[PP-F8/F5] The Shadows Bonding (ValexHik) <<Dragon Hunter Anthology V]

[Vale 1]

The man faded into her peripheral through the blue light and data particles, his placement before entering the teleportation gate at the same place was his exit. Right beside him and just in reach to slide her arm through and pull him closer, The side of his arm pressed up against the side of her side chest specifically. He had begun to start calling her by a nickname, but she wasn't all that interested in something cliche. It had sounded like he was going to call her baby, her eyes flicking a wicked yet seductive glance at her partner in crime tonight. Hikoru cleared his voice to announce her name Umiko.

The Neko girl's ears twitched, she scanned her eyes across the people to identify a good amount of them looking in the direction of the two of them. She grinned, grabbing the collar of Hikoru to pull the man in, her eyes staring deeply into his as if trying to identify his soul, "You can give me a nickname." She started whispering loud enough that he could hear, as she pushed him back up against a wall. She was making a statement to not just the guys, but to the girls and even Hikoru too. She wanted to make a statement to others where she stands with him. She lightly kissed his chin and glanced at the crowd, "But only if it means just as much as you do Hikki-kun" she paused to look back in his eyes, "To me." A sweet and sullen smile stretched across her gaze. A few girls showing their compassion toward what she had just done, a few men impressed, and a few other angered storming off.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt his blush widen as she grew closer and then shoved him to a wall. She kissed his neck and Hikoru finally looked around to see that a large group of people had grown. He gave a small blush even larger and she gave a small smile. He couldn't think of a nickname off the top of his head. He gave a blush, then a smile as a thought came to his head. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a long, deep kiss. He closed his eyes so the crowd wouldn't be in his vision, and he heard a few grumbles and some heartfelt sighs. He pulled away and looked into her eyes with a small smile. 

"How about I call you 'Mine'?" he said slyly, then kissed her cheek. He avoided the eyesight of the other players, knowing that some would be glaring at him, although he could easily take them out if he wanted to. 

[Vale 1]

Even though Hikoru was trying his best to be sly, it just came out dorky and adorable to Vale. She pushed his head against the wall with one finger on his lips, "You're gonna have to give me something better than that sugar. No one tames this cat, this cat tames her pets." She licked the side of his neck knowing she had full control of him completely by this point. She pulled away slowly watching as the rest of the crowd started to clear seeing the action come to an end. Vale smiled at Hikoru, "Let's go!" Exclaiming as she grabbed his hand and started to pull him at slightly faster than walking speed toward the Park. She was so excited to have this day to spend with him however she pleased.

During the walk Vale left plenty of opportunity for Hikoru to speak up and ask questions, or if he wanted to stay quiet and watch her walk from right behind her. It didn't really matter to the girl, she knew she had his full and undivided attention. And that would last long into the night, or so she would like to hope. Her natural strut made people passing her involuntarily look at the bombshell of a woman among both men and women, and all of them would shift their head to look at Hikoru. And it was as if there were questions on why someone that attractive would choose someone who is mildly good looking. Vale was happy though, the only thing that mattered to her, was that Hikoru was there.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Vale

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt a blush as she seemed unfazed by his words. That was the best he could think of, and if that wasn't good enough then he had no way of seducing her that way. She started to drag him away and he saw that they neared the park. He looked to see men eyeing them up, and he glared at them,  revealing his dagger that was equipped at his side. It glowed both a pale green and a pale yellow, the glows of a Unique enchantment. If anyone was anyone, they would know that only two people in SAO held daggers with unique enchantments. Hikoru, the Master of Shadows and one of the highest levelled players, or Hidden, a small girl who kept her distance as he did. By process of elimination people knew who he was, and they would turn tail with scared looks in their eyes. He gave a sigh and hid it once again, focusing his attention back on Vale. The woman lead them to the park, and he did his best not to stare and to give her the respect she deserves.

[Vale 1]

The chirping of the birds, the noise produced by cicada's naturally, the sound of the tree's as they sway in the wind, her dress fluttering against her skin yet still holding its position perfectly. The wind rushed through her hair while the sunlight beamed on the velvety like hair. Vale had the sunlight upon her as though it were the spotlight itself, as they enter the garden-like park she spun around to face him, "You've been ever so quiet Hikki-kun. What's on your mind?" She asked him, her dark purple lipstick and eye shadowing picture perfect. It was noticeable just how far Vale went out of her way to look for the man.

