A/N: Answering a question from Christopherprime22: I'm actually going to leave that to the reader's imagination and interpretation. There can certainly be cases made for both scenarios. Thanks for the feedback.

===== November 7, 2022 - Floor 1: Town of Beginnings =====

The sun peeked over the horizon, casting its first rays through the window. Eventually it caught Link's eye, waking him from his slumber. He moved to stretch, but abruptly stopped. He looked down at his left arm, and noticed Zelda perilously clutching to him. He pulled away, and – whether it was subconscious or deliberate, he really couldn't tell – she tried her best to pull him back, until he was free of her grip and she was awake. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I was sleeping fantastically, until you took my pillow away."

Link chuckled. "Yeah, I know... but remember, we said first light and, well... it's first light."

Zelda turned to look out the window. The sun had now cleared the horizon. "Ugh, fine... if I have to," she pouted.

"I'll go get breakfast. Just promise to be ready by the time I get back." Link equipped some nondescript clothes and headed off to the marketplace. Zelda sat at the window and looked out the window. People were starting to mill about their day, but whether they were players or NPCs, she couldn't really tell. She turned her thoughts to the night before, and how she had just let her emotions loose for seemingly no reason at all. She prided herself on being measured and stoic, yet last night was anything but. And yet she somehow felt at ease with it all, like it was normal.

Then again, what really is normal in this reality?

Not finding an answer to her question, she came to a decision. She equipped her armor and waiting for Link to return. When he did, he set a bowl of fruit and bread between them and they began eating. At some point, he felt her eyes locked onto him. Nervously he stopped eating and said, "What is it?"

"I've made a decision."

"Okay... exactly what kind of decision are we talking here?"

"Don't get me wrong; I want to get back to the real world eventually, but until we do, I'm not going to let thoughts of it consume me. I'm going to make the most of this life, this world, this reality. I'm not going to be afraid. I'm going to fight through this world, day by day, floor by floor, with you by my side. And if we die, I just hope that we manage to leave some sort of legacy behind."

Link smiled. "That's a very good decision. A wise one, a powerful one, a courageous one. And I promise to do everything I can to help clear this game so we can all go home. With you by my side, I won't fail."

Having renewed their resolute covenant, the two finished eating and hit the marketplace. They bought all the healing and status removal items they could afford, plus plenty of food to last the day. Sufficiently supplied, they headed to the gate leading out of town, stopping to equip their weapons at the edge of the safe zone. "Wait a second!" Zelda exclaimed. "Remember those items we found in our inventory yesterday?"

"The ones that didn't look like they were useful for anything?"

"Well, what if, now that the game is officially live, they've... I don't know, activated?"

"I get what you mean. Let's check them out." Link pulled up the item called the 'Sheikah Slate,' but to his disappointment, it still didn't do anything. "Just a blank tablet, but the markings are really intriguing."

"Yeah... we should definitely keep an eye out for similar markings while we hunt."

"You're right. Plus, I just noticed..." He had noticed his belt had two hooks, where the handle of such a device might fit... and fit it did. "This way, I don't have to open my inventory every time I need to find this thing."

"Good idea."

"What about your bow?"

"Let's see... 'Bow of Light.' Not much in the way of a description..." Suddenly, her field of vision went hazy. She saw a storm of images, but what she was able to focus on were giant eyeballs surrounded by muck being pierced by golden arrows. As soon as the vision came, it was gone. "Zelda? You okay? You still with me?"

Zelda blinked furiously. "Yeah... I'm fine. How long was I gone for?"

"About 5 seconds. Your eyes went all TV snowy, the creepiest thing I've ever seen."

"Uh huh..." She narrowed her eyes at the bow, which looked like the same one she had seen in that burst of images. "I think... I think the bow gave me a vision."

"A vision...? But, that doesn't make any sense..."

"Neither does the fact that we're trapped in a giant video game."

"Hmm... fair enough."

As the partners set out on the road to the next village, Zelda described her vision in as much detail as she could. "Giant eyeballs? And you shot them with that bow?"

"Well, I didn't. But someone did."

"I see... so what do you think it was?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, do you think it was a memory from the past, a vision from the future...?"

"But what meaning do things like the past and future have in a world that, as far as we know, didn't exist before yesterday?"

"Hmm... you make a valid point. I guess all we can do is keep an eye out for any big-ass eyeballs that don't look like they belong."

"And if we find any, we'll find out what this bow is actually worth."

Link nodded in agreement as they fought their way towards the next village.

One thing was apparent to all the players they passed on the way: these were no ordinary players, nor were they two people that had teamed up on Launch Day to try and merely survive together. The absolute reckless abandon with which they threw themselves into combat, the way they communicated so effortlessly, and even the tandem defensive and offensive maneuvers they employed, could only come from two people who knew each other as well as they knew themselves.

