Kazuto pulled the dress uniform on, the heavy fabric dragging over his arms. He nestled the cap onto his head, and slowly buttoned the tucked shirt. It was the last day of basic, a two month hell that he almost didn't survive due to his lack of physical prowess. The months had dragged on endlessly, and the reminder of what awaited him back in Tokyo was one of the few things that kept him going.

"Cadets, attention!" His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp shout, all in attendance snapping to attention without hesitation. The sergeant made her way down the ranks of men and women; with their buckles polished and uniforms clean they all cut quite the dashing figures, and even with the closest inspection, she could not find issue. The sergeant stopped at the end of the row, showing off a textbook about-face. "Listen up! You have survived up until now, and have earned your graduation days with pride. However, you still have the ceremony. And if any of you embarrass me or the SDF I will personally drag your ass back here and make you run this whole course again! Do I make myself clear, cadets!?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" The chorus of voices replied in unison, Kazuto's among them.

"Alright then. Form up and move out! Make for the auditorium." The group followed her orders to the letter, Kazuto ending up near the rear. As they were marching towards the auditorium, a small white piece of cloth caught his eye. The fabric was hanging out of his shirt pocket.

He smiled as he thought back on the memory it carried.

-Two Months Ago-

"You... enlisted?" The news was a shock to Shino, especially after such a tedious conversation. The two had another set of drinks in front of them, and by now a few of Dicey's regulars had entered the bar.

Kazuto gave a small nod in answer to her question,though the question had been more rhetorical than anything.

"So... what does that mean for us?" After the conversation with Asuna, Shino had had some small hope that maybe, just maybe, they could try things out. But that dream was now looking ever so fleeting.

"Well, that's up to you." His answer confused her, so he began to explain. "I talked to Kikuoka about it. He said that since I'm gonna be working on a specialist team, we're mostly gonna be deployed in cities or research centers. So it would be okay for a civilian to tag along, maybe even with a consultant job..."

She could see where this was going, but the solution still baffled her.

"You want me to come with you?"

He gave a small nod before speaking.

"Only if you want to. And if not, I fully understand."

The two sat in silence for a few moments, the sounds of the rapidly filling bar keeping their inner thoughts company.

"Where would we be going?"

Kazuto visibly brightened at the question, before clearing his throat to cover up his embarrassment.

"For the first year, I'd mostly be in Tokyo. After that Kikuoka said something about a research vessel in the ocean. And finally… America. It's where I wanted to go originally anyway." Shino considered it as she took a sip of her drink, before immediately coughing it back up. She had ordered tea, not whisky. Barely contained laughter could be heard from the bar. Glaring daggers at Agil, she turned back to the table and took a hesitant sip. Not bad…

"You okay, Shino?"

She hesitated hearing him call her by name. It felt... unfamiliar. She slammed the drink down on the table, causing Kazuto to jump.

"Okay! I made my decision," she said. Kirito patiently waited for her answer.

It was a big decision, but it was one she believed in wholeheartedly. "I'm coming with you."

Kazuto looked as if he'd won the lottery, displaying an innocent side to him she hadn't seen much of before.

"Really!? You're sure, right?"

She nodded, and he let out a small cheer before taking a swig of his drink. He regretted that a moment later as he suffered the same fate as her. After he had stopped coughing up a lung, he hesitated before finally taking a breath and speaking again. "You should know, however, I have two months of basic training first. And we won't be able to see each other before I graduate from that."

The news wasn't too surprising, but the length of time was somewhat disheartening.

Shino stood up and pulled something from her pocket. It was a pure white handkerchief. She held it out to him.

"What's this for?" He asked while taking it gently.

"Simple, it's a promise. When you're away I want you to keep this as a reminder of me. And when you finish, you can give it back." Kazuto smiled at the gesture. It was somewhat romantic, in a cheesy way. But it was a promise between them.

"I'll be waiting for you." Shino said. And that simple statement made Kirito more happy than he could express.

His visit down memory lane was interrupted by the group's arrival at the main yard. While the higher ups nicknamed it the 'Auditorium' it was little more than a stage in the yard. Folding chairs decorated the field in front of it, and that's what the group moved towards. Kazuto and his group were led to their assigned area near the front, and as they were seated a man in a decorated uniform took the stage. He approached the podium and adjusted his tie before speaking.

"Excuse me, if I could have your attention. You are all gathered here today because you passed basic training. Which means, after walking across this stage, you will be official members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. In these next few years, many things will be expected of you, but you have all shown that you have what it takes to survive. Now, when your name is called please come up to receive your rank and dress sabre. First up, Kanda Sorata..."

And so the list went on. Kazuto watched most of his classmates receive the rank of private (with a few gaining an early promotion) and all of them got the dress sabre to go with it. Halfway through the list, his name was called.

"Kirigaya Kazuto."

He stood, and made his way up the stage, stopping before the man with a salute.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Kikuoka, Sir!"

Kikuoka returned the salute, before reaching into the container of swords and pulling something out. Kazuto wasn't the only one who was shocked, the other cadets whispering furiously as a pitch-black longsword was brought out. The weapon had a peculiar crossguard, with a half-circle taking up the top half and a stranged x symbol in the center.

