[Italics] = Interview
[Standard Text] = Messages, Call Dialogue, and Notifications.
Sailing through a sea of data and code, Kazuto made a beeline to the portal leading into the world of ALfheim Online. His mind raced and bounced off the walls of his skull as he imagined Asuna's beautiful visage, standing before him, with a smile and arms outstretched. Kazuto remembered vividly every single promise he made to his beloved, word for word. No way in absolute fuck was some slimy parasite like Sugou going to ruin all of that.
[Honestly, if that's not commitment at its absolute finest, I don't know what is.]
Wasting no time, Kazuto flew through the portal, knowing full well that Asuna was just on the other side. With the sound of rippling water and shattering glass, Kazuto had entered ALfheim Online and was now Kirito yet again.
Without the use of a FullDive system, I'm safe from being trapped inside, but that's the least of my worries.
The land around him was that of a grassy field with the wind sending shining ripples across the soft, verdant terrain. The sky was nice and clear, as was the air (at least clearer than Japan's air quality), and Kirito could make out the structure that Kuro had described.
Large, white, spiraling. That's the World Tree.
And speaking of Kuro...
[Hey, Kirito, you there?] Kuro said over a microphone. His face didn't show and yet his voice was oddly distorted to be a lower tone and was warbled in a weird fashion.
"Banner?" Kirito said, careful to not potentially give away Kuro's identity. "You can still contact me?"
[Yeah, but how I did this is not the point,] Kuro said. [What is important is finding Asuna and then getting the evidence.]
Kirito's eyes narrowed, "Why is this evidence so important to you?" Kirito asked. "Do you need it to get him arrested?"
[Yes,] Kuro replied without missing a beat. [I don't want to add any more criminals to my kill count.]
Kirito simply nodded. He could understand that, not wanting to add more blood onto your hands. Sometimes you did what you had to in order to survive and they knew this well.
"Okay, but I'm more concerned about Asuna's well being at the moment," Kazuto said as he stared at the World Tree in disdain.
[Right. First things first, you'll find Asuna and make sure she's alright,] Kuro said with a nod on his end of the call. [Next, ask to see if she knows about anything related to the three hundred players trapped with her.]
Kazuto nodded, "Anything else?"
[Once you're done talking with Asuna, I want you to explore ALfheim and study the behavior of some of the players and NPC's] Kuro said, much to Kazuto's confusion. [It's my suspicion that Sugou is researching technology involving the manipulation of the human mind and then selling that technology to larger corporations around the globe, so I want you to keep a sharp eye out for any abnormal behavior in both human and NPC standards.]
Kazuto's eyes shrunk as he imagined the sheer amount of atrocities Sugou and those corporations could commit with that kind of technology. But...
[That's what that bastard was doing?!]
[Yeah. But luckily Sugou was dumb enough to go yapping about his 'diabolical plans' to Asuna.]
"That's just... that's... that's just wrong!" Kazuto stuttered.
On Kuro's end, he had a very dark expression on his face and his magenta eyes devoid of all light, [This casual disregard for the free will is the reason why I want him out of the picture so badly,] Kuro said. [However, researching illegal technology like that is a pretty hefty accusation to make and will need only the most reliable evidence.]
"So I find anything blatant enough and then send it back to you?" Kazuto asked, though he already knew the answer.
[That's the idea, anything that's either a file or even something straight outta Sugou's mouth,] Kuro replied. [Still, you got your darling and three hundred innocent minds to free.]
Kazuto simply nodded before walking in the World Tree's general direction.
[But... hey Kirito, you've played the game Silent Hill, right?] Kuro asked.
Kazuto raised a brow, "Yeah, why?"
[Well, I was thinking, as a method of intimidation, should you need it, you could use your Video to glitch and distort your face in a very creepy manner,] Kuro said while Kazuto's eyes grew at what Kuro was implying. [Imagine everything glitching with your scary face grinning with a lust for blood?]
Kazuto grinned, "Appear to be the devil and make all men submit," Kazuto said.
[So how about it? Let's give Sugou a good scare,] Kuro said as both Kuro and Kazuto grinned while Kazuto's face glitched slightly.
In fact, I think I can use this to my advantage. Phase One, scare and distract Sugou. No doubt he'll focus all of his attention on me, or I can make a clone of myself and have him combat against that. Phase Two, I'll sneak in, grab the evidence, free Asuna and the other three hundred. Phase Three, expose Sugou to the world.
Kazuto let out a grin much more feral than before.
Game Over.
Being held hostage inside of a giant, gilded bird cage at the top of a giant tree was something Asuna Yuuki did not anticipate happening in any stretch of the imagination. But as unexpected as it was, it was also both irritating and humiliating.
