A/N: Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming back to witness the end of the Fairy Dance arc! It sure has been fun, and I know many of you have enjoyed this just as much- if not, more- than I have! Don't fret though, because we have one more arc after this chapter, and then it's on to even more adventures with the Red Swordsman in another, final rewrite of the SAO saga!
In addition, soon after I finish my Fire Emblem rewrite, I will begin releasing my highly anticipated Star Sword II story! (I know it was supposed to be out already, but cut me some slack- I've had the flu, and my computer had to undergo a total factory reset, which means I lost all my stuff)
But without further interruption, Link, start!
The World Reborn
Michael pedaled as fast as his body would let him through the cold, ignoring the snow that clung to his frame, draining the heat from his body. His mind burned only with one thought, and one thought only: Sachi, I'm nearly there. But he knew that nearly wasn't good enough. He had to make to her before he could finally lay his warrior spirit to rest.
Suddenly, a new thought entered his mind, and his pace slackened just a bit. Is this the end of Mataras, the Red Swordsman? When he noticed that he was slowing down, he cursed himself and redoubled his efforts to keep moving. No matter for now, he decided. If Mataras can find peace in this reunion, then perhaps it's time to do what Sister suggested… And find a new focus. He kept the thought in the back of his mind for the rest of his trip, but it did not vanish completely.
When he finally made it into the hospital after securing Mr. Kirigaya's bike, he was confronted by a receptionist. "Sir, unless this is an emergency, you'll have to come back tomorrow," she said. "Visiting hours are over."
"Oh?" Michael smirked. "I can cause an emergency if that's what it takes to get in here." The lady behind the desk stiffened, and she reached for her phone, taking his words as a threat. Seeing this, Michael chuckled and said, "Are you kidding me with that? If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it without any warning. No…"
He reached up to place his fingers on a sensitive spot on his neck as he said, "Normally, I don't use pressure points, seeing as they take too long to use in combat. But if I were to knock myself out, you'd have to admit me, no?"
"You wouldn't," the lady said. She didn't sound too convinced of that.
"Try me," Michael snapped. "I've got a little sister in here that I've been waiting to see for more than two months, and visiting hours be blasted, I will see her- no matter how I get to do it." When the receptionist hesitated, Michael added, "But if you really prefer, there are other ways of getting you to let me in. For example, tell me, how do you find your job?"
"Huh?" she replied, unsure of how to respond to the boy's sudden change in topic. Maybe I should get someone from the mental ward, she thought. He doesn't look very stable.
Michael interrupted her thoughts as he said, "If you like your job, you'll let me in. Otherwise, I have a government official that owes me and my brother a great deal. He's obliged to me in making sure that I can see Sayuri Motodato at any time I choose. And unless you want me to get him to pull strings to have you sacked, you'll let me through." Michael waited for her response, secure in the knowledge that while Kikuoka wouldn't have her fired, he could definitely get him in the hospital. And if that didn't work, there was always his nerve-pinch.
"Okay, I'm gonna get some people down here to help you," she said with a nervous smile. Michael stiffened at that.
"Help me… how?" he asked.
"Look, I understand that all of this must seem real to you, but-"
"You think I'm a stoner?!" Michael shouted, completely taken aback.
"Sweetie, you need to calm down," the lady said sternly as she hit a button under the desk, a sound that did not escape Michael's ears.
"Did you just…?" He glowered at her. "No… No you did not."
"Trust me, everything will be okay, you just need to stay calm," she tried to say in a soothing tone, but he would have none of it.
"Get lost," he snarled as he started to walk towards the elevator. So much for knocking myself out- that'd just make their jobs easier!
"Hey, you can't go over there!" she said as she started after him.
"Let him go," a new voice said. However, it was not unfamiliar to Michael's ears. "He has clearance." He turned around to see a tired-looking Kikuoka standing in the lobby, still dressed as sharp as ever. The man made a shooing motion, indicating that he would handle the matter.
"Sir, who are y-" The lady stopped talking as Kikuoka flashed his badge at her.
"I'm part of the SAO Recovery Force," he said smoothly. "My young associate over there is one of my top consultants, and…" Michael heard no more as the doors to the elevator shut, and he relaxed a bit. But only a bit.
