"Kirito, what town is this?" Part of Leafa hoped the second floor would look different. Maybe bricks? Something to make it look distinctive would be nice. Instead, it's dull, as if the curtains to a play rose only to reveal another set of curtains. If she didn't know any better, she'd say they stepped into Tolbana again.
Her brother's eyes dart around. "Urbus. A few good restaurants. Overpriced vendors. We better get going."
Leafa tilts her head to the side. "Brother, why's your little diamond thingy orange?" She points over his head. His was green. Hers is green. Asuna's is green. Heck, even that jackass who threatened her had a green diamond thingy.
His hands tighten into fists. "That's why we need to get outa here. I struck a green player outside a duel. I'll be orange for about three days."
Asuna clears her throat. "And what does that mean?"
"It means the game labeled me a bad guy for the time being, and I can be killed by others without penalty. Normally, killing someone gets you a permanent orange."
Leafa stomps on the ground and huffs. "That's stupid! You defended me against captain shitface and-"
"Language, Leafa." He crosses his arms. "I'm going that way." He points down a dirt path. "I want you two to get some supplies here. The boss reward should be enough. Then, meet my contact in the town square. She'll have painted whiskers."
Leafa stands with her mouth hanging open. What? Asuna recover quicker. "Why?" You'll leave me so soon, big brother?
He points at Asuna. "You need to get a guild." He motions to his sister. "And you need a new sword. She'll get you set up with both. I'll be waiting for you both."
Before either girl could respond, he dashes off. His black trench coat flutters behind his feet. His dark form contrasts with the browning grass of the topography, mostly just rolling hills like last time.
Asuna grabs Leafa by the hand. "Let's go before the witch hunt arrives." She drags the younger girl through the town. As they rush, Leafa notices a few subtle differences from the previous floor. It smells more like fall, early fall. The people seem a bit dirtier. The stalls have fewer metallic choices and more agrarian or wooden ones. A more rural level?
The redhead pauses at one vendor, a man with skinny arms and a giant mustache. He has clothes behind him, devoid of any flamboyancy and designed for practicality instead. Definitely a rural level. Without saying anything, Asuna opens a purchase screen and makes two purchases. Two brown cloaks materialize in her hands. "Here." She holds out one, so Leafa takes it. Cloaks seemed to work for Asuna, so it should work again.
They repeat the same process two more times. Once with food and again with basic healing potions. Both times, Asuna gave half to Leafa. Her heart was pounding by the time they reached town square. She hadn't experienced the exhilaration from a frantic shopping trip in… months. I miss home.
"I take it you shop a lot, Asuna?" The girl in question plops herself down on a bench. Leafa does the same. "It looked like you knew what you were doing." The town square has over a dozen benches around the perimeter. A large stone well sits in the center surrounded by a patch of grass. Footsteps clatter around them, attached to players motivated to explore a new world.
"Sorta." The redhead looks around. Every second seems to be another player coming into their view. Leafa doesn't recognize any of them from the raiding party, but one will show up sooner or later. She hopes none of them will notice two cloaked girls sitting on a bench. "But, not in this game."
Leafa looks at her group member. She sits reserved but proper. "Why'd you stay with us?"
Asuna opens her mouth to reply but closes it. Leafa hears the word Beater in some conversation two dudes have, but they walk by. She doesn't turn to look at them. "Kirito knows the game, and you two are nice people." The rapier wielder glances at her feet. "And, uh, you're a girl… That's…"
"Nice? Yeah." She giggles. She thinks the same way! "We were the only two in the raiding party. Must've been why they acted like idiots." She opens her menu and fumbles with the controls. After a few tries, she succeeds. A friend request pops in front of Asuna. "Wanna be friends?" The girl tentatively presses the button. "Great!"
Now, that's three people on her Friends List!
"Who's Klein?" Asuna leans over to get a better look at the girl's screen. "Boyfriend?"
"Eek! Ew, no." She shakes her head as her face reddens. "He's twice my age. He helped me out a little as we've been playing, including when he told me about the boss raid. Nice guy, hopelessly single, and the leader of a guild."
"I'm with Kii-bou." A hand strong wraps around either girl's shoulder. The voice sounds nasally but female. "I'm the info broker. Act natural." Leafa glances at the presence behind them.
The info broker can't be more than a year or two older than her. Under the cloak covering her dirty brown hair are six whiskers painted on her face. She smiles like a Cheshire cat, but her eyes betray a wit and cunning beyond anyone her age should possess.
