A Game Of Life And Death

Sorry for the wait. Here's your next chapter! Big reveals in this, so make sure to read the AN at the bottom as well!

Walking through the ghettos, Kirito was lost in thought as he traversed his new temporary home.

How could the others be happy with their current situation? Did they not know of the horrors of the current world? How could they act as if nothing was wrong half the time? Kirito shook his head and sighed. He would never understand the girls and their attitude towards the world. It was as if they were drugged into thinking everything was still fine.

"Kirito."

Stopping in his tracks, the teen glanced around and saw Heathcliff standing by the entrance to a building. Walking over, the teen stopped beside the man and nodded.

"Need something."

Heathcliff gestured towards the entrance to the building. "The leaders of the ghettos wish to meet us. Since I represent the fortress, you classify as a lone survivor."

Kirito sighed. "Alright, let's go then."

The two walked in at the same pace, disappearing into the darkness of the building.

Upon entering, Kirito couldn't help but notice the distinct difference from outside to the inside. The outside of the building was decrepit; barely held together and looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. However, the inside was a different story. As Heathcliff led the way, Kirito noted how pillars supported the ceiling, and how the inside was furbished as if it was still before the incident.

"Ah, there you are."

Making their way towards the source of noise, the two men stopped in front of a round table in a small room. Hearing the doors shut behind him, Kirito noted the two men who stood by the doors, weapons by their sides.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Heathcliff said.

"Please, take a seat."

Sitting down, Heathcliff remained as passive as ever as Kirito sat beside him. He counted the people at the people.

Ichiro was present as his eyes flashed recognition. A teenager near Kirito's age was seated beside Ichiro, his features similar and sharper as a stern expression remained on his face. A man with wavy brown hair and matching eyes gave him a warm smile despite the bags under his eyes. The woman beside him nodded, her long silver hair tied up in a ponytail. Next to the woman was a man with hair that resembled that of a cactus and a small goatee, and beside him, a man with short blue hair. The last chair was vacant.

"Well, now that we are all here, let's start. Shall we?"

The others nodded and murmured in agreement as the man with wavy hair stood up

"My name is Thinker," he said. "I'm in charge of managing the people so no problems occur in our little society."

"My name is Julier," the woman said. "I'm in charge of water and food supplies here in the ghettos."

The teen beside Ichiro raised his head and looked at Kirito. "Teizen. In charge of defense for the ghettos."

Ichiro sighed. "Ichiro. I train our soldi- ahem, fighters for defense."

"Kibaou," the cactus-haired man said as he pointed his thumb at himself. Pure arrogance radiated from his body. "Don't forget the name. I'm in charge of sanitary problems."

Kirito nodded.

"My name is Diavel," the blue haired-man said, his voice laced with sleepiness. "I'm in charge of anything that doesn't fall into their roles." He pointed at the others.

Heathcliff nodded.

"So, who are you two?"

Heathcliff stood up as Thinker waited patiently for an answer.

"My name is Heathcliff," the commander said. "Before our group came across the ghettos, I was the commander of one of the seven fortresses."

"You have one of the fortresses?" Kibaou shouted in shock. Kirito noticed the greed glinting in his eyes.

"Had," Heathcliff corrected as he sat back down. "We ran across one of the other fortresses created. Unfortunately, it was overrun by a group of dangerous people, and in the end, both fell and were destroyed."

"I see." Thinker frowned. "What happened to all of the people on board?"

Heathcliff shook his head. "We lost many in the crash and the battle afterwards. We managed to find a safe location, but it was also compromised by the same group. The people we arrived here with are all we have left."

Ichiro, seated beside Heathcliff, patted him on the shoulder.

"It mustn't be easy for you," he said softly.

Heathcliff gave him a small smile before everyone focused on Kirito.

"So," Thinker asked. "Who are you?"

Kirito slowly stood up and sighed.