Until he had his sister in his arms, safe and sound, he would not rest.
The elevator ride seemed to take an eternity to the impatient young man. "I should have just ran up the bloody stairs," he growled to himself. As if on cue, the doors slid open. "Finally." He was slipping through them before they were even halfway open and making a mad dash down the hallway.
In fact, he ran so fast that when he tried to stop at her door, he ended up tripping and falling flat on his back. Ignoring the impact to his back and head, he shot up to his feet and grabbed the door handle. Breathing a quick prayer, he opened the door as quietly as he could.
His view was initially obstructed by a curtain that obscured half of the room, so he stepped quietly to move around it and gaze at the bed that had held Sachi of the Moonlit Black Cats for more than two years.
Sayuri Motodato was sitting up straight in her bed, cradling her NerveGear, staring at the snow that was falling from the darkened sky. She was thin, frail, and pale, but Michael thought that he had never been so happy to see anyone in his life.
Knowing from personal experience that her hearing would not be at its best, he moved to stand at the edge of her bed, just outside of her peripheral vision, and said one word: "Sister."
She smiled, closed her eyes, and turned to look up at Michael, the light in her eyes just as bright as he remembered in their final days in Aincrad. If nothing else, the light seemed even brighter than he recalled. She set aside her helmet and reached out to him without a word, only a small gasp escaping her mouth.
"Don't push yourself," he said soothingly as he moved to sit beside her. "You haven't used your vocal chords in over two years, so don't try too hard to talk. You might damage your throat if you do."
She smiled brighter before trying to raise her arms around him, but lacked the strength to do so. Michael took pity on her and gently, slowly, raised her arms so that she could hug him for the very first time in real life. "Mmm…" she said hoarsely.
"Eh?" he said, wondering what she was trying to say.
"Mi… k…" she tried again. He pulled back from his embrace just enough to look her in the eye, but not break her fragile grip on him. When he did, she tried once again. "Mi…chael."
His eyebrows shot up, and a smile split his face. Seeing this, she managed to croak out, "I… love you… Michael… Brother…" She sagged, as if speaking had taken too much of her strength.
Her brother leaned her back, slowly, gently, afraid to hurt her. He knew that she had always been delicate in real life- and for some time in Sword Art Online, he reflected- but now it seemed as though she would shatter if she sneezed. But as he laid her back in her bed, he smiled at her and replied, "I love you too, Sayuri. My precious little sister." He touched his forehead to hers, and unexpectedly, allowed some tears to leak from his eyes.
"Brother…?" she asked, concerned.
"Sorry," he said as he wiped at his eyes. "It's nothing."
"You… never cried without… a good reason," she insisted. "Why do you cry…?"
"Because now you're home," he said with a smile as he continued to wipe at his eyes. "And now… the Red Swordsman is no more." He chuckled, his shoulders shaking a bit.
"No." Sayuri's voice was firm, considering her circumstances.
"Eh?"
"I said no," she replied, grasping at his hand with as much strength as she could muster. "You might be Michael… But Mataras' courage… and power…" She touched his heart with a finger for a brief moment before letting her hand go limp. "Those came from there. So unless you've lost those… Mataras lives… in you. We're one and the same… the player and the avatar… The same strengths and weaknesses…"
Michael's eyes widened briefly, but then he smiled even more broadly. "I guess I'm not the only one that's changed, eh?" he said lightly. Then he kissed her on the brow, right before saying, "Welcome home, Sayuri Motodato."
"Thanks," she sighed with a smile as she closed her eyes. "It's good to be back… Michael…" Then she was fast asleep, her breathing deep and even. So she didn't see when her brother looked up at the window to behold a sight he would never forget.
Amidst the falling snow, three figures stood just outside the window. The first was dressed like a casual teenager, with jeans and a red hoodie. His hair was a soft brown and his eyes were alight with laughter and life, the look of an innocent child. The second was dressed all in red, a jagged one-handed sword strapped to his back. His black hair fell down to partially cover his face, and the eye that was visible was glowing sliver with all the unadulterated rage of his soul. The last one was grinning confidently, dressed in a mix of red and black light armor, armed only with his fists. His red hair and eyes were alight with a fire that burned steadily despite the falling snow.
