Ghost In the Machine

Chapter 4: Raison D'Être Avec Vous

"I'm not going to die. Because I'm the one who will protect you." - Asuna

October 25th, 2024
Aincrad: 22nd Floor

"PFFT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Please stop laughing..."

"HAHAHAHA! OH! I gotta stop! I'm gonna throw up!"

"Is it even possible to vomit in «SAO»!?"

"I don't know! But it feels like it! This is still hilarious as shit!"

Kirito kept glaring at Minato. The blue-haired teen was stuck in the middle of a laughing fit. Why was he laughing so much? The two boys left the Forest Home to go fishing at the lake. When they arrived, Kirito began to fish on the wooden boardwalk while Minato sat beside him, watching. Some time had passed before the «Black Swordsman» had even a nibble on the line. After almost falling asleep, Kirito was then awakened by a pull on the line. He struggled for a bit, wondering at the same time if it was the rumored "fish god." With one strong yank, it turned out that the "fish" was just a boot. For someone like Kirito to perform such a feat was... absurdly amusing.

Minato, who was on his back clutching his stomach, was trying to catch his breath. "Oh! Oh god. Haha! This reminds me of Animal Crossing. All those times I fished out boots and tires..." Minato sighed at the memories. "Hey Kirito, lend me your fishing rod. Perhaps I can at least catch something edible." Kirito frowned at the statement, but decided to give Minato the rod and stood next to him. This lake was known to have a very high difficulty in fishing, according to the players from Coral Village near the lake. Kirito wasn't sure if Minato's unknown skills were up to the challenge, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.

"Maybe I can fish out a Magikarp or, if I'm lucky, a Gyarados!" Minato said jokingly. He thought that this would hopefully be like Pokémon. At least in the games, you actually get creatures instead of miscellaneous objects. Minato stood up on the boardwalk with both of his hands on the fishing rod, assuming a stance similar to the way he handles two-handed swords. He flung out the lure into the lake and waited. A few moments went by and nothing had tugged the line yet. Kirito gave a small yawn. If there was anything that Minato learned from his time fighting against Shadows, it was to be patient. Suddenly, the line was tugged hard, and Minato almost fell off the boardwalk from the sudden force before he stood his ground.

"Minato! Do you need any help?" Kirito asked. The blue-haired boy held out a hand giving the "I'm fine" sign. Whatever this thing was, all Minato needed was a quick Tarukaja or Auto-Tarukaja and this thing would be in the ba-

"Is... is that really you? Minato?"

Minato paused, his eyes widened greatly. This voice... Kirito didn't recognize it, but Minato knew it all too well. They both turned behind them and at the other end of the boardwalk was...

"...Aigis?"

Minato stared at the voice's source, astonished. It was indeed Aigis, but instead of seeing an android-like body, she had skin all over her body. What really caught his eye though was that he saw ears other than red "headphones." Aigis was wearing a white tunic and pants that resembled armor beginner players of «SAO» would wear. Despite her more human appearance, Minato recognized Aigis' face.

The fishing rod slipped through Minato's hands and was dragged into the lake with whatever was on the line, in which Kirito shouted. "My rod!" Minato didn't pay him no mind, because his mind was on something else.

[[Go to her.]] Orpheus Telos and Messiah insisted.

He ran towards the blonde-haired girl and pulled her in for a strong hug, putting his head over her shoulder. "I can't believe it... You're really here? I'm not dreaming this?" Minato's voice was filled with sadness. Aigis, unable to hold in her tears, squeezed him. "I... missed you..." Aigis hugged Minato tighter after hearing him.

"My highest priority is to be with you, Minato..." Aigis whispered into his ear.

Kirito, now out of his brief stupor, was eyeing the two from his original position. He smiled at the sight. He didn't know who this girl was, but he was able to notice that she and Minato were intimately acquainted with each other. Having friends like that in «SAO» was comforting.

"Y-you came for me? But Aigis, that means you can't escape «Sword Art Online» until someone defeats the final boss on the 100th Floor..."

"I do not care." Aigis' voice roared with determination. "I only wish to be with you."

