Chapter 10

It had been an exhausting day for Asuna. The fact that her HP was still at critical condition aside, her knees continued to shake from the boss fight hours after the battle had been fought to its conclusion. She could have dropped dead at any moment and she would not have noticed or cared. She still couldn't wrap her mind that she had managed to defeat such a difficult opponent. She could have – should have – been dead by now. It was all she could think about; she could barely spare a thought for Silica and her mission. The knowledge of the experience had left her reeling.

Thinker told her, "It's okay, you can leave this to me now." She nodded at that; she had done her part. Since she was an outsider, it was best for her to stay out of guild politics.

But there was one thing Asuna resolved to do before she fell asleep at the nearby inn. That night, as she lay stretched out in a nightgown on her bed, she opened up her menu and messaged Kirito.

She wanted to tell him everything that had happened. She wanted to get it off her chest, because the trepidation that gripped her heart was so real it was almost paranoia and Kirito was somehow the furthest away from it all.

Perhaps he was lonely, having been stuck in a cell all day. Or perhaps he was simply one of those people who were more comfortable communicating through text than through speaking. He was a lot more verbose in writing than he was in person, Asuna couldn't help but notice.

"Has your quest been difficult so far?" he asked her. "I didn't expect you to give me a status report…"

"It's fine," she replied, feeling a little conscious of her comparatively slow typing. "I had to do this all the time with the Knights of Blood."

"So you're used to it? I'm glad it's not a distraction. I hope you've been taking care of yourself so far."

Kirito had a tendency to choose his words very carefully and to type with impeccable spelling and grammar, yet still he typed so quickly it was like having an actual conversation with him. Kirito had a way with both computers and words, and it made Asuna wonder vaguely just what he could have been if he wasn't stuck in a death-game MMO.

She smiled. "I've been fine! Really!"

She started telling him about everything that had happened to her that day. At first, Kirito listened without making any comments, but as soon as Asuna mentioned the boss, he started asking her a flurry of questions.

"What level do you think it was? What kind of moveset did it use? How are you feeling right now? Asuna? Asuna!"

"Hold on, Kirito-kun! I can't answer when you're typing so fast."

"Oh, sorry."

"You should thank Klein and Agil. They really helped me out. It wasn't too bad." This was the biggest understatement of the year, but she didn't want to worry Kirito. Despite his own precarious situation, he was like a mother hen towards her. Kirito couldn't see her face, so that was all the better for her. She didn't really want to go into the details.

After making the usual comments about her safety, Kirito said, "I kind of wish I had been there."

"Why?"

"I'll get rusty at fighting like this… Well, I guess I kind of miss it."

Asuna laughed, even though Kirito certainly couldn't hear her. If Kirito had been there, she probably would not have fought the way she had. Something would have stopped her. "Silly!"

"I guess I am, aren't I? I'm sorry to worry you. I've been so used to fighting by myself that I don't stop to think about what other people might think of it."

"Next time, we'll fight together, Kirito-kun."

"I'd be happy to have you at my side, Asuna."

Did he like her? Sometimes, she thought he did, but she was never entirely sure. She had a feeling she read too much into his words at times.

"So?" Kirito wrote questioningly. "What happened next? You mentioned you rescued Thinker…?"

"Oh, right. Thinker's been talking things over with Kibaou. From the looks of it, Kibaou's going to get expelled from The Army and blacklisted. Serves him right."

"I agree, but somehow, I think I understand."

"You understand?"

"Yes. What he said about there being no guarantee of escape and we should enjoy ourselves in this world… I think that's logical."

Asuna raised her eyebrows. Kirito did have a different perspective from hers on a lot of matters. She had always put that down to him being a solo player and her a guild member, but she just wasn't sure in this case. "What do you mean?"

"I think this world is very real, Asuna. That's all I meant by that."

"You still want to escape, don't you? That's what you told me when we partied up."

"Listen," Kirito wrote suddenly. "There's something I need to tell you."

That was when he told her about his meeting with Kayaba.

Asuna was, quite frankly, stunned. How could Kirito not have mentioned this from the beginning? This threatened to change everything!

