A/N: Okay! I'm back to feeling good, and I'm ready to share an awesome chapter with you guys!
That's right- we've arrived at the famous 74th boss fight, where Kirito unveiled his dual-wielding to the public. But with things unfolding well and truly in a different manner over the last twenty chapters than the original story, what will be the outcome of this fight? Will another loved one succumb to the death trap? What will the Fifth Commandment do now that Mataras knows the truth about his sister?
Let's get a move on and find out!
OP Song: Polaris (cover by Nathan Sharp)
P.S. I guess I didn't explain this in the last chapter, but the new cover art features Mataras (duh) and the girl on the left is, in fact, Victoria/Saphira as she currently appears in the story. I also drew each of the Fifth Commandment members (Mataras, Crimson, Sinon, and Strea), and you can check out that piece on my Instagram, the_red_swordsman.
P.P.S. Have a Happy New Year, everyone!
Red made white seems such a fantasy
But the bloody seas now wash away
Leaving nothing but white to see
I can finally open my eyes and come what may
Return
"Kirito!"
Sachi's cry was followed by her boyfriend's shout of pain as he was punched clear across the room by a giant minotaur-type monster called 'The Gleam Eyes'. It was the seventy-fourth boss out the hundred necessary to defeat the floating castle, and it was proving to be a much more formidable opponent than anyone could have anticipated. Not only was it armed with a broadsword the length of three grown men stacked atop one another, but the room itself was an anti-crystal zone, a trap that had never before been encountered within a boss chamber, making health recovery all but impossible with the little time that their switches could afford them.
As Kirito tried to get to his feet, he cursed the lunacy that had driven one of the ALF leaders to send their men up to fight such a powerful boss when they wouldn't have had a chance against half of the normal monsters on the front lines. He and the other Cats had just completed the dungeon map all the way up to the boss' lair, and had been heading back home when they ran into Klein's guild, and stopped to exchange intel, when they were rudely interrupted by Lieutenant Colonel Corvatz of the Aincrad Liberation Forces, who demanded that they hand over all their map data to him.
In spite of the other man's lack of good manners, Kirito had dissolved the situation by giving him the map data, though he did warn him that attempting to fight the boss would be incredibly foolhardy at the level that his men were at. Corvatz had, of course, ignored him, and immediately made to lead his group to the boss' lair. After some deliberation, the Moonlit Black Cats and the Fuurinkazan guilds decided to go after the thickheaded man and his troops, just in case they needed a rescue.
What followed was out of a nightmare. Corvatz had lost two of his men to the Gleam Eyes by the time they arrived, and still the man wouldn't give in. He charged the boss in front of the horrified guilds, only to be cut down by a casual blow from the giant minotaur. Left leaderless, the ALF troops fell apart, their rigid discipline deserting them and leaving them helpless before the terrifying boss monster.
Unable to stand by and watch as the men were to be killed, Kiriha leaped into action in a blind fury, cutting into the Gleam Eyes' back, and taking its attention away from the lower-level players for the moment. After that, Kirito, Sachi, Rivka, and- as a recently qualified player for the front lines- Silica leaped into the fray alongside Klein's guild. The Kirigaya siblings fought alongside Klein to give their teammates time to get the soldiers out of the boss' clutches, but it was a losing battle. Normally they wouldn't attempt to take down a floor boss without the combined forces of at least four guilds, never mind that they were two of the smallest guilds on the front lines.
The deck was stacked against them, but they had to buy enough time to get the others out. I won't let the tragedy of the Black Cats repeat itself! Kirito vowed as he struggled painfully to raise his sword, aware that the boss was getting ready to swing at him with an overhead cut that would split him in two if it connected. Only then did he realize that the latest hit had inflicted him with the paralysis condition, which explained why it was so difficult for him to move at all, let alone fight properly. Not gonna make it…!
He could hear Sachi screaming his name again, Klein and Kiriha shouting for him to get out of the way, but he was too tired and winded to heed their calls. After two years of fighting almost non-stop, after losing his best friend twice over, after watching countless people die in front of him, he was about to be added to their number. I'm sorry, guys, he thought as tears leaked from his eyes.
He was tired. He was so very, very tired. Tired of losing, even while others celebrated their victories. Tired of watching people he loved get ripped away from him. Tired of seeing the darkness of humanity, and witnessing them tear each other to pieces instead of lifting each other up. I can't do this anymore.
Kirito almost closed his eyes in acceptance of the end, but then a blur of red entered his vision, and there was the sound of steel screeching on steel that resulted in sparks flying as the massive blade was knocked off-course. The Black Swordsman's eyes widened as he watched his rescuer use the recoil force to backflip and land in front of him, cloak billowing, and sword aflame.
No way…
Where once he had stood with cold condescension and unyielding ferocity in equal measures, he now looked composed and resolved. When he had first been returned to life, his eyes were filled with terror and self-doubt, but now in those dark orbs burned a fire overflowing with confidence. This, Kirito instinctively knew, was not Michael the schoolboy, nor was he the crazed lunatic that had taken the place of his friend. The man standing before him was the true Mataras; the Red Swordsman of Aincrad.
"I thought front-line players were usually the ones rescuing others," I said to my old friend over my shoulder, relief filling my heart as I realized that I had made it in time. "But then, I suppose someone has to save your sorry hide every once in a while."
"Mataras?" he asked me dumbly.
"That's my name," I replied with a smirk as I raised my sword in a warning to the seventy-fourth boss, which roared its defiance against my trespass.
"Wha-?" he asked. "I thought you were-"
"I came back to say that I'm sorry for being late," I interrupted Kirito as I looked back at the boss, so he wouldn't see the glimmering in my eyes. "Won't happen again, promise."
