In Sword Art Online, death is just part of the game. It shouldn't be, not to the extent the real body actually dies, but that's how Akihiko Kayaba programmed this world. And there has been plenty of it. Players killed by field mobs, field bosses, and their dungeon counterparts have enveloped the thousands of players in fear, but many have overcome it to fight and pave the way to freedom. The Aincrad Liberation Squad, the Dragon Knights Brigade, the Knights of the Blood Oath are the big three guilds, with other smaller guilds supporting such as Furinkazan. Even solo players or parties unaffiliated with guilds take up arms as part of the Advance Team, even earning fame above the guilds. All of them know the threat the game's monsters present and face them with bravery.

But no one expected players to do the killings themselves.

Sure, there's the occasional threat, the Advance Team had their fill, but they're mostly (hopefully) meaningless gamer talk, not speaking of actual murder. Yet, as of late, PKings have been reported, and some of the Advance Team's best players have encountered such trouble.

But none went as far as the 20th Floor. A red guild appeared, threatening top members of the DKB and a group compromised of a party of solo players and an ALS member who set to rescue the trapped DKB players. Unity between the ALS and DKB was nearly shattered, but everyone managed to pull through in the end. No lives were lost, the 21st Floor was opened, and everyone came out fine.

At least, that was the case until Koharu was left alone in her inn room. Jaymes, Kirito, and Asuna had gone out with Sanya, Liten, Shivata, and others for a celebratory dinner before they split up again. Koharu decided to stay behind, feigning weariness from the floor's trials, but in truth, she just wasn't up for it. Ironically, being alone is worse. There's no television, radio, or cell phone to drown out the silence, and if she wanted music, she'd need to learn the skill because Yuuna is not her to be her bard for the night. Not even the hot bath calmed her racing mind.

"Hey, Jaymes… I'll protect you. I promise you next time I will…"

She doesn't know what's more idiotic, that she said it or that he believed her. It is her fault she couldn't protect herself, that Jaymes was beaten to mere hit points between life and death by the red player, and he even protected her during the raid. No, what's truly idiotic is that he said she protects him? When has she, from launch day to today, February 22nd, protected him?

Koharu raised her head off her knees to look at the date again. February 23rd, 2023, 12:24 AM. Her sixteenth birthday...and it's already a bummer. As much as she'd like to celebrate, she's not up for it. Not with her missing being home, recent events, she just finds today to be another day in SAO. She doesn't expect Jaymes to remember, she barely remembered his and they were running a mission for Argo on the tenth floor when she remembered.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Three knocks echo from her door, initially frightening Koharu, but she realizes only one person knows where she is and can get inside. Even if it was a member of the red group, towns are safe zones. The only way to harm another player is through sanctioned duels. But until she sees the familiar dark-skinned boy in red and black armor enter the room, she has her hand on her dagger.

Who is she kidding, she can't protect herself. She tells herself that as she sets her dagger back in her inventory, not needing it to sleep. She continues to hug her covered knees as she watches Jaymes come inside and glance at her in shock. "Oh, hey."

"Hi."

"You're still up. Good, I guess. Here." He initiates an item transfer, a bento box. Koharu accepts and conjures the box in her hands, seeing the small meal it contains.

"Where did you find this?"

Jaymes scoffs as he sits on the side of the bed, swapping to more comfortable clothing than his armor. "More like who knew about it and how much I paid for that information. Player-owned restaurant, pretty sweet creation, good food. Even has good longevity like a real bento. Everyone enjoyed it, despite it being dinner instead of lunch."

Koharu eats and listens as Jaymes tells of the celebration her friends had. With 20 floors cleared, they're now one-fifth of the way to the Ruby Palace. Everyone is just as thrilled as they were after passing the tenth floor. After eating with the others and the usual debauchery Kirito, Asuna, and Jaymes find themselves in, the former pair went ahead to the 21st Floor along with Klein and Agil's groups. Liten and Shivata, a couple split by rival guilds, went their separate ways for now. Sanya decided to return to the first floor, ending the six-floor party of Sanya, Jaymes, and Koharu.

