A/N: I'm finally back from my vacation, everyone! It was quite fun, indeed. Lots of sights were seen, lots of sounds were heard, but alas, all good things must come to an end! Unfortunately, I had so much fun that I wasn't able to put in much work when it came to writing. Ah, well. Fortunately, I've already gotten back into my groove since I came back, and now, it is time to resume my normal pace of writing and updating fics like this!

Now, it's time to get back to this fic, and might I say, I just couldn't have returned at a better time. After all, this chapter was one that I'd been looking forward to writing and posting for quite some time, since this is the very chapter that gets the Fairy Dance Arc in full swing! You can expect lots and lots of drama and tension here, not to mention the appearance of a certain sexual harasser. Gear yourselves up for some bashing and teeth-grinding!

Alright, enough rambling! On with the long-awaited chapter. ENJOY!

P.S.: For updates regarding progress on my writing and just life in general, please check out my profile! I try to update it as often as I possibly can with any status update!

P.P.S.: Due to the slowly improving situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I am going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:

-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
-Stay informed on the COVID-19 vaccines, get shots if you're able to, and try to get a booster shot if you're eligible

And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:

-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)

If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

"It's been over two months since R-Day, and for the first time since then, the 300 families whose loved ones remain trapped in the death game Sword Art Online may finally be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. In one week from now, experiments will be conducted on ten of the trapped players, experiments regarding a new device which scientists claim could disable the NerveGear helmets responsible for the players' current conditions.

"This device, called the White Star, was unveiled during a press conference by esteemed scientists with the Toto Institute of Technology last week. Its creators describe it as a handheld weapon designed to generate electromagnetic pulses, or EMPs. Reverse-engineered from the faulty NerveGear responsible for the survival of fifteen outliers, scientists say the EMPs generated by the White Star will be weak enough to damage the internal functions of a regular NerveGear without posing a threat to the wearers themselves.

"We spoke with one of the creators, Dr. Rentarō Yonemoto, yesterday, and this is what he had to say about the White Star."

– X-Y-X –

– January 19, 2025 –
Ayano Residence, Asaka, Saitama Prefecture

Sachi splashed water all over her face and then wiped it from her eyes, allowing her to open them and look into her own blue pupils.

"I think it's what you do with the trident that'll be part of the quest. And I'd like for you to find that quest and see it through to the end."

"How, Fjord?" she thought doubtfully. "How can I ever hope to complete the quest and use the «Trident of Protection»'s full potential when I'm such a failure in the real world..."

"It's all because of you, after all. You're the one who inspired me to do better. To become a better girl a-and a better person. To rise above my past and my old self. And for that, I'm very grateful. Very. And I-"

"I couldn't even muster the courage to tell Kirito how I feel about him. Even with Asuna in the picture...I couldn't just do it to lift the weight off my chest..."

The ringing of the doorbell suddenly echoed through the house. Sachi gulped nervously, even as her heart-rate started to go up in anticipation. She tore her gaze away from the clearing mirror; put a small, slightly damp towel behind her neck; and exited the warm, steamy bathroom, already clad in her baby-blue sleepwear.

The doorbell rang again, and she traveled down the stairs while sawing her towel to and fro behind her neck, wiping her drying hair of the last droplets. Putting on Kotone's rabbit-themed morning slippers, the teenager approached the front door and saw the translucent outline of unkempt black hair behind the decorative glass panes.

"He's here. He's here for me... And yet, he's probably thinking about her this very moment. Why wouldn't he? I mean..."

Sachi immediately suppressed the brew of dark feelings, storing it away in the deepest, darkest corner of her gut. With a forced tiny smile of cheerfulness, she lifted a cat statue from a table stationed next to the door, revealing a hidden key. A second later, she used that key to unlock the door and open it. She made sure to hold on to her smile.

"Good morning, Kirito! Come on in."

CHAPTER 6: BEST FIT LINE

"It's a good thing, right? That they're gonna use that White Star thing to save Asuna?"

The words tumbled out of Sachi's mouth like an avalanche of boulders while she poured Kazuto a cup of freshly-brewed green tea. But the boy didn't accept her offering at first. Instead, he watched with vague disinterest while the steam rose out from the amber liquid and dispersed into the air.

"But it's a fifty-fifty shot..." he mumbled. "There's a reason why they want to use ten trapped players as test subjects. It is a way to determine the chances of survival."

Sachi took a deep breath as she poured herself a cup of tea. "Kirito, if I, a cowardly weakling who relied on others for her protection, could survive a one-in-two-fifty shot at a second chance after SAO, then Asuna can survive a fifty-fifty shot at leaving SAO for good."

Sachi set down her cup and took a small pitcher of cool water to the mouth of the entryway, where a small bowl awaited. After pouring some water into the bowl, she returned to the kitchen table and sat down on the end opposite to Kazuto.

"You will see her again, Kirito," she continued. "You will get the chance to meet her in the real world and hold her in her arms. To have your wife in your life again..."

She almost choked on her own spit and something else from those words, so she swiftly shifted the topic before she did something that she would regret.

"And I'll get the chance to meet Keiko-chan for real this time."

"Ohhhh, yeah..." Kazuto finally smiled as he glanced at a photo on the wall. "When you first welcomed me in your home for the New Year and I saw those photos, I couldn't believe that Keiko was Silica. And I still can't believe it. I mean, what are the odds?"

"It doesn't matter what the odds are." Sachi giggled and looked down at her simmering tea. "Even after I died, you were always protecting me and my...my family..."

Sachi felt the words get tangled in her throat for a moment, as if they were foreign to her vocal cords. Kazuto seemed to notice this and looked at her in concern.

"You're still not used to living here, Sachi?" the boy asked.

Sachi whipped her head up at him. "N-No!" she blurted in response. Then, she pursed her lips in discomfort. "Y-Yes... I-I mean! I...I-I don't know..." A heavy sigh escaped her lips and melded with the steam emitted by her tea. "I'll always be grateful to the Ayanos for taking me in, but...I still feel like a stranger in their home... Like I haven't earned my place in their family..." Then, she chuckled in relief. "It's a good thing Kotone and Tetsuhiko aren't home. They'd worry over me if they heard this."

"Yeah..." Then, Kazuto's face softened in sympathy while Sachi took a sip of her tea. "And I get the feeling, Sachi..."

"Hm?" Sachi lowered her cup. "You do?"

"Yeah." He looked away in embarrassment and...something else. "It's...It's complicated, but the bottom line is that...I've always felt like the black sheep in the family for the longest time."

"Really?" Sachi blinked in surprise. "You and your family seem to get along well!"

"Well, being trapped in SAO does a lotta weird things to you. But, even so...even now..." Kazuto looked out of the kitchen window. "Even if I realize how mistaken I was to feel those feelings...I still feel like I haven't found my place in my home. Not yet, anyway..." He narrowed his dark eyes. "Hopefully that'll change if Asuna wakes up..."

Sachi had to suppress a grimace as she replied, "She will, Kirito. Don't lose faith. The White Star will work. It's fifty-fifty, after all. Not one-in-two-fifty." She cast her gaze toward Keiko's photo on the wall. "And hopefully, when Keiko-chan does wake up, the same will be said for me."

"Yeah." Kazuto cracked a smile and looked at her. "Thank you, Sachi."

She looked at him. "Hm? F-For what?"

"For being you."

"Huh? For being a weak coward?"

"No, for being a shoulder to lean on." The corner of Kazuto's mouth twitched with amusement. "Sachi, you're not a weak coward. You never were."

"Are you sure? I wasn't the best fighter in SAO. Tetsuo and Sasamaru did all the heavy lifting for us-"

"Fighting is only one attribute to a person's power and courage. It's not even the most important one." Energy started to fill the boy's eyes. "Character is. Even in SAO, you've always listened to what people had to say, and you, you've always had something comforting to say in return. Even when you were timid and afraid of dying, you did your absolute best to bring smiles to all of those you meet, even when you don't know it."

Sachi blinked. "Even when I...kept telling Keita-kun and the others how...how risky it was to level up quickly and join the frontlines?"

"Even then. Even if it was more of a negative way of looking at things, that just proved you cared for them, and that you truly care for the ones you love. You just didn't want them to die."

Her face suddenly fell dark. "Even when I...sorta joked about committing suicide...?"

"Hey, Kirito..."

"Yeah?"

"We should...run away."

"Run away? From what?"

"From this town, from the monsters, from the Moonlit Black Cats...and from Sword Art Online too."

"Well..." Kazuto's smile faded away as he recalled the distant canal. "You were afraid, Sachi. Deathly afraid. Fear can do that to even the bravest and strongest of people. Everyone feels fear."

She looked at him. "Even you?"

He nodded. "Even me. There were many times when I feared dying in SAO." His smile returned. "But that didn't bring me down, did it? And it didn't bring you down either! You didn't die a pathetic death in one of the safe towns, or by going on ahead and killing yourself! No, you died fighting and trying to protect your friends, no matter how futile and hopeless the situation was! And you never lost faith in the people that you cared about. Your kindness and your compassion kept them going, even after you died."

Sachi's recorded message returned to Kazuto's mind as he said, "That's who you were, Sachi, even when you were timid and scared. And that's who you are now. And if that's what your character is, then..." He smiled widely. "Then I think you are the bravest, strongest person that I've ever known!"