There were other couples who were enjoying a day at the park as well. Men and women holding hands, laughter, play, various sorts of other activities could be heard going on around then. Vale looked around to see all the couples looking extremely happy despite the fact that their lives were perpetually in danger. But, for this one moment of the day all of them forgot their troubles, their issues, their past. They solely focused on the now, just thinking about that made the feeling of love resonate down deep within her core. She turned to look Hikoru back in the eyes, just to close them and smile happily, "Would you like to sit for a picnic with me Ace-kun?" She asked, the feeling of love solely enveloping the girl as a whole.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru's attention was averted back to Vale as he quickly hid his weapon. He hoped she didn't notice and he gave a small smile as she asked why he was quiet, and he just gave a small smile. "Just you... But in all honesty, I just don't know what to talk about..." He said with a small sigh, and he looked around at the park, seeing all the couples doing different things and he felt a blush, realizing that he was finally doing couple things with an actual woman... He felt another blush as she asked him for some lunch together, and he realized that he had never had the chance to have a picnic here.

"S-sure... O-of course I would, a-as long as it's with you..." He stuttered out in the end. He looked around but he really didn't see a good place for them to eat. Although his sight still wasn't the best and he knew that he wore his goggles for a reason. But for now he left them off, knowing how silly he looked with them on and just left them where they were. He looked at her and gave a small smile "Go ahead and choose a spot, i'm not the best at it..." He said with a smile

[Vale 1]

The way that Hikoru's face would brighten as the blush would take over his face was too adorable, Vale couldn't get enough of emotionally teasing the young man whom she found herself some devotion. The fact that he was willing to do anything so long it is with her made the woman genuinely happy, this was a much different Hikoru that Vale had the pleasure to get to know. Vale looked around the place as well as Hikoru did, off in the distance in a nice spot with some shade under a tree was the place the two of them would spend a fair bit of the day learning of one another. As Hikoru gave the go-ahead for her to choose a spot she turned to him and smiled, "I already did love." She lightly pulled him as they walked past a few other couples to reach their spot everyone within indoor speaking distance from one another. 

She opened her inventory, "I'll take care of it, I prepared for this while we were getting ready." She mentioned to him as the perfect picnic placement was set. Two comfy and soft bean bag chairs with a picnic basket full of food and drink resting neatly at the center of a purple and black cloth. She sat down with grace into her chair keeping her legs positioned to keep the short skirt the dress came with from revealing anything. Opening the basket she grabbed a peanut butter and jelly triangle sliced sandwich and held it out to him, "I want to know more about you, and I want to share more about me... With you, Ace-kun." She said a sense of serenity in her voice. The woman wanted to know just who it was that had claimed her heart, not just the persona he created for everyone to see.

Edited October 9, 2017 by Vale

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru smiled as she dragged them to underneath a tree, a nice and shady spot and a place to make a clean getaway if he needed to. He sat down on the chair comfortably and enjoyed the feeling of the softness underneath. He let out a small sigh as Vale offered him a sandwich. He took it with a nod and a smile. Although she didn't know it, he used to make these for his younger brother when they were children. He gave a small chuckle and sighed, looking at her as she asked to know more about him. He bit into his sandwich, thinking for a moment then speaking

"Well, here isn't much... I had a little brother in the real world, i moved out of the house when i was about 16, and saved up for the nerve gear and SAO.. Waited in line for three days..." He said with a small chuckle "Three days wasted on a game that wants to kill me... " he gave a sigh, then took another bite of his sandwich. He didn't see anything really important that he could talk about in his life. That was the jist of his life. 

[Vale 1]

"Well, here isn't much... I had a little brother in the real world, i moved out of the house when i was about 16, and saved up for the nerve gear and SAO.. Waited in line for three days..." 

Hikoru had bit into his sandwich, despite her inability to make good food like most cooks could. She still showed that she did love to make food in the kitchen, and it seemed as though Hikoru enjoyed the food as the Shadow Stalker did eat it. Vale smiled as Hikoru began to speak a little about himself, something she was hoping he would offer more of. 

