Love Bonds (KiritoxReader)

Chapter 5: Murder During Christmas

Your POV~
"UUUUGGGHHHHHH!"
"Would you stop screaming Y/n?"
"I can't believe I actually invited Kirito to go with me to the Christmas Festival with meeeeee...."
"Me neither. If it helps, I'm going with Haruki too."
"When are you two going to be officially a couple?"
And Asuna just blushed.
"Okay...? Now then...."
"You don't have to do anything special. You can just wear your winter uniform."
"And what'll you wear?"
Asuna shrugged. "Just a cloak over my uniform I guess."
I took a few deep breaths.
"Nah I'll also wear something a bit more plain....Aka exactly the same as you."
"Ha ha very funny Y/n."
  "In all seriousness what was I thinking?!"
  "Maybe you weren't."

  "Haruki!"
  "Hi Asuna, Y/n."
  "Hi Haru."
  Me and Asuna were waiting at the teleport gate for Haruki and Kirito. Well, Kirito, now at least.
  "Hey..."
  "Oh hi Kirito."
  "Hi Y/n. Long time no see Asuna. And who is this?"
  "Right, introductions. Kirito, this is Haru, or Haruki. Haru, this is Kirito."
  "Nice to meet you."
  Haruki extended his hand.
  "Erm, you too."
  The four of us made it to the central festivities. The food at the stalls were pretty nice, and there was a luck buff too, but I really doubted it's usage, because, suddenly, we heard a loud scream.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
"Kirito!"
Kirito and I ran over to where the scream happened. And then, I saw a man with a spear sticking out his chest, and he was dangling from a rope that was tied around his neck.
"Kirito! I'll check the building!"
I ran up the stairs, not once encountering anyone. But when I got to the top floor, I was too late: The man was gone.
"Kirito! There's nobody inside the building!"
"Everybody! Look for the duel winner!"
I looked. There was no such symbol. Asuna and Haruki came running over too.
"What happened?"
"A man just died...In a safe zone...Without dueling..."
A look of shock dawned their faces.

Kirito's POV~
I couldn't figure it out. How could someone PK inside a safe zone without dueling?
"Just a rope, nothing special."
"Yeah."
Asuna and Haruki decided to leave first, since Asuna is no fan of ghosts.
  "Ex-Excuse me..."
  I reached for my sword. Y/n reached for her rapier.
  A woman with dark blue hair and deep blue eyes stepped out of the shadows.
  "My-My name is Yolko. I-I knew the man who was killed. I-I wonder if I could give you some useful info."
  We put away our weapons.
  "Oh, thanks. My name is Y/n, and he's Kirito."
  We lead her to an inn room, where she explained that nothing special happened, that the man's name was Bob (I legit forgot and I'm too lazy to search it up), and that she thinks it might be the ghost of their former guild leader, Griselda.
Just as we thought all was well, Yolko seemingly got stabbed in the back through the window, and fell out the stupid window, dissolving to a flurry of polygons. Kirito chases after his hooded guy we saw on the roof, but he got away.
We decided to sit on some random bench, a sandwich led to a breakthrough (Lol I know), and we both went into the forest. Good thing Kirito made it in time that LC (Laughing Coffin) couldn't kill everyone on the spot, while I held Grimlock, Griselda's husband, at rapier point to make him confess.
"Griselda changed when we were trapped in SAO. She was no longer he obedient, quiet, perfect wife she was back in real life. I had to preserved the Griselda I loved! Can't you see?"
"That's why you killed her?"
Yolko was crying. Her eyes widened as she asked that simple question.
I was really angry.

Kirito's POV~
I looked at Y/n. Her eyes were covered by the shadow of her bangs. That same anger radiating from her back on that night in the inn room. She slowly walked towards Grimlock, putting away her rapier.
"You loved her? No you didn't you idiot!" She slapped him hard. Tears were in her eyes too. "You stopped loving her when you started seeing her as an object for your possession!"
Y/n's words hit Grimlock like a ton of bricks. He looked defeated, finally looked guilty.
As Grimlock was taken away by Yolko and the others, the sun started to rise.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but I saw an image of Griselda. I looked at Y/n. She had a bewildered look on her face as well. Then she smiled.
"Come on. I don't want to miss the fireworks."
We walked back, and made it just in time as the fireworks started.
"Kirito?"
"Hm?"
"If you one day loved someone, then found out that that person had a side to him or herself that you didn't know about, what would you do? How would you feel?"
"I'd feel blessed." Y/n looked at me. "I'd feel blessed that the person I loved had this other side to her. It's not like I won't like it, right? If I truly loved that person."
Y/n stared back at the fireworks. "Fireworks are beautiful. In the sky, they don't last for more than 30 seconds, but still, you get lost in that moment the firework explodes like a blooming flower."
"Yeah. I get what you're saying."
"But to be honest..." Y/n made a fist and put it at her heart. "What is there to celebrate? That we're still alive? That means nothing if we're stuck here for all eternity."
"The fact that we are still living is definitely something we should rejoice."
"Kirito. If I take the front line players as blooming flowers, we will one day wither and, well, we aren't the blooming flowers we once were."
"Everything has an expiry date. Whether it's our life or the front lines itself, there will come a time, a day, that that all ends. We've been stuck here for two years already. We can't afford to lose more time."
"But perhaps, the flower withering is what's so beautiful. That everything has a lifespan." Y/n looked at me again. "You think so?"
"Yes. What beauty does an immortal possess? It's the fact that we are on limited time, that we have to enjoy things while they last, that is what makes everything in this world beautiful, one way or another."
Y/n stared at me. Then she laughed, while I blushed.
"I never thought there'd be a day where YOU would be the one to talk some sense into me. You're right, that is what makes things beautiful. In SAO, it's the same as life in the real world, with some minor tweaks. We should get used to that mindset. In any way, I'm glad hat I put on my Nerve Gear that day, that I came to this world, that I met idiots like you, Kirito."
"Idiot?!"
"It takes an idiot to know one Kirito. Are you implying that I don't have idiotic moments too?"
"No..."
Under the booming sound of fireworks, something happened. I think I fell in love with Y/n.

Author: Aaaaaand, done.
You: Woah Author-chan, there's a lot going on.
Kirito: I can't believe you made me say all that nonsense...
Author: *Slaps Kirito* GET OVER IT!