"My name is Kirito, and I'm a lone survivor. I stumbled across bandits attacking some of Heathcliff's people scavenging for materials and went with them back to the fortress."

"Is that all?"

The teen glanced at Teizen.

"You're hiding more then you let on," he said calmly as he crossed his arms. "Spill."

"I'm also a Spirit Reaper," he said softly, earning mutters of disbelief.

"Bullshit!" Kibaou shouted as he slammed his hands against the table. "Hunters are a bunch of lies made to scare people! You're telling me that you kill people just because they pose a threat?"

"I stopped a while ago," Kirito snapped back. "It isn't easy to do what they do, and I still regret what I've done to this point. You wouldn't have wanted to have seen and done what I have…"

Silence fell over the table as Kirito stopped talking, a dark expression on his face.

"Do you have any proof that you are a… hunter?" Thinker asked.

Kirito hesitated for a long time then nodded.

"Are you sure you want to see this?" He asked, his voice soft. "I can't guarantee this place's safety if I do."

"I believe we'll be fine, kid," Ichiro said. "Show us when you're ready."

Kirito sighed. "Alright. No one speak a word of this." He glanced at the men by the door. "You two can come over here if you wish."

As everyone gathered around, Kirito grimaced as a dark symbol began to forge itself onto the back of his left hand. Dark flames coated his hand before disappearing, leaving behind the signature design of a spirit reaper; black flames with a scythe cutting through.

The teen began to pant as the symbol dispersed, snapping everyone out of their stupor.

"So that's the legendary hunter symbol," Thinker murmured as he sat back down in his seat. "To think that they actually exist and aren't just myth."

Teizen sat silently, his expression stoic. "How did you become a spirit reaper to begin with?"

As everyone sat down, Kirito let out a sigh as he collapsed into his seat.

"It's... personal."

Teizen leaned forward in his seat. "What do you mean it's personal?"

Kirito grit his teeth. "I can't and won't tell," he said, his tone ending the conversation. "Now, what's the main point of this meeting?"

Thinker frowned as he leaned back in his seat. "It's about the undead."

Instantly, everyone sat straighter in their chairs.

"Now," Thinker continued. "We all know that Ichiro kill a large amount of them left in the city, but it seems that that little stunt caught the attention of a dangerous undead we've managed to avoid until now."

Ichiro frowned. "It's the one we named 'Nagoya', right?"

Thinker nodded. "Correct. It's the stage six undead that destroyed Nagoya alongside multiple stage three and four undead. That explosion seems to have alerted it and it is now on its way here."

"How much time?" Heathcliff asked.

"I'd say three days," Teizen said. "They may be big and clumsy, and despite being slow, they travel a lot of ground because of their sheer size." The teen looked at Ichiro. "We don't have any more weapons to take them down, do we?"

Ichiro shook his head. "We don't. The closest thing we've got to a nuclear weapon would be the scarce few magic casters we have left, and I doubt they'll do much.

"Ahem." Everyone turned to face Heathcliff. "If you allow us to, I'd be willing to extend help to this place in exchange for a deal."

"A deal?" Kibaou stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "You want to make a deal when we're already letting you stay here for fre-?"

"Enough!"

Instantly, Kibaou went silent as he slowly sat down. Kirito glared at Kibaou and Heathcliff as he stood up.

"We'll protect the ghettos," the teen said. "Start preparing an area somewhere in the city to fight the undead alongside an evacuation plan for the people in case we fail. We'll need every person who can survive a fight with a stage three undead to help us. The others will just be a hindrance."

Walking away from the table, Kirito stopped at the door. "I'll be back in two days, three at the latest." The door swung shut as the men and woman gathered around the table sat there in silence.

Letting out a sigh, Heathcliff stood up and left the room, leaving behind the ghetto leaders who remained in silence.

"Kirito!"

The teen continued making his way through the ghettos, walking past families and the like.

"Mommy, when will we get to see Papa?"

"Patience dear, he'll be back soon."

