Here's the start of Book 2, wherin we cover the aftermath of SAO and how Kirito and Argo have been adjusting. please leave a review to let me know what you liked, and what I can work on.
Caring For A Rat: Book 2, Part 1
It had been almost three months since we had cleared Aincrad, and two weeks since I had left the hospital. Today, I was walking with the aid of a cane, having finally left the crutches behind.
Now I was in another hospital, although for a very different reason. I'd been coming here almost daily since three days after I was able to move my own wheelchair.
The journey never got any easier. It always seemed both too long and too short.
The clacking of my cane echoed in the empty hallway that reminded me far too much of the boss corridors, with it's repeating pattern on the walls, and I desperately wanted a nurse, or anyone to come down the hall so that I wouldn't be making this trip alone.
Tomo was too busy to join me today, unlike most days.
I paused with my hand on the door, hoping that what would greet me when I opened it would be different from the last thirty times I had opened this door.
But the same picture greeted me as I came in; Asuna, asleep on the bed, still with her Nervgear on. When everyone else had woken up, there were a few who had stayed trapped. Asuna was one of three hundred cases.
In theory, since SAO was cleared, we could remove the helmet and she would be a little disoriented when she woke up, but otherwise fine. In practice, no one was willing to take the risk that they were wrong.
"Hey Asuna," I sat down in a chair next to the bed, and grabbed onto her hand. "It's been a while."
My wife didn't respond. She never did. The Nervgear prevented her from moving her body while she wore it. It didn't stop my heart from hoping desperately that I was going to see, or feel some sort of response from her when I was here.
"Argo's been busy with her info network," I said, falling into a routine. Every day, I would come here, and tell Asuna about what had happened yesterday. It usually didn't take much longer than half an hour. I probably looked like a creep, but none of the nurses or doctors had thrown me out, even when they looked at Asuna's family or That Man with thinly veiled disgust.
She didn't respond. She never did.
"She said she was busy when I asked her if she wanted to see you, and I know that she is, but it just feels wrong. Like she should be making time for you, even though you're… you know." I waved a hand at the bed. "Sorry, I shouldn't be talking about you like that." I scratched the back of my head, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
"Maybe I'm the one being wrong," I said, letting Asuna's hand fall from my grip. "I mean, I'm the one coming to talk to you every day even though you don't respond, and Mom says that I have an 'unhealthy attachment' to you, but what can I tell her? She'd freak out if she knew that I was married, much less to a girl I met in SAO."
I sighed. I was going nowhere with this. One of the nurses had told me that it was perfectly normal to visit like this, especially since I didn't have school or work occupying my time. And besides, I needed to be here when Asuna woke up.
If she woke up.
"Oh, did I tell you about what Sugu and I did yesterday?" I fell back into the comforting routine. It was easier to ramble to her. It made me miss Argo's ever more frequent absences less. It also let me ignore the painful things that surrounded my wife.
She was set to be married to the head of RECT Progress, the company that had taken over the running of the SAO servers, one Sugou Nobuyuki. I hated the man, and If Asuna met him, she would hate him too. But here in the room, I could almost pretend that he didn't exist, and that Asuna would wake up any moment.
"-And I ended up vomiting half the meal. Sugu swore that she'd never cook that dish again," I said.
Silence fell. I had run out of things to talk about, and now it was just me, and the unmoving body of my wife. So still that only the continued warmth of her hand in mine and the steady beeping of the medical equipment told me she was still alive.
I pressed her hand to my forehead. "Please," I begged quietly. "Please come back soon. I'm… I'm not certain how we'll go on without you."
Asuna didn't respond. She never did.
The door swung open, jolting me back into a state of awareness. I turned my head to look over my shoulder, and felt my spirits rise.
"Heya Kii-bou," Argo, no, Hosaka Tomo in this world, said, leaning against the doorway. Her blonde hair framed her unmarked cheeks, making them almost glow in the morning sun. Her hands fidgeted inside the pocket of her hoodie, her own cane leaning against her hip. It was still weird to hear her voice less nasal, but apparently SAO hadn't been able to simulate the nasal drops she used to control an old sinus infection.
"Tomo," I said, catching myself from saying the wrong name at the last moment. "I thought you were busy?" Internally I winced. That sounded like I didn't want her here.
I mean, I'm happy-"
"I know wha' ya mean Kii-bou," Tomo said with a grin, "And I didn't want ta interrupt ya lovey-dovey time with Aa-chan."
