Decided to post this chapter early because, what the heck? Especially with the last chapter being a slow one, I figure you guys want to see more drama between our heroes.

Glad to see this is still going strong with everyone. Once again, thanks for everything you guys do. Your reviews and everything do indeed help writers like myself keep these projects going.

As a reminder, I have a poll up on my profile to see if you guys want me to adjust how often I get chapters up. Head on over and vote to let me know what your thoughts are with writing this up.

Finally, disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the creator of SAO. I own nothing of it.

Now then,

LINK START!

Chapter 11:

Killing Intent

The three arrived on floor 55, at the castle town of Gandzam. The banner for the Knights of the Blood Oath flapped in the wind as they approached the castle to see two knights standing guard. Once Alice told them who they were and their intentions, they were let in and led to a meeting room. Strangely enough, they weren't the only ones. Many members from the front lines were here, including other guilds like Fuurinkazan and the Holy Dragon Alliance. They quickly spotted Klein talking with Bercouli and the other Integrity Knights and went over to them.

Bercouli had a rather sagged look to his face as he greeted, "Well Little Miss, you two rascals, it appears something big is happening today."

"What happened?" Eugeo asked urgently.

To that, Klein answered, "We all got notices from the big shot himself: Commander Heathcliff of the KoB."

"The Commander?" Kirito questioned. Klein only nodded as a response. What could the commander of the strongest guild in Aincrad want with everyone? And urgently, no less. Something had to have happened to evoke this big of a response. Pretty soon the doors opened, and in walked Asuna flanked by someone new.

This man had grey hair kept close to his head and hazel eyes. His face looked old and worn from who knows how many battles. But his armor was most impressive, being all red. He held a large shield with a red cross on the face with a single sword sheathed inside it. Immediately they knew this man had to be the Commander of the KoB: Heathcliff.

Said individual quickly addressed everyone gathered, "I apologize for the suddenness of this, but we must act quickly if we are to rid this place of the criminals that live in its walls." He then revealed, "We have received confirmation on the location of Laughing Coffin's base." This news sent a wave of murmuring across the room. The trio were no exception, wondering how they could have found Laughing Coffin's base now. But Heathcliff continued, "I understand your confusion, but a scout has just confirmed the information is credible. We need to act now to rid our lands of these murderers once and for all."

Bercouli stepped forward then, and questioned, "Commander Heathcliff, what is your intention with this raid on their base? Their violation of the Taboo Index for so long is an Integrity Knight matter. Our role would be to detain these criminals."

Unperturbed, Heathcliff replied, "I will let you operate as you will, Commander Bercouli Synthesis One. However, there is little we would be capable of doing if we simply detained them. That will be our primary goal, but we simply desire to eliminate their presence to protect lives."

"I never said I was against such a thing," the Integrity Knight returned. "I only wish to understand your purpose. Either way, we shall act on this alongside the Assault Team. One of our own was nearly killed by their leader, so we have more of a personal stake in the matter. And I wager you do as well." Most people didn't catch on to what he meant, but hearing the leader attacked an Integrity Knight did disturb them.

Heathcliff, meanwhile, told him, "I must say our situations are alike in that regard. I too have a personal investment due to their most recent attack." With that settled, the two leaders turned to everyone else and announced, "We set out for their base in one hour. Meet in the courtyard when the time comes." And with that, everyone dispersed.

Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice went to an unoccupied room for their preparations, as well as for a reason the later two would not tell the black-haired swordsman. Once they arrived, the two presented a stack of clothes to him.

"We had this made for you," Eugeo told his friend. "The tailor called it the Black Wyrm Coat. It'll provide better protection compared to that uniform." Kirito took the clothes but was confused why they had it made to begin with. So Eugeo explained, "We were wanting to get you something new since your uniform was beginning to wear out. This coat is not only more durable, it has wyrm scales woven within for better protection."

Kirito protested, "Well then you need this more than I do Eugeo. Your uniform won't protect you forever."