Sachi's heart leapt at those words of encouragement, just like she did when she physically leaped out of her seat, almost spilling her tea in the process.

"You...You think so?!" she exclaimed upon running up to the boy's side.

"Yeah!" Kazuto replied, his voice brimming with enthusiasm that increased by the second. "I mean, the only reason why I made it this far, why I beat Heathcliff and clear Sword Art Online, was because of the message you left me on Christmas! If it weren't for that, I...I..."

He swallowed, and Sachi knew what he was going to say. He knew that too, for he skipped on ahead.

"Sachi, you can say that you were the one who cleared SAO. Not me."

Before he knew it, Kazuto took Sachi's hand in his. Both of them blushed at the sudden contact, but the boy accepted his actions and continued with them.

"It was all you, Sachi," he said fondly.

The kitchen became silent, but the clouds outside started to part the most they had ever done throughout the winter. The rays of sunlight became brighter, filling the kitchen with a beautiful, golden ambience. Kazuto and Sachi stood there, just passionately looking at one another, ignoring how awkward and wrong all of this seemed.

Then, it finally dawned on Kazuto what he was doing. He quickly pulled his hand away from Sachi's, and they both looked away with embarrassed blushes on their cheeks.

"Well!" Sachi replied in a slight wheeze. "I'm glad I was a big help to you in the end!"

"Yeah..." Kazuto said, all while he felt his heart beating uncomfortably and his stomach writhing unhappily. "Yeah..."

He proceeded to take his first sip of Sachi's tea. In an attempt to dispel the awkwardness, the girl coughed sharply.

"Well..." she said, "it's a shame Kayaba didn't give you a straight answer on why he did all this."

Kazuto nodded while he lowered his cup. "That's true. I would've loved to give you an answer on that..."

"But, that's alright." Sachi looked back at him with a new smile. "We're alive, and we're here now. That's all that matters. And...Asuna will be with us too. Hopefully by then, we can have more talks like this."

"Yeah." Kazuto nodded stiffly but surely. "Yeah. I'd really love that."

The awkwardness returned, and Sachi sat back in her own seat in silence. At the corner of her eye, Pina stealthily walked into the kitchen and started lapping at the water she poured into the bowl for her. The Munchkin cat then eyed the two of them, and Sachi knew that there was still untrustworthiness radiating from her judgmental eyes. Even so, she ignored it as she joined Kazuto in sipping their tea and eating the breakfast that she arranged in relative silence. Then, Kazuto took notice of a newspaper that Tetsuhiko left behind and grabbed it so he could read it. Sachi noticed this as well.

"Wow," she thought. "The way we're sitting here, with us drinking tea and Kirito reading the newspaper... It's like we're an old married couple like Tetsuhiko and Kotone..."

The comparison made her squirm from delight on the inside. And then, unfortunately, Kazuto lowered the newspaper and broke the lovely scene with his voice.

"Well, I think I'm done freshening up." He stood up from his chair and stretched his arms. "Let's go to the hospital, shall we? I seriously can't wait for you to meet Asuna, Sachi."

This time, Sachi squirmed with morose discomfort. Nevertheless, she forced a smile upon her face and nodded at him.

"Mm-hm!"

– X-Y-X –

Tokorozawashi General Hospital

He could still feel her hand on his, even now.

Her lovely warmth.

Her silky skin.

Her gentle touch.

A tender feeling.

And it made his heart do all sorts of leaps and somersaults, moves that would put his Starburst Stream move to shame.

Moves that evoked both joy and shame.

"What the hell am I even doing anymore?" Kazuto thought, as he felt the floor beneath him make its ascent. "Why do I... Why do I feel this way whenever I'm around her...?"

He felt the presence beside him, but he resisted the temptation to look at her. He couldn't. Not when he was visiting her.

"No... No, I already know the answer to that. It's because...because I failed to protect her in SAO. That's why. And now that she's with me again, in the real world, I feel an urge to right this wrong. It's strong, so strong that it could tear my heart apart if I ignore it any longer. But..." He subtly raised his hand and clenched his heart. "SAO is now over. There's no longer any danger to her. I...I have to let it go. I have to stop feeling like I need to protect her, like I've got a second chance to undo all of the stuff that happened to her..."

"You have reached Floor 9."

Prompted by the automated voice, the elevator doors slid open, and Kazuto stepped out, followed by Sachi. He could still hear the rustling of flowers behind him.

"Wooooow..." Sachi said, looking around the large, well-decorated hall in awe. "This hospital is miles better than the one I woke up in, or the one you woke up in."

"That's 'cause Asuna's family is well off," replied Kazuto. "She mentioned it to me once or twice."

She looked at him. "Do you know what her family does for a living?"

"She never mentioned it to me. Frankly, her family was a topic she liked to avoid. I never asked." Then, his dark eyes lit up when he spotted the sign next to a certain door. "Here it is. Room 21."

"Ah..." Sachi read the kanji on the sign. "Asuna...Yuuki..."

"The one and only." Kazuto looked at her. "Ready?"

"Mm-hm!"

Though he noticed the glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes, Kazuto nodded at her and approached the door, allowing it to open automatically. She stepped in first, her small but colorful bouquet of flowers swaying to and fro. He followed behind, with the door closing behind him, and he was quick to notice how stiff she got when she first laid eyes on Asuna.

Indeed, she was the way he left her: still, pale, and comatose, but nevertheless staggeringly beautiful.

"Hey, Asuna..." Kazuto greeted upon approaching her bedside. "It's me again. I'd like you to meet someone. You'll never guess who."

He heard Sachi swallow and recompose herself. The girl then walked up to the other side of Asuna's bed so she could set the bouquet down on the bedside table. Finally, she looked down upon Asuna's prone features, her face taking on an air of childlike curiosity.

"Her name's Sachi," Kazuto continued. Then, he looked at the girl in blue. "Say hi, Sachi."

Sachi's voice was as timid and meek as when he first met her. "H-H-Hi, Asuna..."

"I met her in SAO, in April 2023. Way before you invited me to your house and cooked me that awesome Ragout Rabbit's Meat stew, heh heh heh." He gave Asuna a tiny but fond smile. "She...She's one of the Moonlit Black Cats that I told you about. The friends that I lost."

He could feel Sachi's eyes on him now, but he ignored it.

"Turns out she's one of fifteen or so people who had defective NerveGear on. It failed to kill her, and she managed to log out of the game. She found me and took care of me until I beat Heathcliff and cleared the game. She may not look like it but...she's got a lot of strength." His smile broadened ever so slightly. "I mean, she's gotta if she had to take care of my sorry ass for seventeen months."

He heard Sachi emit a small, almost inaudible chuckle. He chuckled too before continuing.

"Anyway...I hope that I have the same strength to take care of you for these next couple of days, until you come back to me..." Kazuto suddenly felt his vocal cords get tangled up, and he had to overcome a surge of emotions in order to keep speaking. "They're gonna test a new device on you, Asuna. They think it'll get you out of...wherever it is you are trapped in, for good. I hope it works, Asuna. It really hope it does. And then..."

He took Asuna's hand and held it in his own, gently and tenderly. No matter how bony and cold her normally smooth skin was, he would always cherish that feeling.

"And then I'll fulfill the promise I made to you in Aincrad."

Deep from the bottom of his heart, Kazuto wanted to elaborate on that promise, but another part of him held him back, warning him about Sachi. He didn't know why her reaction to his promise of buying Asuna a real engagement ring made his gut writhe, but he knew he didn't want to find out.

Then, the passionate but awkward mood was interrupted by two sets of footsteps.

"Oh, Kazuto."

Kazuto and Sachi looked towards the curtain and saw a middle-aged man with wrinkled skin and brown hair standing just a couple of feet away. Even with his formal dark-brown suit, he exuded an air of friendliness and, above all, remorse for the bedridden girl.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were here," the man said. "Thank you for coming."

"Hello, Yuuki-san," Kazuto greeted back. "I hope it's okay I'm here."

"Please, you can visit whenever you'd like. I know it makes her happy." The man gave the boy a smile befitting a proud father, before he noticed Sachi. "And who's this?"

"Oh!" Kazuto gestured to her. "Yuuki-san, this is Sachi. She's another SAO survivor. Uh, Sachi, this is Shouzou Yuuki. He is Asuna's father."

Sachi politely bowed her head. "Pleased to meet you, sir. My name's Sachiko Hamaguchi, but as Kiri- uh, Ka-Kazuto said, you can just call me Sachi."

"The pleasure's all mine," Shouzou replied kindly.

The well-dressed man then strolled over to Sachi's position, and the two youths noticed for the first time that he carried his own bouquet of flowers, larger and more colorful than Sachi's. He set it down beside Sachi's bouquet, unintentionally creating a strong contrast between the two of them, and looked upon his comatose daughter with a tiny, paternal smile.

"I'm glad that you could visit too, Sachi," he said, without looking at the girl in blue. "I'm sure Asuna would have loved to be in the company of her friends from that game."

"Errrrr..." Sachi's faltering voice was full of doubt and indecision at first. "Ye...Y-Yeah... Yeah, I'm sure she would've loved that too..."

