Koutei

"Extremely famous?" I said with a confused look. "Never heard of her..." I didn't really pay much attention to others, so the only people I actually knew about are those on my friend list. "But if she's that famous, I guess she must be pretty good at her job. Could you take me to her? If you don't mind, that is..." I asked with a smirk.

"Maybe you're the one being too confident." I teased her. "I'll get stronger. I'm sure of it." I looked down and noticed my cloak had been cut in the fight. "Aw, geez..." Actually, come to think of it, I have been in need of a new cloak. I guess this finally gives me a reason to get it. "Hey Kat, you wouldn't happen to know any good tailors, would you?" I asked, holding my damaged cloak in my hand.

Kat charged at me and activated a sword skill the moment the timer hit 0. I went to block it with my own sword and the familiar sound of clashing steel could be heard. I grunted as the force of the hit made the pain in my hand sting even more. The sudden pain made me let go of my blade and Kat's rapier followed through, hitting me and winning the duel. I looked down at my hand. My wound must've reopened in the fight because fresh blood was seeping through the bandages. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all..." I'd tried acting tough and it clearly didn't go so well. "Well Kat, clear

I accepted the duel request she sent me. I grabbed my Shadow's Alloy from my back and spun it a few times by its hilt before catching it with a firm grip and taking a battle stance. "Good luck, though I'll be the one needing it." I teased as the timer got closer and closer to 0. I grunted a bit as I felt the pain from my hand, but didn't show it. I won't let something silly like that hold me down...

I chuckled a bit when she said that. Finishing the last of my food, I stood up. "How about we have one last duel?" I asked Kat. I was eager to fight again. I had new-found motivation and I had a feeling I would be able to do a bit better this time. I was a bit injured, but it didn't really matter.

I grunted and sheathed my sword, knowing I wasn't in any danger with rage there. I'd had enough so, after sending a friend request to Lyra, I disappeared off into the distance without anyone realising, just as I always did. Death... it's all this game seems to be any more. Couldn't he at least refrain from increasing the death toll any higher than it already is? The sooner I crush this godforsaken game, the sooner all this death can stop.

"Me deciding your life? You're the one taking away the lives of others." I shot back. I heard thumping sounds and turned around, to see a large group of monsters coming. "Gah, what perfect timing." I muttered sarcastically. I drew my sword and took a battle stance. "Be careful Lyra, you can't afford to take many hits." I told her, knowing her low level meant she didn't have as much HP as the rest of us.

I grunted. "Leaving won't change what you've done. Neither will death. Do you not understand that it's your fault... that you're the one who started it? You say you kill if you need to kill, but what about when you killed in cold blood?" I turned around and spoke without looking at him. "Don't kill anyone ever again. You hear that? I don't care if you have to run away with your tail in between your legs... killing isn't the answer."

"Enough with the damn excuses!" I shouted at him at the top of my lungs. "I don't care if that was the only street. I don't care if they thought they controlled it. You killed them in cold blood and now, because of you, they're dead. They can't come back." I clenched my fists. "How dare you..." I walked up close to rage, my face mere centimetres away from his. "HOW DARE YOU?!"

"Why..." The frustration in my voice deepened. "Why would you kill innocent people in cold blood?! You don't have the right to take their lives! What about their families? How would they feel? Don't you care about what you've done? This isn't a game any more rage, this is real..." I was extremely angry now. He was acting like something so serious meant nothing. "Why the hell didn't you just change street when they asked? Sure, they were being bad to you but that doesn't mean they deserve to be killed! I don't care if you were in a hurry, you don't have the right to kill someone like that!"

9 people... 9 people are dead because of him. That's 9 people who will never return to the real world, never be seen alive by their families... "Were any of them green?" I asked, referring to the players he'd killed. The Mist Murderer... why would he embrace such a disgusting title... Sure, he wouldn't kill his friends now, but what about in the future? If he's ok with killing people, it'll only get worse... I promised Kat I wouldn't die and I certainly didn't want her or any of my other friends to die.

I grunted as I picked up my sword, wiped the dirt off, and sheathed it. I didn't like how he was being so laid back despite having killed someone. "I won't let a killer be around K- er... my friends... without at least knowing what happened." I glanced back at them, before returning my gaze to rage. "The old you... I'm not so sure. Hopefully an explanation will help me decide." I told him, crossing my arms and keeping a firm gaze.