"Actually, Alice has been helping me modify it for better protection," Eugeo revealed. "Besides, after the attack, you need something to keep you safe." Kirito took his reasoning, smiling that the two were getting as close as they were. He went to an empty room to change and came back in his new garb.

The black coat fitted over an equally black shirt that opened in the center with a tall collar reaching just under his chin. The black boots he wore had metal buckles on the top followed by black pants. Due to the coat, Kirito adjusted his Black One sword so it was on his back, the hilt sticking over his right shoulder. To finish it off, he wore black-fingerless gloves.

"Black, black, and more black," Kirito commented as he adjusted his sleeves.

"It really does suit you," Eugeo commended.

Though Alice voiced, "That attire almost makes you appear… sinister. Not like what you really are."

"Well, too late to go back and change it now," the black-haired youth remarked. "If it will help me in my mission, I'm going to use it. And the first ones to face it will be Laughing Coffin."

Once everyone met up, Heathcliff used a rather large crystal to open a corridor to where the supposed base was. Where and how he got such a powerful item was never answered, but Klein did explain that those crystals were ultra-rare. So rare in fact that they would cost a fortune if one was even available. But they ignored it and went through the portal.

Whatever floor they were on, the dungeon had them on platforms floating over endless space just below them, with pillars dotting the area. It was an empty place, devoid of even one monster. The trio stuck together as everyone followed Heathcliff to the site. Once they were on a much larger platform, he turned to the small army following.

"Listen up," he informed, "all these people we will face have broken the Taboo Index far too often and with reckless abandon. Do not let yourself get caught up in morality on killing them, as they will show no mercy to you. The goddesses shall forgive this transgression to remove the stain Laughing Coffin has become. Capture if you can, kill if you must." The tension in the air was thick with anticipation. Before too long, they would be springing on fearsome foes that are not monstrous in appearance, but in character.

Eugeo gulped before Alice gave him a reassuring squeeze with her hand. Looking at the two, Kirito couldn't help the smile he made at the sight. If anything, he was going to make sure they got out alive. Eugeo had gone through enough, and he needed a happier life. If they could get back to Rulid, Kirito would be happy regardless of what happened to him.

But that thought was derailed when he spotted Asuna. And he remembered everything he had done involving her. He needed to fulfill his oath so he could undo what the Pontifex did to Asuna. After that, he would figure out the course of his life after.

The group was about to set out when a pebble drew Eugeo's attention. He looked up, and cried out, "Ambush!" And everyone, alerted by the call, looked up to be greeted by dozens of cloaked figures descending on them. Chaos ensued as everyone scattered, trying to recover from the surprise attack. Swords met, shields rang, and screams uttered as everyone fought in a battle unlike any other.

The Laughing Coffin members came at the Assault Team with wicked expressions, like they enjoyed this kind of carnage. Kirito ended up separated from the other two in the ensuing chaos, but it mattered little to him. He let his body move for him, parrying and knocking out opponents as best he could.

The Assault Team managed to regroup in time after the initial surprise attack, and many were already detaining members they had subdued. But there were still others fighting strong and doing all they could to take them out of the fight. At one point, Kirito saw three allies be struck down by a man with white hair who looked bloodied up from multiple wounds. Yet when he struck at Kirito, he could feel the strength behind the blade. As he engaged in a blade lock, Kirito looked over to see another figure with poisoned daggers going for Asuna. When he did, something in him snapped. He shoved his current opponent back before bringing his sword down and removing his head from his shoulders. Blood stained his face, but his expression was that of utter fury. He charged for where Asuna was, who was still distracted by a separate fighter. As the man with the daggers moved to stab her, Kirito knocked his blade into the air before spinning around and opening his stomach, ending his life.

Asuna subdued her opponent nonviolently, then turned to see Kirito strike down the man that was sneaking up on her. She gasped as she saw him ruthlessly cut down a fellow human being, but what scared her more was his expression. It was devoid of all emotion and seemed bent on one primal desire: slaying all in his path.

