SAO drabbles ~

The return of Johnny Black | part five

Kazuto sat beside Asuna's bedside in the wards at the Yokahama North General Hospital. While holding her hand up to his cheek, he watches as a nurse inserts an IV drip into Asuna's arm and feeds medicine into the drip. 

The nurse bows to Kazuto before leaving the room. 

Kazuto squeezes his eyes shut to try and hold back his tears but fails to do so. 

Seeing Asuna in this state killed him, it reminded him of when she was coma-ridden in hospital a few years ago. 

Then the thought strikes him with fear. 

What if Asuna doesn't wake up?

What if she never wakes up? 

Kazuto's heart sinks. 

He clenches his teeth and tightly squeezes Asuna's hand, letting her know he's there, also wanting to never let go of her. 

"A-Asuna..." 

He couldn't afford to think of those thoughts, he had to stay strong for her sake. 

As Kazuto takes a moment to calm his breathing and stop his tears from falling, he hears the door open. He looks up and sees a figure in a lab coat walk in. 

Presuming it was the doctor, he stands up and bows to the figure. 

The figure walks past him without taking notice and takes a look at the medical list beside Asuna's bed. 

The figure murmurs to themself while looking at the list. 

Kazuto watches as they do so quietly, with slight suspicion. 

"Excuse me, are you the doctor?"

The figure puts the list down and walks to the door. 

The sound of a lock can be heard. 

The blinds are drawn.  

Kazuto becomes more nervous, he starts to suspect something.

"I said, are you the doctor?"

The figure turns to him and slowly walks up to Asuna's bed, where Kazuto was standing in front of protectively. 

The figure says nothing and in response, pushes Kazuto back onto his seat. 

As Kazuto falls back onto his seat, he clenches his teeth. 

"Hey! How dare you!?"

The figure lets out a chuckle, aggravating Kazuto more. 

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" 

As Kazuto gets up from his seat to confront the figure, he sees a knife pulled out of the figure's sleeve. 

His eyes widen at the sight. 

He takes a few steps back. 

"W-who are you?"

The figure smirks at Kazuto. 

"Sit down, Blackswordsman."

"B-Blackswordsman?"

"That's right....you didn't think you could get rid of me, did you?"

"Who are you?! Answer my question!"

"In due time, Blackswordsman..."

"D-Due time?"

Kazuto sits back down on his seat beside Asuna, watching the figure while clenching his teeth. 

"Tell me who you are!"

The figure takes off his lab coat and sits on an opposite chair beside Asuna's bed. 

"I said I'd see you soon, didn't I, Blackswordsman?"

"Stop calling me that...who are you?!...w-wait!..."

Kazuto remembers what Asuna had told him earlier on. 

"After stabbing me, the player then said something to me...they said...tell the Blackswordsman I'll see him soon."

"Wait...it's YOU!"

The figure sighs and smirks. 

"Finally, you realize..." 

"You're the bastard who stabbed Asuna!"

The figure starts clapping slowly and smirks. 

"Not only am I that person, Blackswordsman...I'm so much more..."

"Y-You b-bastard!" 

"Uh uh, play nice..." 

He holds out his knife. 

Kazuto's teeth clench.

"What do you want?...no...why did you attack Asuna!?"

"Patience, Blackswordsman, I presume you have a lot of patience judging from what you've been through...right?" 

"H-how do you know that?"

"It would be a shame if something else was to happen to the Lightning Flash, would it not?"

The figure looks over at Asuna laying in her bed and smirks as he sees Asuna's oxygen mask. 

Kazuto's eyes follow the direction of the figures and Kazuto protectively puts out a hand across Asuna. 

"What do you want with Asuna?" 

"To finish off what I started..."

"W-what?"

In an instant, the figure walks up to Kazuto, takes off a mask from their face and their true identity is revealed as they stand in front of Kazuto.

Kazuto's eyes widen in horror. 

He was standing face to face with his greatest enemy. 

"J-Johny Black!?" 

"Hello, Blackswordsman...we meet again."