Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online. I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is based off the Alicization Arc with some differences and deviation from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. On a note, I like to experiment with alternate pairings as well as alternate versions of events so if that does not sit well with you, then I suggest you not read any further. That being said, enjoy and please review!

Interesting Truths and Revelations

"Ok, can you lift your arms a bit, Kirito?" Alice asked from her seat behind the washtub that Kirito was sitting in.

"Um, is it all right if we skip that part, Alice? You know I'm a bit sensitive there…" the raven-haired youth answered sheepishly.

Asides from requiring assistance to get dressed, Kirito also required assistance to bathe due to his arms having limited reach. Since he had woken up from his vegetable state, it became routine for either Alice or Selka to help Kirito bathe by scrubbing him while he was sitting in a tub full of hot, soapy water. Before that, they gave him sponge baths while he was lying in bed or on the sofa.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm afraid not" she answered. "If you're not thoroughly cleaned, you will smell."

Kirito found himself offended at the implication. "You know, I may be partly disabled but you really don't need to do anything more than draw my bath. I think I can manage to bathe on my own at least; I'm not a baby, you know."

"No, but you're not that far from being as helpless as one" Alice replied. "And you're whining like a baby too."

Kirito had to bite down on his lip to refrain from groaning. There's got to be some way to get her to leave me alone… he thought in desperation. It's embarrassing enough that I need help getting dressed; I want to at least be able to take a bath in peace without anyone making fun of me.

After searching his mind for a few moments, Kirito thought he finally found a way that might get his caretaker to leave.

"Ok, if you're so concerned about me being thoroughly cleaned so that I won't smell, why don't you just join me in the bath so you don't have to strain your arms reaching for my parts?", he suggested jokingly.

As he waited for Alice to respond, Kirito held his breath. He had expected her to throw the sponge she had been using to scrub his back at him in disgust before storming out of the washroom and slamming the door.

In fact, Kirito had expected pretty much any reaction from the former Integrity Knight except the one he got.

After a moment of silence, Alice replied in a quiet voice. "You do have a point, Kirito. That would make my job easier. Just stay where you are and don't turn around."

Oh, God why did I have to open my big mouth? Kirito thought nervously as he heard a soft rustle of a woman's dress and undergarments falling to the floor before Alice stepped into the tub with him.

"Ok, now will you lift your arms, Kirito?" the blonde asked again as if she thought nothing of bathing naked with a young man who wasn't exactly her significant other.

Kirito swore that if his face and body grew any hotter, he would evaporate all the water out of the washtub. Though it was normal in some cultures of the real world, including Japan, for friends and family members of the same sex as well as couples to bathe together, he had never done so with anyone. *1* Not even with Asuna. Still, Kirito did as Alice asked since he could think of no excuse to refuse her request anymore. After all, she was his "wife", in a sense.

Like most conservative societies in the real world, it was considered improper, though ironically, not against the Taboo Index, in the Human Empire of the Underworld for a man and woman to live together unless they were married. So, in order to avoid arousing suspicion and drawing other unwanted attention from the locals, Alice had been passing Kirito off as her disabled husband since they had arrived in Rulid over three months ago. *2*

In addition to his fake marriage, Kirito also, ironically, chose to use his true name from the real world as his alias and cover in the Underworld. Such a measure was necessary since he was still technically a criminal wanted by the Axiom Church for violating the Taboo Index. Asides from his name change, Kirito assumed another reason he had been able to evade capture by the late Pontifex's Integrity Knights and other minions so far was likely because they were told to be on the lookout for an exceptional and able-bodied rogue swordsman. Not the pathetic cripple he now was, one who was almost completely dependent on his "wife" to survive.

Trying to steer his mind away from that depressing thought, Kirito turned it towards his caretaker's scrubbing of his sides and underarms.

"That tickles!" Kirito complained childishly, even though he did ask for it and he knew it.

