"H-hey, take it easy…!"
"Quiet." Alice's face was morphed into a frown as she dragged the struggling brunette through the thick vegetation. "With how you are like, you have most likely, no – most definitely broken something."
"Yeah that's... Likely-" Kirito paused to grimace in pain. "-and would explain why my ribs feel like they're on fire."
"I said to quiet down."
"'Fine."
Much had changed in Centoria. Whispers in its streets alluded towards the spawning dangerous beast activity in the nearby forests. Alice had been enjoying her newfound freedom to act alone so she had offered to scout alone. Kirito, however, was against it. They argued and the commander of the Integrity Knights – Bercouli himself made the decision to stick them together.
Which brings us to their present dilemma.
"Can we pause for a second?" Kirito groaned. "I need to stop for a bit."
The blond-haired girl grimaced, feeling increasingly of his weight on her shoulder. "Fine," she said, heaving him against a tree. "Take it slow."
"Agh." Kirito slumped to the ground. "Damn, I thought this would feel better."
"Your injuries aren't that bad." Alice took out several flowers, eyeing him up as she did and crushed them between her fingers. "Give me a few seconds."
Kirito nodded, closing his eyes.
"System Call: Generate Luminous Elements. Restore Fractured Bones." The light emitting from Alice's sacred arts went directly towards Kirito's fractured ribs.
"Ahh, that feels much better. Thanks Alice. The bruising's still there but I can at least get up properly now." Kirito relaxed his state instead of his tensed-up position he was in.
"You're right. The Legendary Beast was here. I apologize about being stubborn." Alice couldn't quite look Kirito in the eyes as she said those words.
"Nah, it was no trouble at all. Well, until I had my ribs pummeled by that pesky giant ape.
An unreadable expression made it through Alice's face as Kirito said those words, she did however silently nod to him all the while shaking the pendant in which Cardinal had given her to use for communication.
"This is Alice Synthesis 30; we've managed to subjugate the Legendary Beast and we are on our way back."
"Alice-nee-sama! Are you guys okay?" A spritely voice responded from Alice’s pendant.
"I am fine." Alice paused. "But as for Kirito, he took quite a beating and had some cracked ribs as a result. He should be fine soon given I have just healed his fractured ribs."
Eyeing Kirito's current state of almost falling asleep but too restless to actually do so, Alice whispers to the pendant.
"If possible, we'll need a dragon to pick us up."
"Oh dear," The blond knight could hear the wince in Selka's voice. "Well, we'll track your position from the pendant, and we'll come and get you. In the meantime, stay safe and take of Kirito-san there.”
"Stay safe, Selka. And everyone in headquarters." Alice stowed let go of the pendant away with a deep breath. Another distinct groaning reminded her that she had a companion.
Kirito positioned himself restlessly on the ground. "This... Really isn't the best position," he mouthed out to her.
"Sacred Arts can't heal you right now since it's night. If I had a few more flower buds with me I would have used it." Alice sat down beside him. "I... I think I should have scouted the area alone."
"If you had gone alone, it'd have been you punched against a tree instead and have been surrounded by dozens of minions."
"I had it under control."
"Really?" Kirito turned his exhausted head towards her and opened one eye to glance at the blond woman. "Then why are you still shaking?"
Alice folded her arms slowly. "I'm only somewhat cold." she said in a defensive manner.
"Uh-huh." Kirito closed his eyes again. "Yeah, we can go with that."
Alice's face shifted in frustration and glared at him. "You just had to be a hero, didn't you?"
"I wasn't trying to be one."
"You ran in front of me and didn't even raise your second sword."
"It's a heavy sword!"
"But you didn't even try to protect yourself!" Alice stood up. "You were only worried about protecting me!"
"And how is that a bad thing?"
"I am not a small child, Kirito. I would have been able to take that hit!"
"You would have been hurt," Kirito said, anger also rising in his voice.
"As opposed to you?!"
"Yes. As opposed to me!"
"You're being stupid!"
Kirito laughed darkly. "So, I'm just supposed to stand back and watch my friends get hurt? Is that what I’m getting?"
"I didn't need your protection!"
"I JUST CAN'T SIT BY AND DO NOTHING!"
She froze.
Drip.
Her eyes were wide as she watched hot tears streak down Kirito's face.
"I can't," he whispered. He looked so fed up, so fragile not like the swordsman she came to know him. "Not again. Never again."
A chill swept through the woods. Alice could hear the scattered sounds of something heavy in the distance. But that didn't matter. All that did matter was that she was alone with a boy who believed that the world had ended on top of the Cathedral on that fateful day.
"Kirito," she said quietly, kneeling beside him. "Look at me."
Kirito kept his eyes to the ground, tears still freely dripping down his face.
"Kirito." Alice winced. Comforting someone was one of the things she was never good at. "Listen," she said. "We're not going to die." She gripped his arm. "I'm not going to die."
There was a pause before his sad, dead eyes turned to meet hers.
He gave her a bitter smile as Lycoris flowers flashed in his mind.
"I bet she thought that too."