this is our world.

Sora fluttered her eyes open to light streaming through blinds, the air seemingly sparkling around her. Her mind felt heavy and blank, and she panicked for a moment before her name came back to her in a moment of clarity. She shuffled up in bed, the sheets light and soft against her bare legs as she looked around the room. It was regally decorated, and she was currently situated in a canopy bed that was in front of two large bay windows that looked over a beautiful world that seemed quite a bit below the place she was. There was a brilliant city guarded by lush forests and an ocean over to the other side. She found herself staring in awe, clutching the sheets to her chest as her eyes watered. Nothing seemed familiar to her, and everything had an edge to it that almost didn't feel real. It was then that she noticed she heard soft breathing, and she looked over to her side to see a man laying on his stomach, head laid sideways on fluffy pillows. He was shirtless, his skin pale as it rose and fell with breath, and his hair laid spread against the white sheets, shining silver in the sunlight. Sora sucked in a breath at his beauty, searching her brain to find out who this person was supposed to be.

Kirito felt the familiar pull as the NerveGear pulled him under, losing the feeling of his bed beneath his body as he was logged into ALO. It wasn't long until he was in the familiar place he always settled down into, finding himself sitting in a bed of soft grass and surrounded by the fragrant smell of flowers that were around him. He felt his wings unfurl from his back, stretching out past arm's reach, and he breathed in the air and felt the warm sunlight filter through the trees. It was pleasant, in ALO, without the ever presence fear of SAO's doom hanging behind him. The only other dread he knew was the feeling of not knowing where Miza was. He had spent countless hours scouring the game for clues and ways to find her and had come up with many dry leads. It seemed hopeless, but he would never give up searching.

(I hope this is okay!)

Mildly, Kaitou was aware of movement on the bed - which was odd, why would there be anybody else's movement beside his own? It was only when he heard an intake of breath that was definitely not his that he began to stir, eyes blinking open as he scanned the room. The first thing he noticed was a girl staring at him, one that he didn't recognize. Then again, he didn't recognize half the things that he noticed, he realized. Brows furrowing slightly, he was about to ask who this girl was, only to realize that, at first, he didn't even know who he was. But, the moment he asked himself that question, he somehow knew the answer. I am Kaitou, he thought. But, did this girl know him? Did she know where they were? Well, probably not; she looked just as confused as he felt. Did he look that confused, too? Maybe he should ask, but the only question that popped from his mouth when he spoke was, "Who are you?" Well, that sounded rude, he realized, but he couldn't really think of a better way to phrase the question.

---

The moment Miza began to stir, she felt lost. She didn't recognize where she was. In fact, she didn't even remember anything. How did she get here? Who was she? Oh, wait - no, that memory was slipping in. Miza was her name. Or, at least, that's what she thought. Was there a possibility of that being a false memory? Moreover, did she even have any actual memories? How did she get where she was? All of her thoughts, all of these questions, were so overwhelming that she couldn't help but to panic slightly. The only thing that managed to calm her was the fact that she could see the sky out the window and, with curiosity, she moved over to the window, eyes scanning over the area. There were people flying around - were those wings? Wait, she had wings, she realized. But... What did that mean? All of this was so confusing and, with hope that she could figure things out, she made her way outside, through a door rather than the window since she wasn't sure how to fly, or if her wings even worked.

(It was lovely. )

Sora watched as the boy began to stir, blinking curiously at him as he turned to look at her. His eyes were startling, looking as if they were on fire, and she looked into them to only find blankness. It made her brain hurt to not know anything, to not be able to recall any memories past this very moment, and as disoriented as she felt, it took a moment before a word bloomed, warmth billowing out in waves in her chest at the memory. She had a flash of him, of his eyes framed by a sunset that burned just as bright as his irises did, a laugh on his lips as he looked towards her. It faded fast, but the name remained. "Kaitou," She mumbled, and she moved more towards him slowly. "No- I'm not Kaitou, I'm Sora, but you're Kaitou, and I don't know how I know you, but I do," Sora said, mouth open a little in awe as her head pounded with a headache, the room feeling fuzzy at the edges.

Kirito made his way into town, a small one that was residing in neutral territory at the edge of the forest. There were many fae already out and about, flittering by on their wings or running on their feet on their way to do things. While many converged in groups, spilling with laughter or deep in conversation, he walked alone. He was sure there was much to admire about the game if he actually had the time to appreciate it, but it made his heart ache to think that Miza was somewhere trapped in the game without him. He was looking for a free vendor, intending on stocking up on a few things before he made another journey out into parts of the game that hadn't really been ventured through by most. He figured if Miza hadn't been seen around town, she must be somewhere where not a lot of people go to, to be hidden from all of the frequent players.

(Ah, I’m relieved! Also, sorry this took longer than expected. x.x)

Kaitou was mildly surprised to hear the girl voice his name. The voice almost made him feel like he recognized it, like he’d heard her voice call his name a thousand times before, but he couldn’t really recall those times. When she said her name, though, he realized that he recognized the name easier than he expected – and, with the name, came the knowledge that he knew this girl. He knew her hair, her voice, her smile. Reaching out, he couldn’t help but to cup her face gently, eyes narrowing in the slightest as he scanned her features while he tried to understand how he knew the feeling of her skin before he had even touched her. “Sora,” he repeated before he nodded slowly. “I think… I think I know you as well.” But, he just wasn’t sure how he knew her, or why, or what was going on for them to both be as confused as they were.

