A/N: Hey, everyone! Yes, I understand that this chapter is about two months late. But if you've been following my profile updates like I've ben asking, then you'll know that I've been pretty busy attending to my new full-time job and trying to update my "Pokémon" fics. Unfortunately, I didn't find much success in the latter task, which led me going off-course and creating a three-shot in lieu of what I'd originally hoped to do. DX

But then, I noticed how easier it was writing chapters for this fic compared to any and all of my "Pokémon" fics. As soon as I dropped "Pokémon" and switched gears to "Sword Art Online", all the gears in my head started whirring. One of my profile updates even reflected on this. I truly wonder if that's a sign...? Hmmmmm...

Okay, enough of this rambling! On with the 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.

– January 20, 2025 –
Alfheim, Olso, Neutral Territory

"Well! Guess it's time to retire! See you tomorrow, Leafa, Recon!"

"Bye..."

But Leafa didn't respond to Sachi's kind farewell, in contrast to the shy Recon. Instead, the Sylph simply turned her back on the group and retreated into her room without saying another word to her. As soon as the door closed behind her, she laid her back against the wooden surface. At that moment, her expression was finally now readable to the naked eye.

And it was full of horrified shock, like she had just seen a ghost.

"T-Then you know as well as I do that Kirito was a real person who led a normal life before SAO, just like everybody else!"

"Hi, Kirito. It's me again."

"Yeah. I thought I'd stop by to see Kiri- er, Kazuto before I got home."

"Merry Christmas, Kirito!"

"Thank you, Kirito."

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

"No..." she whispered while slowly shaking her head. "No... That guy... It can't be him... It can't be..."

"And...I guess it goes without saying that you two know her as well?"

"She...She can't possibly be...be..."

Leafa's heart started beating faster and faster in frantic desperation as she pulled up her menu and scrolled to the logout button. Without another moment's hesitation, she clicked on it with a shaky finger, confirming her intent to leave.

And with that, the world of ALO, the world that had given her so much joy and comfort, vanished from the female Sylph's sight in a great flash...

Real World, Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture

And once the light subsided, the first thing Suguha saw, upon returning to the real world, was the promotional poster she received with her copy of ALO. It was of a female Sylph, looking very much like her avatar, soaring gracefully through the beautiful cloudy sky, amongst a flock of doves. The Sylph looked so happy to be high in the air where she belonged.

But this time, she didn't share those sentiments. Instead, she hastily removed her AmuSphere, flew out of her bed, and dashed out of her room and into the hallway.

"It can't be!" she thought in a mad, frantic haze. "It can't be, it can't be, it can't be!"

Suguha ran up to the door next to hers, nearly stumbling in the process, and glared at its plain, undecorated surface for just a moment. Biting down her swelling terror and discomfort, the kendo practitioner grabbed the handle and swung the door open, silently praying to see Kazuto sitting at his desk and playing on his accursed computer like he used to.

Instead, she found him lying prone on his bed, with his NerveGear helmet on.

"No..."

"Come on, Leafa. You taught me and Sinon everything we need to know about ALO! We fought together and hung out together!"

Suguha took a step backward.

"No..."

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

She took another step away.

"I can't believe it..."

"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."

She took another couple of steps.

"It's not fair..."

"We're your friends, aren't we?"

She was now near the doorway, with her eyes still glued attentively onto her brother.

"NO!"

She turned and ran off, leaving behind a trail of sparkling tears in her wake.

– X-Y-X –

The first thing that Kazuto heard upon his return to the real world was his NerveGear powering down. He raised a pair of quivering hands and used them to lift the helmet away from his head. In that moment, the boy almost imagined himself being back on his hospital bed, freshly logged out of SAO. But he shook his head to clear it of his thoughts, and then, he looked down at the NerveGear.

"Not bad for your first time back in a VRMMO, Kirito..." he thought. "Not bad at all..."

Kazuto set the helmet down on his bed and took a moment to stretch out his arms. Then, he prepared to stand up from his bed when he noticed something amiss.

"Hm? That's odd." He narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion. "I don't remember leaving the door open..."

CHAPTER 9: DISTANCE

– January 21, 2025 –
Kawagoe Shiritsu Kawagoe Daiichi Junior High School

"OOF!"

"Come on, Four-Eyes! That all ya got?!"

"AGH!"

"Heh heh heh, just look at the lil' wimp..."

"HUACK!"

"So pathetic. What a loser."

Those were the first things Suguha heard when she left the school building. With a quirked eyebrow, she turned around a corner and saw a quartet of boys wearing the uniforms for her junior high school. Three of them were towering over the fourth, a smaller, average-looking boy wearing ovular glasses.

And, as she expected, they were kicking and stomping on him.

"Ya know the way to end this, Shinichi!" one of the larger boys barked.

"Just hand over yer lunch money and we'll forget this ever happened!" threatened another.

"Okay, okay!" the bespectacled boy cried in a strained voice while holding his hand up. "Okay..."

"Heh..." The third boy's lips curled into a nasty, toothy grin. "Yer such a pushover, Nagata. Ya can't fight back even if yer life depended on it. Like a lil' girl, 'cept without the cuteness."

By that point, Suguha had enough. She marched over to the boys and grabbed the long bag that she had slung over her shoulder. Even if the bag appeared to be large, it felt lightweight in her grasp as she slammed one end of it into the back of one of the larger boys, using all of the strength she could muster.

"AAAGH!" Upon recovering from his stumble, he boy instantly turned around and glared at the newcomer. "Who the f-?!" Then, his flaring anger turned into sheer terror. "K-Ki-Kirigaya-san?!"

His two acquaintances were just as mortified by the girl's abrupt appearance, while the smaller boy on the ground let out a relieved gasp.

"What the?!" one of them exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "What's the Kawagoe Speedster doin' here?!"

"Holy crap!" the other cried in a similarly low voice. "She's as cute and yet as fearsome as the stories go!"

"And that bag with the little plushie hangin' from it! That's gotta be her shinai!"

"What're you doing here, Bandō?" Suguha asked ominously. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

The first boy swiftly stood his ground. "Y-Ya know me, Kirigaya-san!" His chest swelled outward in pride. "Rebels don't go to school!"

"Yeah, and so do dumbasses."

Bandō immediately grated his teeth in tranquil outrage. "Why you..." Then, he remembered something, and then he gave her a taunting sneer. "Well, you're one to talk. I don't see you in class either-"

"That's 'cause I've already been accepted into a high school, dumbass. Attendance is voluntary at this point. And knowin' you, you and your pals have been held back, so I'd start scampering if I were you. If the teachers catch you loitering out on the school grounds, then there'll be hell to pay, given your track records."

"But there ain't no teachers around! We ain't hurtin' anything or anyone!"

Suguha pointed at the boy on the ground. "I can see him down there, you know, dumbass!"

"What, Four-Eyes?" Bandō looked down at him with a smirk. "Ahhhhh, he just tripped, and we were helpin' him up. Ain't that right, Four-Eyes?"

"Yeah, helping him up," Suguha replied with a roll of her eyes. "Helping him up by kicking him to the ground. How rather gentlemanly of you."

At first, Bandō whipped his head back at her and glowered at her again. Then, to the dismay of both Suguha and the boy on the ground, his wrathful stare turned into a perverse leer as he started taking in the sight of her developed body. Per the natural course, his eyes settled on her chest in particular.

"You know, Kirigaya-san," he said, "we don't have to be enemies."

"You're a couple years too late to be saying that," deadpanned Suguha.

But Bandō was undeterred by her dismissal, and he reached out a hand toward her shoulder. "How 'bout we go out later, you and I? My treat. I'll show ya lots and lots of fun!"

He not-so-subtly licked his lips to finish his sentence.

"Uhhhhh, Bandō?" one of the other bullies asked apprehensively.

"Ah, great," the other cohort muttered in defeat. "He's gone and done it now."

As expected, an unrelenting Suguha slammed one end of her bagged shinai into Bandō's chest, knocking the wind out of the boy. With a pathetic, pig-like squeal of pain, he collapsed to the ground while clutching his torso with his arms. While Bandō's stunned and terrified cohorts tended to him, Suguha effortlessly sidestepped the trio with a sigh.

"For your friends to know what was coming and not you," she commented dryly, "it's no wonder why you were held back, Bandō."

She approached the fourth boy's fallen form and held out a hand to him. With a beaming smile that almost looked girlish, he took it, and the kendo practitioner helped him up to his feet. She then looked down at the trio of bullies, all fury gone from her face and replaced with an even more threatening look of passivity.

"Now," she said casually, "leave Nagata-kun alone, or I'll see to it that you get more than what I just gave you today. Got it?"

"What...the...hell...?" Bandō slowly, angrily looked up at them, expressing his outraged disbelief. "Since...when did...you two...become...an item...?"

Suguha slightly narrowed her eyes. "And another thing. If I hear rumors of me and Nagata-kun being a, quote unquote, item, then you might as well just say bye-bye to your balls."

Bandō gritted his teeth as tightly as possible, while his cohorts paled and whimpered pitifully. But Suguha knew she got the last word in, for she started walking off like nothing had ever happened. Nagata watched her go, and then he looked down at his former tormentors, ruminating his next move.

After a brief but extremely awkward silence, the boy ran off after his savior.

"W-Wait for me, Leafa!"

"Ugh! I thought I told you not to call me that at school, Nagata-kun, didn't I?"

"B-But...w-we're not at school anymore..."

Suguha stopped and looked over her shoulder with a scowl. The boy she saved, Shinichi Nagata, was trailing behind her by a couple of feet. The wall lining the perimeter of their junior high school was still beside them, so...