Alice rolled her eyes and Kirito could almost feel them on his back. "Seriously? After all these months, I thought you would have gotten used to it by now, Kirito" she said matter-of-factly.

"It's only been little over a month, actually" he corrected defensively. "You know I couldn't feel anything when you and Selka bathed me while I was still a vegetable, Alice."

"Oh, come now, Kirito" Alice teased with a smirk. "You've faced goblins, Integrity Knights, and even the Pontifex herself without flinching yet you're afraid of a little scrubbing of your sensitive bits?"

"Alice, please be careful how you word things!", Kirito pleaded in embarrassment. "People can easily misunderstand what you're saying!"

"Yes, that would be true if we were in public. But look around now, Kirito. Do you see anyone else here but us?"

I give up… Kirito groaned inwardly. It didn't matter what he said, nothing was going to deter Alice from insisting on cleaning him thoroughly in every sense of the word. And Kirito was certain that wherever Eugeo was, he must surely be laughing his head off at his best friend's embarrassing predicament right now.

"Ok, ok, you've made your point. But are you sure you're ok with this? I mean, I was only joking about what I suggested earlier."

"To get me to leave? It looks like you should be careful how you word things since people can easily misunderstand what you're saying, Kirito."

"You've got to be kidding me…" the raven-haired youth groaned, finally unable to hold it in any longer.

"I'm not. At least, not this time" Alice said. "That's what you get for thinking you can outsmart me."

"Oh, heaven forbid…" Kirito mumbled.

"Hmm? What was that?"

"N..nothing! Lets just get this over with…"

"Of course. But since you did ask me to join you, it would only be fair for you to help me get clean too, wouldn't you agree?" Alice suggested while taking a moment to enjoy watching Kirito squirm as he struggled to find the right response to her request.

"I…don't mind, Alice. But to be honest, it would be hard for me to do that with my back turned to you" he confessed.

"It's all right. I'm already in the tub and the water is quite soapy so you can't see anything."

"Ok, if you insist, Alice. Where would you like me to start? Your back?"

"Yes, that would be ideal" the blonde agreed and Kirito heard the water in the tub move as she turned around.

Once he felt it was safe to do so, Kirito finally turned and found, to his relief, Alice's back to him. As he had expected, her long blonde hair had been put up into a braided bun to keep it from getting wet. Taking the sponge she handed to him over her shoulder, he dipped it into the bathwater and made sure it was soapy enough before bringing it to her back. Even though there wasn't anything unusual about a supposed married couple bathing together, Kirito still felt a little awkward about sharing his bath with anyone since he wasn't used to it. But he didn't want to be rude by refusing Alice's request. Especially since she had been taking care of him for months so this was the least he could do for her in return.

"Have you ever taken a bath with anyone before, Alice?" Kirito asked curiously while hoping she wouldn't hit him for asking. Fortunately for him, his caretaker was not offended.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Because you seem quite comfortable being in here with me when just a few months ago, you were upset that I stained your dress while carrying you up the Central Cathedral."

Now it was Alice's turn to blush. In all honesty, she had been quite impressed at Kirito's efforts and success at carrying her nearly all the way to the top of the Central Cathedral, armor and all. Even though she wasn't terribly heavy, Alice still knew that she wasn't exactly a light little flower either due to all the muscle she had put on with combat training to be an Integrity Knight. And even though she couldn't bring herself to admit it then, Alice did feel bad about giving Kirito a tongue-lashing for sweating all over her dress after all his trouble simply because she did not know how to express her gratitude at the time. *3*

"Well, about that…"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry…" Alice finally apologized. "I shouldn't have over-reacted over something so trivial like my dress getting dirty when we had far more important things to worry about. I know its long overdue, but thank you. And not just for carrying me up the Central Cathedral, but for helping me break the seal as well. Now that it's gone, I have the freedom to do as I wish without being restricted by the will of the Pontifex. Losing one eye was a small price to pay."

Kirito's expression softened and he no longer felt awkward about being in the bath alone with Alice.