Michael stared at them without blinking, unable to look away for even a second. As he looked on, his eyes misted a bit, and the three shades seemed to blur together, even as they walked away from the window. He blinked once, and a new figure took the place of three ghosts. A pale young man with dark brown hair- not quite black- and equally dark eyes stood in their place, a red sword on his back and bright flames in his hands. Mataras nodded once to Michael before he turned around and walked out into the night.
The following months sped by quickly for Michael and his family, mostly because so much happened in them. For starters, Sugou Nuboyuki was found dead with an Amusphere on his head, which baffled the coroners. By all accounts, it made no sense, until an anonymous tip let them know that just before his death, the pain absorbers built into the rig had been removed. In short, his mind had not been able to take the sheer amount of agony that it assumed was actually being inflicted on his body, so he essentially died from a heart attack.
With the matter of Asuna's immediate suitor dead and buried, Michael moved quickly to protect her and Kazuto's relationship. Upon finally being able to hear his parent's last will and testament, he made the pleasant discovery that his father's work with the government had left him a considerable amount of wealth, and he immediately put it to good use.
First and foremost, he took care of Sayuri's accumulated medical bills, including her subsequent rehabilitation costs. Secondly, he paid back everything he felt he owed the Kirigayas, much to their initial protest. However, after enough haggling, he was able to get them to agree to accept his payment, and the matter was settled. He also bought himself a nice house in the same neighborhood as his brother's family- just to keep an eye on them, he joked.
When it came to the matter of Asuna's suitors, Michael had a word in private with the senior Yuuki. It was one day in early spring while everyone else was still in school, that Michael was able to secure the meeting.
"I appreciate you taking the time to see me under such vague circumstances," Michael said as they sat down in the man's home office. "I hope retirement is treating you well?" After the events of IMO, RCT Progress collapsed on itself, and partly out of shame, Asuna's father had taken an early retirement.
"More or less," the older man chuckled. "The truth is, I'm not used to having all this free time- I have no idea what to do with myself."
"Well, I might have an idea for what to do about that," Michael said with a small smile. "However, that's not why I'm here today."
"No, I shouldn't think so," Shouzou said as he looked Michael in the eyes. "You said in your email that what you have to say to me is of the utmost importance to both of us. I'll admit, my curiosity was aroused, so if you don't mind, don't keep me dangling." He smiled, but Michael could also see that he was serious.
"Very well, I'll cut straight to the point," Michael said firmly. "The suitors coming to see your daughter must cease immediately. She won't accept any of them."
Shouzou was nothing less than taken aback by both the subject and the blunt tone in which it was delivered, but he kept calm. As he drew in a breath to speak, he reflected that it was a good thing Michael had approached him about this, and not his wife. "Michael, I understand that you and my daughter are good friends-" he began, but Michael cut him off, his dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"Asuna is my sister in all but blood," he said firmly. "We have fought together, cried together, rejoiced with one another… We love one another as family ought to. But there is another who cares for her more deeply than anyone on this planet- perhaps even more than you. And that man is the only one she'll consent to be with for the rest of her life."
"Who is this man?" Shouzou asked with a frown. "Wait, no, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Michael, I know that you are from a background that gives you the right to marry the one you love, and so I can understand where you're coming from. But it's different for people of my family's station."
"Only if you let it be," Michael replied, his tone still blunt and uncompromising. "Perhaps having all of this success truly is what makes you happy, sir. And I can understand that. But after our time and adventures together in Aincrad…" He paused, many memories washing through his mind. "Asuna is not the same hesitant, uncertain girl who borrowed her brother's NerveGear out of idle curiosity. She's a skilled, confident warrior, with a will of iron. She knows what she wants, and she will fight to get it."
"Are you saying that she will fight her own family over this?" Shouzou asked seriously as he stood up.
Michael shot up to his feet to match the older man in height as he replied, "She doesn't have to. But if you insist on telling her that the only way to happiness is through a prosperous career, you will not only make her miserable, you make an enemy out of her. And from what I understand, her mother is but a step away from pushing their relationship to that stage of hostility." Shouzou's eyes flickered away for a moment, knowing that Michael was right on that score in particular.
Seeing his hesitation, Michael pressed his advantage, saying, "I know it must be hard to trust in your daughter to make the right decisions. But if I may say, sir, you don't know how strong she really has become. And if you would only meet with the one she wishes to spend her life with, you would see just how happy they make each other."
