A/N:

Before we get started, I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Falchion1984 for the idea and beta work for this chapter. While he's not actually a beta reader for me (outside of this chapter in particular), his regular feedback has been a huge help in writing this story and giving it a nice post-publishing polish.

Regarding some of the reviews lately:

- felipe potter medrado; We'll be seeing more and more of the "real life" chapters, including this one!

- Ducelet; Glad you liked the chapter! If there's one thing I've hoped to establish by now, it is that I don't shy away from quiet moments in this story. There will be plenty of slow moments in the guild base, so we'll see snippets of everyday life here and there in Nelluon Arael.

- Lord Destroyer; While we didn't see much of Kizmel during the construction efforts, I promise you we'll eventually learn her thoughts on the matter. I'll admit that it gets very difficult to keep track of so many characters and remember to give them (mostly) equal attention, but I try.

- Guest; Thanks! As someone who enjoys stories that update regularly, I try to do the same under the assumption that at least some of you are the same way. I'm also one of those people who follows far too many stories at once, so regular updates help me, as a reader, remember what's going on in the story.

- tom476ty18; I likely won't be involving many, if any, characters from the SAO games. It's not that I have anything against them; I've read a number of fanfics where they are featured and they're likable characters. The reason I likely won't is because I haven't played the SAO games outside of Integral Factor, so seeing as how I'm not very familiar with the source material I don't want to represent those characters incorrectly. I try to keep my canon characters as in character as possible and that courtesy would extend to the game characters too, so rather than risk portraying them incorrectly, I choose not to portray them at all. That and including more characters into an already expansive roster makes for a lot of moving parts and characters to keep track of. Hope that's alright! Insofar as the Sleeping Knights are concerned? We'll have to wait and see…

- RandomDSdevel-WCFaWF; First off, hell of a username you're packin' there! Second, even though it looks like it might be a while until you see this based on which chapters you've reviewed at the time of this posting (chapters 15 & 31), I'll answer those reviews here. As entertaining as that might be, Maple will not make an appearance in this story. I like to throw in easter eggs and subtle cameos here and there. (Bofuri actually isn't the only anime I've dropped a reference to…) I don't want to venture into crossover territory so that's the extent you'll see other non-SAO characters in Unyielding. Yes, Kuroi was heavily inspired by Akatsuki from Log Horizon. She's not the same character, though, but much of her mannerisms were based on Akatsuki. Both she and Lokuss were joint creations by me and some friends of mine.

And now, on with the show!

"Think you'll have a sister-in-law when this is all over?"

It's questions like that, asked abruptly and so casually, that literally trip people up. Suguha was no exception to this as she stumbled over literally nothing on the sidewalk. Shaking her head, absolutely sure that she'd misheard, she looked back at Shinichi with a mildly perturbed expression.

"Sorry, what?"

"A sister-in-law." Shinichi clarified blithely as he shrugged, completely oblivious to how sudden the question was. "You know, your brother and Asuna. It's pretty obvious that those two have a thing going on."

Suguha spluttered, frantically searching inwardly for some adequate response. She found none, but not because she didn't have an answer. No, she knew full well that Asuna was Kazuto's girlfriend, but she couldn't confirm how she knew. Not without revealing the existence of the private streams.

"I mean, maybe?" Suguha answered. "I haven't put too much thought into it, I guess."

That was a lie. She and her parents had put a lot of thought into it, but for different reasons. Her mother was ecstatic that her little Kazuto was growing up and had a girlfriend, especially one as strong and independent as Asuna. Her father was proud that Kazuto had finally managed to land a girlfriend, a notion that up until recently had seemed a pipe dream due to his son's shut-in tendencies.

Suguha had pondered on it for different reasons. She was jealous, but not romantically speaking. He was her brother. She loved him, but not like that.

No, thank you.

No, she was jealous because she was already distant from Kazuto even before he was trapped in SAO. She hoped that when he finally escaped that she could rebuild their frayed relationship. Maybe they could rekindle that sibling bond they used to have and, finally, be an actual family again. Oh, she knew that he wasn't technically her brother - her cousin, actually - but in all the ways that mattered, Kazuto was her brother. No question.

