Solo (A Sword Art Online Fanfic) ✔

Chapter Eleven

I nodded, understanding.

"That's okay. I can go by myself."

"I'll go."

We all turned to look at Rikimaru who was leaning against the wall across from us. He was watching us boredly, one hand resting on the top of Gurē's head. I smirked at that.

Looks like someone is warming up to the wolves.

Admittedly, none of us knew how to respond. Even if we had just met, everyone knew Rikimaru and I hadn't gotten off on the right foot.

"You'll go?" Katsu asked skeptically.

"I'll go with her." Rikimaru repeated.

Another period of awkward silence followed, until I broke it.

"Either way, I'll drop by and say hi, but I'm not going to stay." I told Asuna.

She nodded, her cheeks red from my third wheel comment. I smirked, turning away.

"Until then, I'm going for a walk."

I stood up, wincing and pressing my hand against my side. I waved everyone off as they jumped to help me.

"Are you sure, Harumi?" Katsu asked, worry in his voice.

"I'm sure. And I'm going alone."

I whistled, bringing the wolves to my side. Kuro moved next to me, allowing me to use him as help. I leaned against him, one hand fisting into his fur.

The three of us started our awkward walk out of the building. Gurē skipped around, making sure nobody got too close to me. Everyone was out and about, doing errands and getting ready for dinner.

As I walked along, I watched a couple in front of me, holding hands and looking around the town. I, admittedly, was intrigued by them.

I knew people had fallen in love in this game, but the idea was foreign to me. They didn't know anything about each other's personal lives. Their real names, their familes, where they live. In the real world, they could be living on opposite sides of the globe.

How, if they made it through all of this, would they make it work?

Preoccupied with my thoughts, I tripped over a pebble in the path, falling forward. Gurē saw my struggle and raced forward. I grabbed a hold of him so I wouldn't fall completely.

I was thankful the wolves in this game was unlike the wolves in real life. They were bigger, stronger, and so much more fierce, which helped me both in battle and when I was falling and needed someone to stabilize me.

With him to buffet my fall, I was able to slide to ground without injuring myself. Gurē laid down behind me, giving me something to lean on. I clutched my side, wincing.

Kuro nosed my shoulder, worried. I reached up, stroking his nose, doing my best to comfort him. He laid down, resting his head on my lap.

I don't know how long we sat there, but it was past midday when I looked up. The pain in my side had lowered to a dull throb.

I started to sit up, and Kuro hopped to his feet instantly. I used him to pull myself up. Gurē hopped up, eager to move after such a long time of sitting still.

We made our way back to the house I woke up in. When we got there, Katsu raced out, replacing Kuro's job as my walking crutch. He helped me inside and into a chair before silently gathering some food.

I saw my sleeveless cloak resting on the bad of a nearby chair and I grinned, grabbing it to pull it on.

"I have to leave in a couple of minutes, but it was nice to see you." He told me, handing me some food.

"It was, wasn't it?"

He laughed, rolling his eyes. I winked, tossing some of my food to the wolves.

"When will I see you next?" I asked.

"Probably the next raid." He replied, as he hurried around the room, getting ready to leave.

I sighed, knowing that could be a couple months away. He knew it too, but he didn't seem bothered.

Of course he wasn't. He had other people waiting for him.

When it was finally time for him to go, he hugged me and hurried out the door. I sighed, reaching down to pet Gurē.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. Before I knew it, the sun was lowering and Asuna was about to set out to find Kirito. I stood up using my wolves as help. Rikimaru came over and let me use him as a crutch.

With his arm around my waist, I was easily able to move around. The wolves seemed eager to move around without my weight, no matter how much they cared.

We walked around town, making bets as to when Kirito and Asuna would hook up. It was really only a matter of time.

It was a good night and I was actually enjoying myself. But no night is completely good in this game. So neither of us was really surprised when a scream broke the calm of the night.