Hello everyone! My break is over and we are back! It was a nice break, but I'm glad to get back to writing again. As for my life, I'm on spring break right now and te two best possible things that could've happened to me have. It snowed and I got sick. So I've been rewatching SAO for the past few days as I'm pretty much stuck in my house. No other big news, so enjoy :) Oh, and by the way, this chapter takes place on floor 20 and is mainly focused on Ruhe. I want to base a few chapters around her, but if you guys don't like it go ahead and tell me and I'll just keep the focus on Chosaint.

Ruhe was whistling to herself as she cooked herself lunch. She wore the blue cardigan Chosaint had bought her along with a white shirt underneath. Her wardrobe was finished a pair of white pants.(A/N: This is what I'll refer to as her casual wear. It's like the sweater and skirt Asuna wore when out in her home with Kirito.) A knock then came at the door of the hotel room she was currently staying at. "Who is it?" She called out.

"Asuna." The voice replied. (A/N: Speak of the devil) Ruhe walked over to the door and opened it to see the White Flash on the other side.

"Hello, Asuna."

"Hi Ruhe." The girl in white replied. "Is Chosaint home?" She asked as she walked in.

"No, he and the Fuurinkazan left a little while ago to go raise some money and map out the next dungeon."

"Well, looks like they had my idea before I did. Oh well. What're you cooking?"

"Just some salmon that Chosaint brought home."

"Chosaint fishes?" Asuna asked.

"Nope, found a guy who was selling and he thought, 'Why not?".

"Sounds like you got yourself a real keeper there."

"You know it." Ruhe said with sarcasm in her voice. The timer on her fish then rang and she plated the meat. "Want some?"

"No thank you." The higher leveled of the two said, however her stomach then rumbled.

"I think your stomach disagrees." The one with scarlet hair said as she gave Asuna a plate. Asuna politely thanked her and began eating. "So, how'd you find yourself here?"

"I know where you live?" Asuna said, puzzled as to why Ruhe would ask a question she already knew the answer to.

"No, I mean in SAO."

"Well, my brother is the one who actually bought it. He was on a business trip when the servers first opened, so I decided to see what the game was like. And I guess you know the rest of the story."

"Hmm…" Ruhe said.

"What?"

"Well, if your brother wasn't on the business trip then he would've been in the game when this whole incident occurred." Ruhe pointed out.

"I guess you're right. I never thought about that."

"So are you glad you're here and he isn't?"

"Honestly, yes. While I would do almost anything to get out of this world, I'm glad that he isn't here. I know it's human nature to watch out for yourself, but I'd rather be in here than him. I suppose he probably feels the same way too. I just hope he doesn't blame himself for me being in here."

"It isn't his fault you're in here. We all have Kayaba to blame."

"I suppose your right. What about you?" Asuna asked.

"Well, Chosaint convinced me to join."

"He did?"

"Yep, I used to play a few games, but he was much more of a hardcore player than me. He was in the beta after all. Anyways, he wanted to introduce me to the world he fell in love with, so he brought me into the game."

"Does he beat himself up over his decision?"

"Almost every day. He feels guilty for me being here, but I always tell him he didn't do anything wrong. He was just trying to show me something spectacular. I guess they say, 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions,' for a reason."

"On the bright side he's succeeded in showing you this world." Asuna said lighting the mood a bit.

"He really has." Ruhe replied with a small chuckle.

"That's probably why he wishes you weren't here."

"So he told you about that?" Asuna simply nodded. "Ya, that's why. He feels like if I die my blood is on his hands. That's a lot of pressure for him to handle."

"It is. I wonder if that's how Kirito feels with the Moonlit Black Cats."

"Probably." The two sat in silence for a little bit, until Asuna finished her meal.

"Well, lunch was great, but I really must be going. My col is running a bit low." She then reached for the door handle, but was stopped by Ruhe's voice.

"Wait." She said. Asuna turned around. "If you're going out to make money, can I tag along?"

"You want to?"

Ruhe nodded in reply. "It would be nice to raise some money, plus I need to raise a few skill levels."

"I'm going into a dungeon though. Are you sure you want to come with."

"Why not? I could raise my combat skills, and the best bonds are formed on the battlefield, right?"

"I suppose you're right. Let's go then." Ruhe quickly changed into her combat wear and left the apartment, sending a message to Chosaint as she left.

-In a Safe Zone in the Dungeon-

The two girls then sat down in the small safe zone close to them. "You really have improved." Asuna said, complimenting her friend.

"Thanks." Ruhe replied. "Your speed would give even Chosaint quite a run for his money."

"Speaking of Chosaint…" Asuna said.

"What about him?"

"What's it like being around him all the time?" The strawberry blonde asked.

"What do you mean?" Ruhe asked.

"Well he's pretty sarcastic."

"Makes life interesting." Ruhe answered but Asuna carried on.

"He likes to be right all the time."