With Asuna in the picture, where did that leave her? Would Kazuto latch onto his girlfriend - potentially his wife somewhere down the line - and ignore her? Of course she'd be happy for him; any sister worth their salt would be excited that their introverted brother might be bringing a beautiful girl like Asuna into the family. However, once they finally escape, it will have been years since he'd seen her, even though she'd seen him on a regular basis through the streams. The distance between the two would only get wider.

That was the absolute last thing Suguha wanted.

"By the way, I was wondering if I could borrow your shinai."

Wait, what?

"Hold on a second, stop!" Suguha cried out, and it was only then she remembered that the two were outside the school gates in full view of their classmates. She shrank under the curious gazes of her classmates before turning to Shinichi again, who looked… upset?

What prompted that sudden mood swing?

"Back up a second." She said, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back. School wasn't going to start for a little while, anyway. They could afford to pause for a minute or two. "Why do you want my shinai?"

"No reason."

"Shinichi…"

"...What?"

"Don't you lie to me."

"..." Shinichi didn't answer, deciding that anywhere but Suguha's eyes was much more interesting to look at right now. She stepped around and placed herself right in his line of sight, and right about now she could see him visibly sweating.

Good. A little fear went a long way.

"Alright, fine!" Shinichi relented before he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I should have known you wouldn't just hand me your shinai, no questions asked."

"You think?"

He sighed. "Well, you know how we're hosting that kendo competition this year, right?"

"I should hope so, since I'm competing in it." Suguha snarked, crossing her arms.

"Touché."

"That's fencing, idiot."

"Look, are you gonna let me finish?" Shinichi snapped before shrinking back in on himself. Whatever was bothering him must be really getting under his skin if he snapped at her like that. Shinichi was usually a gentle soul; a shameless fanboy and otaku sometimes, but she was pretty sure he didn't have a hostile bone in his body.

"Sorry. What's bothering you?" She asked, taking a half-step back to give him room and to signal that she was done sassing him.

Shinichi took a deep breath. "One of the guys on the visiting team has been… how do I put this…?"

"Just say it." She cut him off, noting the time remaining before class.

"He's badmouthing your brother."

She blinked. She could see how that would be upsetting, but there must have been more to this story. "What do you mean?"

"He's been going around and implying that your brother's a selfish prick and that he's been assembling his own… *ahem*... harem." Shinichi muttered, the last word barely audible.

"What?"

"He looked so cocky about it, too. Kept saying that Kirito's just recruiting women into his guild so he could build his collection. Because he's apparently a playboy who doesn't value women and all that crap." Shinichi continued, and she could see her friend clenching his fists in anger. "I sort of got offended on your behalf. The reason I asked to borrow your shinai is so I could challenge him and put him in his place."

"You've never swung a shinai in your life, Shinichi."

"I know that!" He exclaimed before wiping his hand across his face in exasperation. "But I wasn't just going to just stand there while he insulted you and your brother!"

Something about this whole thing seemed wrong. Why would this student, whoever the crap he is, decide to start slandering Kirito so openly like this? As far as she knew, her brother's reputation around her school was mostly favorable, so this asshole was trying to pick a fight, but with who? Better yet, why? There was so much she didn't know about this whole situation, but she did know one thing.

"Shinichi, you're not borrowing my shinai. After school, you're going to show me this guy, got it?"

Suguha wasn't going to hand over her shinai. After all, she would be using it. Kazuto had shown himself to be brave and capable of defending others. Now it was her turn. Since he couldn't defend his honor here in real life…

…She would, instead.

Forget the shinai, this guy had a face that was downright punchable.

The asshole in question, some guy named Ren Yoshihito, did look awfully familiar though. Moderately attractive features, slightly taller than most boys their age, and a confident charisma that was common among natural leader-type people. In a kind and decent human being, those features would make him a heartthrob, but in someone who kept on badmouthing her brother?

Punchable.

"This is the guy." Shinichi said, gesturing to the boy in question, who'd already attracted a small crowd. They weren't close enough where such a statement would attract attention, but unfortunately they were close enough to overhear what he was saying.

"... I'm just saying, it's the only explanation as to why he's got so many women in his guild compared to dudes. He's a playboy. He has to be." Ren scoffed. "If you look at the average ratio of male to female players, there's not enough female players to explain why he has so many in his guild. Even if you started randomly picking people out of a hat, he should have more guys in his guild. He doesn't, so he has to be picking them out and charming them."

