Rest could not come soon enough for Kirito.
To call the 75th Floor Boss (and the debacle that followed) exhausting would be like calling the Sahara Desert dry. Not inaccurate, but terribly imprecise and one hell of an understatement.
As Kirito kicked the doors to the guild hall open and everyone funneled inside, he could have simply walked into his and Asuna's bedroom and gone to sleep. Instead, his eyes locked onto the nearest couch cushion and within seconds, found himself collapsed upon it. He was not alone in this, as very soon the foyer of the Renegade guild hall found itself full of physically and mentally exhausted raiders.
Asuna slumped into the space next to him and immediately curled into his side. "I quit."
Kirito sighed. "We can't quit, Asuna."
"I trusted that man, Kirito." Asuna rebuked. "We trusted that man, and he was leading us along this entire time."
"I know."
"I wasn't close with the man, but I still considered him a friend!"
Kirito opened his mouth to reply when they were joined by their little bundle of joy, who decided to snuggle in between them.
"I'm sorry Mama. Papa. I wanted to tell you, but…"
"But nothing. It's not your fault, sweetie." Asuna interrupted before planting a kiss on her daughter's head. "If you'd said anything, he and Cardinal would have done something… maybe even remove you. No one wants that."
Kirito ruffled Yui's hair, eliciting the smallest of giggles. Taking comfort in the arms of his family, he surveyed the rest of the room, the residents of which looked just as tired and dejected as he felt. The day had been rather taxing for all of them, really.
Apart from each of the confirmed couples of the Renegades sitting with their respective partners, he noted that on the floor in front of the fireplace was an unusual gathering. The majority of those not already having claimed a couch or a loveseat were sitting in what could, more or less, be considered a large cuddle pile. They weren't on top of each other like the other couples were, necessarily, but it was plain to see that right now they yearned for the company and closeness of others. He did notice Sachi and Keita getting particularly close, but chalked it up to needing companionship in light of everything that had happened. It was hardly surprising; after experiencing betrayal of that caliber, all anyone wanted to do was reaffirm their own bonds with others.
It was another example of just how much like a family they'd all become.
"I miss him." Silica said, and immediately everyone knew exactly who the little dragon tamer was referring to.
"He's not dead, Sil." Lokuss reminded her. "He's just helping Alice out and keeping the KoB together, that's all. I imagine he'll swing by and visit every now and then."
"Yeah, but it's not the same." She grumbled.
The loremaster sighed. "I suppose it isn't… but that just means we'll have to visit him ourselves then."
"Not if I visit you first."
Every head in the guild hall whipped over to see Geeou – err, Eugeo with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Immediately, Silica jumped up and latched onto him, prompting a chuckle from the former Renegade. He gave her a quick hug before pulling back and smiling.
"What are you doing back?" Kirito finally asked, getting up and offering his quasi-brother a fist bump. "I thought you'd be at Bastion with the rest of the KoB."
Eugeo rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I'm just here to get the rest of my stuff. And to deliver a message from Argo."
"Did you need any help?" Agil asked, getting up from his stool at the bar. "We're happy to help haul some of your stuff if you need a hand."
Eugeo shook his head. "Nah, most of my stuff I can stow in my inventory without a problem. Thanks, though."
"And what's this message from Argo?" Asuna asked as she got up. Yui decided to follow Silica's example and launch herself at her uncle, who lifted her up in a hug before setting her down.
The shit-eating grin should have been his first clue, but the way Eugeo's eyes sparkled when he looked at him was the last red flag. Kirito gulped.
"Oh, you're gonna love this."
"I can't believe Thinker decided to hold a press conference…" Kirito grumbled as he struggled with his collar. "What's that going to accomplish?! Everyone saw!"
Asuna swatted at his fumbling hands before she reached over and adjusted his collar for him. "Everyone's scared. They want answers, and they think we have them."
"Well we don't." Kirito huffed before the tension in his shoulders let out. "I don't want to do this, Asuna."
"I know."
"I just don't do well with crowds. Or public speaking." Kirito looked down defeatedly. "Or people."
She grabbed the sides of his face and forced him to make eye contact. "You're a lot better than you were when I first met you. And don't worry; I'll take the lead in the press conference. You just sit there and look pretty."
"You shouldn't have to, though." Kirito begrudgingly admitted. "I'm the guild leader; I should be the one doing… y'know…"
Asuna shrugged before letting go of his face and dusting off his shoulders. "It would hardly be the first time a second-in-command was the one at the helm while the leader stood to the side."
Kirito gave her a deadpan stare. "Did you just compare me to Kayaba?"