"We're still standing next to the school wall, Recon," she replied. "So, technically, we are at school. At least where other students are in earshot."

"Th-That's true... You're right..." Shinichi guiltily lowered his head. "Sorry, Suguha-ch-"

Suguha reached for her bagged shinai. "IDIOT!"

"I-I-I'm sorry, I-I mean K-Kirigaya-san!"

The girl took a deep breath to recollect herself as she let go of her shinai. "Okay, what do you want? And if you're trying to thank me, then forget it."

"Wh-Why?" Shinichi smiled sweetly. "You saved me from those jerks. How can I not thank you?"

Suguha sighed. "You need to learn how to stand up for yourself more, Nagata-kun. If you continue to receive that sort of treatment through high school, then you're never going to prosper in adulthood. You have to muster up the courage and the initiative to say and do what you think is right for yourself."

"Wow... Did you make that last part up? Or did you hear it from somewhere else?"

"I heard it from my grandpa." Suguha faced ahead of her and kept walking. "He was a bit of an asshole, but he was right on more things than I'd like to admit."

"O-Oh!" Shinichi started following after her again. "A-Anyway, th-the reason I'm following you is th-that I just wanted to know if you're still on for tonight!"

"On for tonight?" asked a puzzled Suguha. "On for what tonight?"

"You know. Going to the Imp Territory."

"Maybe...we can go to the Imp Territory and ask around there... Perhaps we could start with the Imp Lord! If Umbra stirred up attention as a Launcher, then they would be the best-positioned player to know who he is and where he could be!"

"Thanks again, you guys. You have no idea how much this means for me."

"Oh, yeah..." Suguha glumly looked down. "That..."

"Hm?" Shinichi blinked and adjusted his eyeglasses. "You...didn't sound very excited, Sugu-"

"Hrrrrrmmmmmphhhhh..."

"I-I mean, K-Kirigaya-san!"

"Guuuuh, I am excited, Nagata-kun..." Suguha hesitated for the briefest, most infinitesimal moment. "And yes, I am still on for tonight."

Shinichi pumped a clenched fist in enthusiasm. "Yes!"

"But, to be perfectly honest..." The girl stopped walking, and she could barely comprehend the crosswalk ahead of her. "I think what we're doing right now is a terrible idea."

Shinichi stopped beside her. "What do you mean 'a terrible idea'?"

"The person that we're sending in, this...Klein guy, he's obviously very new to the game. Which means he's got no inkling of the political relations between the Salamanders and the Imps. And he's gonna try and appeal to the Imp Lord for info on one person?"

"I-I mean, Sachi did it to Lord Fjord on her first day, and she found Sinon, didn't she?"

Suguha suddenly narrowed her eyes and let out a low, ominous exhale, both of which went unnoticed by Shinichi.

"We're your friends, aren't we?"

"Friends," she thought. "She...She was my friend... That... That..."

"Then again, what do we know about the Lord of the Imps?"

Shinichi's voice brought Suguha back to reality. The kendo practitioner looked at the gamer, just in time to see him step off the curb, bidden by the green light for pedestrians to use the crosswalk.

"I-I don't know," Suguha replied, quickly following after him. "All this time, we've been concerned about the Salamanders that we just viewed the Imps as their lackeys. I don't even remember the Imp Lord's name."

"Lord Sakuya should know..." Shinichi tapped his chin in thought. "Maybe we should appeal to her for information on that before we leave. That way, we don't go into Scionus unprepared."

The girl gave him an amused side-glance. "Well, well, look at you strategizing like this, Nagata-kun. You seem to be quite invested in helping Kaz- uhhh, Kirito out on this hunch of his."

"We-Well, I-I'm not doing it for him!" Shinichi's face suddenly turned as scarlet as the red light that flashed once the two adolescents finished their crossing. "I-I'm doing it for Sachi..."

Suguha narrowed her eyes again, this time with somberness as she beheld her gamer partner's face. His expression was uncannily familiar to her. It was the same kind of expression that she saw on her face.

"I see..." She glumly looked away. "So that's what's happening..."

"Huh?" The scarlet color drained from Shinichi's face as he looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You like Sachi, don't you?"

His response was instantaneous, while his face turned even redder. "N-N-NoIdon'twhat'reyoutalkingaboutLeafawe'rejustfriendsandteammatesafterallandIadmireherverymuchand-"

"Okay, cool it, Nagata-kun! Or you're gonna pass out on me!"

Shinichi immediately complied and started taking deep, ragged breaths to regain his pace. As soon as his panic subsided and he was recomposed, he shyly twiddled his fingers and looked away from his schoolmate. His face had become as red as a rose by that point.

"W-Well..." he began, before his voice trailed off. "Y...You don't understand...Leafa..."

Suguha was too distracted by the revelation to scold him for using her gamer-tag. "Oh, I think I understand completely, Nagata-kun. And..." She briefly, darkly pursed her lips. "You can forget it. She's...I think she's got a thing for Kirito."

"H-Him?!" Shinichi cried in dismay, while the color drained from his face again. "No way! H-How'd you-?!"

She shrugged as casually as she could. "Woman's intuition."

Shinichi slumped his shoulders with a disappointed groan.

"A-Anyway," Suguha continued, "I guess you got a good point, Nagata-kun. If...If she can do it, then why can't he? We'll just do what we did for her and Sinon: fill him in on as much of the game's lore and mechanics as possible, so he doesn't screw things up and look like an idiot in the process." She took a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh. "Oh, I just hope we're not just on some kind of wild goose chase."

"I-I think there's something there!" Shinichi protested.

She crossed her arms. "...Weren't you chewing out those Launchers yesterday, for potentially spoiling what happens after we beat the Grand Quest?"

He raised clenched fists of resolve. "W-Well, i-it can't hurt to find out for ourselves, won't it?!"

"Jeez..." She gave the boy another side-glance, half-surprised and half-irritated. "To do a one-eighty like that... You must really like Sachi, don't you?"

Shinichi looked away and mumbled something indecipherable, which only confirmed the kendo practitioner's suspicions.

– X-Y-X –

Tanashi High School, Nishitōkyō

At the sound of the school bell, Sachi strolled out of the building, and her soft, gentle gaze swept through the front of the premises. There was a lot of students already outside in groups, as to be expected, and they were either expressing their relief over the school day's end or discussing impending tests. She swiftly spotted the only student in solitude and walked up to her with a smile. Seemingly sensing her arrival, the student lowered the book she had been reading, which had the image of several guns on its flexible cover, and smiled at her.

"You're late," Shino said quietly.

"Sorry, had to talk with the biology teacher about tonight's homework," replied Sachi. She started walking alongside the bespectacled girl. "Anyway, you ready for our little trip, Sinonon?"

The girl nodded with slightly flushed cheeks. "Mm-hm."

But before the two girls could reach the school gate, a familiar voice called out to them, one that made Shino hiccup and freeze in her tracks while Sachi felt her blood boil.

"Awwwww, how cuuuuute. The killer and the outlier, all cozy and friendly with each other..."

Sachi didn't need to look to know how utterly terrified Shino was. For a tense moment, she found herself back inside the chaotic, oppressive police station, kneeling before her friend while she was a shivering, shattered mess.

"A couple of passersby found her in an alleyway. She was lying in a pile of trash."

She struggled to keep her rage at bay as she hissed, "What do you want, Endou?"

The insect-like girl stepped in front of her and Shino, her hands triumphantly on her hips and her face radiating absolute smugness. As for her lackeys, they flanked their helpless targets, limiting all possible escape routes. Sachi tried her best to collect herself, but it was already proving to be futile.

"You knooooow," Endou said, "I heard about what happened to poor, poor Shino the other day." She slowly looked at the aforementioned girl, who trembled underneath her taunting gaze. "Must be quite tough, having to be afraid of something as harmless as a finger gun."

Sachi suddenly imagined her tackling Endou to the ground and strangling her to death with her bare hands. It made her lip twitch in satisfaction before she knew it, and unfortunately, it did not go unnoticed by Endou.

"Hm?" The insect-like girl glared at her. "Something funny, Hamaguchi?"

"O-Oh, nothing!" Sachi replied in an unusually calm voice. "Nothing really, Endou! I was just...thinking about how you've always reminded me of a praying mantis."

"A...praying mantis?" one of Endou's lackeys asked.

"Yeah. A male one. The one who always gets his head chopped off by the female."

Endou's friends immediately gasped, their skins going pale, while Endou herself looked perturbed, even as she refused to stand down. Even Shino was startled by Sachi's sudden comparison.

And then, Sachi admitted with a sinister sneer, "You know, the image of your head in a jar is quite a lovely one..."

The tight, oppressive space between the victims and the bullies suddenly eased up. Endou and her friends took a couple of steps back from Sachi and Sinon, but Endou remained stubborn and defiant.

"Bitch," the bully spat in a shaky voice. "You really are crazy, just like your file says..."

Sachi quickly dropped her menacing image and blinked, puzzled. "My...My file...?"

"Yeah! What?! Ya think we wouldn't just let you be after the things you did to me and my girls in the cafeteria?! I tracked down your patient information history at Hachinohe Nishi Hospital!"

"At...At..." She quickly narrowed her eyes. "No, you didn't. You're lying-"

"Oh, but I did, little Sachiko Hamaguchi, born August 21, 2008, to Satoshi and Haruka Tachibana."

Sachi's eyes widened in horror, and her heartbeat started to pick up.

"H-How'd you-?!" she began.