"What's he after? I don't understand."

"I don't understand either. I don't know if he'll keep his word, but I do want to fight him. That's why I'll accept his challenge to fight this boss alone."

"Kirito-kun, you can't! I can't let you do that!"

"I don't know if it's because I truly want to escape or because I'm a completionist," Kirito typed, just a fraction slower than usual. (Asuna could imagine he was wearing a grim expression as he was writing.) "But I can't just turn back now. I really appreciate your help but Asuna-"

"Idiot! IDIOT! IDIOT!"

"What's wrong?"

"Everything! I'm not leaving you, Kirito-kun! I want to be with you, Kirito-kun, can't you see that?"

As soon as she hit send, her heart stopped in her mouth. Just what had she blurted out?

Kirito's response was a long time coming.

"Thank you," was all he wrote.

There was a pause. Asuna couldn't bring herself to say anything (her face was burning – so what if this was a text conversation? She had still pretty much confessed to him! Aaaargh she wished she could see his face, what his response was, or maybe she didn't because her face was just too – aaaaaarrrrrggghhh!) and at length, Kirito said something more.

"Asuna, isn't it getting late for you?"

That took her aback. She glanced at the timer on the menu, surprised. She had been so absorbed in her conversation with Kirito she had forgotten the time. It was well past midnight now.

"Kirito-kun, you idiot!"

"I'm really sorry! I lost track of time too…"

Asuna sighed.

"Good night," she wrote. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Good night, Asuna," Kirito replied. And then, perhaps a little shyly, he added, "I want to be with you too."

But Asuna had already closed her menu.

It was the knocking on the door that woke Asuna up in the morning. She sat up and rubbed her eyes blearily.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me! Silica!" came the chirpy response from behind the door. "This is Asuna-san's room, isn't it?"

Asuna's hair was a mess. She really didn't want anyone to see her in her bedhead. But seeing as this was Silica… "Come in," she said.

Silica opened the door and entered the room, a bright grin on her face. Her blue dragon Pina was perched on her shoulder. Asuna scrutinised it momentarily – this was the dragon she was seeking. It was somehow a little smaller than she had imagined.

"Hi," Asuna said, smiling. She probably would not have been in the mood if it wasn't for Silica looking so chipper herself. Her mood was infectious.

"Thank you so much, Asuna-san!" Silica declared happily. The dragon let out a soft snort and nuzzled Silica's shoulder. "Without you, I wouldn't have gotten Pina back!"

It turned out Kibaou had confined Pina inside one of the jail cells in the Black Iron Castle. After Thinker got his position back, he broke off the marriage arrangements between Kibaou and Silica and returned the pet monster to its rightful owner.

Asuna smiled weakly. "It was nothing, really."

"Yulier-san said that you needed me for something, so I'd be happy to help you out. Just ask me anything!"

"Hang on," said Asuna. "Let me just brush my hair first..."

"I'll do it for you!"

Silica looked so earnest it was impossible to refuse her. Her eyes were literally sparkling. "Well, okay," said Asuna. "Be careful, it's knotty."

Silica giggled. "You have such pretty hair, Asuna-san. I wish I could be as pretty and strong as you."

Asuna had heard this kind of compliment many times before from men of varying degrees of shadiness, but it was strangely fulfilling to hear it from such a young girl. Not for the first time, Asuna wished she had more female friends in SAO.

She tilted her head and smiled at Silica. "I think you'll be a very pretty girl when you grow up, Silica-chan."

"… And you're so kind too! Asuna-san, it's like you're my oneesan!"

Asuna laughed nervously. Okay, maybe Silica was going a bit too far with this.

As the younger girl continued to brush her hair, Asuna began to explain the details of the quest and why she needed a beast tamer. "I need to show your dragon to an NPC but it won't follow anyone but you, right? I promise to keep you safe, Silica-chan, and then I'll send you straight back to the lower floors."

"Okay!"

Finally, Asuna thought. They were making progress with the quest. She wasn't going to listen to Kirito – it was something she had to do for her sake as much as his.

Asuna squeezed Silica's hand and whispered, "Thanks."

