Klein(SAO)x Reader

Chapter Nineteen

I wake up hoping nothing busy would happen, and surprisingly, my wish comes true. I lay awake in my bed, the morning birds singing a sweet song outside the window, which frost climbs and spires upon, creating small patterns and tangles of ice that twist and weave across the panes of glass. Klein is awake, sitting on his bed, sorting through his inventory. Smiling, I sit up with a yawn, stretch my arms, and stand up, trying to peer out the window. 

"Good morning, Skylar. You look well-rested." Klein greets as I manage to catch a glimpse of the snow layering the ground outside.  I look over my shoulder, smiling at him.

"I am, thank you. How did you sleep? You look better than last night." I state, glad his cursor had already turned back from orange to green. 

"I slept well, too. The guys are already downstairs somehow, and they seem antsy." Klein returns to swiping through his inventory, scanning a few different screens at the same time, then looks back to me.

"Really? Last night must have thrown them off." I blink while throwing my armor on, and clipping my rapier scabbard onto my belt. Finishing my outfit, I skim through my inventory, then leave the room once Klein finishes with his, and we meet the group downstairs, who does indeed look anxious. Some keep glancing out the window as if they expect something to jump out at them, while some keep their eyes on what they're doing, seeming to be afraid of looking up. Sighing, I put on my smile again, waltzing out towards them. All eyes turn on me again with some desperate looks, but most are crazed in the quietness of the air around them. "Hey, guys!"

"We're ready to go now, so we'd better get going," Klein announces, and everyone immediately hopping to their feet, rushing out the door. I follow with another sigh, trekking through the thick snow I had seen from out the window. It rises to my kneecaps, while the guys just have half-way up their shins. I grumble to myself, and Klein chuckles when he sees me literally pulling one leg out of the snow, then plunging it into the snow in front of me, then repeating the process. That's why I'm a good ten feet behind the group, Klein stopping next to me. Suddenly, I pipe when I'm lifted out of the snow, ending up in the arms of Klein who carries me above the snow. 

"K-Klein, I can do it myself!" I squeak, feeling my cheeks heat up despite the cold nipping at them. 

"Then how come the group was leaving you in the dust?" His retort leaves me lost for words, making him chuckle again. We continue like that until the snow starts melting, leaving it only at ankles height for them, and lower shin height for me. He sets me on my feet, me wobbling for a moment, then regaining the sense of my feet being there. 

"T-thanks," I mumble, trodding next to Klein as we catch up to the group, who had bustled ahead when Klein had put me down. Klein chuckles, and we regain our pace, soon reaching the next town. We decide to just rest here and then continue to the next town, which is the one outside of the dungeon. The thought of another boss fight makes my stomach empty in despair and fear, but I force my legs to push on. At a small bustling cafe that happens to be in this city, Klein and I sitting down at a table and eating lunch when the others are sorting out their inventories. 

"Hey, Skylar?" Klein taps my shoulder after we're done eating and we're walking to our meeting spot. "I have a question."

"Yeah? What's up?" I stop, turning around to face him.

"I just wanted to ask if you're okay. You seem kind of distant, I guess. Is anything wrong?"

"Yeah, I just guess I have some old battle scars that are on my mind."

(Time skip: Boss Battle)

"Listen, we have everyone on the Assault Team here for a reason: this boss is going to be very hard. So I'm going to tell you something. You are the best players here in this game, and this is still going to be a difficult boss. We need to be careful." The leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, Heathcliff, announces over the bustling whispers of the players gathered in front of the dungeon. "Is everyone ready?" A roar of agreement meets his question, and he turns, pushing the door open. Everyone around me pushes me into the room, everyone filling out into the large and empty room. It's pitch black, except for Klein who is next to me, Asuna, who is on my other side, and Kirito, who is barely visible as he stands in front of me. Silence echoes among the players, everyone looking for the boss. Asuna then looks up and then gasps.