Shouzou's eyes showed a new light- one of curiosity. "Could you arrange for that?" he asked after a quiet moment. "I fear that if I were to make the suggestion to Asuna, she would fear it as a ploy on her mother's behalf."
"I can see that happening," Michael said dryly, though he smiled a bit. "If you now have so much time on your hands, perhaps we can have dinner at my own home this Friday? It's smaller than what you have, but I promise it will be an enjoyable evening, if nothing else."
"This young man that you speak of…" Shouzou said after another moment of contemplation. "It's Kirigaya, isn't it?"
Michael hesitated, but he saw no point in lying directly to Asuna's father. "It is, sir," he nodded. "I hope that you'll put aside his social standing for one night just long enough to see his character- and the way that he regards your daughter."
Shouzou looked into the eyes of the young man before him. They were dark, serious, and above all else, they were honest and unwavering. The older Yuuki finally nodded and said, "Very well. Mind you, I've yet to make a decision about Asuna's suitors, but until I meet with Kirigaya as you've suggested, I will put a hold on their advances. And I will keep an open mind- both ways, I hope you understand- about her future."
"I ask for nothing more of you today, sir," Michael said as he bowed from his waist to a respectful level.
"Then I shall be at your house on Friday at six o' clock, if that suits you," Shouzou said with a slight smile.
"It does," Michael nodded. "Thank you for your time, sir."
"Michael, before you go, I would ask one more thing," Shouzou said before he could step out of the office. When he turned around and raised an eyebrow, he asked the young man, "You really do care about Asuna, don't you?"
"As I said before, I think of her as family," Michael nodded. "And I don't lie about my family, or to them, either."
"But you do lie about other things, then?" Shouzou joked with a grin.
"Oh yes, sir," Michael smirked as he tapped the side of his nose. "Everyone has a few secrets to protect, don't they?" Then he walked away.
"That we do," Shouzou said heavily as Michael left the room. "That we do."
"You did what?!" Kazuto gasped, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.
"Do you want her dad's support, or not?" Michael snapped. "If you're serious about keeping your promise, you'll do whatever you can to make peace with her family, as quickly as possible."
"C'mon, Kirito," Asuna giggled as she gave him a one-armed hug. "My dad is cool. He never gave you a hard time about seeing me in the hospital, remember?" Michael let loose a quiet sigh of relief. At least she seemed to be on board with the idea.
"Yeah, but…" The boy paled. "He didn't think that I was anything more than a good friend of yours. Now he's gonna be watching me a lot more carefully."
"Just be yourself, as corny as that sounds," Michael chuckled. "As long as you do that, he'll probably like you better than me at the end of the night."
"I'd say that's a safe bet," a new voice said. "It's easier to like most people better than you."
"Hmm, as I recall, you were whistling a rather different tune when we got off the mountain of floor fifty-five, Rika," Michael said dryly a she turned around, his smile gone. "But believe or not, some people appreciate the genuine words of others."
Rika, otherwise known as Lisbeth the Blacksmith was standing next to Keiko, who used to be known as the Beast-tamer, Silica. The latter moved in between them and said with a nervous expression, "C'mon now, Rika… There's no need to be all mean to Michael…" While she hadn't connected to Michael on the same level as his guild mates, Silica definitely looked up to Mataras and the other Black Cats with a good deal of respect.
"Hmph," the former pinkette huffed with her arms crossed. "What's he even doing here? It's not like mister millionaire is in school anyway."
"First of all, none of your beeswax," Michael snapped, Mataras' fire coming to light in his dark eyes. "Second of all, keep giving me trouble, and I'll let every player that you and Agil swindled together exactly where you live."
She paled as she said, "You wouldn't."
"I would have done it in Aincrad, and I'll do it here," he said flatly. "So do yourself a favor, toothpick-maker." She reddened as he walked away with a confident smile on his face. "Get on my good side, and stop trying to push all of my buttons."
"Rrgh…" she steamed while Asuna simply face-palmed, knowing that Lisbeth wouldn't be able to resist one last sally. "Yeah, well… good luck getting a girlfriend with that attitude!"
