Girls in yukatas have never made much of an impression on me. Well, in anime, yes it has, but not once in person. It's just a girl wearing a public robe. Maybe a little makeup. Maybe a cute little accessory...

Okay, I'm done lying. But tonight is a little different. I've been with many girls to a festival. I know the ins and outs of it. But I've never been to one without a group outing. This is an impromptu decision on my part, just the day after Kazuto, Asuna, and I woke up and returned to Tokyo. Since I'm medically cleared, I was able to go home, but my mind was plagued by things left behind unsaid in the Underworld. All in all, that led me to Shino's door, and now I wait for her to get dressed in a yukata.

"'Look at me,'" she asked me, but what she doesn't know (and I fear to vocally admit) is that I've looked her way since we met. When I answered that during our time as Goddess of the Sun and the Hero-King of the Underworld, I answered that I've looked at her since our meeting almost a year ago as my partner, rival, confidant...but I can't admit that, since the day we went on our first quest together that resulted in her beloved rifle being dropped, I've looked at her in the way she actually meant. Of course, I had to suppress it then, I was with Rika, and over the next 6 months, I suppressed it to the point I had forgotten about it.

"Ready. How do I look?" I glance up at the spinning Shino, taking notice of the light blue and white-striped yukata. Purple flowers and green leaves are scattered across the light kimono, and she secures it with a white cloth with orange and green horizontal stripes. On her feet are wooden sandals with a blue strap over her feet. But that's not where my eyes are. They're on her face, not because she untied the sides (she didn't) or she decided to beautify with makeup and the like (which she used lightly), but her glasses...they're gone.

"Glasses?"

She smiles and grabs a little black bag. "Wow. If I was naked right now, that's what you'd say? How do you woo these girls?"

"I don't woo anyone."

"Really? You have more women--and men--around you than Kirito, haven't you noticed?" I sigh and follow Shino out of her apartment, then we walk down the steps to the parking lot. "Anyway, I don't need glasses. They're...a personal security measure, which I won't need tonight. Now, once again, how do I look?"

She doesn't need glasses? My next question is what she means by "personal security" yet I feel that the answer is apparent. I do know her trauma and her struggles with it. "...I prefer the glasses, but you look good as always."

"You are so lame."

"Excuse me, then," I shoot back as we make it to my car, "but I haven't gone on a first date in two years. Not counting whatever I've done in Underworld, I don't remember much of anything after we separated."

"What was your first date with Rika? Back in SAO, right?"

That's what she wants to talk about? I recall as many memories as I can about that date about two and a half years ago as we pulled out into the street. "It was her 17th birthday. I took her out to a fancy restaurant, so it went as you'd expect. Our first date in the real world was to a crepe restaurant. No telling how many times we went back, or to the movies, karaoke, and you know how diverse dates can be in VR."

"Not really. Not personally, I mean. Whatever I know comes from Asuna and Rika, a little from Zeliska. Can't believe she's really dating Klein. Why did you set that up?"

"It just so happened that me, her, and Momiji were at Agil's at the same time he was. Rest is history. But you're ruining this by bringing it up."

She smiles and faces her window. "Sorry… But you know me well enough. This is my first date ever. I used to be apprehensive around guys before I met two idiots, so that didn't help me… Actually, no, this is my third date. Our third date."

I almost brake a little too hard at the stoplight. "Third?"

Shino nods. "Remember long ago in ALO, prior to Origin? You took me out to practice the sword, and I helped you with the bow? That was our first date." I think all the way back to January, right after Asuna was snatched by Yuuki. It was the first time we were together beyond GGO.

Sinon keeps the stick up, but as she backs up, she trips on her feet. As she looks up at my amused face, she snarls. "Asshole! Why did you do that?"

I help her up. "You're too used to a ranged weapon, which means you hold your weight to steady your shot. But with a sword, you're gonna be on the move all the time. No time to aim, not even for as quick as you are. Once you swing, you have to swing again. Your eyes and arms are important, but what's more important is your feet. The longer you stand, the longer you live."