The info broker whispers, "There's two idiots in ninja garb at my five o'clock. Walk outa town with me, and your info will be free." She shifts her voice to a loud and cheery one. "It's so great to see you two again? How's it been?"
What the hell? "Great!" Leafa stands. "Let's get going. We have a lot to catch up on." Also, idiot ninjas? I didn't think this game had any of those people.
The info broker stays uncomfortably close to the two girls, an arm around each. She leads the pair through the streets in Kirito's direction. Leafa tries to spot two ninjas, but she sees only normal players and NPCs. No one gives them a second look.
They leave the city and with it the safe zone. The info broker veers off the path but seems to know where she's going. The grass on the first floor felt soft under her feet. This grass crunches, almost like leaves in the fall. "They're still trailing us." The mysterious girl sounds more annoyed than afraid. "Can't let them see Kii-bou, right?" The girl stops, forcing the others to stop as well.
They turn around. She spies two figures approaching in the distance, dressed in fully black clothing. It will take a few minutes for them to arrive.
"Will they be hard?" Asuna rests her hand on the rapier's hilt. With her hood up, Leafa can't see the girl's face, but her body seems tense.
"For you two? Nah. Challenge them to a half-health duel and beat the shit outa them." The girl pinches the top of her nose and shakes her head. "Where's my manners? The name's Argo."
"Nice to meet you, I'm-"
"You're Leafa. She's Asuna. Kii-bou gave me a heads up, and I'm about to help you two a lot."
The youngest of the trio tilts her head to the side. "How come?"
"Kii-bou is my favorite customer!" She giggles. "Plus, you're gonna get me a lot of money. Those ninjas know there's a Martial Arts ability on this level, one that doesn't take up your skill slots. Since they're assholes, I'm not selling the info. Instead, you three will get it, punch some monsters, then everyone will be clamoring for it." She smirks. "Guess who's the only one they could go to?"
"I take it you're a businesswoman, maybe your parents?" Asuna hasn't taken her eyes off the ninjas once.
"That'd cost ya 10,000 cor." The redhead shakes her head. "Thought so. Anyway, lets get this over with. I don't feel like wasting any more time with these idiots." She takes an item out of her inventory and hands it to Leafa.
"This is Kirito's sword." The blade feels heavier than her previous one.
Argo gives a thumbs up. "Yep, being a middleman means I'm carrying around tons of cool stuff others wanna sell. This sword is the best one you can get one the first two floors. It's yours for free. I'll cover the cost. I'm losing a boatload of cor on this."
"Why?"
"First, I want you to whack those ninjas." The girl looks at the ground and clenches her fists. Gone is her playful tone. "And if anyone should've known someone was looking for Kii-bou, it was me. I didn't. This my apology for my failure." She looks up again, her face cheery once more. "We good?"
Leafa nods. "Of course."
Argo leads them behind a hill, one among dozens. At the bottom, Kirito sits and stares into the distance. Leafa has no idea how the info broker and her brother knew this specific location would be their rendezvous point. "Brother!" The girl sprints toward him, but he doesn't turn around as he stands. She sees only the back of his head.
"Was everything alright? It… took you a while." Something sounds off about his tone, but she can't place it. It's as if he forces his words to sound normal.
Argo yawns. "Yeah, they beat the crap outa some ninjas. Nothing to worry about. Got Leafa an Anneal Blade too." She walks up to the boy. "You ready to go? We, uh…" She looks back at the two girls the moment she reaches Kirito's side. "That way." She points to the distance. "Three hour walk. You can walk ahead a bit, Kii-bou. I'm gonna make loyal customers outa these two." She grins like a predator.
Kirito nods and marches forward. She sees the corner of his face. Was… was that…
Argo puts her arms over either girl's should. "Since you two are newbs at gaming, I can give you a quick rundown free of charge. I wouldn't want any of my customers dying on me!"
Asuna nods. Leafa does as well, but it was automatic. Her thoughts dwell on Kirito. I'm sure of what I saw. Big brother is crying. Why aren't you letting me help you? What did I do wrong?
A small mountain range looms ever closer in the distance. Unlike the land around it, the peaks are a dark grey. She can't spy any life on them, just rock. It stands in direct contrast to this area. Along with the browning grass, small shrubs dot the hills, some cross between tumbleweeds and bushes.