After that, the battle winded down rapidly. Of the thirty members that came down to take down Laughing Coffin, ten had given their lives and returned to Stacia. Most of Laughing Coffin had been apprehended, but twenty bodies lay in a bloody heap. Kirito's sword was dripping with blood from the two he slayed and his demeanor was still as it was when he fought with ferocity.

Having done his part, Klein went over to the boy and asked, "Hey Kirito, you alright?" He didn't respond right away, so Klein tried to turn him around. But the minute his hand touched Kirito's shoulder, the black swordsman whirled around and pointed his blade at Klein's throat. The red-haired swordsman stiffened at the position while holding his hands up in submission. "Hey, friendly here," he pointed out nervously. When Kirito saw who he nearly struck, he immediately pulled it away and relaxed.

"Sorry Klein," he said in an undertone, "I guess I was a little on edge."

"I don't blame you," the man replied. "There ain't no way anyone would be alright after all of that. I mean, that was still really nuts what happened. All those guys just coming at you, wanting to kill you where you stand. There's no time to think about it all." His words rang true.

All Kirito could recall from the fight was just fight, block, and strike. Nothing else mattered in the whole ordeal. Not his friends, not his enemies, nothing. Just where to move his sword. Looking at his bloody sword, Kirito was reminded of when he had to kill those goblins and Raios. He then looked over to Asuna, who was directing the survivors to get the wounded out and the prisoners put away. Seeing her taking charge like that, not to mention how clean she looked, something popped into Kirito's head. A thought that he could not prepare for. Sweeping the blood off his sword, Kirito sheathed it and walked out on Klein, much to the man's confusion. Eugeo and Alice called out to him after checking up on each other, but he ignored them too. He just walked away, his head dipped low. The last to see him before he left was Asuna, who looked in his direction from the commotion made.

The following few days after the raid on Laughing Coffin, things seemed to become more peaceful in Aincrad. The defeat of the murder guild lifted everyone's spirits and gave people a sense of security now that they didn't need to worry about being assassinated. But on the front lines, it was another matter.

The Assault Team hit a wall getting to the next Dungeon Master. They were being hampered by a mob of minions that seemed impossible to kill no matter what they tried against them. But the most notable problem was that one member failed to show for multiple days. Eugeo and Alice were really bothered by the absence of Kirito, but they hadn't seen nor heard from him since the raid. Sheyta herself was unable to find said swordsman no matter where she looked. Nobody else gave it any notice, as they wanted to get back to clearing the castle and freeing everyone. But there was one among them who couldn't let it slide.

Asuna was in her home in Selmburg one evening, looking up at the moon. Ever since that day, she kept feeling a sense of dread and worry about Kirito. She still couldn't understand why she was this concerned about him. He was a criminal who killed someone back in Centoria. He expressed no remorse at his taking a life, not to mention he kept saying things about her that shouldn't be true. But the more she thought about it, the more the feeling grew inside her. So much so that she had trouble sleeping. The nightmares kept coming back, but they were different in context. One would be the young boy against a wall with a sword through his heart, another had him screaming as his Life was stolen by some mysterious force. Whatever they meant, it haunted Asuna. She wanted to get to the bottom of it all. If it would help her resume her duties as an Integrity Knight, she would learn what all of this truly meant. And there were only two people who could help her.

That very night, she went down to Lyndis and found the home Alice was staying in with the boys. She took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. She waited for a few minutes to get an answer, but none came. So she knocked harder in the hope of getting a reaction. This time, Eugeo blearily came to answer in his night clothes, only to be shocked awake seeing Asuna there.

"Asuna?!" Eugeo exclaimed quietly. "It's the middle of the night. What gives?"

"Where's Kirito?" Asuna questioned, void of emotion.

"I don't know," Eugeo replied, rubbing his eyes. "We haven't found him since he disappeared after the Laughing Coffin raid. No one knows where he went, and some of us have tried to find him."

