Yumi said
"You know, out in the wilderness after dark isn't the safest place to cuddle." she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

As Suki jumped, and hearing the voice, Umichi also jumped. He didn't look up, he covered his face. Partly to cover the embarrassment and his blush, partly to wipe his tears. "You're right" he said, wiping them with his fingers, and getting up, after Suki ducked under his arms. His voice was a little raspy from the crying and the yells. Suki cleared her throat saying they should head back. He nodded, cleared his throat. "Let's head back." Man, I guess after that, all I can say is that I actually fell in love with her. all doubt being cleared about how he felt about her. Umichi wasn't sure for a while about his feelings for Suki, they had only met for a couple of days. Yes, they were definitely friends, he obviously cherished her. But he didn't think he would fall in love so quickly. He mentally laughed at how easy he fell in love. He went to hold her hand as they walked out of the forest.

His eyes had adjusted a bit more. The game cleared his view a bit, it seemed. Heading back to the Gonike. There were some more wolves about. They were more active than the boars at night. Wasting no time, he swiftly took care of them as they reached the town. They had entered the safe zone. "Let's hand in the quest." he told them, heading to the bar. They collectively finished the quest, and now, Suki could make Fireworks with her alchemy. "Please, step outside, I will be lighting the fireworks for my daughter, you can see an example when I do." The bartender NPC told them. Umichi headed outside, to look up into the night sky where the fireworks would be displayed.

Suki stood there for a minute, unable to believe just how quickly she had transitioned from her brothers and fathers protection, to Umichi's. She could have called out for Yumi, but she hadn't. Her instinct had been to yellow for Umichi, and that was it. She had no idea what to do now. Her school didn't exactly have many people in it, and she had never had anything close to a boyfriend, and now...she shook her head, feeling the Umichi probably just saw her as a weak, dependent girl, and that her feelings wouldn't be returned.

She did smile though as he took her hand, watching as he took care of the wolves as they headed back to town. She nodded, following along to the bar. She watched the bar tender, whose name she had found out was 'Samwell' work with the fire works, patiently waiting for the show. Despite the lateness of the hour, the Bartender's daughter, a girl of eight, watched almost nervously as in a matter of moments the sky was light up with the fire works, different colours exploding in the air.

Suki watched it, smiling, looking up. It was just so simple a thing, back in the real world, but here...fire works were something else, they were magic to the NPCs, the people of this world. And that made them seem more...special. "Its amazing" She said softly, giving Samwell a hug, then kneeling down beside his daughter. "Happy Birthday! Treasure this forever, okay?" The little girl nodded shyly, and hid behind her father. Suki rose. She had no problem treating the NPC's as if they were real, because right now, this was their world, and she, and the others, were just trying to survive in it.

She looked up again, watching the fire works slowly die off.

Warning and Credits:
Parts of this post are from the translated Light Novel: Sword Art Online – Volume 1 – Aincrad

---

Janet Miller had been waiting for this moment for a damned long time. Today, the first VRMMORPG «Sword Art Online» would be going live. Somehow, Janet had managed to get a hold of the game and «Nerve Gear» which is the hardware that makes the game run. She had retreated into her room as soon as she had gotten the Nerve Gear and set it up. After testing it as much as possible and creating an avatar, she left it alone until thirty minutes before the game went live. She checked everything to make sure it was working right, then got a quick snack, cleaned up a bit, and then she returned to her room. After a few minutes, the game would go live. When the clock reached a minute until the game started, she slipped on her Nerve Gear, locked the strap on her chin in place, and counted to sixty before saying the initiation command—

«Link Start»

The humming of machinery and electricity quickly faded out until all was silence. There was no light, no sound, nothing but darkness, except for a rainbow circle in the center of this darkness. She stepped forward, and suddenly—the darkness wisped away into brilliant light, tumultuous sound, riotous color, and intense scents and an oddly solid sense of touch—like it was fog being blown away by a strong wind.

Her foot, that had stepped into the darkness landed on solid cobblestone ground. She strode forward, and found herself in the world of «Sword Art Online». Other games had not fully prepared her for the world of «Aincrad» a floating castle. Through the bottom of her shoes she could feel the ground and the heat it had absorbed from the sun radiated from the ground as gentle warmth. She looked around, then jumped back as a guy ran by and left the «Starting City».

Janet, no, she was Akane now, looked around and began examining the location. The roads in the «Starting City» were paved and the buildings looked well taken care of. There were no potholes in the road, or bars over the window, but then again, this was a game. Potholes and bars over windows just weren’t aesthetically pleasing. Akane’s brow creased as she concentrated to recall what was written on the playing guide on the back of the game and the instruction manual.

Akane stepped back a bit and put her right index finger and thumb together and pulled downwards. This was the action that was done to call the «main menu window». Straight afterwards, there was a ringing sound and a shining purple rectangle appeared. She quickly scanned the buttons and found a map button. She pressed it and the first floor of «Aincrad» was revealed. The «Starting City» was situated at the north end of the first floor and to the west were plains to the right, there were forests. On the map she could see the villages and locations around. She hit the button for the next level, and found that it was blank.

I see, they started us off with a beginner’s map of the first floor. I should check my inventory next. Akane then exited the map and opened her inventory. There wasn’t much in it, just beginner gear and supplies, and some money. Quickly, Akane familiarized herself with the rest of the menu and her stats before wandering around the «Starting City» looking through the stores. The amount of beginner’s money wouldn’t be enough to judge the prices of the city, or the worth of the coin.

In the end, she decided that the money she had received was not bad; it was good enough to get a slightly better weapon, or a piece of better gear, or more food. She considered upgrading her weapon but then changed her mind. The beginner’s gear would be good enough for a first timer, why else had it been given to them? Along the way she had picked up a «Starter’s Guide» to the game. It had reminders for the important commands, and some of the basic skills necessary to survive. This included the very basic «Sword Skills» for the basic weapon types that were available in the «Starting City».

In «Sword Art Online», «Magic» which was considered to be an indispensable part of fantasy MMORPGs had been boldly cut out and an almost endless number of skills called «Sword Skills» were made. It was part of a plan to let players actually feel the experience of fighting with their own bodies through «FullDive» as much as possible.

Skills were varied including productive skills such as smithery, leather working and sewing, and everyday skills such as fishing, cooking and playing music, allowing the player to not only adventure the huge game but also actually «live» in it. If they so wanted, and if their skill levels were high enough, they could buy a house and live as shepherds.

The electronics company which created the Nerve Gear called the actual act of linking to the virtual reality—«FullDive».

