The Hacker was scrolling through the forum on his computer. "Hey Boss! Turns out, the person who bought the avatar, claims it's faulty and demands a refund."

"Forget it." Kazuli shot it down. "All transactions are final."

"That's the problem. The player ID of Kirito, is logged in as we speak."

"Are you absolutely certain of this?" Kazuli approached skeptically.

"There is no doubt. I have a reading on the player ID of Asuna and there seems to be a foreign program running. It isn't Yui, but it might be what you're looking for. MHCP001… Do you think I should terminate it?"

"What are you waiting for? A formal invitation?" Kazuli spouted sarcastically.

"Here it goes!" The hacker started typing away. "Crap!"

"What now!" Kazuli's patience was holding on by a thread.

"I don't know what program it is, but it eluded me… It isn't in the system anymore."

"When it returns, can I count on you to get it done, Sien?"

"Yes sir. I know the IP signature. It comes back, I will be ready for it this time."

"Do a check on Kirito's and Asuna's IP addresses! You can use the satellite to track them from this signal. I want to know their location."

"That will be a little difficult… they are using high security AmuS-"

"I don't care how difficult it is! Do it! No excuses!" Ever since Kazuli's daughter was held at gunpoint, he has been losing his temper and his patience. His resolve has only grown stronger.

"Right away sir…." Sien got back to typing.

Shortly before that, Kirito and Asuna said their good-byes to Yui, because it was time for Yui to go to bed. They would have liked her to stay the night, but Suguha promised her a special surprise and Yui couldn't bear to think about it any longer.

They sat on the couch together, after she vanished from view.

Asuna lay on his lap. "I think that went really well." She thought back over their visit with Leafa(Midori).

"She really likes your cooking, but who doesn't?"

"Is that all you think about? I meant, that she enjoyed her stay in game."

"I think so." Kirito paused for a moment, clearly with something on his mind. "Asuna?"

"What is it?" She looked up to him.

"Doesn't it seem like there are a lot of players, recently?"

"Yeah. I think people are getting bored. The Augma is cool and everything, but there are no games released for it, yet."

"What do you mean? I thought it was supposed to support a new set of games to be released. That isn't happening?" Kirito couldn't believe it.

"All the corporation's money is going into building those towers. I don't think the games will be released until after."

"Makes sense. I bet those towers cost a fortune." Kirito was distant for a moment, so Asuna gave him a confused look. "Ever since I have been back, I have been wanting to meet with the Moonlit Black Cats… I didn't think I would get the chance with how little, people were playing this game… but now, maybe…"

"I have them on my friends list. I can arrange a meeting with them, if you want." She offered.

Kirito became ecstatic. "Really?! That would be awesome!"

Asuna sat up and fiddled with her menu screen. "There. All done."

Kirito had his eyes peeled to her screen.

A message popped up, so Asuna pulled it up.

Kirito pulled Asuna into his arm and she leaned back against him. They both read it together.

'Meet us on floor 11 at the cafe in Branshire. We will be waiting for you there, Kirito.'

"Now?!" Kirito shot up. "I wasn't prepared for that."

Asuna stood up and made her way to her husband. "Go. You know you want to."

"Thanks, Asuna." He flipped through his inventory and equipped his famous black gear. "Don't wait up for me, Okay." He left the house in a hurry.

He pulled out his teleport crystal and took a deep breath. "Teleport Branshire!" He suddenly appeared on floor 11. He found the cafe in no time flat and entered in a hurry.

"Hey! Kirito!" They were suddenly alerted to his presence.

"Sachi! Tetsuo! Keita! Ducker! Sasamaru!" Kirito was distressed upon seeing them. He wasn't entirely prepared for this. Not yet. He wanted to psyche himself up first. They clearly had other plans.

"Glad to see, you still know who we are!" Ducker smiled cheekily.

Kirito approach them, cautiously.