Kazuto stared at her in surprised confusion, but he decided not to question her response. Then, at that point, the owner of the second set of footsteps made its presence known.

"Sir."

Another man appeared from behind the curtain, younger than Shouzou but most certainly older than the teenagers in the room. Like Shouzou, he was dressed in a suit, navy-blue in color, and he also had short, slicked-back, dark-brown hair. A pair of rectangular, thin-framed glasses momentarily hid his eyes behind a bright glint from the reflected light. There was a strange air surrounding him, which vaguely made Kazuto want to keep an eye on him.

"Oh!" Shouzou said, upon noticing the look of unfamiliarity in Kazuto's face. "I don't think the two of you have ever met. This is Sugou. He's our company's director of R&D."

The man smiled at Kazuto and Sachi. "I'm Nobuyuki Sugou. It's a pleasure."

Kazuto was slightly taken aback. Something about the man's smile made him feel unsettled, but he knew better than to act on a fleeting gut sensation, especially in front of Asuna's father.

So, he hesitantly replied, "I'm Kazuto Kirigaya."

He could've sworn he heard Sachi repeat Sugou's name in a confused whisper, but he didn't have time to fully dwell on it, for Sugou suddenly became enthused.

"You're the Kirito!" The bespectacled businessman took Kazuto's hand and shook it in excitement. "You're a hero! It's an honor!"

Once again, Kazuto felt unsettled by the man's tone, but he didn't let it show out of respect.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Shouzou said while putting a finger to his chin. "I know we're not supposed to talk about what happened inside the SAO server...but he's my partner's son, so it's fine. Besides, I've always thought of him as part of my family."

Sugou gave Kazuto and Sachi a smile before turning to Shouzou. "Uh, actually sir...speaking of family, if I may, I'd like to make it official as soon as possible."

Shouzou suddenly became surprised. "Huh? This is sudden. Are you sure this is really what you want? I mean, you're still young. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"Thank you for your concern," Sugou replied, his voice filled with conviction, "but my heart's set on it..." He adjusted his glasses and then gave Asuna a longing, passionate glance. "It sounds strange, but even though she's like this, she's still beautiful. I'd like to see her in that wedding dress."

All of a sudden, Kazuto started to feel as if Asuna, Sachi, and the entire world were getting farther and farther away from him. An unknown, invisible force started to squeeze his heart tightly, priming it to explode. He felt as if he couldn't even breathe. He could barely hear Shouzou's response in the long distance. But the words that followed scarcely mattered to him, only the revelation that had suddenly been tossed onto his shoulders with the weight of bricks.

"I understand this is a matter of the heart for you, but...are you sure you just don't want to wait, Sugou? The White Star human trial is next week, after all. We can start making the arrangements as soon as she's freed from that thing."

Sugou's smile did not waver. "I do understand, sir. I know you've made an investment in the project, both monetary and spiritually. But, and please forgive me for my bluntness, we don't exactly know what will happen during the trial. Indeed, the results of the first field tests are promising, but they've never tested the White Star on a live human subject before. I fear there may be a big difference. Should the worst happen, in spite of Shigemura and Yonemoto's preparations..."

His voice trailed off, but Shouzou understood.

"You have a point." The middle-aged businessman looked down at Asuna with a slightly grim look. "I trust Yonemoto, but even he isn't entirely infallible. The sooner we accept the reality of this situation, the better..."

Even so, his voice was full of doubt, which Kazuto picked up on in an instant. Returning to reality, he shot a hopeful gaze at Shouzou, silently praying that he would reconsider for his daughter's sake.

But it never came, for Shouzou noticed the clock and gasped lightly.

"Sorry to cut the conversation short," he said. "I have a meeting to get to."

He began walking towards the door, leaving Kazuto behind in his crumbling misery and helplessness.

"We can talk more about this later," Shouzou continued. "Kazuto, Sachi, take care."

"Y-You too, Yuuki-san..." Sachi replied shakily.

Shouzou promptly went out of sight, and the two adolescents heard the door open and then close, signaling his untimely departure. This left them alone with Sugou, who continued to wear his smile and his upbeat expression. Dim, weak rays of sunlight passed over the bespectacled man's face, and it became clear how obviously artificial and unnatural the look was on him. Kazuto remained stiff in shock beside him, while Sachi watched from the other side of Asuna's bed with her breath held.

Then, without shifting a facial muscle, Sugou spoke.

"Now...Hamaguchi, was it?"

"Y-Yes?" Sachi replied, standing firmer at attention despite her wariness.

"Would you mind giving us some privacy?" Sugou asked in a kind voice that was blatantly fraudulent. "I'd like to have a little chat with your friend about our memories of Asuna. Man to man. You know how it goes."

"Uhhhhh..."

Kazuto's eyes met with Sachi's. At first, he didn't know whether she should stay and back him up, or leave and be spared from whatever might happen next. Then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed the way Sugou's eyes were trained on Sachi like those of a predator lying in wait. The interest in his eyes wasn't as strong compared to Asuna, and it almost seemed passive and casual.

Even so, Kazuto could tell it was there.

"No. I can't let her be in the same room as him. Not for any longer!"

"It's okay, Sachi," the boy said, his voice tinged in concern. "You can wait outside."

Sachi looked at him incredulously, but she nodded. "O...Okay..."

She gave Asuna one last look of acknowledgment before strolling out of the room. Attentively, Kazuto watched her leave, all of his muscles tense and poised to react in a split-second's notice. He saw how Sugou's pupils followed Sachi too, and he had to resist the urge to punch the man in the face.

For both Asuna's and Sachi's sakes, he had to.

– X-Y-X –

"So it's not just me. Kirito knows this Sugou guy's bad news too."

Sachi made sure to maintain a cool, relaxed posture and pace for appearance's sake while she left Asuna's hospital room. But, as soon as she stepped through the opening doorway and made a left turn, out of sight, she quickly scurried to the nearest unoccupied chair, sat down on it, and rubbed her sides with a cold shudder.

"Ugh!" she thought with a disgusted grimace. "I can feel his eyes on me! All over me!"

She made sure to pat and rub herself down, like she had just waded through a murky swamp and had to clean the gunk off of her. Once she felt the eerie sensation leave her skin, Sachi lowered her arms, took a deep breath, and then gazed at the door leading to Asuna's room.

"Kirito... Please don't do anything stupid..."

"Thank you for your concern, but my heart's set on it... It sounds strange, but even though she's like this, she's still beautiful. I'd like to see her in that wedding dress."

"He's...He's gotta be talking about marriage, right? A marriage...between him and her...?"

An image flashed through her mind. A well-dressed groom standing beside a comatose woman wearing a wedding dress. His glasses were shining in triumph, while her chestnut hair was paler and grayer than usual while splashed all over her hospital bed. It was like something out of a horror movie.

After holding down a nasty retch, Sachi covered her mouth in disgust. "If that happens, then...Kazuto will never be able to be with her ever again...at least as a real couple... And that's if the White Star human trial goes well..."

Then, all of a sudden, another thought bloomed in her head.

"And if that happens, then...Kazuto will be all alone...all..."

Catching herself, Sachi lightly slapped her own cheeks. "No! Don't think that! That's not fair to him! Not fair at all!"

"But...he said it himself. He loves Asuna, and she loves him. He'll never leave her side, unless..."

"No! Kirito's happiness matters above all else! I can't leave him to suffer, not when he didn't leave me to suffer! Besides, he's known her longer than he's known me by this point..."

"Well...if things continue to move in my favor, then Kirito will be mine... This situation is...very...favorable..."

"NO! Stop it! Who do you think you are?! You can't take advantage of Kirito like this!"

"Oh, please! If anything, you have a right to him. You have gotten yourself this far, made yourself a different person, a braver person, a stronger person, aaall for him! Is it wrong for you to expect a little compensation for your trouble now?"

"NO! It was for me!"

"For you? Don't lie to yourself, Sachi. Not now."

"NO!"

"You said it yourself, many times. It was for him. So you can become the kind of girl Kirito loves."

"NO!"

Bursting with anger and self-hatred, Sachi slammed her clenched fist into the wall behind her, so hard that it might've as well left a crack. She could barely hear the doctors, nurses, and patients within sight reacting in surprise to her action.

Then, after a couple of seconds of real-life lag, she grunted in pain and clutched her throbbing hand.

"Agh! Damn it!" Sachi looked down at her reddening, trembling hand as her vision started to blur. "Damn it..."

She sniffled, and she felt her nose becoming runny. At that moment, she heard a tiny set of footsteps quickly running up to her. Through the impenetrable fog of tears, Sachi could see the shape of a little girl, no older than six or seven years of age, looking up at her in concern, her tiny mouth obscured by a face-mask. Then, without apparently thinking, the girl quickly lifted her face-mask with one hand, took Sachi's injured hand with the other, and kissed the reddening area with a childishly loud smooch.

"There you go, missy," the girl said. "All better!"

Then, after giving Sachi one last grin, she put her face-mask back on and returned to her mother. The woman patted her head with a chuckle while she waited for the elevator to open. As for Sachi, she blinked in incredulous surprise, watching while the girl bounced on her heels.