Suguha could feel her blood start to boil. How dare he insinuate that her brother was a womanizer? Before SAO, the boy could barely even hold a conversation with a girl, let alone recruit them like that!

"And he's not even that impressive!" Ren continued on, flicking a strand of hair away from his face that reminded Suguha of those generic anime villains she used to watch on television. "I could do better than that! There's no discipline, no form to how he fights! He just swings those blades around like a barbarian, I swear."

Shinichi nudged her. "See what I mean? Lemme borrow your shinai."

"Oh, I see what you mean." She grumbled while clenching her fists. "And no, you'll get your ass kicked."

She so wanted to put this guy in his place. Not only was he being downright disrespectful, but she could tell that some in the audience were feeling uncomfortable listening to the personal attack. Many in her school liked Kirito for what he was, a boy around their age who was attempting the impossible: the liberation of thousands of people from imprisonment.

"You know what I think?" Ren laughed. "I think Kirito rotates his girls. I can see it now… Silica on Mondays, Sinon on Tuesdays. Wednesday's the hardest day of the week, so that's gotta be Asuna's day. Liz seems like a Thursday girl to me. Hmm… Kizmel's not technically human, but maybe he's into some kinky cyber stuff with her on Fridays. Yuna I could see taking up Saturday; she seems like she'd be a busy girl during the week."

She found herself glaring at the boy, and the next thing she knew his eyes met hers. There was a curious intensity to his gaze. A bit odd, and a little creepy, but she didn't flinch. She couldn't afford to. Much to her surprise, he smirked.

"Oh? It seems I've attracted some attention. Tell me you two aren't like everyone else, simping over Kirito." Ren said.

Suguha plastered on a congenial smile. "No, I was just talking with my friend here. You're competing in the kendo competition here, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"I'm competing too, actually." She continued smiling, though in her mind she was clobbering him with her shinai. "A lot of us here actually like Kirito, so I was wondering if you'd be up for a friendly spar. Put your money where your mouth is, so to speak."

The crowd gasped, no one missing the veiled hostility between the two parties. Ren smirked and crossed his arms.

"A friendly spar? Sure, why not?" He snarked. "But why don't we make it a little more interesting?"

Suguha raised an eyebrow. This guy was cocky. Not just anyone would accept a duel like that so eagerly. "What'd you have in mind?"

"No safety gear." Ren shrugged, eliciting another round of hushed gasps and whispers. "It'll take too long to put everything on right now anyway, and I've got other things to do today."

Suguha grit her teeth behind her smile. Oh, she was going to enjoy putting him in his place. She hadn't seen him in action yet, but she was already planning on how to exploit that overconfidence. This guy wanted to spar without the safety gear? Fine.

His funeral.

"Fine." She almost spat, but kept her tone civil for the sake of appearances.

He didn't respond, merely walked off towards the training area. He shot her a cocky wink and waved for her to follow. She followed behind, ignoring the hushed whispers of those they'd left behind. Shinichi quickly caught up and didn't look pleased.

"Are you crazy?!" He hissed under his breath. "A spar I can get behind, but no safety gear? What are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking of teaching this idiot a lesson." She answered plainly.

"Be careful."

"Always am." She snarked, but she could see the concern on his face clear as day. "Have a little faith."

She and Ren finally made it to the training hall and quickly equipped themselves with a shinai each. As Suguha looked down the field to her opponent, she could tell this wasn't going to be a typical spar. This was a matter of pride for both of them. She was defending her brother's honor as a person and as a swordsman - not that he knew of her relation, of course - while he was effectively asserting his dominance. They both assumed their ready stances, shinais held out. They hadn't even begun with a traditional bow, but Suguha wasn't surprised at that development.

"This oughta be quick." Ren chuckled.

Suguha smirked. "For once, I agree."

The two locked gazes and there was an unspoken agreement to begin. Ren shot forward, immediately bringing his shinai down for a quick strike to the head. She saw the blow coming a mile away, and so she side-stepped and created more distance. If he wanted to exhaust himself with overly aggressive moves this early in the match, she'd let him. All she had to do was find the right opening.

She retaliated immediately with a strike of her own to the right side of the head, complementing her strike with a standard shout. The kiai, even if he wasn't willing to shout himself, was a time-honored tradition of kendo. The blow struck, though she held back so as to give him a harmless tap. She wasn't going to be the one to send him to the hospital.

Point, Suguha.