Sachi smiled. "I heard you beat Sword Art Online for everyone!"

"Not everyone…" Kirito's voice trailed.

"Are you still upset over what happened in that monster trap? Don't worry about it! We ignored your warnings. You couldn't have stopped us, even if you wanted to." Tetsuo slapped Kirito across the back.

"But still… I should have told you, who I was."

"Sachi told us, how high your level was. If anything, we felt more confident, with you around." Kirito noticed Sasamaru was pretty chill about it.

Kirito looked stunned. "Y-you kn-ew…?"

"Sorry... " Sachi was a lot more confident in this world. Kirito figured it must be because Sachi didn't have to fear for her life here.

"I can't believe you let me stay. I kept it from you." Kirito couldn't help it. He felt so guilty.

"We told you before. You didn't have to worry about fitting in."

"Keita…"

"I was really upset back there… But it wasn't really at you, Kirito." Keita was still upset over it too.

"Come on! Let's celebrate having the guild back together!" Ducker cheered as he grabbed Keita and Kirito's shoulders from behind, in a playful gesture. "And the completion of SAO!"

"Yeah!" The others cheered. They started to hand out the drinks and food.

Kirito smiled. He was relieved to see them, but also, he felt a weight off his shoulders. They didn't blame him at all. Maybe, he could forgive himself too.

Sachi smiled as she approached Kirito. "We were thinking about trying out a new game. ARK Survival Evolved. It would be nice for the six of us to play it together, like old times."

Kirito stared at the others. "Really?"

"Why not? With the new update, we can now go to any game in the VRMMO section. We were thinking we would try it out. What you say?" Keita offered.

"I have to think about it… But I want to." Kirito shook his hand.

"Don't wait too long! We were hoping to play it tomorrow." Ducker chimed.

"I will have my answer by then, promise."

"I hear this game has dinosaurs and you can ride them too!" Tetsuo grew more excited.

"Ride dinosaurs?!" Sachi's face grew wide in excitement.

"You can fight with them too!" Ducker added.

"No way. Really? That sounds pretty cool." Kirito agreed.

"You have no idea. Build your own weapons and gear… fortresses. Tons of people are already playing it." Sasamaru piped in.

"I can see why." Kirito thought it over in his head and was getting pretty psyched. "If I do, I will be using my Shiro account. Kirito will stay here in UW."

"Shiro huh? Why is that? You could have an advantage with all your high stats." Sachi asked curiously.

"That's why I would use Shiro. It will make it more fair. I'm cool with it." Kirito explained.

"Alright! Welcome to the Moonlit Black Cats, Shiro!" They cheered.

Kazuto removed his AmuSphere and found Asuna asleep next to him. Only it turned out, she wasn't actually asleep. "How did it go?"

"They are just like I remembered…" Kazuto didn't know how he should word it, so he just decided to spill. "They asked me to join them in a new game."

"You want to?" Asuna asked, pretty sure she new the answer.

"I was thinking I might use my Shiro account."

"Then don't worry about it. We'll still be here, when you return." Asuna placed her hand tenderly on his cheek.

"Thanks, Asuna. You don't know how much this means to me." Kazuto smiled.

"Let me guess… you still need to buy the game?"

"Yeah… Where is Vari? Has she logged out yet?"

"Before I did. Why?"

"I thought she might know where to get it. She found our AmuSpheres somewhere and I am sure, I could get my copy there."

"I think she might still be awake. You'll have to check."

"Don't wait up, okay." Kazuto sprung up from the bed and turned to the door.

"Just be careful. I don't see what's the rush. You can always get it tomorrow."

"The others want to play tomorrow. So I need to get my copy, tonight."

"Don't let the guard catch you sneaking off."

"He won't see me." Kazuto opened the door and turned back to her. "Good night, Asuna."

"Night."

Kazuto closed the door behind him and searched the house for Vari, who was watching TV on the couch. "Vari. Do you know where I might be able to buy a VRMMO?" He asked quietly to avoid suspicion from the guards in the other room.

