Chapter Text
– AAAAAaaaaaa!!
A sword thrust. Thigh incision. An arrowhead stuck into his shoulder. The bones in his leg were broken by the impact of the giant hammer. And then... her face contorted with incredible pain when the level of this parameter rose to 1000%. The eyes of the girl with long brown hair rolled back, saliva flowed from her mouth in whole streams and almost frothed from the girl's attempts to make at least some sounds stronger than grunting in death agony.
And he just watched, watched from the cage and couldn't do anything. And then…
– A-asuna!
He opened his eyes.
The light of the bright magic lanterns was replaced by the unsightly darkness of a small apartment. Almost nothing can be seen, except for the light of street lamps and passing cars, but soon it became difficult to distinguish even that.
– Kazuto!
Looming over him was a creature he immediately recognized by its voice and golden hair, barely visible in the darkness. Her warm hands closed around his body, pulling him towards her. The guy himself got up and with some abruptness, but with extreme need, hugged the girl who held out her hands to him.
– Tomo…
Her spicy scent, left over from the shampoo she'd used a few hours ago, hit his nose, but it wasn't repulsive. He felt hungry for more of that ripe peach scent and buried his nose in his girlfriend's unruly hair. Tomo responded by making him a little more comfortable before gently stroking his head in her embrace.
She felt a small part of her hair and her shoulder, hidden behind a light T-shirt, sprinkled with light moisture in a small amount, just drops. Next, the girl noticed a tremor in her boyfriend's body, which made her tighten her hugs and start gently stroking his back with her free hand.
– Tomo…
– You were screaming. Again.
– I'm sorry.
She felt a pang of guilt at his words. It's not his fault, he knows it well, and she knows it perfectly well. But that couldn't change the fact that he still had nightmares from time to time. It had happened before, before they started living together, but after a few months in the same bed, it wasn't particularly pleasant to feel like this, especially in the middle of the night.
Of course, the number of his seizures during the same months that they had moved away from their families had decreased significantly, but it still hadn't stopped. Tomo knew she had to help, she really wanted to help him, but so far she hadn't been able to do anything better than just be with him. Although she knows for sure that there must be something else, that she is capable of doing anything else for him, just to ease this pain.
She knows what happened. Asuna, their dear friend together was... not even a simple murdered. Moreover, this happened in the game, and Kazuto also stated that Asuna had experienced terrible pain before her death. Tomo could only believe him, she didn't even doubt his words, because it was him and he wouldn't lie about Asuna. She was hurt by all this herself, but she learned to live with such a burden.
It still weighed on her every time she entered ALO, but it wasn't enough to let her break down. Kazuto has completely left ALO, he can still be found in GGO with Sinon or in some other games, but he seems to have finished with the active classic fantasy. It might not be a good sign, but it was better than if he had overpowered himself by playing that game where he saw something that made him and her wake up at night.
And then, after a short period of time, his trembling faded, as did his silent sobs. She pulled back slightly, just to look at his face, and even in the dim light from the window, she could see the glistening trails of tears. Noticing her gaze, Kazuto tried to wipe away his tears, even though he knew it was too late. In response, Tomo herself ran her delicate fingers over his cheeks, and then gently pressed herself against him, closing her eyes and crossing their foreheads in a light, gentle gesture of calm.
– I'm sorry...
– Shut up.
As soon as he tried to apologize again, she told him to just shut up, which worked without delay. Kazuto stayed with her for another ten long but tender minutes, until she tucked him into bed next to her, much closer this time than when they had fallen asleep a few hours earlier.
Putting a pillow under their heads, she lay on her side and let him do the same. Their eyes met, and their arms crossed over each other's backs. Kazuto let out a slightly tired sigh and mentally thanked all the divine beings he knew for having this girl. And while he was so unfocused, she easily moved forward and gave him a quick kiss on the edge of his lips.
– Good night, Kii bou.
– Good night, Tomo.
Even though they didn't close their eyes after saying that, they just hugged each other tighter. Their breathing had long since calmed down, but they remained completely awake. A minute passed like that, then two, and then more, but sleep still didn't come. But each of them didn't want to change this quiet moment of calm, even if it was worth it. Lately, with Tomo's job at the video game industry news publishing and Kazuto programming, they haven't had particularly quiet days. Even in their free time, they were more likely to do something, for example, walk, play, go to various interesting events and meet with friends. There was always something to do.
– Tomo.
He called her softly and was no longer sure if he would get an answer, but a faint stirring told him that he had been heard, even if she hadn't said it.
- Thank you.
– Ya can't go anywhere wiah~out me, I know.
He heard a slight chuckle in her voice as her hair tickled his nose, but he didn't mind either. Kazuto only felt better when his girlfriend snuggled against his chest and was soon snoring. Sleep did not come to him, even with such comfort, but at least he was glad that his dear Tomo had found her world next to him, he could not wish for more.