Chapter 11: Black Cat's Crossing, Part III
December 8, 2024, 55th floor of Aincrad, Kirito
I blinked as the portal closed behind me. Strange… my eyes were watering. For some reason, separating from that girl back in the plaza was painful. A different sort of pain from that which I had felt as she got closer. That pain had been physical, or a virtual representation of physical pain, I suppose. Immediately, I wanted to go back and apologize, but I caught a glimpse of her face through the rapidly disappearing rent in the air that connected the two floors. That look of grief and despair almost crushed me, as if I were feeling what she was. I couldn't return. Not after doing that to her.
Coward, a voice inside my head taunted.
I pushed that voice off into the back of my mind while I took in my surroundings. It wasn't an easy task because my own thoughts ran parallel to what it was telling me.
Snow covered the entire landscape. As I walked to the guild house that Sachi had given me the key for, I paused every now and then to admire the snow-laden forest and the frozen lakes that dotted the countryside. It looked like several people were skating on the ice. The 22nd floor of Aincrad was a beautiful location. I'd been here alongside the other front-liners a long time ago, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd also been here recently.
The house that Keita had bought was a large log cabin, more than big enough to house the six members that had once made up the «Black Cats of the Full Moon». I unlocked the door and walked inside.
The house had the bare minimum amount of furnishings, default furniture that came with the purchase. Most players eventually bought furnishings more to their liking, but this cabin had never actually housed any occupants. The largest room in the house, presumably a dining area, contained a table and two long benches. There were six bedrooms, each equipped with a single bed, a small desk, a wooden chair, and a mirror. I was happy to see that there was a bathroom; that was one luxury in this world that I would have missed having access to.
I checked the time, 6:25 p.m. I suppose that I could get something cooked up before Sachi returned. I don't have the «Cooking» skill, but anyone could make basic meals. With 0 levels in the skill, food might not taste amazing but, as a non-combat skill, it just wasn't worth leveling that particular ability as a front-liner.
The cabin came with a simple kitchen. A cupboard, a wood-burning stove, and a counter to put everything on while you worked. I checked my inventory and tossed a few ingredients onto the counter. A pile of vegetables and assorted meat appeared out of thin air and landed with a plunk on the counter. The ingredients were rank-D and below since I couldn't cook anything of a higher rank than that without a greatly increased risk of burning it up. Even so, it took 3 attempts at a meal before I succeeded in making what I wanted. The first attempt flared up almost immediately after I put it into the pot; impressive considering I was making soup. The second attempt ended up becoming a horrifying, glowing, green pile of…something…which I promptly banished into oblivion with a strike of my sword.
I set the pot down in the middle of the table and sat down on one of the benches in the dining room. Hopefully Sachi would be back soon.
-o-
Three hours passed before Sachi arrived at the cabin. I was just about to go out to find her when the front door opened and she stumbled inside. She looked terrible. I immediately regretted not forcing her to let me go with her.
I was amazed that she could still stand in that condition. She had on a grimace of pain and her eyes kept darting towards the door as if she might have been pursued. Her left arm was missing from the elbow down and her armor looked worn out.
"What happened?" I exclaimed, rushing to her side and placing her arm over my shoulder before she had a chance to collapse. "No, before I ask, we have to take care of your wounds."
I quickly gave her a healing crystal and a status restoration crystal. Her arm reappeared immediately and some color returned to her face, although she was still looking paler than usual.
"Thank you Kirito," she murmured. "I need to rest. Can you—can you stay with me?"
"What happened?" I asked again as I helped her to the closest bedroom.
She just closed her eyes and replied, "Sorry Kirito, I'll tell you another time."
I sat there in the room watching her as her breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep. Sometime during the night, with the warmth of the cabin and the dimmed lights surrounding me, I dozed off as well.
Maybe it was because of how hectic my day was, but I woke up well before the alarm I set for myself went off.
Sachi was still asleep. I brushed the hair out of her face and noted that she still looked like she was in pain. Perhaps she had a fever; I should go get some ice from outside to soothe her. As I turned around to leave, she began to mumble in her sleep.