"Don't need luck!" he called back cheerily with a sharp gleam in his eye that made Rika very uncomfortable. "Just tact, timing, and an affection that goes both ways. You should try it!" Then he was gone into the building.
"Who does he think he is?!" she growled. "He drives me crazy!" Asuna sighed, knowing that her friend was a very one-track type of person whose passion bubbled very quickly near the surface. But sometimes, just sometimes, she wanted to smack her upside the head.
"He's the guy that's dating my sister," Kazuto remarked offhandedly. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, most of them with disbelief, one with outrage.
"Er, Kirito…" Asuna said nervously. "Remember what we talked about?"
"Huh?" he said, genuinely confused. Then he saw the outrage in Lisbeth's bearing, and he immediately started to back away in fear. "Oh, right. Heh heh… Uh, my bad, guys…"
"Mataras has been doing WHAT?!" she screamed before trying to grab Kazuto's jacket.
"He would forget to keep a secret like that," Asuna sighed as she watched Kazuto dodge the lunge and start running from a very frustrated Rika.
"I suppose it was too much to hope for," Silica giggled.
"Hey there," Michael said as he walked into a classroom, a visitor badge around his neck. "How was class today?" He bent down to give Sayuri a hug so that she wouldn't have to strain herself to get up. She smiled as he pulled back up and rolled her wheelchair a pace backwards.
He looked her over, proud of her for making the progress she had. Since she had been frail to begin with, she wasn't as rehabilitated as most of the people that had been rescued from Inner Magic Online, but she was still trying her hardest. As a matter of fact, Sayuri's mother had mentioned to Michael that she'd never seen her daughter push herself so hard before. But it was paying off. Sayuri was still very thin, but color was returning to her face, and she didn't look like a skeleton inside a bag of skin.
"Class wasn't too bad, except for the math exam we had during home period," she answered. "Art class was a lot of fun, especially with Asuna." This kind of conversation was a regular occurrence since Michael was usually the one that came to pick her up from school.
"Why's that?" he asked as he started wheeling her out of the room.
"Because she's the worst of us," Sayuri giggled. "I always kind of thought she was just awesome at whatever she tried her hand at, but she can barely hold the pencil steady enough for a straight line." The two siblings laughed together at the thought of the perfectly poised Asuna struggling over a sketchpad.
Then another thought struck her, and she said, "How did it go with Mr. Yuuki? That was today, right?"
"Aye, it was," he nodded once. "I think we're making progress in the right direction."
"That's good to hear," she said.
"Aye, he's agreed to have dinner with Kazuto, Asuna, and myself on Friday night," Michael added.
Sayuri turned around in her wheelchair to look at her brother with skeptical eyes, a rare sight for her. "How did Kirito take it?" she asked.
"Eh… Asuna will have him handled by show time," he chuckled.
"Sounds about right," she giggled softly. Michael loved that sound- when he ad first met his sister, it was a sound rarely heard. Now that they were all free, it seemed to have freed all of the laughter she'd been holding inside for those two years.
"So is everything still going on for Saturday?" Sayuri asked.
"As far as I know," Michael replied. "To be honest, I simply get lost in my writing most of the day, so I hardly know what's going on." Another thing that had taken up much of Michael's time in the days since the release of the three hundred former SAO players was the work he was putting into his novel. It was a dragon fantasy book, the first of several in a series that he planned to release over the next few years.
"All of those stories have to come out somehow, don't they?" Sayuri grinned. "As long as you don't forget the rest of us IRL."
"I wouldn't worry about that," he smiled back as he ruffled her midnight-blue hair.
That Saturday came up faster than anyone would have thought. The dinner with Shouzou the previous night went well enough, Michael thought. Kazuto was initially awkward and tongue-tied, but thanks to Michael and Asuna, he managed to find his social footing and have a good evening with the older Yuuki. At the end of the night, Shouzou thanked Michael and Asuna for the meal and before he left, he turned to Kazuto and said, "I expect you to take good care of my little girl."
Kazuto had shook hands with him and said, "I will, sir. You can count on that." A smile of understanding had passed between them, and Shouzou had left the house with his daughter in tow. Of course, they all knew that there was one more person they would have to deal with before Asuna and Kazuto could see each other freely, but that was a problem for another day.