Asuna took this in, disappointed at her lack of answers. So she then warned, "Excuse me, but I must come in." And she barged in. Eugeo was beside himself with how Asuna was acting, but he couldn't protest with everything going on. Asuna sat in the armchair, and Eugeo went into the living area while Alice came up to them in her nightgown, becoming alert at Asuna's presence.

"Asuna, what reason could you have with visiting at this late hour?" Alice demanded as she sat on the couch across from her. Eugeo joined her but sat a respectable distance from her.

To answer, Asuna stated, "I need to know more about my past. About you three, and about Kirito."

"I thought you don't believe us," Eugeo pointed out.

To which Asuna replied, "I didn't. At least, not at first. But after hearing about all these things from Kirito, there's too much going on to deny it as lies by some blasphemer. And then there's you Alice. Unlike Bercouli or any other Integrity Knight, you don't truly claim to come from heaven. Yet you are an Integrity Knight, this much I know. Too much of your words contradict what I once believed, and far too often do they seem more credible than what the Pontifex claims."

Looking at her hand, she added, "And there's something else. Every time I think about Kirito, there's this feeling in my chest that I can't make go away. It hurts, but at the same time feels wonderful. I want to forget it, but at the same time I don't. And then there's the dreams. Dreams of him dying in horrible ways. They always make me feel scared."

She clenched her fists, and she spoke as her voice started to break, "Why? I'm an Integrity Knight. I am the absolute authority and power in the Human Empire. I am meant to protect the humans from the Dark Territory. So why am I being brought low because of some boy I should hate for the crime he has committed? Why do I feel these things? What is wrong with me?"

Alice went over and placed a comforting hand on Asuna, and whispered soothingly, "It's because you care. Being an Integrity Knight does not remove your ability to feel and to care for others. Even among our order, there are Knights that struggle with their own emotions. One person I know struggles is Lady Fanatio. You remember? She always hides her face behind a helmet because men seem to hold back due to her being a woman. But that's not all. I've seen how she looks at Uncle, something I recognized from you in our younger days."

Turning sharply at her with tears threatening to spill, Asuna asked pointedly, "What do you mean?"

To which Alice told her calmly, "Because you had the same look in our village. Kirito dodged the question a bit last time, but the truth is that the fourth member of our little group was you. You were, and even are, Asuna Yuuki."

The chestnut-haired swordswoman went wide-eyed with the reveal of her name. Yuuki. Her name was Asuna Yuuki. More memories came flooding back to her. She remembered a man who had a soft smile whenever she saw her, a woman with a stern face directed at her, and a boy older than her who seemed so easy-going.

"Yuuki…" she murmured, testing the name on her lips. Immediately, it became familiar to her. Like she had said it so many times before. "Yuuki…" she repeated.

"That's right Asuna," Eugeo came in. "You were the daughter of one of the wealthier families in Rulid. Your father and mother contributed the most to our financial stability, and they owned most of the land too. You were taught the Yuuki-style of sword fighting in preparation for going to the Imperial Swordcraft Academy. The very same academy Kirito and I attended recently." Asuna did not bother denying these facts they told her. She knew, without a shred of doubt, that these were truths.

She then suddenly stood up and said, "I need to find him." But she was stopped by Alice before she could attempt to leave.

"Not tonight, when it is most treacherous," she advised. "Sleep tonight. We can look for him again in the morning." Asuna gave no argument. Alice led her to her own room and helped her dress down enough to be comfortable to sleep. Then the two got in bed together and drifted off.

The following morning, the three went into the different towns to try and find any leads about Kirito. But it was the same story everywhere they went. He was nowhere to be found and no one had seen him in who knows how long. At this rate, the three were beginning to worry that Kirito had died somewhere. But they weren't about to give up.

