Chapter 10: The Moonlit Black Cats

April 8th, 2023

As the latest monster died in front of him, Kazuto sighed and sheathed his sword with a flourish. The snake-like lamia hadn't dropped the item he had been looking for; as usual, the last item is the one that refused to drop until every enemy in the area had been killed - and it was always the tough enemy that refused to drop what was needed. Asuna had requested the Tough Snake Leather that dropped from most lamia-type enemies, and this was the easiest place for him to fight them. The large, wide-open sequence of marshy arenas that made up this floor's Labyrinth complemented his fighting style, broad sword sweeps and powerful punches.

He gathered himself and strode forward, making his way to the next room. As he entered the next arena, the grassy mounds that made up the ground shifting slightly when he trusted his weight to them, several more Swamp Nagas slithered out of the marsh and hissed at him for disturbing their habitat. In response, Kazuto drew his sword and swung it in a familiar sword dance, the gleaming blade flashing as it caught the flickering torchlight. "Let's go!"

There was a brief moment of silence broken only by the soft omnipresent background music, and neither party moved. Suddenly, the nearest Swamp Naga on his left struck, crossing the distance almost impossibly fast. But Kazuto was already moving, his senses immersed in the wild dance of battle, and he pivoted to the side, avoiding the fangs with grace. With a shout, he brought his sword, gleaming with the pale blue light of «Half-Moon Arc», down and neatly bisected the monster, cutting through the spot where the human and snake halves merged. His skill was such that even as the Swamp Naga fell to the ground, tail still twitching, he immediately continued the movement and chained his skills together, turning and cutting out with «Crescent». His blade gleamed with a dark light and sliced the second Swamp Naga in a diagonal arc with an audible crunch as the blade interrupted an attempt to bite him while his back was turned, an attempt that had been betrayed by the faintest sound of movement in the muck. The force from the blow threw Kazuto off balance, and he was forced to pause for a moment to catch himself lest he fall into the foul and stagnant water.

The Swamp Nagas didn't pass up the invitation that had just presented itself to them and the remaining three struck at the same time; even with his speed, Kazuto was barely able to raise his blade in time and parry the fangs of the Nagas, forcing them to bite on the metal. Their claws scraped across his coat, but the armor served its purpose and their talons just skidded across the thick leather and metal that protected him. To an outside observer, it might have seemed like the Nagas were floating in the air, but in reality Kazuto was holding them in the air, displaying a remarkable amount of strength. He shifted his weight to move his center of gravity down just a bit; this gave him just enough balance and stability to punch the Naga on the left, the one clinging to the point of his blade. With a squelching sound his glowing fist tore through its stomach, killing the monster almost immediately. It dropped without another sound, shattering to its component pieces as it fell, and the reduction of the weight gave Kirito just enough give to knock the other two Swamp Nagas into the air.

Leaping towards the nearest Naga with a shout, Kazuto drew his hand back and triggered «Diving Hawk», slamming his palm into the monster's chest. Accompanied by a burst of sound that was reminiscent of a thunderclap, the Naga was sent rocketing down to the swamp below, disappearing below the surface of the murky water silently. After a few seconds, blue polygons drifted out of the swamp from the spot where the Naga had vanished. Kazuto landed lightly on some grass, but stumbled when the seemingly stable ground shifted under his feet, losing his balance and almost twisting his ankle. Like the snake half of it was, the final Swamp Naga slithered through the grass unnoticed by the boy trying to get his balance back and struck at lightning speed - the fangs sank into his leg, where his only armor was a thin pair of pants, and Kazuto winced in pain. The venom was pumped into his system immediately, and the paralytic acted quickly. Despite starting to lose feeling in his left side from the snake's venom, he raised his sword over his head and plunged it into the Swamp Naga's body, the blade piercing through the monster's back and killing it almost instantly.

