1x1 Jewels of Aether - Starting a new (ShirexTala)

Kiseki closed her eyes, tears still falling from her cheeks. She couldn't help but feel so disappointed with herself, but she was glad that Kirito knew all about her weaknesses and was always there for her. After the kiss, she hugged Kirito. "Thank you for being here... and for never getting tired of me."

 

Kiseki smiled and blushed at Kirito, wiping her tears away. "I'd never get tired of you too... and we'll make sure we change the negative things about ourselves, right?"

If anything, Kirito had already solved one problem for her. She was not alone anymore. Maria and Seline also gave her the confidence she needed to survive and she misses them badly.

 

"Oh, can we have some strawberry cake?" Kiseki asked as she ran towards Kirito. "I've been wanting to eat something sweet for a while."

 

"Hey!" Kiseki yelled as she looked at Kirito who was sliding off in the distance. "It's too cold here!" She ran towards Kirito, but she was much slower due to the temperature.

 

"Sliding through the snow is cheating!" Kiseki ran towards Kirito, following him closely. "But not when I'm the one using it!" Using Kirito's technique, she slid down small hills in an attempt to speed herself up.

 

"I got you!" Kiseki jumped and tackled Kirito, making the both of them fall into a thick patch of snow. Kirito fell into the snow face first and Kiseki couldn't help but laugh. "I have a snowman now."

 

Kiseki could feel the cold snow in her face. She was quite annoyed but couldn't help smiling after seeing Kirito so happy and full of fun. "Whatever!" She said as she tried to throw more snowball into his face.

 

"Oh... I thought we were going to have lunch today," Kiseki looked at Kirito who suddenly fell back down to the snow. She chuckled slightly, remembering her first time at Fractalia.

 

(No problem! I think Kiseki will enjoy remembering the past.)

"I think my stomach would hurt from that, but I think it'll be alright." The minstrel stood up, dusting off the snow from her outfit. She was feeling like she was in some sort of dream that showed her the past.

Kirito and Kiseki arrived in Fractalia not long after they saved Kanduin with Maria and Seline. It was a long trip, but the girl didn't mind how far it was. As long as she had her friends and Kirito with her in her heart, she was going to be alright. The excitement came when Kiseki first saw Fractalia covered in a thick sheet of sparkling white snow.

When their boat had set on land, or rather, ice, Kiseki was hesitant to step foot on the frozen landscape. "What's wrong?" She could remember Kirito asking with a concerned look on his face.

"Um... I think I'll slip if I go through..." Kiseki looked at Kirito with a hint of hesitation. The boy encouraged her, however, and she ended up closing her eyes just to make sure that she wouldn't see if she fell. She was doing fine, but when the clock tower suddenly rang with a powerful sound, Kiseki couldn't help but jump in surprise, causing her to slip on the ground, covered in thick snow.

 

(Thanks! I think it'd be fun if Kirito also had his own flashbacks at times. One question though, are we still in the flashback or are they back in the real world?)