Chapter 2

Floating Castle Aincrad, 10th floor inn.

January 30th, 2023, 2:45 PM

The sun was well into its descent in the sky when Kirito finally stirred from the couch. As he opened his eyes blearily the first thing he saw was Argo sitting in the chair he had occupied the night before. Without even looking up from one of the grey screens floating lazily in front of her she casually said "mornin' sleepyhead. Or, I should say aftanoon"

"Afternoon? How long was I out?" he asked drowsily.

"Almos' 20 hours now. Actually surprised ya woke up before Aa-chan honestly. How was yer nap?" She asked, still not bothering to look in his direction.

If she had, she would have seen it coming in time. As it was, her squeak of surprise was almost muffled when his arms picked her up and wrapped around her petite frame in an embrace. Before she could protest, his head had almost come down to her shoulder as he said "it was refreshing, especially compared to recently. Thanks, Argo. I honestly don't know what would have happened to us if not for you" as he tightened the hug slightly.

Her cheeks flushing hotly, she closed her eyes and slowly returned the hug while muttering "heh. Don' star' goin' all soft on me now. What if Aa-chan saw this..."

And, at the same moment, the far bedroom door had opened and a sleepy looking Asuna padded out rubbing her right eye mumbling "what if I saw... what..."

As she stood there blinking at the two in each other's arms, their eyes snapped to the fencer in question for a couple of moments. Suddenly Argo looked as if she had been electrified as she quickly squirmed out of his arms, cheeks flushed even brighter as she pulled up her hood while hastily making her way to the door and all but ran out saying "gotameetintogettabebacklater" as the door slammed behind her.

The two teens left in the room stared at each other awkwardly, Asuna barely moving from her position while Kirito stood there sheepishly while scratching his chin. Eventually he looked away from the fencer, saying "can't say I didn't expect that..." slowly trailing off and returning to his impromptu bed from the night before.

Asuna made her way to the opposite side of the couch from him and sat down, neither saying anything for a while. Asuna finally broke the awkward silence that had fallen in the room. "So... How long have you two known each other?" slowly turning her head towards the swordsman.

Kirito rubbed the back of his head while he himself turned his head to the fencer and said "almost 6 years now. We... Met in unusual circumstances actually..."

A 10 year old boy was wandering aimlessly through the streets and alleys surrounding his home, the shock of finding out he was adopted still very fresh on his mind. As it was, he could only be partially surprised after suspecting something when he finally understood that he and his sister's birthdays were too close to be feasible. Hacking into the government database as he had (he had been naturally gifted with computers and coding from the time he had been able to walk and talk), he was searching to see if his sister was indeed adopted, not expecting the opposite to be true. After confronting his mom, who was actually his aunt by birth, to confirm his findings, he barely remembered hearing about how his parents had died in a car accident just days before his first birthday and his aunt and uncle adopting him shortly afterward. His mind was scattered as he was blindsided that his life, at least according to him, was virtually a lie, unable to understand why they had never bothered to try and tell him anything, now wondering if any of the love they claimed to have for him was true or manufactured by him being injected into their lives. It would definitely explain why his grandfather was so hard on him about kendo and the beating he got when he declared he wasn't going to practice it anymore. And not to mention that on top of all that, he was still sore from being tackled from behind and hitting the ground just after leaving school earlier that day...

His thoughts were interrupted by quiet sobs echoing in the alleyway he found himself at. As he looked around, he saw a mop of dirty blond hair shaking from behind a stack of crates nearby. As he slowly made his way towards it, he found a short girl with a tiny frame wearing a dull orange spaghetti strap shirt, brown knee length cargo shorts and black and white sneakers softly crying into her cradled knees. As he moved to in front of her, her head snapped up in surprise as wet, soft brown eyes met onyx, looking at the wiry looking boy with a shock of black hair wearing a grey long sleeve shirt with black pants and shoes standing in front of her. It took a moment for the shock to dissipate before she suddenly snapped "whadda ya want? Can't a girl cry in peace!?" her accent unusual to hear.

Looking down and away from her, the boy replied "sorry. I didn't expect to find someone looking as miserable as I felt."

"Oh yeah? Whadda ya have ta be so miserable about?" The girl spat, almost venom in her voice.

