Waiting for the attack, walking fifteen paces forward in the middle of a near lunar flat landscape, put Kirito in the mind of an inevitable fight coming soon. For this whole week when Kikuoka Seijirou first invited him to the Shiseido Parlour Salon De Cafe for a chance to get him on board with the Death Gun investigation. To this slow-moving piece of time to face Laughing Coffin once again was all too surreal to him.

He wanted to say he was prepared since yesterday. But, deep down in the subconsciousness of his real-life body's brain, he knew he somehow wasn't.

The attack on LC's headquarters might've been a worse tribunal had Kirito not been able to detect the red guild's -as the swordsman often described- killer's instinct. Right now, he hoped he could again against the Death Gun and Yamikaze teams.

Stopping abruptly, when he was far enough away from the trenches he drove from, Kirito took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and relaxed his mind. The cool, sharp air blowing the locks of his avatar's long hair as he began to think. Imagining the other teams and their direction of movement.

We have one of their names. Kirito had to remind himself if all else failed. Johnny Black. He repeated the name with stride determination to burn it into his memory. If me, McKnight, or Sinon come out alive and report his old SAO name, they're finished. And all this will end for good.

Of course, he had to find a way to not get killed and his other two belligerent teammates. And only time will tell what will come first ahead of him.

I wonder if this will all go to plan, He continued, as the air became silent and his hearing amplified. Seeing how he was to act as bait for the Death Gunners, while Sinon and McKnight took care of Yamikaze's group first, then turned their attention on the red team.

Suddenly his head pricked up when he felt two warm bodies approaching due west from his position. Directly across from the direction of the Lost City. With one moving far faster than the other.

Kirito mentally noted who it was. Yamikaze and kaeeeede are coming right towards me. I should keep here to give McKnight a chance to spot them and Sinon a better one to shoot them. He remained stiff since they were less than a few hundred meters from him now.

Midway through, however, Kirito felt himself nearly scowl a tad bit with something off to his right circling around behind him. At first, he thought it was another player or one of the LC members using a cloak to catch him off guard. Then, Kirito felt a burning and ever-growing urge coming from whoever it was.

When the player began to appear to be, covering his right flank, did Kirito jerk up with his eyes remaining close in angry alarm. McKnight! This time he managed a frustrated scowl. I thought I told him to stay with Sinon! The dangers both of them were in now were incomprehensible. Any wrong mistake and one of them was bound to be forever steeped when the Death Guns' partners from the real world did so. McKnight, no doubt, wasn't doing himself any favors by sticking his neck out this far, and it was liable to cost him if he wasn't careful.

Then that tingle running up his virtual spine, along with the sounds of a few droplets hitting the water, sent Kirito's eyes open and his body in flight mode. Off a hundred meters north of him, a reflection blinked.

Kirito had barely enough time to see the bullet coming his way until it was a mere few centimeters away from his face. Its bronze-yellow caliber spinning in a spiral fashion as it tore through a lock of his black hair until the unlucky jeep Kirito and his companions rode in went up in red flames. Sending the car and its pieces across the Prairie landscape. A second-round came trailing his way.

"Kuso!" Kirito staggered back from the recoil of slashing the bullet away. Ducking for the third shot, he was tempted to go on a full-on charge at the Death Gunner (from what Kirito could tell, only Johnny Black had any real method of defense against close-quartering fighting). But that was just it. As far as Kirito could see, Johnny Black wasn't anywhere next or near the red-eyed skull, while the player tried his best to pin him down.

Exposing his left or right side was practically asking for a clear opening. I have to stay put! He cursed when another, much faster round, came screaming his way towards his temple. Seconds like before from striking a terrible blow right between his eyes. A flick of his wrist helped put the action down the shelf.

Steadily, the Black Swordsman began to guide the series of bullets coming his way, a tiny back and more steering towards the direction McKnight was moving up from. If he could link up with his khaki friend, they could force the two Coffin members upon them and fight them independently. Seeing how Johnny Black was the only one with real, close fighting capabilities.

Moving still, Kirito had a slight raise of elevation with his back foot telling him he was backpedaling on a hill. Unholstering his Beretta M9, Kirito blocked another shot or two, aimed his pistol over his arm, and squeezed the trigger a few times with the Bullet Circle jumping all around as the gun fired.

He didn't care. As long as that red player struggled to keep his shoulder stiff enough to land a shot without taking cover inside the dirt hole he was in, Kirito was a happy camper.