"Will you look at that?" Sachi thought. "A little girl's a lot more sensitive about my feelings than I am with Kirito's..."

She then looked down at her injured hand. The little girl's childish but well-meaning kiss only gave her a partial reprieve to the pain. Even so, the sweetness of the gesture seemed to bring even more comfort than that, like a placebo. With a gentle smile of adoration, Sachi looked back toward the girl and her mother, only to catch them walking into the elevator and out of sight, for good.

And with the girl's disappearance, Sachi's feelings of self-doubt came flooding back.

"I don't know what to do. His heart belongs to someone else, and her heart belongs to him. That much is clear. But he's been my everything for this past year. I...I can't let him go... I...I can't hurt him, but...I don't know if I can die again-"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door sliding itself open. Sachi looked towards Asuna's room, only to feel her skin crawl coldly.

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but note the amusing pattern regarding her less-than-ideal experiences...with bespectacled men.

"Oh?" Sugou asked, looking down at her with a vague hint of lechery in his eyes. "Ah, Hamaguchi. Thank you for waiting so patiently. Kirito's waiting for you." He pointed his thumb inside the room. "I'd be careful if I were you, though. I think he's a little...overly possessive when it comes to Asuna. Like a dog." He started strolling past her. "Don't get too close to the bed."

Sachi's eyes widened. She could see the little smile on the businessman's face. It was innocuous, friendly even, but there was a clear undertone of sadistic triumph to it. An undertone that she could only feel during a monster battle in SAO.

She wanted to grab Sugou by his stupid suit. She wanted to knock him down to his knees. She wanted to scream at him, ask him what he did. But she remembered how she attacked Endou while defending Shino and reluctantly relented, thus allowing Sugou to walk towards the elevators, basking in smug triumph over getting the last word.

Once it was clear that Sugou would not be talking to her anymore, Sachi stood and ran into the room. There, she found Kazuto on his knees beside Asuna's bed. There was a deathly silence in the air.

"KIRITO!" she cried in horror, once the door closed behind her. She ran up to him and knelt beside him. "Kirito, are you alright?! What happened?! Did he hurt you?!"

At first, Kazuto did not reply to her. His head was hung low, his blank, sunken eyes hopelessly transfixed to the polished floorboards while locks of his hair dangled over them. His jaw was slightly agape, with a low, strangled noise coming out of his mouth.

With softening eyes, Sachi lifted her left hand and put it on his shoulder. Then, she used her right hand to rub the boy's back in a gentle, smooth, assuaging manner.

"Kirito..." she said gently this time. "I'm here. I'm here. When you're ready, we can talk about it. Or we don't have to, if you think we shouldn't."

There was more silence from the boy. Then, after a few minutes that felt like many hours, he looked at her, and she had to hold back a horrified gasp.

His metallic eyes, normally filled with courage and compassion, were watering with tears of grief.

"I'm sorry, Sachi," he said. "I'm so sorry. I...I didn't want you to see this. I swore, no matter what, you'd never see me being such a crybaby. I'm so, so sorry..."

"Ohhhhh, don't be, Kirito!" Sachi scooted closer to him. "You were there for me when I was the crybaby...so it's my turn. So don't be ashamed at all. You're not weak for crying in front of me."

"I am weak, Sachi... I am..." Kazuto started to break down in tears. "Asuna's...going to be...far away...from me... She'll be married to that...that...that bastard Sugou...and then they'll use...the White Star on her... Successful or not...she'll be leaving...going somewhere far, far away...and I'll never...see her again... And there's nothing...nothing...that I can do to stop it..."

By that point, Kazuto was sobbing, to the point where his words were barely decipherable.

"I'm not strong, Sachi! I'm not the person you thought I was! I'm weak and powerless! I'm...I'm..."

Sachi didn't hold herself back anymore. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into the tightest, most loving hug she could give him. Everything that she held inside of herself, she channeled into her hug.

"Human," she said without thinking. "You're human, Kirito. And...there's nothing wrong with that. There are just...some things you can't control, no matter how hard you try."

"But...B-But...Asuna..." sobbed Kazuto.

"She fell in love with you and married you, right? If that's true, then, no matter what happens to her, Kirito, I know she'll understand. Somewhere, somehow, she'll understand. And she'll never lose her faith in you, just like how I never lost my faith in you."

Sachi tenderly nuzzled her head against Kazuto's, their hairs interlocking and their souls melding together. "But even so, don't give up, Kirito. Don't give up. The battle's not over yet. Just know that...even if the worst does happen, you tried... You tried..."

Kazuto continued crying, but he seemed to absorb Sachi's words. With that, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around Sachi's body, reciprocating the hug. And so, the two teens knelt in silence together, hugging while Kazuto's sobs filled the room. As they did, Sachi regretfully looked up at Asuna's comatose form, who remained blissfully unaware of the events transpiring beside her...

Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture

The regret had long vanished by the time Sachi and Kazuto returned to the latter's home. The two walked up to the front door side by side, their steps almost in sync with one another. Kazuto had a small but fond smile on his face, while Sachi was struggling to keep her inner excitement at bay.

"Oh my gosh, we walked home together!" she thought. "It's like... It's like we're a couple! A couple on our first date!"

"Hey, Sachi...?" Kazuto said while turning to face her.

Sachi's gaze quickly met his. "Y-Yes, Kirito?!"

"Thank you."

"Oh, no, no, no!" She started waving her hands. "You gotta stop thanking me, Kirito! I've had enough thanks from you to last me a life-"

"No. I won't stop thanking you, Sachi. I can't stop." His smile broadened at her. "Ever since I woke up, you were always there for me. Taking care of me, keeping me company, consoling me when things were bad... If...If it weren't for you, I'd be in a pretty bad position..."

His voice faded into nothingness, and the two adolescents simply stood in front of the Kirigaya household, looking deeply into one another's eyes in tender silence. It was like they were waiting for one or the other to make the next move, even as the Universe fought and struggled against them.

Then, Kazuto did make the next move: he leaned in, without warning, and kissed Sachi. On the cheek.

And then he regretted it right away. "S-SORRY!" The boy stumbled backward, nearly tripping on himself. "SORRY, SORRY, SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO-!"

"I-It's okay!" Sachi blurted out, even as her face read so much embarrassment that she looked hilarious. "I-I don't mind! I-I mean, I-I do mind, b-b-but not when you do it! No, no, I-I mean, well, I-I mean-"

"I'll just go inside now!"

Kazuto hastily prepared to unlock the front door when Sachi, now unbidden, called out to him again.

"Kirito!"

He stopped and turned around, a look in his eyes that exhibited both hope and regret.

But Sachi had no regrets as she asked, "Do you maybe wanna go out somewhere with me? Just the two of us?"

"H-Huh?"

At first, Kazuto appeared to be confused, worrying Sachi. Then, her heart skipped a beat in delight when he smiled after a moment of rumination.

"Sure. Where do you wanna meet?"

"Do...Do you know Kawagoe Park?"

"The park?" A small light sparked inside Kazuto's metallic eyes. "Haven't been there in a while, but yeah, I still know the way there. Wanna go this Saturday?"

"Y-Yeah!" Sachi struggled to control herself from bouncing on her heels. "Saturday's fine by me!"

"Great!" He smiled at her. "I'll see you then, Sachi."

"R-Right! See you then! U-Until then..." She paused, but she smiled back at him. "Never mind! See ya!"

Kazuto seemingly chose to ignore that verbal misstep, for he chuckled and turned his back on her. Sachi could only watch with the widest and fondest of smiles while the boy she loved unlocked the front door, opened it, and stepped inside the house. Once he did, he turned back towards her and delivered one last smile and wave to her, which she returned.

And then, he closed the door.

Sachi stood there for a few moments, her body as motionless as Asuna's comatose own. Then, she turned around on her heel and skipped off the Kirigaya property, all while humming a cheerful holiday tune to herself.

– X-Y-X –

"Damn... What the hell am I doing...?"

As soon as he had closed the door on Sachi, Kazuto leaned his back against it, his mind spinning from everything that'd just happened. His breakfast with Sachi, his latest visit to Asuna, his meeting with Nobuyuki Sugou, and now...now...

"Do you maybe wanna go out somewhere with me? Just the two of us?"

"Sure. Where do you wanna meet?"

He put his fingers over his lips. He could still feel her cool, silky skin against them. It was such a familiar, tender feeling...

And then, the feeling turned cold.

"Asuna..." Kazuto put his hand over his forehead. "If you were here right now, you'd be kicking my ass to the Moon and back." His lips curled into a wry, self-derisive smile. "I must look so pathetic, bouncing back and forth between you and Sachi... I don't even know what my feelings for Sachi are... I feel like the other shoe's about to drop any second now..."

He lowered his hand and started walking further into the house. When he approached the stairs, some subtle movement at the top caught his attention, and he immediately reached for his swords. But when his hands could only grope empty air, Kazuto froze, his blood running cold and his heart stopping.

Fortunately for him, he swiftly recognized who was at the top of the stairs.

"Oh, Sugu!" Kazuto lowered his arms again and smiled up at her. "You startled me there for a sec. I hope you didn't get too lonely without me."

He was suddenly met with an ominous silence from his younger sister. She merely glowered down at him, and he noticed her posture was almost akin to her usual fighting stance in kendo. It brought a chill up his spine.