"Just makes it funny when you prove him wrong."

"And one of those people who just wants to see the world burn."

"And that's what I love about him." Ruhe said with a smile. "Plus his sense of humor helps quite a bit, especially in a world like this."

"You two are too much alike." Asuna replied deadpanning, which caused the scarlet haired girl to start laughing.

"What can I say? He's rubbed off on me."

"Yes he has, but you've seemed to rub off on him a bit too."

"Oh really?" Ruhe asked.

"Yes, he's become just as proud of you as you are of him."

"And what gives you that thought?" The sword and shield user asked.

"You should've heard the way he compliments you now." This caused Ruhe to blush a bit. "Oh, is someone getting embarrassed?" Asuna teased.

"What? No, of course not! Be quiet!" Ruhe said, covering her face. This caused Asuna to burst out laughing.

Once the girl stopped laughing, Ruhe said, "Did I ever tell you how we met?"

"You, no. Him, yes."

"Oh he did?" Ruhe said in a sassy manner.

"Yes, but his memory of it all seemed a bit… fuzzy."

"Well that doesn't surprise me at all." Ruhe said. "Perhaps I should explain a bit better. I was working at a café at the time. It had been a pretty terrible day up to the point when he walked in. I had broken a few dishes and my boss was not happy with me to say the least. That's when Chosaint walked in. He came in and I instantly thought he was attractive. So, I decided to take his order. I think he asked for a ginseng tea. By the look on his face, he was having about as good of a day as I was. After I took his order, I turned around to see him pretty much collapse into the booth. I laughed at that a bit. Anyways, I was walking back to the table and couldn't think of a way to really get him to show interest in me, so I figured, 'I'm probably about to get fired anyways, might as well give this a try.' So I 'accidently' tripped and spilled his tea on him."

"You meant to spill the tea on him?" Asuna asked.

"Sure did. I figured it would either make him mad or be the best burns I've ever gave someone."

"Oddly enough, that's what he said too." Asuna pointed out.

"We really are too much alike, aren't we?"

"Yep. And you blamed the person next you?"

"Sure did. Anyways, back to the story. I then played everything off like it was an accident and he was actually quite nice about it. He said something like, 'Now I smell good.' A laughed a bit at that and then he asked me out to dinner. I said yes and we started dating."

"Did you get fired?" Asuna asked.

"Sure did. Mr. Kanazawa said he never wanted to see me again and fired me for breaking too many things. It was worth it."

"So what did your mother do before she brought your family to Japan?" Asuna asked.

"She worked in a hospital, before she was sent over here to help with the crisis in Kyoto. She was going to return to the United States, but I guess she just fell in love with the country. How did you know that my mother was the one that brought us here?" Ruhe asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You said, 'before SHE brought your family.' how did you know that my mother was the one who moved the family."

"Oh, Chosaint mentioned it. He said that your mother brought you over her on business much like his father did to him."

"Oh, I see. Did he bring up my father?" The scarlet haired girl asked.

"He was mentioned but nothing was said about him. It was obviously a… sensitive topic."

"Well, that does seem like something Chosaint would do. Let me guess, he said something along the lines of, 'It's not my place to say anything.'"

"Almost exactly that." Asuna replied.

"Ya, he always seems to bring something up only to say that it isn't his place to say anything. He gives you a taste but never the whole meal." It was silent for a second before Ruhe spoke again. "Do you want to know about my father?"

"No, if it's something personal you don't have to say anything." The strawberry blonde replied politely.

"I suppose it is personal, but something you deserve to know. You are my friend after all."

"Ruhe." Asuna said, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. There's no need for you to share anything extremely personal about yourself."

"I know. I just think it'd be a good thing to let it out."

"If that's what you think is best." Asuna then removed her hand and waited.

(A/N: A little bit of sad music might be good to listen to here. Set's the mood a bit) "It is. As you've probably figured, this won't be a happy story. Before coming to Japan, my family lived in Detroit. To say that it wasn't the safest of places would be an understatement. Murder, robbery, basically any violence was somewhat common. Anyways, I was seven at the time when someone broke into my house. The sound of shattering glass woke my parents, but not me. My father grabbed his gun as my mother called the police. I woke up to the sound of someone walking outside my room. I, being a kid opened up the door to find my father standing there. I asked, 'Daddy, what's happening? Why do you have a gun?'" Ruhe's voice then began to falter a bit. "My father said…" Speaking was becoming difficult by this point for her and tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Ruhe, if you don't want to finish you don't have to." Asuna said as she retuned her hand to Ruhe's shoulder.