Ren snarled before the two reset their positions. She glanced to the side and saw that, despite their best efforts to keep this duel away from others, a few curious eyes were peeking out from behind the doorway.

She looked back and saw him advancing again without her notice or acknowledgement. Bit of a dishonorable tactic, but she was willing to let it slide for now. He struck out again, this time using his own kiai - finally - but she blocked it with her own shinai. The two struggled against one another, practice blades locked. She was about to disengage when Ren twisted his body and shoulder-checked her, effectively shoving her backward. Her blade was still locked and she found herself backpedaling as he began to aggressively push forward.

It seemed he wasn't above playing dirty.

She slid back and to the side, letting him fall forward slightly due to how much weight he'd put into his questionable tactic, and instantly followed up with a strike and kiai of her own, this time to the top of his head. Again, just a light tap, but more than enough to clearly win her another point. Just one more and she'd win the match. Something about this whole thing rubbed her the wrong way, though. She doubted he got this far with his school kendo club by using cheap tactics like this. This was personal somehow, and she suspected it came down to more than just pride or bragging rights. The two backed off and reset their positions.

"Is this how everyone at your school fights?" She asked, not lowering her guard. "What the hell are you doing?"

"An eye for an eye, Kirigaya." Ren spat.

She blinked. When had she told him her name?

Her hesitation must have been clear since he shot forward again, catching her off guard and immediately scored a hit on her head. This one wasn't a tap, though. It was only sheer reflex as she ducked to the side to lessen the blow that she managed to escape without serious injury.

Still stung, though.

She heard a few stifled gasps from outside, undoubtedly shocked at the unnecessary brutality behind that attack. In any case, it was technically a point in his favor. The two reset again.

"What's your problem?" She asked, this time not taking any chances. She prepared for any underhanded attack he'd throw her way. "It's like you've got something against me, and when did I ever tell you my name?"

"Oh, I know you, Suguha Kirigaya." Ren growled. "I can't challenge the Black Swordsman, but I'll settle for his sister."

There were definitely some gasps, these much less discreet, coming from outside. Somehow, this jerk found out not only her brother's real life identity, but also learned that she was his sister. This was definitely personal. She could see that crazed look in his eyes, that intent to injure… or worse. She had to end this before somebody really got hurt.

Ren shot forward again, unleashing a flurry of frantic strikes, and Suguha found herself dodging or blocking them all. He wasn't all that good, if she was being honest. There was no discipline, no strategy. Just pure, blind rage. She dodged the next strike and followed up with her own, this time directly targeting his shinai. He clearly hadn't expected that as the shinai went flying out of his hands. Before he could make a lunge for his fallen weapon, she blocked his escape and pointed her shinai at his throat.

"Yield."

He grimaced and looked up at her. After several tense moments, something changed and that fury in his eyes melted away into… sorrow? All that tension in his body fell apart as he collapsed onto the floor. She heard him sobbing and muttering something under his breath.

"...Why couldn't he save him…?"

Him? Who was he talking about?

"...It should have been me, not Imada…" Ren sobbed, punching the floor in despairing anger. "... Damn Beater let him die…"

Something clicked into place; now she knew why he looked familiar. She'd seen that general facial structure before, not to mention that confidence was something she'd seen before in someone else in SAO. She didn't know who Imada was, but clearly Kazuto was connected to something bad that happened to him. The pieces started coming together. Her eyes widened before she looked down on the weeping mess that was Ren Yoshihito.

"You're Diavel's brother, aren't you?"

Their hidden audience had the sense to remain silent at that, though she suspected many would be shocked by the revelations that had come to light today. Ren weakly nodded, sniffing as he tried to compose himself.

"Diavel is… was my brother." Ren's voice cracked out. "We were supposed to play SAO together, but we couldn't afford two NerveGears. We couldn't decide who would get the first chance at playing, so we decided to have a little contest. We were playing a game and while we played, I remembered how hard Imada worked to save the money to buy the game for us. So I threw the game. He'd worked hard so that we could play the game; he deserved the first chance to play."

An uneasy silence hung over the dojo.

"... And now he's dead. He's dead, where that could have been me instead. I killed him. At first I blamed your brother, but ultimately I'm the one who killed him. If I hadn't thrown the game, I would have been the one in there and he'd still be alive out here. I killed…"

Wait a minute.

