38

February 14, 2023

Floor 1, Town of Beginnings Outskirts

Israel rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

Opening her menu, Naomi took another look around the boar strewn fields. "Almost six now."

"Any updates from Brock?"

Naomi checked her messages again. "Nothing new since four. He'd said he'd keep his eyes open along the roads and send us word if he or the other info brokers saw any orange players."

His knees sore from the constant walking back and forth along the main roads, Israel moved to sit on a nearby log.

He sighed. "I'm glad it's looking like the rumors were unfounded, but this would've been our one chance to score a preemptive strike on those bastards. After today they'll have the element of total surprise again."

Naomi nodded. "I say we patrol all the roads one more time before calling it a day."

"Agreed," Israel answered as he rose. "By then it'll be dark, and most of the player base stays in safe zones at night. But first, let's grab some food from one of the shops to bring with us. We can eat on the way."

Naomi took one last glance out into the fields before nodding. "Sounds like a plan. I haven't eaten since I woke up."

Still wary as they turned and began heading back along the road leading to the Town of Beginnings, the two of them looked around constantly, both keeping their guards up.

They had been patrolling the eight square mile stretch of roads leading to the Town for over six hours already, constantly scanning and searching for any sign of criminal player activity. Several times, they had run into small parties of players heading to the Town for Valentine's Day festivities, and each time they asked, the answer was the same: no one had seen anything out of the ordinary, let alone a guild of orange players.

Though it had become clear as the day wore on that the rumor was more than likely going to prove to be just that, both Israel and Naomi wanted to stay near the area. After all, players lives could still be at risk.

By the time the two of them had returned to the Town of Beginnings, it was nearing seven in the afternoon, and the sun began to draw closer to the edge of the horizon.

Entering the red and pink flower covered gates, Israel did his best to avoid meeting Naomi's gaze. Under the present circumstances, giving her his gift was out of the question as long as the threat of an orange guild attack loomed. Yet he couldn't help but feel guilty, even inconsiderate, that there they were, spending the entire Valentine's Day together, and neither of them had even mentioned it. He knew they weren't technically together, but it was becoming more and more clear to him that he wanted to be.

As much as he tried to explain his feelings away, minimize their importance, or simply ignore them entirely, he knew that he wanted to be with her, really be with her. His feelings for her were undeniable, which made it even harder when she more than likely didn't return them. Though it was impossible to read her or guess her true thoughts, Israel had noted that Naomi had grown slightly more distant since their run in with the Justice guild, and even more after they had fought the Field Boss demon.

On top of that, all day it seemed she had put more effort into avoiding the topic of it being Valentine's Day than he had. She didn't stare long at any form of decoration theming the area, and when NPC birds had appeared above them and begun singing a romantic tune, Naomi shooed them away.

After purchasing several sticks of jerky and some honeyed bread at one of the main inns, Israel and Naomi quickly exited, as multiple NPC couples were kissing in the corners.

"Gotta give Kayaba credit for one thing at least," Israel joked as they closed the inn door behind them and returned to the streets. "He's good at emersion."

Naomi scoffed as they turned a corner. "I've seen-"

A cheer erupted in front of them, causing them both to look around in shock.

At least fifty players were gathered just in front of them in the side street, some spilling out into the buildings on either side and cheering through open windows. The crowd was formed in a dense semi circle around a makeshift platform, and everyone's eyes was on who stood at the top.

On the platform stood a young couple, the man dressed in a rich dark blue outfit with a golden trim. Beaming from ear to ear, the man, who looked to be a couple of years younger than Israel, stood proudly as he held the young woman beside him close. The girl wore a beautiful forest gown of lincoln green, and in her hair she wore a silver tiara. Though she was blushing from what must have been a kiss judging by how their faces pulled apart, she looked even happier than he did.

Israel and Naomi stood frozen as they watched the proceedings in utter confusion.

Producing a small bouquet of flowers out from behind her back, the girl laughed happily as she threw it into the air. The crowd lurched forward, men included, and when the bouquet landed, a tall girl with chainmail armor lept into the air, waving her trophy triumphantly.

One of the men standing closest to the platform beckoned at the newly christened husband.

"Get out of here you two! It's honeymoon time!"

Giggling as they held hands tightly, the couple descended the steps of the platform and walked forward. The crowd parted as one, and in the next instant everyone was laughing and smiling as dozens of players began throwing small handfuls of white rice at the newlyweds.

"I always wondered why people threw rice at weddings." Naomi said, half to herself.