The mobs here seem dangerous. They hadn't fought any yet. Argo and Kirito led them past the enemies, sacrificing experience for speed. She sees mobs of cows, killer cows. She'd giggle if they were playing a game. Instead, at least one player will be killed by a herd of cows if they don't clear this floor soon enough. She saw a few centaurs in the distance too, though Argo kept them far away from those guys.
They reach the mountains, and Argo shows them a rocky, unused path behind an outcropping of boulders. "This'll take you there. Old guy with an even older dojo. You can't miss it."
Kirito turns around, the first time he revealed his face in hours. Leafa sees no trace of tears. "Thanks, Argo."
The girl chuckles. "Thank me only if you complete it, Kii-bou. If you do, tell me about it. Okay?" He nods. "Alrighty! See you later." Asuna and Kirito walk down the path. Leafa follows, but she stops when a hand grabs her wrist. Argo whispers, "Take care of him. Got it?"
"I'll be glad to." Argo sends a friend request. She accepts. "You're gonna try to find Asuna a good guild?" Argo gives a thumbs up. Leafa glances at her friend list again… Would this work? "How good is Klein's guild?"
Argo shrugs. "The Fuurinkazan? They're a mid-level guild. Probably won't make it onto the front lines for the next few floors. I'd say their guild leader is one of the better ones, and he's a good customer." The girl chortles as she realizes what Leafa suggested. "Them? That'd be hilarious to see a bunch of grown men trying to be samurai and a girl simply killing everything with a rapier instead. Yeah, I'll look into it."
"Thanks." She glances back at her two companions.
"Good luck."
"You too." Argo sprints off. Leafa jogs towards her group.
This is day three. Three days. Two nights. What have they been doing? One thing. Punching a rock. They're been punching a hard rock for three days. If this was real life, Leafa's hands would look like ground beef.
She sits with her brother. Asuna punches the rock. Today, they decided to take shifts. It sucks, though Kirito has it worst. Until they complete the quest, six painted whiskers rest on their faces, just like Argo's. On Asuna and her, it looks fine. Meanwhile…
"I still think you look like a dork." She nudges him in the shoulder. He grunts and keeps his ever-present serious face. For the past three days, she couldn't get even a smile from him. "Lighten up. We'll get it eventually."
"We're missing all the good exp. If we don't do this, it'll be a lot of time and pain sacrificed for nothing." He shifts. Rocks down make the best seats. They should've bought a pillow or two when they were in town.
"Don't be so pessimistic." She gives him a warm smile. "I'm sure we can do it." Her brother grunts. "And stop being so gloomy. Are you going to spend the entire game being alone and wearing black?"
"I'm still going to wear black." True. His Coat of Midnight has that name for a reason. "It's… Just be careful, okay?"
They sit in awkward silence for minutes. What can I say? He looks through his game menu. What can I do to open him up? Oh! If I can't get him to talk willingly, I'll force him to clarify things!
"How'd you know Argo? Is she your GIRLFRIEND?"
"No! No! Nothing like that!" He stands and waives his arms back and forth. His cheeks become redder than apples. "I knew her from the beta. Since I was solo, I needed a lot of info. That's all!"
She suppresses the urge to laugh and continues with her charade. "Really? Then why'd she call you, Kii-bou?"
He rubs his eyes. "Ugh, that's just how she is. You'll get a nickname soon enough. I think she does it to remember hundreds of names."
Leafa laughs. "You're so easy to tease!" She can't say anything else for the next minute. She's too busy laughing. The moment she starts to calm, she looks at his embarrassed face and laughs all over again. "Kirito, the best player in Sword Art Online," she says in a serious, deep voice. "His only weakness, mentioning the word girlfriend."
He shakes his head. "You're unbearable."
She points at him. "And you need to stop being so broody and loosen up a bit. If not, I'll force you to." His shoulders droop.
The boulder breaks with an explosive crack. Brother and sister jump back. Asuna's arm is still outstretched, but she has a wide grin on her face. "I figured it out!" She punches the remaining hunk of the stone again, and it breaks apart. "It's easy! I can show you in no time!"
Finally.
They enter a town, not a city. Kirito said these are used by players for their inns. That's about it. Every floor has its giant starting city, and there's another large town somewhere; however, the designers thought there should be more safe zones. They'd be dotted around every floor, with only NPCs inside them most of the time. This is one of those towns.