Michael cast the thoughts aside as he walked behind Asuna and Kazuto, who were hand-in-hand. He smiled slightly at the warm presences both to his right and directly in front of him. Sayuri was still in her wheelchair, which he was pushing, and his girlfriend, Suguha, was walking beside him quietly, her anticipation palpable.
"You excited?" he asked her.
"Yeah," she grinned. "I've met Agil a few times in-game to go hunting. His avatar is enormous!"
"Yeah, well get ready, cos he's that big in real life, too," Kazuto flashed his sister a quick grin as he put his hand on the door to the Dicey Café. The door had a sign that read, 'Closed for private event'. The Moonlit Black Cats and Suguha all wore smiles as they stepped in the room- and froze in surprise as they saw that everyone was already there.
"Uh…?" Kazuto stammered as everyone chuckled at their expressions. "Are we late?"
"Nah, we just had to give the stars of the party a different arrival time," Rika grinned mischievously as she grabbed Kazuto's hand and pulled him over to a podium while Keiko did the same with Michael, much to his protest.
Once they were situated on top of the podium with drinks in their hands, a man that the two boys recognized as Klein shouted excitedly, "All right! To the heroes!" And he raised his drink as he and everyone else shouted, "CONGRATULATIONS ON BEATING SAO!"
"To the Moonlit Black Cats!" Suguha added.
It was all Kazuto could do to say, "Uh… cheers, guys." Michael shot his friends a look that expressed his discomfort at being taken by surprise. Thus the 'Conquering of Aincrad' party began.
The party went by in a flash for the heroes, and after a couple of hours of recounting old fights and receiving various forms of congratulations, the two brothers were exhausted. "Bartender," Kazuo muttered as he and Michael sat down wearily. "Bourbon on the rocks." To his surprise, a cup with dark liquid and ice was slid towards him from Andrew's massive hand. When he tasted it, he grinned and said, "Oolong tea? Nice."
"Give me something with ridiculous amounts of sugar and caffeine in it," Michael muttered. In response, the shop owner slid him a soda, which he downed quickly before letting out a massive belch that earned him a pat on the back from Klein.
"Nice one," he grinned. "If you coulda pulled that off in SAO, half the mobs woulda just ran away from ya." He ordered an actual bourbon from Andrew, much to the disapproval of Michael and his brother.
"Seriously, Klein?" Kazuto said. "Don't have you work after this?"
"Alcohol makes the overtime go faster," he shot back as he sipped his drink. "Besides… Hot damn…" He grinned at some of the girls who were talking to Sayuri. "Chick alert." Michael dropped a fist on Klein's head before his mind wandered too far.
"Hey kid," a formerly rounded man said. Godfree's time in Aincrad hadn't necessarily been all bad, Michael thought. He was actually a slimmer size after his rehabilitation. "How've you been keepin' up with this whole thing?"
"How do you mean?" Kazuto asked.
"Well, the commander's dead and all, so I figured I'd ask how you were handling it," the man grinned. "No harm intended. If you don't wanna talk about it, I understand." Akihiko Kayaba had been found dead in a cabin in the mountains, a modified NerveGear on his head. Apparently, his equipment hadn't boiled his brain- it had outright fried it with ten times the power of a normal NerveGear rig.
"It's all right," Kazuto shrugged. "It needed to happen, or else we wouldn't be able to go home. But… I had a feeling that wasn't the last we would run into him…" His mind flashed back to his encounter with Heathcliff after they had defeated Sugou in-game. "Hey, Agil- how's the seed?"
"It's doin' amazing!" the big man grinned. "It's already been downloaded thousands of times. And it's got three hundred big-ass servers runnin' it." After Kazuto had begun to recover, he had taken his NerveGear to his old friend from Algade to examine for any dangers.
It turned out to be a stripped-down version of the cardinal system, one that could be used to create worlds of all kinds, as long as one had the proper equipment. Once it had been declared safe, it was released to the internet, where anyone could get ahold of it. In fact, it was from this program that the salvation of VRMMO's was born.