Kirito grit his teeth as he walked faster, the chatter of adults and laughter of children filling his ears. Opening a door, he walked through into a burnt room, a lone wardrobe blocking a hole in the wall.

"Kirito!"

The teen came to a stop at one of the exits, his body coated in shadows. Turning around, Kirito faced Sinon as she sighed.

"Where are you going?"

The teen turned back around and continued walking, moving aside the wardrobe before pushing aside a burnt tapestry, revealing a hole in the wall.

Stepping through, Kirito frowned as Sinon followed him. Pulling the wardrobe back into place, the teen walked forwards, his boots crunching on broken stone as the remains of a roof cast a shadow over him.

"Why are you following me?"

Kirito jumped forward, clearing the crevice in the earth. He turned partially as Sinon jumped across. As she landed, he walked forwards onto a broken road, the concrete torn up violently.

"Where are you going?"

"Why are you following me?"

Sinon sighed. "I asked first so answer- Mmrmph!"

"We're not in the ghettos anymore," Kirito whispered, slowly moving his hand off her mouth. "Keep it down." The teen went to move away before turning back around. "And to answer your question... away from here. I need to come to an agreement with them."

Sinon scowled at Kirito's cryptic message. "Them? Who the hell is them?"

The teen shrugged. "Not your problem, so head back."

"I'm here already," Sinon replied curtly. "So, where are we headed?"

Kirito sighed and continued walking. "I already told you. I'm going away from here."

"We," Sinon corrected.

"Fine, we," the teen snapped, irritated. "So, start walking. We need to be out of the city before sundown."

Sinon gave a lazy salute, a small grin on her face. "Yes boss."

Pulling himself up with ease, Kirito knelt by the edge of the cliff-face and held his hand out. As Sinon grabbed his hand, he pulled her up before looking down at the consumed city. Skyscrapers crisscrossed against each other and half of the city was split in half before thrown into each other, only for Mother Nature to slowly reclaim itself, the buildings sinking into the ground.

"To believe this used to be Nagoya," he murmured.

"This was Nagoya?"

Kirito nodded in response. "Thinker named a stage six undead 'Nagoya' because it destroyed the city Nagoya. I'm pretty sure this is Nagoya judging from the surroundings remaining."

Sinon just shrugged. "Fair enough. Whose Thinker?"

"One of the ghetto leaders," the teen replied as he turned away. "Come on, we've got to keep moving."

Walking towards the horizon, the two teenagers walked in silence, their boots brushing past once lush-green grass as the sun set behind the clouds. Hues of orange and pink mixed together, barely penetrating the dense clouds.

Jumping across another crevice, Kirito waited for Sinon to leap before he kept walking. Glancing at his surroundings, earth was cracked and uprooted in countless locations with patches of green grass everywhere. Rubble was spread out in clusters, some thick, some small.

The two remained in silence as their surrounds slowly turned dark, everything changing into dark hues of blue and black as the moon's rays pierced the hidden clouds.

Eventually, Kirito came to a sudden stop in the middle of a clearing. Waving his hand, Sinon felt a sudden chill race down her spine before disappearing.

"There's no undead nearby," Kirito said. "We should be safe to camp here for now."

"How can you use all this magic?" Sinon blurted out before flushing. "Not to come off as rude, but you say your experimenting then sudden start using it naturally. Are you hiding something or?"

Kirito sighed as walked towards a thick cluster of rubble. "I'll try to explain," he said, grabbing a armful of flammable material. Tossing it onto the ground, he continued to go back and forth until a decent amount was stacked together.

Snapping his fingers, a small flame floated above his fingertip before lighting the campfire. As flames slowly cracked to life, the two let out a synchronized sigh as they felt the warmth of the fire caress them.

"…right…" Kirito sat down and leaned back, Sinon sitting beside him. "I have a lot to explain."

Glancing at the girl beside him, he sighed. "Well, first off, have you heard of Spirit Reapers?"