"No, I want to finish. My father said, 'It's alright sweetie. Daddy just heard an animal outside and is going to investigate. Just go back to bed.' I agreed and closed my door. However, my curiosity got the best of me when I heard shouting from downstairs." Her voice broke with a small sob. "So I opened the door and walked out into the hall. And then I started to walk downstairs." The dams of Lucy's eyes then broke as tears flooded out. Asuna pulled the girl close and keep the tearful girl's head close to her chest. She wrapped one arm around her as she gently stroked Lucy's scarlet locks. "I walked downstairs to see my dad and some other guy standing there. The guy had his hands up and I was standing there looking at the scene from the steps. I simply said, 'Daddy?' My father turned around for just a second and said, 'Lucy, daddy wants yo…' and that was it. The guy…" Sobbing interrupted her speaking. "The guy…"

"The guy what?" Asuna asked gingerly.

"The guy had picked up his gun and shot my dad right through the chest. And then he just ran out of the house." Lucy's crying became almost uncontrollable at this point. "Why? Why didn't he just leave? My dad wouldn't have shot him. He could've just taken the opening my dad gave him and left." The girl's words were now littered with sobs. "He would still be here." She cried. Her sobs continued for minutes as Asuna silently comforted her. Eventually, the crying stopped and Ruhe wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's alright, Ruhe. Just because we're in a game doesn't mean we aren't human."

"I know I just…" She was then cut off by Asuna.

"Don't want to be a burden?"

"Ya, how'd you know?"

"Chosaint says it all the time. And you aren't being a burden."

This gave Ruhe a small smile despite the tears on her cheeks. "He really has rubbed off on me, hasn't he?"

Asuna laughed a bit and said, "Yes, yes he has. Now let's get back home before people begin to worry." Asuna then stood up, helped Ruhe to her feet, and the two began their journey back home.

-Back to the House! Or Room I Guess. Whatever you get the Point-

"It's getting a bit late, don't you think?" Klein asked.

"Ehh, I'm sure they're fine." Chosaint replied from the couch without looking back at his friend who was leaning against a wall.

"That's what we thought before you and Ruhe called for help." Klein pointed out.

A very worried expression was then painted on Chosaint's face, who said, "Ya know, I think I'm gonna go out and find them. You just make yourself at home."

"Always do." Klein said with a grin. Chosaint walked over to the door and was about to pull it open, when Ruhe pushed it open from the other side, smacking him in the face. Klein began to uncontrollably burst out in laughter. "Nothing as good as that is going to happen for the rest of the day." He said amidst his laughter. "I'm ending today on a high note. Good bye." He then walked out the door and into his own room as his laughing died down. "Hey guys! You'll never guess what just happened!" He said as he entered his own room.

"Are you okay?" Ruhe asked slightly concerned.

"Ya, I'm fine. Luckily we don't feel pain in this game. Can you help me up?" Each of the girl's then grabbed one of his hands and hoisted him back up. "Thanks."

"Well, today was fun, but I really must be going. Goodbye you two." Asuna said as she politely bowed and left.

Ruhe walked into the room and Chosaint closed the door behind her. "So what did you do all day?" The dirty blonde asked.

"Had lunch with Asuna and then we went out and trained. How about you?"

"Basically just mapped out the next dungeon all day."

"Find the boss room yet?"

"Not yet. We're planning on going out again sometime soon." There was a small pause of silence before the agility type asked, "So, where did you and Asuna train at?"

"We went down to the twelfth floor. We fought for a bit, rested in a safe zone, and then left."

"That's strange."

"What is?" The girl asked.

"Asuna usually doesn't rest just to leave. She rests when she leaves."

"Oh, well… that was kinda because of me." Ruhe admitted.

"Oh really?"

"Ya, we got onto the topic of family." That was all the girl had to say for Chosaint to understand what the two had talked about.

The boy then walked over to his girlfriend and wrapped her in a hug. "Sorry you had to revisit that today." He said.

"It's okay. It was bound to come out sooner or later." She said, hugging him back.

"I suppose. I just hope that we don't end up seeing something tragic like that in here."

"Ya, me too." Ruhe said. "Me too."

Well that was sad. I felt horrible writing that but I'm glad I did. Lots of character progression there. Anyways, there's no real big news when it comes to the story other than if you have any nicknames for Ruhe, like how I always refer to her as the girl with scarlet hair, feel free to pm them to me, cause I have no names for her. Before I go, I do want to share something a bit more uplifting with you. It was a few weeks ago when school ended and sent me on my way to the weekend. As I walked down the halls of my school, I looked around me and suddenly felt an odd happiness. While it was welcome, I have no clue what brought it. I saw all of the people in my school, gathered around their friend's lockers smiling and happy and it was a wonderful feeling. This same feeling stayed with me as I went to track practice. I started my laps around the school, which I hate, and found myself smiling again. It was a cloudy day, I was wearing a t-shirt when I should've had a jacket on but I was happy. I don't think it was a happiness for where I was at life or what I've been doing recently, which I'm happy with both, but a happiness at the peacefulness of everything around me. While somewhere out in the world all hell was breaking loose, I was simply outside, running when I didn't want to be in my own little corner of nowhere. And I couldn't have been happier. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone :)