[PP-F1] Lady in Blue (Kiru)

[Kyr 0]

There were some nights when Aincrad wasn't so bad.

August evenings, wherein the sun had faded from the sky and the temperature slowly started to drop, but still remained warm enough to enjoy. Weather programs like those in Sword Art Online were the cream of their respective crop; the dream had been realized and turned promptly into a nightmare, yet a few people still found time amidst the madness to enjoy the little things.

He sat quietly on a blanket in the square, and the streetlights around him began to flicker to life. Above him, the summer sky stretched out eternally. Stars blinked and faded like they would have a world away, in some foreign place Kyr had never visited. The sound of fireworks cracked the sky as the sublime lights painted a picture among the celestial bodies. Reds, blues, golds, and greens crafted a story on the weekend nights, a welcome reprieve from the chaos of Aincrad.

It was a bitter illusion, when one considered the displays of their homeland. "I wonder if I'll ever see fireworks again with my own eyes," he pondered absently. "These are nice, but sitting on the beach is so much better."

Kyr curled up in a ball as the breeze blasted him, a few degrees chillier than anticipated. "C-cold," he chattered. While it was far from frigid- unlike some floors, which were trapped in perpetual winter- the wind was a stark contrast from the last few months of warm weather. Kyr took a moment to glance around and realized that he was no longer alone.

A host of other players had begun to collect there, and they all quietly enjoyed the beautiful scene as it unfolded. With a soft smile, the youth returned his interest skyward. "Sometimes it can be nice," he decided. "Only sometimes, though."

He leaned back and let the heavens consume his thoughts. As his back touched the blanket, Kyr sighed in contentment. Nights like these made life not quite so bad.

[Kiru 0]

Aincrad had become numb, or maybe I had. I often found myself wandering aimlessly through floors just to sulk like the very emotional (and strangely sometimes unemotional), teen aged girl I was, reminding me ultimately of the castaway I was. It was a bit depressing to say the least but somehow there wasn't anything left for me to explore. For, without someone to accompany me on my adventures made me very unpleasant in the brain. Nothing was worse than to be alone, especially when you're trapped inside a realistic game that was given to you by accident by your best friend who was presumably dead according to Zelrius. To put it even more morbidly, it was painful to be in the place that someone lead you to, only for them to leave you. And just like he did, slowly everyone else did. The cheerful people I met at the beginning of Aincrad's days were now on the Frontlines and never had the spare time. Sometimes you would see them, but they'd get all weird and wouldn't see them again for months. Don't get me wrong; I didn't hate living here. In fact, it was a step up from my life, well, IRL. I had a lot more freedom and could take out my anger by stabbing things. I didn't love Aincrad, and I didn't hate it, I was indifferent about the whole thing and possibly a smidge bitter.   

So, here I stood, in the middle of the Town Square. The Town of Beginnings was slightly less daunting at night because the idiot level one's all retreated to nearby Inns or spent their every col on outrageously expensive food. During the day every part of Floor One was filled with players who were too frightened to leave the safe zone. "Pathetic." I muttered, but then remembered that I just spent quite a long time in my room in the Guild Hall, so it was probably me that was on the same level as these stalagmites. I cringed at the though and quickly dismissed it as I begun to move again from my previously lifeless state or pondering. Out of nowhere I heard a bursting sound, much like a gunshot. My eyes tore away from the ground, and were now glued to the sky. Fireworks illuminated the darkness in an array of colors. The corner of my mouth moved upwards, a half smile. It was rare that the creator was so kind as to create spectacles for the trapped players. Even so, I appreciated even this possibly sadistic and sarcastic gesture that Kayaba was putting on for all of us to see. 

I walked from the town, to the fields, in order to get a better view of the whole thing. A clear sky was what I wanted. I traversed the low hill and saw a group of players sitting under the show of lights. Slightly to the left however, there was a player laying on their back, facing the sky. I chuckled a little bit at the sight of this, as it reminded me of myself. I was connected to everyone in Azure but I was the cliched "lone wolf." Although, you could say everyone in Azure was a lone wolf because rarely ever did we hold meetings anymore or get together. Anyways, back to the player. I began to walk to them as the fireworks continued to go off. When I got close enough, and at just the right time, the fireworks' light shone on the player's face. It was a young man. Without asking, I laid down next to him and stared at the sky, pretending as though we were good friends and not total strangers; that I totally hadn't just literally invaded someone's blanket for my own pleasure. 