"Three days wasted on a game that wants to kill me... " 

The man finished speaking with a sigh, causing the Neko girl to look down slightly, "I am sorry it happened that way for you." She looked back at him, "Maybe you might want to share a little more about your family, and you?" She asked inquisitively hoping to learn even a small amount of something form the man, "If you don't want to answer, I won't force you to." She stated immediately after asking him her question. The Neko girl was a bit flustered, here she was with the person she adored the most. But, wanted to respect his absolute privacy to give him his deserved space. On top of that, Vale honestly wondered if the man was even interested in her or was he just interested in her looks.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Vale

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru took another bite as she apologized, and she just shrugged. In his mind it was worth it for the strength he had found in this game, and how it had made him feel much more comfortable with himself. He gave a sigh as she asked about more of him, and he thought for a moment. There wasn't much to speak about his family, and knowing Vale she was probably more interested in himself. He gave a sigh and looked over, a bit of jelly on his cheek and not knowing about it

"Well, I'm... 18 now, since it's been a year... I am the same height and look the same here as I do outside in the real world... And I worked at a truck stop, serving coffee and being a cashier..." He said, then gave a chuckle. "I actually have a good story about that. One day I was preparing the coffee there, just made a new batch when a woman came up asking for some coffee, I don't remember what kind... Well I was out anyways, and she wanted me to waste coffee that I had just made because the coffee holder was being washed. Eventually I had to waste perfectly good coffee to please her, but then she asked for my name and my manager's number. I wrote it out with a smile and did my best not to try and strangle her..." He said with a chuckle. "But other than that... All I did on the outside was work, Cook for myself and play piano... Learned it when I was about 8, my parents wanted me to learn an instrument so I picked it up... Haven't touched one in years.." He said with a small sigh.

[Vale 1]

The shade swashing on and off Hikoru's face, the slim bit of jelly that was unknowingly on his cheek. It was all too cute to Vale, the fact he was rather effeminate but masculine at the same time left the girl with a genuine and innocent smile. The Neko girl grabbed a napkin and leaned forward, the dress hanging forward a small amount as she lightly got the jelly off his face when he finished speaking, "You're just a little messy aren't you." She giggled happily. He looked actually rather happy to talk about himself, she was glad that the man was beginning to open to her. She confirmed that she was dating someone that was considerably under her age. It felt weird to think about, so she pushed the thought out of her mind.

Vale sat back grabbing a small pre-prepped bento box for the two of them. Filled with Rice, Veggies, some Fish, and a small drink that she made in her shop. She held one out for Hikoru, "I was never the greatest cook, but my..." She stopped as soon as she realized that the story of Yukino had not been brought up to Hikoru after all this time, "S-something I'll talk about soon." She looked down and away a slight amount, the glint in her eyes that shined her happiness was suddenly missing in that moment. She cleared her throat quietly, "I'd love to hear more about the kind of foods you like to cook and how versed you are with the Piano, if you don't mind me asking?" She took a shot in the dark hoping to keep the topic off her for a slight bit longer, she didn't want to ruin the good vibe about them.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru blushed as she cleaned up some jelly on his face, and he avoided staring as he continued to look around the park to the different couples. They seemed to be the only one's enjoying a picnic while some just sat around or walked. He smiled as even though he wasn't meaning to, he was completely different. He gave a small sigh and listened as she offerred some food, and he gave a smile as she seemed flustered. He didn't exactly catch what she was saying at first, but he heard something about the food and he knew she was trying her best. He gave a small smile and a sigh as he took the food gratefully.

"Thank you Vale..." He smiled and kissed her cheek. She asked about his Piano skills and cooking, and he gave a chuckle. "My cooking wasn't always the best, but I did my best to make good food for me and my guests when I had them over. I got pretty good, but after awhile I started to eat more and more in take-out places as my Job started to really get hectic and stressful... And piano was something I stopped playing once I moved out of the house... I couldn't afford one so I haven't touched it in... Two, almost three years..." He said with a small sigh. "It's one of those things I miss from the outside, playing music..." He said as a glazed look overcame his eyes, remembering the songs he played and how it took the stress away from him.