Minato didn't say anything. Aigis then felt something wet on her face. To her shock, tears were streaming down Minato's face. "I'm sorry," he said solemnly. "I never meant for you to endure so much..."

Aigis shook her head. "I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth to be with you. That's my main objective. As long as we are together, it doesn't matter now what happens."

Although there are multiple scenarios that could make the meaning of those words debatable, they calmed Minato down. They broke off their embrace and Minato wiped away his tears with his arm. Aigis was still feeling jovial with her reunion; she then noticed the black-haired boy on the boardwalk, who had supposedly watched the entire scene. Kirito sweat-dropped when Aigis shot a glare at him. Minato noticed this and grasped Aigis' hand.

"Don't worry, Aigis. He's a friend of mine." Minato led Aigis to Kirito, though her suspicions didn't cease. Through her new player vision, she analyzed Kirito and concluded that he was possibly a highly skilled player and a potential threat. Aigis wanted to believe Minato, but she was acting cautious for her own safety and, more importantly, Minato's. Her grip tightened and Minato internally sighed. He was beginning to feel déjà vu. 'I hope this isn't going to be the same as with Ryoji...' They walked up to Kirito and he had a friendly smile on his face.

"Kirito, this is my friend Aigis," Minato introduced. "We know each other in real life too."

"Are you sure you're just friends?" Kirito said slyly. Minato's face blushed slightly while Aigis clung on to his arm. "Haha, I see. It's nice to meet you Aigis. I'm Kirito."

"My name is Aigis. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kirito." Aigis' mood lightened up. She was thinking Kirito may not be a hostile threat due to his kind demeanor.

Kirito checked Aigis to see if she was actually a player and not a case like Minato. Sure enough, there was a player icon above her. "So how long have you been in «SAO» Aigis?" Her attire was exactly like a player's when starting «SAO». It's been almost two years, but there were still people who haven't progressed past the first few floors since this life-or-death game began. Surely everyone in the real world were aware of the situation. No one in the right mind would be stupid enough to play the game and endanger themsel-

"I arrived just moments ago," Aigis replied. Kirito's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!" Kirito shouted. "Do you know what you got yourself into?!"

"I do know."

"Then why would you enter «SAO»?"

"I want to be with Minato." Aigis' tone became serious. "I wish to assist him in his escape from here."

Minato gave a sad smile. Although he does appreciate Aigis' presence, he didn't want her to be wrapped up in this. Now that she was in «SAO», Minato had to accept that fact. There's no turning back now.

Kirito sighed. He could see Aigis' devotion and love to Minato. He understood her actions, but he still believed it was reckless. "Well, I guess there's no turning back now. I still think it was a dumb decision, but I can understand why you did it. It's been so long for all of us."

'It's been longer for me...' Aigis and Minato thought simultaneously.

"So," Kirito began speaking. "Since your Minato's 'friend,' we'd like to be yours too."

"We?" Aigis asked.

"Oh that's right!" Kirito exclaimed. "You haven't met Asuna yet!"

Aigis looked towards Minato. "Asuna-san is Kirito's wife," he explained. "She's also a player in «Sword Art Online». She and Kirito live on this floor together."

"I see," Aigis said. "If you do not mind me asking, Minato, what were you and Kirito-san doing before I arrived?"

"We came to this lake to get our hands on some fish for Asuna-san to cook."

"There is food in «Sword Art Online»?" Aigis asked.

"Surprisingly enough, yes. And you can actually taste it too! Asuna-san's cooking is delicious!" Minato puts his hands on his cheeks. "I bet she can even make ramen a 5-star entrée. You have to try it Aigis!" Aigis sweat-dropped at Minato's enthusiasm. "Anyways, we didn't catch any fish yet. Although, Kirito managed to find a boot!"

"Can we please stop talking about that?" Kirito grumbled. Minato snickered while Aigis giggled slightly.

"We still haven't got any fish, so we're going to keep trying until we get a decent amount. We can have you meet Asuna-san later, Aigis." Minato assured.

"I understand."