The battle was ended, and he swung his sword in the air before sheathing it. "Got careless..." he muttered as he examined the twin holes in his pants. "Shino and Asuna are gonna get mad again..." The results screen appeared, and he scrolled through the list of items received to see if he had gotten lucky. Not that it mattered, really, since he was going to have to leave the Labyrinth anyway due to the paralytic from his left leg. It hadn't gotten worse than a general numbness in his entire body, thankfully, so he could still walk, but at the same time his mobility was greatly reduced. "Huh. Lucky me." The needed item had, in fact, dropped from one of the Swamp Nagas in the last fight. Asuna wasn't going to be disappointed when he returned in the evening.

As he limped his way out of the Labyrinth, taking the safe route, he opened his menu and checked how many teleportation crystals he had left. "Urgh... I only have one left..." They were still very rare, so he had to be sparing. "And I guess this really isn't an emergency..." With a sigh, he turned and started heading for home. The closest town was about fifteen minutes away at a good pace, so Kazuto did some ballpark calculations and guessed that it would take about twice as long to get home with his partially numb body.

Halfway to the town, though, Kazuto heard the sounds of battle. He was tempted to just keep walking, ignore the sounds - as was only polite, since he wouldn't want someone crashing into his battle unannounced and unwelcomed - until he heard the screaming start. Grimacing, he picked up the pace and started moving towards where the screams seemed to be coming from as quickly as possible.

As he burst through a thicket, he realized he was right on top of the source of the screams; a large monster - the Feral Leonin, the toughest monster on the floor - was snarling and standing over a prone figure in blue. Just beyond them was a small group of players, all slumped over and undeniably injured from the fight; Kirito took in the state of the players and the scratches and damage on the monster and made the obvious connection. The player threatened by the monster was the one screaming, so Kirito prioritized saving them first; the monster seemed to be lunging toward them, and Kirito raced to meet the lunge.

He stumbled slightly while moving in and barely managed to interpose his body between the downed player and the Feral Leonin, bracing himself with his hands. Grunting as the monster's claws raked over his back, fortunately not passing through the leather of his coat - though his health was starting to drop slightly from the repeated impacts - Kirito managed to get out, "Are you okay?"

The prone player looked up, terror plain in their eyes. "Y-yes..." That was when Kirito realized that the person he had rescued was female.

Grunting with the strain, Kirito forced his weight to his right hand and slammed his elbow back into the gut of the Feral Leonin. He felt something give in its body with a crack and the monster staggered back, keening in pain. Had the lingering paralyzing poison from the Swamp Naga not still been coursing through his veins, he could have defeated it in a single blow, but he was still level 40; the relatively weak blow was still enough to crack a few ribs. "Go!" he shouted as he pushed himself to his feet, turning to face his opponent. The female player behind him managed to scramble away, getting to where her teammates were slumped. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her begin rudimentary first aid and nodded, giving all of his attention to the fight.

The Feral Leonin circled him warily, a loud snarl constantly coming from the best; it was favoring its right side, trying to circle him on the left, and Kirito started doing the same, trying to get on its weak side. The venom made him stiff, and so when the monster gathered itself and pounced, he wasn't able to react immediately. But he had fought for almost five months by this point - he drew his sword without thinking, managing to parry the Feral Leonin's swipe. The monster's massive nails screeched down the length of his blade, and his eyes narrowed. Lisbeth was not going to be happy with him if that left a mark on the gleaming blade. Gritting his teeth, he swung the blade with as much strength he could muster; the strike was robbed of most of its power, but it was still enough to cut deeply into the monster's side, leaving a long red mark down its flank. Kirito shifted his weight and kicked, forcing the monster to back off.

Because of his stiffness, though, he stumbled back slightly, trying to regain his balance. The Feral Leonin sensed the moment of weakness and struck, bowling Kirito over and clamping its jaws his shoulder. The leather of his jacket was tough enough to resist most of the piercing strength of the Leonin's jaws, but it instead spread the force out over his entire shoulder; Kirito winced as his left arm went limp, numb from the pain. As the Feral Leonin tried to rake at his stomach with its rear legs, Kirito twisted and brought his knee up into its gut, seeking out the cracked ribs. His knee found the spot and struck with an almost sickening crunch as the damaged ribs were shattered entirely. The Feral Leonin let go with a yowl and leapt away.