"...Maybe?"
"That doesn't make me feel better, you know."
She giggled. "I know. Look, I'm just more used to dealing with situations like this. Keeping a good public image by wearing a mask is kind of my thing."
"It shouldn't have to be, though."
"Take that up with my parents." Asuna frowned before she ultimately shrugged. "It's not a bad skill to have, though. Especially when situations like this happen."
A head popped in through the curtain of their dressing room. "Kirito. Asuna. We'll be starting soon."
"Thank you." Asuna gave a polite nod, after which their attendant nodded back and retreated back behind the curtain.
"Is this what celebrities feel like?" Kirito joked.
"Kirito, we are celebrities." Asuna poked his shoulder. "Like it or not, these broadcasts have made us well-known figures in SAO. People look to us since we're on the front lines."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it." He stood up and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's get this over with."
The minutes that followed felt like hours, as cliche as it sounded. There was something about anxiously waiting for what he knew was going to be an unpleasant experience that made the waiting so much worse. Like waiting at a dentist's office, or sitting outside the principal's office after having been caught hacking into school records to find and report on possible security breaches. Not that he had any experience with the latter, obviously, but it couldn't have been pleasant. Once they were signaled to come out, Kirito and Asuna followed the attendant (whose name he forgot to ask for, unfortunately) until they were met with a crowd of thousands.
Naturally, this press conference was being held in the Plaza of Beginnings, as the largest and most easily accessible area to every player in Aincrad. As if every gaze was honed and focused like a laser beam, Kirito suddenly found himself flush with embarrassment.
Most of the other leaders looked composed, for the most part. Out of the bunch, Eugeo looked the most bothered by the press conference, though he was doing far better at maintaining composure compared to Kirito. They were soon seated across the length of a long table. He idly noted that in front of each of the seats was a ((Projecting Crystal)), an item similar to the more commonly seen ((Recording Crystal)) that functioned like an improvised microphone. Thinker really went out of his way to set this up.
"Thank you all for coming." Thinker's voice boomed over the plaza, and suddenly all manner of chatter died down to a much more subdued hush. He winced at the volume before tapping his own crystal, which had the unintended side effect of blasting the sound of heavy thumps over the plaza. He quickly tapped the item and presumably lowered its volume before continuing. "Damn, thought we had that sound checked already. Sorry, everyone! Let's get this started, shall we?"
A beat of silence was his answer, so he cleared his throat and continued.
"I'm sure we all have questions, which is why the Aincrad Liberation Front has organized this press conference and impromptu Q&A session. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce our panel of Assault Team leaders. I'm sure you know them all by now, but just in case…" Thinker announced, gesturing to each of the players on the panel as they were introduced. "Here, on the far left side of the table, closest to me, are Alice and Geeou of the Knights of the Blood Oath."
A volley of cheers and whoops rang out in support of the new leaders of the KoB. Kirito smirked; at least the KoB still had the public's support in light of Kayaba's reveal.
"To their left – your right – are Lind and Ikten of the Divine Dragons Alliance."
More cheers, though noticeably subdued compared to what the KoB received.
"Next are Kirito and Asuna of the Resolute Renegades."
The applause and support for them was simultaneously baffling and humbling, really. Kirito felt his wife's hand grab his under the table in barely-restrained joy.
"And finally, from the Sleeping Knights and representing the smaller frontline guilds is Yuuki!"
The purplette seemed to get a surprising amount of support from the crowd. It made sense, he supposed; she was representing the underdogs, those who most represented the average layperson. Nevertheless, Yuuki beamed at the attention.
"Alright, alright. Settle down." Thinker chuckled. "We're here to talk about serious matters, remember?"
The crowd chuckled at that, which helped to take some of the pressure off. Kirito took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. Undoubtedly the public had some concerns and, while he hoped none of the animosity or concern would be directed towards him and his guild, he was not delusional to assume that that would hold true.
"Now, we've set this up in a public forum style, similar to what you'd find at a panel at, say, Comic-Con." Thinker explained. "But before we get to the Q&A, we're going to address some of the more frequently asked questions and leave the more specific niche questions for later. First up is a question for all of our panelists. Did any of you know that Heathcliff was Kayaba?"
"No." Came the unanimous answer, almost all at once.
"Wow. Okay, then." Thinker chuckled. "Guess that settles that. Anyway, next question, and this one is for Alice, Kirito, Asuna, and Yuuki."
Kirito's ears perked up as he forced himself to pay close attention.