"When'd you even get here?!" Kiriha demanded, even as the Gleam Eyes raised his sword above his head in preparation for a full-powered thrust at either Kirito or me. "Why are you here?!"
"Time enough for all that later," I answered as I kept track of my peripheral vision while waiting for the boss to attack us. "Right now, we've got work to do!" My last words were drawn out into a grunt of exertion as my sword was nearly torn from my grasp from shunting the enemy blade to the side in order to prevent it from hitting Kirito or me. Giving vent to an animalistic growl, I then shouted, "I could handle this myself, but I assumed that you all came for a reason, right?!"
"We're not all as fast as you are!" I heard Sinon shout as a green arrow smashed into the Gleam Eyes' horns, stunning him for a second.
"Speak for yourself!" laughed another girl as a dark purple streak shot into the room to slash at the legs of the boss before immediately darting to stand by me as the boss whirled around in an attempt to find the one cutting at its feet. Yuuki used her free hand to flash a 'victory' sign at the Black Cats, all of whom were looking something like shell-shocked.
"What's the situation on the wounded?!" I asked Kirito as Yuuki and I leaped into action with lightning-fast blows that chipped away steadily at the boss' health while Sinon stayed just inside the edge of the room, providing us long-range support. I had to hand it to the two of them- their skills were sharper than I ever remembered them being before I had lost my memory.
"They've all been evacuated!" I turned for a split-second to see that it was Klein who had answered me, which was a mistake. As it had been some time since I had fought against a floor boss, it was somewhat understandable that I would forget just how fast they adapted to the rhythm of an attacking party. However, the Gleam Eyes was not programmed to be forgiving, and so it took an impressively fast swipe at me with its monster sword, catching me off-guard.
Fortunately, I had good people watching out for me that day. The sound of steel biting into steel echoed throughout the chamber again as Strea's counterattack connected, stopping the gigantic blade in its tracks. She grunted with the effort, but she held fast as she pitted her strength against the minotaur's. "You've gotten sloppy," she grinned as sweat dripped down her brow. "You'd never have given it that opening a few months ago."
"Gimme a break," I grinned back as I swung my blade up at the broadsword, adding my own considerable strength to the mix, which knocked the Gleam Eyes back a few paces from the recoil damage we managed to inflict on him. "I've spent the better part of two years fighting people, not monsters. It's a little different."
"Always excuses with you, isn't it?" I turned to see Kiriha, who was smiling fiercely at me. "So what's the deal today?" Apparently she was relieved to have backup in any form, even if it was from me. Either that, or she's gonna kill me right after this whole fight is over.
"No deal," I replied as I kept an eye on the boss, which was now recovering its footing, in spite of Yuuki and Sinon's continued assault. "I'm back, and I'm ready to fight on the right side."
"Just like that?" Kirito asked as he jogged over to join us.
"Yeah," I nodded as I looked him the eye, feeling shame wash over me again. "Look, I know I owe a thousand and one apologies, but right now we should focus on the boss. I promise I'm not gonna book it as soon as the fight is over."
"You better not," Kiriha snickered good-naturedly, surprising me. "If I have to track you down a third time, I might just skin you alive."
"Duly noted," I muttered, surprised at how well she seemed to be taking my return. "By the way, the boss is coming."
Everyone turned to see the blue-skinned beast roaring as it bore down upon us, sword coming up with murderous intent once again. Strea and I reacted first, smashing the monster sword away like before, only this time, Kirito and Kiriha were there to press the attack and deal some solid damage, at which point, Yuuki let out an excited 'whoop!'
"Yo, keep him busy for like, ten seconds!" she called out to us. "I got something that might help us put this to bed!"
"Sure!" I shouted back just in time to switch in with Kirito, even as Strea moved to replace Kiriha. It amazed me that even though we hadn't truly fought on the same side in over a year, our timing was still flawless- a result of hundreds of hours spent learning to do battle alongside each other in order to survive this world. As the thought crossed my mind, I couldn't help but let a fierce smile crease my features as Kirito passed me by.
As fate would have it, that's when the boss decided to switch gears, resulting in a vicious back fist that all but put me in a wall, and then clobbered Strea much the same way. As I slid to the ground, I let out a pained groan, and the words, "Oh… If I had a skeleton, I think it'd be broken."
"Mataras!" I froze up as I recognized Rivka's voice, and further realized that she was already kneeling beside me, her expression unreadable.
"Uh…" I said dumbly as I got to my hands and knees, my heart racing. "Hi?"
"Hi?" she repeated. "That's all you've got?"
"For the moment, yes," I said quickly, getting to my feet and looking around for my sword, which I had dropped after colliding with the wall. "Can I get back to you after we've finished killing the giant minotaur?"
"Since your standard play seems to be making a run for it, sure, I'll wait," she said a trifle bitterly as I located the weapon a few feet away and went to retrieve it. "Not like you ever give us a choice."
I paused as I picked up my sword and let my Dragon Blood light it up before I calmly said, "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you." Without giving her a chance to respond, I charged back into battle, lining myself up to run beside Yuuki, who had finished her preparations.
"Where's Philia?" I asked her.
"Back with the others, handing out health potions," she answered. "Our additional backup said she'd be here once she was sure no one was gonna die."
"Sounds about right," I grumbled under my breath, but I wasn't really mad at her. My rage was back, sure, but now I knew exactly where to direct it. Time to show SAO what we've really got! I thought as my sword came up over my shoulder. You'll regret creating this world, Kayaba- creating ME!