After the incident with IMO, people's terror of the virtual world was renewed, and the genre of games suffered a heavy hit- near-fatal as it turned out. But the seed that Heathcliff had created allowed people to safely make new worlds that could be more easily scrutinized before being released. A gathering of wealthy fans even managed to salvage the world of IMO and create a new version through the World Seed. And perhaps one of the greatest assets of the seed was the fact that each and every new game had the ability to transfer avatars with all of their skills intact, a feature not available through Amuspheres before, though NerveGears had proven capable, despite being an older generation.
But Michael had gotten together with some other people, and using part of his own new fortune, he had planned out an even bigger surprise for the gaming world. Grinning at the thought, he turned to Andrew and said, "Are we still meeting up as we planned beforehand?"
"You bet," the bald man grinned broadly. "Can't wait to see her again."
"I know what you mean," Kazuto smiled as he looked across the room at his wife. "Everything is gonna be so familiar about it, but I guess there'll be some new features, huh?"
"You're not getting any spoilers out of me," Michael said with a raised eyebrow. "Wait and see, Black Swordsman."
It was about half an hour before the others were due to show up that Mataras appeared in front of the guild hall of Fairy Tail. He waited patiently, knowing that his target would arrive any moment, and that he would be ready for them.
Sure enough, not a minute later, and the Thunder Legion walked up to him, Laxus at the head of the group. All of them were wary of the Fire Dragon Slayer- and well they should be, he thought as they came face-to-face for the first time since their duel.
"Laxus," Mataras said flatly. "Bickslow, Evergreen, Freed. You're all looking well."
"Not so bad yourself," Laxus said with a slightly cocked head. "I got your message. What did you want to talk about?"
"I told you before, I wanted to know what happened to you," Mataras replied bluntly.
"You happened," Laxus replied quickly, a frown on his face. "When you got taken by the death game… Right after Victoria, no less… We all suffered in different ways. We all missed you. And when we formed the Thunder Legion in here, no matter how strong we were, no matter how good of a time we had together, it just wasn't the same without you two. So we tried to move on and bury the pain."
"You moved in the wrong direction," Mataras said, though not unkindly.
"We see that now," Freed said. "The Master banished Laxus from Fairy Tail, but not us. Perhaps some time apart from one another in-game is what we all need- a breath of fresh air as it were."
"Wise choice," Mataras nodded. "I take it you need to leave before you're seen by anyone from Fairy Tail, then?"
"Yeah, but there's something I gotta ask first," Laxus said, his eyes drilling into his old friend's. "You asked what happened to us. What happened to you? How'd you find your way?"
"I didn't find it on my own," Mataras smiled slightly. "I didn't stick to my past misery, much as I tried. No, I found a new family, and the joy they helped me find helped me heal. The pain is not gone- nor will it ever be completely- but I am at peace with it."
After a long moment of silence, Laxus extended his hand, and Mataras shook it firmly. "I hope I can find that someday, too."
"When your banishment has lifted," Mataras said, "Come back here. And I'll show you what life has granted me."
"All right, Michael," Laxus nodded. "You got yourself a deal."
"Farewell, Erak," Mataras said as the Thunder Legion walked away. Then he turned around, cricked his neck, and said, "Right then. Time for the next chapter."
"Hey there," Mataras said as he walked up behind Leafa, who was sitting on the roof of the new guild hall. Makarov had outdone himself, they both thought. The new building was even bigger and stronger than the original one from the old IMO. "Why are you up here, all alone?"
"Just doing some thinking," Leafa said as he sat beside her.
"That's dangerous," he said, straight-faced.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah well, there's worse things I could be doing."
"True," he nodded. "What were you thinking about, then?"
"Actually, I was kinda wondering why you decided to change your avatar's look," Leafa said as she looked her boyfriend up and down. He no longer had bright red hair, but rather the darkest brown shade possible, and his eyes had undergone the same change. A red, one-handed sword was strapped to his back the only real change to his clothing since his attack on the Tower of Heaven.
"Hmm…" he mused, trying to sort out how to explain his feelings. Then he smiled lightly and said, "The Mataras that fought to save his family found the end of his journey. Now it's time for a new purpose." He smiled brighter and waved to someone down below, leading Leafa to look down at the ground.
On the ground, Sachi, Jellal/Litrosh, Yui, Kirito, and Asuna were all waving up at them excitedly, as were several other players that Leafa knew were from SAO. "Let's get going," she said as she stood to go, but Mataras grabbed her wrist to keep her from going. "Huh?"