Sinon nods and takes the stance again. "Then adjust me better." I bend down and adjust her legs, placing her best foot behind her to support her. Moving up and behind her, I press down on her shoulders, relaxing them. I then hold her waist, making her bend just a little more.

"Gah!" I drop down, clutching my crotch after suddenly being whipped there by Sinon's tail. "Oh, that hurt..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"It is fine." Seeing the damned appendage that caused me pain, I reach out and grab it, and from it comes the most sensual gasp out of Sinon's mouth.

"What the hell?"

"Sorry, not sorry." Once I look up at her face, I can see her heating up. Then I notice why. Holy hell, if anyone else was here… I rise, back off, and clear my throat. I've never been that physically close to Sinon before. Sure, I've noticed her, and sure I've held her, but… "Anyway, I'm going to repeat the attack. This time, move only your legs. Maintain the upper body when you step back. Just think of dodging, but not as much moving out the way."

"Thanks for the cocoa. Cheers." Sinon and I tap our huge mugs of hot cocoa and take that first warming sip of milky chocolate goodness. We sit outside in the city of Arun, situated at the trunk of Yggdrasil. While the cold is not as terrible as it is outside, the cocoa warms us. We're also shoulder to shoulder, so to any passerby, I bet this looks like a romantic date. It is what it is at this point.

"You're welcome."

"You've probably heard this multiple times, but you're different from Kirito. Some similarities, like great leadership and an alarming abundance of girls around you, but once you notice those, the differences are apparent. You're more thoughtful of us girls, for example. Do you know how long it took me to trust him?"

"Considering you knew him for two days at the time, I'll say sometime before the battle royal."

"Yeah. But for you, it was almost instantly. You saw a girl uncomfortable in the presence of a guy and intervened. You just did what you thought was right at that moment, but not because you were some sanctified protector. You had a fire in your eyes, one that comes with familiarity to the situation. I saw...someone who was much stronger than me. But what made you so strong? What happened to you in SAO?"

I lower my cup and stare into the dark liquid. No one I met outside of SAO knows that story, and I'm not sure I want to tell that story to Sinon now. But I can tell her a story that connects to it. "Spiegel's older brother, I met him in SAO. Asuna, Kirito, and I were investigating mysterious murders in the safe zones. The murders centered around a guild who found a rare item but didn't know whether to keep or sell it, so after a vote, the leader went to sell it, only to die. We learned that it was actually a plot to draw out the true murderer, the leader's real-life husband, jealous of his wife's strength in the game. But before that was revealed, Kirito and I arrived at the scene barely in time to see our first official look at Death Gun. Johnny Black, PoH, and XaXa." I frown as I glare harder at the cup for a crime it didn't commit. Johnny and XaXa were arrested that day of the raid, but somehow PoH got away. I suspect he was behind Asuna's annoying guard targeting Kirito. After I was told of that, I took some time to look for PoH while I was with Philia, Rain, and Strea, but no leads ever came. With XaXa arrested, I'm sure other Laughing Coffin members are being searched for.

"Jaymes?" I turn to Sinon who looks at me in concern. I must have suddenly stopped the story.

"Sorry. It's just… I never talked about that with someone not from SAO, the full story of me and that guild. Only Suguha knows, but only the part that precedes this story. Maybe I'll tell you the full story one day."

Sinon nods. "Yeah, I understand. And on that day, I'll tell you my secret too. I hope it doesn't...change us."

I turn to Sinon, not caring for the close contact for the first time today. Sighing, I close my eyes. "Whatever you've done...will never compare to what I did. Not even Kirito's worst deed comes close."

To be honest, It wasn't my best moment as a guy. For the first time, I was conscious of being around a woman not named Lisbeth. Never happened with Philia, Leafa, Strea, Rain, Kureha, Asuna, or anyone else. "Yeah… I guess, in a way, it was our first outing."

"Yeah. I think it was then that I figured out I felt something towards you. But, of course, I had to bury it. You didn't help it, though, once you began our partnership in SA:O."