Asuna sat at a luxurious white table in an equally luxurious chair, though Asuna didn't care. She had made the fruitless task of bonding with the two cute little sparrows that decided to fly inside her cage, only to fly away when she moved her hand towards them. Them flying away so easily in between the bars of the cage, chirping a happy song, made Asuna feel a pang of envy. Upon feathered wings they simply... went away. Not a single care in the world. They had no set destination. Well... maybe they did as per their programming, but Asuna couldn't care less. The inner machinations of NPC's and mobs were more Kirito's territory, not hers.
Either way, Asuna felt a brow twitch in anger as she listed the details of her newest predicament.
One, she was trapped in a cage with luxurious furniture. Two, she was apparently in a 'wedding dress' that was more revealing than she would've liked (although it was nice and she thought about saving it for... later). Three, she was trapped at the very top of a tall structure essentially waiting for her husband, her real one, to save her.
Like some poor, defenseless, damsel in distress.
Safe to say, Asuna was feeling extremely bitter at the moment. Even after the promises she had made to her beloved Kirito, she just had to be taken away at the last possible second. Now here she was, stuck in a cage with not even access to her own menu, which was a bit superfluous if Asuna thought so herself. It wasn't like she was going anywhere anytime soon.
"Right now, your face is more beautiful than anything, Titania," said a voice that made Asuna's virtual skin crawl. "The way you look like you're about to cry... I wish I could preserve it and hang it up on a wall."
Asuna scowled, "What are you waiting for? Permission?" Asuna asked rhetorically. "You're the system admin, after all, so I have no say in the matter."
Hearing the screeching of an opening gate, much to Asuna's envy, a man in extravagant green clothing, blonde hair, and a golden crown entered with the tapping of white sandals.
The man smirked, "Such cold words coming from such a pretty mouth," the man said. "Now have I ever laid a hand on you when you didn't want me to... Titania."
Asuna's scowl deepened, "How about you stop calling me by that stupid name?" Asuna snidely remarked. "My name is Asuna, Sugou."
Sugou's smirk remained, "Now that's just spoiling the fun. In this world, I'm known as Oberon, the Fairy King," Sugou said as he let his hands out flamboyantly. "There's not a single player who wouldn't give everything to rule ALfheim. And you are Queen Titania, my breathtaking bride. What more could you possibly ask for?"
Asuna said nothing, opting to let Sugou continue his pointless monologue.
"So, as my queen, as my bride, I ask... when will you give your heart to me?" Sugou asked as he leaned closer, much to Asuna's discomfort.
"Never," Asuna said with such finality in her tone, Sugou had actually flinched a little.
Sugou placed himself on the table, cross-legged as if he owned the place (which he kind of did), "You're a stubborn girl, I'll give you that, but you know... for a while now I've been thinking."
That's a first, Asuna thought sarcastically.
"Romance is nice and all, but it might be more fun to simply take you by force," Sugou said as he lightly grasped Asuna by her cheeks before tracing her jawline.
Asuna flinched as Sugou continued to caress her face before his hand fell towards the red ribbon that held the top part of her dress together. Asuna began to shake in evident fear, but did her damnedest to reign it in.
However, Sugou let go and sighed, "But I guess I can save it for later, I've got important things to do," Sugou said as he walked to the other side of the cage to gaze upon the view of ALfheim from above.
"As cliche as it sounds, I can assure you that you won't get away with this," Asuna said, her eyes narrowing to an almost impossible degree. "It doesn't matter what you do, I'll never give into you."
Sugou simply chuckled, "Oh, you won't be talking like that for much longer," Sugou said. "Right now, in this world, tens of thousands of players are enjoying this game. But none of them have a clue about the potential of the FullDive System."
Asuna stared, confused at what Sugou seemed to be implying.
"Did you know that by expanding the brain's control regions, one might be able to influence a person's thoughts, emotions, and memories?" Sugou asked, much to Asuna's disbelief.
"You can't! That kind of technology is illegal!"
"Oh, but you're wrong. In fact, several different countries are researching the topic as we speak," Sugou replied. "The only thing standing in the way is finding people to experiment on. But one day, I was watching the news and there they were! Over ten thousand ideal guinea pigs!"
Asuna said nothing, stunned at the implications that Sugou was giving.
"Kayaba was a genius, no doubt, but he was also a fool. All he wanted to use his technology for was his game," Sugou continued. "He couldn't see the potential in it! But I did. It wasn't difficult to adjust the routers and the instant those players were logged out of SAO, I just grabbed a few from the flow. Just like that! Three hundred of my very own test subjects!
"My research has taken great strides these last two months," Sugou continued. "I've been developing a technology that seeds memories with objects and uses them to control emotion. My work is almost finished now."
Asuna gripped the hem of her dress as she digested this information, "You're insane, my father would never allow that kind of research!"
Sugou's smirk remained as he walked over to Asuna and leaned in close, "He wouldn't if he knew about it, but it's being done in secret. Just a small team and myself," Sugou said. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to sell it off."
"To who?" Asuna asked.