She turned her attention to him. "A little late for playing games, don't you think?"

"I need to have it, by tomorrow. Can you help me out?"

She sprung up from the couch. "What are we waiting for?" Vari put on her shoes and led Kazuto out the back door. She has been sneaking off so much, that she had it down to a science.

Kazuto and Vari trudged in the snow, around in the bush, for what seemed like forever. "We aren't lost, are we?" He grew impatient.

"I know exactly where we are! In the middle of nowhere!" Vari teased.

"It's too late for jokes…" Kazuto was getting really tired, not to mention cold. He started to wonder why he didn't take Asuna's advice.

"I'm not joking. It's really dark. I have never been out here this late." Vari was really cold. She wasn't used to being out in these temperatures, for long.

"What? Please tell me, you're kidding." Kazuto pleaded.

"I'm kidding."

"Really?!" Kazuto felt relieved.

"That's what you wanted to hear, right?"

"So we're lost?" Kazuto grumbled.

"Look on the bright side. We are having an adventure, no batteries required." Vari always had a way of finding the positive.

Kazuto couldn't help but be amused. She was enjoying her misadventures. He wanted to do that too.

"Do you think we might run into a wild animal?" Vari mused.

"What?! I never thought about that… I didn't even bring a knife."

"Really? It's the bush!" She smirked. "Don't worry, you're in luck! I have a nail clipper." Vari giggled.

"How reassuring…"

They heard the bushes rustle. Vari grabbed onto Kazuto's arm for shelter. A sika deer jumped out from them.

"What happened to the brave warrior?"

"I was getting ready to protect you." She defended sheepishly.

"Oh? Because it didn't look like that to me." Kazuto mused.

"Laugh all you want, Kazuto. But we are out of weapons, food and shelter. May I remind you, this was your idea." Vari teased.

"Yeah. But you said you knew where we were going. To be fair, we are in this mess because of you." Kazuto teased back. 'Great! She was rubbing off on me.'

"So, we can be morons together." She admitted.

They kept going in silence in random directions, until the sun peered over the horizon. "I know where we are now!" Vari cheered.

"You do…?" Kazuto could barely keep his eyes open.

"Yep. And we are waayyy off course."

"Then how do you know, where we are?"

"The position of the sun and moon. See the sun should be rising over that mountain." She pointed to the mountain behind them.

"How did we get that lost?" Kazuto gave her a suspicious look.

"Who can say. We have been walking for hours, so it really shouldn't be that much of a shock."

"That's it. I need a break." Kazuto was tired and hungry. Asuna would be waking up soon and won't be happy to find out that they were still not back, yet.

Hours had past and they finally made it to the store and Kazuto bought his copy of ARK. They picked up some breakfast, before heading back to the safe house. Turned out, it wasn't even that far away.

Asuna made breakfast and was waiting at the table, really agitated. The back door closed behind them, after the two entered. They made their way to the couch and slumped onto it.

Kazuto didn't notice Asuna yet. "Don't ever do that again!" Kazuto panted. "I can't take another step. I'm going to bed."

"Next time, don't ask for a guide in the middle of the night!"

Kazuto stood up and his eyes met Asuna's. "Hi… Asuna…"

Asuna was still pretty concerned. "Where were you? I got worried."

"We got a little lost… I'm okay, just tired." Kazuto explained.

Asuna stared at Vari.

Vari raised her hands in defence. "Don't look at me! I can't help it, if the bush is harder to navigate at night."

Asuna gave a small smile towards them. "Before you go to bed, I made some breakfast, if you're hungry." She offered.

The two guards approached them, before Kazuto and the other two, could migrate to the kitchen and they weren't impressed. "Where did you think you were going? Do you think this is some kind of game? You are under our protection! Not only were we not notified of your little trip, you chose to disregard us, deliberately! If anyone finds out that you are here, you will be in grave danger! We aren't an army. There is only so much we can do, with our limited numbers!"