"When Kayaba asked for a duel, he explicitly singled out the eleven Unique Skill holders." Thinker prefaced. "Naturally, that's led to quite some rumors about the nature of your skills. We know that Kirito and Yuuki's skill, ((Dual Blades)), is now confirmed to result from being tied for having the quickest reaction time. This suggests that there is some sort of prerequisite for obtaining these skills. Then there's the matter of a skill like Asuna's, ((Arcing Lightning)), which was not only discovered later but also seems to have striking similarities to the moniker many know her for, the Lightning Flash. Any thoughts on the matter?"
"Well, I can't speak for the others, but I have some suspicions regarding my Unique Skill, ((Kaishingeki)). It allows me to give a passive buff to nearby allies, which boosts their STR, AGI, VIT, and DEX. It's not by a whole lot, mind you, but it does seem to naturally encourage others to stay near me." Alice spoke up. "I suspect Kayaba gave me this skill so that I could start to take on more of a leadership role in the KoB."
"Sounds as if Kayaba may have had a soft spot for you." Thinker thought aloud.
Alice frowned. "Maybe. I'll admit that he and I were close before I knew he was Kayaba."
Asuna spoke up next, likely to take the focus off of a clearly uncomfortable Alice. "It's probably the same way with my ((Arcing Lightning)). The similarities are too close to be coincidence. Honestly, I think he just gave Unique Skills out to whoever he felt like giving them to."
"Fair enough. Next question…" Thinker said as he seemed to scroll through some notes of his own. "Ah. This next one is for Alice and, more specifically, Geeou. What made you decide to leave the Resolute Renegades and join the Knights of the Blood Oath? Did you have a falling out with the Renegades?"
"Not at all." Geeou was quick to dispel any rumors of ill will between the two guilds. "Alice just needed help. She and the KoB just lost their leader and a promotion for one of the remaining officers might have led to infighting and the formation of factions. She needed a neutral, objective third party to step in. I spoke with Kirito and Asuna about it, and the need for a stable KoB was more important than keeping me in the Renegades. I'm still close friends with the Renegades, and I plan to visit when I can, but my main focus right now is going to be supporting Alice."
"Any comment, Alice?" Thinker asked.
She shook her head. "Not much more needs to be said, really. I will say that everyone in the KoB has been more than welcoming to him. Apparently him breaking out of paralysis and reviving me was enough to earn him their loyalty."
"Damn straight!" A single voice called out from the crowd. A rumble of laughter followed, both in the audience and up on the panel.
"Anything from the Renegades?" Thinker prompted.
Asuna shook her head. "None at this time, though I will say we're looking forward to working with the KoB's new leadership."
"Lind? Yuuki? Anything the DDA or the independent guilds would like to say?"
"We're of the same mind." Lind said. "Just like the Renegades, we're looking forward to beating this game with their new leadership. Some of us may have our reservations but we're all ultimately in this together."
Kirito didn't miss the subtle glance at Ikten when he said that. Apparently the DDA leadership wasn't quite united in their acceptance of Alice and Eugeo leading the KoB. If he had to guess, they were probably hoping to poach new members from what could have been the dissolving of the KoB in the wake of Kayaba's betrayal. At least he knew Lind understood the importance of maintaining the balance of power on the front line. Diversity helped maintain forward momentum through friendly competition. Any one guild holding a monopoly might lead to complacence or stagnation.
"On behalf of the independent guilds, we're just happy that the KoB's still around!" Yuuki chirped. Gods above, that smile was blinding. "It'd suck if we had to worry about front line politics and squabbling instead of clearing the game."
She may have sounded cheerful as ever, but Kirito didn't miss the subtle warning there. Right now, Yuuki was the mouthpiece of the independent frontline guilds and right now they were sending a message.
Keep it together, or else.
The rest of the press conference passed without much issue. There were questions regarding the new state of the KoB – of which there were surprisingly few changes to the hierarchy – and what the general plan was moving forward with the clearing effort. In the interest of transparency, the entire panel agreed to provide monthly updates to the public to provide some reassurance. Clearly there were still some concerns about how little the public knew of the clearing effort outside of the broadcasts, so hopefully this would bring the public some level of comfort.
The Q&A portion that followed was… interesting.
"Ohmygosh, it's such an honor to meet you all!" A rather frantic… fanboy, for lack of a better term, exclaimed. "Sorry, it's just we don't really get to see you out and about often outside of the broadcasts! My question is for Yuuki!"
"Go for it!" Yuuki answered, giving a thumbs up.
"You always seem so enthusiastic about everything and I love that about you!" The fanboy cheered. "What's your secret? How do you stay so positive while we're literally trapped in a death game?"