Everything seemed to click into place as she mulled the situation over in her head. Ren would have needed to find out who her brother was, figure out he had a sister, find the school she went to, and wait for the perfect opportunity for their paths to cross. He used the kendo tournament as a justification for why he would be in the position to duel her like this. When he started badmouthing her brother in public, it was obvious she would come to Kazuto's defense; this was a carefully laid trap. His idea of not using safety gear meant he was willing - likely wanted - to seriously injure her.

There was no way he was always like this, so vindictive. Not when she looked in his eyes. Despite the clear premeditation and obvious scheming involved, he was no killer. This was yet another example of how SAO had devastated the lives of otherwise ordinary and happy people. Because of that terrible game, Ren had resorted to premeditated assault and maybe even murder - she shuddered at the thought - just to avenge his brother. What had this world come to?

He was just as much a victim as she was.

Suguha dropped her shinai and kneeled down next to him, all hostility and malice evaporated. She couldn't be angry at him; she'd probably feel the same way if it had been Kazuto who died instead of Diavel. She'd like to think she wouldn't try to assault someone, but she loved her brother immensely. It wasn't lost on her that, had she been the lesser fighter between the two, he could have beaten her to death, potentially.

She was thankful she'd been able to stop it before it could go further.

"Stop that." She said firmly. "You didn't kill him. There was no way you could have known what that game was going to be like. There's only one man to blame, and that's Akihiko Kayaba. You are not to blame."

He looked up at her, grief evident in his eyes, but ultimately he nodded along.

"Say it." She pressed. "Say you are not the reason he's dead."

He stammered a moment before gulping. "I… am not the reason Imada's dead."

"Who is?"

His expression firmed up slightly. "Akihiko Kayaba is."

"Damn straight!" Someone in the crowd yelled. Suguha shot a glare into the crowd. No one spoke up further.

"You should turn me in." Ren muttered, clearly still trying to compose himself. "I tried to hurt you. I could have seriously injured you… or worse. Hell, that was why I wanted to duel with no gear on."

She winced. This was premeditated, definitely, but that wasn't the right solution here. He needed something to help heal the wound caused by his brother's death. Several years in prison at somewhere like the Tokyo Correctional Precinct wouldn't achieve that.

"No." She shook her head. "I have a better idea."

He looked at her and blinked, clearly not expecting that answer.

"My friends and I regularly visit this place called The Dicey Cafe and watch the boss broadcasts." She explained. "A lot of us have family trapped in SAO, so we come together and… I don't know, we help each other. You should come stop by sometime. Your brother's not dead, not really."

This time he looked at her in evident confusion.

"Diavel was the first one to unite the trapped players and push forward to freedom. If it wasn't for him, they might still be stranded on the 1st Floor. That… reckless group of players that my brother belongs to are Diavel's legacy. He lives on in them. Come visit sometime, meet the people who have connections to those inside. Get to know the people fighting on in your brother's name."

He offered her a pained smile. "Thanks. Maybe I will sometime."

"Good!" She stood up and offered him a hand.

After a moment's hesitation, he took it and stood up, hurriedly wiping away his tears and spittle while their impromptu audience looked on, some shocked and others sobered by what they had just witnessed. Some in the crowd were smiling but had the sense to start dispersing, at least. Suguha offered some comforting words to Ren before the two parted ways. She told him the general schedule for the boss broadcasts and the patterns the players usually had that let those on the outside predict when a broadcast would air. He thanked her again before promising to visit one day. With that matter settled, she and Shinichi left the school grounds and began to head home, all the while Suguha quietly nursed the growing bruise on her head.

"I would have just splattered his brains out." Shinichi said as they walked home. When she narrowed her eyes at him, he seemed to take the hint. "But I think you handled that well."

"Thanks."

"Although…" He began, and once more she shot him a glare. "...The next time some idiot starts badmouthing you or your brother, I wanna borrow your shinai and use it."

She laughed. "Do you even know which way to hold it?"

Shinichi was a dork, but he had a good head on his shoulders. Apparently he had a protective streak in him, too, which was something she was not expecting out of the meek, bespectacled boy. He had to have known that he would have lost that duel, but he was willing to fight for her and Kazuto anyway. An admirable trait, and she'd admit it gave him a certain charm.

"I do… I just have trouble lifting it, that's all."

She stumbled again, but this time for a different reason.

She couldn't stop laughing.