One of their next destinations was on floor 50, in the town of Algade. The tight streets were filled with swordsmen and merchants walking about, along with a couple families here and there. But when they saw Asuna and Alice, people began to whisper. Asuna even noticed Eugeo looking a little self-conscious from all the whispers going on about them. She was used to it, being the Vice Commander and all had given her a bit of a reputation. Not to mention her looks and speed with her rapier. Her weapon, Lambent Light, was something given to her by Heathcliff when she came to Aincrad. He said it had been forged from a shooting star and was a Divine Object. She had checked its stats out prior: Object Authority 44. But unlike other Integrity Knights, she hadn't learned their secret technique for unleashing its full power. She had even been discouraged from learning it by the Commander, despite her arguments that she needed that power. But she put that aside as she walked to a shop.

Inside was a man with dark skin, bald, and wearing a light-green shirt. Asuna remembered this man to be Agil, someone with a muddled rep for some of his dealings as a store clerk. But he was honest above all else. He was the only man Asuna recalled Kirito and his friends visited for the last four months coming here.

As he turned, he greeted, "Welcome to Agil's. What can I help-?" The man stopped when he saw the three in the doorway. He sighed and asked, "Eugeo, Alice, mind telling me what you are doing with Lightning Flash over there?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Eugeo said nervously. Asuna strode over to the counter with her face stern. Her very attitude made Agil sweat a little in her presence.

"Where's Kirito?" she interrogated.

"Look, I haven't seen him for a while Asuna," Agil answered. "If nobody has seen him, you are going to be hard pressed to find him anywhere."

"Don't give me that crap," Asuna scolded. "Where is he?! I know he comes to you regularly. You look after him when he isn't with Bercouli or these two. You are one of the few people who he would talk to. Now where. Is. He?" Her tone and body posture gave off an intimidating vibe, one even Eugeo was frightened by as he edged towards Alice. Alice herself had not seen Asuna get like this except when Kirito was in trouble, usually for pulling a prank or doing something mischievous to the adults.

Agil deflated under her gaze, and admitted, "Yeah I saw him. Same day of the raid on Laughing Coffin. Came in here and gave me a huge wad of shia for supplies: winter coat, rations, siral water, even lamp fluid. I asked why he was getting all this stuff and tried to argue he was giving me too much money, but he didn't seem to listen. He just said he needed to get away. Can't tell you from what, but he was different. Kid seemed to have given up on himself."

Concern sparking at this, Eugeo came up and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Like I said, he seemed to have given up on himself," Agil answered. Reaching under the countertop, he added, "Even left this little beauty and took one of my swords." And he pulled up Kirito's black sword Lisbeth made for him. The sight of it filled Eugeo with dread.

"That's the sword Kayaba had us commission Liz for, the one made from the Gigas Cedar branch," he revealed.

Setting it on the table with a bit of effort, Agil mentioned, "Thing's a beauty. It's got no name yet, but this thing is something else. Don't really know why he would leave this behind for something cheap." He didn't say more before Asuna took the sword from him and began walking out. The shopkeeper was left speechless as she left, while the other two quickly followed her.

"Asuna, slow down," Eugeo called out to her. He and Alice caught up, but they were struggling to keep up because she walked so fast. "Where are you going?" the boy asked.

"The West Mountains on floor 55," Asuna told him. "That winter coat told me he would go somewhere cold. Those mountains are as cold as they can be. They are also home to some potent monsters, as well as a dragon at its summit." That caused pits to settle in Alice and Eugeo's stomachs.

"Then let's get a search party gathered to find him," Alice suggested as they neared the Teleport Gate. "It'll take time to prepare an expedition to go find him."

Asuna didn't listen, as she stepped into the Teleport Gate and called out, "Teleport: Grandzam!" And she disappeared in a flash, leaving her two friends behind.

Not long after she arrived, Asuna went straight for the West Mountains. The cold was bitter and permeated her very skin. She initially shivered as she approached the foot of the mountain, but she pushed past it as she began her trek upward. Unfortunately, a blizzard happened to be blowing down the mountain. The howling winds dropping the temperature even further. It caused Asuna to wrap her arms around herself in an effort to stave off the cold. Admittedly, she probably should have grabbed at least a coat or something. But she had been so worried when she learned where Kirito was. These sudden bouts of concern still made no sense to her, but she knew this was also because she couldn't lose the only link she had to her past. Kirito was her best chance at learning who she was other than being an Integrity Knight. With this, she determinedly pushed on.