"You mean hunters?" Sinon went pale. "I've heard of them. They're powerful magic users that kill undead and humans alike. They're supposed to be good, but lots of people say they're actually bad."

Kirito nodded. "They're good people, it's just that…" he hesitated before falling onto his back, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. "Sinon, I'm a spirit reaper."

"…eh?"

"Well, former reaper," the teen corrected himself. "Spirit Reapers that retire are called Hunters and roam freely, which why they're commonly known as hunters. Anyway, the only catch is that once you retire from being a Spirit Reaper, all of your memories of bring a Spirit Reaper are essentially reaped."

"So," Kirito continued softly. "In response to your question, I guess you could say that the last two years of my life have been patchy to say the least. I've regained some memories and lost others." The teen scoffed. "If anything, I wish I didn't have them at all. The things I remember…" He shivered violently. "…I shouldn't speak of it. They might take you to force me to rejoin."

Sinon sat there in silence as Kirito slowly sat up.

"So… you used to be a hu-spirit reaper, huh?"

Kirito leaned back on one arm and sighed. "Yeah, I did."

"Why'd you give up?"

The teen frowned. "I'm no longer a fan of their methods. It used to be docile at best, but now it's just downright brutal. Most of them have gone insane, and the higher-ups can't do anything about it without having to fight."

A silence fell between the two before Kirito let out a sigh. "You can sleep if you want. I'll watch over you."

Sinon brushed aside her bangs and grinned. "You know, that makes you sound like a creep."

"H-Heh?"

The teen giggled. "It's alright. Wake me later and I'll take watch."

Kirito, face flushed, nodded as Sinon made herself comfortable besides the fire. As he sat there in silence, he heard her breathing become slower before she eventually fell asleep.

"..."

Kirito took off his jacket and carefully placed it over Sinon, the girl murmuring something incoherent in her sleep. Glancing over his shoulder, the teen didn't feel the cold seep into his body as he watched the clouds part, revealing a pale, white moon.

"..."

Walking along barren land in evening sunlight, Kirito adjusted his coat as Sinon let out a sigh from beside him.

"You know, you wouldn't be hot if you weren't wearing that," she said as Kirito frowned.

"But I like it," he replied with a smirk.

"You know it makes you look edgy, right?"

Kirito's face fell as he looked away, scratching his cheek. "...I like looking edgy..."

Sinon smiled as she remembered Kirito's social awkwardness. Coming to a stop, they looked around. "Do you know where we are now?"

"Hmm..." Kirito shook his head. "No idea."

Their surroundings consisted of patches of green grass, abandoned outback houses and undead.

With a sigh of reluctance, Kirito summoned his nightmare sword as Sinon tapped the symbol on the back of her hands. As the spectral bow appeared, Kirito gave it an approving nod before surveying the area.

"This is an unnatural amount of undead gathered... alright, I'll go ahead and take out the stragglers on the side," Kirito said as he nodded towards the left. "You can take some shots at that main group. There's no way we're getting through that thick of a group unless we thin them out first."

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Sinon let out a sigh. "I'll take some shots."

Kirito nodded.

"Alright." Sinon loaded an arrow and aimed directly at the large mass of undead blocking the way forwards. "Good luck."

Moving slowly at first, the teen quickened his pace as the stragglers snarled, picking up on his scent. Jogging lightly, he heard an arrow whistle past as he readied his sword.

ZHIN!

Effortlessly slashing the once farmer in half, the teen darted forwards, killing the next undead before it could retaliate. Hearing a groan from behind, Kirito pivoted, bringing his blade around in a vicious horizontal arc.

Looking around for more stragglers, the teen quickly finished them off before glancing at Sinon. His mouth moved before he realized.

"Behind you!"

Both reacted to each other's voice. Spinning, Sinon fell backwards as she cocked back an arrow and released it instantly. As it pierced the bandit's head, Kirito ducked underneath the knife and rammed his shoulder into the bandit's gut. As he fell, the teen sliced open his throat before running over to Sinon.

