It's been what, a month? Maybe more. But I haven't given up on any of my stories! I had some trouble finding time to write due to...finals *shiver*. I'm still sorry about the long update time though. Anyways, I'll stop ranting. If you could leave a review, it would make my day!

P.S. Betaed by Random Useless Info. Thanks man!


"I absolutely refuse to do that," Asuna deadpanned. Argo looked at her pleadingly.

"Please. It's the easiest way," she begged.

"But it's not the only way."

"Do it for Kii~bou."

Asuna hesitated. "But can't we just talk to him normally? Why do we have to…seduce him?"

"We can't just walk up to him and ask, 'Hey, can you run around with us so we can follow our friend?' Nobody would agree to that."

"But…fine."

"Yay!" Argo grabbed Asuna's hand and dragged her into the bar.

Inside was an absolute mess. Drunken people were laying across the floor, their drinks spilled. A fistfight was going on in a corner; a crowd of men surrounded the area, cheering the combatants on with slurred voices. Maids sat next to and on some other bargoers, whispering into their ears as they stealthily pickpocketed them. Amidst the chaos, a single, fiery-haired Salamander was drinking at the counter.

"Tell me that's him," Asuna said, pointing towards the man while glancing at the rest of the pub.

"Fortunately, yes," Argo replied. "Keep your eyes down and your body in. Don't draw attention to yourself."

"Heeeellllooo gurls."

"Welp shit," Argo mumbled. The two turned around to see three men approaching them.

"Youuuuu luk lik you want copany," one of them managed to say.

"No, but thank you," Asuna said politely.

"Aw, come on babe," another said, trying to swing an arm around Argo. She shoved him off. "We can has lotz of fun."

"Aa-chan, we should go," Argo mumbled, backing away.

"Agreed," the strawberry blonde replied nervously.

"Where are you going?" the third man asked, his twisted voice tainted by alcohol and sudden malice.

Asuna tensed, expecting that the men would jump her and Argo.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" All five turned their heads as Klein approached the group.

"Nuthin. Just talkin."

"These girls seem pretty scared though," Klein commented.

"Pfft. Just pretendin."

"Yeah, he's right! We aren't scared!" Argo said defiantly. Asuna facepalmed.

"Wha-oh. But um…we would like to get out of here, yeah."

"See?" Klein said. The men growled.

"Who are you, anyways? Their boyfriend?"

"NO!" the girl cried out in unison. The entire room quieted and looked at them.

"…That was harsh," Klein mumbled. "But, yeah. I'm not."

"Then piss off."

"I don't think I will."

The drunks glared at Klein, their teeth bared. Klein stared back, his expression neutral.

"Conflict is unnecessary," he said after a while. He pulled out a small pouch and flipped it; coins clinked from within. "How about you take this and we go our separate ways?"

The lead man's eyes shot from Asuna and Argo to the bag and back. He licked his lips, debating. "Fine," he said at last. Klein tossed him the money and the three guys retreated.

"Bastards," Klein said once they were out of earshot. "Anyways, what are you two doing-" He was cut off as the girls grabbed his arms and dragged him outside.

"Thanks," Asuna said once they stepped through the doors.

"No problem," Klein replied. "I could never leave damsels in distress." Argo rolled his eyes before locking them with Asuna. She gave a slight nod, and the Undine shuddered.

"Sooooo~" Argo said, suddenly latching herself onto the Salamanders arm. "This big, strong man saved us, didn't he? Wow, that's like, so cool."

Asuna sweatdropped. Laying it a bit thick there Argo. Only a fool would fall for-

"Oh, um, yeah!" Klein said, straightening up and puffing out his chest. He tried to make his voice deeper, but it ended up sounding ridiculous.

Nevermind…

Argo shot her a glare while Klein wasn't looking. Sighing internally, Asuna assumed a strained smile and hung onto his other arm.

"And he's so handsome too," Asuna added with a giggle, the words tasting like sawdust as they exited her mouth.

She looked up at Klein and had to hold back a laugh. The poor man was able to handle one girl, but two girls in close proximity to him, probably for the first time in his life, proved to be too much. He was gaping like a fish and Asuna couldn't decide whether his face or his hair was more red.