[Vale 1]

"My cooking wasn't always the best, but I did my best to make good food for me and my guests when I had them over. I got pretty good, but after awhile I started to eat more and more in take-out places as my Job started to really get hectic and stressful... And piano was something I stopped playing once I moved out of the house... I couldn't afford one so I haven't touched it in... Two, almost three years..."

He had kissed her cheek then chuckled, beginning another segment of his story. She sat and listened intently giving the man her full and undivided attention, every now and again her cat ear would twitch while listening to him. Vale wondered just what foods Hikoru knew how to make, the thought becoming more prevalent in her mind as she wondered. Slowly in her mind, she was undressing his shirt while cooking in the kitchen. For a moment it felt as though she wasn't listening due to the thought being too lustful to think about, she hadn't seen him without a shirt just yet so the only thoughts she had were of him having a built body.

"It's one of those things I miss from the outside, playing music..."

Her attention came back to when he mentioned missing the Piano, "I wonder if it is possible for us to obtain a piano in this world. I would love to hear what it sounds like." Her smile ever vibrant. Vale looked around at the other couples enjoying the mid-day feeling in the park of the Town of Beginnings. It looked as though they were the only ones that were enjoying food together, it felt more like a date than anything else she could perceive. Turning her attention back to Hikki while she opened her box, Vale grabbed the chopsticks within the box using the ends of it to cut up the fish. She took the piece and held it out for Hikki to eat it, "Here you go Ace-kun." That same vibrant smile having not yet dissipated.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru looked at the corner of his eye and saw that Vale had been keeping track of him intently which he did his best to not blush. She seemed... Interested, in who he was, something that he hadn't really had before. He gave a sigh as she said getting a piano in this game, and he just shook his head

"The system probably wouldn't take any of my skill out of the game into affect, and even if i knew what i was doing, the piano has a good chance of making it sound horrible... So im just waiting to escape..." He said with a sigh. She offered him a piece of fish, and he smiled and ate it off the sticks,  chewing and savoring the taste before swallowing. "Thank you Vale.. I, don't know the right pretext at the end, or whatever its called... " He said with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He knew the basics of the language and could speak fluently, but he struggled with context and titles that people have and share with each other. It was the next thing for him to learn, but he bought the game and never got the chance to learn. 

[Vale 1]

The fish piece slid off the end of the sticks, taken by the teeth of Hikoru. The Shadow Stalker chewed on the piece savoring the flavor of the lemon baked fished before swallowing. Vale smiled happily at him, she felt extremely pleased that Hikoru seemed to like her cooking. Sharing meals were something she had missed doing with Yukino, and Vale finally felt like she had someone she could enjoy her meals with. A small blush still keeping its place on the cheeks of her face.

"The system probably wouldn't take any of my skill out of the game into effect, and even if I knew what iI was doing, the piano has a good chance of making it sound horrible... So I'm just waiting to escape..."

As Hikoru spoke about some of the limitations the game had, it took away the smile from Vale's face for but a few moments before she placed her hand on top of his, "Then maybe we need to work together so you can show me what those fingers can do." She left the end of her sentence open-ended. It was clear she was talking about the piano just as he was, but the amount of detail clearly left out of the sentence and the seductive look in her eyes could say otherwise.

"Thank you, Vale. I, don't know the right pretext at the end, or whatever its called... "

Vale stood up on her knee's and reached over to Hikoru, placing her other hand on the backside of his head running her fingers through his hair, "That's because today, it's Umiko." She said sweetly before placing a kiss on his forehead. Vale pulled her face away slightly to have her unique white iris on black background eyes staring into Hikoru's, "Let's finish our Lunch and continue on with our day, Love." She reached forward and pecked him on the lips before returning to her bean bag chair.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt her hand touch his as she said that they should work together, and he felt a blush as she finished the sentence. Although he knew for a fact that she was talking about the piano, his mind knew that she was talking about something else, and he gave a sigh and looked away for now. He did his best to keep in control of his emotions before he heard her shuffle, then she drew very close to him, running her hand through his hair and feeling a shudder run through his back. She kissed his forehead and he gave a nod as she said they should finish up lunch. 