The reason for this was that the Nerve Gear not only sent fake signals to the five senses—but also blocked and rerouted the orders that the brain sent to the body. This could be called the most basic requirement for moving freely in a virtual reality. If the body received the brain's signals when the user was in «FullDive», the moment the user decided they wanted to «run» their actual body would run into a wall. Because the Nerve Gear could reroute the commands the brain sent through the spinal cord, Akane could move her avatar around freely and swing her sword around.

Akane checked her map, experimentally swung her beginner’s weapon, and then set off for the plains that stretched to the west of the «Starting City». In the plains she found some blue boars. According to what information she had collected from following what the beta testers had released, these creatures were the equivalent to beginner slimes in other games. Judging by that, the fight shouldn’t be so hard.

Before she was very close to the area where boars were supposed to spawn, she tested her sword skills. She would have to be able to use them on a moving target, and she wasn’t even sure if she could make them work just yet. «Sword Skills» activated based on the motions the players made. If a player started the right motion, the system would take over, put the «Sword Skill» into motion, and hit the target.

She raised her sword in the first motion for «Horizontal» a one-handed «Sword Skill». Her weapon turned green, and suddenly it seemed to move by itself in a horizontal slash across the air. There were no targets nearby for the system to make her hit. Akane creased her brow again and tried the motion a few more times. Only when she could do it three times in a row did she stop, and then try the next. «Vertical» was, like its name, a vertical slash. Again, she tried it over and over again until she could do it three times in a row. After that, she tried «Slant» which was a diagonal slash. After that she ran through the other motions again to make sure she had at least temporarily memorized her skills. For now, being able to use these three skills should be enough.

She searched around herself for a sign of a blue boar, officially named «Frenzy Boar». Not too far away, she spotted a couple. After a bit of thought, she picked up a pebble, and raised it above her shoulder in preparation to throw. She froze as a soft green light appeared in the corner of her eye. She turned her head as her arm moved on its own and threw the pebble right at a boar. It squealed angrily, and then looked around for her. After a bit, it seemed to find her, as it charged towards her. Akane no longer had time to wonder what sort of «Sword Skill» she had used. If she didn’t act soon, she’d find herself back in the «Starting City» after respawning.

She quickly drew her sword and as it got nearer, began the motion for «Vertical». In one strike, its life fell to half health. It shrieked and dodged back, quicker than she could believe. It shook its head and glared at her through vicious beady little eyes before lowering its tusks and preparing to charge. Akane was still a little off balance after using a «Sword Skill» in combat for the first time, so it hit her, and her life fell to half as well. Quickly she got up and prepared another «Sword Skill». She quickly positioned herself to use «Slant» and struck the boar down before it could hurt her again.

She sucked in a deep breath after the fight ended. Her first fight was exhilarating, and also frightening. She could kill boars, and that was good, but they could kill her as well. At most, she could only take one hit from a boar, otherwise she’d die. Dying wouldn’t be so bad if she could be back in a minute or two, but this hunting ground was quite distant from the «Starting City». It would be a pain in the ass to walk all the way back here after that fight, and she didn’t want to die on the first day, not fighting the equivalent of a Beginner Slime. Somehow, that was just… sad.

She quickly collected her loot and then rested for a bit. She checked her stats and saw that her experience bar had filled some, but that it would take a lot more fighting to level up. Her experience bar was currently at 2%. At this rate, she’d have to kill fifty beginner creatures to level up. Then again, these were beginner creatures. At the very least, it would be good practice, and she would have decent drops.

Akane quickly started in on the next creature and killed it without taking damage. She picked up the dropped loot and opened her inventory to check her menu. Out of habit, she skimmed all the words present and then realized that a word she had seen before was gone. Did the log out button move?

“Ding, ding” a chiming noise like a bell, or perhaps a warning bell, sounded loudly. Akane was suddenly enveloped in a clear blue pillar of light. Past the blue veil, the plains were quickly blurring out. The light pulsed brighter, and then everything was dark. Akane stumbled a bit as she found herself back in the central plaza of the «Starting City».

All around her was a sea of players. Unbidden in her mind, a phrase: “People mountain, people sea” popped up in her head. Looking at the bunch of stunningly beautiful people with a variety of equipment and different hair colors, she was certain they were players. There were about a few thousand—ten thousand people here. It was likely that everyone who was logged on right now had been forcefully transported to the central plaza.

For a few seconds, everyone just looked around without a word.

Then a few mumbles and mutters could be heard here and there; it started to get louder.

"What's happening?"

"Can we log out now?"

"Can't they take care of it quickly?"

Comments like these could be heard from time to time.

As the players started to get more annoyed, shouts like "Is this a joke?" and "Get the hell out here, GMs!" could be heard.

Then suddenly.

Somebody raised his voice above all these comments and shouted.

"Ah...look above!"

As one, thousands of faces lifted their eyes to the sky. A hundred meters up in the air, the sky was checkered in red. Akane had to squint her eyes to make out the details, and then she realized that the red stuff were the words [Warning] and [System Announcement] crossing each other. Is a GM going to tell us what’s going on?

Suddenly, a red liquid started to ooze down from the center of the words. It looked very viscous because of how slowly it dripped down. It began to morph into another shape, the shape of a twenty meter tall man with a hooded robe draped around him. Akane stared into the hood, and saw no face, and no body beneath the clothes. She could see the details within the clothes, but there was nothing within it, just shadows.

"Is that a GM?"

"Why doesn't it have a face?"

Numerous whispers like these could be heard.

Then the right hand of the huge robe moved as if to silence them.

A pure white glove appeared from the folds of the long sleeve. But this sleeve, like the rest of the robe, wasn't connected to any sort of body.

Then the left arm slowly lifted upwards, too. Then with its two empty gloves spread out in front of ten thousand players, the faceless person opened his mouth—no, it felt like it did. Then a low and calm voice of a male resonated from high up in the air.

'Players, I welcome you all to my world.

My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world.

I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the log out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is all part of «Sword Art Online»'s system.

Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will.

...also, the discontinuation or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted...

The signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions.

To be a little more specific, dislocation from an outside source of electricity for ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Nerve Gear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully get rid of the Nerve Gear. The result—'

The metallic voice took a short breath here.

'—regretfully 213 players have already exited this game, and the real world forever.

Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies that you have left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and internet media are all repeatedly reporting this situation, including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your Nerve Gear taken off has already all but disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have given, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax...and concentrate on beating the game.

But I ask of you all to understand that «Sword Art Online» is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality....from now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment that your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever, and at the same time— Your brain will be destroyed by the Nerve Gear.

Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game. As I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word.'

'Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this.'