"At age five," Endou interrupted harshly, "your poor daddy died in a terrible car crash. My condolences, Sachi-chan. Oh, and your mother remarried to one Takeshi Hamaguchi a couple of years later!"

Sachi felt her world crumbling around her. Everything that Endou was saying, it was accurate thus far. At that point, she could predict what the bully was about to say next, and she dreaded what was about to come. She could barely feel the presence of Shino beside her, but that was still enough to instill terror in her.

"Then, a year later, your mommy started visiting the hospital often because she kept getting into 'accidents'. And my, oh my, your new daddy just seemed to have all the answers to everything. Nurses got suspicious and called the police many times, but the hospital visits continued, so I assume your new daddy always managed to charm them. Lemme guess, he convinced you and your mom to make excuses for him too."

"Stop it..." Sachi whispered, but her voice sounded more helpless than angry.

And it was this helplessness that threw fuel onto the fire that was Endou's exposition. "And then...when you got trapped in that death game, your mommy's visits to the hospital just stopped. But I assume that was never the end, was it? Heh, I mean, why else did Mommy just snap and kill New Daddy in April 2022?!"

"Stop it."

"And you know what they say about how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..."

"Stop it!"

"What was it that Dr. Watanabe's report said?"

"Stop it!"

"Overly dependent of others, mentally unfit to process loneliness and rejection, paranoid of abandonment-"

"STOP IT!"

Sachi swung a fist at Endou's direction, but the bully effortlessly stepped aside, leaving her to stumble in her dismay and fall to the ground. Several other students who were nearby noticed her fall and started laughing derisively or whispering all sorts of gossip amongst one another.

"So here's the deal, Hamaguchi," Endou said tauntingly. "Think things over before the next time you decide to mess with us, 'cause I've only just touched the surface of that file. And I'd hate to think what would happen if all of its contents got out on a gaming forum where anyone could see it. Especially some guy named Kirito."

Sachi felt her heart stop beating, and her blood running cold. No longer did she entertain any fantasies of punishing and attacking Endou. Instead, she remained splayed across the ground, helpless and powerless. She could feel the shadows of Endou and her cronies towering over her, asserting their dominance over her just like they wanted. And there was just nothing that she could about it now.

"What's going on here?!" a stern voice barked.

A pale-skinned Sachi looked up and released a weak whimper of a gasp, weaker than she would have preferred. Principal Miyaoka was walking up to the scene, his forehead wrinkled as his brow became more and more furrowed by the minute. He glowered down at her, and she remembered the last time they interacted.

"I lost my nephew to that death game. And my niece is still fighting for her life. So...I advise you to count your blessings, outlier. You dodged a bullet, and now, you get to live your life again while other families are so much less fortunate."

"W-We're sorry, Principal Miyaoka!" Endou exclaimed innocuously. "It's just that-!"

"Hamaguchi tripped on herself!" one of Endou's cronies explained.

"And we were just tryin' to help her up!" added the other girl.

"Tripped on herself, did she?" Miyaoka replied. He then scowled down at Sachi and her tear-stained face. "Don't give me that look, Hamaguchi. I'm sure you've already been through worse in that death game. Let's not forget that you actually died in there. So-" He turned around on his heel and walked away. "Tripping and falling on yourself should be nothing but child's play to you."

Sachi's lip quivered in grief, and she lowered her face in humiliation while Shino finally ran up to her and tried to help her up. As for Endou and her friends, they gave the two girls sinister chuckles and finally departed.

"See you later, outlier, killer!" Endou called tauntingly, in earshot of all the other students present.

"I'm so sorry, Sachi..."

"I don't get it! How'd they get my file?!"

Sachi and Shino sat together on a bench next to a local bookstore, situated in the middle of a street market. Sachi's face was buried in her palms, while Sachi was stroking her friend's back in a fruitless attempt at consolation.

"Let's just say..." Sinon replied, "they don't go to a school like ours for nothing. They've got connections, and when they come across someone who'll stand up to them...they'll stop at nothing to bring you down..." She pursed her lips. "That's how they know about my past. I stood up to them...and I paid the price for it..."

"I hate them..." Sachi mumbled into her palms. "I hate what they do to you, to me...to us..." She shook her head. "I-I'm so sorry, Shino. I tried to protect you, but I...but I...I was still weak..."

She didn't take back her last sentence. Even so, Shino didn't care in the slightest. She took Sachi's shoulders, turned her to face her, and hugged her. After a few seconds, the other girl returned the hug, and the two started to weep quietly.

"It's alright," Shino replied. "I'm still weak too. But..." She slowly, tenderly patted Sachi's back with a tiny smile. "I guess that means we'll just be weak together...until we finally find out how to be strong together."

Sachi cracked a small smile. "Yeah... Yeah... That...That sounds like a good deal..."

– X-Y-X –

Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture

Suguha stepped into the home, closed the door behind her, and then removed her shoes. As she put them aside, she felt a cold shiver sweep through the hall for a brief moment, punctuated by a set of footsteps. The girl looked up and spotted Kazuto approaching the base of the stairway.

At the sight of him, she exhaled a little more sharply than she would've liked, and this was enough to catch his attention. Their eyes met, black to dark-gray, but nothing was said, even if they both felt the ambiguous spark between them. They simply stared deeply at one another, their souls trying to read the environment and searching desperately for any strands that were still holding their relationship together, even after what happened in this very hallway a couple of days ago.

But neither of them seemed to find anything. Kazuto's eyes simply softened, and he turned his back on her to venture up the stairs. Suguha could only watch from the first floor as he retreated to the safety of his room.

"I wonder if he figured it out..." she thought.

"We just had one of those knight-in-shining-armor-saving-the-princess moments, so I think it'd be appropriate if you burst in tears and throw your arms around me-"

"Nah, no way he didn't." Then, as Kazuto reached at the top of the stairs and went out of sight, Suguha put a hand upon her chest, over her heart. "Maybe...Maybe I should tell him..."

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

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

"And make things even more awkward? No thanks. I can't do that, not when we all agreed to go on this stupid operation of ours." She lowered her hand. "I'll just...wait for the perfect moment... Then...Then, I'll tell him everything. Who I am. How I knew all along that we were actually cousins. The...The feelings that I've had for him, all this time."

"You have to muster up the courage and the initiative to say and do what you think is right for yourself."

"Because I can't lie to myself anymore. I won't."

With that, Suguha proceeded towards the stairway herself.

"Gosh. I remember it like it was yesterday. Kazuto stood there looking at me, and then he told me he wanted to know who his real parents were. ...I was so shocked, I didn't know what to say. He was only ten, but here's the thing: somehow, he logged onto the Citizens Registration Network and found the file."

"That figures. Sounds just like something he'd do."

"I was so stunned, I couldn't think of a way to deny it. So what do I do instead? I tell him how my big sister and her husband are his real parents. Wow."

"Mom, I was wondering..."

"About what?"

"I guess about the way he's been since junior high. He'd go into his room and play games online for hours... You think it's 'cause he found out about his real parents?"

"No, not at all. He was always into computers and technology. By the time he was six, he'd already built his own computer out of spare parts. If anything, he's like that 'cause he's a huge computer nerd like me. Or so he thinks."

"Heh heh heh..."

"Well, I'm heading home and getting dinner ready. Don't stay too long, okay Suguha?"

"Don't worry. I won't!"

"Happy birthday, kiddo."

"...Huh... He's my cousin...not my onii-chan. I still have a hard time believing it... My onii-chan..."

Suguha took a deep breath as she laid herself down on her bed. All she could see now was the promotional poster of the airborne Sylph, so happy and stuck in her own world... A world of impossibilities achieved...

"Alright..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "LINK START!"

A gateway of three-dimensional colors and sounds...

touch – OK
sight – OK
hearing – OK
taste – OK
smell – OK

Language – Japanese

[Welcome to ALfheim Online, Leafa!]

When she opened them, the promotional poster was gone, and she was the Sylph again.

Alfheim, Olso, Neutral Territory

Leafa sat up, stretched her arms, and draped her smooth but muscular legs over the bedside. She took a deep breath of elation the moment she felt her soles touch the nice, polished, lifelike surface of the wooden floorboards.

"For now," she thought, "I'll just play dumb. I'll help Onii-chan out, no matter where this leads. And once everyone feels as satisfied as can be...that's when I'll tell him the truth. About everything."

– X-Y-X –

"I think we should stop by at Swilvane first."

Leafa's abrupt, out-of-left-field suggestion stopped Kirito and the others in their tracks just as they were all preparing for the journey to the Imp Territory. They looked at her and Recon with incredulity, Sachi and Sinon included.

"What?" Kirito asked. "Why?"

"W-Well, what do we know about the Imp Lord?" Recon asked. His eyes fell upon Sachi and Sinon. "Girls?"

"Well..." Sachi replied, hesitating a moment to ponder her answer, "we do know that they're reclusive. Very few people in ALO have seen him. Or her. I...don't think anyone really knows their gender too... O-Or their name either..."

"So we know next to nothing about the Imp Lord," Leafa concluded before pointing at Klein. "And we're gonna send him to ask for info on this Umbra player? A newb?"

"Wow, harsh..." Klein replied.

"But what's Swilvane got to do with anything?" Sinon asked.

"Lord Sakuya might give us some info on what to expect," replied Leafa. "We could also try Lord Fjord or Lord Alicia, but Olso's a lot closer to Sylph Territory. It'll be much quicker and less of a hassle getting there."

"Well..." Kirito hesitantly looked at Klein. "I...guess we could get some info about the Imps first." He scanned the rest of the group. "It's not like we've got any Imps in our group, anyway..."