"It's an ancient Roman tradition," Israel answered blankly as he stared at the couple, "Meant to be a fertility blessing."

As the couple exited the crowd and walked past them Israel couldn't restrain himself and tapped the young man on his shoulder.

Still beaming with joy, the man grabbed hold of Israel's hand and shook it profusely.

"Thanks for coming out," He said, "Both of you. My wife and I wanted as many people to be here as possible to make it feel like a real wedding, but we had no idea so many people would show. You don't even know us, but you came anyway."

The woman nodded gleefully. "Thank you both. It means the world to us."

Awkwardly fumbling for words, Israel blurted out, "I'm so happy for both of you...and I'm sorry to interrupt you like this, but I just wanted to ask...Why now?"

The man frowned. "Now?"

Stepping up beside Israel, Naomi nodded. "We don't mean any offense, but why get married here, now? We're trapped in a death game while our real lives are put to a halt outside."

The woman looked from Naomi, to Israel, and back to Naomi, flashing a knowing smile. "We understand what you mean. We had the same thoughts back when we first met. But you know what we came to find out? It's for those exact reasons we should get married, and so we did."

The man nodded. "We didn't know each other before SAO, and we've only been together for a few months, but in this world, we need to treasure our time. We could die at any moment, and it's that knowledge that not only makes the days in this game longer, but also makes those same days more meaningful. Simply surviving is a blessing, so we chose to make the most of our time, by following our hearts and our happiness."

"Forgetting about what it means to live," The young woman said, "to really live, is how Kayaba wins. Focusing solely on the dark and depressing things about this world, and always contemplating our possible deaths, is what he wants, and we won't give him that. We found each other here, and for us, our love is what makes this game worth seeing it through to the end."

The crowd, noticing the halt, quickly began converging on the newlyweds with more rice in tow.

"Now if you'll excuse us," The man laughed, "We need to go before the player base goes crazy."

Taking hold of each other's hands again, the couple took off around the corner, practically glowing as hey went. The crowd, still cheering even as they dispersed, were all smiles and laughter even when the platform got carried off and the street finally cleared.

Israel and Naomi both paused where they stood. Though he was unsure what Naomi thought, Israel found himself touched by the couple's words. In the real world, he had been opposed to marriage, and in SAO that opinion had been practically redoubled, but now he found himself wanting, almost craving, to feel that same joy with Naomi. Everything that couple had told them not only made sense, but seemed the only true way to go about life anymore. Israel was tired of pretending, of pushing down, of ignoring his feelings for Naomi. He wanted to hold her like the young man held his wife. To tell her that he-

"Israel!" Came Jae's voice.

Turning in surprise, Israel and Naomi saw Jae standing at the street corner, his polished steel and bronze armor shining in the sun and a deadly looking spear strapped to his back. Around Jae stood five players that Israel recognized as Group H, the Assault Team members that had stood by him and Jae during the Floor Two Boss fight.

"What are you doing here?" Israel asked in bewilderment.

Jae frowned at him. "You sent me a message this morning about the orange player rumor, right?"

Remembering now, Israel nodded. "I didn't think you'd check your messages seeing as you'd be Labyrinth raiding."

"I didn't for quite some time, but I got hurt pretty bad by an arrow trap and had to leave the Labyrinth for a while to repair my gear. That's when I checked. As soon I saw it," He gestured out to his men, "I asked the Assault Team for some help."

Naomi brightened. "Thank you Jae, and you too guys. We really appreciate having some extra hands to keep a watch on the roads."

Israel scowled. "Where are those asshole guilds? Too busy playing at being saviors?"

Jae looked like he wanted to make a remark, but held his tongue and instead said, "Lind and the Holy Dragon Alliance wanted to come when I let everyone know, but Kibaou and the ALA refused. Kibaou doesn't believe any attack will come today, that it's just rumor made up by scared people, so he stayed at the Labyrinth with his men."

"Since when does Kibaou hold command over Lind's guild?" Israel asked in disgust. Have they finally had the sense to unite rather than continue fracturing?"

"Kibaou isn't in charge of the Assault Team," Jae said firmly, "But he wants to be. He wants his guild to be the main, strongest force in play. That way, he can hold all the power and authority. Lind can't let that happen, not at any cost. Lind believes that if Kibaou takes over, the Assault Team is doomed to lose countless people in the future, and that in turn will only make things take longer out here for everyone else." He met Israel's eyes. "And I agree with him."

Israel opened his mouth to retaliate, but Naomi quickly cut him off and said, "Alright, I'll guess we'll just have to make do with what we have. Come on, we'll share our map info on the road systems with you and we can divide our numbers to go on patrols."