"Its all right" he said softly as he continued to scrub her back and arms. "Even though you were supposedly my enemy at the time, I couldn't just let you plummet to your death. I don't think anyone deserves such a fate. Well, there might be a few exceptions, though. But you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do…" Alice replied, knowing that Kirito was referring to Quinella, the late Pontifex of the Axiom Church, and possibly her former lackey, Prime Senator Chudelkin, as well. "You might think this strange, but even after all the grief that disgusting pig put me through, I actually felt sorry for Chudelkin when Her Eminence casually tossed him aside like garbage after you had taken him down. Especially when he had served her faithfully for so many years, possibly even centuries. I always believed he was even more loyal to her than the Integrity Knights themselves. Although she was clearly in the wrong, Chudelkin obeyed and enforced Administrator's will and edicts faithfully and without question while uncle, err… I mean Commander Bercouli and the other knights doubted and questioned her, including me."

"No, actually, I don't think that's strange at all, Alice", Kirito assured. "Chudelkin's loyalty is admirable, even if it was blind and geared towards someone who clearly didn't deserve it. And part of being human is having compassion for those who are suffering-even if they are your bitter enemies. I told Eugeo that as well when he wanted me to leave Vice Commander Fanatio to die from her injuries after we defeated her. The fact that you can take pity, even on someone like Chudelkin, is proof that you are still human with a human heart- not the mindless and unfeeling doll Administrator wanted you to be."

She didn't know why, but Alice found herself comforted by Kirito's words and turned to face him. Even though he can behave childishly at times, the raven-haired youth was also surprisingly insightful as well.

"You sound almost like a wise old man when you say that, Kirito", she teased as a smile curved her lips.

Kirito laughed softly as he tried his best to keep his eyes on Alice's face instead of letting them wander anywhere below her neck since both of them were unclothed and in a rather compromising position, even if there was no one there to catch them in it.

"Thanks a lot for the compliment. I do feel like an old man at times too. Mentally and physically."

Alice frowned when she realized that she had unwittingly reminded Kirito of his physical limitations.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way", she apologized.

"Its ok, there's no need to apologize, Alice. I'm well aware of my limitations and the best I can do now is try to overcome them or live with them. One or the other."

"I see…speaking of which, how's your arm?"

Knowing that Alice meant the one she and Selka had re-attached, Kirito said "Its fine. Even though I can't lift anything heavy with it, I still have feeling in my arm."

"I'd like to look it over again after we get out, if you don't mind."

"Its not necessary but if it makes you feel better, you're welcome to look at it."

"Good…well, we better get out of the tub before our skin turns pruny. I'll go first, so please turn around."

Kirito refrained from rolling his eyes and did as his caretaker asked.

"Sure thing, Alice", he said.

SSSSSS

Kirito sighed and tried to relax as Alice, who sat on the living room sofa next to him, gently massaged the muscles in his outstretched right arm and hand, starting with one finger at a time before moving up to his forearm and then bicep.

"How does it feel? Does it still hurt?" the blonde asked in concern while trying to be as gentle as possible and avoiding the crude scar around Kirito's right bicep where his arm had been severed and later re-attached a month ago.

Before escaping the Central Cathedral in Centoria, Alice had made sure to take Kirito's severed right arm with her as well as the boy himself despite his protests to leave them both behind. After Kirito had fallen into his vegetable state, she had to use one of her Sacred Arts spells to preserve the limb until he became coherent again since the ritual to re-attach it would not work unless he was fully aware and conscious.

Looking back on it now, Kirito wished that didn't have to be so since the process had been agonizing for him. He swore that for as long as he lived, he would never forget the searing white-hot pain that ran through his body when he felt the dead nerves in his arm slowly come back to life and reconnected themselves with those in the stump where it had been severed. And despite Alice and Selka's best efforts, the result of the ritual was still imperfect because Kirito's right arm was considerably weaker than it was before Quinella had sliced it off during their duel at the Central Cathedral.