"Then it's settled!" Leafa walked past Kirito and approached Sachi and Sinon with pursed lips. "Sachi, Sinon, Recon, and I will head over to Swilvane and visit Lord Sakuya. The rest of you stay here and-"

"Why?" interrupted Kirito. "How about we all go to Swilvane and visit Lord Sakuya?"

The Sylph looked at him in disbelief. "Huh?"

"A-Are you sure, Kirito?" Sachi asked worriedly. "None of you guys are Sylphs, Undines, or Cait Siths. You're all either the enemy or neutral races in the eyes of the Sylphs. If anyone sees you guys, they'll take it the wrong way and-"

"Ah, it's gonna be alright, Sachi." The Spriggan gave her a dashing smile of confidence. "As long as we don't do anything to provoke them, the Sylphs won't attack us."

"Dashing into enemy territory with nothing but a half-baked strategy in mind," Liz commented with a shrug. "Sounds like the Kirito I know."

Klein laughed uproariously, while Agil sighed and shook his head in amusement.

"Well, I think it's a logical course of action, Daddy!" Yui piped up from Kirito's breast pocket.

"Ummm...are you really sure about this?" Leafa asked apprehensively.

"Y-Yeah!" added Recon. "W-We could be in a boatload of trouble i-if they see a Sa-Salamander i-in our group!"

Kirito crossed his arms. "Then we'll just say we're all a bunch of friends and new players who didn't know anything about the game's politics! I-I mean, Sachi and Sinon were practically in the same position as us when they started playing ALO, and now look how they turned out!"

"Yeah, Ms. There-Can-Be-No-Strength-Found-In-Loneliness," Sinon commented, the playfulness evident even in her flat affect.

"S-Si-Sinonon!" Sachi wailed in embarrassment while her face reddened. "Please don't remind me of that time!"

Kirito then smirked playfully at her. "And besides, we've got you to guide us through the motions, Sachi-sensei!"

The Undine's fair face matched Klein's colors at this point. "S-Sa-Sachi-sensei?! Kiiiiiriiiiitooooo!"

"Hmmmmm..." Liz grumbled ambiguously.

Kirito only widened his smile at Sachi. "Just what could go wrong?!"

Lord Sakuya's Office, Swilvane Castle, Sylph Territory

"You just had to ask, didja?! Kirito?!" Klein snapped in a hushed voice.

Kirito could only chuckle in nervous embarrassment as the Sylph guardsmen escorted him and the rest of his group down the spacious marble hallway and towards the towering set of doors on the other end. Sachi, Leafa, Sinon, and Recon had their heads lowered in shame; while Agil and Liz hesitantly looked around, trying to read their surroundings even as they were closely monitored by the guardsmen. As for Klein, he was the only one to be restrained by metal handcuffs, which were made of an emerald-green metal that gave them a resemblance to laurel wreaths.

Even so, the guardsmen treated all of them with equal suspicion as they finally reached the doors.

"Lord Sakuya is in the middle of an important meeting right now," the lead guardsman said. "So, for your sakes, we can only hope she'll be in a good mood as she hears your case."

"We expected better from you four," another guardsman spat disapprovingly, referring to Sachi, Leafa, Sinon, and Recon. "Especially you, Leafa."

Leafa could only sigh in disappointment while the lead guardsman shoved the doors open with both hands, having to use all of his arm strength in order to move them. The doors slowly opened with a great, ominous groan, revealing a modest-sized office room of a regal, luscious appearance. Three people were already gathered inside, and each of them exuded a strong air of solemn authority that immediately humbled Kirito.

Then, the Spriggan heard Sachi gasp and Sinon fidget.

"L-Lord Fjord?!"

"Lord Alicia?"

One of three, the sole man in the meeting, stood from his chair in momentary surprise. He was handsome but appeared to be perpetually, partially drowsy, and he had neatly-combed blue hair and equally blue eyes. He wore a white suit with white border-stripes, along with a mantle as blue as sapphires.

"S-Sachi?" he asked. Then, he took on a professional composure and glared at the Sylph guardsmen with stern, piercing eyes. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Relax, Lord Fjord."

The woman sitting at the head of the emerald desk, who Kirito instinctively deduced to be Lord Sakuya, made a calm but authoritative sweeping motion with her hand, placating Fjord. She then stood from her large, decorated chair, revealing a tall, voluptuous, womanly figure. She had glossy dark-green hair and startling emerald-green eyes that seemed viable to invite all men to stare in captivation. She also wore an elegant leaf-green kimono and high red clogs on her feet. Overall, the woman looked like something ripped straight out of a Japanese history textbook, were it not for her fairylike features like everyone else.

"Captain Rosicrux, I would like an explanation as to why you interrupted the alliance's latest meeting?" she asked.

The lead guardsman bowed. "Lord Sakuya," he explained, "we found this rather...peculiar group exploring Swilvane and disturbing the public. A Spriggan, a Gnome, a Leprechaun, and worst of all-" He lightly kicked Klein's shin, eliciting a low but pained grunt from him. "A Salamander... And to make matters even worse, they were all being friendly with some of this alliance's best warriors!"

He pointed at Sachi, Leafa, and Sinon, prompting all three to bow before Sakuya and Fjord.

"Please, Lord Sakuya!" Leafa exclaimed in concern. "There's a perfectly valid explanation for all of this!"

"Ohhhhh, I'd say, nya."

The third person in the meeting simply leaned back in her chair, looking absolutely unperturbed by the sudden, unusual turn of events. She was a petite woman with tanned skin, wavy blonde hair, golden catlike eyes, and a mischievous little grin. She also wore a provocative tan dress, a bell collar around her neck, and a golden cape with a red stripe on her left arm. And, just like Sinon, she had catlike ears and a feline tail that lazily swished back and forth on its own accord.

"Captain-saaaaan," the Cait Sith Lord said casually, "didja really bring this mixed-race group of players up here because you thought they were all spies?"

Rosicrux sputtered for a moment before stammering, "L-L-Lord Alicia, th-there's a Salamander i-in their midst! A-And for them to arrive in Swilvane l-like it's nothing-"

"Hm... Seems to me that this can only be one of two scenarios..." Alicia's catlike eyes closely examined Kirito, Klein, Agil, and Liz, one by one. "Scenario number one: they're the worst spies in the long, storied history of ALO, hoping to infiltrate the meeting between this alliance by waltzing into Swilvane without using any sort of Concealment Magic."

Rosicrux blubbered incomprehensibly to himself.

"Scenario number two: they were a bunch of newbies who had no idea what kind of game they just got themselves into, and they were just seeking out the assistance of some of this alliance's best warriors, nya! So tell me..." The swishing of her catlike tail picked up slightly, while her eyes glinted with an interest that was very feline. "Which scenario d'you think is more likely, Captain-san?"

"I sincerely apologize to all of you for my guardsmen's behavior..." Sakuya said as Klein rubbed his recently freed wrists. "Rosicrux's only been on the job for a couple of months, and he's already letting his ambition get the better of him."

"Ahhh, it's alright," Kirito replied with a friendly smile. "We're sorta used to...being the center of some nasty opinions..."

"You must understand, tensions between this alliance and the one between the Salamanders and Imps are at an all-time high right now. As if they hadn't been before." Sakuya looked at Leafa and Recon. "I had just been informed of the attack on your party last night, Leafa. Sigurd's report was very concerning to all three of us. For the Salamanders to single your party out and systematically whittle your numbers, it tells me that they are targeting our strongest players and trying to defeat them for whatever valuables they can seize, one by one. I'm only glad that you fought them off."

"Yeah, fought them off," Leafa replied with a nervous chuckle. "You could say that..."

"Lord Sakuya is correct," Fjord announced while giving them a nod of agreement. "This is the first organized Salamander attack in weeks. And they knew where your party was and struck when you were at your most vulnerable." He looked at Sachi. "Sachi, I strongly advise you to be on high alert at all times. Given the weapon that you possess, you could be the Salamanders' top priority."

"U-Understood, Lord Fjord!" Sachi replied with a bow.

"The same goes for you, Sinon-nya!" added Alicia Rue.

"Understood," Sinon responded loyally.

"Wait, weapon?" Liz asked, her attention suddenly piqued. "What weapon?"

Sachi ignored her and spoke up again. "E-Excuse me, Lord Fjord? These, uh, new players said they're missing a member of their group. That's why we were on our way to Swilvane Castle. We were hoping to help them find their friend so they could go on playing the game. They said his name was Umbra."

"Umbra?" Fjord asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't recall encountering anyone by that gamer-tag."

"Me neither," added Sakuya. "I'm sorry."

"Me neither, nya!" Alicia piped up.

"See, th-that's the thing..." Sachi uncomfortably pursed her lips and twiddled her fingers. "Th-They told me he wanted to play as an Imp."

"An Imp?" Sakuya asked, turning towards Kirito and his friends. "Well, that would mean that your friend spawned at the Imp capital, Scionus, like all first-timers."

"Y-Yes. B-But they were unable to establish contact with him. And they were hoping they could do what I did when I first spawned into the game and went looking for Sinon."

"You mean reach out to Lord Mauve for help?" Fjord asked incredulously.

"Mauve," Kirito mentally noted. "So that's the Imp Lord's name..."

"If that's true," continued Fjord, "then we can't allow most of you to do that. Even if you remove the conflict between the two main alliances from the equation, there's still a vast plethora of diplomatic relations to consider between the various other races."

