You already know who it is! Hey guys! It`s been a while, huh? Well, I don't want to get your hopes up guys, so I won't say the block has passed...Well, whatever. We'll deal with that after this chapter.
I also hid a reference in here somewhere, see if you can spot it ;)
Enjoy!
As Kazuto left school, his mind was consumed by the events of the previous day. Not only had he and Asuna managed to convince their respective leaders into action, they had also been given a very important request. One that could very well tilt the scale of the war.
"Just what the hell are we supposed to say?"
Kirito just stared at the two race leaders for a minute, trying to discern if they were kidding or not.
"Huh?" Asuna asked, voicing his own confusion. "A-Ambassadors?"
"Exactly." Iris replied. "Will you accept?"
"Surely there are others that are more suited for the position..." Kirito tried weakly. Orist shook his head.
"No one else I know would go to their race leaders with such a flimsy plan in an attempt to protect all the races in Alfheim." he pointed out. "I don't know the exacts of your true purpose but.." He shrugged. "You managed to convince us into such a convoluted plan, surely you're capable of much more." Kirito wasn't sure he wanted that weight on his shoulders. He was honored and all, but...
"Can we talk about this?" Asuna asked before he could try and make up his mind. Iris nodded, making Asuna drag him away. Once they were away from the other two, Asuna gave him a serious look. "What do you think?" She asked warily. He sighed.
"I don't know." he replied. "I'm not sure we need to get so involved in this war, Asuna..."
"What else do we have to do?"Asuna asked. "Yggdrasil is our only lead. If it's really that hard to get to the top, don't you think all the races working together would work the best?" Kirito thought this over.
"It would, yeah." he agreed. "I guess my only concern is how roped in we're going to get." Asuna nodded, rubbing her chin in thought. "If you want to though, we can." Asuna smiled.
"I think we should!" She said. Kirito nodded, and the two walked back to Iris and Orist, who were talking in low tones. "We've decided to take you two up on your offer." Asuna announced. Iris smiled.
"Excellent!" She said, clapping her hands together. "I'm sure you two with be excellent additions to our armies." Iris and Orist both opened their menu's, flipping through it silently. Before Kirito could ask them, his HUD alerted him of something. He opened the notification and read it.
You have been granted the title of Ambassador! Would you like to accept? Yes/No
Kirito pressed yes without a second thought, which made a positive pinging noise as his menu closed. Orist sighed.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, we have a job that fits you two well." Kirito tensed. Just what was it they wanted?
"Yes?" Asuna asked. Iris sighed.
"Ever since the war started, the other races have been looking for very effective weapons and armor. However, since the Leprechauns have remained neutral, no one has a definite edge in weaponry." Kirito knew very little about the Leprechauns, so he decided to bring it up.
"The Leprechauns." He said. "They're good blacksmiths?" Orist nodded.
"Masters." he said. Kirito thought of Rika. "Their weaponry, given who crafts it, can only be bested by the best drops in the game." Iris nodded.
"Once they decided to stay neutral, the flow of Leprechaun crafted weapons came to a stand still, as they did not want to pick sides by giving weapons to anyone." She told them. "if we could get them to give us weapons, we could get a definite edge."
"Okay but hold up." Kirito, Iris and Orist all looked at Asuna, who had spoken up. "Who's to say we can convince them?"
"Who knows?" Iris asked wistfully. "Maybe you can, maybe you won't. But with the sheer force and power the Salamanders have on the battlefield, we need all the help we can get. So, can we trust you two to do your best?" Kirito and Asuna exchanged a glance, and she curtly nodded.
"We'll see what we can do." he said. Orist nodded and walked towards Kirito.
"The Leprechaun capital is North-West of here." He told him. "Open up your map." Kirito did so, and watched as Orist marked an area in the Frost Zone. "Their capital should be around here."
"Alright, we'll check it out." Kirito said, closing his menu.
"One more thing." Kirito and Asuna looked over at Iris, who looked very serious. "The Frost Zone is a very dangerous area. The weather there severely impacts flight, so please be careful. The last thing we need is you two not being able to cross it." Kirito thought about this for a moment, before he nodded.
"We'll get at it tomorrow," Asuna said. "And, one more thing." Kirito watched as Asuna stepped forward and bowed her head. "We cannot thank you both enough for agreeing to try. I understand how dangerous it is, so again, thank you." Kirito took a hint and bowed his head slightly. Iris chuckled.
"It would've happened sooner or later." She reassured. "We just needed a big enough push in one direction. Now, The general and I have armies to attend to, as I'm sure you do as well Orist-sama." Orist grumbled incoherently under his breath at this, making her giggle. "I'll see you later, you two." Saying their goodbyes to the Undine leader, Orist sighed.
"She wants the best for everyone, but maybe she tries too hard..." He murmured. Kirito was about to speak up, but he turned to them. "You two should just focus on the Leprechauns, leave everything else to us for now." He took off with his elites, leaving Kirito and Asuna alone.
