I was once a renowned warrior, the Black Beater, Kirito. I was a solo player, entailing a life of solitude, isolation, endless grinding and farming; only returning to civilization in reaction to the two essential needs of all players here: hunger and fatigue. The towns and inns were boring, filled with newbies and lost lambs, needing guidance from some holy messiah, elite player in this sense.

My favorite place in the entire world is floor 22, in the Coral Village. There's always an air of mysteriousness around there, a dark forest covers half of the area, and the other half is a psuedo-paridise. I was drawn to this place not because of the beauty, nor the amazing sense of harmony with nature many often achieve here; I was mostly drawn here because of the lack of players. Nearly no one lives here, and the only people in my knowledge out here are on the other side of the lake, or merchants who are probably lost in the middle of nowhere. Both incredibly easy to ignore. The silence and lack of players was its ultimate charm, and I found it almost as if it were an haven for my troubled mind, a secluded asylum if you will.

Now I'm mostly dragged around by Asuna as she performs her duties in the guild, and talk to her quietly, watch as her eyes, a light hazel, burned with passion for things as simple as the taste of the bread in the tavern, or to things as serious as the loss of lives on the front line. She has this arrogance around her, not a distasteful, annoyed air, but more of an infallible pride. Her chin was always up, stride long and flowing, her voice a always a little louder, a little more commanding than everyone else's. I smile whenever she loves to yell at the other members of the guild. Work harder faster, why are you all slacking off, as though everyone around her were just slothing around. It's not like we were all fighting for our own liberation from this game.

I think that's what everyone has always perceived her as, Asuna, vice captain of Knights of Blood Oath, someone focused only upon leading her subordinates to victory and clearing the game. Walking down the roads of larger towns I always hear whispers of admiration and awe, as if she were an infallible guardian, someone so far out of our league she seemed just as distant as the fluffy clouds that dominated the skies of Aincrad. I know better. She's just as human as all of us, just as clumsy, flustered when provoked. She's stupidly obsessed with cooking, mastering it far before her sword skill, despite it being absolutely useless in battle. And though she seems brazen at times, delve a little deeper and you'll see she's a caring friend and an amazing companion. She values physical appearance just as much as stat bonuses, sometimes more. Her hair is always worn down, with a brand braided across the back of her head, as if it were a mini crown of her luscious, orange locks.

In battle Asuna's a valkyrie, a warrior princess with the agility of a leopard and the nimbleness of a field mouse. She darts in and out of the enemies, and her signature graceful jumps make her look as though she flies through the air in brief spurts of angelic power. Despite her deceivingly frail and adoring physical features, she hits like a tank. Her rapier is an extension of her arm, and her arm, along with the rest of her body, a representation of her fiery soul. Sometimes it is comforting to know Asuna is no damsel in distress; if she wanted, she could kick anyone's butt.

Agil says I've taken a liking to her. Personally, I don't think so. The Black Beater, never associates with anyone, unless they are incredibly powerful and worthy of his attention. Or if they're a good friend. A really, really good one.