It was a sword he would recognize anywhere. A friend who had saved his life many times.

"Elucidator..."

"Congratulations Master-Sergeant Kirigaya."

He shook Kikuoka's hand, and stuttered out a response."T-thank you, sir."

He took his seat once more, his classmates whispers quieting in fear of being heard. The ceremony didn't last for much longer after that, and as it finally ended, Kazuto made a beeline for Kikuoka, who was talking to Sergeant Sakura, Kazuto's drill-sergeant. A very beautiful name for a very intense woman.

He approached the two of them and gave them a crisp salute.

"Lieutenant-Colonel, Sergeant."

The two of them looked at each other before laughing, leaving Kazuto feeling more than silly.

"Kirito. We're friends. No need for formalities." Kikuoka was as familiar as ever, something Kazuto found rather comforting after so many months in basic.

Sakura spoke next. "Please, Kirigaya. Just Sakura. After all, you outrank me now." Her warm smile was a foreign sight to him, and her kindly expression a far cry from her usual demeanor.

"Alright then... Kikuoka, would you mind if we had a word?"

The Lieutenant-Colonel simply nodded and started walking, leading Kazuto away.

Before he left, Kazuto turned to Sakura and gave a deep bow. "Thank you very much for the lessons you taught me. I will remember them forever." The slightly embarrassed boy then rushed after Kikuoka, who led him to an office a little ways away from the stage they had just come from. He opened the door for Kazuto, who walked in to find that they weren't alone.

As the door shut, the third person in the room spoke up.

"Hiya there, Kii-boy!" The small girl in the corner jumped into the open and pulled her hood down.

"Hey there Argo, long time no see." Tomo, or Argo, just gave him a sly grin.

"Maybe for you, Kii-boy, but I was on base for most of your training. Pretty sure your harem would kill to see some of the exercises you were doing." Kazuto's face immediately heated up at the thought.

"I- I don't have a harem!" He could feel the pitying look Kikuoka was giving him.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! You're so innocent." The girls teasing had always been somewhat annoying, but he enjoyed it all the same. While he might deny it, he was aware of his friends' feelings. That's why Argo was always such a breath of fresh air, because he knew there wasn't any hidden meaning behind her words.

"So, Kirito, what did you want to talk about?" Kikuokas words brought him out of his inner thoughts, and he held out Elucidator in response.

"This. I don't understand... why."

Kikuoka raised an eyebrow, making Kazuto feel like a child again.

"Consider it a gift. Although to be honest, it was The Rat's idea." Kazuto then looked at Argo, the question he wanted to ask now clear.

"Simple, Kii-boy. I thought it would be a nice gift. After all, I remember you were pretty attached to that sword. Even more so than the Anneal blade you carried for a while."

"Well... thank you."

Argo looked at him expectantly, as if she wanted him to do something. Finally, she gave up. "Well? Are you gonna draw it?"

He caught on to what she wanted and made to draw the sword. It came out with little resistance, a small clack sounding as the blade hit the wooden scabbard. He held it out in front of himself.

"It's... beautiful." The blade was sturdy, the ebony metal gleaming in the office light.

"You like it? The blade is made from 5160 Spring Steel, way better than the stainless steel crap you find in cosplay shops." He could barely hear Kikuoka talk; all his attention was focused on the sword before him. It was certainly heavy, a feature he admired in weapons.

"Anyway, Kii-boy. Isn't there something you're forgetting?"

He looked at her confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

She gave him an amused look.

"Maybe something like the friends who you promised to meet after you finished basic?"

The realization dawned on him, and he nearly dropped the beautiful blade.

"Oh shit..."

"Oh shit indeed, lover-boy. Might wanna start runnin'." Argo looked more than amused

He proceeded to follow her advice to the letter. Five minutes and a whole lot of running later, Kazuto reached the front gate. Most of the cadets had families visiting, so he had to wade through the crowd. Finally, he caught sight of an unkempt bandana, and started to push towards it. He finally broke through and found a sight that filled him with joy.

It was everyone. From Klein and Agil, to Rikka and Keiko. Even his mom and Sugu were here. But it wasn't them who caught his attention.

"Sinon..."

And there she was. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining it, but he wasn't. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a black blazer overtop, her pants a dark khaki. And while those clothes were a strange choice for Shino, that wasn't what caught his attention.

It was the light blue hair. The colour was a perfect match with Sinon's. And that was when he realized.

She was Sinon.

Gone was the nervous and socially awkward girl he'd met on his first foray into GGO. In the past few months, both together with him and alone, she had changed. He was proud of her progress.

"Hey, Sinon." She walked up to him slowly, a smile present on her face. Just seeing her brought immense joy to his heart.

"Hey, soldier boy." He raised his eyebrows at 'boy', since he was older than her. But, that hardly mattered right no-

"Just kiss already!"

Both of them glared at Klein, who was giving them a thumbs up from a few feet away.

"Well, we should probably go say hi to the others." Sinon turned to walk towards them, but he caught her by the wrist. "Hey, wha-"

Whatever complaint she had was cut short as his lips met hers. Sinon melted into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, the peanut gallery cheering all the while.

Yes, they had their issues. And maybe they wouldn't work out. But right then, in that moment, none of that mattered.