The obsidian blade cleaved through the log, splitting it in two. Twenty-seven year-old Major Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya stepped back with a sigh, watching the two pieces fall towards the ground. He crouched to inspect the damage, but was halted by a voice from inside the quaint house behind him. "Kazuto Kirigaya! Get your ass in here!"

Kirito winced as he sheathed Elucidator and placed it down and made his way inside. It was never a good sign when she called him 'Kazuto'. Upon walking into the kitchen, Kirito at last realized the error of his ways.

"I told you to wash these dishes three hours ago! And instead, I find you in the backyard playing with your sword again." Sinon stood in the center of the kitchen, a look of mild annoyance and exasperation on her face as she berated him. The 26-year-old woman had changed very little in the past few years, the only noticeable difference being the longer teal hair reaching past her shoulders. The roots had started to brown, a sign of her busy schedule which made him feel guilty for putting the task off. Kirito realized too late that he had gotten distracted, and his very moody girlfriend was expecting a response with an impatient glare.

"Sorry, I guess I just got carried away and forgot to check the time." The half-assed response didn't do much to alleviate her anger. When she opened her mouth again, Kirito expected a harsh telling off. What he got instead was a tired sigh as Sinon pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You know I love you, but please... We have guests coming in half-an-hour, and this house is a mess. I would really appreciate it if you could help me out here."

Kirito sagged at the words. He'd prefered a telling off over the 'Please help me' talk. He nodded his head solemnly in response. When he turned to leave, Sinon caught his arm and dragged him towards her,placing herself against his back. He could feel her breath tickling his ear.

"And if you do help, maybe you'll get a reward tonight~"

Never had he cleaned up so fast in his life.

/-/

After the cleaning had been completed, and the food had been set out, the couple waited for the first guests to arrive. A few moments later, the doorbell rang, and Sinon got up to welcome the first arrival. She opened the door and was unsurprised to see a young woman who was around the same age as her standing there.

"About time you showed up. I expected more punctuality from an honored JSDF member."

The girl let out a short laugh. "Nya-ha-ha-ha, that's rich coming from you, Si-Chan. That boyfriend of yours hasn't been on time in nine years." Argo the Rat flipped the hood of her poncho back, letting her gold locks loose.

"To be fair, I did say honored." Sinon let the smaller woman in with a smile, closing the door behind her. The Rat immediately ran into the living room and tackle-hugged Kirito.

"Kii-boy! It's been so long!"

Said 'boy' struggled to escape his clingy former squad-mate, who was wrapped around him like a sloth on a tree. "We saw each other last week!" His protest went unheard as the girl continued to fuss over him.

Sinon watched on with amusement. The two of them had grown closer over the course of their careers, Argo becoming like a younger sister to Kirito, and vice-versa.

Her thoughts were waylaid as another guest arrived. Sinon opened the door to find a tall man with a bandana tied around his head.

"Klein! I'm glad you came." Klein scratched the back of his head as he stepped into the house. The nervous tick didn't quite match the rugged bikers jacket he wore, but that really was just the embodiment of Klein.

"Hey Sinon. Sorry I almost canceled. Flights from Japan to the U.S. got pricey for awhile." He made his way into the living area and promptly asked Kirito where the beer was.

Rika and Keiko came next, the two friends arriving together. Suguha arrived after that. It went on like that for a while, old friends arriving one after the other.

The moment Sinon opened the door to find Asuna standing behind it, however, everyone froze. Only Argo, Rika, and Kirito knew better.

"Shino-non! I missed you so much!" The taller woman practically threw herself onto Sinon, enveloping the girl in a tight hug. Everyone relaxed visibly, and Kirito walked over to them as well.

"Hey there Asuna. Been a while."

She looked over at him and gave him a short 'hmm'.

"Well maybe if someone had come back to Japan for the get-togethers, we would have seen each other within the last three years." They shared a quick embrace before she went to greet Rika and Keiko.

Sinon leaned against Kirito as they watched all their friends partying and interacting with each other. It was the first time in years they had all met up like this.

Kirito spoke up after a moment of comfortable silence, addressing the girl against him.

"You know, I'm still surprised that Asuna is still friends with us. I guess maybe she felt the same about everything back then."

Oh, if only he knew.

Sinon had talked with Asuna the last time they had seen each other - or rather, she had gotten wasted with the girl, and they had had a mini therapy session. She wasn't over Kirito by any means, and at one point even asked if they could share him. Sinon had shot that idea down as soon as it came up; she refused to let his harem become an actual harem…

The girl had apologized profusely the next day, the lack of alcohol in her system making her realize the stupidity of the idea.

The moment was interrupted as two sharp knocks sounded from the door, garnering the attention of most of those gathered in the room.

"Ah, guess he's finally here." Kirito walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a tall figure on the other side. Kirito gave the man a familiar smile, and Major-General Seijiro Kikuoka returned it. Kirito gave him a small salute.

"Good to see you, sir."

Kikuoka returned the salute in a more casual manner before stepping inside the somewhat spacious foyer.

"At ease, soldier. It's been awhile." He removed his long coat to hang on the rack, not noticing Argo stepping into the foyer. That lack of awareness was punished as the small woman jumped on his back and wrapped herself around him.

"General! It's been too long!"

The man almost fell from the added weight, prevented only by balancing himself on the wall.

"Argo, could you please be a dear and get off the poor old man's back?" Sinon made her presence known by speaking up, causing Argo to do as asked. Kikuoka, however, let out an indignant snort.

"Old man? I'm barely a decade older than you. Plus, maybe this old man would have had a better back if I didn't take that bullet for your boy in Hong Kong." They both smiled, and embraced each other.