A savage roar rose up from my throat while Yuuki sounded a clarion battle cry as we both dove back into the fray, blades shining. My sword flickered like the flames I summoned, biting and slashing into the Gleam Eyes' hide, even as we avoided the reach of his broadsword.
"Mataras, switch out!" I heard Yuuki call.
With a grunt of effort and a final slash that severed the head of the snake-tail, I made way for the real show to begin. "Everyone, stay back!" I shouted as soon as I was clear. I had noticed Kirito and his sister getting ready to move in to press the attack, but I knew that Yuuki had the situation well in hand. Others getting involved would only trip her up.
"Okay, here goes-!" she announced, clearly elated. "Shining Circle!" Two swords, one deep violet, the other bright red, flashed to life with verdant green as they accelerated to an attack speed never before seen in Sword Art Online. Both blades carved chunks out of the Gleam Eyes' health points at a rate that astounded the veteran players.
While this was happening, Kirito's mouth was fully agape while Klein shouted, "Anyone care to explain… the hell?!"
"It's Yuuki's unique skill," Sinon answered as she came to stand beside me. "Dual-wielding."
"Her speed and attack are pretty much on par with Heathcliff's defense, in case you're wondering what the practical applications are," I added.
"…Okay, does just going to the Hollow Area just give you a unique skill?!" Kiriha asked. "Is that the only prereq?!"
"I got my unique skill before I even knew about the Hollow Area," I pointed out mildly, even as Yuuki's combo finished, and Strea stepped in alongside some of our Hollow AI that she had summoned. "Philia doesn't have one, nor does anybody in the Cats."
"You don't know that," Kirito said, finally sounding as though he was getting himself together.
"I do know that," I countered easily.
"Is there anything else you know that you should clue us in about?" Kiriha interjected.
"Uh… yeah," I answered as I noticed a movement in my peripheral vision that set me to grinning again. "In about two seconds, your jaws are gonna hit the floor."
"Dude, after everything we've seen today, you really think there's anything left that'll surprise us?" Kirito's sister demanded tiredly.
I merely responded with the action of a raised an eyebrow that coincided with the sound of metallic thunder booming from where the boss stood. I then had the satisfaction of watching both of the Kirigaya siblings and Klein's faces go white with shock as they beheld the source of that sound. With a satisfied smile, I turned to see Saphira standing before the off-balance Gleam Eyes with a brutal-looking, black-and-gold two-handed sword resting across her shoulders in the easy grasp of her left fist. 'Deathcalibur', I had heard her call it, and the name definitely seemed to suit the menacing tool of war.
"Man, that felt good," she said as she raised the sword off of her back, lighting it up with a purple glow as she assumed the stance of a one-handed sword maiden. "Ready, everyone?"
"You betcha!" Yuuki laughed as she took up a position on the other side of the boss.
"I'll explain later," I told my friends as I moved away, leaving Sinon to take aim with her bow. "But for the record, I told you so."
Any reply that they could have made was lost to the Gleam Eyes' latest bellow, signaling that the final round was set to begin. Yuuki and I sped across the room like lightning as we moved in tandem with Sinon's bowshots that served to keep the boss off-balance, slicing into the beast's legs, hooves, and hindquarters, all at a whiplash speed that even such an advanced floor boss couldn't handle.
"Switch!"
We both heard Saphira's shout clearly, so we darted out from beneath our target, quick as shadows. "All you, Sis!" I shouted. "Give him hell!"
As soon as we were clear, Deathcalibur sang a heavy song of destruction as it crashed into the Gleam Eyes' chest, not once, not twice, but six times, each blow scattering winds throughout the boss' lair as the sword exited the monster's body. The Gleam Eyes tried to parry with its own sword on two occasions, but in both instances, the weapon was tossed aside like so much spare kindling. Strea was strong, and this had been noted often by both our friends and enemies, but Saphira was something else entirely. Not only was she wielding a two-handed sword with a single arm, she was trumping the strength of a floor boss without hardly breaking a sweat.
It was one of the most amazing, most terrifying things I had ever seen in my life up until that point. She could break me and everyone else on the front lines like a toothpick! I thought as I watched her go.
She had told me that she would be able to handle the boss once the rest of us got him down to the last health bar, but I hadn't initially believed her. Even after she had explained to me the workings of her own unique skill, the One-Armed Titan, which allowed her to apply the mechanics of one-handed swords to giant blades like Deathcalibur, I had been reluctant to let her fight alongside the Fifth Commandment and me. She then gave me a very pointed reminder that she was strong enough to disable two of the game's most skilled players like they were children, and told me that I didn't really have a choice in the matter. Still somewhat shaken by her newfound assertive demeanor (and the fact that she was even alive in the first place), I agreed to her plan for taking down the boss, which was now being executed in spectacular fashion.
"Are we sure she doesn't need help?" I turned to see Philia walking up to me alongside a shaken-looking Sachi. Even as she spoke, Saphira switched seamlessly into another one-handed sword skill, the Seven Deadly Sins combo.
"You volunteering to jump in?" I asked her with a crooked grin.
"You're back," Sachi said before Philia could reply, her eyes fixed solely on me, despite the battle going on in the background.
"Er, yes," I nodded, cringing slightly at the sound of the Gleam Eyes' dying cries. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere this time."
"No, I mean you are back," she said as she poked my chest, where my heart would lie. "You're not the person that I helped chase for a year, and you're not the broken boy that Rivka rocked to sleep every night. You're… you. The guy that taught me how to thrive in this world, despite its attempts to crush us."
I felt a small smile crease my face as patted Sachi on the shoulder with my free hand before I said, "I think you were a better student than I could ever be a teacher."