Akane quickly pressed her finger and thumb together and pulled downwards. All the players did likewise and the plaza was filled with the ringing sound of bells. Quickly, she pressed the item button on the menu that had just appeared and saw the item that had been given to everyone. It was a «hand mirror». She tapped on the name and pressed the "make into object" button. Immediately afterward, there was a twinkling sound effect and a small rectangular mirror appeared.

Akane peered into it, and stared into the face of her avatar. She glanced away and looked at everyone else, and was suddenly engulfed in brilliant white light. A few seconds later, her surroundings had changed, and yet were still the same. All around her, it was no longer a sea of beautiful people and avatars, but a confusing mix of normal people wearing fantasy gear. And she found that many girls she had been standing next to were now… guys. MMORPG – Multiple Men Online Roleplaying Girls. Akane’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head she was so shocked, she didn’t really think it was true.
Akane glanced into the mirror again, and the elegant fine-boned warrior with red eyes, voluptuous curves, pale skin, trim body, and waist-length blood-red hair was gone. In her place, was Janet Miller with scarlet dyed hair halfway down her back, lightly tanned skin, B-cup breasts, a size 8 body, and green eyes. She froze as she took in the changes. Kayaba Akihiko’s words brought her out of her trance.

'You will all most probably be wondering 'why.' Why am I—the creator of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko—doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?'

It was then that Kayaba's voice, which had been emotionless up to now, seemed to show some signs of emotion.

'None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because...this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve Gear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized.'

Then after a short break, Kayaba's voice, now emotionless again, sounded.

'...now I have finished the official tutorial for «Sword Art Online». Players—I wish you luck.'

This last sentence trailed off with a faint echo.

The huge robe rose soundlessly, and started sinking, hood first, into the system message that covered the sky, as if melting. Its shoulders, then its chest, then its two arms and legs merged into in the red surface, and then a final red stain spread briefly. Right afterward, the system message that had covered the sky disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.

Suddenly, the usual city sounds were back. Akane stared at where Kayaba had disappeared to, and suddenly the silence was broken. There were people shouting denial, other screaming and crying that they were going to die, others mourned lost friends, searched for their friends, or rushed away from the city.

No… this, this can’t be true. For a moment, Akane contemplated jumping off the side of the first floor, or cutting herself down. But what if it is? It was possible that this was all just a really bad prank, but it was also possible that it wasn’t. Was she willing to risk it? Logically, the best method for handling this situation would be pretending as if it was real, even if it was just a lie. If she jumped off and killed herself, she might wake up in the real world, or be dead. If she stayed and survived, worst case scenario assuming it was a lie, was that she was tricked into staying in a game, and would that be so bad? She’d at least have an excuse. Assuming it was true, if she jumped off, she’d be dead, and if she survived she’d live. Regardless of whether it was truth or a lie, her best chance was to pretend it was real and survive.

There would be no way to know unless the game was beaten or the log out button returned. She looked around her, heard the screams of those who hadn’t thought this through as well and had thrown themselves off the castle, and turned her feet towards a street. She didn’t need an inn; the restrictions in a city would protect her. She found a quiet alleyway, and waited there, she would rest and then she would sneak out to fight. If necessary, one could disappear in those plains, but the safest place to rest for the night was still a city.

So, she would sneak out, she would train, and then she would return. Only when she ran no risk of being killed by boars would she even consider moving on. She would move slowly, and methodically, and if all went well, she would live. If not, she would die, and while she couldn’t really bring herself to let herself die, she also couldn’t bring herself to truly fear for her life or desire to preserve it till the end. Besides, with her methods, if she fought outside the city, if she tried to help clear the floors of the castle, she would die. Her chances of surviving this game were not high. Most likely she would never make it to the end. Then she would see if it was all a lie or not.

Either way, she had a plan. Anything after that didn’t really matter.

Hideki smiled brightly as he walked into his room, a medium-sized cardboard package firmly grasped in his hands.

"If this thing actually works as everyone says it has been, then I think I may have found a new favorite game on my hands..." he trailed to himself as he sat in front of his desktop and opened the package he had been holding until then. Inside was what was deemed a 'NerveGear' and a copy of the new 'Sword Art Online' game. He quickly got to work, methodically installing the game and setting up everything necessary for the game to run at top quality before putting the machine on his head and strapping it in.

"Okay, everything's optimized... Let's do this. 'Link Start'."

Hideki recoiled a bit at the sudden transition, but when he opened his eyes again he saw that the world of Aincrad was a lot more than he had expected- it was more vivid that anything he had ever imagined the game to be like, and moreso to be doing so in person excited him immensely. With no hesitation, he jumped into the body of his avatar Fujiwara and entered the game's world itself. But rather than marvel at the surroundings he was in when he entered, Hideki- no, Fujiwara went through his basic MMO starting routine- test out controls, menu options, inventory, and anything else relevant to his knowledge. Not being one for visual marvels, Fujiwara immediately opened up his map and moved, almost instinctively, towards the outskirts of the town. The massive amount of players already beginning to grind on the monsters there didn't faze him, but their numbers caused him to move farther away from the town and towards a more open area to train.

After a few minutes of traveling, Fujiwara came across a large field, populated by an abnormal amount of Frenzy Boars. Glancing at the size of the horde, he sighed and looked at his equipment.

"If I aggro one, I think they might all aggro onto me... I guess I'll just have to bait and kill them, if anything..." he muttered to himself as he tested the starting sword's weight in his hand. "Assuming, of course, this thing even hurts them a little..."

Looking at his inventory once more, Fujiwara found that a health potion was sitting there right in the middle of his inventory. Smacking himself for his ignorance, Fujiwara cast away all worries about going down and dashed towards the boars. The usage of a one handed sword felt slightly off to him as he attacked, though, and Fujiwara accidentally plunged his blade into the middle of a boar's head. As he predicted, the entire mob of boars aggroed onto him and began charging.

"Ah... Crap. Maybe I should've tested combat a bit more beforehand..." he said to himself as he began to dash around the boars, attempting to cut them down with what he considered to be an 'inefficient' weapon. After an hour or so of cutting down the seemingly-unending wave of boars, Fujiwara glanced at his health bar, which was by then almost depleted. As he opened up his inventory to grab the potion, another boar jumped in the air and almost ran into him. Had he not been spontaneously warped back to town, Fujiwara was sure that he would've been KOed, and to him that just meant more grinding. However, when Kayaba Akihiko's announcement was broadcast over the town he breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that he could very well have been dead... Assuming the man was right, of course. Glancing at his extremely low HP bar and his sword, Fujiwara massaged his head in annoyance before taking out his health potion and downing it in one gulp.

