Her Mission To Save Them All || Sword Art Online Fanfic

Oneshot: To Being Single

Happy Valentine's Day everyone, even if it is a day late!

POV: Suguha

I tighten my grip on the handle of my practise sword. Well, I suppose it isn't a sword really, but, as my grandfather would say, a deadly weapon. As if something made out of dead wood can be so deadly that it is treated as a proper sword.

But, I suppose, if you hit it hard enough, it might cause some damage.

My bare feet pad across the polished wooden floor towards the figure in black practise armour across from me. His smirk flashes between the grate of his helmet as he levels is own sword towards me.

Finally, I reach the point marked with tape on the floor and I count down in my head until we both yell out our will to battle as grandfather would call it.

We pounce on each other, darting back and forth to avoid strikes sent for the other. Sweat begins to bead down my back. I grit my teeth as I swing faster, harder until the echoes rattle through me, each louder than the last.

I strike the shoulder, signalling one point to me and jump back. My opponent doesn't hesitate in retaliating, bringing his sword past my own to strike my helmet. My block is raised on instinct, though I'm half a second too slow.

The plastic almost caves in under the force of the blow, though as it is a feeling I'm used to, I take the advantage of his closeness to whack the practise sword into the side of his armour.

"It is my win, Nao-senpai." I say, breathless as I lower the sword.

The figure bows in honour of the fight, even as he laughs, pulling the protective helmet of his head and sending the brown streaks of his hair flying.

"Don't use the kendo sword as your walking stick there, Suga-chan." He says, swinging his own over his shoulder. If club was truly meant to be on today, Sensei would have yelled at him with no end.

"If anything, I should be saying that to you." I stick my tongue out. "You're the older one."

"And you're the one about to fall over."

"You have a year and a few inches on me," I shrug, though breathless. "I'd say it's quite an achievement that I won with skill."

He flicks the plastic of my helmet, bending down as if to mock me. "I'd say it's called luck."

I open my mouth to retort back, but he cuts me off. "Come on Suga-chan. For loosing and being the Senpai, I'll clean the floors but you're stuck on equipment duty."

I sigh. This is without a doubt the worst part of kendo other than being hit by a sword for fun. Sometimes, I swear people who like this sport are truly insane.

There are some days I hate coming in here and hearing the yells of combatants and the clash of swords, but there are sometimes like today where I long to be the one who makes those sounds. I think that makes me at least partly insane.

I step off the raised platform arena and make my my over to the store cupboard, pausing before the mounds of upturned equipment to take a long drink from my water bottle.

"Toss mine?" I oblige Nao with a shallow toss, but somehow, he manages to catch it with one hand. I turn, unbuckling my own protective armour and adding it into the correct pile, then placing them on the correct stands and boxes.

When I'm done, I stand back to survey my work, notice one set mysteriously missing.

"Nao-senpai," I lean on the door to the cupboard. "I need your protection."