"An American corporation," Sugou replied. "You won't believe how anxious they are to get their hands on it. And soon I'm going to sell it and RECT to them for as much as I can."
"If I can't prevent that, I know of countless people that could stop you without even trying," Asuna said, though she was bluffing of course, just hoping to rile up Sugou's feathers a bit.
Sugou merely laughed, "Wanna bet? After all, you are in the same boat as the rest of the guinea pigs," Sugou said, which caused Asuna to freeze. "If I wanted, I could alter your memories, too."
Asuna faltered at such a thing. The fear of losing all memory of her friends, family, Kirito... it grasped at her heart like a vice.
"It's funny, you put on such a brave front and yet you continue think that black-clad boy toy of yours will save you?" Sugou asked while crossing his arms.
Asuna's eyes turned to pinpricks.
"Please, you think I didn't know? His real name is Kazuto Kirigaya," Sugou stared, amused to see how surprised Asuna was. "I met him the other day, in the real world. I could hardly believe that weak little boy was the one that beat SAO. I could hardly reign it in."
Asuna stared, stunned into silence.
"Where do you think I met him? In your hospital room of course," Sugou began to laugh. "When I told him that you were to marry me in a week, all the color drained from his face. It was absolutely hilarious."
His laughter echoed around the birdcage as Asuna felt tears well in her eyes.
"I wouldn't put too much faith in that scrawny brat, anyway," Sugou insulted. "He probably won't have the stones to put the NerveGear on, ever again!"
A small ringing suddenly sounded off.
Sugou sighed as he tapped his bracelet. "What is it? I'm busy!"
The speaker echoed to life.
[S-Sir! Someone has entered ALfheim Online without the use of a FullDive device! In fact, our sensors detected no amount of other tech used!]
Sugou stared in utter shock as he slowly turned his attention towards Asuna, who, much to his disdain, held a confident grin.
"I told you already, there are countless others out there who could stop you without lifting a finger," Asuna said, who was counting every single blessing that this had happened. Now Sugou was afraid. "I also have friends in high places."
Sugou growled, his usual smirk falling into a deep scowl before turning to his message board, "How the hell is that possible?! Talk to me!"
[H-He just... appeared! Straight out of nowhere! I'll send you a one-way live feed!]
In an instant, a wide holographic screen appeared in front of Sugou. Asuna had also peeked over, curious as to who could actually enter the virtual world without the use of a FullDive device.
Silence.
Both Sugou and Asuna were stunned.
Casual black clothing.
Short, ebony hair.
Bright, onyx eyes.
And the same trademark grin that made Asuna swoon, though she would never admit it.
"W-W-What is he doing here?!" Sugou stuttered
Asuna felt tears roll down her cheeks as she stared at the grinning face her beloved husband. Her beloved Kirito. Here to save her.
Sugou, on the other hand, growled in clear anger, "I never programmed anything remotely close to the things he's wearing," Sugou crossed his arms. "And custom content won't be available for usage until the next update."
After much thought, Sugou decided he was getting some answers. "System Command! Toggle username display!"
...
Sugou and Asuna blinked in confusion as nothing appeared, except, Kirito stopped walking. Kirito's back was turned to the feed as he simply... stood there. Not a single muscle had moved, not even so much as twitched. Kirito's sudden death-like stillness unnerved Sugou and Asuna to a certain extent.
It was just so... creepy.
However, Kirito slowly turned his head over his shoulders.
[Hmm, it appears something or... someone is watching me.]
Even more silence.
Both Sugou's and Asuna's eyes turned to pinpricks, both feeling some amount of fear.
What was going on?!
"T-This is a one way feed... right?" Sugou said towards his bracelet.
[I-I-I-It's... s-supposed to b-be...!]
Kirito turned his body to face them, or at least he made it look like that. Slowly, Kirito stalked over towards the feed, a slasher grin plastering his young face that caused chills to crawl up their spines.
Suddenly, much to their fear, the screen glitched slightly, and suddenly, Kirito was an inch away from the screen.
[Hey Suuuuugooouuuu...] Kirito said in a sing-song voice as he tapped on the screen!
Sugou fell on his rear, his whole body shaking in horror, his eyes threatening to burst from their sockets as his heart and mind raced.
Suddenly, the screen glitched and distorted, the sound of creepy radio static took over and permeated around the space they were in. The screen then flickered violently in a sea of purple static and vivid red pixels as Kirito's face distorted. His onyx eyes turned wide and crazed before they bled into a menacing red. His pupils and irises blanked before resembling radio dials, his head bending a little too far to the side, and his smile became wider and sharper with rows of large, shark-like teeth.
...
[I̶̥̼̰͒̾͒ ̶̢͕̖̈̊Ṡ̶̯̰̉Ë̵̮́̚Ě̵͓ ̶͉̮̺̋Y̷͇̣̱̅̚Ȍ̶̗̓̄̆U̶̮̚]
So yeah, Kirito be a very scary mother fucker.