Then the rapid sounds of dirt and dust kicking up to his left made Kirito swirl his head, though. He let out a loud gasp. The distorted, semi-transparent silhouette of another player wielding a murderous sickle ran at him.

The curved blade swiped across his chest armor as Kirito rolled back with a hurt grunt. A loud boom! bellowing far back in the trenches, near the old concrete bunkers, blasted and kicked up large spurts of dirt.

Accompanied by a pair of wailing screams. The bodies of Yamikaze and kaeeeede propelled right into the air with large open cavity wounds in their chests.

And, while everything was going slower, or at least that's how it looked to Kirito as he felt his avatar slowly fall back, the blast caught Johnny's attention, too, when his bagged-mask glanced back over his shoulder. Half a dozen crimson lines spurted out. All aiming at Johnny Black's mid to upper torso sections getting his yellow eyes turned that way. It was only when Kirito managed to flop and skidded against the dirt patches under him to bounce himself up (it wasn't a fun time) did he see the rounds screaming at Black were from McKnight appearing out of his left. Accompanied by another red line farther behind Kirito where Sinon responded to the one the other Death Gun trying to snipe his partner. Initially aimed at McKnight, only for it to be switched to the Sinon when hers got to him first.

"Look out!" Kirito managed to scream out as if his teammates could hear him as the two snipers bellowed out, Sinon's entirely, once more.

The Death Gunner's legendary sniper shattered when Sinon's bullet struck it. As pieces of it fell onto the dirt floor and, notably, into the skull player's wrapped-up arm when he clutched it.

"Good job, Sinon," Kirito said, glancing back from the bunkers the sniper girl fired from, hoping she was all right. For the Death Gun across from him and his partner, it surely didn't seem that way.

But, to his trepidation, Johnny, by all accounts, was only practically harmed. When the dust settled, a red mark or two appeared on his shoulder and left leg. Standing erect as if he was ready for another salvo. The American boy who tried chewing him to pieces with his submachine gun lowered it as smoke emitted from the barrel and hit his face.

"Damn," McKnight swore as he cautiously made his way over to Kirito, who was doing the same. Locking eye contact on both Coffin members. Each of the red members beaming at them with red and yellow eyes. Not moving a muscle.

When Kirito was close enough that whispering was a practical option, he said, "I thought I told you to stay with Sinon, McKnight. You shouldn't be risking yourself out here like this." Kirito grunted when that slash from Johnny's sickle trickled him. A blinking lighting bolt next to his username said he was paralyzed, but it wasn't the end of the world.

He crouched to give himself time to heal. Meanwhile, McKnight stepped a foot ahead of him with his gun's barrel aim practically up. And, much to Kirito's surprise, the other boy agreed, "You're right, I should've." he grinned. "But there's no point in grousing about that now, is there?"

Kirito felt a sweat bead off his pale forehead, "I guess there's not." Looking out now, Johnny was twirling his farmer's tool, and the skull player was walking towards them holding something. "Are you sure you can handle this, McKnight?"

"Of course not, my Thompson's empty," McKnight answered. His eyes went over to Johnny approaching them, "Now let's go, Kirito. You're quarterbacking this show, now." He said, his voice turning stone and hard.

Kirito reignited his photon sword as he elevated himself back up. "Okay, then," He nodded at his companion -not hearing the same sardonicism off his voice, especially when not calling him swordsman. "I'll leave Johnny to you. Stay close by. And good luck." He flipped his blade's handle, readying himself. McKnight did the same in a runner's stance. Aiming his gaze at Johnny Black.

Then, like yesterday's duel between his partner and GGO's Best Sniper when he flipped a bullet in the air for it to hit the ground signaling the match, that same ding! sounded off.

"Go!" Kirito yelled out as they crossed each other towards each of the Coffin members.

Kirito suddenly wished he had suggested the both of them take on Johnny together, then the other LC member. Taking note of how Johnny Black was able to deflect all the bullets coming out of McKnight's gun. Which was no easy feat Kirito didn't have the luxury of learning perfectly.

However, that look in his partner's eyes -the look Kirito felt he had when fighting Heathcliff- Kayaba Akihiko on Floor 75- or against Sugou Nobuyuki back in ALO- said McKnight was going at it alone. And definitely would've shot down Kirito's proposal despite the reasoning.

I've only known him a week and already know how he works. Kirito frowned at that as the dirt-taste wind hit his face. I still should've told him.

Taking only a momentary glance back, Kirito's mouth opened when he saw McKnight sprinting headfirst into Johnny, trying to run in the direction of Sinon. Tackling the older player down a ditch.