"We need to get out of here," Kirito said the moment he was close. "No idea why bandits are here, but it can't be good."

"Agreed."

Bbrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm

"Don't fucking worry," the teen sighed. "I'd prefer we be able to run, but given their transport..."

"Luck isn't on our side today," she muttered.

Standing next to each other, the two teens stood at the ready. As the sound of engines grew closer, Kirito's eyes widened.

BANG BANG!

Sinon gasped as Kirito suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Run!"

Turning around, Sinon growled as she found the undead blocking her path, the former humans slowly shuffling forwards. Lifting her bow, the girl cocked back multiple arrows and let loose, the spectral arrows nailing multiple undead.

Hearing the bark of gunfire, Sinon risked a look behind her, only for her jaw to drop.

ZHIN! ZHIN! ZHIN! ZHIN!

"I can't do this forever," Kirito shouted as the bandit cars got closer and closer. "Clear us a path through the undead!"

Pulling the string taunt, Sinon struggled as a cold sweat dripped down her face.

'I will not die here!'

With a shout of desperation, Sinon pulled the string back even further, creating a larger arrow that shone. Without hesitation, she let go, the arrow streaking towards the undead. Time seemed to slow down as the arrow pierced the first undead before ploughing through the rest. As time resumed its normal pace, Sinon watched with wide eyes as the bodies of the dead flew into the sky, disintegrating into blue-purple particles.

"Let's go!"

Feeling Kirito grab her hand, Sinon let out a yelp before regaining her balance. Running alongside Kirito, the undead made fruitless attempts to scratch the teens.

Taking a wild look behind her, Sinon watched as the undead closed the gap, leaving the bandits with a large mass of angry rank ones.

"They'll try to run," Kirito said as Sinon looked ahead again. "It won't work."

Sinon huffed as she set her pace. "And why's that?"

"You usually kill undead before they can do this," Kirito eventually said between breaths. "But if you get too close and manage to escape, the undead target the closest living creature and kill it."

"...that doesn't sound that bad."

Kirito shook his head as they kept running. "It triggers something like an outrage mode where they become extremely fast and savage. Thankfully it's only for the lower tiers of undead." Glancing behind, Kirito slowed down before coming to a stop. "We should be safe here for a bit."

Panting, the two teens caught their breath before letting out a collective sigh.

"So, where to now?"

Kirito scratched his chin as he looked around.

"Kirito."

The teen glanced at Sinon who was pointing at a mountain covered in trees in the distance.

"Think you could fly us over there?"

"...eh?"

"This is so refreshing~"

"Glad you can enjoy the view."

"Quit grumbling."

Kirito muttered something incoherent as Sinon sat on his shoulders, smiling as the wind pushed back her hair. The teen's black wings glittered as the girl enjoyed watching the sun slowly set, sending hues of yellow, orange and purple cascading over the horizon.

"Hey, Kirito?"

The teen shifted mid-flight. "What?"

"Do you think we would've met if the Incident didn't occur?"

"...no..." Kirito eventually murmured, barely loud enough for Sinon to hear.

With nothing but the gentle rush of wind filling their ears, an awkward silence fell over the two teens as the slowly approached the mountain. As they were close to landing, Kirito let out a silent sigh.

"Sinon, I'm going to land soon."

"Mm."

Slowing down, Kirito straightened himself up as he held onto Sinon's legs so she wouldn't fall. Touching the ground, he stumbled forwards before coming to a stop.

"You good to get off?"

"...yeah."

Moving his hands, he felt Sinon hop off his back before turning around. The opened his mouth but failed to speak. Eventually...

"I'll go find some wood for a fire," they said in unison before flushing.

"I-I'll get some wood from those trees," Kirito muttered quickly as he walked off.

As he approached the thicket, the teen couldn't but think about her words.