Perhaps village would be a better word. It has an inn which serves some food and drink on the first floor. Two NPCs have shops selling some of the most basic potions and foods. About ten other buildings exist. Kirito mentioned that the NPCs live as if they're real people. If they broke inside the buildings, they'd find kitchens and bedrooms, maybe a few children. I wonder if they know they aren't people.
"Brother." She points to a sign. "Could we buy this?" After squinting to see in the dimming light of the setting son, she reads, For Sale by Owner: 150,000 Cor. It's a one-story house with a straw roof. A brick chimney exits through the left side of the roof. The home couldn't have more than two bedrooms inside from the small size. The walls are made of stone and… "Mud? Is that mud?"
"Yep." He yawns. She told him he should be getting more sleep. Maybe he'll sleep more now that his orange curser moved to green. "Mud. Don't worry. These things won't degrade. It's more cosmetics than anything, though this is a good price." Asuna walks ahead of the siblings. She talks to an NPC with an exclamation mark over her head.
"Bleh, I wouldn't wanna live here." Except for the one night before the boss raid, she slept outside. Even so, she has standards. This house doesn't meet them. "I'm fine with renting rooms."
He shrugs. "We'll get a place of our own eventually."
Leafa analyses her brother. Is he being serious? "Really?" She gets a nod in reply. "Really!" She claps her hands together. "We'll get a home? Oh, I wanna table, a pretty wood table. And we can have plates. Maybe I could get a cooking skill too! I could make miso soup or maybe figure out a way to make soy sauce! We could get a clock, the kind with a little bird! And-"
"Leafa." He claps his hands on her shoulders. "Slow down." She takes a deep breath. They never talked about this before, but she'd love the idea. They'd have a place all to themselves. Their happy home in a world of hell. "For now, we'll camp and rent. By the tenth floor or maybe sooner, we could buy a place. People started buying them at the end of the beta. Eventually, a hundred and fifty thousand won't even dent our pocketbooks."
"Hey, guys!" Asuna waives at them. "This girl offered me a wood-chopping quest. I'll be behind that building. It shouldn't take long."
"Keep an eye out for any other players. Okay?" The redhead nods at Kirito before running off.
"You sure she can't stick around, brother?" Asuna hasn't been the most talkative person… Well, she does talk, but it's on the more serious side, like Kirito. Neither of them wants to talk about silly or stupid things. Even so, she proved that she'll stick by their side. With assholes like Kibaou around, that'd come in handy. Plus, she could have girl talk. Leafa loves her brother, but there are some conversations that wouldn't work with him… Though, maybe I should anyway just to mess with him.
"I'd love to, honestly." He blushes a little. "Don't misinterpret that, but…" He scratches the back of his head. "Going solo would be safe, but I'm not doing that. A duo isn't that bad of a choice, but three could be risky. It'd be better if we had an even number or were in a larger group. Plus, you and I have Beater stigma. I don't think Asuna has any. I'd prefer to keep it that way, at least until the emotions and furry die down. They will eventually."
She nods. Kirito opens his menu to check the time. "Argo should be here any minute. She's good at arriving on time for rendezvous." He walks to the wall of the for-sale building and leans against it. After adjusting his Coat of Darkness, he crosses his arms. Seeing another opportunity to mess with her brother, Leafa takes the same position with one… minor adjustment. "Leafa, why are you puffing out your cheeks?!"
To get you to stop being so serious all the time! She deflates her cheeks and giggles. "I was making my Broody Kirito pose. You like it?"
He sighs. "Can you please stop teasing me? It's not nice." Not nice? Not nice! I'm doing this to be nice. This is the only thing that can make you stop clamming up.
"Then open up a little!"
He throws his arms up in frustration. "I'm being perfectly open!"
"No, you're not!" Tears stream down her face. She found being even a little sad would cause her avatar to bawl. "You were crying when Argo took us to you! I saw it." He takes a step back and looks away. "I…" I messed up. Kirito clenches his fists. I shouldn't have said that. "You… You're hurting too. Don't pretend to be strong. I…" She scrunches her eyes shut to stop the tears. She blurts, "I think you're the strongest person I know anyway!"
Through gritted teeth, he mumbles, "Why? I get you stuck here. Now, I can't protect you either. That crowd almost-"
"You got them to stop. That's why I think you're strong. No, I know you're strong. Just… just don't shut me out again. Please."