Minato nodded. "Alright, looks like it's back to fishing for me."

"At least I have another rod to replace the one you lost." Kirito said. Minato laughed nervously. "Wait, what do you 'it's back to fishing for you?'"

Minato cocked an eyebrow. "What? And have boots to eat? I'll admit, Asuna-san's cooking is fantastic, but I'm not sure even with her fried boots will be edible." Aigis stifled her laughter.

Kirito groaned into his hands. "This is going to be a long day..."

Some time had passed since Kirito and Minato left. Asuna lied on the couch Minato was on earlier, looking up at the ceiling. She was becoming bored with no one else around. She had already created some small dishes to go along with dinner. The boys didn't come back for lunch too. She assumed that they were either attempting to snag a lot of fish fit for a feast, or they were just being boys and went off on some side adventure.

Asuna sighed. "It's been a few hours already." She then brought up her player menu. "I think now I should send a message to-"

"We're back!" a familiar voice shouted.

Asuna shot up and went to the front door. "Finally, Kirito! You two have been gone for too long!" When she arrived, she saw only Kirito. "Wait, where's Minato-kun?"

Kirito pointed back to the door. "He'll be here in a second."

As soon as he said that, the door opened. Asuna saw Minato walked through the door, but here eyes were focused on the girl whose hand was gripping Minato's. The girl gave Asuna a blank look.

"Who's this girl Minato-kun?" Asuna asked.

Before he could speak, the girl spoke up first. "I am Aigis. I am Minato's... girlfriend."

While Minato didn't seem too startled by her statement, he was wondering where Aigis' assertiveness came from. Asuna was surprised.

"Wow... I knew you were cute Minato, but I didn't expect you to have a girlfriend this cute." Aigis blushed slightly and looked down. "I'm Asuna and I'm also Kirito's wife."

Aigis lifted her head up and smiled. Asuna appeared to be hospitable. Minato looked at Aigis and smiled too. It was nice to see her getting along with others. As far as he could remember, she mainly interacted with the members of S.E.E.S. in school and outside of it.

"I also know Aigis in real life." Minato said. "You could say we have a special relationship. She apparently just joined the game in order to be with me." Minato glanced at Aigis. Then his expression turned serious. "Nonetheless, I can't leave her behind, now more than ever. So, could she and I stay with you and Kirito for the time being?"

Kirito and Asuna looked towards each other. Without speaking, they both knew what their decision was.

"You two are more than welcome to stay." Asuna said happily. "Fortunately, our home has two bedrooms."

Minato and Aigis smiled. "Thank you two for your hospitality," they said as they bowed.

"It's no problem," Kirito said.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, why were you two gone for so long, Kirito?" Asuna asked.

"Uh..." Kirito sweat-dropped.

"He kept fishing out boots, so I had to fish for us." Minato stated.

Asuna fell over laughing. Kirito pinched the bridge of his nose. Aigis giggled into her hand.

"Speaking of which," Minato continued, "I caught a ton for all of us. There was something that challenged me a bit, but that was when I met Aigis again."

Asuna wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh well. At least you caught a lot of fish." She smiled smugly at Kirito. "Looks like you need to improve your fishing skill Kirito."

Kirito nodded. "I know dear. All right. Let's eat!"

Over the course of dinner, Minato and Kirito kept gushing over how incredible Asuna's food was again. Aigis, despite not needing to eat normally, chose to eat too. She commented on the different aspects of Asuna's food, right down to possible programmings. Even so, she did enjoy eating dinner.

After everyone finished eating, it was starting to get late. Kirito showed Minato and Aigis to their room and left for his room to get some sleep. Their room had one bed, so they'd be sharing it. Aigis, who was still new in «SAO», remained in her armor. Minato changed from his Gekkoukan clothes into a blue shirt and black boxers.

'Virtual hammerspace is weird... Especially with my case.' Minato thought. He never did bother to learn where all of his weapons, items, and equipment went when he wasn't using them. «SAO» he could kind of understand. Wait. What about his time in during the Dark Hour? 'Hey guys, do you know?'