"Yeah, Sachi filled us in on that!" Klein announced confidently. He stepped forward while beating a fist over his heart. "So I thought it'd be best if a Salamander like me walked into Scionus and had a little chat with the guy! Or gal... Either way, Salamanders and Imps are friends, right?! That means I can walk in, no questions asked!"

"Well..." The Undine Lord scanned him from head to toe, his brow becoming wrinkled in doubt. "I suppose something like that could work, but-"

"Of course it'll work! I've got the heart of a warrior and the soul of a politician!"

At that moment, Kirito and the others realized Klein had never been talking to Fjord the entire time. Before they knew it, the Salamander knelt before Sakuya like a knight before a princess. The stunned Sylph Lord covered her mouth with her fingertips, the motion itself looking graceful and ladylike.

"And I promise you, my lady," Klein continued suavely, "I will see to it that the Imps warm up to your race in no time! A new alliance will be born, with only my wit and my wiles to guide it!"

"You'll do what?!" Fjord exclaimed, his voice cracking in the process.

"Oh, my!" Sakuya whispered, half-flabbergasted and half-impressed by Klein's bravado.

As for Alicia, she scowled at the attention her fellow Lord was getting. "Hrrrrrmphhhhh..."

The sound of Liz's face-palm resonated through the entire office like the crack of a whip. "Oh, Klein..."

Kirito's group stood directly outside the closed doors of Sakuya's office, waiting in awkward silence. Sachi paced directly beside the doors in worry, while Sinon coolly leaned against one of the walls. Leafa awkwardly stood to the side, her face hanging low in contemplation, while Recon stood nearby and was scrolling through his menu with narrowed eyes. Klein's antics clearly gave him a swelled head of overconfidence, even as Agil and Liz watched him disapprovingly from a short distance away.

And as for Kirito, he released his bated breath of impatience and gently tapped his breast pocket.

"Yui?" he whispered. "You can come out now. Those scary guards are gone, but you should keep your voice down."

The «Navigation Pixie» flew out of the pocket and settled on his shoulder. "Are we making any progress, Daddy? Are we getting closer to Mommy?"

"Not yet, Yui. But we're still following that lead that we got."

"I heard some of it." Yui glanced at Klein's direction and giggled. "Klein is so funny!"

"Heh. Yeah, he's a real charmer," Kirito replied dryly. Then, he furrowed his brow at his daughter. "Hold on, what do you mean you 'heard some of it'? Were you not listening to our conversations?"

"Partially, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Daddy. It's just that..." She furrowed her brow in concentration. "My attention was more focused on the anomaly that I sensed."

"The...anomaly? What anomaly?"

"I can't explain it with certain terms, Daddy. From what I can gather, I think that there's a moderator somewhere in the area right now."

Kirito's eyes grew wide in terror, and he thought about his anomalistic stats. "Wait, a moderator?"

Yui nodded in affirmation. "Yes. If the GM has other duties to attend to and deems it necessary, they could grant others with partial GM duties and leave them in charge of the game in their absence. I felt something like that when we arrived here. Someone who had been designated as a moderator for the Cardinal System."

"When we arrived here? So you think someone in Swilvane is a moderator?"

"It's possible. I sensed someone using their credentials earlier to gain access to the moderation menus..."

"But why would a moderator be in Swilvane of all places? You'd think they'd stick to the Neutral Territories or something, for neutrality's sake."

"I can't hypothesize with absolute certainty, only analyze my surroundings-" Then, all of a sudden, Yui's body perked up in fright. "Daddy, someone's coming!"

The «Navigation Pixie» flew back into Kirito's breast pocket, just as a few distinct sets of footsteps started echoing in the hallway. Kirito and the others stood at attention as a small group of Sylphs approached their position. Kirito was quick to recognize one of them as Rosicrux; the captain of the Sylph guard shot the group a nasty scowl as he walked up to them. As for the Sylph walking beside Rosicrux, he spotted Sachi, Leafa, Sinon, and Recon, and Kirito could have sworn he saw the man nearly trip on himself in his shock.

"Le-Leafa!" he exclaimed. Then, he cleared his throat and adjusted the dark-green cloak he was wearing. "I see that you are back in Swilvane. I assume you managed to fight off those pesky Salamanders last night with no problems?"

"Yeah," the female Sylph replied, while Recon tensed up beside her. "Y-Yeah, y-you could say that, Sigurd..."

The Sylph slowly, idly blinked. "Well, I know for certain that you would hang on to all of your items and valuables. Unlike a certain other member of our party..."

Kirito noticed how vexed Recon became at that offhand comment, but the male Sylph didn't say anything in his defense. This left Sigurd to notice Sachi and Sinon, and he narrowed his eyes at them.

"You know, Leafa," Sigurd said, "I still don't know why you choose to interact more with those two instead of my party."

"Why?" Leafa repeated in disbelief. "I was in your party last night, Sigurd-"

"You didn't listen to me." Sigurd tried his best to remain calm and collected, but the way he gritted his teeth was blatant. "You may have joined my party last night, but that was the first time in over three weeks where you did so. My party and I needed your strength and skills for important missions, but you...you essentially cast us aside for those two a-and their rookie explorations of the game!"

"Rookie explorations?" a stunned Sachi repeated. "Excuse me?!"

"Listen, Sigurd!" protested Leafa. "You said it wouldn't be a problem if I joined only when I have the time! You also said I could quit whenever I wanted to!"

"Yes, I know what I said," replied Sigurd, "but you've been with us for a while now. Everyone knows you by this point. If you leave us now, it's gonna damage the reputation of the party!" He refocused his glower onto Sachi and Sinon, both of whom narrowed their eyes back at him. "And if you're going to leave us, then I'd prefer you did it for a better cause than those two."

"Yo, who is this clown?" a voice demanded.

Klein stepped forward, his steps hitting harder than usual. His upbeat, happy-go-lucky personality had completely eroded in favor of quiet fury as he planted himself in-between Leafa and Sigurd. As for Agil and Liz, they stood beside Sachi and Sinon, their scowls particularly pronounced. Sigurd blinked in outraged confusion at the new arrivals.

"Who in the hell are you people?!" the Sylph snapped.

"Those are the guys I was telling you about, Sigurd," Rosicrux replied. "A whole bunch of so-called 'newbs' who just flew right into the city unbidden. And Lord Sakuya declared that they can stay. As if she could tell who's a spy and who's not a spy off the bat."

"Heh." Sigurd's brow twitched in disapproval. "Of course she did."

"Hey, listen here, pal!" Klein snapped while pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You don't just go around treating other party members like that! If they wanna leave, then they should leave! You can always find someone else, right?!"

"Don't you act all high and mighty on me, new player!" Sigurd proudly jabbed a thumb at his own chest. "I decide what's going on in my party! I control all the chess pieces here!"

Kirito's eyelid twitched. "Chess pieces?"

Sigurd glared at him next. "Huh? A Spriggan?"

The name rolled off the Sylph's tongue, coated with absolute disgust and derision. But Kirito easily shrugged the reaction off as he walked up to Sigurd. The other Sylph players flanking Sigurd and Rosicrux readied their weapons in case of an attack, but Kirito didn't budge another inch once he was within a couple of feet of Sigurd's personal space.

"You speak of party members as if they're items," Kirito said calmly. "But they aren't items."

Everyone's eyes swiftly fell upon the Spriggan. He could feel Sachi's gaze in particular, which motivated him to withstand the red-hot fury that started to burn in Sigurd's gaze.

"Huh?" The Sylph clenched his fists in irritation. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. Party members aren't items, so don't expect them to be on call for you. They're not your armor. They're not your sword. They're not your equipment."

"You son of a-!"

Sigurd reached for his sword, but before he could even draw it, the next thing he saw was a blur of blue, and then three pointed prongs pointed straight at his face. Everyone gawked at Kirito's savior, even Kirito himself.

"Don't you even think about it, Sigurd," Sachi snarled savagely, while she kept the «Trident of Protection» pointed at the Sylph's face. "If you touch even a hair on Kirito's head, I promise you, you're gonna pay a heavy price for it."

Rosicrux and the other Sylphs accompanying Sigurd swiftly unsheathed their swords and aimed them at Sachi. However, she did not even break a single bead of sweat from all of the attention that was placed on her. Instead, she maintained a consistent defensive stance while keeping the «Trident of Protection» aimed at Sigurd.

"Lower your weapon, Undine!" Rosicrux barked. "Now!"

"You dare point a weapon at the commander of the Sylph forces?!" snapped Sigurd. "Don't forget that your actions WILL have terrible consequences for our alliance!"

"And YOUR poor leadership is already having terrible consequences for our alliance," Sachi spat hatefully. "So back down now, Sigurd, if you still know what's good for you."

"W-Whoa, Sachi!" Kirito thought in awe. His memories of the scared, timid girl who he often protected in SAO were now being challenged by the new and improved Sachi that was standing before him. "You're...You're actually being brave! It's so...so..."

His thoughts were cut off by the doors to Sakuya's office opening up once again. Fjord stormed out of the room with his fists tightly clenched, and the Undine Lord was followed by Sakuya and Alicia.

"Just what is the meaning of this?!" Fjord demanded. He planted his feet beside Sachi, though he had an arm held out in front of her face in some sort of protective gesture. "Everyone, lower your weapons! At ONCE!"

"Sigurd, Rosicrux!" Sakuya cried sternly. "What in the world is going on here?!"

Rosicrux and his cohorts quickly lowered their weapons, while Sachi was slower and more reluctant to lower hers. With a sigh of irritation, she turned around to face the three Lords, as did Kirito.

"Lord Sakuya!" Rosicrux exclaimed. "She just threatened us with her weapon!"