Would they have met? Under the circumstances he was in and her own personal life, would he have truly met this girl? They were different and most likely lived in different cities. Regardless of their situations, Kirito had spoken the truth in response.

No, they wouldn't.

It was impossible, really. He was a prodigy kendo champ at a young age. While his mum would've let him be like other kids his age, his father... No, there was no way he would let him do as he wished. He was his lovely guinea pig that was expected to follow explicit instructions. The only reason he did kendo was to escape his father, but he knew he would have to eventually return.

In a way, Kirito knew he should thank his father, despite the experiments he conducted. Without them, Kirito knew he wouldn't have survived this harsh new world. His physical prowess and magical capabilities; all unlocked due to the man he hates. The man that sacrificed his life for his. All out of 'love'.

Kirito came to a stop in front of the thicket.

"..."

Rubbing his temples, the teen let out a heavy sigh, one that held conflicted emotions a teenager should never have experienced.

"It's time to move on," he murmured to himself before entering the thicket.

'Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!'

Sinon mentally slapped herself as she cleared out an area for a fire.

How could she ask such a question? A stupid one at that? It was rude to say things like that in this new world, especially to someone you barely knew! Sure, she knew that Kirito was a good person, but she couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was hurting, bad. The look in his jaded eyes, the way he kept helping others despite his own pain...

Sinon sighed.

Everyone had their own problems, and she knew that well. Her friends – despite not showing it – suffered from many themselves. For that, they took special medicine from their doctor/scientist Kayaba. Personally, she had only taken the drug he had supplied once but refused to take it after. It made everything feel like... well, a mere dream, like nothing really mattered. It made her feel terrible, especially when it made some of the lives she had taken feel like nothing bad happened.

Taking a life should not feel like it doesn't matter; Sinon knew this all too well. After all, she herself, knows how heavy the guilt of killing someone was. A guilt that her friends didn't seem to share.

She had her suspicions, sure, but she also had evidence to back it. All she had to do was approach Kayaba about it... whenever she found where the sly man was.

Sinon let out a sigh. Glancing around at her work, a fallen log was placed near a circle of stone to sit on.

Hearing approaching footsteps, she turned as Kirito dumped the assortment of wood for the fire in the circle of flames. Clicking his fingers, a spark flickered before he lit the wood on fire.

Sitting down on the log, Sinon shivered before joining the teen. An awkward silence fell over the two.

"So-,"

Thud

"You were cold last night," Kirito muttered as he looked away, the last of the waning light disappearing underneath the horizon. As the moon slowly rose, Sinon went to give his trench coat back, only for the teen to shake his head.

"Why?" Sinon asked.

"Because you'll get cold" he replied bluntly.

"What about you?"

"I don't get cold easily. Besides, I like the cold."

"Well..." Sinon's face went slightly red. "At least come here so we can share it."

"H-Huh?"

Sinon blushed, embarrassed. "Just come here already!"

"O-Okay."

Ignoring each other's blushes, Kirito sat next to Sinon before she draped the coat over both of them. Despite physical contact on the flight there, both teens looked away, trying to hide their red faces as their bodies touched.

As the moon rose higher into the sky, the night got colder as a breeze passed by. Shivering, Sinon shuffled closer to the fire, forcing Kirito to follow. Eventually, they sat right in front of it, huddled together in his coat which barely managed to accommodate both of them despite its size.

Together, they sat in silence, basking in each other's warmth whilst fighting the red tint on their face.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Kirito suddenly looked up. "Did you hear that?"

Sinon frowned. "Hear what?"

Standing up, Kirito summoned his nightmare blade which seemed to make the air vibrate.

"Sinon, get your bow."

Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud

In the dead of the night, the slight shimmer of a bow being summoned could be heard just over the slight hissing of the blade. Crickets dared not chirp as the sound of hooves approaching became louder and louder.

"They're here," Kirito said softly.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

Holding their position, Kirito watched as four onyx horses appeared out of a dense fog coming from the thicket. With a grimace, he raised his sword and aimed it at them.

