Limitless

Chapter 1:

In the beta, the staircases connecting the floors were short and uninteresting; a few minutes of hard, bare steps and stone-gray walls. This time, however - as Kirito plodded up the nth flight of stairs from the first floor to the second - the climb seemed unending.

What used to be nondescript stone on both sides was now nothing but open, indefinite darkness. The stairs themselves - translucent black, visible by their violet glow - seemed suspended in air, spiraling to infinity upwards in a narrow helix. It had the eerie effect of being cut off from everything else in the game, which was probably the creator's intention.

Kirito thought it was a nice touch; he certainly felt detached from the world as he stepped higher and higher, away from the gilded gate of the boss room - where the fateful battle with «Illfang the Kobold Lord» had taken place.

The door to the final room of the first level was ajar, though nothing came from the opening but the lighting, spilling over into the pitch-black of the interim floor. Kirito could hear the jeering, angry chaos of the surviving players, even a ways up, the noise echoing off the invisible walls and ringing in his ears.

Kirito winced at the sound, knowing that a good part of that fury was directed towards him, but he couldn't find it in him to regret it. At the moment, he couldn't find it in himself to feel much of anything.

There was only the game now.

He continued to climb the stairs, focusing on his destination miles above. The ruckus below continued; the black steps were swallowed beneath his boots.

After a while, time seemed to stretch on, the repetitiveness of the motions - left foot, right, left, right, again - taking it's toll on Kirito's mind. Was that Kayaba's intention as well? To make the journey from one floor to another feel grueling and impossible, until making it to the top didn't feel worth it anymore?

Kirito shook his head of the thought, but as he made to take another step forward, something held him back.

It wasn't anything blocking him, or the way weariness clung to his form. It took Kirito a moment himself to realize that it was the presence of someone behind him, not far away, and the soft click-click of heels on the ethereal flooring. Without his own footsteps to drown them out, the sound was clearer, more pronounced.

Kirito turned on his heels, but even before he caught the flash of auburn locks and scarlet tunic, he suspected it was her.

Asuna.

"Wait! Please, wait! There's something I-" the girl's familiar voice began to call out as she came around the curve of the stairway, only to find Kirito already waiting for her, leaning against the invisible barrier. "Oh. There was, um, something I wanted to ask you."

Asuna was panting and slightly flushed, as if she had run a marathon before catching up with him. For a moment, he thought she was falling into the «fatigued» condition - as seemed to be her habit of late - but then she straightened, wiping stray hairs from her face.

"When we were fighting the boss, you called me by my name, didn't you?"

Is that all this is about?

He rubbed the back of his neck, a bit sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Did I pronounce it wrong?"

Asuna shot him a puzzled look. "No, it's not that. It's just... I never told you my name. How did you know?"

His mind went blank for a moment, before the beta-tester remembered a conversation he'd had with her once before.

"If you look around here," Kirito explained as he raised his right hand, gesturing to the space above his shoulder, "there should be another HP gauge under yours. There's something written next to it, right?"

"Eh?" The girl's eyes clumsily averted to the left, as if searching for her health bar. "Ki… ri… to. Kirito? Is that your name?"

"Yeah."

Realization dawned on her, embarrassment and amazement sweeping across her face. As reserved as the girl had seemed at first, she was actually quite expressive.

A small smile; a self-depreciating laugh. "I'm so dumb. Sorry for bothering you like this - it was here this whole time and I never even knew!"

"It's okay."

And it was. Kirito found it was... nice, to see that at least one person didn't revile him. "A word of advice?"

Asuna tilted her head to the side, indicating she was listening. That was one thing Kirito appreciated about Asuna, in the brief time he'd known her: she listened. Even if she disagreed and decided to argue afterwards, she listened.

He would... well, he would miss that.

"You can be a strong player on your own. But if one day someone you trust invites you to join a guild, don't turn them down. There are limits to what a solo player can do."

"But you're solo."

