The door to the small apartment slammed open, Shino walking in a moment later. She threw the door closed and immediately jumped onto her bed before screaming into her pillow.

"You fucking idiot!" Her words were muffled by the pillow as she kicked her feet behind her. The cause for embarrassment was, of course, the meeting with Kazuto. Specifically, the kiss. She had known it was a bad idea, but at the time it just felt so right. Of course, immediately after she apologized and ran. Always running away, that was her problem. And all that wasn't even mentioning the crime against Asuna she commited. She kissed her best friend's fiance, and all she wanted to do was tell him how she felt.

A ding sounded as her phone went off, the noise startling her. Shino picked her phone up and was surprised at the message on her screen

Sender: Kirito/Kirigaya

Can we talk later?

Kazuto put his phone down with a sigh. The talk with Lady Sakuya had given him a pretty good idea of what to do, but he knew it wasn't gonna be easy. At the moment however, it wasn't the girl issues bothering him. The job offer Kikuoka had made was a confusing one at best, and he still didn't know what to do about it. He had originally wanted to go to America and study VR there. But with The SDF he could learn what the government was researching with the information Kikuoka had been gathering.

There was also the issue of his friends. Mostly he could just stay in touch with them over VR, but Asuna and Sinon were another matter. Or maybe it would be better to say Asuna or Sinon. Because either way, no matter which girl he chooses, he'd be half a world away from them if he went to America. But with the SDF he would stay in Japan, and with them.

His phone chimed, breaking his chain of thought. The sender was Sinon, and he opened it with baited breath.

Sure. My place, 30 min?

He sent back a quick afirm, before grabbing his keys.

The knock on her door startled Shino, but even when that was gone her heart was still pounding. It took great determination to walk to the door and unlock it. She opened it up to find Kazuto, leaning against the safety rail with a small smile adorning his face. More surprising however was his outfit. He had a nice pair of grey jeans on with a maroon long sleeve shirt and a denim jacket over it. The shock came from the complete lack of any black. She had almost never known him to be without any black or at least purple in his outfit.

"Hey there Shino" He didn't call her Sinon. Was that good or bad? Shit he's waiting for a reply...

"H-hey Kirigaya" Family name. Smooth Shino... Curse her stutter as well. A moment of silence later she realized her mistake. "Oh, would you like to come in?" He gave her a smile that caused her heart to soar.

"Yeah sure, if you don't mind." She stood to the side to let him in, the drum beat of her heart pounding as he brushed by her. She closed the door behind him and followed into her room. He gave a glance towards her bed and Shino's face immediately heated up at the memory of when they shared it. It had seemed so innocent at the time too..

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about." The distraction proved successful as she stopped worrying about the past and started worrying about right then. Kazuto seemed to give it some thought before speaking.

"Okay, I don't really know how to start this so I'm just gonna ask. Shino, do you... have feelings for me?" The way he phrased it didn't sound very promising, and she mentally chastised herself for hoping in the first place. Still your best friend's fiance! The question still needed an answer, and she prepared herself for the response.

"Yes. I do." He didn't respond immediately, and not for the first time she wondered what was going on in that head of his. As the silence continued she grew somewhat impatient. "Okay you came here to talk so maybe start doing some of that." He was obviously startled at the outburst but recovered quickly.

"Sorry, guess I got lost in thought." He took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. "Listen. I have feelings for you as well." And just like that her mood skyrocketed. The shock of the information was nothing compared to the joy it brought her. She came back down to earth as Kazuto began speaking again. "However, I really don't know what I- or we I guess- should do. After all, I'm engaged." Right, Asuna. She felt guilty for her joy when reminded of her best friend.

"So... what do you think we should do?" He hesitated before speaking, one arm coming up to scratch the back of his head.

"I think... we need to talk about it. Me, you, and Asuna should sit down and explain how each of us feels about it. And we can decide on where to go from there." Shino nodded. It was a terrifying thought. But telling her was necessary no matter what they decided.

"Yeah. That's a good idea." She took a step forward, meaning to make the distance between them less drastic. However she regretted it a moment later as her foot hit a bump on her rug, sending her forwards to the floor. Before the wood could become well acquainted with her face, Kazuto caught her, steadying her against him. "T-thanks." She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Heat creeped up her face when she realized the position they were in but all of that stopped mattering when his eyes met hers.

She found herself enticed with the deep pools of onyx, the mesmerising gaze stirring something deep within her. She found herself leaning up towards him, her eyes focusing on his lips before flashing back up to meet his. He tightened his grip on her, pulling their bodys completely together. Shino reached as high as she could, and gave a disappointed mewl when that wasn't enough.

He closed the rest of the distance himself.

It was like fireworks. When their lips met it felt like every amazing thing ever happened at once. Kazuto tightened his hold on her and she melted into it. A moment later she felt something brush against her lips. She opened her mouth, trusting him to know what he was doing. She approved of the decision a moment later, a groan pushing its way from her in response.

She didn't even consider where he learned such things, only wanting him to continue with her. Her hands buried themselves in his hair, a desperate attempt to pull him closer. The feeling was too much, and her body stopped following her commands, gasps and mewls being let out before she could stop them.

It was incredible.

It was indescribable.

He gently tried to pull away, but she wasn't having it. Her hands tight end and he surrendered for a moment. Finally she allowed him to pull back, and he gave one last small peck to her as he did so. They gazed into eachothers eyes before realization kicked in. It was a comedic sight as both teens' faces progressively grew redder by the second, followed by the both of them jumping away from each other.