 

 

[Kyr 0]

Though he heard someone occupy the space beside him, Kyr never shifted or turned his gaze. Such interactions were common where he came from; the world was a nicer place there. No one ever sought to aggress anyone else. People were friends, and everyone knew everyone. At least, most folks heard the latest gossip. 

Kyr was never one for the social conventions, namely the tittering amongst hens, but he warmed quickly to new people and understood that fear was just the primary reaction to new things. In order to get the full experience out of life, one had to move past it.

"Great night, huh?" he asked, almost like he had already familiarized himself with the girl. Of course, the simple question assumed nothing of her, and so it existed without presumption of fault or flaw. His eyes slipped slowly shut as the sound of explosives cracked the sky and the sulfuric scent of gunpowder assailed his senses.

It smelled like summer.

While some players might have considered it cruel, the chance to live a little in the world beyond gave Kyr hope. And maybe just a bit, that did intensify the suffering- but more than that, it reminded him that there was something to go back to.

He folded both hands quietly on his chest and enjoyed the soothing scent of his childhood.

"It's great, the chance to just... exist."

[Kiru 0]

To my surprise the young male did not react in a negative way to my gesture, this was a first. I did not necessarily know how to respond to just a gentle person so I kinda just laid there, staring at the colors exploding in the sky. For once in this game I had received a somewhat normal response. Normally I think what would have happened would be that the player would angrily stand up or begin getting freaked out. It was calming to know that there was at least one rational person in Aincrad on this night. 

I looked over at him every few minutes, thinking he might be asleep, before he began to speak. "I guess you could call it a great night, maybe you could even call it explosive." I said, instantly realizing that I in fact did not say that in my head, but out loud. I inwardly sighed and looked at him once more.  His eyes were closed and his countenance was relatively relaxed. It was weird but just by looking at this stranger made me feel free from tension. It was like he was a good friend of mine that I was just watching fireworks with. Though by the end of this show maybe I would become at least acquaintances with this person to my left. 

"Yeah..." I said, letting my mind wander off into the spiraling thoughts of what lead me to Aincrad. I wasn't even particularly interested into video games, so why? I couldn't remember the reason for exactly why I was possessed to throwing my fathers money into NervGear but all I knew was that I had no beef with Kayaba, right now at least.

[Kyr 0]

"Ha!" He let out a chortle at her pun, mostly because he had not expected it. The best things in life were like that, after all. Complete surprises. "Haha," his laughter quickly died down into a slight smirk. "Explosive..."

Kyr shook his head slightly and then opened his eyes. The reds bled slowly from the sky as more gold rose to take their place, and his mind wandered back to the nights where he and his sister used to play while his parents sat together without a care in the world. Those were simpler times. Those were better times.

He missed they days where life didn't feel like a constant struggle against his younger sibling for affection. But now more than ever, he just missed them. Kyr would happily have accepted the rebellious teenage lifestyle if it meant he could live a day without fear for his life. Sword Art Online opened his eyes to what life was really about, and in a way, he was indebted to Kayaba for that. In an entirely other way, he knew Kayaba had never intended that. It was a brief, positive aside to the nightmarescape he had brought to life.

"They never last long, though. Maybe a few more minutes, if we're lucky."

As he spoke, the sky flashed brilliantly. Pastels like sunset illuminated every inch of his vision, and for a moment, night turned to day. Blasts of explosive rang in his ears like grenades at close range. Every care in the world dissipated as his expression turned to awe, and he committed the moment to memory. 

It would be one of the things that, when he got home, he would tell his sister all about. Maybe that would make her less... sad about the whole thing. If that was possible, anyway.

"Too bad," he murmured in a low voice. "It's always nice to have a break."