It staggered as the damage to its ribs proved too much for it to land correctly, and Kirito didn't let the opportunity slip by - left arm dangling uselessly, he thrust forward with his blade, spearing the Feral Leonin through the chest and through the heart. He fell to one knee from the dead weight of the monster falling on his sword, but somehow he managed to hold on to his sword until the monster shattered into blue polygons.

Slowly standing up and sheathing his sword, he turned to the other players. "Are you all okay?" he asked, fishing out a health potion and downing it in a single gulp. His arm came back to life as the pain in his shoulder receded, and he winced at the dull ache still present. That's gonna bruise tonight.

"Y-yeah..." A player in brown stood up, rubbing at his neck. "We're all still here." He gave Kirito a shaky grin. "Thanks, man. We'd have been goners if you didn't show up."

"Yeah, you were awesome!" one of the players said. He tugged at a bit of yellow hair that was sticking out of his knit cap. "Hey, what level are you, anyway?"

Kirito licked his lips. "Level 40," he heard himself say without hesitating. He wasn't sure exactly why he hadn't hidden his true level from them, why he had told the truth immediately. If anything, he thought, it was because he had Sinon and Asuna by his side.

"Wow!" the player with the beanie said. "Level 40? Whatcha doin' down on this floor, then?"

Kirito started to answer, but the player in brown cut him off. "Ducker, we can talk about that once we're in town." The player in yellow - Ducker, apparently - looked like he was going to say something, but stopped himself visibly. The player in brown turned to Kirito. "Hey, would you mind coming to the 11th Floor with us? We'd really like to thank you properly."

"Uh..." The girls didn't really need him home right away, right? "Sure, I guess. Just let me message my friends first." He sent Sinon and Asuna a message explaining the situation and what had happened; he also told them he was going to the 11th Floor and most likely having dinner. It was getting late, after all, and if he was already going to be somewhere that served food, might as well, right? After hitting send, he looked up at the group of players that he had saved. "Lead the way."

In Taft, the player in brown and his friends led Kirito to an inn that they called their temporary base of operations. "Get whatever you want," he said as they sat down to order. "We're paying, since you saved us."

After Kirito had ordered a meal - really just a loaf of bread and some soup - introductions were in order. After he gave his name, the others introduced themselves; the player in brown went first. "My name is Keita. I'm the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats." The other players in the group laughed and waved.

"Nice to meet you." If he had to be honest, Kirito was a little overwhelmed; this was not what he had expected to encounter when he went out to the 15th Floor. It was just him trying to get out of going shopping with Shino.

"I'm Ducker!" The guy in yellow said, gesturing at himself with his thumb and grinning mischievously. "If you ever need something stolen, talk to me."

The player in green laughed. "I don't think that's something you should brag about, Ducker," he said. "I'm Sasamaru, by the way."

"I'm Tetsuo," the player in purple said. "Thank you for saving us."

Keita moved to the side and ruffled the short dark hair of the only girl in the party. "And this here is Sachi."

Swatting Keita's hand away, Sachi fixed her hair before smiling at Kirito. "Thank you, thank you so much. I can't tell you how scared I was when that monster attacked us." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "And when you came to save us, I was so happy."

"Uh, I, well..." Kirito said eloquently.

The drinks they had ordered arrived, and Ducker grabbed his. "A toast!" he declared. Kirito laughed uneasily as they all raised their glasses. "Three cheers for Kirito!" Ducker exclaimed before drinking deeply.

"Eheh... So, you all know each other, right?" Kirito asked, trying to shift the attention off of him. "In real life, I mean. Um, if you don't mind my asking."

Keita smiled. "Not at all. We're all in the same computer club in high school, so we dove into this game together." He laughed. "Well, we're trying our best. So, why was a guy like you on the 15th Floor?"

Kirito shrugged. "Collecting materials for an upgrade," he said. "My friend said the Tough Snake Leather would make good gloves."

"I see..." Keita shook his head and grinned. "Well, it's lucky for us you passed by."

"Leader, your luck is absurd," Ducker said with a grin. "I mean, you'd be that one guy that got the one in a hundred drop on your first monster kill."