"I-uh-um…" he stammered.

"Maybe our hero can help us with another teensy little thing?" Argo asked, batting her eyelashes.

Klein gulped. "Yeah, sure."

Asuna grinned in victory before slowing leading him away from the bar. "You see, we need to find some…thing," she said slowly, trying to sound as seductive as possible. "We need some assistance though."

"Of course! What is it?"

"Well, before we get to that, you should know that it's aaaaallll the way in Gattan," Argo added.

"The Salamander capital?" Klein asked incredulously. "That's pretty far…"

"You still up to it?"

"Definitely! A samurai NEVER backs down!"

"Promise?"

"I swear upon my old granny's grave that I will help you in any way I can."

"Great!" The girls instantly detached themselves from Klein's sides and dusted themselves off. He looked at them with confusion.

"Um…what's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're going to help us find Kirito," Argo answered nonchalantly. Klein promptly tripped and fell flat on his face.

"SAY WHAAAAAAAT?!" he screamed once he picked himself up.

"He ran away, and we need a guide to get to and navigate Gattan," Asuna said.

"But-"

"You prooomised~" Argo sang evilly.

"…I hate you both."


The first thing that Kirito noticed when he entered Gattan were the looks. He couldn't read them too well, but he knew something was up. He got the impression that he wasn't exactly welcome.

It's probably because I'm a Spriggan, Kirito deduced. But I thought the Salamanders and my race were on good terms? It doesn't matter; I'm not leaving after a weeklong journey through the blazing heat.

He pulled at the collar of his long coat, sweat beading his forehead. He starting walking through the streets; the first thing on his list was to find a suitable inn.

He finally found a nondescript building tucked away in a shabby corner of town.

The Moonlit Black Cat, eh? he thought, looking at the sign. The name is quite a mouthful…better than nothing, I guess.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the door.

The second he entered, he was overcome with a sense of homeliness. A fireplace was blazing merrily, spreading a warm, yellow light across the whole room. Windows aided it, removing the last shadows from the corners.

The tables were empty, but there was a girl washing one of them with a rag. At the sound of the door opening, she looked up at Kirito.

Her hair was shoulder-length and black, not quite hiding her pointed ears. Her eyes were a greyish blue; along with her small smile, they gave the impression of a quiet, soft-spoken girl.

"Hello," she greeted. "Welcome to the Moonlit Black Cat."

"Hi," Kirito replied. "I'm looking for a place to stay a few days."

"We have several open rooms. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Nothing special. Just a single bed."

The girl nodded. "Alright, follow me."

She led Kirito to the counter before turning back to him. "It'll cost 1,000 col."

Kirito raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty cheap," she said, fishing around for some coins. He handed over a few dozen gold pieces.

She gave him a sad smile. "We've been forced to drop prices. Not too many people come over here, especially after last week."

The statement piqued Kirito's interest. "Last week? What happened then?"

She stared at him. "You don't know? Laughing Coffin was here. Mortimer forced innkeepers to let them stay."

Kirito's eyes widened with shock. Argo did tell me that they were here last…but that recently?! And why would they go public, and what reason does Mortimer have for letting them stay? And why hasn't the fact that he did spread all over the Alfheim yet?

"Hello?" Kirito was abruptly torn out of his wonderings at the girl's voice.

"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought."

"It's fine. Here's the key to your room. Third one on the left once you go up the stairs."

"Thank you," he said, pocketing the piece of metal and turning away, still thinking.

I don't know why he would let Laughing Coffin stay…but it's my only lead. I need an audience with the leader of the Salamanders.


Sachi stared at the black-clothed Spriggan as he went up the stairs.

"Yo, Sachi, who was that?"

She turned to see Ducker exiting the back room. "Just a guest," she intoned quietly.

"Whoa, really?! That's sweet! Did he get a luxury room?"

"Just a single bed."

"Awww. I really wanted a new dagger…"

"Ducker, we've been over this. We have bigger priorities that a new weapon," Keita reprimanded as he joined the duo.

"Priorities schmiorities. How are we going to get enough equipment to go adventuring if you keep on buying other stuff?"

