I open my eyes to a finger gently tapping my shoulder. I sit up and rub my eyes, jumping when I see Klein laying next to me with a small smile. I sigh out in relief, then give him a small look of annoyance.
"Why do you always do that? Why can't you gently call me instead of poking me? I'm a dangerous sleepwalker, you know," I inform him jokingly, "You know what sleepwalkers can do when someone wakes them."
"It's just cute the way you react," he pauses, poking me again, and I jump back with a squeak, "It's fun." He chuckles, then stops poking me and stands up. "Anyhow," he starts before I can retort, "it's around nine. You slept like a rock."
"Sorry! Did you get any sleep?" I apologize through a yawn.
"Yeah, I did," he assures me with a grin.
"Okay. Since it's nine, do you want to eat, or do you want to wait 'till breakfast?" I offer him two situations, and he thinks them over carefully.
"I'm not that hungry, but if you want to eat, then we can fix ourselves something," he suggests.
"I'm not hungry either," I mutter, stretching my cramped arms. He nods, then walks upstairs after giving me a hug goodnight. I wheel myself back into my room, crawling from my chair to my bed, and pulling the covers over my neck. I soon fall asleep to the small sound of crickets outside my window, my mind blanks as my eyelids droop over my field of vision.
(Klein's perspective)
I walk up the stairs and to my room, closing the door behind me and letting out a sigh.
I wonder what Skylar thinks of me. If she has any regrets about not being able to walk for our wedding? I hope not, but sometimes hoping isn't enough.
I lay down on my bed, turning off the light, but sleep doesn't come easily. I watch lights dance on the ceiling, reminding me of Skylar's eyes. For some reason, I can't stop thinking deeply, so I can't fall asleep. If I do, it's just a quick blink of sleep, instead of normal, full-nights sleep.
"I've heard that's when you get the best amount of sleep you have in forever," Skylar had told me. Yeah, I wish I would have that kind of sleep.
I laugh quietly at some memories rushing back to me and find my eyelids heavier than before. I let my eyes close, and as soon as they're shut, I finally fall asleep.
I wake to a bright light filtering through the blinds on my window, making me turn over to block the glaring beams of light. Then I force my eyes open, and once they are adjusted to the bright light, I get out of bed, changing into a casual outfit. I walk downstairs to find Skylar sitting in her wheelchair at the table, her back to me, a newspaper in her hands. Smiling, I sneak down the stairs as quietly as I can.
I tip-toe up behind her, and as I'm right there, she says casually, "Good morning, Klein." This nearly scars me half to death, as I wasn't expecting her to actually stop me from scaring her. I stay as silent as I can, hoping she thinks that she messed up. But she looks up from the newspaper, peering at me over her reading glasses and over her shoulder.
"Uh, good morning," I reply awkwardly, "how'd you know I was there?"
"I saw you in the mirror. And it's kind of hard to sneak down those stairs without them creaking even the slightest squeak," she points out with a small smile.
"Man, next time I should try moving that mirror before scaring you. You were waiting, weren't you?" I teasingly look frustrated, hands on my hips.
"Yep. It's always in the mornings when you try to get a good scare in," she mutters, setting the newspaper on the counter. She seems upset as she takes off her glasses and sets them on the table somewhat harder than necessary.
"Something wrong? Another article?" I scowl, taking the paper. Nothing offensive is printed, except for another story about a girl being attacked and killed. Seeing how that can make her upset, so I wrap my arms around her shoulders from behind, hugging her reassuringly.
"Well, I did find something. You know the school we go to? Well, next week is the last week for the people over the age of twenty," she points to a small article with a picture of the school, and smiles.
"That's great! I was getting tired of singing," I exclaim as I stand up straight.
"You were always tired of singing! But how many times do I gotta tell you? You've got a great voice!" She giggles. I step away to let her back out, and she rolls over to the front door. This confuses me, so I follow her in curiosity. She stares nostalgically at the door, and I feel bad.
"You wanna go on a walk?" I offer, but to my surprise, she shakes her head.