"Mataras!" I heard Saphira call out, prompting me to turn away from my old charge. I saw my sister entering the final motions of the sword skill, and as she struck, she called out, "Finish him, would ya?"
"You got it!" I said sharply. "Yuuki?!"
"Ready!"
"Sinon?!"
"On your mark!"
"Ready… Go!"
Saphira danced out of the way just in time for the other girls to act, her post-motion paralysis then kicking in. Sinon's bow spat an indigo arrow that broke off one of the boss' horns and turned it into dust. Yuuki's blades lit up with blue starlight as she unleashed a sixteen-hit combo that she called 'the Starburst Stream'.
As soon as that attack combo was done, Saphira was ready to move again, and I was right there with her. "Just like old times?" she asked me as her sword glowed a bloody red.
"Nah," I answered with a smirk as my sword glowed a molten orange. "This is gonna be even better than before."
"…Heh."
As Yuuki darted away from the Gleam Eyes, which tried to swipe at her with a futile desperation, Saphira and I sped in, I with the Red Dawn, and she with Deathcalibur. "O mighty beast that treads on our path," I began.
"Your obstructions will no longer be tolerated!" Saphira shouted as she countered the boss' giant sword with her own.
"Hear us, for I am the Red Swordsman!" My fiery blade slashed through the beast's left ankle, shearing off the foot and knocking it off-balance.
"We now lay thee waste with our weapons, and clear the path for others to walk!" Saphira smote the minotaur on his back, plunging his health nearly all the way down to empty.
"We slay thee!" we shouted in unison. "SHATTER!"
And what could the boss do but fall before the wrath of the Red Swordsman and the resolve of the angel that had resisted death?
Twenty Minutes Ago…
It had been some hours before I was finally able to calm down after learning the truth about Saphira. I passed in and out of consciousness out a few times, before I was able to regain my senses completely. When I did, I found myself back at the camp ground of the Fifth Commandment. Sitting next to me were Saphira and Sinon, and I could see Yuuki and Philia sitting with their feet in the water close by, but of Strea I saw no sign.
I let out a groan as my head began to pound horribly, much like when I had woken up with my memories damaged in the house of the Moonlit Black Cats. The noise alerted my sister and friend to my return to awareness, because they both turned to me with worried looks on their faces. It was Saphira who spoke first, though, saying, "Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Like my head got kicked by a horse," I grunted. Looking at the two of them, I sighed heavily and added, "I'm in no shape to start running away, if that's what you're worried about. But even if I could… I wouldn't."
"You wouldn't?" Sinon asked me hopefully.
"No," I said with a deep, shuddering breath. "I've got a lot to make up for, starting with how I treated you and everyone else." Locking eyes with her as I got into a sitting position with Saphira's help, I said in a hoarse voice, "I am sorry for what I did, Sinon. I hope that you can find it in you to forgive me."
"Mataras, I forgave you for everything you could ever do to me when you saved me from my own despair," she told me as she scooted over to give me a gentle hug. "I'm just happy that you're back with us, no matter what's happened before now."
Tears stung my eyes again as gratefulness for my friend washed over me, and saw to me returning the embrace. "Thank you," I told her weakly.
"You're welcome," she answered through a sniffle. "Just don't ever leave us again, okay?"
"I promise that you'll have to put up with me for the rest of my life," I chuckled weakly. "Like I said, I have a lot to make up for."
"Does that include all the murders you committed?" I heard Philia ask as she approached, Yuuki standing by her side as she kicked water droplets off of her feet.
Before Saphira could tell her to mind her own business, I held out an arm to hold her back as I answered, "When we get to the real world, I'll answer to any crime that I get convicted of. But for now, in SAO, I have a duty to use the skills I have in order to liberate the people trapped in here. If I'm allowed, I'll use my sword in defense of the other players, instead of against them."
Both the treasure hunter and her sword maiden friend looked surprised, leading Philia to ask, "Why the sudden change in tone? The last time we spoke, you were determined to avoid getting caught at all costs. Now you're ready to face up to the consequences of your actions, just like that?"
"If by 'just like that', you mean the return of my dead sister teaching me that I didn't have a real reason for losing my marbles in the first place, then yes," I said dryly. "I've done a lot of wrong, and so I'm going to work to make reparations for it as best I'm able."
"And just how d'ya plan to do that?" Yuuki asked me with a mischievous smile. "You said you were gonna fight for the people instead of against them. What'd you mean by that?"
In answer, I turned back to Sinon and said, "I think it's time we dissolved the Fifth Commandment… and see if we can find some open slots in the Moonlit Black Cats."
"Are you crazy?" she gasped. "They won't accept Strea and me. We've barely been able to work together trying to track you down, and now you want us to merge our guilds?"
"The key point there is that you have managed to work together," I insisted. "Now that I'm coming back, we'd be better off sharing in a new goal, instead of wasting time fighting over old hurts that should have been long healed." Before she could protest again, I held up a hand wearily and said, "I'm not saying that's your fault. They shouldn't have lied to you like they did, so trust me when I say that they're gonna get an earful for that."
"You sound awfully confident that you'll get a turn in," Saphira smirked at me. "If they see you returning in this company, they might not give the 'Red Swordsman' a chance to speak at all."
"I might believe that, but I know that you won't let them hurt me," I replied confidently. "And I think that they're gonna be a lot more scared of you than they ever were of me."
"True and true," she chuckled. Her eyes then grew serious as she said, "But really- are you gonna be okay to go back to them? You know that the rest of the assault team is gonna be even less welcoming than our friends."
"True, but it's not like I've ever been on great terms with them in the first place," I shrugged. "Besides, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them that it'll be better to have my sword on their side as opposed to pointed against them. They all know how good I am."