"Actually, I hacked a government database recently and discovered that I'm adopted" he said, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

The girl was so surprised at the declaration that she was rendered speechless momentarily, only tiny hiccups breaking the silence as the boy in front of her backed up to the opposite wall and sat down, tears starting to form as he put his head on his knees. Finding herself staring at the grief-stricken boy, she overcame her shock enough to ask "wait... Ya hacked a government database? Jus' to see if ya were adopted!?" staring at him almost incredulously.

Without looking up, he said "actually I did it to see if my little sister... cousin, actually, was the one adopted. It never even crossed my mind that I was the one who was adopted instead" he added miserably.

Blinking rapidly, she slowly sat her head on her knees and asked "oh... an' how didja find that out, if ya don' mind my askin'?" Her own misery temporarily forgotten.

"Our birthdays were too close together to be possible for us to be actual siblings... I'm barely six months older than her and we just covered basic biology in school recently" he said, still looking at the ground between them.

"Yeah... I can see how tha' can throw ya fer a loop" she commented, unknowingly staring now at the same pebble between them as the boy across from her. "Are they good people?" she asked while glancing up at nim, niceties forgotten as she became more interested in his story than she originally intended.

"I guess so... My mo- aunt, takes care of us as best she can, despite often working late at the job she has. My... uncle works overseas in America quite a lot so I don't see him often. My little cousin is already starting to become an accomplished kendoka and has already started competing in tournaments. She's really good, actually" the black haired boy listed, a small smile starting to appear on his face.

Finally looking up to see the smile forming, she asked quizzically "so what's th' issue?" her head tilting slightly.

The smile quickly disappeared, turning into a scowl "the fact that no one ever even tried to let me know anything. That I had to find out everything on my own makes me think everything was manufactured simply for my sake and that they don't really care for me like they pretend to do" he spat, venom clearly in his voice.

The girl stared at him, slightly slackjawed, before recovering herself and asking "so ya think yer lil' sis... cousin, is in on it too?"

Looking at her and blinking briefly, his eyes slowly drifting back down as he said "I doubt it. She's so focused on kendo I don't think she realizes much of anything else around her. But that dedication she has is one of the best qualities about her... That and how she stood up to our grandfather when I stopped practicing kendo myself" his eyes squeezing shut at the memory.

"Mind tellin' me about it?" The girl asked, and without even realizing it, suddenly found herself sitting beside him subconsciously.

He explained the event in question. From how he had saved his cousin from drowning the day before it, their grandfather barely batting an eye to the situation and then the boy's announcement of retiring from kendo the following day. Even the subsequent beating he received because of it before his cousin injected herself between the two, declaring that she would work at kendo hard enough for both of them before their grandfather was satisfied enough to relent. All the while the girl now sitting beside him listened with rapt attention without interruption.

When he was finished, tears now streaming down his face, she gave him a few moments to himself before asking softly "so do ya really think all that jus' 'cuz yer grandpa was a hardass?"

Tears still coming, he chuckled softly before saying "probably not... I guess maybe being able to vent and properly collect my thoughts was more help than I realized. Thank you" the boy smiled at the girl beside him. "So if you don't mind me asking, what brought you here today?" He asked.

Looking down at her knees, she recounted her own story about how she had just gathered the courage to ask a boy in her class out a couple of weeks ago, only to find out he was already involved with a girl. And how that lead up to the other girl accusing her of causing their breakup today, because the girl overheard her asking the girl's now ex boyfriend out, thinking he was cheating on her. Which lead to the girl now sitting in the alley running out of school the moment classes let out to her current location.

"Oh, so you're the one who ran out of the building and slammed into me from behind!" The boy suddenly declared.

"Huh... Really? I was so outta it that I barely remember bumpin' inta someone as I ran... Didn't know it was you. Sorry 'bout that" she said sheepishly.

"You call that a bump? One minute I was walking down the sidewalk, next minute I was sprawled out on the ground wondering what had run me over" he chuckled softly.

Standing up and bowing suddenly, the girl apologized profusely "so sorry 'bout that! Sometimes I forget how strong I can be! My ol' man raised me ta be able ta stand up fer m'self no matter what!"