"Like Valentine's Day, huh?"

"Hey, Sinon!" My sense of danger immediately kicked in at the recognition of that pathetic voice. Fortunately, for the newcomer, this is the safe zone, but I can still beat his ass with my fists. That unkempt grey hair, those sleazy gold irises… No, wait, just how the hell is he here? "Hey, hi! I've been looking for you all over the place."

Sinon is quite apprehensive, but she greets him all the same. "Richter. Hi."

"Richter?" To me, he's known as Spiegel, and in real life, he's in jail for his part in the Death Gun incident with his brother XaXa and fellow Laughing Coffin guildmate Johnny Black, the latter still at large. I met Spiegel many times in GGO, it was how I met Sinon by interfering with what I thought was some sort of harassment. Not too far from the truth, eventually.

"Oh… Jaymes, what a surprise to see you here. What're you up to? Maybe I could tag along if you're cool with it."

"Um… Oh, sorry, Richter. I was just about to go questing with this bonehead boyfriend of mine, it being Valentine's Day and all." Sinon grips my hand to emphasize her point. I don't contest, but go along with her lead as I walk us towards the southern exit of the Market Square.

"That's fine," Richter says with tension in his voice. "Why don't I come along with y-"

"Beat it, Richter, Spiegel, whoever you are. I don't know how you're here, but you stay away from Sinon. If you come one more inch closer to my girlfriend, just ask your brother what I do to members of Laughing Coffin."

"And he would say that you don't have such good luck protecting your friends from them, would he?" I pause in my tracks as I hear the little runt laughing. "Sure, I'm in prison, but you returned to yours. Isn't this the same world your other girlfriend died?"

Sinon tightens her hold on my hand before I do something violent. "Richter, don't say such things, especially sensitive stuff like that."

"Sinon, remember what I told you, that I'm always watching out for you. And recently, I heard interesting tales of this 'Crimson Warrior'. You shouldn't be in love with someone like him, or any of his friends!"

Sinon shakes her head. "What are you talking about? He's my friend! Kirito and everyone else are my friends because I want them to be. And… I… I can love whoever I want."

Richter scoffs. "But does he know about you? Do you know about him? He won't accept you for what you did, but I can. We can start anew, Sinon! Leave him and his friends behind. Be the Sinon I know you are that he doesn't know."

"Richter," I say darkly as I face him. "You stop this, or I'll come down and beat the living hell out of your deluded ass."

He scoffs. "Deluded? Ha. You really don't know anything about Sinon, even after all this time? I bet you don't know her in real life and have been on a real date! Sinon… Shino is different from all the other girls! She's not normal at all!"

"H-How can you say something like that? I'm normal."

"No way! You're the farthest thing from it! You're amazing! I mean, you even killed someone in real life."

"What?" My rage at Richter turns into confusion as I look at Sinon. She, however, glares at Richter, probably held back by our interlocked hands as I was.

"You… H-How dare you!"

"Awesome, right? Yeah! She shot a bad guy dead with a handgun."

"STOP!"

"You could look all over Japan-All over the world-and you'd never find anyone like her! She's in a way bigger league than you guys! You think you're so cool? I knew she was different from the moment I saw her! She was so focused in that library, pouring over gun manuals."

"No… No, that was just…"

"She's a real-life superhero! She deals out justice to the evil with a cold detachment! A real-life ronin!"

"No! Stop it! You're wrong!"

Richter smirks. "Look it up online, jerkass! It shouldn't be hard to find out."

"STOP THIS," Sinon screams, effectively silencing the area around us. Now we have a crowd drawn to the craziness, but I feel my hand empty as Sinon releases me to run away. I immediately want to chase after her, but my anger at this asshole is greater.

"What's wrong, Shino? I haven't even gotten to the best part about him! Gah!" I grab him by his armor and punch him. Stumbling, he falls into the street. No one stops me as I pick him up again and bring my knee to his gut, then kick him down to the riverbank. And as nostalgic as it would be to put his head in the water, I decide he's good for now. I'll make contact with the police later as I was smart to record the encounter, but now I need to find Sinon.