"Damn you, McKnight!" Kirito kept forward. Closing the gap between him and the Death Gun player. His hands still outward with whatever he was holding -apparently, it was his destroyed rifle barrel.

Kirito should have known this was a trick.

No, he knew it was. He just didn't expect what exactly till, too late.

When he got impaled in the chest by the fencer Death Gun wiped out from the ruined barrel. Kirito jumped back and held his wound. Looking up, he glared intently. Hurt? Yes. Out? Not, even close.

. . .

Shoulder rolling down a small hill wasn't McKnight's ideal of fun, by any means. Neither was the whole rolling part with the enemy. He barely had control of his vision, besides the whole them spinning while falling, that he swore on a stack of Bibles they'd fall out sooner or later.

McKnight had a violent jerk to kick off Johnny Black in the shins right as the ground became flatter. All at the expense of a harder landing. "Ugh!" He pressed his fists against the ground and pushed himself up rather sluggish from the impact. His User Interface told him he had only about two-thirds of his player health left. "Ow." He grunted almost comically.

Cranking his head across in this flat, desolate landscape, Black was faster to get up before him. Rubbing his arm, with that meathook he liked using some much.

The gap between them couldn't have been less than fifteen yards. As McKnight stood straight and ready. Those yellow eyes beaming out of the bagged mask the Coffin wore, giving him the same treatment on what will happen in the next few seconds. Squaring off, for the inevitable.

"Heh. It's funny," Johnny glanced down, "this is the first real piece of damage you've given me all day." Black turned back to him. "Do you plan on doing more than that, kid?"

McKnight didn't say a word as he felt his scowl tighten further. His nostrils picking up in sync with the building rhyme his clenched fists were making as his fingernails dug into his palms out of the blackened gloves.

Which got a real kick out of the Death player. "Anata wa ō sugiru!" Johnny exclaimed as he threw his head back. "This whole time, I wanted to come and meet the 'Legendary Black Swordsman' who kicked my ass back in SAO. Demo, you?" His voice became more steady. "I love how you are so defiant! Just like your big brother." He grinned. Striking a real nerve with McKnight, who glowered further.

When Johnny was just about to go on further, McKnight clipped his speech midflight by saying, "Anata wa owatta- You're finished, Johnny Black. And whatever happens, hereafter won't matter now that we know your old Sword Art name. You and that other Coff's little Death Gun scheme ends here. And there's not a single fucking thing you two can do about it. Get it? You're finished." He repeated with a stonewall.

McKnight wished he could've seen the face Johnny Black made at that little revelation. But the slight wince the Coffin made it visibly clear he was probably making one right now. Enough, so the butternut mercenary was tempted to savagely grin at the cloak's foolishness.

The hysterical laughter built up after that from Johnny made the teen want to pull the Colt from his pistol and empty it at him. Had the other guy not proved, he could deflect the bullets. Johnny shook his head in amusement. "I knew one day we'd get caught one way or another. It was always a risk with this sort of thing, you know? Hell, it was one of the things Xa...my buddy made very clear to me when I wanted to be on board with all this." He encompassed the destroyed field around him like it was all roses and green foothills. Admitting, "After I used his account to help kill Pale Rider, I knew then it was only a matter of time before some unwanted guests began sticking their long pointy noses into this whole business of ours."

"Tsk!" McKnight snarled. "And you two don't give a crap about all the people you killed? In here or SAO?"

"Not one bit," Johnny answered proudly. "Just like in SAO, I want to bring as many people with me down as possible. That even warmer reception we got today from those stupid government guards with white shirts only made everything so much sweeter." He made what McKnight could decipher was a slurping noise beneath his steel mask.

McKnight looked disgusted. "Enough, you freak!" He threw down his Thompson and raised his fists, getting into a fighter's stance. Johnny did much of the same, although he flipped his sickle to where the handle was sticking out.

"Mochiron!" He agreed gladly. "It's not every day I get to have another American under my belt. And don't worry about your girlfriend, Sinon; I'll take good care of her after Kirito."

Running straight at Johnny Black was just as foreseeable as seeing a car coming from a mile away -which was exactly what McKnight had gone and did in a blind spot of rage.

Dodging and weaving past his attacks like before, McKnight's fists couldn't connect. No matter how hard he tried unrelentingly to press his advance, Johnny's body would move like that of a phantom. Only leaving a trail or some sort of afterimage that blurred out of the way. Far past McKnight's fist. Hold still!