He didn't care that his life was at stake in here, but to him Akihiko's statements felt like a challenge to his experience as a gamer, one that he would enthusiastically accept. No matter if he had to spend days, weeks or even years playing this game- he would conquer it. But the panic of the people around him was unnerving, so without a word Fujiwara opened up his map and walked towards the nearest NPC shop he could find to stock up on goods. What he had now definitely wouldn't suffice if he wanted to climb to the top...

---

Two days had passed since the initial announcement from Akihiko, and Fujiwara had spent the time almost always on the move. The constant drive to be better than the players around him had made him not hover around the Starting City, and the allure of stronger mobs meant that grinding was simpler the farther he went. He had since sold off his old sword in favor of a katana from a traveler who had gained it from grinding. Fujiwara had made full use of it, spending hours at each new location he reached by cutting down all of the nearby hostile creatures for more experience. Eventually, he made it to the third city, at which point he decided to take a break, sharpen his blade and rethink his strategy to look for a more efficient way to level up. Opening his character stats, Fujiwara sighed and shook his head.

"Forty-eight hours and only level six... I thought nonstop grinding would be more efficient than this..."

((Ignore please, accidentally double posted when the site went down for me.))

"Really? Fireworks?" Eli rolled out of bed, falling onto the floor of his room. He rubbed his head, changed out of his casual clothing, picked up his hammer from its place on the floor, and headed down the stairs of the inn to investigate. His head brushed the doorframe as he stepped outside, the last lights of the fireworks just starting to fade.
"C'mon, guys! Even if this is a game, people still get tired. I, for one, am extremely pretty, and therefore need beauty sleep." He chuckled. "Nah, I'm fine with it, but the lady on the second floor is a witch. Always gets on my back about custom orders and blade superiority and blah, blah, blah. So, what's the occasion for fireworks?" Eli leaned against the wall of the inn, his blond hair bobbing gently in a light breeze.
"Oh! Didn't introduce myself! How rude! Shiribushi, call me what ya like, resident tank, town idiot, and blacksmith-in-training. And you are?" Eli asked, addressing the motley crew in front of the building next door.

Umichi watched the fireworks. They were pretty. He turned to watch Suki, enjoying the fact that she was treating the NPC like people. They were in their world now. And they had their own personalities. As the fireworks were slowly dying off, a man came out of the inn. He jested about beauty sleep before asking about the fireworks. Before Umichi could answer, he introduced himself as Shiribushi, the resident tank, town idiot and blacksmith-in-training. "The name's Umichi, just a random passing swordsman. This here is Suki, and her over there is Yumi." Introducing the group. "We are a group of adventurers out on a quest to reach the 100th floor. Looking to level up and find companions. Would you like to join us Shiribushi?" Umichi spoke profoundly, and with a great voice, exaggerating himself. He decided he would joke like Shiribushi did, while sending him a party invite. "Currently, we have a hero, a damsel and a dragoon, a tank would be most welcome." Classifying himself as a hero, Suki as a damsel and Yumi as a dragoon. "Well, we just completed a quest for Samwell's daughter. It's her birthday." He explained.

"We are going to rest here for the night, see what's around. We will probably discuss some plans tomorrow." He then spoke to the group, rather than just Shiribushi. Umichi was taking his role as the leader again. Well, calling himself the hero, he would have to lead the group, as he always did in the first place. "I think it would be good to go to sleep now." he suggested. It was 22:48. It was getting a bit late. The others seem tired, and with two life-threatening situations in front of Suki, he wanted her to get a good night's sleep. Yumi was probably pretty tired from the Large Nepent as well. Like last night, he would solo for a while until he could fall asleep.

Fujiwara glanced up at the sky as he watched firework shoot into the air. He looked at them in confusion before shaking his head and looking at his katana. It seemed to have dulled quite a bit from his journey, so he mentally reasoned to himself that the most logical course of action would be to head to the nearest blacksmith. He quickly popped open his map and followed until he reached the blacksmith and, with it, the source of the fireworks.

"Well, that's pretty nice. Er... Can I get your to sharpen this for me?" Fujiwara asked as he held out his sheathed katana before he noticed that his vision was blurring. Before he could try and steady himself, though, he fell to the ground unconscious in front of the people gathered nearby.

"Nice to meet you Shribushi" Suki said, offering a welcoming smile, as she unequipped her weapons and armor, watching the fireworks die away until there was nothing left. She was glad then had secured rooms earlier. She knew as more and more people decided to explore, inns would become packed with players, all wanting a room for the night.

"I don't think I could sleep yet" Suki said, with a slight tone of amusement in her voice, "I'm too wired. Its been an eventful day" Her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone either, so she'd most likely stay up trying to puzzle them thought. "I'm just going to go to a merchant. you can buy books to read" She said, starting over to a merchant stall near the inn. She wondered if anyone had realised that, when they were making the game, the presence of books might be a bit weird. Obviously not, because you could buy them.

She chose a book, starting back to the inn, she saw that someone had collapsed. She went over without thinking, kneeling down beside the guy. "hey, are you okay?" She asked, looking over his health, but he seemed fine, most likely, Suki thought, He didn't pay attention to the fact that you needed to eat and sleep. She looked up, knowing she wouldn't be strong enough to carry him.

As the group arrived back in town and turned in the quest. She exited out of the congratulations screen and took a seat on a bench near the inn; removing her spear and resting it against the bench to keep from sitting on it. She looked up to the sky awaiting the display of fireworks. She realized as the whistle and crack of the fireworks seemed to distract her from her worries. It distracted her from the fear swelling in her gut since Kayaba mention the cruel twist on this game. But she couldn't let that show though. She couldn't let people see her fear, or her weakness.

Hearing someone speak up she looked over, blinking and adjusting back to the darkness from the flashing explosions of colored light. She decided to look back up to the sky, seeing as Umichi and Suki had taken care of the introductions. At the mention of going to sleep she stood up and re-holstered her spear. "I couldn't sleep yet! There is floors to be conquered!" She declared playfully. Though in truth there was too much fear in her heart to sleep, and the best way was to conquer that fear with strength.

Suddenly she heard the sound of someone collapsing and turned to found a man slumped over on the ground. She hurried after Suki and looked down at the man. She nodded in agreement, "Yeah. That seems to happen a lot. Light had the same problem." Knowing she had a higher strength score she would be able to carry the man, even if it would be a strain. She leaned down and scooped the man up in her arms, carrying him to the inn. She tried not showing the stress it had on her. She brought him to a room and laid him down. She wrote a quick not and stuck it to the door. It read 'Hey, we found you passed out in the town. My name is Yumi. send me a friend request when you wake up.'