And there was that disagree-ability. Kirito's smile was wan as he turned with a wave of farewell, because yes, he was - for better or for worse.

The last thing he saw before he fully confronted the stairs was her expression; conflicted, with a slight downturn to her lips, as if she wasn't sure about his answer - wasn't sure whether to argue the point or to let it go.

It was several moments before Kirito realized it; that the limbo between floors was quiet all for the distinctive clack of Kirito's boots against the steps, that Asuna's feet were silent, because she hadn't moved - hadn't followed him or turned back - and before he could wonder over it himself -

"Wait!"

Against every bone in his body, which told him to ignore her, because they were done - how many inane questions could she ask him before it was no longer endearing? - Kirito waited.

"What are you going to do now, um... K-Kirito?"

When he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, Kirito saw she looked flustered - a mixture of uncertainty and concern set in her lips.

He indulged her with a sigh. "Level up, keep on moving... Try to stay alive. Same as everyone else."

"On your own?" Asuna pressed, a tad dubiously. "Solo?"

"For now, yeah. Probably for a while, what with..." Kirito gestured toward the base of the staircase; the faint sound of voices arguing could be heard from the corridor. "You know."

Mobs. Torches. Pitchforks... The works.

"And you're okay with that?" Kirito found himself taken aback the sudden seriousness in her tone. "I mean... think about it. There were tons of us back there... If you go on by yourself, anything could happen..."

I thought you said nothing mattered, since we're all going to die anyway?

Asuna's lips were pursed.

"Thanks for the concern, but it's okay," Kirito replied, more confidently than he felt. "I know what I'm doing."

He turned and moved to bid her goodbye once more when he was reminded of something; Kirito had forgotten, in the midst of the chaos, that he technically wasn't solo at the moment...

Kirito raised his right hand and then pulled in a downwards motion, the main menu he was already so accustomed to flashing with a ping before his eyes.

A confirmation screen opened before him.

[Are you certain you would like to dissolve this party?]

"Nice working with you," Asuna still seemed troubled, but her gaze snapped up to meet his when Kirito spoke, moving to dismiss the hovering menu, "Maybe we can party again at the next boss?"

His hand never touched the screen, however, as abruptly Asuna grasped his wrist - just stopping him short of selecting Yes. "Wait!"

Kirito was too surprised to do anything but comply, stilling completely. Asuna's grip slackened immediately, as if surprised at herself.

"I - sorry - I just... I meant..." she trailed off with a shake of her head. When she started again, her thought was clear - "Why wait until then?"

She said it boldly, but her face flushed and she glanced away when Kirito's dark eyes widened. The girl hastily backtracked, trying to explain herself. "You said if there's ever a chance to partner with someone, I should take it. Why not now? We... Well, we do work well together, don't we?"

Kirito thought of the way the girl glided across the battlefield, switching in with deadly grace and back; always one step behind him, their movements fluid and seamless.

Still - When I said that, I wasn't exactly offering. "No offense to you, but I work better on my own."

Asuna seemed to scowl at that, which made Kirito frown. It was a nice invitation, but he wasn't sure what she expected him to say. It was a temporary arrangement they had agreed to, as two solo players partying for a boss raid... or at least, it had been a few days ago. What changed?

Is it because I'm a beta? That she thinks she'll have a better chance with someone who knows the game better than anyone else? How ironic...

"You said it yourself," Asuna argued; she seemed to be trying to keep her tone neutral, but Kirito could hear the tightness of displeasure in her voice. "There are limits to what a solo player can do."

"Again, thanks for the offer," he said. "But there are boss raids and parties like this for a reason. I can handle it."

That didn't seem to deter the girl at all. If anything, she seemed even more upset than before. Her eyes were stormy when she said, "Do you think I'll slow you down? Is that it?"

Her voice was challenging, as if daring him to say otherwise. Kirito sighed.