"Uhhhhh...S-Sugu?" he asked hesitantly. "Is...Is something wrong? D-Did I do something to piss you off? 'Cause I swear, it wasn't-"

"Sure. Where do you wanna meet?" Suguha's recital of her brother's own words flowed like venom. "Sure, where do you wanna meet?! Kazuto! Are you really gonna go out with...with HER?!"

Kazuto quickly became defensive. "Sugu, you've got it all wrong! I'm just going out with Sachi as a friend, not as...y-you know, something more! And..." He narrowed his eyes. "Did you eavesdrop on us?!"

The distrustful look on Suguha's face confirmed his suspicions. She replied, "Onii-chan, you may think of it as something between friends, but it's clear to me that she thinks of it as something more! And she's gonna take advantage of it, just like she's taking advantage of you!"

"Taking advantage of me?!" Kazuto repeated. The outrage that he felt was quickly boiling over inside of his gut. "S-Sugu, why are you always like this when it comes to Sachi?! She has been nothing but nice to you! But every time she wants to reach out to you, you give her the cold shoulder, and that's putting it mildly! I don't understand why you seem to dislike her so much!"

"D-Dislike?" Suguha suddenly looked affronted. "Dislike? Kazuto, what do I keep telling you?! I. Don't. TRUST. HER!" She started marching down the stairs, a loud boom of a stomp punctuating her footsteps. "She got out of SAO when she died in there, right?!"

"Yeah! So?"

By that point, Suguha had approached her older brother and started glaring up at him. He almost braced himself for the ass-kicking that he used to receive from her whenever he pranked her.

"A near-death experience like that's gotta be harmful for her mind, right?! And I always hear how she used to be such a frail-minded girl?!"

"Well, obviously she underestimated her own strength!" Kazuto crossed his arms. "What, you think she's one step away from a total psychotic break?!"

"Ohhhh no, Onii-chan, I think she's a lovely girl who'd prance around in the meadow and make all the flowers bloom- OF COURSE I THINK SO!" Sachi punctuated her declaration with a stamp of her foot. "IN FACT, I THINK SHE'S TEETERING ON THE EDGE!"

"Heh, yeah. Teetering on the edge so badly that she can maintain a straight conversation with Mom and bring a friend of hers over for Christmas."

"Well, she's faking it! Psychopaths are good at faking emotions, you know!"

"...I think you've got psycho and psychopath confused, Sugu- AGH!"

Suguha grabbed her brother's collar and pulled him in closer. "It. Doesn't. Matter! Onii-chan, something's not right with her! I can feel it! You need to stay away from her!"

"NO!"

Kazuto tore himself away from his sister's grasp. All of his memories of Asuna were shoved to the back of his mind as he continued to speak in Sachi's defense.

"She visited me in the hospital as many times as you and Mom did! And she helped me with my recovery! It's because of her I exceeded the doctor's expectations and got weaned off of Grandpa's stupid cane weeks ago! She's done so, so, SO much for me, and the least that I can do is pay her back somehow!"

He turned his back on Suguha, ignoring the soft gasp that she emitted.

"So no, Sugu," he said with finality. "I'm NOT going to stay away from her. She told me to never give up until the battle's over. So I won't. For her sake, and for Asuna's too."

Suguha finally snapped. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT! YOU'RE GONNA LET HER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU?! SHE'S AN OUTLIER, ONII-CHAN!"

"SHE'S NOT AN OUTLIER, DAMN IT!"

"SHE IS, ONII-CHAN! SHE'S A FREAK!"

For a moment, the only thing that Kazuto could see was red. He moved in a swift blur, his muscles using up their newly-buffered reserves of energy. The next thing he knew, his palm was stinging.

And Suguha was splayed on the floor, holding her cheek in stunned horror.

...

...

...

"Sugu..." Kazuto said.

To his dismay, his sister's mind finally caught up with the violent slap that she received. Tears formed in her eyes, and he reacted in an instant.

"Sugu, I'm-"

"Shut up!" Suguha's tearful yet frustrated voice sliced through his like a katana. "Onii-chan, the day you dived into SAO, all those years ago, I was still there! I was outside, watching your window when you went in, and I thought...should I go back in, bust into your room, and give you a hug? Was a simple yell up the stairs enough for a goodbye?! Well, obviously I didn't go through with that! Obviously I decided to just run off like a coward! I just left you to die!"

Kazuto could only give her a strangled gasp of shock.

"So...when you got out of SAO, when you finally came back to us, to me, I promised myself that I'd never leave you like that ever again! That I'd protect you! That I'd care for you! That I'd at least get to give you a proper goodbye if anything were to ever happen to you! But now...now..."

By that point, tears were dripping down Suguha's cheeks, and she yelled out her next words.

"I...I WISH YOU WOULD'VE JUST DIED IN SAO, WITHOUT THAT PROPER GOODBYE!"

"S-Sugu..." Kazuto said. His vocal cords then became tangled up, unable to provide him his next words.

The girl hiccupped loudly. "Because now, I'm gonna have to watch! She's going to break your heart, Kazuto. One way or another. And while you're still with...with Asuna! That heartbreak's going to kill you, I can feel it, an-and you're letting it happen! No matter what I do to protect you and care for you! And now, I can't do a thing to stop it! Only watch!"

Then, she quickly stood up on her feet. "But I'm not gonna do that either! I am not gonna shoulder that responsibility as well! I'm just gonna do what I did before, Kazuto! And that's run away!" She hiccupped again. "I hope you enjoy the time you have with her. You're gonna have to cherish those moments, because I won't!"

"Sugu, wait-" Kazuto began.

But it was too late. Suguha ran back upstairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her so hard that he heard a mirror rattle upstairs. Then, when the sound of the violent slam died off, there was initially nothing but terrible silence.

Then, Kazuto let out a yell and punched the wall, using the same fist he used to assault his own sister. The pain raged all across his hand, hotter than flames and sharper than swords, but the boy, in his overwhelmed and agitated state, could barely acknowledge it.

"DAMN IT! Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! WHY?! What is with Sugu nowadays?! What do you want me to do?! I can't just turn Sachi down now! I got myself into this, and I gotta own it! Like I said, I gotta pay her back somehow! That's all I'm doing, Sugu! Yet you act like it's gonna be the end of the world for me!"

"She's going to break your heart, Kazuto. One way or another. And while you're still with...with Asuna!"

"It'll just be a one-time thing," he mentally concluded. "Plain and simple. After that, we stop with the weird intimacy, and I go back to worrying about Asuna. It's just a one-time thing...and nothing more."

– X-Y-X –

Alfheim, Swilvane, Sylph Territory

"You're acting pretty chipper today. Did something happen?"

...

"Sachi?"

...

"Sachi?"

...

"Earth to Sachi."

...

Suddenly, Sachi felt a tickling sensation in the back of her pointed, elongated ears, a sensation that felt strangely lovely.

"EEK!" She recoiled, clutching her pointed, elongated ear, even as her loins suddenly felt a little disappointed at the lack of this feeling now. "Sinonon! Don't rub my ear like that!"

"Well, you were a little spaced out there," the Cait Sith casually replied with a twitch of her feline ears. "How else was I supposed to get your attention?"

"Maybe in a...less awkward way?"

Sinon scoffed while she continued walking side by side with the Undine. The pair was strolling through the large, bustling Swilvane town square, attracting the eyes of each and every Sylph player that they passed by. None of them did a thing about the two players of different Fairy races, but murmurs were spreading through the populace like wildfire.

"Hey, aren't those the Undine and Cait Sith who've often been seen with Sigurd's party?"

"Ohhhhh, yeah! There's no mistaking their armor and equipment!"

"It's totally them! The Sapphire Shielder and the Archer of the West! Damn, they're pretty cute!"

"Hey, don't say that out loud! They didn't earn those nicknames for nothing, you know!"

"Yeah! I heard the Archer was able to kill a Salamander with an arrow shot from 200 meters away!"

"200 meters?! That's crazy for a bow user!"

"And I heard that the Sapphire Shielder has a weapon that negates Dark Magic!"

"An anti-Dark Magic weapon?! Aren't those sorta rare?!"

"Yeah! She relies on it more than anti-Dark Magic Spells, even!"

"Dude, that just makes her even more awesome! Undines are weak against Dark Magic, after all!"

"Why'd Recon ask us to come out here...?" Sachi asked, nervously looking at all of the suspicious and astounded Sylphs. "I think we're attracting all sorts of attention..."

"He said it was an emergency," Sinon calmly replied. "And don't worry about them, Sachi."

"Don't worry about them? If I can hear all those whispers, God knows what those ears of yours are picking up!"

"Well, you heard those oglers. We're a couple of badasses that they wouldn't dare to mess with."

"Well, it's a good thing the Undine-Cait Sith-Sylph alliance is as intact as ever, otherwise we'd be dead by now."

"Anyway..." Sinon looked at Sachi through her peripheral vision. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Sachi looked at her in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"You seemed pretty happy a few moments ago. You still have a glow to you too."

"Huh?" Then, the Undine smiled with excitement. "O-Oh! I asked Kirito out, and he said yes, Sinonon!"