"Heh, yeah," Liz replied with a roll of her eyes. "Only after your boyfriend was trying to skewer Kirito."

"Hey, watch your mouth, Leprechaun!" one of the other Sylphs snapped. "No one talks to Captain Rosicrux like that!"

"Hey, the hell's your deal, guys?!" spat Agil.

"That's enough!" Sakuya yelled, her voice echoing authoritatively through the hall and silencing the others. "Sigurd, your meeting has been postponed as of now. I have an urgent matter to discuss with Leafa and her party, quickly."

"Even if I intend to discuss certain matters regarding the Salamander-Imp alliance?!" cried an incredulous Sigurd.

"Even if that is your intent. So, you may avail yourself of the niceties in the castle lobby in the meantime. For now, I will be having my discussion with Leafa now." The Sylph Lord shifted her attention to Rosicrux next. "And Captain Rosicrux, I do not want to hear any more disturbances from you or your guard, lest you wish to be stripped of your rank?"

"N-N-No, m-my Lord," Rosicrux stammered pathetically while bowing his head before her. "N-Not at all..."

"Good. Then you're all dismissed."

Sigurd glowered at Sachi for one last time, then at Leafa and Recon. Leafa flinched a little at her former party member's judgmental stare, while Recon just narrowed his eyes at him with suspicion. Then, Sigurd turned around on his heel, and with a swish of his cloak, the Sylph began walking down the direction from which he came. Rosicrux gave Kirito one last glare of his own before following Sigurd, with his fellow guardsmen behind him.

"Wow..." Alicia said with a mischievous smile. Her arms were behind her head, giving her a casual look. "Guess Captain-san got a lil' too triggered by my comments from earlier, nya."

Sakuya sighed in relief. "I think I should put some serious consideration in reshuffling my ranks..." Then, she glanced at Leafa. "Anyway, Fjord, Alicia, and I have been talking about your predicament, and we've come to an agreement. Come on back in, all of you."

Kirito narrowed his eyes as all of his friends followed the three Lords back inside Sakuya's office. He was the last one to step back in, and before the doors closed behind him with a resonating thud, he looked over his shoulder to see if Sigurd and Rosicrux were still walking away. Indeed, they were.

"You kids sure have a knack for attracting all sorts of trouble," Fjord commented.

"I-I'm so sorry, Lord Fjord," Sachi replied. Her courage evaporated just as quickly as it came, and she leaned against her upright trident in embarrassment. "I...I don't know what came over me-"

"It's alright, Sachi. You can make it up to me by doing well on the assignment that we're about to give you."

Sachi perked up, as did Kirito. "Huh?"

"The attack on Sigurd's party has all the signs of escalation to us," Sakuya explained. "We're worried that similar attacks are being planned against the top players of the Undine and Cait Sith races too."

"But there was one detail of the attack that came to our interest," continued Fjord. "Sigurd's report made no mention of the Imps taking part."

"Leafa, do you recall seeing Imps in the party that attacked you?"

Leafa shook her head. "No. It was just Kagemune and his Lance Group. And-" Her brow became wrinkled as she recalled the assault. "I don't think any of them were even using Dark Magic on their weapons..."

"So that corroborates Sigurd's statements," Alicia replied. "Interesting, nya."

"What do you think this means?" Sinon asked.

"We don't know, exactly," Fjord replied. "Which is why we've decided to send you all to the Imp Territory. To investigate."

"To investigate?" repeated Kirito.

"Investigate what, exactly?" Agil asked.

"If the alliance between the Salamanders and the Imps might be falling apart," Sakuya replied. "You see, the Lord of the Imps, Mauve, was elected right before the Salamanders recruited the Imps to their side. Since that time, she's never left her castle in Scionus and is rumored to be under heavy guard. The only people she has been known to speak to are Lord Mortimer and General Eugene, the top commander of the Salamander armies. And all leadership duties have essentially been taken over by her first lieutenant, Thystos. She's now considered the most unpopular Lord in all of Alfheim. And she is at risk of being unseated in the next lordship election, which is scheduled to occur tomorrow."

"It's a long shot," Fjord continued, "but we were wondering if this has any bearing on the Salamander-Imp alliance. That is why we want all of you to go into the Imp Territory and investigate that angle."

"So we're pretty much gonna be your lapdogs," Liz replied flatly. "Is that any way for you guys to treat newbies like us?"

"You know...out of the nine races," Alicia explained while looking up and down at Liz's appearance, "the Leprechauns are known to be the most neutral and uninterested in forging alliances. As such, we contract their blacksmithing services on an occasional basis, as do the other races. You can think of them as slimy, boot-licking salespeople who essentially live to sell themselves to all of the other races regardless of alliances, intent, and even morality. So, all you have to do is go to the Imp Territory and pretend to be a new saleswoman promoting her brand, nya."

"Hey, that does sound a lot like you, Liz," Kirito commented with a sly grin.

Liz's eyelid twitched. "Call me slimy again and I'll cut you open."

Alicia simply giggled.

"And as for the Gnomes and the Spriggans," Fjord explained, "they're both suited for reconnaissance." He looked at Agil. "You can dig underground and listen to everything that's happening above you. You could probably even catch important conversations aboveground. As for you..." He shifted his attention upon Kirito. "You can disguise yourself as someone or something else and eavesdrop as well."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Agil replied.

Sakuya nodded in acknowledgment. "And of course..." She looked at Klein. "You'll pose as a soldier in General Eugene's ranks and try to gain information from Lord Mauve. Use the Imps' alliance with the Salamanders as your leverage. And-" She looked at Kirito next. "You can kill two birds with one stone by finding your friend in the same manner."

"Of course, my lady!" Klein replied with a toothy grin. "Leave it all to me! I won't just get her to talk, I'll get her to sing!" Then, his smile took on a more romantic quality as he started to kneel before the Sylph Lord once again. "And, once I've completed my mission for you, how about I take you out on a nice beachside lunch- OOF!"

Liz lowered her palm with an exasperated sigh. "You're shooting a little too high in your ambitions, Klein."

Klein moaned while rubbing the back of his head. "Owwwww..."

Fjord then turned to Sachi. "As for you, Sachi, I want you to keep these guys in line. I understand that we're just putting a lot of responsibility on their shoulders for their first day in ALO, so I trust that you can take control of the situation in if things start to go south." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're my ray of hope, after all."

"O-Oh!" Sachi's cheeks became lightly flushed with a familiar humility. "Th-Thank you, f-for putting your trust in me..."

"The same goes for you, Leafa," Sakuya said. "You've got the most experience out of everyone in your group. You should know what exactly is at stake, better than anyone else."

"U-Understood, Lord Sakuya!" replied Leafa.

"You too, Sinon-chan!" Alicia piped up.

"Understood, Lord Alicia," Sinon responded with a loyal nod.

"Wh-What about-?" Recon began, before his voice trailed off and he lost his nerve. "Never mind..."

"And remember," Fjord warned, "above all else: Do. Not. Get. Caught. If the Imps find out what's going on and trace this back to the Lords of the opposing alliance, then it will mean all-out war. The Salamanders and Imps will be unforgiving in their attacks, and neutrality may no longer be a guarantee for the Gnomes, Leprechauns, and Spriggans. With members of their own races participating in this, they may have no choice but to pick a side in the conflict. And the last thing that anyone wants is to be part of a war spanning across its lands. Not when there's still a Grand Quest to complete."

"Look," Sakuya said, regarding Kirito's group with a soft, sympathetic sigh, "I understand that this is your first day in the game. We may be expecting too much out of you. So, if any of you feel that this is too much pressure on your shoulders, please, let us know now. But this is a perfect opportunity for this alliance to gain the upper hand against its enemies. And as first-time players, you just may be the key to this conflict entering a new, preferably ideal phase."

"Don't worry, you three," Kirito replied while giving the trio of Lords a confident smile. "We'll get the job done in no time. And I mean, what better way to spend our first day in ALO than to be a part of an important mission?"

Kirito and the others followed Fjord and his own guard out of Swilvane Castle. Once the group stepped back out into the artificial sunlight of Alfheim, the Undine Lord turned back to face the party.

"I deeply appreciate your cooperation," he said gratefully. "For a bunch of first-timers, you all seem pretty committed to doing this."

"Well, as long as it helps us find our friend," replied Kirito, "then we'll do whatever it takes."

"Ah yes, your friend..." Fjord raised an eyebrow. "What was your friend's name again?"

"Umbra."

"Umbra. Hmmmmm..." The Lord's brow became furrowed in thought. "I hope Lord Mauve can provide you with all of the answers that you need."

"Yeah," Agil replied. "We've been away from the man for far too long!"

"Mm-hm..." Fjord blinked at the Gnome before addressing the entire group. "Just remember-"

"Don't get caught," repeated Klein. "I can live with that!"

"I hope you actually mean it and aren't just thinking about impressing that stacked woman upstairs," Liz deadpanned.

"Of course I mean it! A true samurai never reneges on his word! And a true samurai never leaves a damsel in distress!"

The Leprechaun sighed. "Of course you'd try to have it both ways..."

Fjord blinked in surprise at the banter before recomposing himself. "A...Alriiiiight... An-Anyway, let's get going, everyone. The Imp Territory is situated between the Undine and Salamander Territories, so we're gonna have to fly further up north if you're gonna enter the safe way."

"Um, hold on a moment, Lord Fjord!" interjected Kirito.

Fjord responded with a chuckle. "Oh-ho-hooo, please! All of you, just call me Fjord. Frankly, the title of 'Lord Fjord' is just so ridiculous, and I'm sure you've already noticed why."