Getting up himself, the boy dusted himself off before saying "It's fine. Things happen all the time. And I think the pep talk and the proverbial shoulder to lean on earlier more than made up for that." Grinning, he held out his hand "by the way, my name's Kazuto. Kazuto Kirigata."

"Tomo Hosaka" declared the girl as she accepted his handshake, her grip surprisingly firm. "Nice ta meetcha."

"Likewise. By the way," Kazuto intoned "I wouldn't worry too much about that girl you mentioned. She's known for causing drama for the sake of it and constantly spreading rumors about anyone and everyone to any who will listen. Honestly, I think you may have done the boy a favor and helped him dodge a bullet with her" he chuckled lightly.

"Oh really?" Tomo's eyebrows arched in surprise. "Maybe there's a way ta beat her at her own game..." She mused, concentrating in deep thought.

"Actually, I would advise against that" Kazuto said, and then amended "at least in this case. When dealing with someone like that, it's better to leave them be and let them dig their own hole until karma decides to pay them a visit when they least expect it. It's a lot more humbling when it happens, if not at least very entertaining to those they have tried to wrong in the past. Otherwise any plans made against them can end up backfiring, usually in the worst possible way and at the worst possible time" he added sagely.

"Really? Are ya speakin' from experience?" Tomo asked, almost a gleam in her eyes.

"Actually yes. From both ends of the situation." Several moments passed, making it clear he wasn't willing to elaborate further.

"Well, then" Tomo said, taking that as her cue to leave. "I guess I'll be seein' ya aroun'." As she turned to leave, she looked back at Kirito. "Do ya happen ta know what time it is? My phone died earlier so I'm not sure when th' nex' train is..."

He pulled out his phone (which was luckily undamaged from his fall earlier) and glanced at the time it displayed. "Oh, wow" he said, turning off the screen and putting it back in his pocket. "I didn't realize how late it had gotten. It's just after 5:30"

"WHAT!?" she yelled. "That means th' nex' train won't be fer another two hours!" Panic starting to set in, she cried "what am I gonna do now!?"

Gently placing a hand on her shoulder, Kazuto calmly said "if nothing else you can come to my house with me. If you need to, you can always call your parents and let them know what's going on. And then we can go from there."

"Could I jus' call 'em from yer phone now?" She asked, unsure about going home with a boy she just met here.

"You could" he said, dropping his hand from her shoulder "but the sun will set soon and an alley like this isn't the best place for kids to be after dark." She glared at him before he continued, "I-I know you can probably take care of yourself, but I figured your parents would breathe a little easier knowing you weren't in any trouble that could easily be avoided. My place is only a few blocks from here too. And my sister and mom should be home as well so we wouldn't be alone there either" he added, momentarily forgetting the events that led him here.

After a few moments to think about it, she finally nodded and said "yeah, yer probly right. Would ya mind me callin' 'em now anyway before they get too worried?" she asked, grabbing the bag she had nearby and slinging it over her shoulder.

Reaching the street that would set them on the path to his home, he nodded as he pulled out his phone, unlocked it and handed it to her. Ten minutes later, they arrived at his doorstep, arrangements made to have her parents pick her up from there. Kazuto opened the door to the family he came close to all but forsaking just hours ago, his heart and mind lighter than it had been in days thanks to the unusual (if not borderline bizarre) event that had just unfolded courtesy of the strange (but cute) girl standing at his side.

"Oh. Well, I guess that explains a lot" Asuna mused, looking ahead at nothing in particular.

"What do you mean?" Kirito asked curiously, turning towards her again.

"I'm saying it explains how close you two are" she said, turning to meet his gaze. "How the both of you seem to get along despite the almost constant bickering back and forth between the both of you. Especially when either of you become flustered when you catch the other off guard" she commented.

"W-well w-we have been friends for a while" he stuttered "and despite her being a grade above me we found common ground with video games and other electronic entertainment. I might have even had a small... crush on her in the past." Asuna had turned to look at the last remark and noticed how his cheeks had flushed at the memory. "B-but she never seemed to feel the same way about me so it never came to anything!" He hastily added, his face almost crimson now as he turned to look away from the fencer. "E-either way, she's still an amazing friend, and I don't want to imagine what might have happened with my life if we hadn't met that day..." He trailed off, hesitant to continue that line of thought as Asuna chuckled softly.