"I think I'll miss her for now," Jaymes says as he stares at the ceiling. "I hope she finds her friend and everything. As for us, we'll rejoin Kirito and Asuna in the morning." Koharu says nothing as the bento disintegrates on her last bite. Now full, she finds herself tired but unwilling to close her eyes. She eventually tunes Jaymes out after hearing Asuna requested the four come together again and places her head on the back of his shoulder, tugging on his red t-shirt with her fingers. That shuts him up immediately, almost as if he's reading her mind but was avoiding it. If they have nothing else as partners, being able to read the other's thoughts in battle and during leisure time is a skill forged and hardened after four months together. They don't have the battle sense Kirito and Asuna possess, the bond Nautilus and Yuuna have, or the love Shivata and Liten gained (at least, she doesn't know if her feelings have shifted to love, but she likes Jaymes a lot. That can be anything), but they know each other through small, simple gestures. A simple glance, a wink, a smile, a frown, and even Koharu's actions now.

"We don't have to talk about it tonight, Ko. You don't have to worry about it. Everyone is alive. We saved Shivata, Lind, and the elite of the DKB. We stopped the infighting and cleared the floor. I'm fine and alive."

"But...you wouldn't have risked your life for me if I was stronger. 20 floors and nothing has changed. I'm nothing like Asuna, Sanya, or Liten. Heck, even you and Sanya have better battle chemistry than we do. Maybe… Maybe you'll be better off with her."

Jaymes sighs and stands up. Reflexively Koharu grabs more of his shirt and tightens her hold. He doesn't move anywhere else, but he turns around. Koharu looks up, expecting him to be angry at her, but what surprises her is the empty look on his face. He kneels, placing his hands on hers above the edge of her green nightgown, and drops her forehead on her knees.

"Do you know what I thought of when that guy beat me up? I prayed to God, him and all others just in case, that you would make it out safely. I didn't care about me; I took those punches for you, for Liten, and Sanya. As long as you lived, Ko, I would be happy dying for you."

Koharu shakes her head. "That's unfair… What about your safety? What if it was the other way around?"

Jaymes looks up. "Then I'll rather die than let you get…" He freezes there, understanding her point of view. Her thinking during that encounter days ago was as he was going to say, and he realizes that now. He stands up and sits back on the bed, Koharu scooting back to the center and placing her head back on him. "I'm sorry for worrying you. But I did what I did for you."

"I know. I'm happy you did, but...never again. I don't care if you...have to go that far, but never use yourself that way to protect me again."

"I can't promise that."

"Promise to try, then?"

He nods. "Okay...and Koharu?"

"Yes?"

"You're indeed protecting me, even if it doesn't seem like it. If it was just Sanya and Liten, I probably would have struck as many as possible down in the beginning. You being there...protected me from doing what I was thinking. You protect me by making me think of keeping us both alive instead of me doing things as I'd like. Occasionally, that route is frustrating, but...like I said, we're alive because of it. There's no way in the hundred levels of this hell I'll trade us for any other partnership. Maybe I do fight better with others...but there's no one I fight better for. No one else I rather protect in your place. No one else who I trust with my life this much. Today may not be the day, but…" He turns around and places his hand on her, gripping it tightly. "One day, when I'm afraid and cannot fight, I believe you'll be there for me because you're my other half. My partner."

Koharu stays behind Jaymes but finds her arms wrapping around him and hugging him tightly. She still has her doubts. "But you're never been that afraid."

"I was the first day, and have been so ever since. I just have a reason to keep going. Same as you."

"Then… I promise you, Jaymes, I will get strong enough to fight any enemy, monster or human. I don't have it in me to kill them, but I'll do everything to keep us safe. I'll fulfill the promise I made you long ago, to be even stronger than you. So, until that day… Let's try to stay alive and together. Nothing shall separate us, for there's no one else I've rather be partners with… Well…"

Jaymes sharply faces her. "What?" Koharu smiles and lets go of Jaymes, scooting to the other side of the bed, patting the empty side Jaymes sits on. He looks between the space and her face, waiting for a change in her expression, but as she stays stagnant, his face reddens. In the room only illuminated the candle on the nightstand, he looks very bashful. "A-Are you sure?"

Koharu nods solemnly. "I'm still afraid, so… Please? I don't want to be alone for a while." Jaymes doesn't argue any further, scooting under the covers and lays down. Koharu lays next to him, holding him as close as she can. He doesn't say anything, just wraps his left arm around her. If Koharu could describe it, this positioning feels just as natural as any other part of their partnership. Maybe fate didn't simply align their paths months ago. Maybe they're truly meant to be partners. "Thank you, Jaymes."

"Of course."

"Good night."

"Good night. Oh, and happy birthday, Ko."

Truly meant to be partners...forever.