Level Two: Dating

One month into the Closed Beta of Ryuuko:

"Hey, Akemi~!" Hiwa ran over to her friend as she was about to leave the school gates. "I've gotta pass on tonight's mission, I just got asked out on a date~!"

"A date…?" she asked, tilting her head. "Um… okay…? But you know that means I have to go solo…" she grumbled, feeling kind of annoyed. Hiwa was messing around on Hibiya now? Greeeeat… She didn't know what to do now.

"Yeah, I know you think I'm dumb." She chuckled. "Bye, Ake~!" Hiwa just ran off and left Akemi in her dust, as always… but once she was gone, the girl with glasses sighed.

"Idiot, what are you doing?" she asked, before she headed home. She entered her apartment and turned on the lights. "Guess I gotta go find someone to run the dungeon with me-" she paused. She thought it over. "Oh my god… you little…" she sighed, feeling like an idiot. "She KNEW he was the only one I could ask…" she leaned back onto a wall, staring at the ceiling. "… Well, no use moping over it." She shook her head. "Dinner first… then a bath… then I guess I'll go and find him…" she told herself before she went to get some ingredients from her fridge. Prepped potato croquettes, carrots, celery, potatoes, chicken… and the curry blocks of course… She sighed. "Makoto, I hope you want curry tomorrow…" she thought, smiling before she began cooking.

Once she was done eating and she finished her bath, Akemi had dried her hair and looked at her Nerve Gear. "… Well, here goes nothing." She shook her head, putting on the helmet and closing her eyes as she dove in to the game again.

Willow Lake Beta: Level 22

Black Fox looked around, seeing the fountain she'd logged off next to. But to her surprise, she saw Kirito standing there. "Hey." He waved. "You ready to go on that mission?"

"How did you…?" she blinked, pausing. "Did White Fox message you?" she asked.

"Yeah she said she had a thing with her friend, so she asked me to step in and help you out."

"Goddamnit." Black Fox hunched over, looking bothered. "What an idiot."

"Something wrong?"

"No don't worry… its an IRL problem… White Fox is being weird, is all…" she added. "Let's go, then… don't wanna waste the light."

"Right." He nodded, wondering for a moment if she was okay. She seemed a little angry with her partner… But for now he was just going to go along with her and make sure she didn't screw up. White Fox hinted at him that Black Fox was kind dealing with a family issue and that she was a little upset recently. So Kirito told himself that, even if just for a bit, he'd try and help her out. She was a nice enough person, after all… as much as he'd wanted to solo the game, some of the stuff he came across and the skills he wanted to attain required help from an outside party. One skill in particular required a summoner. "Hey, can I ask you something?" he questioned as they headed over to the dungeon.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked.

"When we're done with your quest, can you help me out with one?"

"Oh, sure." She nodded. "The summoner-related quest with that special sword skill?"

"Uh… yeah, how did you know?"

"Haha, I've got a kid brother who plays games. That was the first thing he told me about when he started talking about this game with me." She smiled. First time in a while he'd seen her smile, so he smiled back. "… He kinda wanted to be here…"

"Oh, so… you're here on your brother's recommendation?"

"Yeah…" she nodded. "Anyway, let's go. Seriously, can't waste the daylight." She smiled, Kirito nodding before he followed her to the dungeon where the quest was waiting. "If I remember right, both of our quests actually are in the same dungeon… just on separate plains…" she brought up a player map. "Yeah, yours is over there…" she pointed it out on the map. "And mine is in the floor above… so how about we take care of yours first, then jump straight into mine after?"

"Are you sure? We're originally here for your quest."

"I don't care." Black Fox laughed a little at Kirito and pat his head as they walked up to the dungeon door. "Besides, you got dragged in when it was supposed to be my partner helping me out." She added. "So I'll return the favor right now by helping you get that skill."

"Alright, thanks." He nodded, smiling. He got this sense of something from Black Fox. It was almost like she was protecting him? No… more like she was doing it subconsciously… They entered the dungeon and wandered around for a bit until they arrived at the door to Kirito's quest plain.

"Well, here's the door." She stated. "I think it'll be better if you stand back…" she stated. "I bet there's a real good reason waiting behind this door for a summoner to be necessary for completing this quest."

"Alright." He nodded, letting her stand in front, watching her take a deep breath, her ample bust rising with her shoulders before she pushed the door open, preparing her summoning magic for the battle they were both anticipating. But as she opened the door, a message appeared. "Huh…?"

"Dear summoner. Your magic has been altered for this special dungeon. While you are inside of it, you will only be able to perform two special summonings. One to change your appearance, into one of your Summoning Archtype's animal familiars. The other will be to create "wings". Do you still wish to enter this dungeon? If so, please enter the name of the person you are trying to enter the dungeon with, and we shall begin the trial." There was a keypad entry section, and she clicked on it to enter Kirito's name, not hesitating at all. "Welcome to the Hidden Dungeon of the Speed Demon Trial." The doors closed them in and the room was dark.

"So… your magic properties got changed huh?"