It gave the Coffin an easy opening to toss in a quick knee to the chest. Or a harder backhand from the sickle against his helmet a few times during the exchange. Although, McKnight was able to block one or two during the counterattack. "Not bad, McKnight!" Johnny coined when McKnight tried blocking another. Only to fake him out with another sideswipe across the face with his sickle's handle, sending McKnight flying over to the bodies of kaeeeede and Yamikaze nearby. "You looked better during the Qualifiers!" The Coff hollered out from the distance.

He landed hard on his back with a horrible ache. McKnight tasted red pixels off his virtual tongue and dirt. Nearly grounding himself back on the floor when he struggled to get up again.

He was facing away from Johnny when he lifted himself up halfway, only for him to kiss the burnt dirt ground once more. Clutching onto both his fist -particularly his right- when he heard the mush being crushed under the Coffin's boots.

Looking up, McKnight began to crawl over to kaeeeede's corpse. Johnny Black slowly stalking in from behind. "Tsk, Tsk." Swirling his sickle, Black shook his head, "You're not faring any better than last night. Much less you're older brother." McKnight managed to get up partially, his left hand holding his right arm steady. Johnny getting closer with his sickle's blade. Then, lifted it. "It's ove-"

McKnight whirled around, grabbing hold of his farmer's tool with a strong pull. Johnny must've known this was coming because he didn't seem fazed by it. Even when the teen pulled back his own arm to throw another punch across his steel face...

That is. If his mask had not cracked open in one of the yellow eyelids with the stone, cold fist that tore through it like a can-opener. The Coffin staggered back. Coughing up a storm.

Holding onto the wound, Johnny gave a shocked and angry look back at the American boy -his avatar's eye more reddish than yellow from his mask. The rock held tightly inside McKnight's grip when he waved it side-to-side showed how he managed.

"That wasn't nice!" Johnny drew that blackened pistol, the Black Star pistol, out as several of those floating-streaming cameras McKnight didn't notice until now appeared around them. The Jack the Ripper wannabe tried crossing himself, same as before. Only this time, it was McKnight's turn to cut him short. Throwing down a flashbang kaeeeede had on his belt.

The bright flash acted like an old 19th-century camera would. Giving whoever laid their gaze on the tinbox's lens: purple and green spots over their eyes.

Since McKnight had his visor on, disregarding the notable cracks off it, the grenade just combusted a flick of smoke from his point of view. To Johnny Black and his exposed eyelid? Him covering both his eyes, simultaneously his ears, painted a pretty story of his own luck.

Though McKnight didn't let it last long. Now, my chance! He thought, in a heartbeat!

Running over, McKnight gave Johnny another swing across the face with his fist, then another. The Coffin tried swinging his curved blade at McKnight sheepishly. Only for his grip on his sickle to fall. During the heat of the moment, McKnight managed to grab the sickle too.

Even without a clear vision, Johnny still managed to use his incredible speed to dodge McKnight's latest attacks. And would have continued to do so if McKnight hadn't let Johnny grab hold of both his fists to get the upper hand. For two long years, McKnight had to wake up every day and think every hour why his brother was taken and not him. And for a while, he never truly knew Samuel was murdered until a few days ago.

Now that he stared back at the mocking, cynical eye of the burning remains of the guild, and the man, who did just that. The memory he felt at the hospital when they pronounced Samuel dead and when they buried him here. Along with his mother's cries and his dad's silent ones.

The hyper sense McKnight felt through him was enough that, when he took a quick step back, he hurled his helmet right into Johnny's cracked eye. And thus, splitting it more open. Johnny let out a large curse as he fell back like a sack of potatoes. He tried to relate, only for McKnight to let him pass him like an incoming Bullet Line. And without warning, McKnight drove the hookup and plunged the sickle right into Johnny Black's back as he howled like a wolf. Falling onto his knees.

McKnight ceasing on the moment, grabbed his .45 off his belt and pointed at the Coffin, who stared back at him speechless. Johnny's head kicked back from the bullet when it went through him. "That was for Samuel!" McKnight's voice cracked out in nothing less than resented anger.

Looking back down at the flopped body with the Dead! sign appearing over Johnny, McKnight breathed as his nostrils fanned down, as well as his clenched fists and snarled teeth began to settle. He took another step back. Wobbling at first, but he maintained decent footing to not fall for a few more seconds.

He looked down at his stamina and realized it was nearly dry. And his head felt light and clumsily all of a sudden. He let out a long, drawn-out exhalation when he nearly fell down -this time for good- from exhaustion. He would've, too, had Sinon been a minute later. "Ahh!" She gasped when she caught his arm, "McKnight? McKnight, are you all right?" Sinon asked softly as if they were back in the real world.

