Memories of Fated

Chapter Thirteen - Sakura Petals

POV: Ito Tsubaki

"Remind me why we are here?" I sigh, wiping the virtual sweat off my brow as the sun continues to attack me and Kyo in the middle of the day.

"To join the Black cats, obviously" He crosses his arms over his chest, staring at the warp portal where guild should have appeared about half an hour ago.

"If they don't turn up in five minutes, let's just go to the dungeon before all the bosses disappear," I say impatiently, tapping my foot whilst I glance at the other player loitering around.

Then the portal shines with light and brown armoured player known as Keita emerges with four other colour themed players behind him.

"Hey, see you two turned up" Keita waves at us from the wrap portal.

"Hey back," Kyo says back

"Nice for you to turn up! I add sarcastically.

Keita laughs, apologises and begins to introduce the four other players. There are three boys, dressed in yellow, green and purple and a girl who looks eerily familiar as if I have seen her before. I brush the suspicions aside, trying to listen to the introduction.

"I am Keita, I am guild leader, this is Tetsuo" He gestures to the tall purple player who smiles at me. "Who is one of our forwards."

Tetsuo and Keita, I will remember these names this time. I glance at the blue player again, scanning her over and over, trying to figure out where I have seen her before.

"We don't have another forward so hopefully, one of you two can fill this position" he continues, introducing the green armoured player next. "This is Sasamaru, our damage dealer and our"

The yellow-themed player gives Keita a little shove and says "Sorry for boring you, I am Ducker and I am a treasure hunter"

"So a thief?" Kyo raises his eyebrows.

"A treasure hunter" Ducker corrects with a finger.

"Anyway" Keita coughs pointedly "Our other teammate is also a damage dealer"

I glace again at the player hiding behind the other four players, the shortened black hair and green eyes snagging at my mind. Where have I seen here before? But when Keita says her name, I insanity know who it is.

And it changes a lot of things.

"Her name is Sachi"

No. No. No. No. No. This is bad. Very very bad. If I am right, IF, then being in this guild is as dangerous as being at the front lines. If not more so. Because, if I am right, and Sachi is who I think she is, then she knows who I am.

Because if I am right, Sachi's real word name is Saki.

If the girl who kissed Kyo all those months ago is the same as the one standing in front of me, and she figures out that Kyo and Kyoto is the same person, it will not end up well.

Then she can put two and two together to find out that the red-haired girl who is at level 50 is the same as that pathetic girl who she bullied to get a copy of the game off her uncle. The one who trapped her and 100,000 other players in this game.

And the one who is responsible for the deaths of 2000 players.

The world seems to spin and a sick feeling rose in my throat, begging for release but I wouldn't give the feeling one inch.

"My name is Kyo and I am a damage giver." I focus on the familiar sound of his voice, willing the worry to dissolve from my bones.

"My name is Yira and I am a forward" I try to keep my voice from vibrating. And Kyo notices this as well, switching his gaze to me for a second. Suddenly, my nickname is far too much like my real-life one, Kyo's even more so.

Keita and Co don't notice my worry as the leader says "That's great! If you don't mind me asking, what level are you at" He drops his voice to a low murmur. "We are all around level 20"

"Me and Kyo are around level 25" I drop my voice is dropped to his level as well.

"That is amazing for just the two of you" His voice is wowed before he changes the subject. "Are you going to join the guild?"

Kyo opens his mouth but I cut him off "We will go with you to the dungeon and we will think about it after"

"Okay, well, Let's go!"

Sakura blossoms hover over the seven of us as we make our way over to the dungeon, the river next to the path swirling lazily around the bend. The boys pound on ahead, talking about whatever boys talk about, leaving me and Sachi.

Or Saki.

My anxiety worsens as the silence between us stretches like the path in the distance. I can't work out whether she is just shy here, or she has figured out my identity.

What makes this so worrying is that the Saki that I knew in that world may not be the same as the one walking next to me. People change when they experience something they would rather forget, not to mention the fact that people like to become people they wish they were here online.

That is why I was looking forward to the release over six months ago, to have a chance to relive everything, to be who I wasn't in the real world. But now, I would take anything to be back there, to stop those images of people shattering when I close my eyes.

I have changed. Kyo has changed. Maybe Saki has changed too.

But as much as I want to cut her some slack, I also don't particularly want to be friends either. Her lips pressed against Kyo's is something I want to wipe from my brain.

And if she finds out that Yira is the same as Ito... I shiver at the thought.

Sachi knocks me out of my thoughts, saying quietly "Hey Yira"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever feel scared of fighting in this game?"

I falter but I manage to say more confidently than I feel "Sometimes, but I think that being scared is a good thing" I turn towards the black-haired girl, fragile beside me. "You shouldn't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen"

The girl doesn't say anything back; conversation over then. The silence continues as we continue to walk, the towering column rising into the blue sky.

"Yira!" Kyo calls from the group of boys, waving me over. "It is true that I once pulled off a level 30 sword skill?"

I run over snorting at his claim, which is true but I also drawl "It is also true that you once stabbed yourself through with your own sword"

"What!?" Ducker exclaims.

"It is true!"

"That was an accident" Kyo protests, hands surrendering as we enter the stone arc of the dungeon, silence falling over the seven of us again.

Steps echo in the dim light as we all equip our weapons. I choose a lower level sword than before, the blade blackened like ash with lingering fire colours dancing off the blade. Hopefully, it should allow me to hide my level and the sword can only allow me to equip a lower level sword skill.

I clutch the sword tightly as we reach a circle in the pathway where it splits off into four directions, each corridor darkened so that we cannot see ahead.

It is too silent, even if we are the only ones in this dungeon there should be some other sound, anything other than this ringing silence. Me and Kyo share a glance at each other before I say

"We shouldn't be here," I say, low and warning.

A growling sounds, vibrating and echoing until the growl is all I can hear around us. A white creature prowls from each passageway, pink round petals dotted on their fur. The wolf stares back at me, cobalt eyes shining within the dusk.

"Sakura Wolves" I mummer, recalling the situation that inspired the design.

"Uncle?" I asked, tilting my head at the pinkish petals that had fallen along the road, "You said you were struggling for designs for the game"

"Yes? Why were you wondering?" He tilted his head as well, this time examining me rather than the petals.

"How about a Sakura petal floor? " I smiled up at him again "Like a wolf that can transform into floating petals, for a mid-level boss"

"Come on, let's go" Uncle grabbed my hand from where it reached for the petal, the satin now clutched in my hand.

"Wait!" I cried "Where are we going?"

That day was the first day I became involved with the programming of the game, the Sakura wolf being one of the many I began to create and it was also the day I became responsible of the deaths of 2000 players and what I could have prevented.

I am frozen as I am enthralled by their stare, losing myself. I want to erase my touch from this game like it never existed but I don't want to destroy all of those sleepless nights and effort.

Then they leap towards us with the strength I programmed and I cannot do anything as they dissolve into cherry blossom petals around us.