Fortunately for him, the scar around his bicep no longer hurt even if it wasn't exactly a pleasant sight to look upon. To avoid drawing attention to it, Kirito always made sure to wear shirts with sleeves long enough to cover the scar, which resembled a sunken red cut, whenever he went out in public. Which wasn't often.

"It's alright now" Kirito assured. "You don't have to worry because I don't feel pain there anymore. My arm won't fall off again if that's what you're worried about."

Alice rolled her eyes at the raven-haired youth's crude joke even though she was sure he didn't mean anything by it.

"Trying to keep the muscles in your arms and legs from atrophying is no laughing matter, Kirito", she replied matter-of-factly. "The only thing worse than being a vegetable that can't move is being fully coherent and not being able to move or do anything because your muscles have deteriorated."

"I was just kidding, Alice. You must really learn how to take a joke; you're always so serious. Kind of different from how you used to tease me and Eugeo about telling old man Garitta to increase our cutting quota whenever you saw us playing around the Gigas Cedar as kids."

Alice raised a brow. "Hmm? I don't remember doing anything like that" the blonde said even though Kirito caught her blushing and couldn't resist teasing her a bit more.

"Of course, you don't remember anything clearly from before you became an Integrity Knight, Alice. But do you remember the time you freaked me out when you pretended you were going to eat both of the steam buns I had while we were climbing the Central Cathedral walls? And when you knew I was starving? That wasn't too long ago. Anyone who can dish out a joke should be able to take one, no?"

If she had her sword with her, Alice would have flashed it in Kirito's face as a warning not to make fun of her like the time she saw him snicker at the sound of her growling stomach from that long climb up the Central Cathedral wall. But since she didn't have her Sacred Weapon at the moment, the ex-Integrity Knight did the next best thing and yanked on his arm hard, which did hurt and would have even if it hadn't been severed before.

"Oww! What the hell did you do that for!?" Kirito whined as he stared at Alice in shock.

"I don't like people I'm going out of my way to help making fun of me" the blonde snapped even though her face was as red as a tomato as she tried her best to look angry.

Knowing that Alice was more embarrassed than anything and not wanting to be hurt any more than he already was, Kirito ceased his teasing and apologized.

"I'm sorry" he said. "I didn't mean anything by it. I appreciate everything you've done for me, but you didn't have to, really. I think it would have been better if you used your Sacred Power to regenerate your eye rather than re-attach my arm."

"What do you mean?"

"Alice, I'm not blind" Kirito answered. "I know you didn't have enough power to heal both your eye and my arm or you would have already done it. You should have left me as I was and worried about yourself instead."

Alice looked down to avoid Kirito's steel-grey eyes as she started massaging his arm again. Even though they no longer possessed the fighting spirit they did when she had first met him and looked sad most of the time, his eyes were beautiful still. The blonde didn't know why, but it made her heart flutter whenever Kirito looked at her like that and could not help but wonder if she used to feel that way about Eugeo as well.

"It's all right" Alice insisted. "I can function just fine with one eye. For you, it might be a bit more difficult to get by with just one arm. Even if you did give it up willingly."

Startled at the unexpected remark, Kirito asked "What do you mean, Alice?"

"I mean that like you, I'm not blind either, Kirito. While I may have been incapacitated and unable to fight at your side while you were dueling the Pontifex, I have been observing the both of you closely and carefully."

"And?"

"And the late Pontifex is not believed by people of the Human Empire to be god-like for nothing, Kirito. I hate to say it, but one of the reasons you defeated her was because she didn't start to take or fight you seriously until it was too late."

"Not that I don't believe you, but can you please clarify?"