A flicker of… something… passed across Yukki's eyes. What was that? "I don't know, I guess I just try to live life to the fullest, y'know? You know that old saying they had about only living once? Well, that's even more true in here, so I try to stay positive! I'm just thankful I get to live another day!"
The fanboy seemed to accept that answer and gracefully bowed before ceding his spot to the next person in line.
"Hi, my name's Jurlok, and my question is for Kirito." The next person in line, a rather burly looking man, began. "I don't mean any disrespect to Alice when I ask this, but Kirito, do you think you would have stood a better chance against Kayaba if you had been the one to duel him?"
Kirito exchanged a wary look with Alice, who only nodded as if to encourage him to answer the question. "Maybe, though we'll never really know. Yeah, I'm faster than most and I apparently have the quickest reaction time out of all players – "
"Hey, we're tied!" Yuuki interjected.
Kirito chuckled. "Sorry, one of the quickest reaction times, but that's a hard question to answer. Would some of us be better equipped to take on Kayaba than others? Probably. Someone like Yuna, who's the foundation of the frontline support, probably wouldn't've been a good matchup against Kayaba."
"Who do you think stood the best chance of taking him on?" Jurlok followed up.
"Alice was definitely one of the best choices. She's worked with the man closest and knew how he fought. She did a great job, but…" He looked over at Alice, who simply sighed and motioned for him to continue. "... she made a mistake when she accidentally used a sword skill against him. Kayaba hand-crafted each and every sword skill in the game. The moment she used one was the moment she lost. That means that anyone with a heavy reliance on sword skills, even if they're strong, would have been at an immediate disadvantage. Alice did well, but in the end it wasn't enough. We all need to get stronger for when we face him again on the 100th Floor."
"I see." Jurlok said before bowing. "Thank you."
"Good job." Asuna encouraged under her breath as she gave his hand a squeeze.
"What's up?" The next person, a rather cocky-looking young man greeted as he approached. "My name is Lanbel and I have a question for Alice."
"What's your question?" Alice asked.
"What was it like dying?"
Kirito's eyes widened with concern. It made sense that someone would ask this question; it wasn't every day you got to talk with someone who died and lived to tell the tale. He had to say, though; it was in poor taste, especially so soon after the conclusion of the duel.
"You don't have to answer that question if you don't want to, Alice." Thinker quickly interjected, shooting a glare at the callous young man at the podium. He was not alone in that sentiment, either, as hundreds of eyes bored into the oblivious boy's skull.
"No, no… it's fine." Alice answered uneasily with a raised hand. "I expected a question like this might come up. Give me a second."
"Take your time." Thinker said calmly.
Alice took a deep breath before answering. "Thank you. It was terrifying, to be honest. I've never felt more helpless and hopeless in my life."
"How'd it feel?" Lanbel asked, still oblivious to the stares he was receiving.
"The best way I can describe it is like the ((Paralysis)) condition, but worse. You can't move because you don't have a body anymore. Can't even speak. There is no HUD, and no indication that you're anywhere, really. The only thing you can see is black nothingness and a single system message that says [You are dead.]" Alice explained, though Kirito could see a faint shiver when she mentioned the message.
"Spooky." Lanbel sympathized. "I know that question was hard, but thanks for answering it anyway. I appreciate it. I'm glad you're with us again, Alice."
"Of course." Alice answered politely.
Kirito let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. That was a heavy topic that he wasn't sure he'd have been able to handle, if he had been the one who skirted death. Then he glanced up at the line that was forming behind the podium, which easily stretched to the other side of the plaza. He sighed.
This was going to be a long day.
"...verdict has been reached. Dr. Sazama Shozaburo pled guilty this afternoon to the murder of one Takagi Fukusaburu, who was taken off of life support just seconds before his in-game avatar could attack – and possibly kill – Kirito, internet celebrity and leader of the Resolute Renegades, during the infamous Laughing Coffin raid several months ago."
"Damn." Shinichi whistled at the television. "That's a tough call to make."
"I was wondering why that guy just suddenly died during the raid." Sulinea said.
"I'm glad he did." Suguha grumbled under her breath. She couldn't even begin to thank that doctor for making the call to remove that murderer from the equation altogether. She acknowledged that it was a difficult decision, but ultimately it led to less loss of life in the long run.
More importantly, it might have saved her brother.
"Cheers to that." Trish agreed, raising a glass of her own while behind the counter.
"In other news, the Assault Team held their first-ever press conference regarding the reveal of former Knights of the Blood Oath commander Heathcliff as none other than Akihiko Kayaba, lead developer of Sword Art Online and the man responsible for the imprisonment of over 10,000 players and death of over 3,000."