"If it were anyone else, then that'd probably be why..." he admitted frankly. Asuna's glare intensified, and she looked about to say something when he finished - "But I've seen you fight. Any guild would be lucky to have you."

"Why not, then?" Asuna flicked her bangs out of her face impatiently, before her hands settled on her hips. "I'm... Look, I'm not suggesting we form a guild, or anything - I don't really care about that - just... You want to get us all out of here and so do I. It's not the safest place out there, so... Why not work together, at least for a little while?"

"Look, Asuna..." Kirito began helplessly. The girl blinked at the sound of her name. "When I said you should join up with someone, I meant someone you could trust to - to, you know..."

To keep you safe, he meant to say, but after seeing the look on her face, Kirito trailed off.

If it were possible, Asuna's gaze hardened even further.

"Is this about - trust? You don't know if you can trust me?" she demanded.

The girl's expression was overwhelmingly indignant, but there was something else there, just peeking out from behind her eyes...

Kirito blinked at her, incredulous. "I trusted you to have my back in the boss fight, didn't I?"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but really - you'll be better off finding someone else."

The girl looked unimpressed, but Kirito moved to leave regardless; the second floor would be swarming with players soon - potentially hostile players - and this conversation was pointless.

He could practically feel the girl's gaze burn into his back.

"How do you know that?"

Kirito was starting to think that Asuna really didn't understand what it meant for Kirito be known as a beta-tester. Either that or the girl was telling the truth, when she said she'd rather die today than be trapped in SAO for years...

Because if the girl followed Kirito, that was a distinct possibility.

"I'm a Beater, Asuna," he reminded her wearily, twisting his head to shoot her a dry look. "Didn't you hear what they said back there?"

Asuna looked at him sharply, as if surprised. "You think I care what they say?"

"No." I know you don't. "But maybe you should."

"How can you say that?" Kirito started when Asuna slipped in front of him, blocking his path. "I know that wasn't your fault! You wouldn't have just let Diavel die... You couldn't have saved him - no one could have."

The events of the final room flashed before his eyes; Diavel motioning for the others to give him an opening as the great beast roared and thrashed - the panic that broke free the instant Kirito realized that something wasn't right - but by the time he moved to stop him, it was already too late.

Too late for everything. For Diavel, for the two thousand other people...

The beta-testers were just as much victims of this as all the other players, but that didn't mean Kibaou was wrong. Not about Kirito.

Did Asuna realize who she was talking to? Did she realize that the person she was asking to watch her back had turned his on countless others like her, the one time in his life where Kirito would have made a difference?

'I know you wouldn't have just let Diavel die-'

"Maybe not," Kirito allowed. He didn't recognize his voice when he spoke; it was far from its usual self, cold and emotionless. "But they're not wrong, you know. I know a lot more than everyone else here, and I didn't share any of it. I kept everything to myself."

It was true that Kirito hadn't known that Illfang would be wielding a nodachi, but he'd chosen not to share anything at all, and... "Maybe that's just as bad."

Something in Asuna seemed to snap at his words.

Her arms were shaking when he looked up, but not for the same reason that Kirito's were - the girl's body was coiled tight with anger, trembling visibly with the strain of it.

Asuna's voice was dangerously even when she spoke.

"Did you create SAO?" she began quietly.

Kirito froze.

"Did you rip those people from their families? Force them into some game world to fulfill your - your sick fantasy?"

Asuna's eyes blazed. The girl didn't touch him, but her burning gaze was like a physical presence, pressing down on Kirito's chest.

"Did you create this thing to fry people's brains and send everyone to fight to their deaths?"

No, but that doesn't-

"Those people back there - they're terrified and angry, and they're blaming you because it's easier than getting their act together, and I-" Asuna cut herself off with a muted screech; her cheeks flushed with emotion. "I don't care what they say. Beta-tester or not... It doesn't matter."

She looked ready to say more - to let loose everything she'd likely been feeling since this entire fiasco began, but never before had the opportunity - but instead Asuna gathered herself, turning her head to avoid Kirito's eyes.