She left the room and paid at the front. She rejoined the group. "I set him up in a room. Want to get some training in while we're still awake?"

When YaShi was done with selling his stuff he went to the innkeeper to buy something this time. He wanted some healthpots and a teleportation crystal, he had some overheard some people talking about them being able to save you from dangerous situations. “5 healthpots and 1 crystal please” 400col, that seemed like quite some money early ingame, but as you couldn’t respawn he rather spent his money on this now then had the change of dying.

When he was done shopping he went back out of the town, his new blacksmithing skill just trained a bit, and he wanted to level up and get more suplies to make his blacksmithing even better. He wanted to make his own weapons and eventually maybe the weapons for the strongest group fighting in the frontrows, if there where any others that wanted to risk their lives to clear the game.

He walked to another direction as last time, seeing a forest in the distance he would like to go explore. When he reached the forest he saw some plantlike creatures. One of them was walking a short distance of the others and he targeted it “Little Nepent” it said. “Let’s see how strong those creatures are” YaShi thought. He pulled his sword back, waiting for it to light up, and the moment he let go he executed a perfect sonic leap hitting the nepent down for 20% of his live. “hmm that’s not as much damage as I had hoped for” .
The nepent attacked YaShi back and he quickly stepped aside, executing a vertical arc to hit the nepent another 2 times. 50% down now. While the nepent was still going onwards from his missed attacked YaShi turned around charging after it and hit it another time, but this time he wasn’t quick enough and got a slice of a root across his chest. He looked at his healthbar and saw that it had cost him 10% of his live. “I have to watch out when I fight more of those at the same time, 10 hits aint much”. YaShi finished the fight and continued onwards into the forest, trying to get the nepents attention 1 by 1 so he could quite easy finish them off.

When YaShi killed about 8 nepents he had only used 1 of his 5 healthpots and was at 77% health. “not bad, not bad at all” he said with a smile to himself. He could see that he almost made it to the other side of the forest and he got curious to see what was there. It was starting to get late, he could see that the light was slowly fading and it would be dark soon. “just a bit farther, just to see whats on the other side of the forest and then ill go back” he thought.

While moving on to the edge of the trees he saw a nepent falling out of the tree. “just another one, lets finish it” while YaShi charged in again with sonic leap he saw something on his right and left side while he dashed to the nepent. It where 2 more nepents. His dash hit and he could see that he has gotten stronger already, 27% health off with one hit instead of the 20% he hit with the first nepent he fought. He hit it quickly for 2 more times before he had to step aside and look for something to back him up. He didn’t wanted to get surrounded by those 3 little nepents. He saw a bigger tree a few metres to his right and quickly ran there, with his back against the tree he saw the nepents behind him. He picked up a small stone to throw at the wounded one, he wanted his attention first, and while he pulled his arm back he saw a glow coming over the stone. “Hmm a sword skill” was his first thought, he let go and his Single Shot hit the nepent in the had, dealing a 2% of damage to it. The nepent felled the hit and came charging to YaShi, while the other 2 where not far behind. YaShi set hit right foot against the tree and his left a bit to the front, grabbing his one handed sword with 2 hands sticking it forward so the first nepent would run into it. Hit, and the nepent disappeared in a glowing cloud of data. “one down two to go” he jumped between the 2 other nepents and hit them both one time before getting hit himself again. 64% health remaining. He turned around to face them again and saw an opening at one of the nepents. He ran in slashing just under a root of the plant and saw the nepent vanishing. “Critical hit, that must be a weak spot of them” he now had just one nepent to worry about and with a few slashes, slices and disengages he finished it off. “Level 5”. He walked out of the forest and saw that his fight with the tree nepents had took him longer then expected and not just that, it had costed him quite some health.

He sat down just outside the forest, after he had made sure that their where no mobs nearby, and drink a healthpot. He could see that it this side of the forrest there was a village. When his healthbar was full again he went towards the village to see if he could get a place to sleep for the night.

When YaShi was at the edge of the village he saw fireworks in the sky. He walked into the village just to see a group of people standing infront of the blacksmith, lighting the last piece of firework into the air.

Cascabel

Rhythmic light footsteps along with soft breathing was all that she could hear, and these sounds came from herself. Her cheap armour comforted her, and the weight of the shield on her back and the spear she was confidently grabbing with her right hand reaffirmed her valour. Her balsam coloured pants and kelly green shirt looked pristine, as if she had just put them on. That was part of the charm of this game, of virtual reality. Her metallic shield had not even one scratch on it, and her spear's tip looked so sharp that it was impossible to feel calm when you were pointed at with it.

Her walk had a special gait to it, something not seen in many women. It was as if with every step, she was discovering something new. As if she was stepping out from the mist, with the confidence of a Goddess that was about to visit her wounded creation and with the wary eyes of a wolf meeting a stranger. The gait disappeared when she crouched down low and quieted her breathing.

Twigs broke under hooves. Warm breath touched her neck. Instantly her neck hairs stood on end and a strong, cold shiver went down her spine. Once she turned her head, she found herself face to face with Frenzy Boar. It bared its tusks at her and huffed out in anger.

"YAAHH!"

She jumped back, falling on her butt. Instantly the boar charged forward and Carla rolled sideways and onto her feet, a tight grip on her spear with her facial expression now full of fear.

She reared her spear back, and a bright yellow light engulfed the weapon. Suddenly she felt confident again, and a smirk replaced her fearful frown. Her arm pushed forward in a Flurry of piercing attacks. The boar stood no chance.

Once the spear attack barrage finished, a bright light and the sound of cracking glass engulfed it and just like that, it was gone. Polygons flew in all directions for a short moment before disappearing, leaving Cascabel on her own once more. She sheathed her weapon and relaxed, rubbing her temple for a short while until a pop-up screen called her attention.

'Congratulations!' Read the message. The experience and col that she'd gotten were meager, but at least she had gotten something.

"Jeez... What the heck, game?! You trying to kill me?!" She yelled, and a second later, she facepalmed.

"'Course you are..." She sighed and closed the pop-up, turned and walked away.

Hours passed and she had finally reached a small village. It was no longer the Town of Beginnings--She had moved on from that place as soon as she noticed the quests were running out too quickly and the hunting fields were often too crowded for her comfort. It had only been two days, yet it felt like a week. She had traveled and fought so much... She shook her head and focused on her surroundings, on the village.