"Still trying to wrap my head around that." Ren commented, taking a long swig of his soda. "I'm going to have to throw out all of my Heathcliff stuff now."
"Mmm, might want to hold off on that." Shinichi cautioned.
"Sorry, you want me to keep the merchandise of the man who murdered my brother?"
"Err…" Shinichi stammered hesitantly. He gave a pleading look to Suguha, who only smirked. He got himself into this mess, he could get himself out. "...I mean, Heathcliff merch is obviously going to be in low demand and is probably going to stop being sold."
"For good reason." Selka huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "Bastard killed my sister."
"She's still alive, Sel." Sulinea reminded her. "Eugeo made sure of that."
"Don't I know it." Selka chortled. "Mom and Dad are already talking about what'll happen when she inevitably marries Eugeo. Your brother's already got Dad's blessing."
"Hah!" Sulinea laughed. "Oh, my parents have been talking about that too. Alice and Eugeo are in for a surprise when they clear the game, aren't they?"
"Anyway, what do you mean I should hold onto my Heathcliff merch?" Ren asked pointedly. It seemed he was not willing to let the topic go.
"Heathcliff merch is going to be rare, dude." Shinichi finally explained. "Hold onto that for a few years, wait until it becomes a rare collectible, and make some money at his expense!"
"Huh." Ren looked stupefied. "I guess I could do that. Stick it to him one last time. Fine, but I'll hold onto his crap under duress."
"A lot of our merch is going to become collectibles when they get out." Suguha realized. True, there might still be merchandise sold of SAO, but it would slowly dwindle away as the players got back to their lives. The value of anything SAO related would skyrocket after a few years; she'd have to hold onto the figures she'd already bought of every member of the Renegades.
She'd also need to find somewhere to hide them from her brother.
Her eyes wandered back to the television screen just in time to see her brother answering more questions during his press conference. He somehow looked simultaneously alert and exhausted. She supposed that was the price of fame, though. He'd have to get used to it, because it certainly wasn't going to go away once he got out. Any monsters he'd have to face in the coming months would pale in comparison to the hungry, voracious beast that was an adoring public.
At least, she hoped that statement would hold true.
Just what awaited them in the coming floors?
Omake – Weighing In
Headaches were a bitch, a fact Thinker – ignoring the irony of his own name for a second – was all too aware of at the present moment. What was supposed to be a cordial press conference to appease the concerns and questions of the civilian populace of Aincrad had rapidly devolved into…
…well, into this.
"Look, I'm just saying." Ikten started, jabbing a finger in Alice's direction. "You seemed awfully chummy with him all the way up until we found out he was Kayaba."
"I'm the one who unmasked him!"
Ikten scoffed. "A likely story!"
"What do you mean, a likely story?" Geeou growled.
"Seems awfully convenient that you happened to break out of paralysis, which is something we all thought was impossible, to revive someone who challenged Kayaba and "lost"." Ikten punctuated with air quotes.
"What are you suggesting, Ikten?" Asuna snapped, having to be held back by her husband.
Kirito, unfortunately, was actively struggling as he tried to restrain his wife. "Asuna, please! What happened to maintaining our public image?"
"You know exactly what I'm suggesting!" Ikten's pointed finger swiveled until it was pointed at Asuna.
"Are we talking about Heathcliff and Alice's possible secret romantic relationship?" Yuuki chimed in as she leaned forward to get a better view of the other end of the table. "Because if so, I'd like to weigh in."
"Wait, that makes so much sense!" Ikten gasped, and his accusatory finger found its way back towards Alice. "You and Heathcliff! Were you two lovers?!"
"I'd like to weigh in here…" The loud, booming voice of Akihiko Kayaba resounded throughout the plaza, like an omnipotent god speaking from on high. "...No."
"AHA!" Ikten shouted, pointing his finger frantically towards the heavens. "So there was something between you, just not romantic!"
"No."
"See?" Alice gestured towards the sky. "Even he agrees! I was just his vice commander! I wasn't his accomplice! He killed me!"
"A LIKELY STORY!"
"Why, you - !" Alice growled as she and Geeou sprang up from their seats and charged at Ikten, who was unceremoniously shoved towards those he'd insulted by his own guild leader, who looked like he'd just about had enough of his vice-lead's shit.
Thinker turned off his ((Projecting Crystal)), rested his head in his hands, and let something loose that could neither be described as a sigh or a groan, but rather a little of both with something extra.
This was a terrible idea.