"Yeah, it's weird…" she pondered. "But… hey, gives me a chance to try something new~" she stated. "Let's see, what does the memory bank say?" she asked, opening it up. She found the spell directory, staring at it and memorizing the two spells she had access to now. "Oooh… okay, I got it." She nodded. "So I can turn into a wolf… and I can make wings… but why do we need wings?" she was trying to figure it out when Kirito noticed something slinking around in the shadows.

"Hey, something's here."

"Huh?" Black Fox barely dodged an attack. "Oh, crap! That was close…" She went to stand next to Kirito. The attacks kept coming, but neither one could figure out where the enemy was. "This is bad… one false step and we're skewered…" she stated. "I'm gonna use my first spell, so cover me while the timer for my transformation runs out."

"Right." He nodded, getting in front of Black Fox, readying his sword to deflect anything coming their way. As though on some cue, the attacks came out of nowhere, but only from one direction. There were just so many, but Kirito was still blocking them all.

"Chamber of Oblivion, I call thy name in accordance with the law of Hidden Dungeons!" a huge black magic circle spewing shadowy symbols formed underneath Black Fox. "Grant my request and give my new form solidity as I require it!" the shadows swirled and enveloped her before the timer began, Kirito still blocking attacks for her. He smiled, knowing that he wasn't going to last much longer. But the second the timer punched to 0, he moved aside, the attack he'd let through missing it's target and ending up getting stuck in the floor, causing the tool that was behind the high speed hits to stop. The "well oiled machine" had been jammed. Emerging from the black shadows was a black wolf paw, then a head… it was Black Fox… well, more like a black wolf, but her player ID confirmed it. It was her.

"Man, that's some crazy magic." Kirito muttered as Black Fox ran into the shadows, like she could see where her opponent was, and began growling and tearing up whatever or whoever it had been. When it was done, the magic wore off and Black Fox returned to normal, carrying a key.

"Here's the key to move forward to the next room." She smiled. "Shall we?"

Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture – Next morning

"No way, you two cleared it!?" Hibiya exclaimed, Hiwa and Hana staring at Akemi as she ate her bentou. "You and Kirito cleared both quests?! I-in just one night?!"

"Yeah…" she looked up at her friends. "Why…?"

"That's insane…" Hibiya fell back into his seat. "You two are crazy…"

"Told you he was a good person to go with~" Hiwa smiled cheerfully.

"But, weren't YOU supposed to go with her, Hiwa?" Hana asked, making the girl with pale brown hair pause and turn away. "YOU WERE." She slammed her hands on the table. "So where did you go instead?"

"Well." Hiwa put on her composed smiling mask and crossed one leg over the other. "I thought I'd go have some fun on the town. That's all. What were YOU doing last night, Hana? You're playing that GSO game aren't you?"

"Calm down you two." Akemi sighed. "Hiwa, stop pretending to be a badass, it's not good for your personality." She whacked Hiwa's head and made the girl pout at her. "Hana, don't get that far into Hiwa's personal life in front of a boy. Not cool." She hit Hana's shoulder, the girl grumbling but agreeing to it. Hibiya was still in shock about hearing that Kirito and Black Fox had gotten through those dungeons so easily. "Anyway." She sat forward in her seat. "What was I saying…? Oh, right. So after we beat the plain boss and Kirito got his skill, we headed up to the floor where my summoner quest was."

Willow Lake Beta: Level Thirty-Eight – One Week Later

Kirito was sitting with Black Fox, since she was done training up her skills and was waiting for White Fox. "Honestly, that girl…" she grumbled. Kirito was sitting next to her, since he didn't think it would be cool to ditch her after she'd just given him the special item drop from the dungeon they'd been in. It was a special sword, one that he didn't think he'd get from the chance item drop on the first try. But Black Fox had technically gotten it, and he'd offered to pay her too. But instead she just gifted him the item, no questions asked. He wanted to ask, but he didn't think it would be too cool to do that… she probably did it cause she had no need for it… summoners had no need for weapons. He just told himself she was being nice, and shook the thought off.

"Your partner loves to be late, huh?"

"Here, irl, doesn't matter what it's for or where it is… White Fox LOVES to make people wait for her." She stated, sitting up as she heard the girl's voice.

"Blaaaack Fooooox~!"

"Speak of the devil." She looked over and stood up. "You're late, White Fox."

"Soooorrry~" she giggled. "I was looking to give you some time alone with your black knight." she whispered to the blackette, nudging her arm.

"I'm gonna hit you." Black Fox growled, swatting at her friend, only to miss and get tripped into Kirito, who caught her. "Thanks, give me a sec." she stated, dusting him off before she went after White Fox and ended up whacking her in the back of the head. "And THAT is what you get."

"Maaan, you so violent sometimes." She scolded her friend, laughing soon after though.

"I have to be with a renegade girl like you backing me up." She said, Whit Fox giggling and hugging onto her. "Now get off, we have missions to go on."

"Yes ma'am~!" she jumped off and went to hug onto Kirito. "Soooo, let's go Mister Confident~!" she laughed and pulled him along, Black Fox sighing and trailing behind them as they headed up towards the dungeon where they were going to go after another quest together.

((Finished another chapter ; u ; Hope you like it...

As always I look forward to reviews, and next time I hope to input some conversation between Makoto and Akemi at the hospital~

-Winter Cheshire))