She began walking down the now empty side street, and the rest of them were forced to follow.

"The two main guilds may not be helping," Jae said as they marched, "but there were several parties and a few solo players who told me they'd head for Floor One and keep a watch on the roads as well. They're probably already out there."

Israel nodded. "Good, depending on how many there are, we might have enough people to watch every road without having to travel to different ones and backtrack."

"Has there been any fighting so far?" One of Jae's party asked, his hand on his sword. "Any contact with the orange players?"

Naomi shook her head. "We've been patrolling all afternoon, and talking with anyone outside we can find. It's been quiet so far."

Jae scratched his jaw. "Maybe Kibaou was right. Rumors are usually just tall tales borne of fear."

"We still have a few hours before sunset to prove that theory correct." Israel said flatly. "We'll just have to wait and see."

…

Throwing off their boots as they entered the house, Israel and Naomi both sighed.

"At least no one got hurt," Israel said, more to himself than her. "But I was really hoping we could catch some of those fucks. They'll just strike again somewhere else later."

Closing the door behind them, Naomi stretched.

"Yep. Tell you one thing, I'm done standing today." Walking over to the couch, she laid down, packing multiple pillows behind her head. "Did Jae and the others make it back alright?"

"He said he'd message me when everyone was safely back at their homes. You want anything to eat?"

Naomi shook her head. "I'm good thanks."

Walking into the kitchen, Israel scanned the countertops for any food. Finding none, he opened the fridge.

At that moment, a message notification appeared in his inbox. After giving the fridge a quick look, he opened the message. It was from Jae.

You give her the gift yet?

Quickly closing the message and checking behind him to be sure Naomi hadn't seen, Israel closed the fridge, his appetite instantly vanished.

Exiting the kitchen, Israel turned back into the living room and began walking past, aiming for the hallway.

"You're not eating?" Naomi asked curiously from the couch.

"Nah," He said without slowing. "I'm too tired. I'm going to get ready for bed, just be a few minutes."

…

As soon as she heard his footsteps recede, Naomi stood up and began pacing.

Is this it? Is he getting his gift? He's going to give it to me. He got one too.

Opening her menu, Naomi allowed her own giftwrapped box to drop into her hands. Staring at it, she felt her heart skip a beat in nervousness.

What if he doesn't have one? What if he doesn't feel the same way? I can't tell him unless I know for sure.

Clutching the box to her breast, Naomi crept silently down the hallway. She had to know first. She had to know before she made a move. She had to know before she told him.

…

"Stop being such a bitch!" Israel cursed quietly into the mirror, staring at himself with disgust.

Just tell her. You need to tell her.

Opening his menu, Israel set his gift down onto the sink. Staring at it for what felt like an eternity, Israel felt the urge to open it, to make sure it was still there, still the way he had left it.

Opening the box, he pulled out the bracelet.

Made of glittering gold with dozens of tiny purple crystal fragments encrusted along it's slim body, it was an incredibly beautiful piece. Yet it was the centerpiece that he liked best. A magnificent sapphire of the purest quality, Naomi's birthstone, sat in the center. Though he had been tempted to have it cut into the shape of a heart while examining it with Jae that morning, Israel had ultimately decided against it.

As it was, he didn't regret the choice. The bracelet was exactly how he wanted it, for he felt like it conveyed how he felt perfectly.

I can't do this.

"Stop it, Israel growled at his reflection in the mirror. "Be a fucking man. Tell her how you feel."

I can't do this.

"Yes, you can. You have to. Please."

I can't do this.

…

Reaching the bathroom, Naomi saw that the door hadn't been closed all the way. Stopping at the edge, she tilted her head just enough and looked inside. She saw a box wrapped in red cloth in Israel's arms. Giddy relief, excitement, and love struck terror raced through her all at once.

This is it. This is it. He got me one too. He feels the same way.

And then she saw him open his menu, press a single button, and the box disappeared into his inventory.

Naomi paused.

Why would he hide it? He already got the gift, why would he…

Israel turned and began walking towards the door. Bolting past with lightning speed, Naomi flew into their room and laid down. She had just managed to pull up her covers and remove the gift back to her own inventory when Israel walked in, not meeting her gaze.

"Do you...erm…" He paused. "Do you need anything?"

Naomi shook her head. "No...thank you though…"

Nodding, he laid down on his side. Turning her back to him and scooting to the edge of her side, Naomi heard him do the same.

She felt hot tears begin to roll down her face.