The Cait Sith stopped, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I asked Kirito out, and he said-"

"I know what you said, Sachi. It's just, well...what?"

Sachi stopped in the middle of the town square, and Sinon stopped too. They stared at one another from a couple of feet away, though there was a sudden feeling of increased distance between the two of them. Even so, Sachi was too caught up in her excitement to really grasp that feeling.

"We're gonna meet up at Kawagoe Park," the Undine said. "And then...who knows? But..." She tenderly, absentmindedly cast her gaze to the ground beneath Sinon's feet. "He agreed, Sinonon. He...He wants to spend time with me..."

"Even when he's still pining for that other girl?" Sinon asked curiously. "What's her name?"

"Asuna. A-And I mean, I-I'm confident he just wants to go out with me as a friend. But..." Sachi shyly twisted her ankle around. "Maybe it can turn into a little something more...at least for a moment..."

Doubt suddenly filled the Cait Sith's face. "...Are...Are you sure you're gonna keep it as a friendly thing...?"

Sachi looked up, surprised. "I-I'm not gonna try and make a-a move on him or anything! Honest, Sinonon! B-But I might as well just work with the best that I've got! This is my only opportunity, my...my only shot to be with him without Asuna hanging over our heads, and his only opportunity to ease up and get his mind off of her for a change!"

"For a change?" Sinon arched an eyebrow in concern. "Sachi...do you even hear yourself?"

"Hear myself? Hear myself?!" Sachi started to become overwhelmed with confusion. "Sinon!"

She ignored how the Cait Sith froze and subtly grimaced at the use of her proper avatar name.

"You're the one who said I had a lot of baggage when it comes to my feelings for him, a-and that I had to find a surefire way to take care of it, otherwise I might explode! Well, I'm taking care of it, Sinon! An opportunity has shown up on my doorstep, and I'm gonna seize it! If I don't, then...I don't know if I ever will take care of it!"

Sinon's face fell. "I see..."

Sachi blinked rapidly. "Sinon, I don't understand, why do you look s-so disappointed?! I...I-I thought that you'd be happy for me!"

"I am happy."

Even so, the Cait Sith's voice was stiff and colder than usual, and she turned around to continue walking, her pace faster than usual. Sachi watched her go in stunned confusion.

"You do what you want, Sachi. Come on now. Let's see what Recon needs us for."

Sinon quickly disappeared into the crowd of Sylphs, leaving behind a dumbfounded Sachi.

"Sinonon..."

"Alright, Recon. What is it?"

Sachi and Sinon approached Recon, who was standing in front of a row of townhouses lining the square. Sachi looked up at them and recognized one of the homes, a homely three-story building with a light-green exterior, a front gate, and a custom Sylph logo over the front door.

"Wait, isn't this-?" Sachi asked.

"Leafa won't come out of her home!" Recon cried. "She's restricted all visitor access! No matter how hard I try, I cannot get her to grant me access!"

"Odd," Sinon replied. "Did you message her?"

"Yeah! Many, many times!"

"Knowing you, she's probably got over a thousand messages clogging up her inbox."

"H-Hey!"

Sachi stepped forward. "I'll message her."

She pulled up her menu, went to the private messaging field, and began typing her message.

Leafa, it's Sachi. We're outside. Recon's worried about you. Everything alright?

As Sachi sent her message, Sinon continued talking to Recon.

"What exactly happened, Recon?"

"I-I-I got a notification on my phone saying Leafa was online, a-and I thought it had something to do with a-a quest that Sigurd wanted th-the two of us to do w-with his party! S-So I logged on, b-but when I got to our usual rendezvous place, sh-she wasn't there! S-Sigurd and I waited so long and messaged her many times, a-and then Sigurd got impatient and left with the others! I-I looked at my map a-and saw that she was here!"

"Wait, so she spawned in her home...and never left?" Sachi asked.

"Y-Yeah! A-And I've never, ever known her to have lag, s-so this has gotta be something else!"

Sachi gazed towards the uppermost windows of Leafa's house. "Recon, I don't have experience in this, but...you can yell at players through their windows, right? Just like in real life?"

Recon blinked. "Well...y-yeah, b-but it's more proper to just-"

"LEAFA!"

"AGH!" Recon started looking around at all of the Sylphs in earshot. "Saaaaachiiiii! Not too loud! We're in the square!"

Sachi continued to yell. "Leafa! It's Sachi! If you can hear me, look out your window! Please!"

A few moments passed without any response from the Sylph. Even so, Sachi refused to give up.

"Leafa, whatever's wrong, Sinon, Recon, and I are here for you! Please, just let us in your house, and we can talk about it! It'll just be the four of us! Just the four of us, and no one else!"

Again, there was no response from Leafa. Sachi didn't even make out any movement inside the home. She was about to yell again when a hand clasped itself over her shoulder.

"Let's go, Sachi," Sinon said. "We'll try again later-"

The Cait Sith was cut off by the sound of a window opening. All three players looked up and saw locks of beautiful blonde hair fluttering out of the windowsill.

"Hi, you guys..." Leafa greeted with a tearful sniffle.

Sachi and Sinon followed Leafa and Recon into the townhouse, all the while looking around in awe. The walls and ceiling were colored in various shades and patterns of green and yellow, giving the interior a vibrant and earthly aura. However, the arrangement of the halls, furniture, and other furnishings evoked within Sachi a familiar feeling of old Japanese-style housing.

In fact, there was something about Leafa's townhome in particular that made it feel strangely welcoming to her.

"L-Leafa!" Recon squeaked. "Wh-Wh-Why'd you ghost S-Sigurd a-and the others?! W-W-We were w-waiting for you f-for hours! I-I-I had to c-call S-Sachi a-and Si-Sinon here t-to figure out wh-what's g-going on!"

"I'm sorry, Recon," Leafa replied softly while sitting down on an armchair. "I...I thought Sigurd's invitation would take my mind off of things, but..." She absentmindedly gazed at the small circular table in front of her. "I guess I was wrong..."

Sachi looked at her. "Why? What happened?"

Then, all three players noticed the Sylph's eyes watering, and her cheeks already becoming stained from her tears. With a gasp, Sachi knelt before her friend and took her hand in a gesture of consolation.

"Did something happen to you?" the Undine asked. "IRL?"

Leafa didn't say anything. Instead, she briefly looked at her, only to recoil at the sight of her and look away. Sinon quietly approached Leafa from the other side and repeated Sachi's movements, kneeling beside her and taking her other hand. Meanwhile, Recon hesitantly knelt in front of his fellow Sylph. Together, all four players were gathered together in a tight, intimate space while Leafa started to silently weep.

"Whatever it is," Sinon said kindly, "you can tell us, Leafa."

"Yeah!" Sachi added encouragingly. "We're your friends, aren't we?"

"And friends shouldn't be afraid to show their emotions to one another."

"Y-Yeah," Recon piped up. "Wh-What they said."

Sinon's face and voice suddenly grew a lot colder. "Recon, you're not helping."

He hung his head and shoulders in shame. "S-Sorry..."

The brief exchange suddenly elicited a quick, tiny giggle from Leafa. The others looked at her as that indiscernible giggle made way for a bout of additional giggles, which then evolved into a low but kindhearted chuckle.

"Thank you, you guys..." Leafa said with a sniffle. "Your...Your compassion really means...a lot to me..."

"Hey, don't mention it!" exclaimed Sachi. "What're friends for, anyway?!"

"Yeah... Friends..."

Leafa cast an ambiguous gaze towards Sachi, but it only lasted for a fleeting moment. The Sylph redirected her gaze out of the window, which had a clear view of the town square and all of the Sylph players in it. Sachi followed her gaze, saw the square outside as well, and then looked back at Leafa.

"Whatever's been bothering you," the Undine said, "we don't have to talk about it right now, if you'd like. We can handle this at your own pace."

Leafa softly shook her head. "No... I-It's okay... I can talk about it..."

"Alright, then," Sinon replied while patting the Sylph's wrist. "What's been bothering you, Leafa?"

"It's..." Leafa looked at Sachi for a moment before continuing. "It's my brother..."

"Your brother?" Sachi asked in remembrance.

"You only get one body in this lifetime, so your soul must be one with your body and your body one with your soul if you wanna win a fight! That's what my grandpa used to say to me and my brother!"

"What about your brother, Leafa?" asked Sinon.

"I..." The Sylph looked down at her floorboards. "I think... I think...he's in love...with two different girls..."

Sachi blinked in surprise. "O-Oh. That...That must be...very complicated for him..."

"The worst part is...the idiot doesn't even know it... He's pining after one girl, but the other girl's been there for him way longer by this point, and he's just started to fall for her too. He keeps denying it, but I can tell...from the way he looks at her, and from the way he talks about her...to her..."

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience," Sinon commented.

This brought a small blush to Leafa's cheeks. "You...You could say that..."

"So..." Sachi replied, "you think your brother's feelings for both of those girls are real...and you're afraid this'll lead him to a crossroads..."

"Where he must make a difficult choice..." completed a sympathetic Sinon.

"And...there's nothing...absolutely nothing that you could do but watch while he makes that choice and destroys himself regardless."