"And so modest about it, too," Philia said dryly.
"False modesty never suited anyone well," I countered. "I count myself in the top three fighters in this game, and I see no point in covering that up."
"You sure about that?" Yuuki asked as her smile widened. "Pretty sure you should dock yourself down to the top five, pal."
"Excuse me?" I asked with a cocked head, mildly offended. "I'm pretty sure I've got the record for most duels survived in this game, which puts me pretty close to the top."
"Yeah, but Heathcliff's Divine Blade has allowed his health bar to stay out of the yellow zone ever since he started leading the KOB," Philia pointed out. "As we've clearly seen, your sister could mop the floor with any of us. Actually, I wonder how she'd do against Heathcliff…"
As her voice trailed off, Yuuki piped up to say, "Your Dragon Blood is pretty impressive, no one's denying that. But if we're doing the whole 'no-modesty' thing, then I could totally beat you up."
"Normally I'd challenge to a duel to prove it," I muttered with a sigh. "But I'm too worn out to stand up, let alone swing a sword."
"Raincheck?" Yuuki offered.
"Yeah why not?" I conceded as I lay back down with Saphira's help, my exhaustion once again making itself known to me. "Thank you."
"Get some sleep," she urged me gently. "We can worry about joining back up with the others after you've had some time to recover."
I was closing my eyes to rest when I heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps that caused the girls to turn toward the source, Sinon murmuring, "This can't be good."
"Guys, we've got major trouble on the front lines!" Strea panted as she came to a stop. "A bunch of lower-level players… from the ALF… they just triggered the seventy-fourth boss fight!"
Present...
"…And that's how we all ended up here," I said, concluding my summation of events that had brought my group to the rescue of the front-line guilds. "I have no more secrets." We were all standing in the boss' lair, the Gleam Eyes having been vanquished by my sister and I, giving us time to finally have a proper talk with our friends.
"Lemme see if I got all of this straight…" Kiriha said slowly. Pointing to each person as she spoke of them, she rattled on to say, "Saphira was never actually dead, and now she's got a unique skill that makes her so strong, she can use two-handed swords like they're toys. Yuuki's had a unique skill for months, but didn't say anything about it-"
"When did that happen, by the way?" Strea asked the smaller girl.
"Right around the time Philia and I joined the Assault Team," she chirped.
"So, you're back because you more or less want to make up for all of the bad things you and your guild have done, and you guys are pretty much willing to follow him wherever he goes," Kiriha said as she looked at Sinon, Strea, and me, in our own turns. "Did I leave anything out?"
"Yeah, you left out the part where if anyone tries to hurt him, they're gonna go through me and Deathcalibur to do it," Saphira said with a cheery smile that she directed at the Fuurinkazan and ALF guilds, causing their members to shift in place uncomfortably.
"Uh, boss, we're gonna go trigger the warp gate…" one of Klein's men said as he and the others started for the exit.
"Yeah, I'll be up in a few," the redhead said, though he kept an eye on me and my group. As an apparent afterthought, he added, "Hey, uh… Don't say anything about the Red Swordsman and company to anybody just yet. I wanna see how this whole thing plays out before anybody starts up a riot."
"Sure thing, boss," said another man.
"That goes for you guys, too," Klein said to the ALF members, who looked a little less than thrilled by that idea.
"We don't take orders from you," said a sergeant.
"Right, because the last guy you took orders from swooped in at the last second and saved your lives, haha," Saphira said with a mocking smile. "No wait, that was us. Your boss got himself and two of your friends killed trying to have a pissing contest with the rest of the assault team. We bailed you out of a shallow grave." At the last sentence, she let her monster sword slam into the ground in front of her, the unspoken threat all too clear to everyone present.
I looked askance at my sister and asked in a lowered tone, "Since when were you so terrifying?"
"We do share genetic material," she said in an undertone that only I could hear. "Besides, it's kinda fun. I see why you like being angry so much- people listen more than when you try to be nice to them."
"Are you done being nice to everybody?"
"Not everybody," she giggled. "Just people trying to work above their paygrade."
I found myself grinning back at her as we fist-bumped all while the sergeant looked like he was trying to save face without letting it be known that he was effectively being cowed by a middle-school girl. "I don't see what you saving us has to do with us not telling the rest of Aincrad that Red Swordsman is alive and loose," he finally managed to get out.
"Cos if you do tell people about it, we'll tell people all about how your commanding officers keep getting their troops killed," Sinon said with a mock-sweet smile on her face.
"We'll also start paying your tax collectors a visit," Strea added with a similar tone. "I think there's a few errors in their bookkeeping."
"Tax collectors?" Kirito repeated, looking at the soldiers suspiciously.
"Don't worry about it," Saphira told him without taking her eyes off of the ALF members. "I'm sure it's a matter that can resolve itself." The sergeant paled and immediately clammed up while his men looked at one another, some of them confused, others just as nervous as their substitute leader. Another ringing clang echoed in the room, causing them all to flinch nervously as she refastened her grip on her weapon and jammed it into the ground, a little harder than before. "Can't it, gentlemen?" she demanded forcefully.
"Er… yeah," the sergeant muttered. "I'm sure we'll be too busy sorting our own affairs to be, uh… talking to the papers. Er, yeah." With that, he and his troupe shuffled out, all of them eyeing Saphira nervously as they made their exit.
As the last of them left the room, I frowned slightly and asked, "Is it wrong that I feel slighted?" When the others looked at me incredulously, I shrugged and added, "Sorry, I'm just used to being the one sending people out of a room with their tails between their legs."