"Īe." He checked, "I...I thought I was supposed to feel better. But I'm not sure anymore." Maybe if he had shot Johnny a couple thousand times, he may have felt better or more satisfied afterwards. If Johnny actually was killed in real life by him. So jail, when the police found him and his fanatic friends, was the next best thing. McKnight then asked, "How about you...Sinon?"

"Ee," She nodded, "just about."

McKnight raised his eyebrows in alarm when Asa...Sinon lowered her head and felt her trembling when she held him.

He was going to assume it was all over when he remembered -not yet. "Kirito!" he yelled out. As he and Sinon ran in the direction, the swordsman needed particle help from Sinon beside him.

But, by the time they made the journey over the hill, Kirito had been a busy little bug. The swordsman, while having just as many red marks from the Death Gun's pointer -a fence, it looks like- managed to trip up the Coff with a series of bullets from his M9 right as the cloak tried, well, cloaking away. As the former-Aincrad player let out a loud snarling yell as he flipped his body back down from his spin and slashed the red-eyed Death Gunner through the bandaged arm and then across his body. Half was sent one way and a piece of his arm and lower torso went the other. Kirito huffed but stood up, looking over his fallen enemy just like McKnight had done a few seconds ago.

The Coffin struggled to move. "This...This isn't over, Kirito," He declared, in that robotic voice contrasting Johnny's. He managed to say as his red-eyes went out, literally: "We'll find...you...all of.." Dead! Appeared over his corpse.

"This is all over, XaXa," Kirito said as if he could still hear him. "We know your name, and we know Johnny's. Pretty soon, we'll find all your partners involved, I swear it." His head perked up when he saw McKnight and Sinon approaching him. "You guys are okay!" He looked relieved as he limped over to them.

When the three of them finally met up. The trio touched their fists together. The stress of the battle fading and moving next from a less stressful situation at hand now that the fighting was done and over with. For now, at least.

"I can stand," The butternut boy had to tell Sinon when he almost bit the dust for the third or fourth possible time this minute.

"Is it done, then?" Sinon asked, looking around the battlefield.

"Hai," Kirito answered firmly. "Since both Johnny and XaXa -Sterben and Richter- are eliminated, their partners in the real world can't carry out the rest of their scheme. And must've long left by now." He paused and scratched his pale cheek with his index finger, "Though I think you two should call the cops -just to be safe."

"Okay," Sinon sounded unsure, "but what do we tell 110?" She asked perplexedly.

"Tell them-" Kirito was midway opening his mouth to answer, only for him to stop and ponder what they could tell the police? Meanwhile, McKnight stood mute -spending the time during the conversion remembering 110 and 911 wasn't the same thing for the cops, especially the latter.

Instead, after sucking in the air, he let it out and said to Kirito, "Call Mr. Seijirou." he advised, to-the-point. "I'll stay with Sinon and watch out for anymore Coffs that try sneaking by uninvited until I have to get going."

"Why can't you call?" Kirito asked, curious rather than retorting the question.

McKnight answered, quite honestly, "I broke it."

The screen was broken during his temper after what happened at the park with Asada. "Oh." Kirito nodded, seemingly getting the message across. Although a tight feeling hung in the air right after. This is especially true when McKnight mentioned the 'until I have to get going' part, mostly with Sinon looking down from it.

Though, sadly, there was nothing he could do -which McKnight still hated himself for.

After a silent minute, more of those floating cameras appeared all around them. That got Sinon up at them, asking, "Well, you'll need our address, right, Kirito? It's only right, as of this second, to introduce myself properly, then?" Her light-blue eyes went over to McKnight when she said that, giving him the butterflies. Giving the swordsman her and -to an extent- McKnight's address, she stepped near their digital ears and told the both of them in a low voice: "My real name's Asada Shino." Getting a smile out of the mercenary teen. Shino. Sinon? Huh. McKnight was surprised from how simple, yet different, the change was from her username.

Kirito smiled, too. "Mine's Kazuto Kirigaya; nice to meet you."

They both nodded and turned to McKnight, who said off the bat: "My Christian name?" He stood himself up. "Reginald McKnight, or, well, Reggie McKnight." He touched the brim of his beaten-up helmet, "Good to meet you again, Asada Shino. Though I think it would've been easier to tell if it was you if you left the Asada part as your gamertag than Sinon." he joked, nonchalantly.

Sinon puffed her cheeks and, somewhat, her chest at him. "Oh, right, like McKnight is any better?" Which stunted him.