Leafa's silent nod confirmed their suspicions. Sachi's eyes softened in sympathy, and then, she slowly, slightly tightened her grip around her friend's hand.

"It's going to be alright, Leafa," the Undine said gently. "I promise you-"

"How?" Leafa's lip started to quiver. "I tried to warn my brother, but he just...he just ignored me! He didn't listen to me! He's so, so, so STUPID! And madly in love! But...I left my brother all alone once before! I don't wanna do it again, I don't wanna! But...no matter what I do, it's like I'm just supposed to...supposed to...leave him!"

"Well..." Sachi quickly thought of her next words. "You hang in there, okay?"

"HOW?!" The Sylph started to break down in tears. "I...I already said something so cruel to him! He's never gonna want my help now!"

"That doesn't mean you should call it quits and leave your brother all alone again. If you really love someone that much, even when things look hopeless, you can't give up. Do you understand? Don't give up."

Leafa's lip stopped trembling, and she looked at her Undine friend. "Don't give up..."

"Yeah! And I'm sure that your brother will come around. He knows that you love him, after all. No matter what choice he makes, he'll know that you'll be there by his side, just like you've always been there. Even when you left him all alone. I think he will never, ever blame you for that."

Leafa continued to look into Sachi's blue eyes, and her own emerald-green pupils were shining with emotion. At first, the Undine didn't know what her Sylph friend was thinking, especially with how deeply and yet so distantly the latter's gaze was. But then, after a long, contemplative silence, Leafa released a deep exhale and smiled.

"You're right. I love my brother, so I'm not going to give up." She raised her forearm and used it to wipe her face of her tears. "I'm not going to run away again. And I'm most certainly not going to leave him all alone, Sachi."

Sachi smiled back at her. "That's the spirit!"

Real World, Ayano Residence, Asaka, Saitama Prefecture

"And that's what happened. Afterwards, we set off and beat Sigurd to the punch on that mission of his."

"Wow. Ohhh, I'm so glad you're being there for your friends, Sachi."

"Thank you, Mari. It's all because of you, though. You and your example."

Sachi leaned back on her chair and stared up at the ceiling with a wide, elated smile. She could hear the nurse give her a low hum from the other side of the computer screen.

"Are you sure that's all you want to tell me, Sachi?" Mari asked.

"Huh?" She looked back at her. "Wh-What do you mean, Mari?"

"I dunno. It's just...you look so much happier than the last time we talked."

Sachi arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Really now?"

"Oh! N-N-Not that that's not a g-good thing, Sachi! It's just, well...I feel like that level of happiness does not just come from being there for your friends often. H-Has anything else happened today that you'd like to tell me about?"

"O-Oh!"

Sachi primed herself to inform Mari about her upcoming date with Kazuto, but something stopped her.

"...Are...Are you sure you're gonna keep it as a friendly thing...?"

"Sinon, I don't understand, why do you look s-so disappointed?! I...I-I thought that you'd be happy for me!"

The memory of Shino's back on her made Sachi stiffen up in paranoia. After spending a couple of seconds pondering her response, a single word was uttered from her mouth.

"No."

Mari blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"No, nothing else happened today, Mari. Nothing special, anyway."

The nurse didn't look convinced, but she replied, "Okay..."

An awkward silence fell upon the two, and Sachi felt the hairs on her body straighten up in cold terror. Mari's suspicious expression made her worry that the nurse will pry even further and force her to tell the truth. And the memories of her conversation with Shino made her apprehensive of that.

Fortunately, Mari's smile returned.

"Anyway, I have some excellent news to tell you, Sachi!"

Sachi blinked in intrigue. "Why? What is it, Mari? Did something happen to you?"

"You betcha!" Mari's smile widened. "I managed to secure some vacation time!"

The girl shot up from her chair, nearly knocking it over. "Really?! That's great! That's so, so great! When'll you be coming by, Mari?!"

"January 26th."

"January 26th..." Sachi repeated to herself.

"Yes. And I'll be staying over at Asaka for a week."

The girl's face beamed even more as she leaned closer to the computer screen. "I-I can't wait for you to come by, Mari! I really, really want you to meet Kirito and Sinonon!"

"Heh heh, I can tell, sweetie. And I can't wait to meet them." Mari broadened her smile even more. "Moreover, I can't wait to see the new and improved you, Sachi."

Sachi's face slackened. "The new and improved me..."

"Yeah! When I left you in that train station, you were still fearful and crying and holding on to me like a poor little girl. You were so uncertain about everything, especially your future here in Asaka. But now...now that I'm looking at you today, I no longer see that same fearful little girl. I see a grown young woman with a lot of friends and a lot of confidence in her own future. You changed so much, and so quickly too..."

"Yeah..." Sachi nodded. "Yeah. Well, it's like I said, Mari. It's all because of you. You and the faith that you have in me." Her heart continued to swell with pride from the words that came out of her mouth. "And...I don't think I can ever, ever thank you enough times for what you did for me..."

Mari beamed back at her. "Yeah, I don't think so either. Which is why the only thing I want you to do as part of your thanks to me is to keep living your life, Sachi. Live your life. Live it the way you want to live. And that, I think, will be enough gratitude to last me a lifetime. Remember, you are the one in two-fifty, after all."

"Yeah..." Sachi nodded again. "Yeah, you're right, Mari."

"Just like always!"

– X-Y-X –

It was just the two of them at their log cabin. He could feel her head leaning against his shoulder, the scent of her lovely chestnut hair blending with the scent of the surrounding forest and the local lake. It was a graceful medley of fragrances that filled up his nostrils. The Sun was shining down on them, bathing them with its warmth and its approval. It was just so peaceful, so unlike the burdens and expectations of the real world. He couldn't have ever asked for a better life.

He looked at her as she dozed by his side. Even after all this time, she was still so beautiful. Breathtaking, like a goddess of the stars.

"Do you maybe wanna go out somewhere with me?" a voice asked from beside him. "Just the two of us?"

"Sure," he replied with a smile. "Where do you wanna meet?"

She lifted her head, revealing a mat of chin-length blue hair and dazzling blue eyes. At first, he continued to smile at her, basking in his joy from being around her. Then, his mind overcame the lag, and he gasped in surprise.

"Wait, S-Sachi?!"

"Do...Do you know Kawagoe Park?"

"Ka...Kawagoe Park...?"

He looked around, only to realize he was no longer at the log cabin. Instead, they were standing in front of his real home and facing one another. She was looking at him with a pregnant expectation.

"Well, Kirito? Do you have an answer for me? Or..." Her expression suddenly darkened. "Are you still in love with her?"

"Kirito-kun."

His skin crawled, and he turned around. She was standing there, her skin pale and her form emaciated, but she was very much alive and conscious. A cold breeze blew, making her hospital robes flutter with the air. And her face split his heart cleanly in half.

After all, he swore he would never make her wear such a betrayed expression.

"How could you?" she asked while tears poured down her eyes. "I...I loved you, Kirito-kun. So very much."

"Asuna!" he yelled. "Please, it's not what you think!"

"It's not what you think?"

This time, it was Sachi who spoke up. He looked back and forth between the two girls, frantic and confused. The scenery was becoming just as chaotic and jumbled as his own thoughts. Elements of the Japanese-style house and the log cabin clashed with one another in a visceral sight of colors and sounds.

"So...you don't wanna be with me...Kirito...?" Sachi asked, tears developing in her own eyes.

"No!" he cried. "I wanna be with you, Sachi! But-"

The girl in blue gasped in horror. "But?! But?!"

"No, wait a minute, Sa-!"

"Kirito-kun!" Asuna shrieked. The girl in white was taking a step backward in revulsion. "You...You wanna be with her?!"

"No, Asuna! I'd never betray you!"

"Even if it means betraying me, Kirito...?" asked Sachi.

"I'd never betray you either, Sachi!"

"Kirito-kun! You...You womanizer! How many girls have you been seeing behind my back?!"

Sachi was also taking a step back. "How could you make me your number two, Kirito...?"

"Girls, please! Please! Just..." His mind started to swim with conflicting emotions, while the scenery suddenly started to turn red all around them. "Just...g-give me time to think about this, okay?!"

But Asuna shook her head. "I...I don't think...I can bear loving you...knowing that you'd do this to me, Kirito-kun..."

Sachi shook her head too. "No. No, you loved me before you loved her, Kirito, and now you're prioritizing her over me?"

"No!"

"I loved you, Kirito-kun, from the bottom of my heart!"

"No, Asuna!"

"I thought we had something between the two of us, Kirito!"

"No, Sachi!"

"And now..."

"Girls, wait-"

"We can't live with this anymore..."

To his horror, Asuna was putting on her NerveGear helmet, while Sachi was continuing to step backward into the looming shadow of a Granite Elemental. The scenery was now bathed in blood-red, and it now resembled a central circular plaza to a grand and familiar city. Exerting all his strength, he tried to reach out to the both of them, but they stood on either side of him, and his arms couldn't find the distance to stop them even if they could try.

He was only one man, and he had to choose one girl over the other.

"Goodbye, Kirito."

"NO! WAIT, ASUNA! STOP, SACHI! NO, DON'T!"