"I need to…Kirito…"
Her words became a little more coherent.
"[The Azure Flame]…I won't let you take him from me."
I walked over to her side to see if she had more to say but she gasped and went silent. Her breathing was coming a bit more ragged than it was before. I'd never really observed anyone sleeping before so I couldn't say it for sure, but it sounded like she was having a nightmare.
What was that about azure flames? Blue flames in this game were generally associated with boss-class monsters, not something that Sachi would ever have encountered. The way she had said those words made it sound like an epithet. If so, where would she have encountered such a monster and why didn't she bring me along to help her?
No, the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. It must have just been a regular nightmare. The Sachi I knew had never even seen a boss-class monster before. But between the condition she was in now and the holes in my memory, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong with what was going on…
December 9, 2024, 55th floor of Aincrad, Asuna
Two-story buildings blurred together as I sped down the street following Argo's friend trace. Alkaid shouldn't be too far behind, but I lost sight of her after teleporting to this floor. She'll catch up soon enough, what was important was getting to my friend as quickly as possible.
This scene…I can—
As I leapt over the small waterway running through the town, I happened to glance to my left and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. The tail of a black longcoat. Before I could confirm what I saw, it disappeared behind an abandoned red and grey house, heading in the direction I had come from.
I remember this—Kirito-kun…
I immediately paused, all thought of reaching Argo slipping out of my mind like water in a sieve. It was too much to be a coincidence. I changed direction and doubled back, pursuing the owner of that black outfit. What was Kirito doing here? He couldn't be looking for Argo, could he? He was going in the wrong direction for that.
Despite my advantage in speed, I just barely managed to catch up to him at the town square. Any later and he probably would have teleported away. That profile from the back was unmistakably Kirito. A long black coat with white trim and two swords sheathed in their scabbards across his back. He was the only player in «Aincrad» that fit that description.
"Kirito-kun?" I found myself asking.
I felt a sense of frustration with myself. I'd been looking for him all day and I was hesitating now? Shout his name out. Demand an answer for what he's been up to. Glare at him before laughing and embracing him in relief…
His shocked face as he turned around made me pause in my tracks. He looked into my eyes for a brief moment before covering the left side of his face and grimacing.
Was he hurt? I took a step towards him.
He took a step backwards, his expression even more pained than before.
"What's wrong, Kirito-kun?" I asked, taking another step towards him.
He hesitated, looking from me to the teleportation stone and then back in my direction. Something was clearly troubling him; he had trouble meeting my eyes. Kirito stumbled while walking backwards, tripping over the raised ground that surrounded the teleportation stone.
"Who are you?" he asked, panicking as he scrambled to his feet. "Why do I-gah—feel like I should know?"
I paused in my tracks, my mind grinding to a halt.
No—don't do this. Say something…
He couldn't have forgotten. Not after all we've been through already. After all the times we've been together since that fateful meeting on the first floor. He had given me a reason to live on in this world. Kirito and I had made a promise to see this game through to the end together.
Damn it Asuna! Say something to him already! Anything. Because if you don't…
After what seemed like a brief moment, Kirito gave me one last questioning look and turned about. I watched as he walked to the center of the square and teleported away, each moment stretching out so that a second seemed like an hour. And still I couldn't move, my mind blank as it tried to process a reality in which Kirito did not recognize me.
Kirito's form faded away into the light, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the empty town.
-o-
"Don't go!" I screamed as I sat up.
It was dark. It took me a few moments to regain my bearings. This was my room in «Grandum». Somehow I had returned without realizing it. To the room I shared with Kirito when we weren't living at our cottage on the 22nd floor.
"A dream?" I muttered.
My face felt damp, moistened by the tears that had flowed during the night. No, that was no mere dream. A nightmare perhaps, but also reality. Memories of what had occurred yesterday. Kirito really was gone and I had let him leave. After all the promises we had made and all that we had been through—I wasn't able to stop him.