"Ah, he was waiting for us," one rasped out, its skeletal fingers drumming against the horse. "Then you know why we are here."

Kirito held his arm out, blocking Sinon from advancing.

"Ahhh~, I can smell it from here." As a horse snorted, one of the men cloaked in black sighed, hot embers escaping his mouth. "Ohoho, I'm getting excited now!"

"We're not here for that," another man snapped. "We're here for him."

"Sure," a female voice rung out from among the four. "Let's get this over and done with. Who knows what they'll do while we are gone."

"Who are they?" Sinon asked quietly as Kirito sighed.

"Death, War, Famine and Pestilence," he replied as the horsemen bickered amongst each other. "The leaders of the Spirit Reapers, each with their own little faction. I'm surprised you'd come all the way out here for me."

"Well, it was your own foolishness that brought us here," Death said, his voice raspy as he lifted his skeletal finger. "I thought you would know better then this, my son. To show them that quickly..."

More embers burst out from underneath War's hood. "Hah! Does it really matter? They'll probably be dead in three days!"

"Tsk! If you let me, I'll gladly starve them to death!"

SLAP

"You're doing it to all of Japan already," Pestilence said as she rubbed her hand. "Calm down. Besides, you need to lay off for a bit as well. The other countries said they aren't afraid to send some of their own to deal with you."

"Ehh?" Famine whipped around and glared at Pestilence. "Hell no! Who would replace me?" Famine glared at Kirito. "Him? Death already claimed him."

"I believe that boy you saved would be fine," Death rasped out. "He would be most likely be a better Famine then you."

"Not you too!"

"Are you done yet?" The four horsemen and Kirito looked at Sinon in shock. "I was expecting something different, but all I see is three men and a woman acting like fools."

"Hmm," War stroked his jaw from underneath his face. "That takes guts. I like you, girlie. What's your name?"

"Sinon," she replied curtly as she folded her arms. "Assuming from your names, you are supposed to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, no?"

Pestilence giggled as she threw back her hood, revealing her tan skin and flowing platinum-blonde hair.

"I think we'll get along great, Si-n-on!"

Kirito stepped in front of Sinon as Pestilence pouted, the teen ignoring the devastating beauty of Pestilence.

"Pestilence, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't try and steal my friend," Kirito muttered.

"Ahhh~ Kazu-kun got a girlfriend!"

Kirito flushed as Sinon's face turned redder then a tomato.

"Sinon is not my girlfriend," Kirito said calmly despite his glowing face. "And don't call me Kazu-kun. No one uses honorifics anymore, and my name is Kirito, Pest."

"Ahh, I'm hurt!~ Wait, how does she have your coat? You never let others use it?"

Ignoring Pestilence, Kirito walked towards War.

"Hey, War," he said. "How long has it been since we've talked?"

"Hmph," War snorted. "You wouldn't remember, but it was two-hundred and forty-seven days ago."

Kirito flinched. "H-Heh, sorry." The teen turned to Famine and merely nodded respectfully, the man returning the favor. Looking at Death, the man dismounted, his horse disappearing into darkness.

"Death," Kirito said.

"Son," Death replied.

Kneeling on the spot, Death stepped forwards.

"Rise," he commanded.

Standing up, Kirito looked into Death's face; a dirty, pale-gold skull.

"It has been to long, my son," Death said as he embraced Kirito.

"I'm sorry, father."

Sinon stood there, bewildered as the other horsemen dismounted and walked towards her.

"They'll be a while," Pestilence giggled as she sat down besides the fire. "Death hasn't seen Kazu in over a year since the incident."

"Incident?"

"Mm," War responded to Sinon. "Where we work, the boy somehow found his way in and got attacked." Swiping his hand, the fire erupted into the night sky as Pestilence cheered. "He was hurt bad but defended himself well without anyone. Afterwards, Death saw him and immediately took him away. They've got a father-son relationship from what we've seen. Though, this was years ago."