Kazuto could sense the severity in his tone. "It won't happen again."

The guards were directing their aggressive warning to Varina, more. She was the escape artist.

She just smiled at them sheepishly. She wasn't going to make any promises.

After the guards were convinced that they got their point across, they let them continue their limited daily activities.

Kazuto sat at the table and stared at the food. "Looks good." He had just eaten only an hour ago, but how could he pass up Asuna's cooking? He did take a smaller portion though.

Asuna didn't press it. "When are you meeting up in ARK?"

"In three hours… I will get some sleep before that." Kazuto looked over at the men guarding them. "Don't they ever sleep?"

"I think so. Can't imagine where."

"Probably in his car." Vari joked.

"How is it, that there are men doing bad things freely and we're the prisoners?" Kazuto retorted, tiredly.

"It's unfair, isn't it?" Asuna agreed.

"You can complain to the authorities if you want, but I doubt it would do any good. They would probably tell us to be grateful." Vari reasoned.

Kazuto felt his eyes getting heavy and he rested his head on his hand, playing with his food. That is, until he fell asleep.

"Wake up, sleepy head." Vari poked his face, before he could face plant into his breakfast.

"S-orry… yawn… I'm so tired…" Kazuto could barely keep his eyes open.

"Off to bed. I can save it for you later." Asuna helped Kazuto to his feet.

He slowly made his way to the bedroom.

"Is there another bed in there, Asuna? The couch really isn't that comfortable." Vari complained.

"There is. I wondered why you would sleep on the couch, when we have an extra bed." Asuna smiled.

"Because you and Kazu-to…. Oh nevermind." Vari decided, she wanted to take the offer. She didn't want to shake Asuna's trust. Vari entered the bedroom and snuck towards the second bed. She stopped and stared at Kazuto, who was passed out already. She was tempted to slide in next to him, but pushed those thoughts out, immediately. She pulled back the covers of the spare bed and slid in. "This is so much more comfortable than the couch." She whispered to no one in particular. She looked back over to Kazuto and noticed Asuna in the room.

Asuna took her place next to Kazuto, putting her arms around him, tenderly.

Vari snickered. 'There's the jealous girlfriend, come out to play. Are you going to be his guard dog?' She mused. She was too tired to pester Asuna about it, right now, so she rolled over and fell asleep.

Kazuto woke up with his alarm. He placed the AmuSphere over his head, half asleep. He noticed arms around him. He placed his hands in hers. She wasn't really sleeping.

"You have fun, alright." Asuna smiled at Kazuto.

Kazuto planted a kiss on her lips, before he straightened himself out, ready to dive. "I'll be back... for dinner." He closed his eyes. "Link… start…"

Kazuto resumed his Shiro account, like he said and appeared in the middle of a tropical paradise. "This is a survival game. Not something I am used to, but it will certainly present a challenge."

He looked down at his hands and then his face went red. 'I'M NAKED!' He whipped his head around, hoping no one could see him. 'How do I get clothes? This isn't funny!' He panicked. 'Why would someone start you off like that?' He accessed his menu in a panic. He noticed a crafting option and selected it. There were clothes available to craft, but he had to gather necessary supplies, to make them. His first priority would be to get pants. He ran off in a desperate search for the materials he needed. He stumbled across those said items and selected the clothes in his menu and craft. It took a loading time to create it and then it appeared in his inventory. He quickly applied it and he saw the clothes appear on his body. A sigh escaped his lips.

He finally relaxed, just in time for a young girl to happen upon him. His face turned red, realizing he was so close to being exposed to… "Sachi!"

She looked at him a little confused, but she hid behind a tree. "Don't look!" She was overcome with embarrassment.

Shiro realized she was not clothed either and his face burned more. "Sorry… I'm not looking." He closed his eyes and turned away.