Alice sighed. "Here's what I think, Kirito. If Administrator, or Quinella as you said her name was, had truly wanted to, she could have easily defeated and killed you quickly by slicing your head off from the start. It would have been little trouble with her lightning speed and monstrous strength. But being the arrogant and sadistic witch that she was, Quinella decided to target your right arm instead, thinking it was your dominant one. All because she wanted to see you struggle to fight her with your left arm alone for a while before finally moving in for the kill like a predator toying with its prey. However, she didn't realize that you were ambidextrous and dropped her guard after cutting off your right arm, enabling you to plunge Eugeo's sword into her heart. In short, you deliberately chose to sacrifice your right arm to create the opening you needed to strike the Pontifex down, am I right?" *4*

Kirito raised a brow at his caretaker's amazing deduction of how he really defeated the late Pontifex of the Axiom Church.

"Yes, that's exactly right, Alice" he admitted. "Even with the Night Sky and Red Rose swords at my disposal, the difference between my power and hers was still great. Unlike me, Quinella could probably keep going forever. So, I had to end the fight quickly before my strength was depleted and letting her cut off my arm so I can stab her with Eugeo's sword was the only way I could think of. Tell me, what else do you know?" he asked curiously, his interest in her knowledge piqued.

"I've also noticed that you held Eugeo's sword in your left hand, the one you used to destroy Quinella. You later chose to cut your left wrist with it and now you keep his sword at your left side when you sleep at night. It's all because it was Eugeo's dominant hand, wasn't it, Kirito?"

"Yes, that's also correct" he confirmed. "Few people know this, but Eugeo was originally left-handed. However, after he became a swordsman, he was determined to master the use of his right as well." *5*

"Because he admired you for being ambidextrous?"

"That could have been one reason", Kirito admitted. "But I also told him that it would be a good idea to learn how to fight with both hands in case his dominant hand became injured or incapacitated."

"Good advice" Alice agreed. "Advice that you yourself took earlier in your life from someone else, right?"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you weren't born with the ability to use both hands well either, correct?"

"Wow, you're really good at this, Alice" Kirito admitted in admiration as he found himself smiling and wondering what else the blonde can figure out about him just by observation alone since they had become re-acquainted again just a few months ago.

"Thank you" she replied good-naturedly. "So, which is your dominant hand, Kirito? Originally?"

"My right" he answered. "It took me half my life to learn how to use my left hand just as well. It also took half my life to learn how to use a sword as well as I did. However, for Eugeo, it took only two years for him to learn the sword and master his right hand so no one could tell he hadn't been doing both for a lifetime. Personally, I think that makes him more remarkable than me. But let me guess, you've noticed that too, didn't you, Alice?"

"I have…" she admitted. "When I watched you two duel, I could not tell that Eugeo had only two years of sword-fighting experience or that he was born left-handed. He was indeed incredible in battle. Not that you weren't too, but I really think you would have had more strength and energy to fight the Pontifex as well as more time to figure out how to defeat her without having to sacrifice your right arm if you had allowed me to fight Eugeo instead."

At Alice's words, Kirito's smile vanished and his expression became dead serious.

"No, Alice. Out of the question."

At the raven-haired youth's tone, which was now like a whiplash, Alice was startled and looked into his eyes.

"What?"

Taking her by the shoulders, Kirito returned Alice's stare and for a moment, she thought she saw the fire he once had in his piercing grey eyes when he did battle return.

"I mean it, Alice. Even though the situation has already passed, if I had to do it over again, I would not, could not, let you fight Eugeo in my place."

"And why is that?" she demanded. "Do you not have faith in my ability to fight as a swordmaiden?"

"No, that's not it, Alice. I've always had the utmost respect for your sword fighting abilities and you know this."

"Then why?"

"Its because… because I knew how he felt about you, Alice" Kirito answered fiercely. "How he really felt, even while under the Pontifex's control. His feelings were such that even the synthesis ritual could not erase them completely because I saw him falter when I asked if he truly did not care about you. I also knew that Eugeo would've never been able to forgive himself if he had ended up hurting or killing you; it would've destroyed him once he woke up and realized what he'd done. And not just Eugeo, I could not bear to see you harmed either so I had to be the one to fight him no matter how painful it was for me personally. Because it was the only way to protect the both of you."