I felt like crying again. Even though I knew in my mind that wallowing in grief and misery wouldn't solve anything, it was hard to do anything else. A warm presence next to me gave me pause.
"Mama," Yui murmured in her sleep.
I don't know if it was a conscious motion, but she placed her hand atop mine. I held on to it tightly, as if afraid that she too would slip away.
December 9, 2024, 55th floor of Aincrad, Alkaid
I woke up this morning feeling completely grumpy. Not only did we fail to find Kirito, I was no closer to discovering a way to brining Haseo back. To top things off, Asuna was utterly traumatized by whatever had happened to her on the 27th floor and Kite had disappeared to some unknown corner of «Aincrad». The only good thing that had happened was that Argo was alright. She had stayed the night at the headquarters, sleeping in one of the many spare rooms in the spacious estate.
But that wasn't the reason I was feeling irritable this early. I had woken up with a stiff neck and no feeling in my left arm. The reason being that sometime after I had fallen asleep, I had ended up in a very awkward sleeping position. The fault was mine, to be honest; Haseo was occupying my bed so I couldn't sleep in it. I could have just picked a different room to rest in, but I had wanted to keep him company even if he didn't know I was there. So I had fallen asleep sitting up and leaning on the bed. Whoever had said that posture didn't matter when resting in a virtual world was lying.
I decided to try and work the stiffness out of my joints by making breakfast. Eggs and sausages sounded nice. By the time I was done, Argo had awakened and was waiting for me in the dining room. She looked at the plates I set down on the table hesitantly.
"Is that—safe to eat?" she asked, poking nervously at the scrambled eggs with a fork.
I just stared at her in reply.
"Ok ok, I was just teasing," she said, laughing as she took a bite. "Hey, this isn't half bad."
"Of course," I answered, placing my hands on my hips proudly. "I haven't been leveling my «Cooking» skill for nothing, you know."
We spent the next few minutes eating and just chatting about random things. But the shadow of the last day's events loomed over us and once the plates were empty, we found ourselves musing about what to do.
"Asuna's still not up?" I wondered. "I was hoping she'd be able to tell me a little more about what happened before I head out again."
Argo replied, "She's had a rough experience. I'd say the best thing to do is to give her a little time to herself to sort her feelings out."
I nodded.
"That's all well and good," I noted. "But I'd feel more comfortable knowing someone she trusts was looking after her. Why don't you stay and keep her company? Getting to the bottom of whatever's going on is the only way to solve our problems, but I can't do that staying here."
Argo opened her mouth and then closed it. After what appeared to be a momentary struggle with herself, she answered, "I'm coming with you. You're not going to be able to do this alone. Besides, I owe Ki-bou a little something for putting me through all this trouble."
"What about Asuna?"
"She has Yui-chan with her," Argo said.
I knitted my eyebrows. "Yui-chan's great and all, but I'd rather she had a friend to talk to if she needed it. You think Liz would be willing to close her shop for a day?"
"Can't hurt to ask."
Liz must have broken about five different rules of the world getting here so quickly after I sent my message. She didn't even bother sending a reply to my message.
"Where's Asuna? Is she alright? What about Kirito?"
She blurted out so many questions in the thirty seconds since she burst through the grand double doors of the headquarters that it made my head spin. As usual, she was wearing that frilly red and white outfit and she had apparently rushed out of her shop so quickly that she forgot to unequip that golden hammer of hers. It traced arcs in the air as she made frantic arm motions while questioning Argo and I. I barely avoided being clobbered in the face as I greeted her.
Within five minutes, Argo had filled her in better than I would have been able to do in an hour. Information broker indeed; she really knew how to do her job.
"So you're telling me Kirito's missing, Asuna's probably wrestling with depression, Haseo's been unconscious for a day, and there's some mysterious virus or AI or glitch out there that's wreaking havoc in «Aincrad»?" Lizbeth summarized, counting off on her fingers.
"Pretty much," I replied.
Liz sighed, "You could have at least tried to make it sound more optimistic. Alright, I'll see to Asuna, you two do what you need to but don't get in over your heads."