"Whew," Kirito whistled, "She has you there, Reginald."

"Sh-Shut up!" McKnight shouted in English indignantly. The trio stood silently looking at each other once again. Only this time, they all started laughing.

"Well," Sinon began, with relief, "let's finish this." She stated, searching for something in her back pocket. The cameras appearing like drones to a corn-field all around them.

"But, how?" Kirito asked, with McKnight adding not a moment too soon: "Yeah, the most I ever heard was two people winning, but how is the victory screen going to fit three? If... that's what you're hinting at?" McKnight got suspicious real quick. She's going to get me back from Sunday, isn't she? He guessed accurately.

Not till it was far too late. Sinon hid a grin, and her eyes shifted back from whatever she was doing back at him, non-threatening. "True, the only two players to win BoB at once was the first one: on the American server," She added that trivia. Impressed, McKnight knew about that despite his profession. Sinon went on, "that's why we'll use the same method. You remember how?"

"No..?" he forgot how. Worse still, Sinon jogged his memory when she got his hand and placed a grenade in it. Turning it on with rapid beeps.

"What the-? Holy-!" McKnight instinctively tossed the bomb to Kirito, who, upon realizing what it was, too, shouted in alarm and tossed it back. Which was then returned like a game of hot potato.

Sinon hugged both of them tightly, giggling happily. Kirito, while reluctant, dryly chuckled from the embrace. McKnight was too busy trying to squirm out the Japanese girl's hold of him but to no avail.

Managing to say before the blast: "Ican'tbelieveIflewsix-thousandmilesforthisshi-!" Booooom!

Third Bullet of Bullets

WINNER

Sinon Kirito McKnight

With a victory card and the eruptions from the thousands upon thousands of players and, even guards, all around Glocken, it was all over. The 3rd Bullet of Bullets tournament was finally over!

. . .

It's done. It's all done. Asada Shino had to say to herself when she returned back to the real world. The faint song of her air conditioner and monitor on the nightstand behind her bed buzzed like mosquitoes in the summertime.

But it wasn't summer. And mosquitoes, even then, would have been the least of her worries. She was still hesitant to open her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Shino first mentally prepared herself, then, through the slits of her Amusphere, shot her eyes open, meeting the darkness of her ceiling. Nobody was on the corners of her vision yet.

She was scanning them more to her right near her desk and the rest of her room: nothing was still there.

"Hm." Shino peered her eyes once more, but that wasn't going to help her case, and she knew it. Taking off the VR set, she sent them behind her. Put on her glasses right by them and got off her bed -making sure her feet were far enough from underneath the mattress (the last thing she wanted was a pair of hands pulling her in).

Is one of them hiding somewhere? She had the thought right as she timidly headed to switch the lights on as she walked away from her bed. Trying to use her other hand to possibly grab something she left on her desk as a weapon if need be. A mini-stereo she bought a while ago sat on a short table by her closet. She had almost completely forgotten about it by the time the lights flicked on.

Thankfully no uninvited guests were around to jump at her.

The Knock Knock Knock! did give Shino the shivers right down to the bone, though. Her head turned in the direction of her front door in an instant. Only this time, her hands reacted quicker and grabbed the stereo to use. Though her hands still shook when she lifted them up.

If only she reminded herself who it was when she eased up from her neighbor shouting: "Asada? Asada, you all right in there?"

"Reggie-kun?" The stereo nearly fell out of her hands as she rushed to open her bedroom door to pass her kitchen to answering the front door. The chain lock was still in place, oddly enough. When she opened it, the Japanese girl saw the worried pale expression on the American boy's face.

He looked relieved. "Asada!" His shoulders lowered, "Yokatta, you're okay."

"Hai." Shino felt far better now meeting his dark brown eyes with her gray ones, "You, too." Reggie tilted his head when he noticed the stereo handing off her loose hand. She squeaked when she dropped it.

Inviting him inside until the authorities arrived, Reggie helped Shino sweep her entire room, from the closet to the bedroom to the bathroom. Any other place one of the Death Guns or Laughing Coffins could be hiding.

In the end, they came out with nothing insinuating someone had been prowling about. The door handle wasn't broken from force entry and, unless there was a secret trapdoor somewhere, the place appeared clear.

Reggie had finished coming out of the bathroom and closing it behind himself when Shino -who was zipping up her rubberized wardrobe for a hiding figure as well- asked, "Nothing?"

He shook his head, "Not a soul. Looks like your place is Coffin-free." Reggie answered with a whistle looking around her place for a small second.