Partway up the mountain, Asuna heard a disturbance above her. She looked up to see a dragon flying past, and a whole bunch of snow coming straight for her. Recognizing the avalanche, she rushed up the mountain with all speed to try and get past. But more plummeted down towards her level, forcing her to keep running for her life. Then an avalanche fell in front of her, trapping her under more snow threatening to bury her where she stood. She turned and saw a cave, her only salvation. She charged in and fell to the ground as the snow sealed the entrance. And her world was sealed in darkness.

Blindly, she reached for something in this cave. Once she grasped something, she held it up and uttered, "S-S-S-System C-C-Call. Generate L-L-Lumin-n-nous Element." The object then lit up, brightening the cave enough for Asuna to see. Her way out was blocked, and the cave was empty. She cursed her misfortune, curling up on the ground. She didn't want to risk using a Thermal Element to warm herself, especially if she couldn't maintain the heat with something to burn. The object she lit up turned out to be a rock. She lay there on the ground, disappointed in herself for getting into this situation. If the Pontifex saw her now, Asuna knew she would reprimand her for her failure. Maybe even do something to her, something dreadful.

Scowling, she muttered, "Screw the Pontifex. To hell with everything. If being an Integrity Knight gets me here, in this hellhole, I'd rather discard my title and renounce the church for everything. They've never done anything for me. I've been alone ever since." Closing into herself, she added, "Kirito… Eugeo… Alice… You three were the only ones to come after me. You chose to doom yourselves to this forsaken place just for me. And I was a fool to turn you away." Letting tears fall, she prayed, "Stacia, Terreria, Solus, if you can hear my prayer, protect them. Protect my… my friends. Even if I must return to you, make sure they survive and go home to our village. I ask for nothing in return and will give my Life if I must." With the cold around her, Asuna let herself weep as she curled as tight as she could to stave off the cold.

After an indiscernible amount of time, Asuna heard someone call out her name. She opened her eyes and looked up to see someone further back in the cave. They came into the light she had, revealing themselves to be Kirito. Asuna shot up at his reveal, stunned by the very fortune of her having found him. But then she wondered if this was merely a state of delirium, where she was seeing him as an illusion. She almost accepted that might have been it when Kirito came over and wrapped her in a thick, brown cape that helped stave off the cold.

"You're so cold," Kirito murmured as he checked up on her. "Let's get you warmed up." He then picked her up bridal style, which caused Asuna's cheeks to go red, before taking her further into the cave. As they went back, she saw a small fire had been lit along with a couple rations and a sleeping bag. He moved quickly by helping her into the sleeping bag, then moved her closer to the fire so she would be warmed further by it. The effort given quickly began to warm Asuna up. Once he finished, Kirito sat next to her. She noticed he shivered slightly, though it was hard to see unless one really looked at him.

"Kirito, aren't you cold too?" she asked him.

To which he replied, "Don't worry. I've been disciplining myself to handle it." His eyes downcast, he added, "Besides, I deserve this."

"What?" the Vice Commander inquired. But Kirito didn't reply right away. Whatever was going on, he seemed really bothered by it all. She had never seen him so affected as he was now. He was a far cry from that boy she found napping.

He eventually replied, "Asuna, I don't deserve to be with you or the others. All I'll bring is pain and death. I think it's better if I stay here, where I can fade into obscurity."

Sitting up, Asuna asked, "Why would you even say that? What would make you think you deserve to die here?" Kirito didn't answer, so she continued, "You won't disappear, even if you do die. I'm sure there are people out there that would remember you."

"No one that would matter," Kirito mumbled.

Getting ticked, Asuna chided, "What is wrong with you? What is with this mindset you have? 'No one that would matter.' Idiot. Your friends matter. Your family matters. Are you saying they don't deserve to have known you?"