"Those other things happen to be food and clothes. Basic necessities. And besides, we're saving up. We have 3,000 col in the vault right now."

"It used to be 4,000, before we had to draw some. And 5,000 before that," Tetsuo commented dryly as he joined them with a drink. "Face it: we're not going to get enough money to buy all the stuff we need if we're going to become roaming guild. We're scraping by as it is."

"Don't be like that, Tetsou!" Ducker exclaimed. He threw himself onto the purple-shirted man, bringing both of them to the ground. Sachi giggled, and Keita rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Come on guys," he said. "We got stuff to do. Sasamura is getting groceries right now, and I want to be back in time to help him with cooking."

"Yeah yeah boss," Ducker whined, getting up and dusting himself off. "Oh, yeah, Sachi," he said suddenly, turning to the girl, "I almost forgot to ask. What's that guy's name?"

Sachi blinked. "Oh. I forgot to ask. Sorry."

Keita shrugged. "It's fine. It's not like it's important anyways."


Asuna growled as she dodged the boar's tusks. Her rapier shot out, piercing it's hide and splashing more red onto the blade. The animal squealed in pain and ran away.

She sighed and turned to look at her two companions. Klein was holding up fairly well with is katana against another wild pig, but Argo was struggling. Her dagger and claws didn't have enough reach to deal with the vicious hog, and her throwing picks didn't seem to have any effects.

Asuna tightened the grip on her rapier and rushed to her friend's aid. Argo dodged another charge and locked eyes with the Undine. An unspoken message flashed between the two and Argo quickly threw another pick. It struck the creature's rear, causing it to snort angrily and start turning around. Asuna capitalized on the moment the lunge forward. Her blade stabbed the boar right behind its ear and shoved deep into its head. The pig didn't even make a sound as it collapsed, lifeless.

"Alright," Klein panted as his own opponent ran away into the bushes. "We survived. And we have fresh meat!"

Asuna pulled her sword out of the corpse, her stomach twinging with discomfort at the gore on her blade and the fact she killed something. She forced the sensation down and wiped her rapier on the grass, leaving dark red stains.

This was the third time they were attacked. The first was when a dragon decided it was hungry and pounced out of nowhere. Luckily, Klein was able to deflect the fireblast, confusing the beast long enough for them to run away. The second was when an ogre stumbled on them while they were sleeping. Their resident Salamander was knocked out, and Asuna and Argo were forced to coordinate in order to bring it down.

The boars had ambushed them when they had decided to take a break near a creek. Asuna suspected that the juvenile hogs had eaten some of the Insanity Berries nearby.

"So…" Klein said after a silence. "Do any of you know how to cook?"

"Why ask us? You're the one who wants to eat it," Argo grumbled.

"But I've never tried cooking anything larger than a rabbit!"

Argo opened her mouth to retort, but Asuna interrupted. "Yeah, I know how to cook. But you need to skin and gut it."

Klein's eyes brightened. "Wait, really!? I didn't know you knew!"

"Me neither," Argo said, surprised. "When did you learn, Aa-chan?"

"I learned from…my mother…" Asuna's voice trailed off.

"Oh…" Argo's face fell. "Sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's fine," Asuna said, cutting her off. "Let's just start preparing for dinner."


Argo laid on the ground, staring up at the stars. They always seemed like little twinkling diamonds to her; something of value, begging to be analyzed and have their mysteries unraveled. However, her mind was preoccupied by a certain black-haired boy.

Are you there yet, Kii~bou? You should be by now; wait for us. Don't leave us again. Don't leave me again. Please.

She turned underneath her blankets, trying to get comfortable. Is he safe? she suddenly wondered. Oh gods, I hope he is. What if he got attacked on the way here? Or at Gattan? What if he found Laughing Coffin?

Her stomach clenched at the thought of Kirito being mauled by various people and creatures. She tried to tune out the thoughts by listening to Klein's obnoxious snoring, but it did little. Restless, she leaped out of her covers and started pacing.

"Argo?" The girl in question turned as Asuna approached her. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Argo whisper-shouted. "Kii~bou is gone! We don't know if he's safe! And we're out here, hoping that we'll be able to catch him at Gattan, which is still several days away!"