"You're awfully level-headed in this situation," I noted. Really, I had Liz figured to be more prone to emotional outbursts; maybe it was because most of the time I was with her, Haseo or Kirito were there as well and the two of them enjoyed goading her.
"I guess when a situation looks bad enough, you just have no choice but to accept it," Liz replied.
She waved farewell to us as we walked down the path to the teleportation stone. From her friend trace, Argo pinpointed Kirito's location to the outskirts of a settlement on the 22nd floor.
"Alright, what's the plan?" I asked her as we activated the teleportation stone.
"Plan?" she asked back, "I thought you were the one with a plan. You're the one who's an expert on this [AIDA] thing."
Before I could retort that the only things I knew about [AIDA] was that it probably wasn't friendly and could put us into comas if we were in my world, we found ourselves transported to the 22nd floor.
If the situation at hand had been more normal, I might have taken the time to enjoy the snow covered hills, the frozen lakes, and the forest scenery that surrounded us. Several small cottages lined the landscape and added to the serene atmosphere.
"We need to find a way to get Kirito-kun away from that [AIDA]," I finally said.
Argo glanced at me worriedly and replied, "That's not going to be easy. It's taken on the form of an old guildmate of his. One I'm sure he regrets being unable to protect if his actions last year during Christmas were any indication."
"How about knocking him out and dragging him back?"
"Even if you can find a way around all the safeguards the system has to prevent such actions," Argo answered, "this is Ki-bou we're talking about. No offense because you're really strong, but the only person I know of who might be able to do something like that is Haseo-kun and he's out of commission."
I thought about that for a moment. As much as it pained me to admit it, Argo was right.
"Maybe Kite would be able to—actually never mind, he's already said that his only interest was hunting down the [AIDA]. And I have no way of contacting him," I mused. "Ok, so knocking Kirito out and carrying him back isn't an option."
"Not unless you manage to force-feed him some of your cooking," Argo said.
"I was being serious!"
Argo smirked and replied, "So was I. But I'd say we need another way to separate them."
"Do you think you could keep Kirito-kun busy while I draw the [AIDA] away?" I asked.
"Me? I'd last 10 seconds maximum against him," she scoffed. "Tell you what. I'll draw the [AIDA] away while you keep him tied down."
"Aren't we forgetting something?"
"What would that be?"
I nodded at the village, "Their housing is in a safe zone isn't it? We couldn't fight them seriously even if we wanted to. But the [AIDA] is probably under no such restrictions."
"How high is your «Sneaking» skill? Or your «Hiding» skill?"
"I didn't have either of those when I came here," I answered. "But I did start leveling «Hiding». Skill level…225 right now."
"That's probably good enough if we keep our distance. We'll wait for them to leave and enter a zone where we can confront them."
Half an hour later, I was shivering like crazy, hunkered over trying to keep myself warm. Really, who had the bright idea of playing the waiting game when it was 10 degrees below freezing outside?
I looked over towards Argo, hoping that I might have a partner to share my misery with. Instead, I found her sipping what appeared to be hot chocolate out of a thermos bottle. Her cloak was looking very warm to me now and she had found the time to put on mittens when I wasn't looking.
"I take it you've never been on a stakeout before?" she asked with a knowing grin on her face.
I was about to tell her off when she handed me a second thermos. Steam was coming out of the open top and the smell of chocolate coming from within was heavenly. I accepted it gratefully and finished it in less than a minute.
"Ah, that feels so much better," I said, relishing the feeling as warmth spread throughout my body.
"I know right? I always carry around that stuff in the winter," Argo replied. "Oh wait, it looks like someone's leaving the cabin."
She was right. A single person in black had just left by the front door of the house and was quickly moving towards the forest. Even from this distance, it was impossible to mistake Kirito for anyone else. After all, his swords and outfit were rather iconic. Argo and I exchanged glances before hurrying to follow him.