"You're new too, aren't you?" Sachi asked.

"Sachi it's me. Shiro. Remember?"

Her face inflamed. "Kiri-Shiro?!"

"Something like that."

"W-where d-did you get clothes?" She asked very shyly.

"I made them with the crafting tool." He pointed at some stuff hanging off a tree and then some residual substance on the tree and some other things lying around. "If you collect the materials laying around and access your menu, you can make them." Shiro didn't want the temptation of looking at her, so he wanted to help her get some clothes, as quickly as possible.

"Can I trust you, not to look?" She asked shyly.

"Yeah. I won't. Promise."

She stepped out from behind the tree and quickly gathered the items in question. She selected her crafting tools and prepared her clothes. They weren't the nicest clothes you could find, but at least, they would cover nicely. "You can turn around now."

Shiro did as he was told and saw that she was wearing something now.

"You didn't see anything did you?" Her face was as red as a tomato.

"Only-for-a-moment… When I first saw you, but-I-didn't-mean-to-honest!" Shiro was flustered and just as red as she was. Especially, knowing she was close to seeing him in a similar way. "Why start us like that?"

"It's a survival game. It makes sense if you start with nothing… doesn't mean I like it or anything."

"I noticed that our skills and stats are reset. I'm glad I didn't convert my Kirito account." Shiro realized that he was unintentionally rubbing it in, that she couldn't return to UW, with her skills and stats in tact. "But it wasn't like I was that far in the game, anyways." He tried to make her feel better.

"Better now, than finding out, when I am on floor 90." Sachi chose to be positive. She really wanted to play this game, so she wasn't too worried about it.

"True. That would really suck."

"I wonder where everyone else is."

"It seems like we spawn at random locations…" His face turned red again, when he thought about how glad he was, for that. Hers did too. "We better go search for them." He extended his hand to her.

"I'm not in that much of a hurry…" Her face gleamed of pure redness, at the thought of seeing her friends in the nude.

Shiro understood where she was coming from. "So, we'll take our time. We can start collecting stuff to make weapons. Wouldn't want to come across a dinosaur without being properly armed."

"They could be anywhere." She was nervous/excited about seeing her first dinosaur.

Shiro scrolled through his crafting guide and noticed the first tools available. "We should keep our eyes open for food, wood, stone-" Shiro noticed Sachi dart off towards the beach. "Sachi!"

She ran enthusiastically. "Look, Kirito!" She pointed at a Brachiosaurus eating high leaves in the trees. She didn't even realize she called him the wrong name, she was so excited.

Shiro approached it, with his mouth hanging open. They told him there would be dinosaurs, but he had no idea, it would actually feel like he was back in the prehistoric times. He stared in awe at the large beast towering over them. "No way!"

"Could you imagine riding it?!"

Shiro could only give a half frozen shake of his head.

"What's this?" A warning symbol appeared in her view.

Shiro snapped back at the sudden realization, that there was one in his view as well. He looked to the corner of his vision and realized that there were several different symbols at the bottom. They all resembled something that would be classified as their necessities for survival. "We are overheating." It wasn't like they didn't feel the heat, nor did they not recognize it wearing on them. But they were so intrigued, they didn't even notice. "We should try swimming to cool down."

Sachi nodded and they made a break for the ocean. They dove in and cooled down quickly. "I can't believe how hot it is here."

"That isn't the only thing we need to watch out for. He pointed to the corner view. "See?"

She looked at it. There were gauges showing how they fared in each category.

They foraged for food and supplies. Then they crafted tools and worked their way to weapons. They built a campsite for the night.

"Are you going to be alright on your own. I promised Asuna I would be home for dinner." Shiro explained.

"I'll be fine. I will watch over your avatar for you." Sachi smiled.

"I guess you can't logout properly, in this game. Not if you're still in the field." Shiro felt bad to have to leave her with the responsibility of both their avatars. "There are things out here, that would snap us like a twig. Are you sure?"