Link was the quicker of the two, using his sword and shield to keep enemies off balance while Zelda switched in to deliver the heavy hits. By nightfall they had reached their destination, their pockets significantly heavier with Col and loot. They hit the markets to sell some unneeded items (although Zelda did find a new Zweihander that was a significant upgrade to her starter weapon) and resupply before looking for a place to stay for the night. "We could really use a good night's sleep," Zelda posed. "Is it strange that I feel physically exhausted in this virtual space?"

"No, can't really argue with you there. But there's something that I think we could use more than sleep, and that's information."

"I suppose more knowledge of our quest could be valuable... what do you suggest?"

"Well... I was thinking..." Link scratched his head nervously. "I was thinking we could stay at different inns tonight?"

Somehow, someway, Zelda resisted the urge to slap Link clear across the town plaza. Instead, she gave him a death glare and dared him to go on through gritted teeth.

"If we both pick a different in to stay at, that's more players we can network with, more sources of knowledge to tap. Plus, towns are safe zones so it's not like we'll be in any real danger."

"There you go again," she replied. "How can you sound so smart, yet so fucking dumb at the same time?" She huffed angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. The Tower Shield is right off the main plaza. I'll spend the night there."

Link sighed, somewhat glad that she was going along with his plan. "Okay. Then I'll be at the Burning Blade. Meet back by the fountain at 9:00 tomorrow morning?"

"Fine," she said before storming off.

"Well, that was kinda awkward." Link spun around to the sound of the voice to find a scruffy-looking guy carrying a katana on his hip. "Personally, I'd never let a gorgeous girl like her out of my sight, but that's just me."

"Really?" Link chuckled. "When that becomes your business, I'll ask your advice. Name's Link. And you are?"

"Klein. Nice to meetcha." The two shook hands. "So I hear you're looking for information?"

"As much of it as I can find."

"Well, follow me, my friend..."

Over at the Tower Shield Inn, Zelda was in her room absolutely raging. How dare he even think of leaving me alone at night, information be damned? That was really what pissed her off more than anything, because he had made it sound like such a reasonable proposal. And what kind of idiot am I that I let him do it?! He's so going to pay for this!

She went to bed, not even bothering to do any scouting. Link, meanwhile, was sitting at a tavern with Klein and the rest of his guild. Apparently they too knew each other from the real world, which struck a chord with Link. He knew firsthand how much easier life was having someone he trusted watching his back. Suddenly, he felt guilty for leaving Zelda by herself and shot her a quick message.

Zelda was tossing and turning, still stewing with rage. Suddenly she noticed her IM icon blinking. She opened her message window and saw a single unread message.

Sender: Link

"I'm sorry I ditched you. Come to the tavern. There are some people I'd like you to meet."

What kind of half-assed apology... Zelda quickly dressed and went to the tavern. She spotted Link sitting at a table with a group of six or seven players, all dressed in red. She stormed over to them, catching Link's attention. "Hey, glad you decided to co-"

*SMACK!*

Link's cheek glowed red where Zelda had just slapped him hard enough to stop every single conversation happening in the place. "Don't ever leave me alone again, you got that?"

"All right, all right, I'm sorry... I won't do it again."

Still miffed, Zelda pulled up a chair. "Well? Who are these people you want me to meet?"

"Oh yeah, this is Klein," he gestured to the guild's leader. "And the rest are his guild, Fuurinkazan. Dale, Dynamm, Harry One, Issin, and Kunimittz. They've scouted the road as far as the next couple of towns, but apparently the road beyond that is blocked."

"We doubled back and have been warning as many people as we can," Klein said. "The road is covered in black goop, with giant eyeballs sticking up out of it."

Zelda gasped. "Did you say giant... eyeballs?"

"Yeah. The crap on the ground is poisonous, so there's no getting close enough to destroy them with a sword. But if you're too far away, the eyes don't open at all. Going around isn't a wise idea either. Those fields are full of monsters at least five levels higher than anything we've seen so far. Plus the poison stretches out for at least 250 meters on each side."

"Can you point out this place out on a map?"

"Yeah, sure." Klein brought up his map and pointed to a stretch of road past the third town on the floor. "There. It's about a six-hour march though, and that's just if you stick to the road and don't do any hunting on the way."

"I see... how long will you be here in town?"

"Well, the hunting isn't too bad between here and the next town, so at least a day or so. Why do you ask?"

"We're going to check that out. As soon as we know something, I'll message you. Then I want you to get the word out as far as you can."

"You think you can do something about those creepy-ass eyeballs?" asked the player who Link had named as Harry One. "You'd be helping the rest of us out more than you know.

"I'm sure as hell gonna try. Of course, if someone decides to try to leave me alone again, I may just toss his ass into the muck and be done with him." She glared a hole through Link. "Don't think this makes up for anything... you owe me big time, buster!"

"Yeah, you're right... I'll give you half of my share of tomorrow's loot?"