I frowned, "You know that neither of us-"
"I know, I know." the Info Broker shook her head. "It just feels weird, I don't want ta do anythin' without Aa-chan here."
I knew what she meant. The mere thought of trying to pursue any kind of relationship with Tomo while Asuna, my wife, lay asleep was discomforting. Asuna was the one who had first encouraged us to try and build something romantic between us, and without her we were floundering.
"I have somethin' ta tell ya Kii-bou," Tomo said, lowering her voice, "But not here."
"I'll see you later, Asuna," I said, casting one last glance back at her. Argo closed the door slowly, just as hesitant to leave as I was.
"So, where are we going to talk?" I asked as we slowly walked down the hall, our canes clicking in unison.
"Agil's place."
The Dicey Cafe was only a few blocks away from the hospital Asuna was staying at, which made it a nice place to go after visiting Asuna. Agil was kind enough to not throw me out for not buying something every time I came there, and given that Tomo lived both further away from the hospital and closer to the cafe than I did, it made a nice place to meet up.
Agil was strangely not facing the door when we entered, although he turned around when he heard the doorbell ring. "Well, if it isn't my most frequent customers!" The big man said, walking up to the counter. "What can I get for you today?"
"I don't think ya have anythin' spicy enough ta satiate my palate, ya cheapskate," Tomo said, "But ya can try."
"Oh, I don't know," the bartender said, "I got some really spicy peppers in with the new shipment, care to give them a try?"
Tomo opened her mouth, but paused before speaking. "No, We're gonna be too busy to was hellfire out o' our mouths."
Agil nodded, and we took our seats at the bar. Our normal drinks were served without anyone speaking, as a silence fell upon us. Swallowing the last of my tea, I set the cup on the counter, and turned to my kinda-sorta-maybe-girlfriend? What do you call the person who you have mutual attraction with but aren't in a relationship because you're irrationally concerned over the way that your wife, who has been encouraging the relationship since the start, will react?
I really couldn't settle on a term.
"So, you said you had something to tell me?"
The blonde ran one finger around the rim of her own cup, not meeting my eyes. "I think I found where Asuna's been trapped."
What? How? When? How long had she been holding on to-
"I came across a photo last night, and it's a long shot, but I think it's her." Tomo swiped open her phone, sliding it across to me. On it, a picture displayed a birdcage hanging from an enormous branch. The multitude of other branches in the background made it clear that this cage was hanging from a tree, and an enormous one at that.
The cage didn't contain a bird. No, there was an achingly familiar person in the cage. She was standing pressed against the bars, her mouth open in a shout, and one arm stretched out, as if trying to reach whoever was taking the picture. Tomo leaned over, and swiped left.
And I saw Asuna's face in a closer detail. Her face was alight with hope, her shoulders were set, and she was trying to bend the bars that kept her imprisoned out of her way. Behind her rose great luminous wings, the same color as her hair, and a pair of long pointed ears kept her hair swept back behind her in the absence of her normal braid.
I don't know how long it took me to stop staring at the photo. It was Asuna, oh so gloriously animated in a way I hadn't seen for months.
"Where was this taken?" I couldn't stop the hope from infecting my voice. For the first time in months, we might have a lead on Asuna's situation.
In response, Agil slid a game case across the counter. I stopped it before it could hit my cup, and lifted it up.
"[Alfheim Online]?"
"It was started up a little over a year ago," Agil said, "Using the new, safer console developed by RECT."
"I'm not so certain about the safety thing, given that they've got the design documents for that thing locked down tighter than Juki Net." I examined the case, "You think Asuna's in here?"
"I'm all but certain o' it," Tomo said, leaning against the counter, turning her chair to face me. "The big thin' for ALO is ta climb up the "world tree" in the center o' the map. But no raid group's ever managed it, so a small guild decided to try and do it another way." The info broker grinned, and I knew that whatever exploit this guild had figured out almost worked.
"They tried flyin' up the side o' the world tree, usin' each other as launchin' pads to get more height. They almost made it, bu' the final guy didn' have enough stamina ta land, but he did manage ta take some photos, includin' these two." Tomo picked up her phone, brushing against my chest.
"And interestin'ly enough, these two photos were deleted from the post, while all the others were kept," The info broker grinned. It wasn't a nice grin, promising a world of pain for some poor soul. But this one probably deserved it. "Now, I did some diggin', an' the person who's in charge o' ALO is none other than Sugou Nobuyuki."
