The Beater and the Shadow

Chapter One: The Beater's Truth

Well, I should probably explain that this is a genderbend story, so don't kill me for genderbending Kirito. (He's the only one I genderbended besides an OC that my friend gave me to mess around with.)

Well, there's that, and then there's the fact that this is going to be a YURI story, which means girlxgirl. Don't like it, then you can read other stories. And NO, it's not going to be a female KiritoxAsuna fic.

So, this story starts after Kirito gets Dark Repulser from Lizbeth, so that means that he has Dual Wield already, but it still hasn't been revealed. (In this, the sixty-first floor is unlocked already.)

Also, Kirito's new real-life name means "child without equal".

With that in mind, have a fun read!

(Yamiko)

Annoyed.

That would be the perfect word to describe me when I learned about 'Kirito' being in this game.

"Baka…"

"Well, if it ain't Yamiko?" a rough voice said from behind me.

"Huh? Do I know you?" I queried, turning around.

I found a man with red hair, a red headband and a little stubble on his chin.

"Um… I think… maybe… do I?"

"My name is Klein, remember? Remember the park?"

"No, not ringing any bells there."

Wait a second, this guy is that one eternally single guy!

I looked at him with amused eyes and said, "Old man, how's your quest for a girlfriend coming?"

"That's what you remember?"

"… Klein. Where is Kirito? The info brokers said that you would know."

"Oh, I see. Going after the big game, eh? Let me tell you, you've got some serious competition."

Competition? he must be joking! Oh, that's right. He doesn't know.

"That's not what I want to meet him for. Trust me though, I don't think a single girl in this game has a chance."

"Why is that?"

"…"

"Right, right. Still, that's the longest conversation I've ever seen you have. You've made me proud," Klein said.

"… You're not my dad, old man."

"Yeah, yeah… oh, right. STOP CALLING ME AN OLD MAN, RUNT!"

"… Answer me. Where is Kirito?"

"Well, I can't guarantee he'll be there, but his house is in west [[Algade]], on the fiftieth floor," Klein said tentatively.

"Thank you."

And with that, I left.

[[Algade]] was a bustling metropolis compared to the small villages I had been questing at. It was hard to find the market district, let alone a house. I eventually decided to take e rest, walking into a shop where a teenager with short black hair and a black coat stood talking to a dark skinned man towering at one hundred eighty centimeters tall.

Wait a minute, that's—!

"Agil, I'm not going to sell it. Just give up, I won't cave," 'Kirito' said, leaning on the bartenders' table.

"Ahahahaha! Fine, but don't expect to get good prices for your next couple of drops!" Agil replied, laughing heartily.

"You're cruel, Agil. Well… I guess I'll just have to take my business elsewhere for a while."

You sly dog. You're acting just like me.

"No, Kirito! I'll do anything!"

"All right, then we have a deal. You stop begging me to sell my S-class item and keep your prices the same, and I'll keep my business here," 'Kirito' proposed with a smirk.

"All right, fine."

"… Kirito," I said flatly, walking up to him and dragging him out of the shop with a death-grip on his hand.

"Hahahahaha! Kirito, you sly dog! You have another girl all over you! You gotta tell me your secret next time we meet!" the giant known as Agil yelled at our retreating forms.

Once we were in a secluded area, I turned around and faced 'Kirito'.

"Out with it, Kimiko. Why are you posing as a boy?"

"W-what? I-I don't know what you're talking about, Yamiko," Kimiko said nervously, her voice stuttering.

"There are only two people in the real world that knew that name. One is my old man, and one is Kirigaya Kimiko, a girl. Now answer my question, Kimiko," I said, grabbing her shoulders.

"All right, fine. My beta profile was male and my armor and short hair made it look like I was male, so I kept it up to seem stronger."

"That is the single most idiotic thing I've ever heard you say, Kimiko. Oh well, I guess the fans of the [[Black Swordsman]] and haters of the [[Beater]] are in for a rude awakening," I said smugly, bringing back my arms to cross them over my chest.