"Don't try to take this away from me," Saphira said with a smug grin. She then relented slightly by adding, "You're just out of practice."
"And we don't need him getting back into practice," Kiriha told us as she crossed her arms. "Seriously. I'm happy that you're back, Saphira. I really am, but Mataras did a lot of bad stuff while you were gone."
"I know," she said as she held up a hand to forestall the others' talking. "I'm not asking anyone to forgive him for what he's done, but he does want a chance to pay back society for the crimes he committed. Just tell the other leaders that he's serving community service, and you're his parole officers."
"People don't get community service for murdering other people," Klein said with a frown. "Look, I hate to see a kid go to jail, but he can't even use the excuse that he doesn't know what he did anymore. He has to face justice for his crimes."
"What justice, Klein?" I snapped, startling all partied involved. Scowling hard at the man, I pointed upward and said, "The laws of this world deem people like me and Laughing Coffin innocent if we can get our hands on the right karma quest. Where's the justice in that? What justice is there in a world where the worst penalty enforced by the game is spending some time in a cell where literally nothing and no one can hurt you- where you're even safer than the people out risking their necks in order to free innocent players that just want to go home?" I let out a slight scoff before I answered my own question with the words, "There's no justice in this world beyond what the people enforce-what I enforced. I'm not about to go on another rampage, but mark my words when I say that if you're looking to get justice for the wrongs that I committed, you won't find it in SAO. It doesn't exist."
"What if the entire leadership of the front lines thought that you deserved to die?" Klein asked unflinchingly as Saphira glared at him. "What if they decided to execute you?"
"First off, good luck getting a majority vote with that," I replied calmly as I held out a hand to stop Saphira from clobbering the man. "You gotta remember, I know who Kayaba is- none of you do. Second, I can disappear off the map again, and you'll just keep wasting time trying to find me instead of trying to clear the game. Third, clearing the game will go a lot faster if you let me and my friends with the… one, two, three, four unique skills help you clear it."
"Heyo, you don't speak for me," Yuuki said quickly. When I cocked my head at her, she grinned easily and said, "Buuuuuut… I do owe ya for saving my life when I first got to SAO and helping me and Philia get super strong, so yeah, I'm not helping people if they wanna hurt you while you're trying to make up for your crimes."
"Why…?" Philia groaned.
"Hey, you can't say that our lives are boring," her friend chuckled.
"Eh."
"Okay, if you know who Kayaba is, why do we need to focus on clearing the game?" Klein demanded, looking a little more than a little irritated by this turn of events. "You told us that his player data was tied into the final boss', and if we killed him, we'd get to go home. Unless that was just a load of crap?"
"No, that was true," I said as I folded my arms. "The only issue is, I'm still missing a few memories. I knew who he is. And I'm sure that I can remember again, probably any day now- then I'll be happy to lead a manhunt for the guy. But for the time being, I can use the skills I've developed in the service of the people that I've terrorized." Making a point of keeping eye contact with Klein, I sighed heavily and said, "Look, I know it's not ideal, but I can do society a lot more good out on the front lines than I can just sitting in a cell- not that the Black Iron Palace could hold me." I pointed at a spot above my head, where I knew a green cursor floated.
"Grandzam has holding cells that we could put you in," Klein said, but his conviction seemed to be wavering.
"What, those tower prisons?" I snorted. "Please. Sinon and Crimson scouted those out months ago. The chains in there wouldn't hold up to my STR stat back then, much less now. That day when I delivered my ultimatum? I could have snapped those chains like wax paper."
"Wax paper?" Philia asked dubiously. "Seriously?"
"…Okay, fine, hard clay," I conceded. "Happy?"
"A little," she grinned, putting a small smile on my own face.
"Klein," Kirito said as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder, drawing the older man's attention. "I think we'd be better off letting him help. It's not worth it to make him our enemy when he doesn't have to be."
"You sure, kid?" Klein asked, looking concerned. "You were wrong about him before. You really wanna risk everything again?"
"There's nothing to risk," Kirito replied with a smile as he looked over at me and my group. "My friend is back. And I'd rather be celebrating that instead of arguing with other guild leaders right now. That, and the fact that we just survived that crazy boss battle."
The red-haired man sagged as if tired, which in all likelihood, he probably was. "All right, K-dog," he grumbled. "I'll keep my mouth shut for now, but first thing tomorrow, you and I need to let the Knights and the Dragons know what's going on, at the very least."
"Fair enough," Kirito agreed. "Thanks, Klein."
"Thank you," I echoed, which I think surprised him.
He turned to me, opened and closed his mouth a few times without speaking, then managed to get out, "You're… welcome. Later, Mataras." Shifting his gaze slightly, he smiled a little and added, "Good see you back among the living, Saphira."
"Glad to see you, too," she replied with a charming smile of her own as she hooked her sword onto her back. "See you soon, Klein." That said, he departed without a backward glance and it was just the Fifth Commandment standing across from the Moonlit Black Cats, with Yuuki and Philia off to the side.
I stepped forward a couple of paces and said, "I know that my saying sorry doesn't come anywhere close to fixing everything that I've done, but I'm gonna say it anyway." Turning to look at each person as I addressed them, I went on to say, "Kirito, I'm sorry that I left you to lead everyone on your own- I know that couldn't have been easy for you. Kiriha, I'm sorry that I tormented you about Keita's death so many times."
"And for making us look like idiots whenever we thought we were getting close to catching you?" she prompted.
"You said it, not me," I replied with a small smile. Turning to Silica, I continued, "I know that we don't know each other all that well, but I am sorry that I made you witness to the deaths of Titan's Hand. No child should have to witness the death of another, no matter how terrible they are."