[To be honest, I don't know either.] Thanatos said.

[Your stuff sure isn't with any of us.] Satan said.

'I guess we never really gave it any thought... Do we just store our stuff in our minds?'

[How does that even work?] Orpheus Telos asked.

'It could be that they're sent to some alternate dimension like what I saw in Twilight Princess. We can just summon them when we want to I suppose.'

[...What.] Thanatos said.

"The world may never know..." Minato whispered.

"Hmm? Is something the matter Minato?"

"Oh it's nothing, Aigis. I'm just tired." He walked over to their bed and lied down on the left side of it. "Aigis, you said that you followed me into here. How did you know I was in «Sword Art Online»?"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you, Minato. At least not yet." Aigis said, her eyes darting away from Minato.

"...I see. I'm sure you have your reasons. I guess what matters is that I'm here and I know this is real, in a virtual and non-virtual sense. At first, I wasn't even sure how I got stuck in this game. All I remember was seeing you on the roof of the school with my head on your lap. Next thing I know, I find myself on the 1st Floor of Aincrad. I didn't know what was going on; I had to keep my distance from others. I eventually learned the only way to clear the game was to beat the final boss. My Persona powers for some reason work in this world and I use it to my advantage. Can you do the same?"

"I have tried. However, it seems I cannot summon Athena in «Sword Art Online»."

"Oh well. I guess you're going to have to play the game normally."

Aigis nodded. "You know, Minato. When I look at you, you do not have a player icon above your head. Perhaps that is because of..." She trailed off. "Never mind."

"Huh. I guess I'll learn about it eventually. What I care about now is that you're here beside me. I'm so grateful for that."

"Minato..."

Minato yawned. "Let's do something about you tomorrow. You're a new player so it would be best for you to get some experience on the field and some new weapons and armor. But for now, let's sleep. It's been an exciting day for the both of us."

Aigis nodded and got on the right side of the bed. "Goodnight Minato..."

"Goodnight Aigis..."

?

"What the... who are you!?"

"..."

"I said, who are you?!"

"I'm like you people... I have no name. What did you guys just do?"

"What does it look like? Sad to say, you won't be alive long enough to tell about it."

"I see... You... bastards. Now you've really crossed the line."

"What in the world is that?! What are you doing!?"

"Hahaha... Come forth!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!? NO! STAY AWAY!"

"Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"

October 26th, 2024
Aincrad: 22nd Floor: Kirito and Asuna's Forest Home

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Minato jolted up from his bed, sweating and panting. "What... what was that?"

Soon after he shouted, Aigis, who was on Minato's right side, woke up immediately. "Minato! Are you alright!?"

"I'm... I'm fine. It was just a nightmare. Thank you, Aigis." Minato ruffled her hair. "Good morning by the way."

Aigis was wary of Minato's sudden outburst, but dismissed it quickly. 'I wonder what his dream was about...' "Good morning to you too. Perhaps we should check to see if Kirito-san and Asuna-san are awake."

Minato nodded. "Yeah. The sooner we can have you get adjusted to «SAO», the better. What do you want to use?"

"Based on my analysis of the weapons data from the game, I would like to use a sword and a shield."

"A shield? Huh. I guess Athena does have a shield as well. Alright, I'm gonna go check to see if they're up yet." Minato got up from the bed and left the room. *sniff* "Ooooh. Breakfast."

A/N: *clasps hands together* Gomenasai! I'm really sorry! I wanted to upload chapter 4 Friday night, but I got caught up in reading the manga version of Nisekoi (I'm a fool for love stories *rubs back of head*). Then Saturday I had a major headache and only got some of it done. I try to make one-week updates on Fridays or Saturdays.

Moving right along, I dropped a ton of references to games and anime in this chapter. They were too good to pass up! So, Aigis is now a player in «SAO». What will happen now? Find out next time on the next exciting chapter of Ghost In the Machine!

As always, thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated!

Question: Who should Kirito and Asuna introduce to Minato and Aigis next chapter? You guys can list a few.

Also, I'm looking for a beta-reader to help me with the story!