasn't worthless.

I had to do this for Shiki. Shiki was waiting for me in Aincrad. I couldn't disappoint him as an older sister.

~2 hours later~

I leaned against a tree, panting. Did I really do this much damage? Accidentally, I had cut down 2-3 trees. Well, I'd have to blame my katana for being so strong.

"You trained pretty hard," Kirito exclaimed.
"Oh, you were watching?"
"Not all of it, I came a few minutes ago. I couldn't fall asleep."
"Nightmares?"
"I guess. Anyway, want to have a duel?"

I hesitantly nodded, not knowing if accepting was the right choice. People had called him 'the black knight', which probably meant that he was well-known for his fighting. I didn't know if I could keep up.

"Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah."

Without a second thought, he came charging at me. I dodged just in time.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," exclaimed Kirito.
"I don't expect you to."

He slashed his sword at me. I deflected it with my katana. Well, this was going to last a while.

~After the fight~

Both of our weapons were knocked out of our hands so we had resorted to hand to hand combat. In the end, he had my hands behind my back.

"You're strong," he commented with a grin.
"So are you."

I looked at him and smiled. But that was before I noticed how close we were. His face was millimetres away from mine. *blush*

Kirito's POV

She's so close...*blush* I quickly let her go and allowed her to take a few steps back.

"S-sorry."
"I-it's fine."

We both stood there awkwardly until she was pushed over by Klein. They both landed in an embarrassing position. I grew annoyed and kicked him off of her.

"Show some respect, Klein."
"It's not my fault, I tried to stop," he replied while scratching the back of his neck.
"Whatever you say."

I picked up my sword and (Y/n)'s katana. It was surprisingly light, but it certainly did a lot of damage. I wonder what power it held.

"Hey (Y/n), where did you get this katana?"
"My father gave it to me, hoping that I'd use it well. It's called the 'Sakura Tiger'. Why?"
"The Sakura Tiger?! You serious?!" Klein asked, his eyes almost popping out.
"That's as famous as Kirito's 'Silent Death'," added Andrew.
"Well, that was to be expected. You're a princess after all."

I handed her the katana. She put it back in the sheathe.

(Y/n)'s POV

I've heard that my katana was a rare weapon but I did not expect them to react that much. But the Silent Death...for a commoner to have such a rare weapon...

*yawn* I felt tired. Ugh, I should've slept even if it meant I'd get some nightmares.

"(Y/n), you look really tired. Want to get some rest before we go?" asked Klein.
"No, I'm fine. Let's have breakfast and head off."
"Are you sure?" Kirito asked, a little concerned.

I nodded. This wasn't the first time I've done this. It wasn't a big deal, I'd get some sleep tonight.

~Some time later~

We were already on the path. It felt peaceful, and made me somewhat sleepy.

"Look out!"

I grabbed onto the arrow just before it hit my face. Was this an ambush? *sigh* I wasn't in the mood for fighting.

"Don't worry, (Y/n). We'll beat them before they can even land an attack," Andrew exclaimed while cracking his knuckles.
"But-"
"You need to rest, now stay," Kirito ordered.

I reluctantly complied and stayed put on my horse. The others jumped off and charged at the thieves. Their teamwork was amazing. Not even I could pull something like that. It seemed like they knew each other's moves and helped cover each other's weaknesses. How long have they been together?

There were a lot of thieves in this gang. I would say there were probably 20, but I had faith in those three. They were strong.

Suddenly, a cloth was used to cover my face. I couldn't breathe and felt my consciousness slowly fade away. Kirito...

Kirito's POV

Tch, these guys were weak. Even though they outnumbered us, we'd still win. I looked over at (Y/n) and noticed that she wasn't there. Her horse was still there so where was she?! Damn it, I shouldn't have left her alone!

"Klein, Andrew, can you hold them off?"
"Who do you think we are? Of course we can," Klein replied with a grin.

I nodded and ran off to find (Y/n). It was all my fault, I should've realised that they'd send someone after her. They couldn't win if they fought her directly...a surprise attack? They must've used some kind of gas or something. Damn it...

(Y/n), I'll save you. I promise you.