"Like I told you, Mister Mataras, you saved my life when we first met," she said with a slight shake of her head. "You also made it possible for me to bring Pina back, since the pneuma flower wasn't stolen by Rosalia."
I inclined my head in acknowledgement, and then turned to Sachi, whose gaze was still wary of me. Seeing this hurt me at a deeper level than the others, because she had been my student- my charge to watch over and protect. With a shaky breath, I managed to say, "Sachi… I'm sorry. I failed you as your teacher, as your guardian and friend. I know it's probably too much for me to hope for, but if you give me another chance, I'd like the opportunity to take up the role of your mentor once again."
She appeared thoughtful for a few moments, then glanced at Kirito, who shrugged in a manner that indicated that it was up to her. At last, she stepped forward to be right in front of me, looked me in the eye, and then threw her arms around me, and nearly catching me off-guard enough to topple me. As I steadied us both, I heard her mumble, "I'm glad that you're back, Mataras. Kirito and I never stopped worrying about you."
"I… take it that you accept my offer?" I asked as I awkwardly returned the embrace.
"I don't know how much you can teach me at this point, but yes," she answered as she pulled back. "I'd be glad to learn from you again."
"Don't underestimate him," Sinon snickered, drawing the attention of the others. "Just when you think you've mastered all his tricks, he'll pull a whole new set out of his sleeve."
This brought a smile to Sachi's face as she stepped back. Knowing that there was one more apology that I needed to make- the one that I probably dreaded most of all- I slowly turned to face my oldest friend, who had said not one word since the boss had been defeated, and now wore a stoic mask on her face. Moving as swiftly as my nerves would allow me, I walked over to where she stood, and knelt on one knee in front of her, my head facing the floor in shame.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly, the words seeming to somehow amplify the silence in the chamber.
"For what?" she asked stiffly.
"Everything," I answered, my gut twisting in knots. "For running away, for forcing you to witness me becoming a monster, for never considering what all of my actions could do to you, and for betraying your trust."
"…Stand up," she told me. Reluctantly, I rose and met her eyes with my own, fearing what I would see therein. I was stunned when I saw the light of joy in them, and even more so when she wrapped me up in a hug tight enough to rival Strea's death grip. "I'm just glad that you're back," she half-laughed, my cloak quickly becoming saturated with her tears.
"You'll… forgive me?" I asked, feeling like I'd just had my brain run through a blender.
"Yes," she nodded, turning my knees to jelly. "You've repented, and I want my friend back. So yes, a thousand times yes, I forgive you for everything."
"Dammit," I heard Kiriha say, prompting me to look at her as she crossed her arms with a small grin. "If she can't hold a grudge, I don't think I can, either."
"I don't want to," Kirito said as he stepped up to clap me on the back with a huge smile of relief. "I'm just glad to have you back with us. I don't have time for resentment."
My heart swelled with so many emotions as the Moonlit Black Cats gathered me into a group hug, it felt like my chest might just explode. Even after all that I had done, I still had friends- no- family that was willing to forgive me, and accept me as I was. Tears leaked out of my eyes as I shut them in time with the thought, Thank you, God.
"Hey," I heard Kirito say, sounding as though he was directing his voice outside of our group. Blinking away the moisture in my eyes, I looked up to see that he was addressing my team in time for him to add, "If you're gonna be a part of the Cats, you have to be in the group hugs."
"No way," Sinon muttered.
"Yes way!" Strea exclaimed, dashing forward at a speed that made me cringe in anticipation. "I've got enough hugs for both her and me!"
"Strea, don't-!" I tried to say, but I was too late. The eager AI slammed into us like a pile driver, knocking everyone off their feet and reducing us to a pile of tangled limbs and heads. "Ow…"
"Why?" Kirito wheezed, sounding like he was stuck somewhere between me and the ground, or maybe Saphira.
"Never ask Strea for a hug," I groaned. "Especially a group hug."
"Are you kidding?" Saphira laughed. "That was awesome!"
"Yay!"
"Don't encourage her!"
"You ever think it's weird how many girls we're surrounded by?" I asked Kirito as we sat on the couch in the house on Zumfut.
"I try not to question it," he answered as we looked upon our restored guild. Saphira, Kiriha, and Rivka were busy catching up, Yuuki and Philia were getting to know Sachi, Sinon was sitting on the armchair with a book in her hands, while Silica was trying to keep up with an overly-curious Strea.
"I mean, when I had Crimson, at least it was two and two," I said in an undertone as I reached up to my shoulder and gave Litrosh a scratch on the chin, causing him to warble happily. I had gone back to the Hollow Area camp to get him after the boss battle. He had been napping when I was brought back, and I had forgotten to summon him in all of the excitement, which I felt bad about now, but he hadn't really seemed to mind. "I have to say, I never imagined that you'd all be willing to accept me back so easily, much less my friends."
"We're your friends, too," Kirito replied. "But don't expect things to go over so well with the rest of the assault team."
"I never do," I snorted. "And I know that apologizing to them isn't gonna help things, either."
"So what, you're gonna be your usual, jerk self when they demand a meeting?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Something like that," I chuckled. "Mostly I'll remind them that it's better to have me as their ally than their enemy."
"Us," Kirito corrected me.
"Us?" I repeated, not understanding.
"It's be better to have us on their side, instead of as their enemy," he said, giving me pause. Seeing the look of surprise on my face, he explained, "They've never exactly been nice to us- except for Klein and the Fuurinkazan. I think it's about time that I remind them just how important our guild is to the front line contribution efforts."