"Heh, yeah," Liz whispered in amusement. "Everyone and their mother..."

But despite Liz's whisper, she was overheard by Sachi, who elbowed her shoulder with a little more force than necessary. The Leprechaun emitted a small yelp and rubbed her shoulder in embarrassment,.

"Huh?" Kirito then cracked a small, awkward smile. "Alright. Fjord, could you just give us a moment to upgrade our gear here?" He scanned the rest of his friends. "I think if we're gonna pull off this mission correctly, we need to lose all of the starter-level gear that we have."

"Oh! O-Of course! I can't send you into the Imp Territory with entry-level inventories, after all. Well, then..." Fjord took a couple of steps back so he could summon his wings with his guardsmen. "I shall leave you guys to it. I need to get back to Parcellus." He gave a brief, cold shudder. "I can't stand the thought of the Undine Council being in charge for a second longer!"

"Alright!" Sachi replied with a wide smile. "We'll see you in a few, Fjord."

"Okay!" Fjord took off to the sky, followed by his guard, but before he could make his leave, he looked down at Sachi, his brotherly smile evident. "And remember, Sachi! You're my ray of hope!"

Sachi beamed at him. "Mm-hm! I promise you, I won't let you down on this, Fjord!"

The Lord nodded at her one last time before soaring away, followed one by one by his guardsmen. They watched him go until they became nothing more than specks in the blue sky. By that point, Kirito turned to face his friends, old and new, and he gave them a confident, accommodating smile.

"Okay!" he exclaimed. "Let's go looking for gear, shall we?!"

"YEAH!" everyone else chorused.

Swilvane Market

"I'll take this one."

"That'll be 600 «Yrd»."

Kirito transferred the «Yrd» to the NPC shopkeeper, ignoring the surprised gasp that Sachi made in the process. Then, he took the greatsword from the shopkeeper's hands and lifted it in his own. Despite its staggering size, its weight felt just right in his palms, and Kirito couldn't help but make a light, effortless slashing motion with it in one hand.

The move still proved to be powerful enough to send a rend of air in Klein's direction, blowing the flaps of his yellow-and-black bandanna into his face.

"H-Hey!" the Salamander snapped. "Watch where you're swinging that thing, man!"

"Heh heh, sorry!" Kirito replied with a playful smile.

Then, with a light breath, the Spriggan lifted the greatsword and sheathed it behind his back like it was a regular sword. Even so, he felt that something was missing, leaving the setup of his new gear woefully incomplete, and he knew exactly what that missing piece was.

"If only I had my swords in SAO back," he thought. "Then I'd be able to dual-wield like the good ole-" He caught himself in his thoughts and gritted his teeth together. "No, you gotta remember what Yui said! The GM could be watching at any moment! Or one of his moderators. I can't use any of my old abilities from SAO, no matter what!"

"Uhhh, Kirito?" a sweet voice timidly asked.

The Spriggan turned and saw Sachi looking at him, her cheeks slightly flushed in what he assumed to be awe. He had to control the pace of his heartbeat while he stared at her.

"Y-Yes, Sachi?" he replied.

"Are...Are you sure you want that sword?" the Undine asked. "I-It looks like it's better suited for a Gnome or an Imp, not for a race with a speed-build like a Spriggan. Not to mention it reduced your «Yrd» savings to almost nothing."

"Well, if we're gonna face off against some tough enemies like that General Eugene that Sakuya mentioned, then I think it's necessary to have a strong weapon on standby." Kirito then tapped the hilt of his sword. "And this...«Black Iron Great Sword» should do the trick, if it's one of the higher-priced weapons available."

"O-Okay..." Sachi's lips curved into a joyful smile. "Well, who am I to talk? I know your true power, Kirito. Not even a big sword like that is enough to bring you down..."

Kirito chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I suppose not..."

"I agree, Daddy!" Yui chirped as she flew around her father's head. "Besides, that sword looks good on you!"

"Yeah!" added Sachi. "It makes you look brave! N-N-Not that you didn't look brave before, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, I-I know what you mean, Sachi..." Kirito interrupted nervously.

Feeling his face heat up, he turned away to observe his other friends as they scoured for weapons and equipment. Kirito saw Agil purchasing a battleax from another NPC vendor while wearing a nostalgic look on his face. Then, he watched as Liz started engaging Klein into a heated argument over the two swords that they were comparing. Next, he spotted Leafa talking to Recon about something a short distance away.

And finally, his eyes scoured the area for Sinon, only to find no trace of her at all.

"Hey, Sachi?" he asked, turning back to the Undine. "Have you seen Sinon?"

"Hm?" Sachi started looking around the market as well. "No, I haven't. She told me she was looking to try out some new armor, though..."

"Oh. Maybe we should go looking for her. I think everyone's about to finish up."

Sachi nodded in agreement, and with that, the Spriggan and the Undine split up. As soon as he did, Kirito could not help but sigh in relief while he started scouring through the vendor stalls. Then, a few seconds later, he heard the soft tinkling noise that was now associated with his adoptive daughter.

"Daddy?" Yui asked. "Are you okay? You look particularly flustered."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kirito lied, trying to hide the strain in his voice. He then forced his lips to curve upward. "Just fine!"

But the girl slowly blinked. "No, you're not. There's a change in your posture. It's subtle, but it's there. You don't look as confident."

"Well...it's just..." The Spriggan reluctantly swallowed. "I'm...very worried about your mommy, Yui. That's all."

"It's half-true, anyway..." Kirito added in his mind. "I can't even imagine what Asuna's going through right now..."

"Ah, I see..." Yui replied morosely. "And the only way we can fully restore your confidence is to save Mommy." Then, she pumped her fists in determination. "Don't you worry, Daddy! We can do it! We can save Mommy! I know we can!"

He forced another smile at her direction. "Yeah. Yeah, that's true."

"And then what happens after we save Asuna? What am I gonna do with her and Sachi then? After everything Sachi and I have been through, there's no way whatever we've got going on is gonna go quietly. This...This is just too stressful! My head even hurts thinking about potential solutions! This is a whole lot tougher than the boss fights in Aincrad!" Kirito was already grimacing from his overwhelmed mind. "Damn, I need something to preoccupy me..."

A tickling sensation suddenly came over the Spriggan's nose, bringing him out of his reverie. He was standing in front of a curtain, and Yui had apparently broken away from him at some point, leaving him all alone. Ignoring the distant alarm bell ringing in the back of his mind, Kirito decided to draw the curtain aside and step through it.

In just a millisecond, the alarm bell started blaring right in Kirito's eardrums as he drank in the sight before him.

Sinon was standing in the middle of what was now obviously a dressing room, wearing nothing but a gold bra and a pair of equally gold panties, both of which had embroidery resembling leaves.

...

...

...

"K...Ki...Kiri...to..." the Cait Sith stammered, her voice so silent that it barely reached the boy's ears.

Kirito finally found the willpower to look away and screw his eyes shut as tightly as possible.

"I'M SO SORRY!" he squealed.

Even so, he didn't budge from his position. The paralysis overcoming his body seemed to be more potent than any status effect he'd ever encountered in Aincrad. Sinon was just as still in mortification.

"THIS ISN'T WHAT I MEANT WHEN I WANTED SOMETHING TO PREOCCUPY ME!"

...

...

...

...

...

The awkward silence became deafening. Kirito couldn't hear any movement from Sinon's position, and without any overt confirmation that he was in the clear, his curiosity got the better of him. He cracked an eyelid open and slowly, carefully looked back at Sinon, trying his best to look as discreet and friendly as possible.

The first thing he saw was the ferocious face of a lioness.

"Grrrrraaaaaggggghhhhh..."

Kirito's heart stopped beating. "Eek!"

With one forearm covering her chest, Sinon raised her other arm, and her palm was poised to strike.

"WHY YOU!"

Her arm became a blur, and the next thing Kirito saw was a blinding blast of white.

"Why do I feel déjà vu from this...?"

To say that the awkwardness was extremely palpable was an understatement.

Sinon led the way, her pace fast and her eyes narrowed. Sachi was tagging along beside her, but she had nothing to say or express about the unfortunate incident other than a face that was as pink as roses. Agil was stiff in his composure as he stealthily positioned himself between Sinon and the others, like a wall meant to keep the intruders out. Leafa and Liz walked beside one another, with the former looking embarrassed and the latter looking irritated. Yui flew over the pair of girls, analyzing their reactions with childish intrigue. Klein and Recon made up the tail-end of the group; the Salamander had a wry, naughty grin etched on his face, while the Sylph was ambiguously looking at his own feet.

And Kirito, walking between the duos of Klein and Recon, and Leafa and Liz, flinched and grimaced with every other step while the red handprint was stamped across his left cheek.

Once the group reached the edge of the market, Klein caught up to Kirito and whispered into his ear.

"So, Kirito, my man, my main man...what was today's color?"

"I'll tell you today's color, Klein," Kirito droned in pain. "It was the palm of her hand."

The Salamander frowned in disappointment. "Awww, you're just no fun anymore."

"Did you forget that we're here to save Asuna?" He slowly glared at his friend. "The love of my life?"

"Hey, I'm not saying you're two-timing Asuna or anything!" But Klein's mischievous smile returned, and he slung an arm over Kirito's shoulders. "But I gotta say, married or not, you seem to be getting a lotta fun and attention lately!"

Kirito put a hand over his cheek, wincing from the handprint's prickling sensation. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Well, first thing's first, that happy lil' wardrobe accident."

"Like you said..." Kirito winced again. "An accident."

"And then, that Leafa gal's been checking you out ever since we logged back in."