"Thank goodness," Shino lowered her tense stature and walked over to her bed and sat on it. Letting out a soft sigh. "I feel so ridiculous asking for your help to feel more secure." She looked over to him. "Arigatou, Reggie-kun." She said warmly to him.

"Hey, it's my pleasure," He responded with a nod standing in her doorway. "You can never be too safe watching your six, you know what I mean?"

When a flash of Reggie having his light brown uniform and helmet, along with short black hair and red eyes and his tinted visor, appeared over Shino's eyes instead of a brown jacket and hat, she felt herself glower a little when her eyes wandered about. I can't believe I didn't know it was him.

"Asada?" Reggie made out.

Her hand moved to a spot right next to her. If she knew anything about McKnight, Reggie's GGO avatar, he'd know practically what the gesture would mean if Sinon did it.

Of course, now, Asada did it without the knowledge of what she meant. The momentarily stunned face on Reggie's features said he wasn't stupid and took the hint as he walked over and sat beside her. Her bed reacted with a cushion sound when he did, although he kept a small gap between them just like back in the park from Wednesday. "So," Shino stood-up straight, "were you able to find anything suspicious in your room, either?" She asked, expecting a no.

Reggie surprised her when he looked away solemnly. Then said, "I didn't find anyone; Shikashi, I did see that my door's chain lock was broken and the metal beads were all over the place before I came here to check on you." He sent her a reassuring grin when Asada looked ready to protest, "Don't worry, something would've happened to me by now to warrant a proper response. Besides," -His voice dropped mildly- "when...my taxi arrives any second, a police escort will stick around for you. I guarantee it." He crossed his heart to show it, although Shino had trouble believing him from how sardonic he was as McKnight. Still.

"I keep forgetting you're leaving," Asada muttered as if her heart sank faster than a torpedoed ship.

"It's-" Reggie was on the verge of saying something else to tell her it's not like that. Or something along those lines that everything will be okay. Ever since yesterday, Shino refused to believe much good could come out of exploring her feelings for Reggie after being informed by her bullies of the truth of that day at the post office. Even now, with the knowledge he was leaving Japan, possibly never seeing him again, Shino knew this was just that: all okay.

She stretched out a bright, toothy smile at him and held back her feelings for now, and said, "You make me happy. And, because of what you and Kirito did for me today, I can grow stronger because of it." She nearly choked on that last part but checked herself quickly. "So don't worry one bit about me, okay?" Shino tried extra harder to hold back the damn building up behind her lenses on that one.

"Asada…" Reggie looked dumbfounded. Then, found his hand moving to hers. He didn't move it closer but shot it with an angry scowl that softened in a heartbeat. "I should have told you from the beginning." He whispered slowly.

"Re-Reggie-kun?"

Another knock came from the door suddenly. Only it wasn't a knock. It was the doorbell.

They both froze. Reggie got up sharply. "Stay here." And went over to look through the door's peephole. Asada slowly trailing behind. He pressed a finger against his lips for her to stay quiet, and, now in front of the door, McKnight looked though. All at once, he relaxed. "It's your friend. The one in the green pullover,"

"Pullover?" Shino needed a second to process who it was. "Shinkawa?" She said, right as McKnight finished unlocking the door to open it -although only a creep.

Had Shino knew Reggie's arm would've met the door again -she would've told him to stop immediately.

"Reggie-kun!" Asada ran over the minute she saw him on the ground, clutching onto his arm. However, she only advanced one step when she saw Shinkawa, his brown hair a mess and his face...like how it was earlier today, entering the room and holding something against Reggie's chest.

"Make one single move, and I'll inject him with a poison that will shut down his heart and kill him, Asada-san." The boy instructed abstractly. Holding onto Reggie's collar with his free hand rather intently.

Asada Shino stood speechless. Her eyes switched from the stinging pain on Shinkawa's deranged face and the literal one on Reggie McKnight's. The Japanese boy's eyes, too going from her to remain still and back to the other boy he was pinning down.

"Why," Asada began, "why are you doing this?" Shinkawa let out a malicious laugh from her question.

Then turned serious in an instant. "Why?" He repeated with scorn, "Because no other boy can protect you forever. No other boy can understand you. And no other boy should be with you to help you from your past...Much less this- this...American. McKnight!" He yelled out.

"How do you-?" Her face turned cold from the realization. "Yo-You're," Shino reluctantly scowled, "You're a Laughing Coffin member? The other Death Gun?!"