"I hope this goes well." Asuna said.
"...Me too." He replied quietly. "Every day we waste on this war is another day those three hundred are still trapped..." Kirito turned to find Asuna looking out over the digital ocean, her hair blowing in the wind dramatically.
"I just hope nothing happens..." He heard her mutter to herself. "It'd be terrible..." He watched her for a moment as her voice grew softer and softer. Once she grew silent, he walked up behind her.
"We'll save them." he reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder, making her look over at him, eyes wide with what seemed like a mixture of hope and something else. "Don't ever doubt it." She watched him for a moment before she made an awkward sound and turned her head back to the ocean, as did he. "What's the matter? You've been acting differently lately."
"..."Nothing." She finally replied, voice obviously alluding the opposite. "You know me," She laughed at this as she smiled weakly at him. "I worry more than I should."
"...Yeah. I know."
Kazuto stopped on the side of the road and sighed as he recalled the final moments they had shared in the game the night before. He knew she wasn't okay, but she was absolutely locked up about what. He worried about her, like any good friend would, he just wished she'd open up and tell him what her problem was.
Beep beep!
Kazuto's thoughts were interrupted by his phone going off, alerting him to a new message. He fished it out of his pocket and opened it, wondering what it was.
Asuna: Sorry Kirito-kun, I can't make to Alfheim tonight. I'm busy with family stuff. Are you going to go in alone?
Kazuto frowned as he read this. She was busy with family matters, which he had learned to translate as 'I'm dealing with something and I want to deal with it alone'. He thought about his response for a moment until he sighed and typed it out.
Kazuto: I don't know, I might. It would probably be more effective if we were together.
Asuna: I suppose you're right. I'm really sorry I can't come.
Kazuto: It's fine. Don't think much of it.
She did not reply again, so he pocketed the device and looked up, greeted with the sign signaling he was at the Dicey Cafe. He didn't really know what led him here, maybe just wanting someone to talk too. Upon entering the bar, he saw Andrew cleaning some glasses, and looked up as he entered.
"Hey Kazuto." he greeted with a smile as Kazuto walked in. "What are you here for?" Kazuto shrugged as he sat down at the bar.
"I don't know." He replied. Andrew frowned.
"You don't know?" He asked. "Something bothering you or what?" Kazuto made a face.
"Yeah." He agreed. "Asuna's...Asuna's been acting weird." Andrew raised an eyebrow as he slowly replaced the glass he was cleaning on the shelf.
"What do you mean, weird?" he asked. Kazuto shrugged.
"She's being distant." he replied. "Whenever 'family matters' comes up, she becomes more despondent and quiet than usual. I'm just worried something serious is wrong and she's clamming up." Andrew hummed in thought as he leaned on the counter.
"Asuna's always been like that about her family though, hasn't she?" He inquired, making Kazuto think. Come to think of it, Andrew had a point. Asuna had never really spoken about her family to any degree other than she didn't want to talk about it at all. He eventually nodded slowly. "Than I don't really think there's much to worry about."
"I guess..." Kazuto said slowly. "I'm just worried about her."
"That's not exactly new behavior for you." Andrew joked, making Kazuto smile thinly. "After all, you two were always like that back in SAO." Kazuto shrugged at this.
"It was different back then." He replied. "Back then it was always her life I was worried about. We were equal back then, able to understand perfectly when the other needed us if we were in trouble. But here, in the real world, we're leagues away. She's rich, I'm middle class. She's proper, I'm normal. Her family is..." Kazuto could not find a word to appropriately describe Asuna's family. "...And mine isn't. I don't...I don't..."
"You don't understand her here." Andrew finished, and Kazuto nodded. "I see why your concerned. You can't just read her expression and social cues to see what's up with her."
"Exactly." Kazuto replied. Andrew sighed and got up off of the counter.
"I don't exactly have any advice for you." he replied, sounding a little miffed about it too. "All I can say is that Asuna will tell you if she wants to. She's probably keeping you out of it so that you aren't attacked in any way."
"What do you mean?" Kazuto asked.
"It's like you said. You're leagues away in the real world. She's trying to keep you away from delicate matters in her life that you wouldn't understand." Kazuto could see what Andrew was getting at. "She's still trying to protect you in her own way, I guess."
"...I suppose." he replied quietly. Andrew patted him on the back as if to console him, but it did little. All Kazuto could do was sit there and wonder just what...
Just what Asuna was trying so hard to protect him from.
Asuna was really not interested in being Nobuyuki's 'date' to this formal dinner, but she wasn't exactly being given an option on the matter. She was going to be hauled to it one way or another. So it was best she just smile and wave stupidly. So she said there, sandwiched between her mother and that bastard, hoping to god he'd smite her so she could get away. She didn't know how many times now she'd been introduced to someone whom she could not care less about before they disappeared back into the crowd.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Asuna?" Nobuyuki asked. Asuna really didn't like the nice guy act he constantly put on. It kind of made her sick.