Kirito laughed. "I wish I had your luck. It took me at least forty Swamp Nagas before they gave me the Tough Snake Leather I needed."

"So, hey, Kirito, sir," Keita said, ignoring Ducker with what seemed to be long practice, "I was wondering. I know you're level 40 and all, and our levels are way lower than yours, but..." He swallowed and leaned forward. "Would you mind helping us train? I mean, I really want to get to the front lines and be useful, and you'd be a huge help with that." Kirito blinked, staring at him, and Keita waved his hands. "I-if it's not any trouble, sir. We're only level 20, and I understand if you don't want to waste your time with us."

"You don't have to call me sir," Kirito told him. "I'm not your superior. And before I can agree to anything, I'd have to talk to the rest of my party. They're still on Floor 18, so it might be a day or so before I can talk to them."

A second after he said that, Asuna and Sinon entered the inn and looked around. Once they caught sight of the table where Kirito was sitting, they started to make their way over. "Kirito?" Keita asked, confused. "Who are these two?"

"My friends," Kirito said with a sigh. "What's up?" he asked when the two girls finally made it through the crowded inn room. "I thought I messaged you."

"You did," Asuna said calmly. "That's why we're here."

"I don't follow," Kirito said.

Asuna sighed. "We're curious, dummy. What's going on?"

"Kirito here saved us from a monster on the 15th Floor," Ducker said. "Thanks to him, we're still here."

Sinon grinned. "Sounds like Kirito."

"Yeah, yeah," Kirito said. "Oh, Keita, these are my friends, Sinon and Asuna. We've been partying together for a while now."

Asuna giggled. "He says a while but he means since the 2nd Floor."

"Wow, that long?" Tetsuo asked. "Impressive."

"Sinon..." Kirito looked over to see Sasamaru frowning in thought. "I've heard that name before..." He pounded a fist into his hand. "That's right. You're the one that uses the bow, right?"

Sachi gasped. "And are you the Asuna? The Flash?"

"The Flash?" Asuna blinked. "I... What?"

Kirito leaned over. "That's what they're calling you. Ask Argo about it if you want more information," he murmured.

"That's..." Asuna sighed. "That Rat..." She smiled at Sachi. "I guess so."

"Wow," Keita said, staring at the three. "But then, Kirito, that means… The Flash, the Archer, and the Black Swordsman?"

"Leader, your luck is more than ridiculous," Ducker croaked, wide-eyed and staring. "Most people aren't lucky enough to get a glimpse of a celebrity, let alone get saved by one."

Kirito turned to Sinon and Asuna, ignoring the small inter-guild drama that was going on beside them. "Keita wanted to know if I would mind helping them level for a while, or at least until they made it to the front lines."

"And what were you going to do?" Asuna asked him.

Kirito scratched his cheek. "Well, I kinda want to. But I wanted you two to weigh in on the decision, since it would mean I'd be away from the front lines for a while."

"I don't mind, Kirito," Sinon said. "Whatever you want to do is fine."

Asuna grinned. "I think Sinon and I can handle ourselves without you. Go on, help them out."

Kirito nodded gratefully and turned to Keita. "Eh, Keita, do you still want my help?"

"Huh?" Keita looked over from where he was knuckling Ducker's head. "Oh, yes, of course. We'd welcome any help you can give." He let go of Ducker and pulled Sachi over, patting her shoulder. "See, we're trying to shift Sachi here over to sword and shield so Tetsuo's not the only one taking the monsters head-on."

Sachi fidgeted. "I want to help, but... it's just so terrifying, facing the monsters like that. I use the spear right now, so I'm far away, but..."

Kirito smiled. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'll give it a shot."

"Yes!" Ducker cheered. "Getting trained by the Black Swordsman himself!"

"I look forward to working with you all," Kirito said.

Kirito started out slowly, helping the Moonlit Black Cats level by bringing them up a few floors and then taking point in fights against solo enemies; once he had weakened the monster and created an opening, he would jump back and let one of the others finish it off. That way, they got the experience from fighting the enemies, and didn't have to be put in any danger.