"Ah, so you've figured that part, huh? I should have guessed," Shinkawa looked impressed when he eyed her though he stuck the syringe deeper into Reggie, who tried to push him away. Though it was no use, and Shinkawa made a steely glare back at him. "The fact you did, too..."

With a shake of his head, the skinny teen boy went on explaining Death Gun's purpose. At first, it was information reinforced. Apparently, after XeXeeD had given false hope for agility-builds inside GGO, many players lost valuable time, effort, and actual money invested into their characters. All for nothing. Giving them far weaker builds than that of strength-builds. And Shinkawa was, unfortunately, one of those who did the former.

Shinkawa said, "All those times I played as Sterben, and my brother was the one who did the job here in the real world. But, this time," He suddenly grimaced, "his old friend from SAO went and killed Pale Rider when he was out all alone in the Wastelands. We had to create a new account for him with how everyone inside GGO started acting after."

"I lost everything when XeXeeD lied! I spent so much time and my soul pouring into that game to get stronger in real life. Now it's all ruined! My life is over here! Then.." Shino trembled when she saw another look Shinkawa give Reggie. Only this time, it was of someone who absolutely hated who was in front of them. No, not hate: despised. "T-Then, everything changed when you started getting close with him. This American. This foreigner! And when I realized he and McKnight were one and the same, I begged my brother to reconsider our first target. Augh! Even after he found out about your past, he still stuck around like a roach! And you still fell for him!"

Shino gaped, "You were..the one who sent Endou and her friends yesterday?"

"I had to," Shinkawa confirmed as Asada felt a shot through her chest.

"You…" Reggie began with a disgruntled grunt, "lowlife...Coff!" He spat out in anger.

Shinkawa's eyes widen. "What did you say, asshole!" he swung at McKnight, managing to get one punch in and tried to go for another.

"Yamero!" Shino yelled. Right as her foot took a step forward, another boy with short black hair ran inside the apartment, too. Holding up an equally oversized black helmet that he used to strike Shinkawa in the back of his head. Too late to see who as his body flopped unconsciously along with the syringe by the doormat. "Huh?"

"Took you long enough!" Reggie grounded out, rubbing his cheek. As well as his arm.

"Sumimasen," The black-haired boy huffed, holding his helmet, "I got here as fast as I could." He dropped the headpiece and ran beside Reggie a second later after Shino did. Examining his wounds.

"Let me see.." Asada inched closer and, like a nurse, moved his face to get a better look.

"Ow..that hurts," Reggie complained, which Shino ignored. Besides a bruised cheek and his arm in a little worse shape, he was fine.

Yokatta. When she looked back to the short-haired boy, Shino squinted her vision. Having seen him somewhere. "K-Kirito?"

The other boy chuckled, "E e, I look completely different from my avatar, don't I?" He turned back to Reggie, clutching onto his arm. "I'll help him up. Do you have any bandages or first-aid, Sinon?" He asked, using her gamertag as she did for him.

She got up, too. "In the bathroom. Wait here and keep him safe, I'll be right back" Asada began running towards the door to the restroom. Only briefly stopping by Shinkawa's unconscious body. She grimaced. Why did it have to be like this? She thought, from how crazy this day had turned out, already.

Out of all the people she'd known; the thought of Shinkawa participating in all this was inconceivable. And it sadden her from how far he had come and done. Outside, through the still-open door, sirens could be heard rapidly approaching down this way. Which brought relief as well as comfort that this was all over, now...

If it wasn't for this ripple of sounds behind them. Shino looked back to her companions from GGO and was horrified from the figure running behind them up the apartment's stairs.

"Found you!" A deranged tall, skinny man yelled out, raising something high in the air as he advanced onto the two boys.

They whirled, but it was Reggie who used his free arm to push Kirito away. Sending a gloved fist across the man's unshaven face throwing off the aim of what looked like another syringe towards Reggie's leg. While the man flew and collapsed onto the metal framework of the apartment. Reggie turned back around to Asada and Kirito, let out a heavy breath, and collapsed onto his own back clutching onto the injected leg -as evident by the syringe by him.

"Reggie-kun!" Asada Shino ran over to his side, as did Kirito, only by his legs. Reggie looked up at her with sweat beating down his face, and his normally dark pupils bulged and far lighter. Tears falling down her face, "Don't die on me! Not now!" She was too abstract to see what Kirito was doing when he tore off his belt and got to the spot Reggie was injected at. Nor the sirens screeching to half with police and paramedics running over to them.

She was too busy on Reggie. "Gomen'nasai...guys," He faintly closed his eyes. "I didn't see him coming…"