I nodded slowly, impressed by his assertiveness. "I didn't expect to see you so ready to pick a fight," I admitted to him.
"I've been pretty patient with them, mostly because the Cats' company is all I really need," he told me. "But since they've been difficult in the past, I can only imagine how they're gonna be after tomorrow. And I really don't have it in me to let them put down my guild anymore. It's gonna stop, one way or another."
I grinned fiercely at him and said, "Just remember, Saphira is pretty damn scary with her new sword."
"You don't have to remind me," he replied as he scratched his head. "When she was talking down the ALF troops, I thought I was gonna piss myself, and I wasn't even the target."
"Tell me about it," I agreed. Glancing around the room again, I decided to ask, "So, how did you and Sachi become a thing?"
"Huh?" he sputtered, turning red. "Where'd that come from?"
"Well, the last time the subject came up, I was kind of a jerk about it," I replied nonchalantly. "And I have to admit that I'm curious. How did a… you… end up with a nice girl like her?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded, causing me to start chuckling. "Why're you laughing? It's not that funny!"
"It really is," I chortled, my laughter growing in volume and intensity. I didn't know why it was so funny to me- it just was. So I let escape from my lips the first genuine round of laughter that I'd had in over a year.
Saphira looked over at her brother from the hallway that led to the bedrooms, a warm smile lighting up her face as she bore witness to the sound of his merriment. "I thought I'd never see him laugh like that again," she said to Rivka.
"I never thought I'd see him again, period," the other girl replied. "But I'm so happy to be wrong." As she gazed at him, her eyes flicked over to another person a few times, and it didn't take Saphira long to figure out who was drawing her attention.
"There's nothing romantic between them," she said, startling Rivka enough to tear her gaze away from Sinon, who was still engrossed in her novel.
"What?"
"I know you've probably been wondering about that for a while now," Saphira said with a gentle smile. "You don't have to worry."
"What makes you so sure?" Rivka asked, her eyes still full of doubt. "I mean, they spent a lot of time together, and they were the only real people over in the Hollow Area. How do you know that they aren't…?"
"Because I was over there, watching over him, more often than he realized," Saphira explained. "I watched the two of them, and how they interacted with each other. At first I wondered the same thing, especially after she joined his cause. But as time went on, it became clear to me that nothing had happened- or ever will happen- between them." Pausing for a second, she turned to her friend and said, "Do they trust each other without reservation? Yes, because they've been through hell and high water together. Are they inseparable friends, and will they continue to be for the rest of their lives? Yes, and it's for the same reason that cops and soldiers have unbreakable bonds with their comrades. Do they love each other? Absolutely." At the last part, Rivka's face fell, so Saphira hurried to say, "But are they in love with each other? Not a chance. And you wanna know why I know that?"
"…How?"
"Because Michael is in love with you," Saphira said as she poked Rivka on the shoulder. "He has been before he even knew what being in love with someone meant. I know that, and on some level, I think Sinon has known it for quite a while, and she's not the kind of girl to make a move on someone whose heart is already taken."
Rivka's face went the color of a bright tomato before she sputtered, "He-? What? He, me… What?!"
"Chill out," she said soothingly, trying to keep the other girl from freaking out too much. "I know you're the same way with him, so before you start asking why he's never said anything, or done anything about it, it's for the same excuses that you gave yourself."
"Well…" Rivka stuttered. "He, actually… Before he got his memory back… He kind of… asked me out?"
Saphira blinked in surprise a couple of times, then allowed a bright smile to break out over her face. "That's wonderful," she said happily. However, her face quickly darkened, and Rivka felt her stomach dropping.
"What is it?" she asked nervously.
"It's just…" Saphira hesitated before explaining, "He still loves you, no doubt. But I doubt that he's going to act on it anytime soon. Maybe someday, but…"
"Why not?" Rivka asked, her stomach churning with confusion. "Why wouldn't he, if he already-?"
"You said that he asked you out before he got his memories back," Saphira explained, looking a little sad. "While he might not be viciously denying himself a happy life with his family and friends, he's not gonna think that he's worth being loved romantically, not for a while. I'd bet every last bit of my col that he'll be completely focused on repaying his debt to society, and not giving thought to much else. Maybe when we get out of here, and we've freed everyone, he can really start to move on. But until then…" She looked her friend in the eyes and said, "You've got a decision to make, Reiko. Can you wait on him until he's ready? Or do you move on, and find someone else to make you happy? I can guarantee that he's not gonna be easy to wait on- but at the same time, he'd wait for you. He will wait for you, as long as you wait for him."
"You're sure?" Rivka asked as she looked back at Mataras, who was still laughing by the light of the fire.
"He's super stubborn," Saphira grinned. "And that trait carries over pretty well when it comes to being patient for something that he wants."
"…Then I'll wait," Rivka decided, promising herself more than her friend. "I'll wait until he can put the Red Swordsman behind him, once and for all. For now, I'm more than happy to celebrate both of your return."
Mataras: How about that? A happy chapter for a Happy New Year.
Asuna: I gotta say, I can't find anything to complain about here.
Kirito: Same. I guess it's a little weird seeing you acting more mellow, while Saphira is the one scaring the crap out of people, but somehow, it works.
Mataras: I'm glad to hear that you approve.
Kirito: And we're glad to see you back to your old self.
Asuna: Seriously, you're grumpy when you're sick.
Mataras: I'm almost always grumpy.
Kirito: That's fair.
Mataras: Next time- Always.
Asuna: Coming early February, 2020.
Kirito: Any particular reason to wait until then?
Mataras: I think I've given people enough to think about for a while. Plus, that's the month of romance- gotta have something special for that.