Gradually, he started hanging back more, switching in with one of the others earlier and earlier. That way, they also got used to fighting the enemy and the danger they represented, as well as getting some practice in with their weapons. Kirito even made sure to keep a mental list of how each of the guild members were doing - Sinon and Asuna had rubbed off on him just a bit, with their fascination for lists and keeping things organized.

As expected of the leader of the guild, Keita did extremely well; he was confident in his strikes with his two-handed staff, but able to keep away from the monster's retaliatory strikes. He was always aware of the monster's abilities and respected them, but wasn't exactly afraid. Despite the danger of the monsters, he was able to keep a calm head on his shoulders. It didn't hurt that his luck truly was ridiculous, managing to strike the weak spots almost by accident. He tried his best to do what was right by the guild, but every now and then he overreacted when one of the others was in danger.

Kirito wasn't able to help Ducker very much with his weapons, as the other boy used a dagger, but despite that he tried his best. Ducker was definitely capable, if a little scatter-brained; every now and then he'd be distracted trying to act cool and get himself in trouble. Despite that, however, he was always able to get himself out of the scrapes he got into - and usually ended up with getting some benefit out of it.

Tetsuo and Sasamaru were both getting stronger steadily; the former's mace abilities were powerful blows, and the latter's spear let him attack from afar. Tetsuo seemed to be fine when it was one on one, but got flustered when confronted by more than one enemy - it wasn't a good quality for the group's forward, but Kirito knew he would grow out of it. Sasamaru, for his part, was fine when he had room to use his spear, but if an enemy closed in on them he just couldn't seem to manage to break away. Though, with him it was the same with Tetsuo; practice and experience would break him of that bad habit, and it was Kirito's job to make sure they survived long enough to get that experience.

That just left Sachi. As for Sachi... Well, the poor girl definitely tried her hardest.

The group was fighting a large praying mantis monster, the Killer Mantis, deep in a sunlit forest on the 20th Floor. Sasamaru was doing his job as the damage dealer, jabbing at the monster whenever he could find an opening; his guard was supposed to be Sachi, but when the girl stepped forward to guard him from the monster's counter-attack, she was hesitant. The monster screeched at her, and she flinched away. Sasamaru jabbed the Killer Mantis again, trying to keep its attention off of her, but when it swung its razor-tipped forelegs its target was Sachi. The attack bounced off of her shield with a spray of wooden splinters, but she was in a bad way. "Sachi!" Kirito shouted, moving in to interpose himself between the monster and the girl. "Get back, I've got this!"

The monster tried to attack, raising its scythe-like leg high, but as it started to swing down Kirito met the attack with «Slant»; Kirito's strength was far more than that of the monster from the 20th Floor, and his blade sheared through the weak joint like a hot knife through butter. The blade-like limb spun in the air before slamming into the dirt point-first some distance away. As the monster circled its new opponent, Sachi ran back to the safety of the line. Kirito carefully parried its next blow and shouted, "C'mon, Tetsuo! Switch out!"

"Got it!" Tetsuo ran in, his mace glowing a violet light, and slammed a heavy blow against the side of the Killer Mantis. Its carapace shattered with a loud crunch and it toppled towards the ground, shattering completely into polygons before it hit the dirt. Along with the typical screen telling him how much experience, money, and items he received from the battle, a congratulations screen appeared, telling the group he had leveled up to level 23. "Alright!" Tetsuo shouted, throwing up his arms and celebrating as Ducker and Keita came over to check it out and congratulate him themselves. Despite himself, Kirito found a grin on his face; the enthusiasm was contagious.

He glanced behind to check on Sachi; she was smiling, but Kirito could tell she was still a little shaken by the way she had a death grip on the hem of her shirt. Walking over, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Sachi?" he asked.

"Eh?" The girl shook herself. "Oh! Yes, I'm fine." She smiled at him. "Thank you for being concerned, though."

Kirito smiled. "Don't push yourself too hard - it's okay to take things slow for now. You're all doing great." He coughed, trying to catch the attention of the other members of the Moonlit Black Cats. "While we wait for the monsters to respawn, why don't we take a break? The safe zone isn't far."

