Sword Art Online; Sheik's Story

A Mysterious Girl

It was only a matter of days until our move in was complete. Kirito was right. Floor 22 is beautiful. Although, it could be better if it were a little darker. I'm not used to bright sunlight since my missions usually take place at twilight. Once everything was moved into the house, and after some Kirito heavy lifting, I step out onto the porch to look at the view of the lake. I was star struck, amazed by the glistening water, the gentle breeze brushing across my cheek. The air was moist with dew, and you could hear the birds singing and chirping.

Kirito appears behind me, and leans on the railing. "Looks good, right?" He ask me.

I couldn't talk. I only nodded.

"Hahaha. Yeah. But unfortunately, we're broke. But it's worth it. Wouldn't you agree?" He continues to talk to me.

I nod again, and look at him. Now that I'm alone with him, in this sort of atmosphere, I notice how...charming his smile is...

"Well then, I think it's time to eat something. Let's go eat out." Kirito says, standing up straight.

"I can cook. I just need ingredients." I say, and walk into the house. "Don't just stand there! Get out there, and get me some ingredients to work with!" I call to him. I him chuckle, and he walks out to do some hunting and shopping.

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It's been a week now. I think I'm getting better. I mean, I haven't had any kind of murderous thoughts, or tried to actually kill someone. And even Kirito is praising me for my recovery efforts! And that really makes me happy. I'm not sure why, though.

It was a nice morning, and I was laying in Kirito's bed, watching him sleep. That's not creepy. Right? Right.

I really enjoy watching him sleep. There's just something about his sleeping face that puts me at ease. But also...it's rather magnetic... I feel my face being pulled closer to his, until I was mere inches from his face. And I was so close to putting our lips together, until I hear him groan, and his body rustle in the sheets. I swiftly move away from his bed, causing myself to fall backward onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Uhh...? What? Sheik, you okay?" He asked as he looked at me on the floor.

"Y-Yeah... I'm okay." I say, rubbing the back of my head.

"You weren't trying something with me, were you?" He asked with a weird smirk on his face.

"O-Of course not!" I say with a blush on my face.

"Really~? Oh well. I have some plans for us today. Get dressed, okay?" He says.

"What're we doing?" I ask.

"It's a surprise. I'll go cook something for you while you get dressed." He says, and walks out of the room.

I sit there on the floor, confused by what he has planned today. I shrug, and dress myself anyway.

About an hour later, after breakfast, we set out toward the forest. As we walk, the height difference between us is all the more apparent. I looked like a child with his dad, or something. "Woah, hey. Check it." He says, and points in the distance. Due to my height, I could see what he was pointing at.

"What?" I ask as I hop up and down.

"Oh right. You're shorter than me." He says, and gets an idea. "Heheh. How about I give you a ride on my shoulders?" He suggested.

"How old do you think I am, 7? I can walk myself." I huff.

"Yeah, but you'll miss out on I can see up here." He urged me, and ended up lifting me onto his shoulders anyway. "See them?" He asked.

No doubt, now I looked even more like a child. But I did see what he was talking about. On the path, a pair of foxes were standing there, most likely hunting for food. They were so cute!

"Well, time to get going." He says, and as we approach, the foxes run off into the forest.

From on top of Kirito's shoulders, I could the lake, and I point. "You can see the lake from here!" I say excitedly.

"Correction, you can see the lake from there. I can't." He clarifies.

"This was your idea. Now c'mon! Get a move on!" I say, and point forward.

"Yeah yeah, okay." He says, and starts advancing the forest path we were walking.

Ten minutes later, a fog started rolling in. It was a little eerie, but I've been through worse. "Hey Sheik? Have you heard the stories about these woods?" Kirito asked.

"Stories? Nope." I reply.

He then proceeds to tell me this old ghost story, probably just trying to scare me. It didn't really work, as after everything I've been through, I'm not that easily startled anymore. But then, I saw something truly haunting. A pale figure walks across the forest floor, barefoot. She stands in a small clearing, the fog making this whole scene really frightening. I tug at Kirito's hair, trying to get his attention, and I point to the small ghostly figure in the forest.

"What is...it...?" He was speaking when he saw the small girl, and he too went pale soon. "No way..." he whispers softly. I stare at the figure, and then, it turns to look at us. We both stiffen up, but the girl just...fell over. "Hey wait... That's not a ghost." He says as he puts me down to investigate. I follow close behind, afraid that some kind of Slender Man thing being behind me.

Kirito holds the girl, and she turns out to me human. "What's a little girl like this doing out here?" Kirito asked.

"Is she lost?" I asked.

"Who knows... Let's take her back to the house." He says back, and picks up the girl. But something struck me as off about this girl. It's like...a feeling of kinship? Like I know who this person is? Of course, I've never met this girl in my life, but something in my head told me this wasn't just a girl.