She meets Kazuto two months into the game. She's brushing level 15, and there's a meeting for those who are interested in fighting the floor boss. They've finally found it, although the fact that it took them this long even with beta testers helping makes Asuna wonder who the hell is running things around here.

She freezes when Diabel tells them they'll need to party up, because she's still a solo player- Asuna helps Lisbeth with the occasional supply run, but other than that, she keeps to herself. She doesn't like the risk that comes with getting too attached, how exhausting other people can be. Asuna is an introvert by nature, and with the risk of all of your in-game loved ones dying, she's been kind of avoidant when it comes to other players.

Well, that, and gamers can be absolute assholes when they see a pretty girl, and Asuna has just about had it of people assuming she needs basic strategy explained to her.

"You get left out too?" A voice asks, and when she turns, it's a slight, dark-haired boy dressed in whites and blues.

"No," she replies, and she winces at how much of a lie that sounds like. "I'm kind of a solo player," she says, and the boy frowns at her.

"Well, my usual party is splitting up to help lower-level players, and I got left out, so want to party up?" He offers, and although she's kind of offended at the implication that she's low level, she nods.

Kazuto sent you a party request! Pops up in front of her on her interface, and she reluctantly taps the accept symbol. "Kazuto, huh?" she says, and he nods.

"Nice to meet you, Kizuna," he says, smiling, and she nods at him.

Diabel releases them, and she leaves Kazuto with a brisk nod and little else. She feels a little mean, being so cold, but she doesn't trust easy; Liz is basically the only close friend she has in this entire game, and they bonded over shared snarkiness and their habit of being overly honest.

Later, she's eating tough, kind of dry bread, alone on a bench, because she is the epitome of being a loner. She shifts away when Kazuto sits next to her, pulling out his own bread, and sighing when he bites into it.

"Isn't this stuff amazing?" He sighs, and Asuna raises an eyebrow. He looks over and laughs, retrieving another item from his inventory- she recognizes it as an item she got from a quest and then sold, deeming it unnecessary. "Here, this stuff makes it way better," he says, gesturing to it.

She taps it hesitantly, and drags her glowing finger over her bread. "Is this… cream?" she asks, taking a hesitant bite, and Kazuto nods, the item breaking as he puts some on his own bread.

"Got it from the-"

"Heifer Strikes Back quest, I know," she says quietly, digging into the bread. She really regrets selling hers, if she could have had this eating would have been so much better, if just for a little bit. "I sold it, though, I don't really see the point in having good food if we aren't actually eating it," she says, and Kazuto hums, taking another bite.

"I think it helps you stay yourself," he says eventually, and Asuna turns to look at him fully. "Like, even if you're out and exploring, you can get a little… lost, and you start to just fade. If you look at the Town of Beginnings, you see all these people just drifting, rotting away," he continues. "But good food helps, I think, keep you yourself. It's something to put effort into that's not fighting and monsters, y'know?"

For the first time in the last two months, Asuna doesn't know what to say.

She wants to ask what his cooking skill is, she wants to ask how he came to that conclusion, she wants to ask how he can stand being around other players constantly. Instead, she just sits there in silence, and Kazuto stands and stretches.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow at 10 for the raid, Kizuna," he says, and she nods, watching him go. She's left sitting on the bench, and she hates how unfamiliar the weight of hope is as it settles in her chest.

The raid comes far too slowly, and when 10 AM comes, she's raring to go. She walks alongside Kazuto, and does her best to ignore everyone else as Kazuto goes over the plan.

"So one of us knocks the weapon away," he says, and he sounds kind of like he's explaining this to a five year old and it pisses her off, because she's just as good as he is, if not better.

"Then the other attacks, so rinse, repeat, victory," she says, harshly, and Kazuto stops walking and just sort of stares at her. "Look, I get it, you were probably a Beta tester and are used to being better than everyone at this, but I'm not so much of a rookie that I need basic strategy explained to me."

"My mistake," Kazuto says, and the way he's looking at her now is more calculating, more considering.

"You're looking at me as an opponent, now, instead of someone to teach" Asuna says, turning and walking away. "Good."

Kazuto jogs a little to catch up with her, falling into step next to her. "Not an opponent," he corrects, grinning, "but one hell of an ally."

For the second time in far too short of a span, Kazuto leaves her without a response; and Asuna has to admit, she's not sure if she likes it or not.

They spend the rest of the walk in silence, and make their way to the boss room of the dungeon with relative ease. Diabel has them stop, to rest and eat and heal up, and Asuna double checks all of her armor and her sword, making sure that there's nothing that could possibly go wrong. "You ready?" she asks Kazuto, and he smiles, all self-assured and confident and god, Asuna kind of hates him.

"Always," he says, and Diabel pushes open the door to the boss room.


a/n: hi i changed kirito's name to kazuto because it works better! ty for reading 3