"R-right... Sorry Umiko..." He said awkwardly, then he finished the last of his food and cleaned up. He knew he needed to get control of himself or else this would go nowhere. He looked at her and gave a sigh "That's enough about me... Tell me about you... " He said, keeping eye contact with her as he waited for an answer. 

[Vale 1]

Hikoru seemed flustered, the words that she had said managed to fester in his mind and a feline-esque smile  "You don't have to apologize Ace, as long as you're happy that is all that matters." She simply responded to the Master of Shadows. Her goal wasn't to make him feel awkward or belittle him, but she did want to tease him. Hikoru did do good work on his food managing to polish it off to stave away his flustered mind. Vale couldn't keep pace with him. managing to finish only half of her food. She closed her bento box in case Hikoru would get hungry later and placed it inside the basket.

"That's enough about me... Tell me about you... "

Vale ironically was not ready to hear him say those words, she was happy and content to hear about him. But now it was a matter of deciding to figure out what it is she should tell him, eventually everything would come up during the conversation. Since they were practically done with their food, Vale returned the items laid out on the ground to her inventory, "I'll answer whatever it is you want to know about me. But for the moment let's start making our way to a place where maybe we can dance?" She informed him and followed up with a question. Vale loved to dance, it was one of the few ways she was able to keep her body in such incredible shape. Uncertain of whether or not Hikoru wanted to dance, but the man did say that the day belonged to her. She held out her hand for him to take so they could walk side by side, "What is it you'd like to know, love?"

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt a small blush as she asked if they could go to a place they could dance. In all honesty, dancing was a thing he was never good at, and didn't like the thought of looking a fool with such a beautiful date. He sighed and took a look around as she held her hand, and he took it. 

"S-sure... I cant dance though... " He said with a small chuckle. She asked what he wanted to know. He rubbed his chin for a moment to think of what he wanted to know, and he gave a smile. "How about... What you did in the real world, what your aspirations were, and what are your likes and dislikes?" He asked with another small chuckle. He didn't mean to bombard her with questions, but he wanted know everything about Umiko, and that meant to know what she did on the outside world and knowing the girl behind the Vale that she hid behind. He awaited to be dragged along and for her to answer his questions. 

[Vale 1]

As the two of them enjoyed their leisure stroll toward a place where they could dance, Hikoru admitted with a chuckle that he had an inability to dance. Vale giggled softly, "It's not a problem Ace-kun, I'll make sure to teach you well." She said sweetly, moving her free hand over to grab his bicep and bring his arm closer against her chest. She smiled happily knowing she would get to share a possible first with Hikoru, generally based on that statement meant they didn't dance with people. Vale knew a few dancing styles though she was by no means a savant at dancing, but she would be able to mirror a style that he would be most comfortable with.

"How about... What you did in the real world, what your aspirations were, and what are your likes and dislikes?"

Normally a set of questions that would cause a myriad of people to pause and have the same questions towards themselves. Vale was actually incredibly sure of what her answers were, to each of the questions that her date had provided. Vale smiled and blushed a slight amount as she was embarrassed to admit so much to him, "Well... I was a professional Martial Artist in the real world. I was a Master belt for Muay Thai and had offers to run a number of dojo's. And I was in the National's for Lightweight Women's Boxing in Japan between the ages of 16 to 22, stopped going to tournaments for Boxing for the past two years to focus on my relationship with my then Fiancee. I might have a number of trophies that decorate my parents house since i was an only child." Vale's smile was unable to fade as the memories were incredibly good to her.

"As to what my aspirations were, I honestly just wanted to master all types of Martial Arts and hopefully create a style that would continue down to become a widely recognized style of fighting like Wing Chun, Tai Kwon-do, Jiu Jitsu and the sorts." Vale seemed radiant by this point as she relished the idea of her aspirations were possible to come to fruition, "But unfortunately this world will prevent some of that. Since this game keeps us in a statis where we cannot move our limbs, I'll probably lose the muscle mass to be able to make it come to be." She looked at him still smiling despite the fact she shared some sad news, "But my aspirations now compared to then, are much different."