It was such a small village that the only thing noteworthy was the Inn, a place to eat and sleep at. Nothing fancy or especial, but it certainly was functional. Once she had entered the moderately sized building, the sound of music and the sight of jugglers caught her eyes, which went big as the moon and as shiny as silverware. Her mouth hung slightly open as she walked over to the group of performers on stage. They wore different suits of very flashy colours and textures. Some even wore mime makeup. And apparently they had noticed her out of their small crowd, since one of the three skipped over to her and grabbed her wrists, pulling her up onto the stage. He danced with her to the fast and happy beat of the music played by his two friends, and she responded with an excited dance of hers. Grinning and laughing she loved every second of the moment until with a single spin, the agile dancer gently left her back in the crowd.

It wasn't long until their act finished and she could grab a hold of the man who danced with her. Smiling, Cascabel asked the man a question. "Do you think I could become a performer like you?"

"I don't see why not! You dance very well. My name's Lon, by the way. It's nice to have danced with you." Lon said, pressing his index finger and thumb together and pulling downwards. Checking his inventory, he quickly changed his clothing into a more casual outfit. Having removed the flashy suit and exaggerated makeup, he extended his hand toward Cascabel. She gladly shook it.

"I'm Cascabel, it was pretty fun to dance with you, too." She said, then looked around and smiled sheepishly.

"Uh... How can I become a performer, Lon?"

"You just gotta do the 'Earning a Living' quest, Cascabel. Just say what you wanna become." He said with a tired smile as he wiped some imaginary sweat off his brow.

"Okay," she began, taking in a deep breath and raising a balled-up fist up in front of her face while her face took a determined expression, "I wish to be a Performer!"

Suki said
"I don't think I could sleep yet" Suki said, with a slight tone of amusement in her voice, "I'm too wired. Its been an eventful day" Her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone either, so she'd most likely stay up trying to puzzle them thought. "I'm just going to go to a merchant. you can buy books to read" She said, starting over to a merchant stall near the inn.

Umichi turned to Suki "Alright" watching her walk to buy a book. He smiled watching her choose a book and buy it. Yumi had playfully declared her inability to sleep and her wish to conquer the other floors. "That will take some time no matter how you look at it. Not something you can do in a day or two or even a month..." He trailed off. Just how long will we be stuck here? How much time will I have with these people as well? deep in his thoughts. As Suki started to make her way back to the group, a man fainted in front of her. Umichi went to approach, seeing Suki help him, but couldn't. Umichi was about to go pick him up, when Yumi had already went to pick him up. He wanted to help, but thought maybe not. Watching her take the man to a room in the inn.

He turned back to look at Shiribushi, but he was gone. "Hm.. Wonder where he went?" he asked no-one in particular. Umichi then turned around to see Yumi had dropped off the unknown fainted man at the inn and was coming back to the group. "Sure, let's get some training done." he replied to Yumi. "If you need to restock, go ahead, I will go to the front of the town." As he started to walk, his thoughts went on, Will I be able to protect her? Them? Suki and Yumi? , shaking his head to himself, I shouldn't be thinking that way. I WILL protect them. I have to get stronger and faster if I am to do that. I will get faster and stronger. No matter what. His motivation re-ignited, he looked up while he walked towards the front of Gonike. He then saw a man had started to come into the town, he was definitely older than Umichi was, he had black hair, and looked worn out. "Hey there, attracted the fireworks from before?" He called out to the man.

Suki didn't go to follow after Umichi and Yumi. She needed a bit if time to herself. She went up to her inn room, and after equipping her armor and wearing more comfortably clothes to be in an inn room. She sat on the bed, looking at the book she had brought, opening it.

She must have read the same line sixteen times. Her thoughts kept on distracting her, and making her kind drift. She lay back on the bed, setting to book aside defeated.

"Oh, dad. I wonder if this is how Mum felt, in the beginning days of meeting you. I wonder if it's how you felt. I wish I could talk to you" she spoke out loud, and sighed. How could you feel love in a game? This was a death game, and yet...and yet she suddenly feared ending it.

"Argh!" She flipped around onto her stomach, resting her head on her arms. So confused, and yet not. Somehow, she managed to fall asleep. That strange, dreamless gray filled sleep. She wouldn't get use to that. She woke up once more at four am. She lay there a minute, debating about what she should do.

She had promised Umichi should wouldn't go and fight by herself again. So, what could she do for a few hours? She didn't know. She rose, dining her armor and Annael blade, starting out the inn. She went to a merchant, sold what she could, gaining another 500 col. Which enough ther total to 3.5k. She then went to get her blade enchanted, increasing it's durability, power and speed by one each, costing her 1.5k. That took about thirty minutes all up.

4.30 am. What now? She glanced about, noticing that she was one of few people awake at this hour. She bit her lip, debating about what to do. She found a place to sit, under a lighted area and once more tried to read. By 6.45 she finally gave up again, and rose heading to the inn, knocking on Umichi's door right on 7 am.

The sun had set some time ago; Akane wasn't sure how long ago that was. She was at the outskirts of the «Starting City» and she didn't dare draw attention to herself. She had plenty of rest, and plenty of time to think this new life through. Perhaps one could wait in the city, perhaps they'd be rescued soon, but perhaps they wouldn't. Money made the world go round, and in this game, one would have to eat. The longer they stayed in the game, the more dangerous it would be to wait. So, Akane would have to earn money, and so would others.

Would most people be fine with earning money from hunting? She didn't think so. The gamers here were a diverse lot, and she had no doubt that some here were major freaks and/or morally deficient. Statistically speaking, quite a few of them would be criminals of some sort, and some... were probably cold-blooded murderers and rapists. Somewhere deep in her heart, she couldn't bring herself to truly believe that. She believed somewhere deep down in the goodness of her fellow human beings, but her head swore differently.

Her head told her that she could daydream about a perfect world with people working together, sharing information, supporting each other, and not murdering, robbing, and raping others. While she was at it, she could wish for a godly weapon and impervious armor and cotton candy made of clouds. However, that was not this world, and it was unlikely that such wishes would ever come true or be granted. People were imperfect. People were greedy. People would sell their blood, their kin, murder their friends and family, rob philanthropists and poor alike, and even go so far as to rape a baby if they could gain something from it.

That was reality. That was the world she lived in. That was what she should believe in and expect.

The angry cynic within her spoke, and she fed it as much as she could. Impetuousness, arrogance, and naivety might well get her killed. Caution, keen ears, and a quick wit was what would keep her alive. If she wished to live, she must be wary; she must be suspicious of anything and everything. She resolved to harden herself, she began to force herself to harden and, as she would do many more times in the future, she began to reinforce her newfound beliefs.

She could not keep her guard up forever, and once she let it down once, it would be harder to keep it up. She knew this. She knew that she would become complacent. That could not be helped. So, it would be best to make some distance, with luck, her complacence would not appear at an inopportune time.