Dammit rage... I unsheathed my sword, but threw it to the ground. "Idiot. Do you really want them to get hurt?" I asked, referring to the three girls behind me. "Kill me if you have to, though we both know there's no reason to. Now, I'll ask again. What happened?"

Rage was acting strange, which made me a little worried. I took a step towards him, putting me in between him and the others. He said that he wasn't going to kill us, but I was still cautious. "What's happened, rage? You don't seem yourself." I called out to him, my hand on the handle of my sword, ready to unsheathe it if I needed to. He was orange, and it made me worried for the others.

"Well of course I'm going to compliment you when you cook food this good." I replied in a matter-of-fact tone. I smiled as I watched her giggle and blush. I thought it was extremely cute and I couldn't take my eyes off her. Though, I didn't say it out loud, partly because Archer was sitting right next to me and partly because Kat would probably hit me if I said that.

I returned to the group, where I found a new player I hadn't met before. I walked up to the girl and introduced myself. "Hey there new girl, I'm Koutei, what's your name?" I noticed everyone else was looking at me weirdly. "Did anyone even notice I was gone?"

"Garlic Bread... My favorite!" I said while chomping on a piece. "I haven't had any since..." I stopped, and didn't finish my sentence. As usual, Kat's cooking hit the spot, amazing taste filling my mouth with every bite. "You know, I could eat your food for every meal of every day of the rest of my life and I wouldn't complain once. If gods exist, I'm sure this kind of food is what they eat." I laughed, grinning madly.

I smiled at Archer's reaction, there was no way she didn't see my injuries, yet she acted as if nothing ever happened because she didn't want things to get awkward. She deserved to be called a friend. Kat mentioned that she had food for us to eat. "Sounds good." I replied, and we went and sat under a nearby tree. "What's on the menu this time?" I asked her, eager to see what kinds of amazing food she had in store for us.

Kat mentioned Archer and my eyes widened with shock. "Oops, I forgot all about her!" We ran off back to the duel arena where we found Archer waiting for us. I tried hiding the red mark on my face and my bandaged hand, though I wasn't doing a very good job of it.

Seeing her cry and hug me caused a thought to cross my mind. Maybe it's not about what I want or how I feel. I know what losing a friend feels like and if I died, wouldn't I just be putting that on Kat? I realised how much of an idiot I was. I was being completely selfish. Kat's feelings are more important than mine. I guess being alone for all these years made me forget what true friendship is all about. If I don't trust Kat, am I not just as bad as the people I used to call friends? A soft smile appeared on my face. "Thanks, Kat. I won't leave you. Not now... not ever."

"I'm sorry Kat, I want to believe you, I really do. I just... I can't bring myself to trust you. I trusted people and they ended up hurting me." I raised my hand up to my face and touched the red mark I had from being slapped. "I'm scared. If I trust you, I'm scared I'll end up getting hurt." I said, gently rubbing the mark on my face. "I want to trust you, but you'll have to prove you truly do care about me. Though, I'm not sure if that's even possible..." (feels overload xD)

I took a darker tone after she slapped me. "There was a time where I thought people cared about me. And then... then they turned their backs on me, and I ended up in hospital. The doctors were surprised I wasn't dead. But... my best friend, the only one who cared about me... they betrayed him as well and he ended up dead!" Tears were rushing down my face at that point, and I was trembling with sadness and anger. "I can't find people who truly care about me. The others said they cared about me, but they proved themselves wrong. I care about you, Kat, but how am I supposed to know you

As much as I tried to cheer myself up, I just couldn't stop being depressed. I was doubting myself... my life. "And then what? Return to the real world where I'll be alone again? You don't understand, Kat. I don't have anybody who cares about me..." I was really struggling to hold back tears. I'd stumbled upon the sad truth and there was nothing I could do to make it go away. I didn't know what to do any more...

"I'm not so sure about that..." I was still confused, not sure what to think. I knew Kat was trying hard to comfort me but it wasn't having much effect on me...

"I want you to stay alive in this game, till it is beaten." My eyes widened and I looked up at her. I was completely frozen, unable to say or do anything except stare at her. I was completely taken back by her sudden request, which hit me out of nowhere. After a while, I had recovered from the initial shock enough to talk. "But why do I matter..."