War let out a sigh, hot embers soaring into the night sky before fizzling out.

"Anyway, he was integrated into our society and was accepted," War continued. "The boy was talented enough to stand amongst the stronger members, but some were jealous and later attacked him because of this."

"Yeah, and we all know the rest," Famine muttered as he stood in front of the fire.

Clicking, the flames suddenly consumed Famine's body.

"Really?" He asked.

War nodded as Famine sighed, the fire disappearing from his body.

"Continuing on," War muttered before clearing his throat. "Kirito retired from being a Spirit Reaper and became a Hunter after that. He lost some memories due to the process but kept most of them." War sighed, the fire sinking, responding to his mood. "He's still young, and yet he's been subjected to so many horrors in this world." The fire flared. "Still, I don't regret it. You humans created this mess, so you humans can fix this."

"Oi," Pestilence said, her voice low. "Say too much and we'll have to kill her."

. . .

. .

.

.

. .

. . .

"Well, now you've gone and done it," Famine muttered under his breath. "Way to kill the mood."

Pestilence blew a raspberry in his direction and sighed.

War cleared his throat. "Anyway, who are you exactly? Our Black Swordsman is usually solo."

"Black Swordsman?" Sinon muttered.

War shook his head. "Well, he hasn't said too much, so that's good at the very least."

Sinon shook her head as the bow dispersed. "I don't know a 'Black Swordsman', but I do know a Kirito. He's helped our group ever since we met him. Since then, he's stuck around."

"Kazu helped your group?" Pestilence asked in disbelief. "Hmm, that doesn't sound like him." She glanced at Famine who shrugged. "Oh well, I'll ask him when we go back to HQ."

"You're taking him to your Headquarters?"

Pestilence stood up and pumped her fists. "Hell yeah! We all need to have a talk with him!"

"B-But-!"

"You can come with if you want," War interrupted. "Though, it depends on Death."

Sinon pulled Kirito's coat tighter around her body.

"Sinon."

Looking towards the voice, she watched as Kirito approached.

"Kirito..."

Kirito glanced at Death before sighing. Looking at Sinon, she saw the look in his eyes and let out a sigh of her own.

"We'll be here for a while, won't we?"

Kirito nodded.

Sinon closed her eyes and sighed internally.

What had she gotten herself into?

Well, that's a chapter and a half.

Being honest here, I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, not really sure if I should go with my idea/s or not. In the end, I've gone with them, and with doing that, A Game Of Life And Death will soon reach the end of its first Arc, The Disaster Arc. Why is it called that? Well, considering the information you've been given so far... come to your own conclusions. Besides, from what I'm thinking right now, this story will have four arcs. Not sure yet, but thinking on it.

Now, tell me your thoughts on the chapter. Tell me what you think of the ghettos and their leaders. Why do you think Sinon decided to follow Kirito? Why was there a large mass of undead randomly in the middle of nowhere? Why were there bandits there? What do you think of the Four Horsemen. What does Death really mean by calling Kirito his 'son'? Why is our favorite edgelord called Kazu? (was actually gonna go with Kazu Kun but nah). But really, tell me your thoughts on this chapter, especially with 'Spirit Reapers' and 'Hunters'.

Oh yeah, if you couldn't tell, my writing style has changed a bit. Dw, I still plan on going back and fixing some chapters. Mainly '' to "" and other issues that I haven't bothered with.

Oh yeah, to those who actually read Dark Realites... ...well... I may or may not have kinda fucked myself with the latest chapter. It's pretty much done, but... I fucked up royally by forgetting a key piece to my story. So, basically, I need to go back and write chapters that'll fit in the story so the relationship that is created actually makes sense. Basically, I fucked myself.

Sigh, oh well. Hopefully this gets a lot of reviews so I have motivation to keep writing.

- Striderm8

PS: I'll double check this after I upload. School tomorrow and I'm tired as hell.