"That's nice of you, but you need to eat breakfast. And it's a little too chilly out today. Look," she leads me to the living room window, and my jaw drops when I see a good two feet of snow piling outside. "I'd have to take a shovel just to get out the door. Hey, maybe I can learn from some groundhogs or something," she jokes, watching the snow pile up, sitting next to me. I had noticed the temperature change yesterday, but I hadn't expected it to snow that much.
"Wow," is all I can manage, making Skylar giggle.
"I know. I guess we'll be spending today inside, huh?" She glances at me with a small gleam in her eyes, and I ruffle her hair with a grin.
"Yup. I'm going to go get breakfast, so after I'm done with that, you wanna play ALO?" I suggest, and she smiles brighter.
"Sure!" She lets me past her, and she continues to sit and watch the snow as I grab breakfast and eat it, excited to play ALO with Skylar again.
(Skylar's perspective)
I wait for Klein to finish his food by watching the snow, and I almost fall asleep a few times, but I force my eyes to stay open. When he's done he walks up the stairs with a wave, and I roll over to my room, plugging in my headset and then starting the link. I wake up in a brightly colored world, and I remember this as ALO. It feels as though it's been forever since we've played, but I know it's only been at most a week and a half. I stand up from my crouched position and wait for Klein to appear. A glowing form molds itself in front of me, but before it can finish forming, I dash behind the tree, trying to keep my giggles quiet. I hear scuffled footsteps, and I laugh to myself in anticipation. A hand lands on my shoulder, making me jump to the lowest branches of the small tree.
"Eek! Klein!" I exclaim, huffing in frustration at his playful grin. "Why are you so hard to scare?"
"Because I practice! I could see your wings from behind the tree, and hear your giggling loud and clear," he nudges me when I land, and I dust off my skirts, attempting to cover my embarrassment.
"Anyhow, I remember a place I've wanted to show you for a while." I take him by the hand and take flight, him staggering to follow my example. When we're both hovering above the plaza, I smile and then zoom forward, the wind rushing against my face. When I glance behind me I see Klein at my side. I then drop, Klein still flying forward. He skids to a stop, then follows me down, and I land on a floating island, Klein next to me.
"Wow, this is a good view!" He exclaims, and I feel my breath catch in my throat at memories both sad and wonderful that flood back to me. I stare at the sunset, speechless. I had forgotten what the sunsets here looked like, and seeing it here again makes me sigh happily. Klein walks forward and then sits on the edge of the island, and I join him. We both sit in silent awe as the sun sinks lower in the sky until the last of its rays weaken and stars come out of hiding.
"I love this game," I murmur, my voice returning, "It's so beautiful."
"Agreed," Klein grins, glancing at me, "But I know something even more beautiful."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" I hum, still watching the horizon, not really paying attention to his words.
"I thought that the statement itself would give you the answer," he looks at me in surprise, and I look at him, repeating what he had said over and over in my head until I finally understand. Heat rises to my face, and I lower my eyes.
"Oh, I get it," I giggle somewhat nervously, "thanks, Klein."
"Is something wrong?" He inquires. He shuffles closer to me, hugging me with an arm.
"No, I'm just thinking, I guess," I answer.
"Hmm? What about?"
"Our wedding, " I admit, "It's just, I can't help but wonder what it would be like if I could walk down the aisle." He glances at me, surprise lighting his eyes for only a moment, but he takes my chin and makes me look at him.
"It's going to be okay. I love you, whether you can walk or not. And if anyone tells you any differently, I'll give them a good talking to," he asserts firmly. I take this chance and lean forward, our lips joining. He returns the kiss, and I sit back, smiling happily.
"I know you do. I love you too."
(Ten days later)
I smile as Asuna fits over me, insisting I look the way I wanted to, me reassuring her. She retorts by saying I'm weird because I'm not the one stressing, and I agree with her.
"Yeah, you'd think I'd be the one worrying, but actually, I'm pretty calm compared to you right now," I chuckle when she snorts in frustration, but can't hold back a smile.
"You're right. Anyway, it's time to go." She checks the watch on her wrist and nods to me as I turn to wheel my way out of the chamber. She hurries ahead of me, as the best woman is supposed to be first to the altar. Whimsical music plays as I roll down the aisle, a bouquet of roses in my lap. Klein stares at me in awe, his eyes shining. After what seems like an hour of me making my way to the altar, I settle my chair next to Klein, smiling up at him. The priest starts the ceremony, and soon we're saying our vows. I feel the words roll off my tongue, as I had practiced a hundred times at least, and the priest then ends the ritual, announcing us husband and wife.