"It's a game. It isn't like we can't respawn."

"Alright. I will see you tomorrow." He lay down on the ground and logged out.

Kazuto opened his eyes to see Asuna hovering over him. "Am I late?"

"Not yet. I was starting to wonder if you would remember to logout, but you did." Asuna teased.

"That's… good to hear…" Kazuto couldn't help but feel bad that he abandoned Sachi.

"Alright! What's bothering you?" Asuna stared at him and he met her gaze. "I know that look."

"I think I will stay in ARK tonight… o-kay…"

"Why? What happened?" Her voice softened.

"Nothing really… I can't leave Sachi alone, like I did."

"You can't stay every night."

"No, just until we can find the rest of our guild. Then she won't be alone"

"Alright, at least eat before you log back in."

Kazuto wasn't arguing there.

They entered the kitchen and sat around the table, after Asuna served the food. Vari came bolting in. "I-I didn't miss-" Vari saw that the food was sitting on the table and relaxed. "Good. I was worried you were going to eat without me."

Asuna looked at her suspiciously. "I can see, you finally gave your brother's girlfriend a chance." She smirked.

"What?! Heck no! He finally took my advice and ditched the bitch!" She returned Asuna a smirk, littered with pride. She sat down and helped herself to some of the delectable food on the table. She then turned to Kazuto. "How's the new game? Any better than UW?"

Kazuto had a mouthful and almost choked. "W-well… it's interesting… but I wouldn't go that far…" Kazuto's face turned a little pink in embarrassment, thinking about how you get started off. "I'm sure it gets better, as you progress."

"Maybe, I will consider playing it. Sounds a little more, my style." Vari gave him a sly smile.

"If everyone is converting, you can't expect me to-" Asuna was cut off by Kazuto.

"NO! No! Please don't! You would start your account over. A new account is a better idea…" He thought about others coming across Asuna in the nude. He didn't want that. He was feeling protective all the sudden. "It isn't that great of a game, sooo you don't need to give it a second thought."

"That is total BS, Kazuto! I heard it has amazing reviews! Sure it isn't a fantasy game or even anything like you have played before, but that just makes it more appealing! Who doesn't like dinosaurs?" Vari was curious why Kazuto would downplay it like that, so she was rather suspicious and figured she would get to the bottom of it, using this method.

"Any game can have dinosaurs." Kazuto sheepishly defended.

"Not like this. I hear you can ride them and use them to build fortresses. They can fight in battle with you…"

"I agree with Vari. That sounds really interesting." Asuna remembered that Kazuto was only playing it to hang with the Moonlit Black Cats. So, as much as she would want to, she decided it would be better not to press the issue. "But let Kazuto have his fun. We can always create an account later."

"Just because you don't, doesn't mean I won't." Vari pressed, hoping for a bit more out of Kazuto.

"If that is really what you want…" Kazuto didn't want to argue with her, he knew where it would lead.

"I was just kidding, Kazuto. I just want to know why you don't want any of us playing. Is something going on, we should know about?" If Vari wasn't going to trick him into talking, she may as well, ask him directly.

"N-not-really." Kazuto turned pink again.

Asuna gave him a glare.

"It isn't what you're thinking-promise." Kazuto quickly defended. He finished the last bit on his plate. "I have kept Sachi waiting too long, I should go." Kazuto got up and headed towards the room. "Thanks for the dinner-it was amazing!"

"Kazuto!" Asuna stood up from the table, abruptly.

He was already in the room, diving.

Vari turned to Asuna. "You aren't worried that Sachi might take your boyfriend away, do you?" She asked in a taunting way.

"No. I know Kazuto wouldn't do that, though honestly, I am starting to doubt his abilities to say 'no' to a girl." Asuna sat back down in defeat.

"That depends… How was he with you, when you met. Did he do everything you say?" Vari asked in a slightly more sincere voice.