"As a start! How do you break a promise less than 24 hours after making it?"

Link winced; he'd never seen Zelda quite this angry before, not at him at least. But she was right; he had made specifically made her a promise to never leave her alone in here. At first he had taken her request to mean he wouldn't die in here, leaving her alone. He never considered she might actually expect him to stay by her side for every minute of every day.

Well, I guess that's my lot in life now. Not like she's not capable enough with a weapon in her own right... but this isn't about that. The way she charges headlong into battle... it's not because she's oh-so-powerful, it's because she knows she has me covering her back. That's where she gets her strength from – no, that's where we get our strength from: the bond we have with each other. Ugh... how could I be so dense?

Link dropped his head on the table, the first visible sign of remorse he had shown since Zelda arrived at the tavern. "I'm sorry, Zelda... I was a complete dumbass tonight. How can I make it up to you?"

Zelda's expression softened. No matter what, she never could stay too mad at him for too long – although she was still pretty peeved. "Well, you can start by buying me dinner." She was now trying too hard to put on an affront, and her veneer was starting to crack, although Link was far too smart to press the issue right now. "All right... find us a table," he conceded. "Gentlemen, it's been awesome meeting you all, and thanks a ton for the information." He added Klein to his friends list, and Zelda did the same before finding the two of them a table in the back of the tavern. Once they were seated, she made a point of putting on as much embarrassing PDA as possible, and there was nothing he could do but suck it up. If he got off with buying her dinner and putting up with her embarrassing antics, he would count himself lucky.

After dinner and putting up with Zelda's over-the-top displays of 'affection' for over an hour, Link was finally allowed to leave the tavern. He and Zelda walked across the plaza with her holding his arm close, laughing as they walked and talked. It no longer felt like she was trying to embarrass him out of revenge. She seemed genuinely affectionate... happy, even. Chris had never seen Lanay smile like this in real life, and she was usually a generally happy person. Her personality just seemed to shine brighter here in Aincrad, for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was her newfound resolve to completely immerse herself in this strange new world.

Or... could it be something else altogether?

Maybe she really... nah! Link dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into his head. I'm her friend, maybe now her knight in shining armor, but that's it. No way she could be in love with me... could she?!

Eventually they found themselves in front of the Tower Shield Inn, where Zelda was rooming for the night. "Well... will you be kind enough to walk me to my room?" Zelda asked, somewhat shyly.

"Of course," Link said softly, clearly relieved that their earlier row was behind them. He followed behind her as she led the way up two flights of stairs to the room she had rented for the night. She unlocked and opened the door, turned to smile at Link, who smiled back and stepped towards the open doorway...

...only to find it suddenly slammed in his face.

The door actually caught Link flush in the face, so hard it knocked him into the far wall. Fortunately, the doors in Aincrad were 'soundproofed' to prevent eavesdropping, so he had no way to hear Zelda laughing her head off on the other side of the door. Instinctively he reached up to check his nose to see if it was broken, before realizing there was no way to actually be 'injured' in this game.

"Well, I guess I had that coming," he sighed before leaving the inn for his own room over at the Burning Blade.

Zelda, meanwhile, had finally stopped laughing long enough to sprawl out across the bed. As much as she hated the idea of sleeping without him, she figured a night of suffering would be well worth her revenge. As she brooded over her plan, she noticed another door in the room.

A closet... or maybe...?

She stood up and opened the door to reveal a small bathroom, with a sink and shower. Wow... I guess Kayaba really thought of everything, Zelda mused. Except...

Removing her clothes was easy enough; all she had to do was tap each item of clothing – shirt, pants, and boots – and then select the option "Remove." This left her in her bra and panties.

"Well... moment of truth time," she gulped as she tapped her bra, bringing up a small menu:

Undergarments

{{Change}}

{{Remove}}

She tapped "Remove" and her nondescript bra and panties vanished to her virtual inventory, leaving her stark naked. She caught a look at herself in the mirror and was... well, 'shocked' might have been a bit of an understatement. Every bit of her physical form had been flawlessly replicated in virtual space. "Geez... they could have at least taken off some of the tummy, though," she laughed as she stepped into the shower. The water felt amazing, or was it simply her brain interpreting the water as feeling amazing? Of course, she didn't really care either way. A nice hot shower after two days hunting monsters in the field was a massive morale booster, period.

Speaking of morale...

Zelda scrolled through her inventory for the special item she had purchased earlier. She opened it, along with a note detailing how to use it.

Oh, this was going to be a fun night...

A/N: TwistedViper20XX here! This chapter ended up taking a lot longer than I expected due to some scheduling conflicts, but I still managed to somehow finish it up in two weeks. That seems like a reasonable goal going forward, but life is about to throw some major curveballs my way – but in a good way! – so we'll just have to see what happens.

* Special shoutouts to the following users for following/favoriting this story:

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