Asuna didn't say anything, but crossed and gripped her arms and looked up at the night sky. Argo slowly calmed down and joined her companion in star gazing.

"Why did you think he left?" Asuna asked quietly. "Was he thinking about us when he did that? Or maybe it was because of us."

Argo's breath caught as the word's struck home.

"I killed your family."

She shook her head to clear herself of the memory. "Don't think that," she said to Asuna. "He didn't leave because of us."

"Then why?" Asuna said, tears starting to form from her eyes. "Why did he leave? Doesn't he care? My mother and father had just died. Kouichirou and I aren't that close. Didn't he realize that I only had him?" She dug her fingers into her skin. "That I needed him?"

Argo looked at her. "I don't think he realized anything. He's unbelievably dense and stupid. Trust me; I've known him for longer. I don't think he was thinking at all when he left."

Asuna turned to Argo, listening.

The Rat thought for a minute, debating. She has a right to know, she decided finally.

"Kirito is the Black Swordsman," she said. Asuna's eyes widened, but she gave no reaction otherwise.

"I'm sure he told you about Midori and Suguha. He didn't say anything, but I'm pretty sure that's why he became a vigilante. He wanted to protect those he cared about, and be the fighter for those who are too weak to defend themselves. He came to me one day and payed me for some information on a gang's plans. The next thing I knew, that same gang was beaten to a pulp." Asuna chuckled, and Argo gave a small smile.

"He came back two days later. And the day after that. And just like that, he was a regular. I got to know him pretty well; he's reckless and impulsive and doesn't think things through. He just has this inner fire, and it's untamable. That's why I-" she stopped herself.

"That's why you like him," Asuna finished. "That's why we like him. Because he's an idiot but so sweet at the same time."

"Yeah…" Argo said. "We'll find him."

"Of course we will. It's the only way to clobber him over the head."

"And then lock him up in a cell so that he can't ever get away again."

The girls chuckled.


Kirito entered the spacious courtroom. Pillars lined a pathway leading up to a throne. Braziers were spaced along the wall so that the entire room was lit up. Guards were lined up, each with a sword and a spear.

Every footstep Kirito took echoed eerily through the room. He steadily approached the figure seated on the throne and knelt.

"Rise, Spriggan," Mortimer rumbled. "What is your name?"

"Kazuto Ki-Kayaba." At the surname, Mortimer's visage flickered. Most people wouldn't have caught it, but Kirito's time battling had honed him to notice even small details.

He had used Kayaba intentionally; he was hoping that the name would gain some ground with the Salamander leader. Of course, there was always the off chance that his father and Mortimer were on bad terms, but Kirito's father had never mentioned any such relationship. In the end, he decided that since it was unlikely that he would get any information if he established himself as a regular person, the risk was worth it.

Kirito anxiously waited for any further response, but Mortimer gave none.

"Well then, Kazuto, what do you need of me?"

"I have a question."

Mortimer motioned for him to continue.

"I want to know about Laughing Coffin."

Kirito started as Mortimer groaned. "Not this again. I get the same question twenty times a day! I'm sick of it!"

Kirito spun around as the guards closed in, clearly intent on throwing him out. He instinctively reached for his swords, only to grasp empty air. He had left them at his inn room that morning because they wouldn't have been allowed.

"Wait." At Mortimer's commanding voice, the guards backed away. "Despite hearing the question multiple times, this is the first time a Spriggan or anyone as young as yourself has asked. I want to know why you bring up that question."

Kirito thought carefully. What should and shouldn't I reveal? Is there anything to hide in the first place? He looked into Mortimer's eyes, as if it would provide him an answer.

They did.

Kirito recognized something in those eyes. He tried to recall what it was. He remembered his numerous fights he had with various criminals over his career. The very last one came to him; when he was forced to use his secret technique in order to beat a 3 to 1 matchup. The very same look was present in those three men as moved faster than their eyes could follow.

Fear. Fear and surprise, Kirito realized. He's scared of something unexpected. But what…?

Mortimer eye's cleared, as if he realized that the boy had figured him out. He made a nearly imperceptible motion with his hand, and Kirito's neck prickled. Before he could turn around, a stabbing pain shot through his neck and everything turned black.