"Oh totally." She said, sarcasm leaking from her voice. "I'm loving this." He smiled weakly.
"I'll be honest, I wasn't planning on having you along, but you're mother was so insistent..."
"Yeah I'm sure she was the deciding factor in me being here." Asuna knew her mothers part in getting her here wasn't small, just not as small as Nobuyuki would have her believe it was. "What the hell is this stupid meeting about, anyway?"
"It's just a formality for a deal we're making. Don't think too much about it." Asuna shook her head and looked away from him, lazily looking around the room. Everyone here was middle aged and boring looking, only making Asuna want to sleep. Her head almost hit the table until she was elbowed by her mother.
"Stay awake." She scolded. "this isn't the last one you'll end up at."
"Then you might as well cancel the marriage now." Asuna growled. "Because I'm one more introduction away from considering a lobotomy via soup spoon."
"Oh hush, it isn't that bad."
"You severely underestimate how much I hate this and him, then." She got no response to this, so she played with her food a bit. All she could think about was the three hundred sleeping players, Alfheim, the war, and the situation as a whole.
And him.
Asuna frowned as he crossed her mind. She knew he knew, he wasn't stupid. But the longer she could keep him away from this, the better. She could do it alone. He couldn't do much to help anyway. Asuna at least had her familial status to get her around. He had nothing.
I can do it just fine by myself, damn it...Kirito-kun has enough on his mind.
...
I just wish I knew what to do...
February 28th, Spriggan-Leprechaun Border
Kirito could sense the cold from before he saw the snow. As he and Asuna landed at the edge of the snow, he tried to see past three feet in front of him. He couldn't, the snow was too thick.
"What a snowstorm." Asuna said from his side, Yui sitting on her shoulder. "I hope the capital isn't that far."
"Orist said it was directly North-East." Kirito replied as they started to walk into the snow. "Although how North he didn't say." As it was obviously a VR game, Kirito wasn't all that cold, but he could still sense his digital limbs going numb from it. They weren't even all that far North yet, either.
"It's so cold!" Yui exclaimed, hiding under Asuna's coat. "How do the leprechauns live up here?"
"No idea," Kirito replied. "I guess the game just needed a snowy area."
"That would be a logical explanation." Asuna agreed. "I don't know much about leprechauns, but I've honestly never associated them with snow..." Kirito agreed with that as well. As the two traversed through the cold, Asuna hummed in annoyance. "hey, Kirito-kun?"
"Hm?"
"What, ah, what exactly are we supposed to say to the Leprechaun leader to sway them to help us?" Kirito stopped dead in his tracks at this. Due to all his thinking about the three hundred players and Asuna with her rich girl problems, he hadn't actually thought about what they were supposed to say to the leader of the Leprechauns.
"I...I have no idea." he replied quietly, turning to look at her. "Any ideas?" She placed a finger on her chin as she thought about it.
"I guess our best bet is to say all the other races are becoming allies against the common enemy." She said. "That'd probably convince them fastest." Kirito nodded as he thought. Surely the other races teaming up against the Salamanders and Imps would be swaying. "Any backup ideas?"
"Not in the slightest." He replied, watching her closely. Although he really should've been worrying about what the Leprechaun leader would say, he couldn't stop worrying about her. He could see the turmoil in her eyes quite clearly, and he could tell it wasn't from their lack of ambassadorial skills. "Hey...Asuna?"
"Yes?" He watched her carefully as she turned to look at him, before he took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" he asked. He had to try. He wanted to help so badly, but she had to let him in. "You've been acting different lately." Her face flickered in surprise, if only for a moment. "If there's anything I can do, please tell me."
Silence. Asuna had looked away from him. He couldn't tell what was going through her mind, but it must've been hard on her.
"...We should get to the capital." She finally announced, starting to leave. Kirito grabbed her hand. She stopped.
"Asuna..." he said softly. "Can you do it on your own?" At first she stayed quiet and her arm limp in his hand. But after a moment she clearly steeled her resolve and shook him off.
"Yes, I can." She replied, looking over her shoulder at him. "I...I'm fine. Alright?"
"Okay."
"Are we good now?"
"Yes." They both watched each other carefully, before Asuna turned her head back around and started walking forward. Kirito followed, not speaking a word.
"So...The Leprechaun leader?" Asuna asked, quickly changing the subject. Kirito cleared his throat.
"Yeah. Them. Our best bet is definitely swaying them with numbers." They both grew quiet once more, and Kirito decided to let it sit for the time being. There was no point in pushing it if she wished to keep it too herself. That was her choice.
...
Kirito just wished she'd chosen differently.
I know it just barely breaches three thousand words, but I really wanted to get this out there for you guys. I'm not saying the block is gone yet, so don't get excited. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review!