"Please don't tell anyone! I'll do anything!" Kimiko pleaded desperately.

"That is a tempting offer, but… Why? Why do you keep leading the three girls that like you on?" I said, irritation evident.

"Wait, three girls? Anyway, that's precisely the reason that I'm keeping this up. I've been leading my friends on for so long that I think they'd leave me if I told them. I'm boxed in…" my old friend said, looking down.

"Do you really think your friends are that shallow? If they are, then they aren't really your friends at all. Anyway, my mouth is getting tired again, so can you take me to your house for some treatment?" I requested.

"Wait, there's a way to treat that in this game?" Kimiko asked incredulously, eyes widening.

"There's a supposed to be a special item in this game called an [[All Healing Crystal]] that cures all of your physical and status problems," I said sarcastically.

"All right, I get it. You don't have to act like that all the time."

When we arrived at her house, Kimiko turned around and said, "All right, if I let you in and heal you, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise that I won't tell anyone your secret," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

That doesn't mean that I won't hint at it, though.

"Good."

As soon as she let me in her house, I realized how rough Kimiko had it. The walls were all cracked, as if they weren't actually system-protected [[Immortal Objects]]. The small house had only one window, being right next to the bed. Unfortunately for her, there was a streetlight plainly visible from the window, which would make it hard to sleep at night.

"Wow… I'm sorry you have to live here. This must suck."

"Eh, you get used to it. Besides, you've had worse, right?" Kimiko sympathized with me.

"Yeah, but I was saved. You don't even need saving, so I doubt someone will actually help you out here. Unless…"

"Unless…?"

"I'll tell you what. I'll let you stay at my house for a while, but only if you can build up the courage to tell everyone that you're a girl, okay?" I proposed.

Kimiko nodded hesitantly.

"Well then, let's go to the sixty-first floor."

When we arrived at [[Salemburg]], Kimiko immediately blurted out, "How could you live here?!"

I smirked. "Drastic change from my real home, huh? Well, you might as well live a good life while you can. Let's go."

When we got to my house, Kimiko started to gape like that of a fish, in complete awe of its extravagance.

"All right, let's go inside," I said, opening the door.

When we walked inside my house, she was rendered speechless.

My house was… grander than most, even for a luxurious city like [[Salemburg]].

Marble tiles paved the floor. Comfortable furniture could be seen in the room to the left, consisting of two couches, a reclining chair, a footrest for the chair, and a coffee table.

"How did you…?"

"Afford it? A year's worth of questing, quest boss, mini boss and field boss hunting. Not to mention some dungeon mapping and selling S-class drops that I could never use," I said smugly.

"Which reminds me, what weapon build do you use, Yamiko?" Kimiko asked me with a pondering expression on her face.

"Double-bladed staves. I got a really good one from the LA bonus at the last floor boss fight," I replied.

"So you were the one who got the LA bonus and left? Well, what is it?"

"It's called the [[Devil's Edge]]. It dis… you know what? It'd be best to just show you what it can do in combat. But first, you're probably starving."

Her growling stomach proved my point.

"Let's fix something to eat, eh?"

"You can turn the cooking method to manual? As in… you can cook without using the [[Cooking Skill]]?"

"Yup! I never took the time to level up my [[Cooking Skill]], so I figured out how to set it to manual."

"Wow, amazing! I was in the beta, and even I didn't know about that. Cool!" Kimiko exclaimed excitedly.

"Wanna be the first outsider to try my cooking? I guarantee that it'll be good," I said, laughing at Kimiko's drooling mouth.

"Mou, no fair Yamiko, you know that I can't resist your cooking, but you don't have to laugh about it!"

"But I bet boys would think you're cute when you talk like this if you drop the act," I teased her.

Just like when we were kids…

"That is seriously messed up. Besides, you know I…" Kimiko responded sadly, looking at the ground.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that."