"You may kiss the bride." The priest declares, closing the Bible, and Klein kneels next to me, and we share our first kiss as newly-weds. Klein leads me back down the aisle, and I notice Asuna crying happy tears, Liz sharing the same emotion. We make it to the back of the church, both Klein and me too joyous to speak. Klein drives me to the after party, and we have a really good time dancing and singing along to the music (Klein was hesitant at first, but he eventually joined Liz, Asuna and me), and laughing and crying. I mainly dance in my chair by doing all the upper body moves, and, even though I didn't really have my legs, I had the best time of my life. When it's time to throw the flowers, I turn my back as all the girls crowd around me, and when I toss the bouquet, arms outstretch, but one girl leaps and catches it before the others can even think to grab it. When the giggling crowd of ladies clears out, I see Liz blushing madly, the flowers clutched to her chest.
"So, Liz, who do you like?" I tease as I wheel over to her, nudging her playfully.
"I-I don't like anyone! I just thought the flowers were pretty!" She stammers defiantly, but her voice crumbles to pieces. She clears her throat and then turns on me. "Anyway, you and Klein are gonna have fun tonight, no?" She purrs like a cat about to sink its teeth into a juicy fish. This time I'm the one blushing madly, my face seeming to beat along with my heart, a loud thudding rising in my throat. I hadn't thought about that, let alone even thought about that with Klein. I gulp, glancing around.
"Um... I don't know, honestly," I mutter, glancing at my legs. I sit there rather uncomfortably, and Liz takes the hint.
"Sorry, Skylar. I went too far, didn't I?" She whispers and I nod slightly, and she hugs me apologetically. "Well, I ought to be off. Mom and dad won't like it that I've been out too late," she giggles. After a while, everyone except Klein and me is gone. I smile at Klein, somewhat forgetting what Liz had confronted me about.
"You ready to go home?" Klein asks, bringing me out of my train of thought.
"Y-yeah," I smile the best I can, covering my nervousness.
"Is something wrong?" He frowns, but his eyes still shine with excitement.
"Yes. I-I mean, no, no, nothing's wrong!" I try to pick up my mistake, but he doesn't buy it for one second.
"What's wrong?" He kneels next to me. "You look flustered." He runs a hand over my forehead, making me blush, and he tenses.
"It's just, well, Liz was talking to me," I start, swallowing nervously mid-sentence, "about h-how...you know..." At this time his face is as red as his hair, and he scratches his chin.
"W-well, if that's what you want," he murmurs thoughtfully. I honestly can't deny that doing that would be wonderful, but part of me has a small doubt lingering in my stomach. He lets out a small smile. "We'll see what we can do when we get home, okay?" I nod, grateful he seems to understand my nervousness. He wheels me out to the car and helps me into the passenger's seat. Then he drives us home, our faces still somewhat crimson as we close the front door behind us. I glance up at Klein, but when his eyes meet mine, I avert my gaze, and he chuckles lovingly. I notice how part of that affectionate chuckle is partly nervous, and I suddenly feel glad he's as anxious as I am. He leads me to my bedroom--my old bedroom--and helps me onto the bed. "Are you sure about this? If you don't want to, we don't have to do this." Touched by his caring thoughts, I shake my head with a small smile and pull him over me, and we share a deep and passionate embrace.
(The next day)
I wake up, blinking the blinding light from my eyes, and roll over to help my eyes adjust to the new lighting. I feel my eyes widen when I see Klein laying next to me, his breathing steady. Then I remember what happened the night before. I expect to blush madly at the heat of a burning furnace, but instead, I gaze lovingly at Klein: he reminds me of my younger brother, sleeping so peacefully. When I sit up, I'm glad I had slipped on a nightgown, because when I glance back over to Klein I see him staring at me. I fall out of bed with a squeak, scrambling to sit up to glare at Klein.
"Real mature," I sarcastically smile, resting my chin on my arms, which I rest on the edge of the bed.
"What? It's fun to scare you," he teases. I let out a sigh, then smile sincerely. I can't be mad at him for long, especially not after last night.