Had he turned even a bit further, he might have noticed the door leading to the hallway was just barely cracked open. The aforementioned girl - now turned into the famous (or infamous, depending on who you asked) info broker - was just on the other side of it, wide eyed and a hand covering the gaping mouth of her equally blushing face, having heard everything being said from the moment of him recounting the part about his sister defending him from his grandfather. Without a sound, she closed the door shut again, and pulling the hood of her cloak back on after it had slid off due to her sudden reactions, dashed down the hallway and stairs before bursting out of the inn in a blur. Her heart was racing almost as fast as she was trying to dash out of town, unable to form even basic coherent thoughts because the confession she had just accidentally overheard.

Back in the room, the awkward silence had returned full force as the teens sitting inside were left to their own thoughts. After several minutes of being unable to find a response to the last statement Kirito had made about his longtime friend, Asuna suddenly found herself reminiscing about their other dear friend (that no one would ever be able to tell her was just an NPC) and the joy she had brought to their lives. Without even realizing it, tears were streaming down her face at the bittersweet memories the three of them had forged together in such a short time. Subconsciously, her hand had reached out to the side and found his already sitting on the otherwise empty cushion between them. Both turning to look at the hands gripped together at the same time, their eyes trailed up to see the mirrored tears each had trailing down the other's faces. Without a second thought, Asuna pulled him to her, arms suddenly wrapped around each other in a fierce hug while quiet sobs echoed in each other's ears.

After what seemed like forever, they finally let go, tears starting to dry up while Asuna still had small hiccups that were already fading out when Kirito said while wiping his face "we will move past this. We owe it to everyone still trapped here to keep going. But Kizmel the Dark Elf Warrior will never be forgotten. She did what she had to to protect her people, and to protect us. Who knows what would have happened if the Fallen Elves had gotten their hands on that kind of power... Especially concerning us. So we also owe it to her to prove that her death wasn't in vain and we can find a way out of here." The Black Swordsman had stood up by now, his conviction growing stronger with each word spoken. "We'll do it for everyone" he said, holding out his hand to the fencer.

"You're right..." She said, taking the proffered hand to stand up as well. "We can't continue to deny what happened nor can we afford to grieve forever. There are too many people depending on us to give in now" as she wiped the last remnants of her tears away. "Although..." she added, opening her menu "we might want to at least repair and upgrade our equipment before we do much of anything else. And we might be able to afford some newer equipment or even turn in a few quests with everything we've done so far" she chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I don't think our gear is gonna last much longer" Kirito mused, opening his own menu "in fact, I'm surprised my sword hasn't broken yet." To drive his point home, he equipped his blade and unsheathed it to reveal numerous small cracks down the length of the now dull edge.

"Yeah, my rapier isn't much better" Asuna said, pulling out her own weapon from her inventory and holding it in her hands. True to her statement, while her rapier indeed had fewer and smaller cracks in it, it was still badly in need of repair and soon.

"Well, how about we take care of it while we wait for Argo to get back? In fact, let me message..." Kirito's voice trailed off, his eyes quickly darting to the upper left corner of his view, panic quickly taking hold of them.

Asuna was about to ask what was wrong when she glanced at her own health bar and gasped audibly. Below her's and Kirito's health bars, a third one with Argo's name on it had taken a huge fall, almost 40 percent gone at once, with an unusual debuff icon beside it showing an arm with a red line through it. Her eyes wide with horror, she was barely able to ask "what does that status mean?"

"Missing limb..." he trailed off, equipping his tattered equipment in record time while Asuna attempted to do the same. His hands were still flying around his menu as he made his way to the door, his partner close behind. As soon as he was done, he closed his menu, opened the door, and grabbed Asuna's hand with lightning speed. "Hold on tight, this may be bumpy" as he rocketed out the doorway and out of the inn, making a beeline for Argo's last known location on the map he had glanced at moments before, Asuna in tow but quickly finding her footing to match his speed.

'Please let me get there in time!' They both thought simultaneously as they raced out to find their dear friend.