In her head, she chanted to herself all the stories she knew from the news, books, internet, and history. Murderers, traitors, rapists, she repeated their tales in her head. There were those that betrayed their children, their mothers, their friends for coin, others for pleasure, and others for some foolish superstition. Twins buried alive, children forced to murder their families and become soldiers, young girls tricked and sold by relatives or strangers to die young, die early selling their bodies.

If people could do terrible things to their own kin; what more could a stranger do to her?

She planted and carefully cultivated the seeds of doubt and mistrust she had sown in her heart as further armor against danger in the future. She would trust no one but herself. She would not even trust the NPCs. Her relationship with other creatures would only be out of necessity. She did her best to crush and stamp out the fires of hope and dreams. They would be a weakness to her.

It pained her to do so. She had a strange sort of pride in being a foolish idealist. This is for the best. She told herself resolutely. She could not, could never allow herself to believe in her fellow man. Not until she was free of this world. No, not until I’m dead. She turned her mind away from the thought. It was a dark thought, a bleak thought. But so are all the other thoughts I have. What is one more shadowy thread to the others I plan to weave around myself like a dark cloak?

She shook her head at the thought. It was too theatrical, but then again, so was her name. I shall become something different. I shall become something cold, hard, and dangerous. Like a blade. I shall become Akane Uta, the Brilliant Red Song. With these hands, I will kill Janet, or at least, let her rest, until it is safe.

The words in her head rang hollow. It would not be as easy as that, and she could feel it, she knew it. She did not wish to be a liar, hypocrite, or braggart. She had the sinking feeling that she had already become one.

It does not matter. I shall lie, until the lies become truth.

Akane shook herself free of her thoughts, and quickly slipped into the tall grasses towards the shadowy forest. She would go elsewhere for now. She would follow after the strong, and let the vanguard make the world safe before she would go in herself. She would be cunning. It would be honor-less, it would be craven, but she would be alive.

Death is the end, but life holds a wellspring of possibilities. Better be a coward and alive, than fearless and dead. So long as one is alive, there is a chance, something can change.

Akane carefully placed each foot in front of her, and strove for silence in her steps. She would not have the benefit of an automatic sensing range, or scent that a monster in this game would. No, this is not a game. This is reality. She strained her ears for sound and began training herself to distinguish the difference between normal night-time sounds, and that of a moving predator.

She had already trained her eyes once, to see small creatures hidden in shadows, leaf, trees, grass, and water. Now she would have to train herself harder. This was no longer for casual observation. She would have to hone her skills for survival. She would have to teach herself to think differently, to live differently, and to become another person. She would train herself to think of as many of the possibilities as she could, and prepare for them.

She heard a faint rustle a little ways ahead of her. It was a bit different from the sounds she had heard before. Was it the wind? But no, this was a game; though it was possible they had varying sound effects, just to break up the monotony. Akane froze and listened. She peered into the darkness searching for any difference, anything that might mean danger. Her hands slowly inched towards her blade. A growl was the only warning she had.

There was the hiss of her blade being unsheathed, the thuds of padded paws on ground, and the snapping, snarling, and growling of the pack she faced. For once, her head and heart were in accord. They both cursed this string of ill luck she had had so far. She couldn’t see her attackers clearly, though she knew what they were. She whirled as she heard running feet to her left, somewhere slightly behind her, and her sword glowed green.

Somehow, at this moment, the lights from her sword seemed eerie and somehow otherworldly.

In the light, she caught a glimpse of white fangs and yellow eyes as the system completed the attack for her.

«Slant»

She heard a yelp and the wet sound of sword tearing through flesh. In a moment she felt a claw fasten itself into her leg.

«Vertical»

She brought her sword down upon its head. A message for a critical hit popped up for a second, she dismissed it and continued.

«Horizontal»

Her blade met a wolf in midair.

Akane fought like a demon. Silently, desperately, and in terror of her life, she fought as ferociously as any cornered animal. I will not die. I will not! She sensed movement and reacted reflexively. She swung her blade. Yet another yelp carried through the night. She wished she had bought a shield in the store. It would have been very useful right now. Akane did not know how long she had struggled, and despair nipped at her heels as she fought the pack.

Eventually, somehow, the remnants pack retreated, leaving behind their dead.

Akane stood, nerves on edge, listening to the sounds of wolves slinking away into the deeper shadow of the forest. Her heart pounded; in her mouth was the metallic taste of fear, and blood, from where she’d accidentally bitten her lip. With the back of her free hand, she wiped her mouth. She took a few deep breaths and tried to settle herself. Perhaps slipping away in the dead of night was not very clever.

It did not matter; she had already done it. Now she would have to make do with what she got. She would need to find a place to rest, and that place could not be in the forests, nor could she simply wait here for daylight. If one pack had found her so soon, another pack could probably easily find her.

She set her teeth, and continued into the forest. Her goal was to find a location where she could rest. She wanted an easily defensible place with water nearby. Only when she found such a place would she stop moving. She would hole up, and wait for day. With luck, she’d be able to see another day. With luck and caution she would survive this world.

YaShi

Upon being called out to by another man, "Hey there, attracted the fireworks from before?", YaShi replied "Yeah, a little. Looks like you are heading out. Well I came to get some rest, maybe I'll see you in the morning." Yawning a little, YaShi continued into the village, and went to sell some of the items he had gotten. There were no important drops or anything. He got a total of 750 col from it, and went to the inn to hire a room to sleep. It cost him 150 col for it. He went to sleep for the night starting from 2315.

---

Yumi

Heading out to train for part of the night with Umichi, Yumi saw him briefly speaking to another man, who then went to a merchant. "Who was that?" She asked.
"No-one in particular." He replied.
"So what's the plan?"
"Let's just grab a few enemies and fight back to back, so there are none behind us. Maybe some Little Nepents?"
"Sure"

Leaving the town, they went off to find some groups of Little Nepents. Yumi found three, and Umichi, behind her, had five. Dismissing the group with ease. She was getting about 30 exp from each. It was a way off from getting to level 7. This continued a few times. It was then 0030. They had finished off, maybe 25 Little Nepents. Looking at her exp, she was getting just over 50% of the way to level 7. "That's it, I am tired. Sorry, I'm going to head back first." She told Umichi. "That's fine, I'll continue a bit longer" He replied to her.

Heading back to the village, she checked her equipment, fairly good condition still. And no potions or crystals were used. She didn't need to spend the 660 col she earned from the Nepents just then. Hiring her room, she changed into my comfortable clothes, that is, no armor, and went to sleep.