Ducker stretched, raising his arms over his head. "I'm starting to get hungry. Leader, what say you? Can we take a break?"

"Why not?" Keita shrugged. "It sounds like a good idea. We can all have lunch and relax for a bit."

Lunch, as it was, consisted mainly of a sandwich and cup of tea; Asuna had made the sandwiches in the morning for him, and Sinon made the tea. It was rare that both of them were at home at the same time as Kirito; their schedules didn't tend to sync up very often, what with Kirito busy with the Moonlit Black Cats and the other two helping with the front lines. After they finished eating, Keita flopped back on the grass and pulled out the latest edition of the newspaper Argo released on a weekly basis. "Wow... The 28th Floor is cleared..." Keita murmured and then sighed. "Your friends are amazing," he said to Kirito. Kirito just laughed in response - most of them weren't any friends of his. "I want to be up there, one day," he said while staring at the sky. "Up there, on the front lines and actually making a difference." He sat up, putting the newspaper aside. "Hey, Kirito... Do you think we'll make it, one day?"

Kirito smiled. "Of course. You're all working really hard, and I'm sure that you'll reach your goals one day."

Ducker hopped down from the where he was resting with the other members of the guild. "Hey, Leader, you're getting maudlin again." He grabbed his friend in an affectionate headlock and held on.

Keita laughed as the rest of his guild came down to join them. "How do you even know that word?"

"Word of the day calendar," Tetsuo said calmly. "October 14th, 2022."

"Oh, right," Keita said. "I forgot we had that. How do you remember what day it was, anyway?"

"My memory's better than yours, Boss."

While he watched the friends bickering amicably with a smile, Kirito looked off into the distance. He missed Sinon and Asuna, he realized. Strange as it seemed, they had formed a sort of family, just as the Moonlit Black Cats had, and he missed his family. Ever since he had interfered in the bullying, since he had told Asuna to live and fight, the two girls had become his inseparable friends. And he was watching a second group of friends living in Aincrad, the way he and his friends did.

"Kirito?" Sachi sat down in the grass next to him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Hm?" He shook himself, throwing the thoughts away. "Just stuff."

Sachi brought her knees up and hugged them. "What kind of stuff?"

He smiled at the girl. "Thinking about how you and your friends are kinda cool."

"Us?" Sachi looked down at her knees, a small smile on her face. "We're just normal people. You and Asuna and Sinon, you're the cool ones. Up there on the front lines, fighting every day... I don't know how you do it."

Kirito reached over and patted the girl on the shoulder. "Hey. You're doing your best, Sachi. Being scared of monsters is nothing to be ashamed of."

Sachi smiled hesitantly. "I guess..."

"C'mon." Kirito stood up and offered his hand to the girl, helping her to her feet. "Alright, everyone," he said, raising his voice. "The enemies should have respawned. Let's get back to work."

Later that night, the Moonlit Black Cats and Kirito were sitting in Keita's inn room in Taft as usual. "Alright, guys, I have some exciting news to report. As of our last trip to the front lines, we now have 200,000 Col."

"Woah, no way!" Tetsuo exclaimed.

Sasamaru raised his hand. "I vote we upgrade Sachi's equipment."

Sachi clutched the hem of her shirt. "Oh, no, I'm fine with what I have, really."

"Oh, come on," Keita said with a grin. "Kirito's not always going to be around to help us out, you know."

Sachi hunched her shoulders slightly, but gave Kirito an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry," she told him. Kirito just waved away her apology with the usual smile.

"Sachi," Keita said, "I know switching jobs isn't easy, but seriously, you're almost there!" He clenched a fist and grinned. "I just know you can do it!" Sachi smiled and nodded, but looked down soon after.

The Moonlit Black Cats talked for a little while longer before breaking for the night; Kirito usually stayed with them until they stopped fighting, and then went off to fight on the front lines by himself. He had no problem fighting alone, after all, and he did have to keep his level up somehow. By the time he got back, it would be about three or four hours before the others woke up and he started training them again - it was a taxing cycle, but seeing them smile when they succeeded was worth it, in Kirito's eyes. And if they could make it to the top, fight their way up from the bottom of the ranks, it would go a long way towards changing the elitist attitude of the clearers.