This is getting really awkward.

"Anyway, do you want to try my manually cooked meal?"

"Yeah…" Kimiko said, still looking down.

I put my arm around her neck, saying, "C'mon, cheer up! We'll eat, get a good night's rest, and you'll feel amazing tomorrow."

"Thank you, Yamiko," Kimiko said quietly, a small smile forming on her face.

"No problem. Just remember, you have to tell them eventually, or you're going out the backdoor."

"All right, got it!"

The next morning, I was awake at the system-simulated dawn. The sun had glared at me enough that I, being the light sleeper that I was, had to get out of its rays before the faux sun blinded my hypersensitive eyes.

I walked over to the guest bed, shaking Kimiko lightly.

"Kimiko, wake up… come on…"

She had a long day yesterday. I almost feel bad for trying to wake her up. Not to mention that she met up with me. That must have taken a heavy toll on her, considering…

"Ah… We don't have to get up yet… C'mere, lay down," she yawned out.

"O-okay…"

As I made a move to lay down on the bed, she pulled the covers up for me to get in. I slid in reluctantly.

"That meal yesterday was really good, Yamiko…"

"That's good. Did it make you feel any better?"

"Yeah, it worked really well."

I turned to face her, smiling. "I'm glad."

"… Y'know, you can't keep living a lie like this. Eventually someone will figure it out, and then you'll be the cause of even more chaos, just like before," I whispered softly.

"I know, but… I'm just scared."

"Scared…?"

"Yeah… I'm afraid of their reactions. What if… what if my friends hate me?" Kimiko said, sniffing at the end.

"Does this revolve around your other secret as well?" I asked tentatively.

If so, then I'll definitely…

"Yeah…"

"I'll protect you. I'll protect you from all the hate. But… if those people are really your friends, then I don't think they'd hate you, regardless of your secrets."

"…"

"It'll shock them, like it did me, but… I think they'll be fine with it."

"Thank you, Yamiko," Kimiko said, nuzzling her face into her pillow.

For the faintest of moments, I thought I saw a tiny blush spread across her cheeks.

Kimiko…

"Hey, do you think you could show me your friends some time? I'd love to meet them," I said.

"No you wouldn't."

"No I wouldn't."

"Anyway, I want to know who you're around when you're not out soloing. If I know what they're like, then I can judge what their reactions would be to learning of your secrets," I explained.

"Oh, I see. Well… I'll introduce you after a nap, 'kay? Lay here with me," Kimiko requested, turning her head to face me.

"Someone's awfully tired," I whispered playfully.

"Can you really blame me? I just learned that one of my best friends is trapped in the same death game as me, they threatened to spill my secret, and then she invited me to stay at her house with her delicious sleep inducing food and nice, warm beds," she teased back, yawning at the end.

"Yeah, all right, you can sleep. I'm gonna go trai—" I was interrupted by a hand grabbing my wrist.

"No. I won't let you leave again. You have no idea…"

When I turned back around to face Kimiko, I found tears in her eyes.

Damn those tears… "All right…"

Ten minutes later, she was sound asleep, leaving me to think about the past week's events.

Seven days ago, I found out that my best friend has not only been trapped a death game, but that she had been hiding her gender. I spent five days searching for her, then I met up with my old man. As it turns out, he knew Kimiko too, and even pointed in the right direction. Then when I finally found her, she turned out to be even more dense than I remembered. When I found out how rough she had it, I let her stay at my house. Why did I do all those things? Why do I care so much? One thing is for sure, though.

This was one hell of a week.

A/N:

Oh. My. Glob. THAT WAS SO UNEVENTFUL! I can't believe that a chapter actually went by without having any action!

So… I honestly don't like this chapter much, but if you guys like it, then leave a review telling me to continue. I just kinda had to get this out, you know? Well, there's only one thing left to say:

I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters! Don't kill me, Aniplex!

And with that, I bid you ado.