DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sword Art Online or any of its characters. I do, however, own the fanart used as the cover; as I drew that myself.

EDIT: I forgot that Argo talked differently. Whoops.

() = Skills.

EXAMPLE: (Blacksmith).

[] = Stats and status effects.

EXAMPLE: [Strength] and [Invisible].

{} = Item names.

EXAMPLE: {Anneal Blade}.

«» = Monster and location names.

EXAMPLE: «Dire Wolf» and «The Town of Beginnings».

Chapter 5: Rest.

"Yer shorter than I thought ya'd be."

The errant and violent twitch on Kazuto's brow was all the rat needed to confirm a suspicion of hers. Argo had noticed, during the Closed Beta of Sword Art Online, how Kirito sometimes struggled with height. More specifically, Kirito would have moments where he had trouble reaching items low to the ground, or high to the ceiling.

Naturally, Argo assumed Kirito had to be smaller than he actually was. So when they met at his house, having kept in touch with email and text, Argo was mostly surprised by how close to his avatar he was.

"Well, you're…" Kazuto says, deflating slightly. "…the same height."

Unlike the notorious rat, Kazuto had no ammunition to use against her. Argo, being surprisingly minimalistic, only changed her hair and eye color, letting her IRL body fill in the rest; maintaining the same muscle mass and short stature.

Somehow though, her untamed bob of gold hair was an even worse mass of tangles. Young Kazuto felt a little forlorn looking at it, unable to help the feeling that it should be green.

"Smooth comeback Kii-bou. Can I come in now?"

"Fine."

The young man's house was definitely homely, a far cry from Argo's cramped and cluttered apartment. Family pictures on the wall, stockings by the fireplace for Christmas presents, a big-breasted girl running on a treadmill—

"Kii-bou, who is tha'?" Argo says, eyes locked onto the exercising woman. The earbuds in her ears explained why she hadn't heard the rat and her escort shut the front door.

"Hmm?" Kazuto mutters. "Oh, that's just my little sister. Her name's Suguha, please play nice and don't tease her too hard."

"Little huh?" Argo says, her eyes changing target and locking on Sugu's bouncing Suguhas. "Can I—"

"Do not seduce my sister, Rat."

"Spoilsport."

With a roll of his eyes Kazuto finds himself slipping into his Kirito mindset every second he spends with Argo. Slipping into a more confident persona, someone who didn't hesitate in taking Argo's wrist and dragging her to the family couch; the two of them plopping down and surfing channels.

"Any channel in mind?" Kirito says, TV remote in hand as his friend lays down on his chest.

"Anythin' that ain't news." Argo says, making herself comfortable on her new pillow. "I watch it way too much fer my blog as 's."

So that was how the two of them spent their day; Kirito's head on the armrest, one arm around his rat and one hand working through her tangled nest of hair. Argo, meanwhile, simply melted and snuggled closer, letting her swordsman pamper her while they watched any random thing on TV.

The entire time Suguha Kirigaya went through her exercise routines, zipping around the room without noticing the extra member on the couch. Argo, however, constantly paid attention; her eyes laser focused on Suguha's bakery until Kirito turned her head away, a vain attempt to prevent the ogling of his developed sister.

"Hey, Kii-bou?"

"Hmm?" Kirito mumbles, barely keeping his eyes open.

"Love ya." Argo says, her lips mumbling against her swordsman's neck.

"Love you too."

AN: This is the shortest chapter I have ever written. I could've done more, but this is a good stopping point for a prompt chapter./b

The Prompts for KiriArgo Week 2021

Prompt 1: First Meeting

Prompt 2: Food

Prompt 3: Secrets

Prompt 4: Dungeon

Prompt 5: Rest

Prompt 6: Weather

Prompt 7: Family