"Okay, you win. And Klein?" I pause when he gets up, and I am also grateful for him changing into some pajama pants before we went to bed. He looks at me questioningly. "I can't get up." He laughs, then picks me up after unfolding my wheelchair and sets me in the seat gently. I thank him with a small kiss and then wheel out of the room after him. We eat breakfast and, since it's the weekend, we decide to play Alfheim Online.
Logging on, I gaze around, waiting for Klein to appear. A hand grabs my shoulder, and I whip around, squeaking. I see Kirito standing there, smiling. Klein stands behind him, grinning mischievously.
"G-guys!" I growl, crossing my arms.
"What? I just wanted to say hi." Kirito defends himself.
"You couldn't have just said something? You had to put your hand on my shoulder without warning?" I furrow my brows, and Kirito puts his hands up in front of him, sweat dripping off his forehead.
"I-I thought it wouldn't be as easy to scare you! I mean, after all, K-Klein scares you all the time, so I thought you'd be used to it!" He stammers, running a hand through his raven hair.
"Well, whatever!" I huff, glancing away in frustration.
"Anyway, what do you guys wanna do? Hunt, do quests, travel?" Klein lists, still grinning.
"I think we should go hunting." I vote, and Kirito nods.
"Okay. Hunting it is." At that, Klein takes off, and I stumble after him, Kirito lagging behind. I catch up with him after a few seconds, glaring at him.
"Would you stop doing that?" I shout.
"What? I can't hear you!" Klein calls back, then shoots forward. Scowling, I just can't let down this challenge, so I pump my legs, propelling wind behind me. Klein quickly inches back to me, and soon I'm sailing above him.
Glancing back, I smirk at him. He watches disbelievingly as I go even faster, whisking past a floating island. I hear Klein calling to me over the wind, but I can't understand what he's saying.
Suddenly, an arrow latches itself into my side, sending me spiraling down, pain shooting through me as fast as I'm falling.
"Aaaah!" I shout as I do many flips in the air, tugging the arrow out of my side. I hold it up and notice it has green feathers. Once I rotate once more, I stand firmly in the air, launching myself back up to Klein and Kirito, who both have their swords out as a group of green-winged fairies float towards them. I hover at Klein's side, not drawing my sword. Instead, when they get close enough, I drift out in front of them, the militia gasping, and hand them the arrow. "I believe this belongs to you."
Their leader is a woman who looks to be in her forties, a white streak running down the left side of her head full of black hair. Her green kimono barely fits over her chest, and a katana is slung formally at her side. Her eyes light up in surprise at this gesture, but she takes the arrow, handing it back to an archer.
"Who are you?" She smiles, but her eyes are cold and empty, giving me the impression that she doesn't care.
"My name's Skylar. I suppose you're the leader of the Sylphs?" I bow respectfully, and when I straighten again, I see this time her eyes are wide with genuine surprise.
"Yes, I am, and I would like to know why you are trespassing on Sylph territory," she murmurs with a quiet authority.
"We were looking for good hunting grounds, but I suppose we should go another route." I give her a smile. "We'd better get off your territory, then. We're sorry for trespassing." I bow once again, then turn and fly over to Klein and Kirito, who are staring at me in amazement.
"What just happened?" Klein starts, but I shake my head.
"I'll explain once we're off their territory. Let's go." I whisper, and he nods hesitantly. Both men sheathe their weapons, then, with a quick glance back, follow me off the Sylph grounds. I find a floating island just outside their border and then seat myself on it. Klein and Kirito stand next to me, sitting down in front of me.
"So, what happened?" Kirito demands.
"I simply gave them their arrow back. She wanted to know what we were doing on their territory without permission, and I said that we were looking for hunting grounds and that we'd look somewhere else. Gosh, I hate it when people are so protective," I mutter, rubbing my forehead.
"Then I suppose we should get going. Preferably in the opposite direction. Here," Klein sighs, handing me a potion. I take it with a smile, drinking it, and watching my health inch back to full.
"Thanks."
"Let's go," Kirito hops to his feet, launching himself away from us.
"Great! He's picked this up from you, Klein!" I jump up, sprouting my wings.
"And I wonder where I got it from."