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

Chapter 51

POV: Kayoko

Shoving my hands back behind myself, I try to calm the beating of my heart. There's a sense of nerves that builds in my chest, spreading down to the pit of my stomach, warming the core. My whole body tenses. With the four walls around us, there is no room to run.

Something creaks beyond the door, the pulling of long misused metal locks being shoved aside and opened. Shi and I exchange a glance, his pale green eyes hinted with worry. This whole plan, which I only briefly explained, hinges on our cooperation - our new found understanding that we are similar than we ever thought.

I clench my fists. There's a hollow gap where the gold of my ring longs to shine and my hand's weight feels foreign without it. Beyond the door, something clicks. To my ears, it's like metal clanging against metal, perhaps chains if the sound wasn't somehow softer. Keys.

Someone's face appears in the shadow of the grated bars on the door and the key conforms to the lock, sending a small echo scattering over the cell as the door swings open. I tense but from the lack of a mask on the face, I know it isn't XaXa.

It takes effort not to move from where I'm seated, my body continues to tense in preparation. I have to trust that the guard will make their move before me. She walks towards me first, her blonde hair, pulled back from her face in a ponytail, moving in a curtain as her fingers close harshly around my elbow.

Her nails dig in as she tugs me up. I allow my body to follow her pull. Making sure to keep her eyes on Shi, the guard keeps her grip on my arm as she retreats, putting me between her and Shi as though it will stop him.

I see a flash of silver swing against her sword belt. Knowing the window of opportunity is fading, I use my other hand, the one she does not have a grip on, to reach for the knife. I rip it away from the hook before she can bat my arm away.

The guard tightens her monopoly over my arm, pulling me forward, causing my feet to stumble over each other. But it's towards her. As I balance myself, I tip the angle of the knife upwards towards the ribs, in a bit of soft flesh unprotected by bone.

"Don't move," I warn, digging the knife closer in for emphasis. She doesn't know I don't have the courage to dig it in further.

She raises her hands upwards towards the glowing red of her cursor, flicking her eyes over her situation. Shi, seeing no point in maintaining the illusion, stands and removed the other knives from her belt.

They're small, pointed blades with a small, blackened hilt. Shi flips them over his palm as though trying to discern the weight from feeling alone. "They're well made," he comments.

The guard snarls. I glance towards the door, wondering what awaits us beyond and why they haven't come after their teammate. "There's something wrong."

Shi smiles a silent laugh. "They're playing with us, aren't they?"

He jerks his head for me to remove the knife, and after a pause of consideration, I withdraw from the guard. She tilts her head to the side. "You're smarter than you look."

"Thank you,"

I keep the knife angled towards her; she still stands between us and the door. "Tell us what they're planning," I say, inching closer towards the exit.

Her brown eyes study me once again. Whatever she finds within my features curves a smile across her thin lips. "I'm not even part of the guild," she says, lowering her arms and releasing the buckle of her arm guard to show clear skin without the guild mark Shi and I both have. "They wouldn't tell me anything."