Her Mission To Save Them All || Sword Art Online Fanfic

Chapter 29

POV: Kayoko

"No," Asuna's voice is full of fury, of denial. She stalks up to me, not minding the crowd's of people littered around the brightly lit teleportation point and pushes her face close, growling, "No way."

I push her off, sending her staggering into Kirito, "And why not, commander?"

"Because I say so."

I feel the anger rush to my cheeks, feel my fists clench against the sensation. "Let me remind you. I'm not one of your knights. You do not order me around! We will test the sword out on me, or I'll do it myself!"

Kyo blanches, throat bobbing with uncertainty, "Kira, think about this. We don't know whether your...gift..."

"I didn't want this," I find myself shouting, my arms flailing at my friend, my love. What would I think if I saw myself now? Disgust runs like slick oil through my veins, only serving to further ignite my rage.

"None of this was ever a gift! It was a curse!"

"Even still, we don't know whether it'll work again. It could just have been a one-off thing." Kirito crosses his arms, lip curling slightly. It's not at me he's aiming it at, but at the clusters of eyes now focusing on the newest drama.

Asuna doesn't mind the crowd. I suppose she's used to the idea of them, the way their eyes focus on you, ripping apart any wrong action or word, for how else could she have survived as vice commander of the biggest guilds in the game?

She has that confidence around her, the air that demands natural authority. Again, her hands grace her sword, as if the rapier's existence is what gave her the power. She stares at me, eyes like molten flame.

"You are Kayoko Akahoshi, niece to the God of this game. Think about what you represent, what you could represent if you tried if you dared,"

She pulls in closer again, and this time, I don't push her back. I let her whisper the possibilities in my ear, let them become my sword, my armour, my shield. Her words hold strength and conviction; everything I've wished for.

"We are but pawns in a much larger game. But you are different. You are a Queen, and you can make whatever moves you desire. Make them count."

"Then this is the move I choose to make. If you say I'm Queen of this world, you won't stand in my way. And if you do, you'll regret the day you gave me that crown."

************

Even a few hours later, those words burn into me, matching each trudge I make across the sand, my feet dissolving on the grains, getting pushed further back the more I try to move forward. The sun beats down, a whip cracking each time its rays grow stronger.

Hot wind batters my face, stroking the beads of sweat dripping down my forehead, doing little to cool me down. All that results in the wind is the grit stuck to my teeth, my hair, my skin. I pull my veil tighter around my mouth and glare up at the sun continuing to crack its whips of heat.

I hate this level.

And I'm sure most players did. So much so that the floor below it had been so crowded with people, that Kyo and I had to move down a floor after that to avoid them. And with each passing day that the front lines did not move forward, they would drag the sand back with them, leaving piles, upon piles of the stuff.

I climb a mound of sand and use the additional height to look into the horizon. Sand, to my left, to my right, front and behind. No sign of the safe area.

"If I find out we're lost then I'll spear the sword through you myself," Kyo has to dig his feet in my footfalls to stand by my side, hands on his hips while he scans the area. His eyes flick to me empty-handed.