Asuna put on the NerveGear, and as soon as she did, she started to spasm uncontrollably, blood flowing out of every last orifice in lieu of her tears. Meanwhile, the Granite Elemental raised its arm high in the air and brought it down in a single, mighty stroke, slashing Sachi's back.

And so, Kirito the Black Swordsman could only watch, pathetically and helplessly, while both girls fell. Their bodies were momentarily suspended in time, before they exploded into a shower of bright, glowing polygons. These various polygons then transformed into elongated hexagons that surrounded him to form an oppressive prison. All these shapes bore the same message, capitalized and bolded and punctuated with an ominous beeping noise.

[WARNING]

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"AGH!"

Kazuto flew up from her bed, grasping and groping at empty air. His eyesight was bombarded by explosions of light and color. Then, the explosion subsided, and definite shapes started to emerge from it, until the teenage boy finally realized he was back in his bedroom. The Town of Beginnings and the central square were gone, as were the red hexagons.

"A...dream...?"

But for some reason, the beeping noise remained, even if it was less ominous and more recognizable.

Kazuto took a deep breath, recollected himself, and stood from his bed so he could approach his computer.

– January 20, 2025 –
Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture

"Do you maybe wanna go out somewhere with me? Just the two of us?"

"Sure. Where do you wanna meet?"

"Sachi and I..." he thought, feeling up his lips as he took a seat before the computer. "The two of us really need to have a talk about...about...whatever the hell our relationship's supposed to be..."

Upon entering his home-screen, Kazuto proceeded to click on the notification at the bottom right corner. It popped up his email inbox, which had a few new, unread messages. The most recent one had been sent less than a minute ago.

"Huh. It's Agil." He quirked an eyebrow. "I wonder what's up..." He proceeded to read the title of the message. "'Look at this'? Why, what do you have for me, Agil...?"

He clicked on the message and scrolled further down the page to read it in full. The next thing he saw shocked him.

"Wh...What the hell?"

It was a picture, apparently taken by an amateur from a handheld perspective. It was slightly blurry, so it was difficult to make out some of the features. However, from what Kazuto could tell, it appeared to be of a cage high in the sky. And in that cage was a girl dressed in somewhat scandalous clothing.

From the moment he saw her, Kazuto's metallic eyes were instantly drawn toward her chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Even though these were pixelated due to the photo's poor quality, he knew there was no mistaking them.

He shot up so fast that he sent his wheeled chair rolling across his bedroom. All of his memories of the dream, and all of his intentions of talking to Sachi, were pushed to the back of his mind. In their place, memories of a bedridden girl with the same chestnut hair returned to the forefront...

Along with all of his love for her.

"Asuna..."

– X-Y-X –

Toto Institute of Technology, Ōokayama

An unassuming silver sedan with cleaned windows, illuminated by the midday Sun, drove into the parking garage. It soon found its reserved parking spot and slotted itself in-between the other two cars, after which its grumbling engine and its blaring radio soon fell silent. The driver, a well-dressed older man with a bald head and graying black hair on his temples, emerged from the vehicle, closed the door behind him, and locked the doors with his key remote. His nametag, boasting the kanji for Rentarō Yonemoto, briefly glinted from the dim lights on the ceiling.

He prepared to head for the elevators when he felt a vibration in his pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out his cellphone, which right now had an alert about a text from a Tetsuhiro Shigemura.

As Yonemoto began to unlock his phone to view the full text, a figure stepped out from behind an SUV several feet away, unbeknownst to him. The figure made sure to keep themselves obscured in the shadowy corners of the parking garage, and they wore a large, thick, black trench-coat and a black hat with a wide brim that obscured their face.

However, their efforts to conceal themselves didn't last long, for their boot-clad foot accidentally kicked a large pebble of loose concrete, which noisily skipped across the ground. Yonemoto's head perked up, before he could even begin to view Shigemura's full text, and he looked over his shoulder in time to see the figure nearby.

"Hm? Hello there." Yonemoto turned his body to face the figure. "Can I help you?"

Without saying a single word, the figure reached into their trench-coat and pulled out an object from underneath. At first, Yonemoto could not see what exactly it was. Then, his eyes widened when he noticed the white stripe running down the object's barrel and slide, which became directed at his direction.

"No..." Yonemoto dropped his cellphone, which landed on the ground and inflicted a crack on its screen. "No, no, no! How the hell did you get that?!"

Yonemoto took a few shaky steps backward toward his car while the gunman cornered him against it, like a predator with its prey. When the figure aimed the pistol straight at his chest, Yonemoto's eyes widened in horrified realization, and he protectively grabbed the flesh over his heart.

"NO! NO! WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! PLEA-!"

The gunman pulled the trigger, silent and unflinching. Although nothing came out of the gun, not even sound, Yonemoto let out a gurgled grunt of agony, and he toppled backward against his car, clutching his chest with both of his hands now. His body violently writhed and twitched in a futile, desperate effort to live, but it was already failing on him. The gunman just watched idly as Yonemoto began to rake his fingers against his windows so tightly that the nails cracked, broke, and even bled, leaving trail marks of crimson behind on the glass.

Then, Yonemoto, overwhelmed with immense pain, threw up; blood jettisoned from his mouth and became spattered all over the silver car, painting it with a fresh layer of red.

Next Time: Point of Symmetry

A/N: And that marks the end of that chapter! Hope it was worth all the wait! :D

And my, oh my, what a jam-packed chapter that was! Kirito and Sachi meet Nobuyuki Sugou for the first time and learn of his arranged marriage with Asuna, which makes things aaall the more complicated for both of them. Kirito may or may not be developing feelings for Sachi, which causes high tensions with his commitment to Asuna and his relationship with Suguha. Sachi, on the other hand, is absolutely torn between remaining a loyal friend to Kirito or seizing the opportunity to take him for herself. And...we've got a real-life murder on our hands? How does this factor into my rewrite of the Fairy Dance Arc? Stay tuned to find out!

Now, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:

-Klinton2003: Well, here's the update you've been anticipating! However, would you mind elaborating more in your next review? Is there anything that you liked about the fic so far? Anything that you might've disliked? Any questions or other comments? It'd be greatly appreciated!

-MassiveCollateralDamage:

1) Indeed we meet again! Hopefully you enjoyed this latest round of late-night reading!

2) Heh heh heh, Suguha just has a totally wacky idea of "indifference" when it comes to the likes of Sachi.

3) I'm glad you're going to be invested in Sachi and Sinon's friendship! I intend to take that angle in a very unique and interesting direction! ;D

4) I recommend checking out the movies if and when you can. "Ordinal Scale" in particular was something else, and it'll be factoring into this story in a bit of a major way. ;D

5) I actually intend to cover only the Fairy Dance Arc and maybe the events of Extra Edition in this story. I fear if I make the story any longer than it should be, I'll wind up suffering from burnout and having it impact the fic's quality. Elements of the Phantom Bullet and Alicization arcs will find their way into the fic, though. You can already see hints of the former happening with Sinon's appearance, in fact.

-JLawrence Kenny:

1) Thanks! I'm so, so, so glad you're enjoying this story and all of the plot threads involved!

2) Yeah, Sachi really is in a tough spot here when it comes to her love for Kirito. Hopefully she can find a middle ground and some peace in the process.

3) I see where you're coming from with the prejudice against outliers. I will be diving a little deeper into that in the next several chapters, and I hope it'll be subtler for you this time around.

4) Ohhhhh, yes! There's going to be a lot of fallout by the time Leafa is outed. And believe me when I say there's going to be a LOT. ;) ;) ;)

-MeMyselfAndI82907:

1) Yeah, gotta love Kirito when his social awkwardness manifests itself as him trying to be a badass but instead winding up looking more like a punk-ass. XD

2) Actually, and I'm not sure if you missed it in this newest chapter, Asuna's father's also had a bit of significant input in volunteering her for the White Star human trial. He knows one of the White Star's inventors...or more like knew.

-BruhMoment65:

1) YES! Be on the lookout for more Grandpa Kirigaya references! Oh, and also be on the lookout for that pesky old cane of his! Kirito may have been weaned off of it, but it's not the last time he'll be seeing it around... ;D ;D ;D

2) Well, I figure it's because she has Sachi as a friend instead of Kyouji. Instead of becoming a cold sniper under Kyouji's manipulative wing, Sachi's beneficial influence is turning Shino into more of a troll of a catlike archer. XD

3) Yeah, Sachi's got a lot of insecurity issues to deal with, obviously.

4) Well, the Fairy Dance Arc has officially started with this chapter! Honestly though, I do feel like your issues with how the arc handled some things are not well-founded, personally. I've been doing a marathon of the Fairy Dance episodes in order to get a feel of writing the world of Alfheim, and I've always been under the impression that Kirito didn't know that Sugou had admin credentials for ALO, hence why he used his usual gamer-tag when he logged into the game. Moreover, Sugou's initial demeanor came across as pompously arrogant to me, and he seemed so convinced that Kirito would be so scared shitless of the NerveGear to do a FullDive ever again.

5) But yes, the issue with Suguha not recognizing her brother in ALO is DEFINITELY something that I will rectify here.

6) Well, according to SAO's canon timeline, GGO doesn't exist by the time the Fairy Dance Arc is in full swing. So...Sinon will have to go through a completely different way to heal from her trauma... ;)

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!