She turns around and walks away. I blew it. Damn it! A strong hand grasps her wrist. Without letting go, Kirito walks in front of her. His eyes lock onto hers. "If… If you ever think I'm withdrawing from you, tell me. I don't want to do that anymore, not to you."
"Okay." She raises her hands to hug him. He nods.
Even some of the NPCs stopped what they were doing. With smiles on their faces, they watched two young players hugging in the middle of the street.
Yui's Comments:
A lack of communication hurts any relationship. Kirito and Leafa took the first steps in that regard. This chapter and the next one (and maybe more) will act as transition pieces. The period between the boss raid and meeting the Moonlit Black Cats was wide. Quite a few gaps need to be filled. Asuna and Argo get some characterization. Asuna will find where she belongs. Anti Beater and Beta sentiment will continue.
As in many fanfictions, Argo will have a presence, though that should be somewhat obvious with what happened in this chapter. There are several important characters in this story (like me!) that haven't even been introduced yet, but the story can't become too sidetracked. It is, after all, a story about Suguha and Kazuto. I'm sure the author will pull it off!
Onto the responses to the wonderful reviewers! Thanks, Yui. Wow, there's a lot here. Hurray! Also, forgive the author if the comments seem… off. They were written late at night (or early in the morning depending on one's perspective) with a large headache. They aren't edited as closely as the actual story. Thanks for warning them, Yui.
Goodalwayswins98, you're right in that Kirito's different response will lead to a different sentiment (and different group of clearers) among the masses. That'll be a major part of the next chapter. One of the things I like doing in AU fics is having the effects give positive and negative changes to the story. I don't want it to be too grimdark or unbearably happy. As for Sinon, those are the reasons I like her. Plus, it's how she has a full character arc that's well-written.
SaintInfernalNeos, trying to balance emotional maturity and the young age of my protagonist can be a bit tricky. This chapter was particularly hard for writing Sugu. In some ways, she was acting very childish, but it had a mature purpose behind it. She saw her brother hurting and wanted him to open. Since teasing him seemed to work best, she pressed from that angle.
Kazuto's reaction wasn't technically negative to Sugu saving him from their grandfather. (Also, I had a continuity error in that. Oops.) He was closing off already with quitting kendo being a part of it. Since Sugu had no idea what he learned and what was going through his head, she assumed that he might have been closing off because of her somehow. Miscommunication kills.
I do have a few things planned out very specifically. (For example, I know what I'll be doing with Klein and his guild, Asuna, and the Laughing Coffin respectively.) Other things can be less planned, such as character relationships. (For example, I know generally how I want Silica's relationships with Kirito and Leafa to generally end up, but I'm not exactly sure how they'll get there.) Then again, a character occasionally writes their own scene and I must make a few changes to my plans as a result.
As for Asuna, you'll see if she'll be sticking around with them long-term next chapter. And you're right, Kirito is very guilt-ridden and now somewhat (rightfully) paranoid about the dangers other players pose to Leafa.
Td03, thanks for liking this! I hope you'll enjoy the ride!
Worker72, I did wonder if the player reaction was too subdued. I think the only thing that saved Kirito was his screaming how Leafa is his thirteen-year-old sister. He essentially just defended his sister from a grown man screaming at her.
The next chapter will also cover the (lack of) organization among the clearers. I also fully intend to complete this. For me, the question is more where I'd want to place the ending. At the end of the SAO arc? Maybe a little after? I already know how the story could progress into the GGO arc. So many choices!
Flo463, everyone seems to be interested with Kirito punching Kibaou in the face. I'm honestly surprised I don't see it being done more often. Kirito takes on the evil beater mantle time and time again. Also, that's a lot of people who you like shipping. Maybe one of those will happen… maybe…
Warorpeace, from what I can tell, orange is permanent if a player kills a green player without provocation. The cursor becomes temporarily orange under the case of assault, as in Kirito's case. I might be wrong, but those are the mechanics I'm using until I find other information.
As much as Kirito wanted to honor Diavel, he wasn't going to hold back when defending his little sister. I agree. It fit with his personality. Oops. I'll fix that spelling error you pointed out.
Quality over Quantity, yep, no harems. Kirito now has a companion for the entirety of his time in SAO. Hopefully, it will be for the benefit of both of them.
Anyway, thank you everybody once again for all the support! Yui, don't spoil any characters appearing like you did with Argo.
You're no fun.
I know. You'll get your fun eventually.
Okay!