Travelling with Silica was enough to make Asuna forget about the horror and fatigues of yesterday. It was almost like the boss fight had never happened. By the time they got going, Silica's bubbling excitement had settled down to quiet contentment. She had a habit of humming pop tunes to herself that Asuna hadn't heard since she had been trapped in the game. It was a strange kind of nostalgia, actually, and though Asuna was still a teenager, being with Silica made her feel as if she had left those years behind her.

Interestingly enough, Silica got along particularly well with Agil too. Sure, he could look scary at times, even to Asuna, but it turned out he was a real softie for kids. Silica, in turn, liked his sense of humour and the little things about the world that he pointed out to her. Asuna wondered if Agil had children in the real world, or if he had been planning to have them, but the question never left the tip of her tongue. Discussing that kind of thing was taboo, especially when children were involved. In fact, one of the unwritten laws among SAO players was never to let children join a predominantly fighting guild. Despite Silica's involvement with Kibaou, she had never formally joined The Army.

Truthfully, Asuna was a little nervous at the prospect of taking Silica to the higher floors, but after restocking on potions and crystals, she figured it would be okay. They didn't particularly have a choice.

"Silica-chan," Asuna said suddenly, thinking of something. "About that Potion of Invulnerability…"

"Oh, do you want one too, Asuna-san?" Silica beamed. "I don't have any in my inventory now but I can bring some to you."

"It's not for me, it's for Kirito-kun," said Asuna. "Ah, but you probably wouldn't know him," she added.

"Kirito-san?!"

Asuna blinked. It was a small world.

"Kirito-san helped me out lots too!" Silica insisted. "I've always wanted to return the favour. That's it, Asuna-san! Let's go get the potions on the way!"

According to Silica, the potions were on the 53rd floor. They weren't a monster drop but rather an item that simply appeared in the dungeon and only Pina could detect it with her nose. It seemed to Asuna that tamed monsters were such rare occurrences there were tangible rewards for possessing them, presumably after having owned them for a while.

It was an unexpected detour but not one that Asuna objected to. Anything that would help Kirito survive that boss battle…

Having been to the dungeon on the 53rd floor before, Asuna vaguely knew her way around. Like most dungeons, it was an underground labyrinth and not a soul was in sight. Why would there be? The frontliners had moved on long ago and dungeons were one of the most dangerous areas for ordinary players to level grind.

At first, Asuna thought that they were not going to enter the dungeon very deeply, but Silica told her that the item drop was deep inside. They came across monsters a few times, but they were easy enough for Asuna to beat.

They walked around like this, seemingly aimlessly, for half an hour. "Hey," said Klein, a little uncertainly. "Maybe it's a better idea to just qu-"

That was when Pina's ears twitched and the dragon hopped off Silica's shoulder.

"Oh, she's found something!" Silica declared happily. "But why's she running off…? Pina…?"

She ran off after her pet.

"Ah, Silica-chan! Wait for us!" Asuna walked briskly after her. Silica turned the corner and was gone. Asuna sighed and picked up her pace, yawning slightly. She was still tired from the long day yesterday and the conversation with Kirito last night.

What she saw when she turned the corner shook all the fatigue out of her.

Silica stood in the middle of the room, clutching Pina against her chest. And she was utterly surrounded by giant hissing snakes. Murder Adders. There had to be at least twenty of them. For a moment, Asuna's mind could barely comprehend the presence of so many monsters clustered in such a small space but soon enough-

"Silica-chan!"

Asuna, Klein and Agil reached for their weapons, but they weren't fast enough.

All the snakes lunged upon Silica at once. Silica screamed – and in that split second Asuna saw him.

He was standing in the corner of the room holding a blue flute to his mouth. It was a Monster Flute, an item that called all the monsters in the vicinity to one place. It was a common tool for both grinding and green PKing – killing someone without making your icon change colour.

Kuradeel pulled the flute away from his mouth and laughed maniacally as Silica's screams filled the air.

"Asuna-san! Help me! I'm scared! I'm scared!"

Those were her last words. In that moment, her HP counter hit zero and just like that, without any warning, Silica turned to polygon shards and was gone.