"For one thing, I could tell him til I was blue in the face, to stop soloing. You can see how that turned out." Asuna remembered that Vari knew Kazuto from SAO, so she figured she would remember. "He never told me about his dual wielding, until he was forced to use it in battle…"

"Then I wouldn't worry too much. He knows when to say 'no'…" Vari's voice trailed, when she remembered her make out with Kazuto. 'Or maybe not…'

"You're right. I must sound silly."

"Nope… Well, not about that. It's perfectly normal. You want to be with him forever, I get it. What I still don't understand is how you seem to surround yourself with people, who are clearly jealous of you."

"They may be, but they are still happy for Kazuto and I. That would never get in between us. We have a mutual understanding." Asuna explained with confidence.

"Wow… That's really cool… I admit, I was even jealous…" Vari admitted.

"But you're honest about it. That is how I know I can trust you." Asuna gave her a sincere smile.

There was a lot, Vari could learn from a girl like her. "What about Kazuto? Do you think he is being honest?"

"I do… Although…" Asuna did have a few doubts to what might be happening in the game, that would make him fluster that much.

Vari stood up in a salute. "I will be your eyes and ears."

"I don't want you to spy on him." Asuna defended on Kazuto's behalf.

"Y-you really are a strange girl... I want to spy. It sounds like fun!" She lowered her arms to her side.

"And when has spying, ever been a good idea?! It's an invasion of privacy!"

"You're taking all the fun out of it. Besides, Kazuto already said he doesn't care if I play. I could join his group. Then It wouldn't even really be considered spying." Vari rationalized.

"Don't push Kazuto! He has been through enough, already. He only logged in, so that he could hang out with the members of his previous guild. Up until recently, Kazuto thought they were dead."

"Alright. I will go get my copy before it gets too dark and the store closes." She turned to leave the house, through the back door. "Bye!" Avoiding the guards like usual. The guards should just give up, already. Varina was a free spirit, that can't be tamed.

Asuna shrunk down in her seat. 'I hope she understood what I meant…' She let out a sigh, before she decided to do the dishes. Asuna wondered to herself how the guards were so easy to sneak around. She walked over to the door to check. Sure enough, there they were. Why only two guards, though? Was the circle of trust in the agency, wearing that thin?

She didn't want to think about it, too much. She figured she would have a visit with Yui in UW, tomorrow. That gave her something to look forward to.

Shiro shuffled over to see Sachi's blue eyes sparkle in the fire's light. "Sachi? I guess I worried for nothing."

Sachi turned and gave him a smile. "You're back. I thought you were staying IRL, tonight."

"Until we find the others, I think it would be best to stick together." Shiro turned to look into the sky. It was so beautiful. But a roar shook that off. "Did that sound close, to you?"

Sachi shot up. "Yes!"

"I think we better hide!" Shiro sprung up and wrenched on her arm. He darted into the bushes away from the sound.

The trees started to shake around them and before they knew it, there was a giant Spinosaurus, rampaging towards them.

"Oh CRAP!" Shiro saw a cliff coming up ahead. "We have to jump!"

"What?! No… I can't!" Sachi cried.

"We have to!"

Shiro and Sachi approached the cliff, now it was do or die. They launched themselves off the cliff into the ocean, below. Shiro held her under the water for a bit, to make sure the monster was gone. They finally surfaced.

Sachi gave Shiro an exhilarated hug. "That was awesome!" She pulled away. "I can't believe that thing would come out of nowhere! I told you this game would be a blast!"

Shiro was glad to see her confident and brave side, show. He hardly recognized the girl from SAO. "I can't believe we can actually expect to tame those things."

"Look! Our temperature gauge is suffering. I think we need to get to shore and make a fire." Sachi's smile slid off her face.

They did exactly that and chose to take watches.