December 9, 2024, 55th floor of Aincrad, Lizbeth
I waved at Argo and Alkaid as they headed off to deal with whatever it was they needed to before sighing deeply and turning back to face the KoB headquarters. Really, this place never ceased to amaze me. I'd only been here a few times before, but the monumental scale of the castle-like base always impressed me. Red banners bearing the emblem of the guild proudly declared that this was a powerful guild. Was in the past tense. Although it was still strong, KoB was no longer the powerhouse it once was. Even with Kirito, Asuna, Haseo, and Alkaid, the sheer number of players that had left for other clearing guilds meant that while they had the strongest players, KoB could not be considered "the strongest" anymore.
Of course, all those players leaving for other guilds had an unexpected effect as well. The headquarters was disturbingly empty at all times. The grand scale of the edifice combined with a distinct lack of inhabitants made me feel as if I were completely alone in this world.
As I walked down the carpeted aisle towards the sleeping quarters, I took the time to admire the amount of craftsmanship in the furnishings. Examining several of the pieces told me that they were player-made. Heathcliff, or Kayaba Akihiko rather, had spared no expense here. For a madman who had trapped 10,000 players in a virtual world, he had good taste in décor.
I decided to stop by Alkaid's room first to see how Haseo was doing. Her room was closer than Asuna's anyway.
As Argo had said, Haseo was currently (not) sleeping atop Alkaid's bed. Despite his monstrous strength in battle, he looked vulnerable while he rested. I sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"You should really stop causing so much trouble for Alkaid-chan," I said to him even though I knew he couldn't hear me.
Really, between Asuna and Alkaid, it seemed like my friends always fell for the ones that caused them the most grief. Even though she never really told me outright, it was easy to guess that Alkaid liked Haseo in that way; the looks she gave him when she thought no one was watching… I was tempted to play matchmaker for them.
"Well, I should get going to see Asuna-chan," I declared after a few more minutes of silence.
I got up to leave. But before that…
A malicious grin spread across my face. As I had noted earlier, Haseo looked vulnerable while he rested. Those blue tattoos on his face gave me an idea. I took out a marker from my inventory. It was used for marking objects in my shop, but it should work for what I had in mind as well. Best of all, the marker's effect lasted for at least 3 days. Payback for all the times that gray-haired menace had teased me.
-o-
"Asuna? Are you there?"
I poked my head into her room as I asked those questions. Asuna was sitting upright on top of her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Yui was there as well, sitting on the chair in the corner of the room. She rushed over and gave me a hug around the waist as soon as she saw me.
"Liz," Asuna replied, her head turning in my direction ever so slowly. "Why are you—"
I glared at her immediately after those words were spoken.
"I heard about what happened from Argo-chan and Alkaid-chan," I admonished her. "If you're in trouble, I'm always here to help. Really…what sort of friend do you take me for? I might not be as strong as Alkaid-chan or as clever as Argo-chan, but you can rely on me if you need someone to talk to, you know."
Without waiting for that dumbfounded expression to leave her face, I walked over and plopped myself down atop the mattress.
"So, forgive me if you've heard this a hundred times today, but are you alright?" I asked, my expression softening to one etched with concern.
"I'm fine," she replied, putting on a brave face.
I responded by glaring at her again. If she was trying to reassure me by blatantly lying, I needed to let her know that I wasn't buying it. Asuna had a bad habit of trying to keep all her problems to herself. Whether that was a result of her time serving as the vice-commander of the «Knights of Blood» or her upbringing in real life (a little of which she shared with me in our conversations,) I couldn't say for sure.
She withered a bit under my stare but held firm to her previous statement.
"I see," I replied coldly. "So Kirito means that little to you…"
Before I knew it, those unreasonable words had left my mouth. The blacksmith Lizbeth was known for her sharp swords and even sharper tongue. My anger and annoyance at Asuna's stubborn refusal to confide in me only fueled that tendency towards harsh speech.
*Smack*
My words hit a sore spot with my best friend. The sound just now was from her slapping me with as much force as she could muster. Of course, in a virtual world and inside a safe-zone, I felt no pain even though the force of the impact forcibly turned my head to the side.