Sinon pulled away before speaking again. "Yeah, well, I saved both of you there, so I say we're even."

Kirito recalled that mission with some regret. It had been one of the few Sinon had tagged along on as a 'civilian contractor'. Somewhere along the line, the mission had gone wrong - they'd had to go loud, and Kikuoka had ended up taking a bullet for Kirito. He managed to drag the then Colonel to safety, before they were surrounded. Sinon and Argo showed up not long after, and saved the both of them with a questionable amount of explosives. His trip down memory lane was disrupted as Klein popped his head in.

"So, you guys gonna stand by the front door, or come in and party?"

/-/

A few hours later, the house was quiet. Klein and Rika had both passed out on the couch, while Argo, Keiko, Sugu, and Kikuoka were playing poker. Asuna was spectating the card game with Sinon, when Kirito walked up to her.

"Hey, uh, Sinon. You mind stepping on the balcony with me for a moment?"

She was immediately suspicious when he spoke. Kirito's posture radiated nervous and unease, but she couldn't exactly say no.

"Sure." She turned to Asuna. "Sorry, just give me a moment. We can finish talking later." The two shared a glance that honestly worried Kirito. Those two plotting together... never a good sign.

They quickly moved through the house, before coming to the back door. The house itself wasn't large, only slightly bigger than the Kirigaya residence. The house itself, however, bared little resemblance as the American Architecture was much more simplistic. The two of them made their way towards the rear of the balcony, where Kirito came to a stop and leaned against the railing. A moment of silence stretched out between them until he finally spoke up.

"It's nice having everyone together again."

The simple statement surprised her, but she found herself agreeing. "Definitely. It's been too long since we've seen them. Especially our non-SDF friends."

Silence descended once more, but Sinon noticed Kirito was acting more nervously. Finally, he let out a sigh, and a look of determination washed over his face.

"Sinon, we have been together for awhile now, so I think it's time I asked this question." Sinon was still confused as to what he was getting at, but she saw a teasing opportunity. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, but no, we can't have a threesome."

His face went red, though it was barely noticeable in the dark light.

"No! I wouldn't ask that! I- are you laughing?"

She was indeed. Even after nearly a decade, Sinon was still surprised at how easy he was to tease.

He waited for her to calm down before continuing. "Are you finished?"

She nodded.

"Okay, in that case… We've been together for a long time, and all of it has been amazing. Every moment with you makes me grateful. So I decided now's the time."

He slowly dropped to one knee, and Sinon gasped as he brought out a small jewelry box. He opened it awkwardly and held it out, showing off the small silver ring, a blue sapphire in the center. "Shino Asada, will you make me the happiest man in the wor-''

He was cut off as she jumped onto him.

"Yes! Absolutely hell yes!"

She embraced him in a deep hug, and at the same time, a firework went off over their heads. More followed, and as the two of them kneeled there together, a soft whisper could be heard.

"Happy Fourth of July..."

Two hooded figures made their way down a busy sidewalk side by side. With their long coats obscuring any other features, the only noticeable difference between them was about a foot in height. The streetlights around them illuminated the falling rain, as well as the glint of metal conceled under the coats. They turned down a back alley before coming to a stop at a small door, pulling it open and walking in after a moment's hesitation.

The bar was rather spacious, and was bustling on such a night. The barkeep looked towards the newcomers, a look of recognition passing over his face before he nodded towards the back corner and went back to his task. The two headed towards the booth in the corner, stopping in front of it and its lone occupant.

"Hey there blackie, Rat." The lone man spoke with a hint of humor in his voice, and a smile crept across his face as Kirito and Argo pulled their hoods down. Kirito spoke up first.

"Been looking for you a long time, PoH." Kirito let his coat fall back to reveal Elucidator, and Argo let a set of claws on her hand show.

There was a tense silence surrounding the three, but it was finally broken as they all smiled. Kirito and Argo set their weapons alongside Vassago's own cleaver before sitting across from him.

Argo yelled over at the bartender. "Hey James! Bring us the usual, eh?"

He nodded and brought them three mugs of beer, from which Argo and Vassago immediately took swigs.

"Ah, that hit the spot. Been a while, you two. When was the last time?"

Kirito took a swig of his own drink before replying.

"Probably Pacific. Almost had you on that mission. Smart using the C4 and a blast door as a projectile."

Vassago laughed.

"Yeah, that wasn't my idea, but it worked. You probably would have caught me otherwise."

The three drank for the next few hours, telling stories and reminiscing about old times. Finally, as the bar started to clear out, they got up and said their goodbyes.

"Nya-ha-ha, that brings me back. Always a pleasure Vassago. Kii-boy, I'll wait outside." Argo left, leaving Kirito and Vassago to themselves.

Vassago broke the silence first.

"Hey, remember Korea? The first time GDS and the SDF worked together? What was it you said to me before the mission?"

Kirito smiled and held his hand out before responding.

"Allies today."

Vassago shook his hand, and spoke in unison with him as they finished the sentence.

"Enemies tomorrow."

A/N so for those following my page, sorry for the email hell you just got. I get them too don't worry XD.

I'm glad I got the chance to do my first story proper justice with this rewrite, as I felt it wasn't as good as it could be the first time around. Heartshot will always be near and dear to my heart, and the sequel is already past the planning stage.

Speaking of stories, I'm hoping to start posting A Wounded Heart within a month. I have the entire story planned out already, and just from looking at the storyboard I'd estimate anywhere from 18-25 chapters in it.

I'd love to hear what y'all think about this rewrite so please let me know in the reviews.

Till next time.