That night, he was on the 28th Floor and heading toward a dungeon where many wolf-like monsters spawned; Sinon had told him about them a few days ago, and he wanted to go check them out for himself. According to the girl, the enemies could curl up into a ball and use the sharp spines on their back as a weapon that way, and Kirito wanted to see that for himself. However, when he crested the hill that acted as the border between the Wolf Plains and the rest of the field, he saw a recognizable mane of red hair fighting with a Blood Wolf leader with two helpers, as well as other players fighting other Blood Wolfs in the distance. "Klein..." Kirito murmured.

With a shout and quick slash, Klein killed his opponent, slicing straight through the Blood Wolf's body with his glowing red katana. Standing up to wipe the sweat from the brow, he must have noticed Kirito's form at the top of the hill, because he sheathed his blade and waved. "What's up, Kirito! Haven't seen you around, recently." He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his guildmates. "Trash mobs're all yours, guys," he called. The other members of his guild grunted acknowledgment and set to the task with enthusiasm. Klein, on the other hand, made his way up the hill to join Kirito. "What, are you doing some late-night leveling or something?"

Kirito laughed uneasily and scratched at his cheek. "Yeah, something like that."

"It's rare to see you without Sinon or Asuna," Klein said with a lecherous grin. "What, did you get into a fight with them?"

"No?" Kirito had no idea what the older man was implying. "We're working on separate things at the moment. It's not like we're joined at the hip or anything."

Klein sighed almost wistfully. "Ah, if only I had two lovely ladies like that in my guild... You're a lucky guy, Kirito. Don't ever forget that."

"Yeah..." Kirito shifted his weight back and forth. He wanted to say something to Klein, apologize for leaving him behind that day; but he couldn't apologize, not really, since he had to put Shino first. Before anybody else came the safety of his friends - his family - and he couldn't apologize for that.

Klein opened his mouth to say something when one of the members called out to tell him the rest of the wolves had been killed. "I'd better leave you to your mob farming," Kirito said quickly, silently glad of the interruption. "I'll find somewhere else to fight." He turned and walked away, ignoring Klein's stuttered attempts to say something else. Yes, he still felt guilty about leaving Klein behind, but if he couldn't ask for forgiveness he could at least avoid the man. It was more a bandage solution than an actual one, but it made him feel better at the least.

When he returned from his mob hunting trip, he was greeted by a message from Keita. He muttered some sort of confused sound and opened it, scanning the contents. 'Hey, Kirito, it's Keita. Sorry to ask this of you, but... Sachi went off somewhere and hasn't come back. We're heading out to the dungeon now. Please, if you find anything out, let me know.' Sachi... Kirito frowned and swiped open his menu. The «Tracking» skill would let him see the footsteps of anyone on his Friend's List, and Sachi was on there; when he selected her name, his vision was tinted a pale shade of green.

It was a long shot, he knew, but he still had to try it. To his surprise, he stumbled onto the bright green footprints that marked her path almost immediately once he exited the central plaza; following the footprints over the cobblestone path led him to an entrance to the sewers under one of the bridges in town.

As he entered the sewer and slowly made his way down the dark path, he could hear a girl sobbing. When he reached the source of the sound, he saw Sachi half hidden by shadows and sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to her chest and face hidden. Her shoulders were shaking, and racking sobs came from her, sounding like they had been forcibly pulled from her.

Poor girl.

And that's a swing and a miss for canon – Kirito saved the Cats, but he's not joining their guild. He's going to help them out, but as a teacher instead of a member.

Something I wanted to mention: some people have been making comments about my decision to have Asuna join in, what with regards to the dynamic of Kirito/Sinon and whatever. Some positive, some negative – and all polite, which I'm super grateful for :3 Seriously, guys, thanks for not throwing hissy fits even if you think it hurts the story – I appreciate the calm comments, even though I disagree with the people saying it will hurt the story.

Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.