Klein(SAO)x Reader

Chapter Four

I find myself standing in the plaza of the Town of Beginnings. I look around frantically for Klein, and possibly Kirito over the heads of many players, and find Klein standing next to me the way he was in the fields.

Everyone in Aincrad must be here!

"Skylar? What just happened?" Klein puzzles next to me, his eyes reflecting the same curiosity and fear I'm feeling.

"Someone must've forced a teleport on all the players in the game," I state calmly. The tranquility in my voice scares me, but I leave it unnoticed, scanning the crowd for Kirito. 

"Why? I hope this is about the logging out issue we just found out about." Klein groans worriedly, scratching his head. Suddenly, a large beeping rings through my ears, and I look up to see red panels spreading throughout the sky, soon covering it completely. A crimson substance seeps through the ceiling, forming a large puddle that lightning strikes inside it, causing it to surge. Then, the substance forms the figure of a cloak, gloves glitching into the game, yet no face appears in the hood. Players all around Klein and I start mumbling to themselves, obviously startled by the subtle entrance of the game master himself.

"Greetings, players," the game master raises his hands. "I am the creator of this game, Akihiko Kayaba. I have come to respond to many messages I have received. First and most important of all. The logout button has 'disappeared' from our inventories. This is not a defect in the game. I repeat this is not a defect in the game. This was how Sword Art Online was created," he pauses as the plaza hushes into an eerie silence, waving his hand to show his inventory, "and if your family attempts to remove the headgear, the nerve-gear will send heat waves into your head, destroying your brain, and deleting you from both Aincrad and real life. Many have tried to do so, and let this picture give you comfort in your attempts to clear all one hundred floors of Aincrad," an image pops up in front of him, a little girl crying as her grandmother holds her shoulders as she herself mourns, "I have also placed a gift in every one of the players inventories. Please, have a look." 

Scowling at Kayaba, I hesitantly open my inventory to the 'gift' section. There floats an icon of a mirror, and I equip it questioningly. Suddenly, I hear Klein yelp from my side, making me turn to see what had happened. A blue circle glows around his feet, along with everyone else's. I look in the mirror, showing my avatar. Suddenly, the same circle surrounds me, and my vision changes from normal, to blue, then to white, and then back to normal. I'm still standing in the plaza, but when I look in the mirror in my hands, I see my familiar fawn pixie hair with a long braid running down the back, and my green eyes stare back at me in shock. When I look up, I notice I'm much shorter than when I had my avatar.

I search the crowd for Klein, and panic surges through me when I can't even jump to see over the other player's heads. I turn to the spot next to me, where Klein had been standing, and see a man with spiky red hair being held back by a familiar bandanna, and the same eyes stare back at me...

"Wait, Klein? Is that you?" I yelp, eyes widening, and I point to him with my mouth dropping.

"S-Skylar?! Y-you're so much more--"

"Smaller, I know, I know! Stay focused!" I snap, and then before Klein can say anything back, the game master clears his throat. 

"I am pleased to introduce you and welcome you all to my world, Sword Art Online. This is the grand opening. I repeat, welcome to Sword Art Online, my world. This is the end of the tutorial. Good luck, players." He booms, and then his exit is basically the reverse of his entrance. A few moments, the air is filled with a shocked quiet, and then the whole crowd roars in surprise, shock, sadness, anger, and many more emotions that I'm feeling. Scowling deeper than I've ever before, I take Klein by the wrist, leading him to an alleyway, away from the emotional mob.

"Klein, we'd better start-," I cut myself off when I notice he's staring down at me like the dope he is, and snap, "would you please get over the fact that I'm small?"

"S-sorry, I just wasn't expecting that, with your big attitude," He scratches the back of his neck.

"Listen," I pause, breathing in to remain calm, "we need to get out of here before everyone snaps out of their shock, so we can get to the top and end this game. Sound good?"

"A-about that," He stutters, resting his hands at his sides. "I have some friends who waited a whole day just to get the nerve-gear, and they're still in the plaza. I gotta go find them."

"Oh," I murmur, left to my thoughts.

If it were just Klein, or maybe one more, or two...

"Hey, I'll be fine. In the last game I played, I ran a guild!" He grins, making me smile a little.

"Alright. Klein, please, be careful. I'll be seeing you." I mutter, turning to walk away.

"Uh, Skylar?" He calls after me before I can take another step, "uh, y-you look better this way. Way cooler." I turn with wide eyes, shocked he had complimented me, even wondering if I had imagined it.

No one's ever complimented me on my height, or appearance. All I've gotten was sneers and bullies.

"Thanks. And that hair fits you ten times better!" I shout over my shoulder, dashing a few yards into the shadows. I stop a while, turn back, and see the alleyway empty behind me. I stare at the empty space, and my eyes almost water. I turn and sprint off, dodging NPCs and merchant stalls, and running out of the Town of Beginnings. I roar as I pierce the hide of a Wild Boar charging me, and it disintegrates with the one hit.

Tears streaming down my face, I keep my sword out, running at full throttle along the path blazed into the dirt. Loneliness and determination fill the emptiness I feel, and I pretend I can hear my mom and dad, and my step-dad, and my siblings, all sobbing their hearts out because I died. Growling, I push my legs on until the sun sets and I reach the next village. Panting like a sick dog, I purchase a loaf of bread, splitting it, and taking a bite of the smaller piece. I rest under a tree in the village, closing my eyes. As soon as I know it, I feel my eyes close under the strangely warm sun, and the cool breeze brushing my hair out of my face.