The rest of her words followed slowly, as if caught in her throat.

"You could have left me back there, but... you didn't." Asuna smiled then, shakily but ever so gently, and added in a quiet voice, "Still don't know how you did that, by the way."

Kirito shook his head weakly, but... It was true; he had helped her.

If Kirito hadn't been in the Labyrinth that evening, how long she would have lasted was anyone's guess. Asuna had been insane even by Kirito's standards, training day after day in a perilous dungeon without rest, without crystals, and... and without anyone to cover for her - to watch her back when things turned for the worse.

Asuna was extremely skilled, there was no doubt, but the girl was still unfamiliar with this world - a stranger to her own limits - and that fiery determination in her eyes... it was dangerous.

She would go far with it - become powerful enough to clear the game - or she would die trying.

Kirito's heart clenched at the thought.

"Look, I get it," Asuna said suddenly, startling Kirito out of his thoughts. "You won't give me a straight answer, but... You don't want to. That's okay." She turned around, looking out into the blackness as she muttered, "Just forget it. I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Don't be, it's just... It's not a good idea," Kirito told her, though his words felt oddly hollow in his ears. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or upset - all he knew was that his chest felt tight and uncomfortable as he raised a hand to cancel the hovering window.

The notice - [This party has been dissolved] - flashed between them with a chime.

"Sorry," was all Kirito could offer as he carefully edged around the girl to resume his ascent. "Um... S-see you at the next boss raid?"

Asuna murmured a response, but Kirito wasn't close enough to hear what it was and didn't feel confident enough to ask. Instead, Kirito did what he did best in these situations - he fled, up the steps and around the curve of the stairway.

Why was it that all of Kirito's interactions with girls seemed to end like this? He couldn't understand them... First with Sugu, now...

Click-click, click...

It took Kirito only a moment to realize it this time. He stopped in his tracks. "...What are you doing?"

Asuna's form stilled somewhere behind him - likely just around the corner. He could hear the exasperation in her voice.

"Walking to the second floor so I can start leveling up." She caught Kirito's gaze as she walked onto the opposite flight; Asuna rolled her eyes at his astonished look. "What? First you dodge every question I ask, now I can't even walk on the same steps as you?"

She sounded peeved, but more tired than anything else. She's looking to what now? Just after a boss fight?

"Shouldn't you... you know, restock first? We just came back from a boss raid..."

"I'm fine," Asuna replied, a tad snappishly. She flicked stray hairs from her face. "Besides, I don't need to heal if I don't take damage, remember?"

Kirito stood dumbly for a few seconds. Asuna passed him without a word, and Kirito started to match her brisk pace. He tried again.

"Well... W-what about resting? Inns are more expensive on higher floors-"

"I told you - I'm fine," she ground out, shooting him a sharp look. She seemed offended by the suggestion, though Kirito could clearly see signs of weakness in her gait - a hitch every few seconds, slight shakiness, with shortness of breath; the system's signs of impaired performance.

They walked in tense silence. Why did Asuna have to be so... so difficult?

Why do I feel the need to care?

Things were so much simpler when Kirito just felt achingly empty, before she came all angry on his behalf and smiling and reckless... At least with Klein, Kirito wasn't worried about him being careless with his life, or about angry mobs, or about risky dungeons...

At least with Klein, Kirito felt like he had a choice.

A/N: Thank you to everyone for reading this far! This is basically my take on an 'if Kirito took Asuna with him after the first floor boss.' I know it's been done lots before, but what I've planned for this will hopefully take it in an interesting new direction.

If you think it's worth continuing... please tell me what you think!

[On a side note... This story is based primarily off of the events of the anime and SAO Progressive 1. It picks up just after most of what happened in SAOP1 (specifically, after Kirito storms out of the first floor boss room), but everything else after this will be nearly exclusively drawn from the anime.] Thank you!