"Thought you would've logged off."

"I was going to, but… I know you well. You'd find me, whether here or in the real world… I'm sorry about him… It's my fault he's here."

"Really?"

"I thought that, if I could see him virtually, maybe I could understand him after what he did, and...we could start over. So with permission, they allowed him to use the Amusphere to play Origins. We've spent some time together, but I didn't expect to see him today. So...as you can see, nothing has changed… And you heard what he said."

"I did."

"You heard everything. He… He said I killed… I-I killed someone."

I nod. "Yeah, I heard."

Sinon turns to me, shaking in fear and confusion. "Why aren't you more shocked by it? Everyone else was. Everything he said… It's… It's true… I wanted to tell you...but all I did was pretend to be friends with you, to be your partner. Like I could be normal. But why aren't you surprised? Why are you sitting there, calm as hell?"

I set the container down between us and stared out to the lake. Sighing, I decide to tell Sinon the truth. "I told you, no matter what you did, I've done worse. You killed a man… I've killed four guys and a girl."

Sinon gasps. "Y-You too?"

"Aye. If you told everyone else, that means you know what Kirito did as well. You know he killed a player, and I know you're knowledgeable of Laughing Coffin, having encountered a member yourself. But my story...began the day Koharu was murdered by one of them."

"What?"

"What Richter said is true, I failed to protect her, on her birthday of all days. The guy that killed her, he was not just a serial killer, but a rapist as well. He would force his victims to be paralyzed and sleep, then manipulate them to disable the ethics code. But that was before Laughing Coffin was a guild, before the killings… When we found them, a group of Assault Players including Kirito, Asuna, and myself joined in. We hoped to catch them without bloodshed, but that wasn't the case. I managed to knock a few out until two players played with my admittedly fragile emotions. At that moment, I lost regard for their lives, killing them and two others who kept me from Annihilator as he escaped. But then he signed his own death certificate when he tried abusing Lisbeth...so I made sure he suffered before he died… Unlike Kirito, I didn't forget it like it was nothing, but unlike him, I don't feel guilt over it. Well, I don't know if he does or not… And if you're thinking about last year, yes, if it came to it, I would have shot Itsuki dead. It's a deluded sense of justice, but...protecting those close to me is far more important than any other moral."

Sinon drops her head, looking at her half-eaten pork bun. "I guess...that's why you're so calm. You understand."

I slide closer to her, taking her hand. "Mhm. Had to interrupt the exploring everyone else is doing, but they explained the bank robbery, how you protected not only your family but another as well. I guess Richter, Spiegel, Kyouji, whatever, is right that you are amazing. To stand up to protect others, that requires some strength. And you'll always be that to me, strong. You are my friend, my partner, my Hecate. No past, light or dark, can ever change that."

On the verge of tears, Sinon leans on my shoulder, hugging me tightly. She doesn't say anything, but no words are left to be said. I wrap my arms around her, listening to her sniffles and the lake water make noise of its own.

I calm myself as I park just a mile away from the festival's location. "I really dislike Kyouji. You still see him?"

"Yeah, from time to time. He asks about us, and, though it is wrong, I allow the facade to continue."

"Fine with me." Sighing, I turn to her and pop her on the head. "I haven't forgotten what you and Asuna made Kirito and I do." She giggles as we exit and walk away from my car. The festival has started, but the fireworks are about two hours away. Enough time for us to enjoy ourselves by filling up on food and playing games. As we walk down the sidewalk, the festival's entrance in sight, I feel a clothed arm interlock with mine. I look down at the girl, noticing the flow of blood rushing to her cheeks. Third date, huh… Our first one in the real world.

"Nervous? That's not the Hecate I know."

"Really? I am a girl, you know. A date is a date...and this is the first where I don't have to hold back, right?"

"Yeah… Let's enjoy ourselves."