Shiro took the first shift. He watched Sachi sleeping there, peacefully. He still had a hard time believing it. She was dead for years, he thought. Now she comes out of nowhere, alive and well. Sort of…

The next morning, they continued on their quest to find the rest of their guild.

Shiro and Sachi still had crappy gear and very weak weapons, but what could you expect from this type of game, so early on?

"Hey guys! New recruits!" A voice came from behind them.

They whipped around to see a few men on raptors.

"We aren't looking to join any guilds right now. We are just trying to find our friends." Shiro informed them, refusing their offer.

"You will join our tribe! We are the toughest on the entire island and our fortress is impenetrable. You couple of newbies don't stand a chance against the creatures or armies that reign here. You don't join us, you will be forced to join another. I would accept our offer, if I were you." The man challenged.

"You think you can win us over, by intimidating us, you have another thing coming. If we join a tribe, it will be solely our decision. You cannot force us!" Shiro deterred.

"This one has spirit. Just the kind of man, we need in our tribe." The man approached him. Shiro started to suspect he was a leader of some sort. He turned his attention to Sachi. "What about you miss? Think you have what it takes to stand up to me?"

Sachi was not as composed as Shiro. "Yes."

The leader turned back to Shiro. "You want a chance to solo, then I will give you one. Defeat me in a one on one, you and your miss, are free to go."

"That isn't a fair fight!" Shiro protested. "You know as well as I do, that a new player can't take on an advanced player like you, with expert gear!"

"Then It would be futile to engage, wouldn't it? You should accept my offer." The leader spoke snidely.

"Never! I won't join a tribe that is governed by the likes of you!" Shiro may as well have spit in the man's face, because he was furious.

"Let's see if you can uphold your words." The man jumped off of his raptor and charged at Shiro, with his sword drawn.

Shiro blocked it quickly, but the leader's blade sliced his weapon in half. The sword sliced through Shiro and his avatar became limp on the ground.

Sachi tried to defend him, but met the same fate.

The leader stood proudly. "Loot 'm!"

Shiro's eyes went wide. 'What?! They would take everything we have, even though it will not make them any profit? What monsters they are!'

The man gave him a snide grin. "Take the girl! Let's see if you will reconsider my offer. Till we meet again!" He jumped back onto his raptor.

Another man threw Sachi on his raptor's back and Shiro couldn't do anything about it.

Shiro's eyes grew furious, as he willed to stand up and protect his friend. Even so, he was met with as countdown clock, that clearly indicated his next chance to move.

The men on raptors took off, after they pointed out their camp to Shiro, where they promised to be waiting for him.

'What dirty, rotten scoundrels!' Shiro tried to move, but couldn't. He grew more and more frustrated. 'What did they intend to do with her?'

Vari came from the room in a playful mood. She entered the kitchen, to find breakfast on the table, but no Kazuto. She took a seat next to Asuna. She smiled slyly. "I know why your boy was so flustered, yesterday."

Asuna stared at her with a nervous curiosity. "What was it, then?"

Vari snickered. "All the players start in the nude! That's why!" Vari blurted out, now laughing.

Asuna relaxed, then started to snicker, just thinking about it. "So that's why Kazuto was so worked up. Now, I can see why he never told me. I can only imagine the look on his face." Asuna wiped the tears from her eyes, from laughing too hard. "Why would they start a game like that?"

"It's a survival game, so I would suspect that you shouldn't have anything to start with." Vari gave Asuna a playful look. "See. Aren't you glad that I started a file in ARK?"

"I guess, you're right. I was wondering. I didn't know if I would ever stop thinking about it." Asuna finally admitted. "Kazuto knows what time it is… I wonder what's keeping him."

"From what I can tell, he probably got caught up in something. We can't allow the food to get cold. Let's eat!"

The guards stood inside the kitchen. Asuna had a feeling they had caught up with Varina and gave her another scolding, but this time, they weren't letting her out of their site. Asuna wouldn't be surprised if they were considering a relocation already.