---

Umichi

"Alright, if we meet tomorrow, let's talk a bit" Umichi replied to black haired older man the entered Gonike. Turning around, he could see Yumi, asking him who he was just talking to. "No-one in particular." He replied. After discussing for a quick minute, they had decided to just grab a few Little Nepents and fight them back to back. He was getting about 20 exp from each. Being a much higher level than the Nepents, the exp he was gaining was going down. After finishing off about 25 of them, it was about 0030, Yumi then spoke. "That's it, I am tired. Sorry, I'm going to head back first." She told Umichi. "That's fine, I'll continue a bit longer" He replied to her, heading out to look for some Large Nepents.

After finding a few of them, he activated <<Rage Spike>> closing the distance to hit one of them. Being a critical hit, he could get it down to 60% of it's health, cutting across without a sword skill after the <<Rage Spike>>, he activated <<Horizontal>>. One of the other Large Nepents came from behind, using the motion of <<Horizontal>>, he dived across, and looked at the Nepent's health. It was 35%. It wasn't going to be too hard. With the two in line, he ran through to cut them, turning around and activating <<Slant>> into them both, and finishing off the first Nepent by cutting back and running back in the direction he came. Three more left. The exp was nice. About 4 more to reach level 8. As he had finished off two more, he turned, and could see another two Large Nepents, further away. They weren't moving. Oh Crap! he dive rolled, his foot got caught from roots that came from the ground from the Large Nepent, and he was smacked into the ground. A hefty 20% of his health from that one attack. He cut the roots and landed. He quickly made a dash for the two Large Nepents, side stepping any roots that came from the ground. The last Large Nepent from before chased after him. Reaching the range, Umichi activated <<Rage Spike>> , turning in for <<Vertical Arc>>. He then rolled to get some distance from the two Nepents and to dodge the other Nepent. From there it wasn't too hard. He got his level up, with a little exp to spare for the next level.

0200, I should get back and get some sleep, try to wake up early so Suki doesn't wait too long. he thought, heading back to Gonike. A wolf and a boar here and there were in his way, and he used them to help reach Gonike quicker, switching from <<Rage Spike>> and <<Sonic Leap>>, getting help from the system to run a bit. Collecting just under 2k col, he went to see if he had any special drops. Nothing out of the ordinary, except one thing, he found a Mother Dire Wolf's canine. He had no idea what it was for, but decided to keep his drops for now. Hiring a room in the inn, it was 0215 when he got back. He had some difficulty sleeping, as he normally did. It was just before 0400 that he finally fell asleep. He knew he was going to end up making Suki wait. Damn it, if only I could get sleep easier as he drifted to sleep.

A knock on his door could be heard. He awoke. "Suki?" he called out. Equipping his items, he went to the door and opened it. He could see Suki there. Just as Umichi was about to smile and say good morning, he yawned, and ended up saying "uood mor-ing". Some water coming from his eyes, indicating that he was still a bit sleepy. He felt embarrassed, yawning so openly in front of a girl, especially the girl he likes. A hint flush of red tinted his face. "I mean, good morning." He corrected himself, checking the time. "I guess you were waiting for about two and a half hours .... sorry." He apologised for keeping her. But he was glad, he could tell that from the way she was, she hadn't gone out alone to solo, she didn't leave him alone. A small smile appeared on his face thinking about it.

Suki looked up when Umichi answered the door, smiling. He appeared dishealved, but at least he was still alive. She knew he went out, mainly soloing, which made her worry, but he would do what he wanted to. She smiled when he tried to say good morning. She realised that he had probably gone to be much later then she had, and that she had most likely woken him from very little sleep. She felt bad about that.

"You need sleep" She said to him, "I didn't mind waiting. I occupied my time well enough. I don't much like how sleep is here. Weird and gray" She shrugged, "And I'm use to the noises of my brothers and father" She smiled once more.

"I know its still early, but..." What could she say? I've been thinking, and I really like you? Because that didn't sound desperate, or needy. "I was bored, and..." She let out a sigh, wishing she could be more confident in some things. Perhaps she had been too sheltered her whole life. That wasn't something she could change, but perhaps being stuck here was a blessing in disguise.

Maybe, just maybe, she could become more confident, and independent from her family. She looked up, smiled and shrugged, "I don't like eating alone, and was wondering if you'd join me" She said softly, She swallowed, feeling quite nervous. She looked down, and waited for his answer.

Umichi shook his head, as Suki told him he needed sleep. "If I am up, I am up. It's hard to get to sleep again once I am out of bed." He yawned again immediately after telling Suki he can't sleep. "I don't actually really recall dreams, so it's more of a blank page, nothing visible." When she spoke of the noises of her brothers and father and smiled, he smiled back, but felt a little concerned. I wonder if she realises, it may take years to see them again. I can't break that news to her though.

As he started to stretch a bit, she started to speak. "I know its still early, but ..." He watched her, wondering about what she wanted to say and what she was thinking. "I was bored, and ..." She then sighed. Could she be trying to ask for a date? He thought, blushing and smiling to himself. As he was about to speak, he was interrupted by her smile. A soft voice came out. "I don't like eating alone, and was wondering if you'd join me". Umichi felt like face-palming himself. Yeah right, don't get cocky. Of course she wouldn't ask for a date. "Of course I'll join you." He smiled. Since he hasn't eaten during the night, he was especially hungry in the morning. It was still early, so anyone else in the inn would probably get out in about an hour at the earliest. "Let's go to the restaurant on the other side." he told Suki, grabbing her hand. Just in case, he decided to speak to the inn-keeper on his way out. "Can you tell anyone who comes out within two hours, to come to the restaurant on the other side?"
"Why of course." was the reply he got.

Suki smiled and nodded, following next to him since he took her hand. She had a laugh to herself, "you really like taking my hand, don't you" She said as they left the inn to go towards the restaurant, "its okay. I like it" She said, then realised what she had said, and blushed, glancing aside. She bit her lip, and was silent for a minute.

She looked back to him, and smiled almost shyly, grabbing them a table when they reached the restaurant. She hadn't tied her hair up yet, so once they had sat down, she tied it up, out of her face. She looked at what was available to eat, pondering what she wanted.

She really didn't care what she had to eat. It was all food, and she was hungry. So she ordered what she wanted, keeping an eye on her col. This left her just under 2k. She decided she should be careful, or she'd be buying the 1 col burnt and hard bread that was available.

Once they had ordered, she looked down at the table, pondering what to say.. Even at school, she tended not to talk with anyone, to shy to do so. She did talk to some people, but not many, and never many guys. She sighed softly, "Umichi..." she started, then trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.