---

As she walked, Miza’s eyes scanned everything around her. She could see people flying above her, but she couldn’t quite figure out what they were meant to be called. They looked like they were having fun, though, and a big part of her wanted to have fun as well. But, she wasn’t even sure how to fly – or if she even could, - so all she could really do was pause in her steps and watch. Her mouth fell agape in awe and she wished that she understood this world. There were a lot of things that she wished she understood, though, like where she was, who all these people were, why she couldn’t remember anything, and a part of her idly wondered if anybody knew her, if anybody was missing her.

She smiled when he spoke her name, his voice echoing in her mind and seeming to knock around, trying to find somewhere to fit in, something that made sense, to no avail. His hand cupping her cheek made calm settle in her chest, and she leaned into it, her head moving slightly so that his fingertips trailed along her skin. It felt extremely nice, and somehow made her feel more at peace even though she felt no control at all over the situation. "Do you know why we're here? How we got here? I haven't got the slightest clue. I don't even know where to begin," Sora shared with him, her voice soft.

---

Kirito stocked up on what was absolutely necessary before making his way from the town. He had just worked on improving his armor and weapons for a whole week previous to be able to encounter the monsters that would probably reside in the woods that he was about to go through, and he felt a nervous sort of calm settle in his body. He was prepared to fight, but still wasn't able to shake the impending anxiety he had that lingered from SAO, where every battle could mean his very last. At least in this game, the only penalty to dying in battle was a restart in a nearby village, however he didn't have time to waste with that sort of thing. He wanted to achieve and win the battles he faced so that he could cover more ground, look for more clues of Miza. He cleared the entrance to the forest easily, and once he got farther along the trail the environment darkened, the trees covering the expanse of sky overhead. He stepped over overgrown roots and plants, pushing away branches as he made his way through.

Kaitou's eyes took in her features, his expression softening when he noticed her lean into his hand. It made him feel as though he'd seen this many times before but he couldn't recall a single time that it could have happened. Then again, her skin felt so familiar to him as well and it surprised him more than he thought was possible. "I don't know," he eventually murmured in response, though he sighed quietly. "I don't remember anything, aside from my name. I can't figure out why we'd be here or why we can't remember anything or what we're supposed to be doing." He frowned slightly, his hand dropping only to take her hand in his and squeeze it in hopes of comforting her. "Maybe we should wander around? See if we can figure anything out?" he suggested.

---

Miza had continued to watch people fly above her until she heard noise nearby. Quickly, her eyes darted to the direction the noise was coming from and she paused, her brows furrowing with curiosity. She hesitated only for a moment before her curiosity got the best of her and she took a step towards the sound, and then another, until she was out of the clearing and facing a darker area. Up ahead, she spotted somebody and her head tilted slightly when she realized they weren't flying. Was this person like her? Did they not know how to fly or not remember anything? "Hello?" she called out before she moved to take another step towards the figure, though her steps were hesitant now, worried of what to expect.

She listened to him speak, and when he offered that they should walk around, she nodded her head surely. His hand slipping down to take hers made her feel even more confident about it. "Maybe we'll find what we're looking for," Sora said, and she slid out of bed then, finding herself in a small nightgown, the floor cool underneath her bare feet. She looked over to Kaitou, and moved to explore the room, finding herself first go to the windows. She could see a whole world below them, it seemed like. She then moved along the walls, looking for a door or somewhere that they could leave from.

---

Kirito froze immediately when he heard a voice call out, his body overcome with chills at the sound of it, because it sounded so familiar. Miza? No, it can't be. He thought to himself, wondering if this forest played tricks on the players. Since he had paused, he was able to discern that there were steps approaching him, and he decided to move, then, knew that he had already been heard. He took a few more steps forward before he saw a figure hovering among the trees, seeing a clearing ahead that they must have come from. "Hello," He called out, moving closer now, and froze when he was able to make out the features. For a moment, he wasn't able to move his body, silent tears falling slowly from his eyes as he had the realization that this person looked exactly like Miza. "Oh my Gods," Kirito mumbled, faltering a half step forward, coming closer to the girl. "Miza?" He asked, his voice soft.

Nodding to her words, Kaitou watched her for a moment before he climbed from the bed and began inspecting everything. There was one closet, full of both male and female clothes, and he supposed that he and Sora shared it. He decided to inspect it later and began wandering around the enclosed space a bit more. There was a kitchen, it seemed, but he didn't inspect it much, only glanced passively at it before he continued his search. He spotted the door not far from the kitchen and he looked back towards Sora. "I found the exit," he called out to her, "Do you think it's alright to go outside?" He wasn't sure. Neither of them knew anything about this world and he wondered if it was dangerous.

---

Hearing her name fall from the boy's lips, Miza froze completely in her steps. Did her know her? Did she know him? Seeing the tears on his face made her heart ache and she wondered why he was crying. "Yes," she said after a moment as she nodded, "I think that's my name, anyways. It's the only thing I remember. Do I know you? Do you know me?" She worried about the answer. What if she only looked like somebody that he knew? She'd be back at the first step, being lost in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by people and things that she had no knowledge or understanding of. It was more than a concern; the thought of being all alone brought about a sense of fear as well.