"You'll get a better view from up here," he said mysteriously as he gazed up at the moon.
"A better view of what?" she asked, perplexed. When his only response was to keep gazing at the white orb, she fixed her gaze on it harder, trying to see what he saw. She didn't have to wait for very long.
As she peered at the bright orb, she could see a strange shape, growing larger by the second. It looked like a strange metal cone with spikes jutting out like arms near the base. "What…?" she muttered. She continued to watch as the object grew larger and larger, until it blocked out the moon- and suddenly it flashed to life with lights all over the structure, startling her a bit.
"Is… Is that…?" she gasped.
"Aye," Mataras nodded. "The floating castle, Aincrad. Sword Art Online may be over, but we never conquered Aincrad. This is our chance to do so." He turned to Leafa with a smile and said, "I've kept my old avatar for emergencies, but this is a copy I made with reset stats. So this time, I'll need some more help to beat the steel castle. Will you help me?" He opened up his menu and sent her a request.
It read, 'Mataras has invited you to join the Fairy Tail Team: Moonlit Black Cats. Will you accept?' She immediately hit the confirm command and hugged her boyfriend, glad to be a part of his life in this world, and in the real one. As they stood there, lit by the glow of New Aincrad, they were soon joined by the rest of the guild's team, each one proudly displaying their guild marks.
Kirito had a black fairy on his right shoulder, his avatar's appearance changed to look more like it had when he was in SAO. Asuna's white guild mark shone on her own right arm, complimenting Kirito's in a way. Her avatar looked very similar to how she did in real life, save that her hair was a fine blond, and her eyes were indigo in color. Sachi had done as her brother had and made her avatar look like she did in real life, complete with shoulder-length dark blue hair and dark blue eyes, the only difference being a fairy mark on her right shoulder, this one light blue in color. And although it was partially hidden by his armor, they all knew that Mataras' red guild mark was on his right shoulder as well. Jellal, formerly known as Litrosh the dragon and exceed, had his as a midnight blue mark on his right hand, while Yui had a pink one on her back.
"Ready, you guys?" Kirito grinned, his excitement barely contained.
"Always," Mataras chuckled. The two brothers cracked fists before exchanging some words under their breath that only they could hear. When they pulled back, they were grinning from ear to ear, despite their companions' confused looks.
Mataras kissed Leafa lightly on the cheek before he turned to Sachi and said, "All right, Sister. Show us what you've been practicing."
Sachi grinned back at him, set her feet in a wide stance and chanted, "Oh winds of the starry heavens: Vernier!" A light blue magic circle flashed to life beneath her feet, illuminating her with the light of the stars as she focused her magic on herself and her comrades.
"Whoa!" Leafa cried in surprise. "What is this?!"
"Ah, that's right, Sachi just started a couple of weeks ago, and you haven't played with her," Mataras grinned. "Allow me to introduce my little sister as the Sky Dragon Slayer."
"Sky Dragon?!" Leafa repeated.
"Yeah, her magic's awesome!" Kirito laughed as he began to float in the air of his own will. "This one'll let you fly for a while!"
"Fly?" she asked, still in shock.
"Normally, players will have to pay an exceed NPC to fly them up to New Aincrad," Jellal said with a grin. "But we can get there whenever we want." And he floated up, light as a feather.
"You ready?" Mataras asked as he reached a hand out to Leafa, Sachi already holding his left hand.
"As long as it's with you, I'm always ready," she said as she took his hand.
"Then let's get going," he said as he looked up to the sky. "I'm all fired up now!" And they took off, together, like a gathering of stars eager to return to their place in the sky.
Klein: So, whatcha got next, buddy?
Mataras: I don't give out spoilers, you know that- though I am willing to leave a few hints.
Kirito: Aren't those the same thing?
Mataras: Take it or leave it.
Both: We'll take it.
Mataras: Thought so. Now, the next few- and final- chapters will include lots of action, including a few showdowns that some people have requested in private. How will these come to be in such a short time? I leave that for you to wonder.
Klein: Man, talk about vague.
Mataras: I don't owe you any explanations!
Kirito: Yeah? What about me?
Mataras: I saved your life too many times for you to try that!
Kirito: You're dating my sister!