Asuna looked back and forth from me to her hand in disbelief, as if unsure what had just happened.
"Liz, sorry," she murmured before looking down at her knees.
"No, you're not," I replied. "Because I'll never forgive you if you are."
Yui started towards me looking concerned but I stopped her with a wave of my hand and a look that said "leave this to me." What Asuna needed now wasn't consoling. She needed something that would bring her back to her senses. The leader of KoB looked up at me in surprise.
"I'll never forgive you if you apologize so easily when someone questions your feelings for Kirito," I continued unrelentingly. "Even if you're facing hard times, I cannot believe that Asuna «the Flash» has such shallow feelings for Kirito that she would give up after hearing those words. She's just not that sort of person."
My tirade over, I gave my best friend a hug to show that I was there for her. That I was listening. Her shoulders shook and I could tell she was crying even though I couldn't see her face. Out of consideration, I continued looking over her shoulder even as she began to talk.
She shared her perspective on what had happened, not glossing over her fears and concerns. And as she talked, I could tell that she was slowly returning to the Asuna I knew. The strong and determined girl who had risen to a leadership position in what was once the strongest clearing guild in «Aincrad». The girl that Kirito had fallen in love with.
There was a long pause after she finished. I gave her a few more moments after that to dry her face before I answered her. After she had poured her feelings out, I felt that I had to return the favor. There was something that I had to tell her in return. Something that I had feared might strain our relationship and that she might consider a betrayal of that trust she had in me. But the current situation gave me the courage to admit it to her.
"I said some really harsh things to you Asuna," I began. "But I don't regret saying them. I meant each and every word. I really wouldn't have forgiven you if you were ready to give up on Kirito. Part of it is because I know how happy being with him makes you. But another reason is –"
I swallowed hard and looked down at my clasped hands.
"Another reason is because I like him too."
There, the words were out. Unable to be taken back or reconsidered. If she hated me for it, I'd have to deal with it as best I could.
"Not just as a friend," I continued. "He's more important to me than that."
I chanced a look at Asuna's face. I had no reason to doubt that she'd be angry with me or at the least, a little hurt. But she surprised me. She had a warm smile on her face. Everything I had feared did not come to pass.
"That explains it," she answered me softly. "Your concern for me—for us, I should say. The reason why you were so angry then. I thought you were just being cruel at first. I—didn't know. Thank you Liz, for telling me and for everything else."
Relief flooded through me. My best friend didn't hate me. I wanted to laugh at myself for being so stupid. Instead, I felt myself returning her smile.
"It's great that you understand, but don't think that I've completely given up on him," I retorted, planting my fists on my hips. "If you ever show this kind of weakness again, I won't hesitate to steal him from you, mark my words."
Asuna stared at me incredulously for a few seconds before bursting out giggling.
"Alright, considering myself warned," she replied, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "But I'll never give him up to anyone else, not even you Liz. Not now, not ever. So you'll have a long time to wait."
And with those words, Asuna «the Flash» picked herself up off her bed and accessed her equipment menu. Seconds later, she was dressed in her red and white battle armor, «Lambent Light» hanging at her side. Determination once again shined in her face.
"Well then Liz, Yui-chan, I'm off," she declared.
*notes- There'll probably be 2 more chapters in this arc just based on how much I still need to get done to wrap up the plot. Not much going on in terms of action this time around since events in this chapter needed to happen first, but the next two chapters should make up for that.
I've been writing in side-characters a lot lately, it seems. But it's fun in its own way and I enjoy being able to try to develop them more. Speaking of which, Liz's crush on Kirito is now known to Asuna. As for why I had Asuna be ok with it, I suppose it's just my interpretation of her character. First of all, she's absolutely certain of the bond she and Kirito possess and secondly, in I feel that she would try and be mature about it based on what her personality in canon is like.
Alright, that's it for comments this time around. Feel free to put any questions, comments, criticisms, etc. in a review and I'll try and get back to you with as much information as I'm willing to give without giving any spoilers.