Alice found herself stunned speechless by Kirito's answer, one she had never expected to hear. The lengths this young man was willing to go to protect the people he loved, even those who turned against him, and regardless of the cost to himself, was nothing short of astounding.

Not knowing what else to say, Alice apologized. "I'm sorry, Kirito…" she began quietly. "It's because of me that you had to fight Eugeo. The way you talk about him would make anyone believe that you were as close as twin brothers, not just best friends."

Kirito shook his head. "No, it wasn't your fault, Alice. It was Quinella's manipulative, lying tongue that turned Eugeo against us. But thankfully, he was able to come to his senses in time."

"Because of you. Even after Eugeo had turned against you, you still believed in him."

"I did. And I always will. In fact, if it wasn't for Eugeo, I would've never been able to defeat the Pontifex; my strength and power alone were simply not enough. That's why you've never heard me complain about losing my right arm. Because the price Eugeo paid for our victory was much, much higher."

Alice frowned, thinking again how unbelievable it was that a sadistic tyrant like Quinella had successfully managed to masquerade as a benevolent leader who claimed to love all her subjects, for centuries when what she really wanted was absolute control over them. And regardless of the cost. Especially since she was willing to sacrifice as many of her subjects as it took to stay in power as well as keeping the Integrity Knights small in number and preventing the people from building an army that might rebel against her. *6*

Even though Alice knew it was pointless now, she could not help but feel her disdain towards the late Pontifex spike. Not only had Quinella stolen her precious memories to force her fealty and obedience along with the other Integrity Knights, she also had no qualms about using Alice herself as a pawn to pit two young men who had been as close as brothers against each other. And though Kirito had never admitted it until now, he didn't have to, of course, Alice knew that fighting Eugeo was possibly the hardest thing he had ever done. And he did it without holding back since Eugeo would have surely turned his sword on her next if Kirito himself were to fall.

"I understand, Kirito. Your friend seems to have been a very good man; I only wish I got the chance to know him better…again, at least."

"You did know Eugeo, Alice. You used to know him very well, even if you cannot remember."

"Then tell me…"

Kirito smiled. "Do you really want me to?"

"Yes… if he really had meant as much to me as he did to you, then I'd like to remember Eugeo."

"Alright, Alice. If that's how you really feel, then I'll tell you everything I can remember about him. How about I start from the day we met you and became friends?"

"I'd like that."

Kirito leaned back on the sofa as he tried to recall his earliest memory with Eugeo and Alice from the time he made his first dive into the Underworld as a test subject for the STL. Once he had a good idea of where he wanted to start, the raven-haired youth began their story like a fairy tale from a children's book.

"Once upon a time, there were two boys and a girl born in Rulid on the same day…"

Footnotes:

1. In the U.S, bathing together is considered quite intimate and usually done by couples only. But in Japan and some parts of Europe, it is considered perfectly normal for people of the same sex to bathe together in public spas and bathhouses, especially if they are friends or relatives as well as couples.

2. To parallel Kirito's "marriage' to Asuna in the world of Aincrad, I've made Alice his second "wife" in the Underworld as a cover since people may question why they are living together if they weren't married.

3. In canon, it is a running gag that Kirito is often abused at first by the same girls who end up falling for him. This includes Asuna, Sinon, and Alice.

4. Ambidextrous means being able to use both hands equally well. While some people are born with this ability, it is also a skill that can be learned with practice. In my fic, both Kirito and Eugeo were born with one dominant hand but learned to be ambidextrous.

5. It is not clear in canon which was Eugeo's actual dominant hand at birth. But in my fic, he is left-handed and Kirito always holds Eugeo's sword in his left hand and keep it at his left side to symbolize this.

6. In addition to not allowing the people to build an army, I've assumed that Quinella also kept the Integrity Knights small in number so that they would not rebel against her. Especially since the synthesis ritual does not erase their memories completely.