"What are my likes and dislikes? Well... I was originally a Lesbian before dating you, so I still am strongly aroused by attractive women. And to be completely truthful, I actually love Healthy foods, and I don't much care for unhealthy sweets. Though on occasion I will partake in it. I like to work out, practice and compete Martial Arts, and I love Neko girls. I'm incredibly happy that this world gave me the potential to be a Neko girl myself." She laughed as she talked, there wasn't too much she disliked and there wasn't anything major that she heavily despised. Vale was content with the answers she had given him, as Vale finished her sentence she looked at Hikki, "Let's have a good time Dancing, then go back home for the evening." Before the man got a chance to respond she tugged him into the Tavern made into a Club to enjoy the day until the eventful night that was to come.

[Due to Request of Hikoru. The date part of the thread ends here, continuing further from this point is the next RP day. The Release of the 2.5 Systems]

The internal clock began to scream, the Martial Artist's eyes opened to look into the sleeping face of Hikoru. An eventful night of memories being shared, hearts bonding, and love shared through the thrills that elapsed. She smiled as she slowly sat up, holding the bed's covers to keep herself covered. Too much to mention occurred and never had Vale felt closer and happier with Hikoru than she does now. A small yellow blip appeared in the Vale's eyesight, a server wide notification by Cardinal System and a personal message from the Cardinal System.

Vale selected the Server Wide notification which had a long detailed list of the changes in the system from 2.0 to 2.5, it seemed like the game's system was always crunching numbers, adapting to keep the game in an eternal state of balance. Vale read through peacefully until she read the changing to houses, the change made her wonder. Moving her finger over to the personal messages she selected the message that the system had sent her, "Oh no!" She exclaimed possibly waking the young man she had spent the night with.

Stats:

Spoiler

Level: 42

HP: 840
EN: 84
DMG: 14(19)
ACC: 3
EVA: 3
MIT: 0
LD: 6

Martial Arts - R5
Charge - R5
Search - R3
Gatherer
Survival
Curved Swords - R1

Kitten’s Twilight Embrace - T1 +3 ACC [Active]

Furry Kitty Spandex - T1 +3 EVA [Active]
Purrkitty Bell - T1 +3 LD [Active]
Duskveil Cloak of the Shadowpride - T1 Light Momentum/Vampirism Defensive/Mitigation

At-Ready
Duskveil Cloak of the Shadowpride - T1 Light Momentum/Vampirism Defensive/Mitigation
1x Razor Haze - T1 +3 DMG Potion
2x Honing Fog - T1 +2 DMG Potion
3x Iron Resolve - T1 +18 Mitigation
5x Armor Up - T1 +9 Mitigation

 

Edited October 16, 2017 by Vale

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru slept soundly, the activities of the previous night left him exhausted and some well needed rest was in order. Things seemed to be silent, getting the rest that he needed to be able to go dragon hunting that afternoon. However,  He was awoken however by the young woman next to him. A bit grumpy from the womans voice eaking him from his dream,  He mumbled and pulled her in for a hug, mumbling more and cuddling up to her as if she was a large stuffed animal or sorts, kissing the side of her stomach and hugging tightly.

"Whatever it is, cant it wait a couple more hours?..." he asked groggily, nuzzling into her side then starting to fall back asleep. He just wanted to spend most of the morning next to the woman and holding her, enjoying her company and everything without a care in the world. He let out a small sigh and felt his goggles fall off his head onto his face. He mumbled quietly, and shifted them back to their unsymmetrical position before wrapping his arm around Vale once more and drifting back off to sleep. 

Stats:

Spoiler

HP: 1680 | EN: 168 | DMG: 16 | MIT: 79 | ACC: 3 |  EVA: 3

Equipped Gear:

Eclipsed Pendant : +2 ACC +1 EVA

True Master of Shadows: +54 Mitigation +1 EVA

Limbos Fang: +2 Blight +2 Envenom

Flowing Illusion: +4 to Stealth rating when next to Water

Battle Ready:

x1 Shadows Eye: +3 LD

x1 Shadows Instinct: +3 ACC

Skills & Mods:

One-Handed Dagger [Rank 5]: Precision Mod

Light Armor  [Rank 5]: Athletics and Acrobatics Mod

Search and Detect [Rank 1]

Charge [Rank 5]:

Battle Healing [Rank 2]

Block [Rank 1]

Martial Arts [Rank 0]

Survival

Concentration

Shadowed Path [Rank 5]