"No, that's not it," Kirito argued in his defense. Voice soft, he elaborated, "It's that I don't deserve them. Not after what I did." Before she could make a case, he revealed, "When I struck Raios down, I knew why I did it. He was going to hurt our pages. No, he was going to rape them. He justified it as an affront they made trying to defend their classmate because he was a noble. His partner Humbert had abused his page and they were concerned for her. I struck him down because I knew he had to be taken down. But in that raid, I killed two people. I didn't care for what reason it happened. I just wanted them to die. I wanted them to suffer, to go to hell."

Clenching his hands together, he uttered, "I was a monster. I killed without any regard for life. Raios I killed because he did something wrong and I needed to stop him. But those two people in the raid, I just wanted to cut them down. I'm a monster, beyond redemption." Now Asuna understood what was going on. And in a way, she understood him better than earlier. His violation of the Taboo Index had a purpose behind it. He was trying to save someone, just like he did during the raid.

She removed herself from the sleeping bag and turned Kirito's face so he looked at her. "You did have a reason Kirito," she told him gently. "Those two members you killed; they were just like Raios. They did something horrible and threatened good people. You might have gotten lost in the battle because of all the chaos, but you were just in your actions. The fact that it affects you so much means you are nothing like them." Sitting down next to him, she continued, "When you killed those two members, you felt guilty about it because you know the value of the life the goddesses grant us. You were also aware of that gift when you protected your pages. You had a reason, and you know it is not something to take lightly."

Tearing up, Kirito muttered, "But, I don't deserve to live. I never bothered with it when I killed Raios, but I can't bear to live with blood on my hands."

"It is an unfortunate burden," Asuna assured him, "but you won't be alone. Eugeo and Alice had their part in the fight. I know Bercouli has claimed the lives of others before he came to Aincrad. And I am no exception, since I was there. There are people out there who have done what you did. And they'll help you." She then undid the cape and wrapped it around her and Kirito to keep them both warm. "Don't shoulder this burden alone. Remember to bear it with those around you. As long as you remember who the people you must protect are, you will never be like the people your sword has claimed." She turned her head back to the fire once she finished. Admittedly, she wasn't sure where that all came from. But it didn't scare her like it normally would. Instead, she just attributed this to Asuna Yuuki's doing. Her own self that resided deep inside her, fighting to come back. She hoped, with these little efforts, she would become that person once more.

Kirito cried beside her, unashamed at his expression of sorrow. Asuna let him vent, knowing it was necessary for him to move on. The day they raided those murderers would weigh on everyone, this she knew. But even so, they would grow from it. They had to if they were to be free again.

An unknowable amount of time passed before Kirito and Asuna heard a disturbance near the mouth of the cave. They could hear voices calling out, though they were muffled by the snow. As the two awoke from sleep, they noticed something was in front of them. It didn't shine any light, but it did look different from the darkness of the cave. It was then Asuna quickly identified it as an Umbral Element, and it had tracked them here. She pulled herself out of the cape Kirito had and went to the mouth as best as she could, her eyes having adjusted to the dark enough to see vague outlines. She came to the mouth where the snow covered the entrance. Kirito came up behind her as the snow made some noise due to something on the other side. Then, it fell away, and they saw Sheyta with her Black Lily Blade drawn.

Renly then appeared, and cried out, "They're here!" Following that came Eugeo and Alice, dressed in thick coats. The two rushed in and went about asking the two a million questions to assess if they were alright. Alice looked absolutely livid with Kirito, causing the boy to dip his head in shame.

But Asuna intervened and told them, "It's alright. We better get back to town and warm up." She rubbed her arms as if to emphasize the cold.

"Good idea," Renly affirmed, then instructed, "Follow us and we'll meet up with the search party." He and Sheyta took off, and the four followed. They found the skies to be cloudy, but the sun was shining bright regardless. The four took this moment to look out as their future became brighter than ever.