"What, really?" Kirito looked at Leafa, just in time to see her gasp and innocuously look away from him. "It...I-It could be because of something else-"

"Something else," interrupted Klein. "Riiiiight. Suuuuure. Just like how Liz has been looking to pounce you as soon as the opportunity presents itself."

"Oh, no way! Not Liz!" The Spriggan focused on the blacksmith next; fortunately, she hadn't been looking at him. "She's a very good friend of mine and Asuna's! She knows the two of us are married!"

"Mm-hm. And would you say that Sachi is a very good friend of yours too?"

Kirito nearly stumbled in his response, and he knew it. "Y-Yes! O-Of course she is!"

"Ah, really? Even if she's been giving you the lovey-dovey eyes the most out of all the girls here?"

All of a sudden, Kirito felt detached from his Spriggan body. He was still walking, but he couldn't even feel his body going through the motions, and everything around him felt distant. His friends, Yui, the Swilvane Market, Sachi...

"And..." Klein's voice suddenly got a little deeper. "You've noticed it, didn't you?"

Kirito's gaze floated towards Sachi, who had her back on him while she tried to find an opening into a conversation with Sinon. The many, many times they were together since he woke up from SAO came flooding back to his memory, mixing with his old memories of them socializing with the rest of the Moonlit Black Cats and each other. And in every memory of her that he had, Kirito could always recall the tender look in her eyes every time they fell upon him...

The tender look that only rivaled Asuna's...

He was suddenly brought back to reality by a slap to the back. Kirito looked at Klein, whose playful smile had returned.

"Like I said, you have been getting a lotta fun and attention lately! It makes me jeeeeealous. Sooooo..." The Salamander nudged at his friend's elbow. "What's your secret? Do you pretend to be oblivious to lower girls' guards? Oh, is it because you look a little like a girl?!"

Kirito sighed in bemusement. "Where'd that second part come from?"

Klein shrugged. "Well, one way or another, I'll find out! And then, maybe I can start forming a harem of my own!"

"For the love of!" The Spriggan blushed furiously. "I don't have a harem, Klein! I'm in love with Asuna, and that's that!"

Even then, Kirito felt a strange tug in his heart, which made him grimace. As Klein left his side to catch up with Agil, the Spriggan focused on Sachi again, just in time to see her deliver Sinon a gentle, loving smile. The sight of it was nostalgic to him, and it warmed his heart so much that he might as well start flying high in the sky, without having to worry about time restraints...

Kirito gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. "Damn it. I... I..."

– X-Y-X –

Skies of Alfheim

"So? Whaddaya think?"

"It's not looking good. I think he really has a thing for her."

Liz recoiled at the conclusion, and she rubbed her forehead in distress, making sure the action was subtle. Even so, there was no denying the ache blooming in her head right now. It made her efforts to control her joystick-guided flight all the more difficult.

"Goddamn it..." the Leprechaun muttered in distress. "Goddamn it! I knew something was up when Kirito started acting all awkward around her! How bad is it?"

Klein secretly looked over his shoulder at Kirito, who was soaring through the skies, between Sachi and Leafa. Yui was in his pocket again, poking her head out and enjoying the feeling of the breeze blowing against her.

"We still got a chance to snap him out of it," he replied. "But we gotta act quickly." He looked back at Liz. "'Cause, if we don't, Asuna will be in for a whole lot of heartbreak."

Liz's eye suddenly twinkled. "Oh-ho-ho-hooooo, look at you, Klein. I remember you having the hots for Asuna, even after she and Kirito got together, and now you're giving her up to Kirito?"

"Hey, I am man enough to not move in on a girl who's already taken! I don't operate like that!" The Salamander crossed his arms. "And besides, I'm also doing this for Kirito's own good! I can't just stand by and watch my friend do something he'll sorely regret later on! I just can't! Not when he and Asuna already have someone to call their own child!"

"Yo!" a new voice interjected. "What're y'all talkin' about?!"

A millisecond later, Agil flew beside them with one of his eyebrows raised.

"We're talking about Kirito and that Sachi girl," Liz replied.

The Gnome sighed. "Damn it. This is exactly why I wanted you two to stay outta this. I knew you'd get around to do this the moment I filled y'all in on what was happenin'." He cast a glance towards Kirito's direction as well. "Look, for the last time, Kirito assured me that he would handle this on his own."

The Leprechaun rolled her eyes. "Yeah, said every guy in a so-called committed relationship ever."

"Bro," Klein added, "if you trusted Kirito's judgment, why'd you decide to tag along then?"

"'Cause this is Asuna we're talkin' 'bout!"

"And just what use would they have for a shady, fraudulent salesman in the first place?"

Agil scowled. "Well, obviously I've got my uses for them now, given what we're about to fly into!"

"Agil," Liz replied, "don't tell me that you didn't feel the least bit concerned about Kirito's faithfulness to Asuna when you decided to accompany him and Sachi into this game. I mean, you said it yourself before. We don't know what exactly it is that we're dealing with. So why tag along if this might turn out to be a waste of time based on an unfounded hunch?"

The Gnome didn't respond, and he looked at Kirito and Sachi again. His silence was all the confirmation that Liz needed.

"You may take Kirito's word for it," the Leprechaun continued, "but I'll be damned if you don't have at least a tiny shred of doubt still in you."

Agil pursed his lips in defeat. "Even so, it ain't right to be talkin' behind Kirito's back 'bout this. We gotta confront him on this relationship or whatever it is at some point."

"That we will, man," Klein replied. "That we will." He too looked at Kirito and Sachi. "When we have an opportunity."

While Klein and Agil were focused on Kirito and Sachi, Liz blinked away her developing tears and gazed ahead of her. The pink-haired Leprechaun could see the lands of Parcellus miles away, and the vast, sparkling ocean behind it. But she was not captivated by the sight of the Undine capital at all. Instead, she recalled her unsatisfactory first meeting with Kirito, the adventure the two of them went on together, the rush of wind roaring up at them as they plummeted down the sunlit air, the moment she had her heart broken by him and Asuna...

And most of all, the tender feeling of his hand in hers...

"I have to stop Kirito from drifting away from Asuna," she thought. "I have to. Or I'll... I'll..."

– X-Y-X –

"When ten thousand players were trapped inside SAO upon its launch day, November 6, 2022, it was at first believed to be an appalling glitch in the NerveGear, the devices that assisted in the creation of SAO's virtual reality, and these horrible trappings. But soon, we learned that this was not a glitch. This was all by design, and there was supposed to be no hope for anyone in the outside world to save them from their unexpected condition."

"Dr. Shigemura."

Real World, Toto Institute of Technology, Ōokayama

The man with the graying brown hair and extended goatee beard was pulled out from his reverie. He put his cellphone to sleep, thereby stopping the recording he had of a certain doctor's lecture, and faced his companions.

"Yes, Kikuoka?" he asked.

The SAO Case Victims Rescue Force investigator stepped underneath the ceiling light, which reflected off his eyeglasses, giving the lenses a bright glow.

"What exactly can you tell us about the stolen White Star prototype?"

Next Time: Supplementary Angles

A/N: And that marks the end of that chapter! Sachi and Suguha grapple with their respective dilemmas, the gang comes up with the makings of a plan, and they get roped into a larger mission involving the potential dismantling of the alliance between the Salamanders and the Imps! Meanwhile, Yui senses an anomaly! Oh, I wonder who or what that might be...? Stay tuned for more! :D :D :D

Oh, and yes, Kirito did walk in on Sinon while she was changing and got the GGO treatment. He certainly was not wrong when he felt déjà vu. XD XD XD (Hey, I'm sure some fanservice is warranted for the two-month wait I made everyone go through. XP)

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

-Aevun: I mean...this is supposed to be a bit of a love triangle story where one of the parties is pretty much MIA... I am not really sure how else I'm supposed to approach this...

-MeMyselfAndI82907:

1) Ohhhhh, Sugou's got more devious tricks up his sleeve than just a little hand-wave-y gravity magic. ;D

2) That's true.

3) Speaking of Umbra, we're actually going to delve a little into his backstory in the next chapter. Stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed!

4) Well, I suppose getting walked in on while changing would be one way of bending her out of shape. XP

5) As you can see in this chapter, Suguha connected the dots a lot quicker than in canon. And she reacted about as well as one can expect her to.

6) Yes, Sugou's quite the conniving bastard this time around, especially now that he's got Sachi's presence in Kirito's life to use as a weapon against Asuna. But the real drama will begin once Asuna finds out what's happened between the two of them while she was comatose...

7) Yeah, we're going to see a whole lot of inner conflict and turmoil with Sachi. It's going to be interesting to read, to say the least. ;D ;D ;D

-Ace Kizakura (guest reviewer): Yes, it's going to be quite the showdown, the likes of which we've never seen before too! :O

-Kairan1979: Ohhhhhh, she will definitely explode in due time. And when she does, the drama will unfold and the tears will start gushing.

-MassiveCollateralDamage:

1) It's alright! It's not like you're the only one late to submit something relating to this fic... XP

2) Ah yes, it's so great to have the gang together and to actually get them all involved in the Fairy Dance Arc as opposed to having Kirito and Leafa go at it alone. I always thought the part with Kirito initially going in alone didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I digress.

3) Thanks! And I think you'll see how detestable he'll be in comparison to his canon self, because I do not intend to give him any redeemable qualities. He's being dragged through the mud and will stay there. Mwahahahahaha! :)

4) Oh, I think the Kirito-Asuna-Sachi love triangle will wrap up in a dramatic but satisfying way... ;)

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