"Oh my.. I am so so-"

"I-I really didn't mean-" The words and apologies were mixed and jumbled over one another, neither really hearing what the other was saying as the mental alarms went off. Finally they both trailed off and looked away from each other. Kazuto finally broke the silence after a few minutes had gone by.

"Listen... I'm gonna go ahead and go. So uh, thanks for having me. And uh I guess I'll text you when the talk is happening." Shino looked over at him and gave a small nod.

"Y-yeah that's fine. Drive safe." And with that he walked out of the room. Shino heard the door close a moment later, and she jumped in her bed and buried her face in the pillow.

"Argh you fucking idiot! You did it again." It had been her first real kiss, the one at Dicey's being rather rushed. The feeling of his lips still lingered on her own, making her internally swoon.

"You fucking dumbass! Why would you kiss her?" The helmet in Kazuto's hands didn't answer, not that he expected it to. His heart was still racing, and he felt the adrenaline from the kiss. There were a lot of things he was feeling at the moment, and anger towards himself was chief among them.

Oh yeah, just wanna talk to her, take it slow and work something out. Instead I makeout with her. Fuck.

The tingling on his lips didn't help, a constant reminder of his cheating sin. The worst part was he didn't even regret it. And as he put his helmet on and started his bike, Kazuto wondered if maybe that meant his mind was already made up.

The bike's engine cut off as Kazuto arrived at his destination. As usual, the meeting place was the one and only Dicey's Cafe. As he made his way into the bar he saw Shino and Asuna sitting a few tables down. Shino was staring at her drink with an intensity only a sniper could accomplish, while Asuna just looked confused as to why she was there. Kazuto approached the table with the eagerness of a mouse approaching a cat.

"Hey Asuna, Sinon." Both girls immediately perked up at the sound of his voice, something that caused him some form of guilt considering the topic at hand.

"Hi Kirito." They both spoke at the same time, the difference being while Asuna had an excited tinge to her voice, Shinos was nervous. He sighed and pulled up a chair, sitting down in it before speaking.

"So, Asuna, I figure you're probably confused about why me and Sinon wanted to talk with you." He started simple. Short, sweet, and to the point.

"Yes I did wonder, but I'm guessing it's something important?" Asuna's astounding observational skills aside, Kazuto had no idea how to start the conversation. In hindsight, it probably would have been better for them to talk in private and then invite Shino to make a decision. Alas, it was to far by this point. No turning back.

"Well... Sinon and I had something to tell you. Or rather something to confess...

The two of them told the whole story to Asuna, who helpfully stayed quiet throughout. It took a good fifteen minutes to get it all out, Shino filling in the holes he left out. After it was over a healthy dose of extremely awkward silence was cast over the three like a blanket. It took a good two minutes before Kazuto figured out no one was gonna speak first, so he mustered up his courage and did so himself.

"So... I'm guessing you're probably angry. So I'll except any and all angry comments and hard feelings now." He didn't know if that's what was right to say, but it was all he could come up with. She looked over at him with a sad smile, one that spoke volumes of the pain inside.

"I'm not.. angry. At least not really. I'm hurt that this happened behind my back, and that it was the two people I trusted most..." Both of them winced at that, shame pooling inside them. "...However I expected something might happen between you." Both looked up, Kazuto with a shocked expression, and Shino with a confused one. "It was kinda obvious. Ever since you met you've been as thick as thieves. And more recently you have been spending a lot of time together. I know it was for a mission but still. And Suguha mentioned you started calling out for her during your bad dreams." Kazuto was shocked at the last revelation.

"W..why would she tell you that?" It was shocking to hear his sister had told anyone of his private matters.

"Because we noticed the nightmares about a month ago. We decided to work together to try and help you. But you ended up not needing it." She kept her composure through the conversation, but it was clear the effort was almost too much for her. Asuna's hands were shaking, and she sounded on the breaking point.

"So... what do we do now?" It was a dumb question, but a nessesary one nonetheless.

"Simple. Shino-non, do you love him?" Surprised at being addressed, Shino took a moment to answer.

"I think so. It's too early to say for certain but... I do love him." Her face was bright red after her declaration.

"And Kirito? Do you love her?" Kazuto had been more prepared but still at a loss as to the answer.

"I'm not sure. I think I do but it's just like she said, too early to say for certain. I think I'd like to find out however."

"Then you have your answer. Try it out. Hopefully it will go better this time around." Asuna made to leave but Shino caught her hand. Asuna turned to her and showed her true feelings for the first time that night. Her eyes were brimmed with unshed tears, and her face was set in an expression of despair.

"We.. we're still friends, right?" Sinon tentatively asked. Asuna gave the first honest smile of the night.

"Of course! Just give me some time, ok?" Shino nodded and Asuna made her way out of the restaurant. Before She could get up, Kazuto stopped her.

"Before we decide on anything I want to talk to you about something... about my future.

The parking lot was empty and desolate, the cold air brushing against Kirito's hands. He pulled the hood tighter against him, the little shelter it offered being preferable to the harsh wind. He made his way towards the end of the lot where two figures stood waiting. They both turned to him in unison, as he stopped a few feet away.

"I'm ready. I want to join." The sound of his voice practically boomed in the silent night, startling himself. The two figures removed their own hoods, ones glasses reflecting in the moonlight, the others painted whiskers drawing the eye.

"Well then. Welcome Master Sergeant Kazuto Kiriguya, to the JSDF and Rath..."