My hand clenched into fist at the name. I hated the man for more than one reason. He was entirely too smug about his position, seemed to regard everyone that didn't adhere to his very strict criteria as worthless, and most damning of all, had somehow managed to get Asuna's parents to marry her off to him while she was in SAO. Granted, the wedding hadn't taken place yet, but he was still trying to marry a woman in what, for all purposes, was a coma.
The worst part was that I wasn't versed enough in law to tell if it was legal, and even if it wasn't, I wouldn't be able to sue. That would be Asuna's suit, and she was in no condition to present herself in a court of law.
"You think he's-" I couldn't finish the sentence. I wanted to go right to Asuna's father, shove this picture in his face, and tell him "Your daughter is being held captive by her 'fiance'. Do something about it."
Tomo nodded, locking her phone. "I can't prove it, not with this," The info broker began, signalling Agil for a refill on her drink. "Stronger evidence has been found not conclusive in court." The info broker nursed her mug, "So I thought you might be able ta hack into the game and find somethin', but it's protected by the Cardinal system, and if the government couldn' get through it in two years, we're not gettin' through it."
"Maybe we could gather more evidence from in-game?" I asked, rubbing my forehead with one hand. "Like, record a statement by Asuna or something and get that used in court?"
"Asuna's supposed ta be locked in the part o' the game only the GM's currently have access to," Tomo grinned, setting her drink down with a clack. "If we can get up there, we can log her out ourselves."
"So how are we getting to Asuna?" I asked, eager to see what sort of genius plan Argo had come up with. "I know you've got something in store."
"Such flattery, Kii-bou," Tomo giggled, daintily touching her chest and pretending to swoon, "It makes a lady feel faint." The info broker swirled in her chair, hopping off it. I followed her to a table in the corner, where she grabbed a sheaf of notes from her bag and laid them on the table.
I sat down across from her and picked up one of the note sheets. "Stats of enemies found in the World Tree?" I muttered, The sheet beneath it described the relationships between the various… races? Of Alfheim Online.
"How long did this take you to put together?" I wondered, peering over the paper at my partner. The Info Broker refused to meet my eyes.
"Okay, I've figured out a good route for us ta take ta get ta the World Tree. There's a merchant caravan of Spriggans leaving from their capital tomorrow, which will give us-"
"Tomo, did you pull an all-nighter to get this ready?" I set the paper down, and the blonde froze guiltily.
"I got plenty of sleep," The info broker curled over the papers defensively. Refusing to meet my gaze.
I crossed my arms, trying to project the unimpressed air that Asuna could pull off as casually as breathing. "Look, an hour is a lot of sleep," Tomo said, finally looking me in the eyes. I sighed, very much unsurprised.
"Argo, this isn't SAO anymore, we're in the physical world now, we need to sleep. You can't just keep pulling all-nighters like this." I had lost track of how many all-nighters she had pulled trying to track down Asuna or another one of the three hundred players who still hadn't woken up from SAO.
"And while I do think that finding Asuna is a priority, she's still in a stable condition for now, and we're not in a really bad time crunch. Besides, She'll probably kill us herself if we put ourselves in the hospital trying to get her out of it." Tomo winced when I mentioned Asuna, setting the paper down.
"She's gettin' married in a week." Argo's quiet voice reminded me of what I had been trying to forget ever since I heard it. There was silence in the cafe for a bit.
"I know," I said, barely above a whisper. "But we have to act like we can stop it."
"Alright," the info broker said, grabbing one of the sandwiches. "Never thought I'd be gettin' a lecture on burnout from the kin' o' all-nighters himself." She raised her glass in my direction.
"But he's right," Agil said, bringing over a new set of drinks, this time with a plate of sandwiches accompanying it. "My wife would definitely give me one hell of a scolding if she found out I had worked myself into the ground trying to get back to her."
We ignored the whispered words that had passed between us. It was less painful to pretend that the only thing we had to deal with was getting Asuna out of ALO.
"We're plotting out our route, and then I'm going to escort you home so that you can get some sleep," I said, placing the map in front of her, trying to end the discussion. Hosaka Tomo was far more stubborn than I was; I'd have to have Asuna on my side to make any headway.
"Righ'," Tomo said, in between bites of her sandwich, "Like I said, there's a Spriggan merchant caravan leavin' tomorrow. It's the easiest way to get ta the World Tree in a reasonable time frame.
"Spriggan?" I asked, rubbing my chin.
"One o' the nine races o' Alfheim," Tomo explained, indicating one of the ten sections the map was divided into. "Given that Spriggans have bonuses ta treasure-findin' and explorin', most o' em are resellers."
"They would make some pretty good clearers," I mused, rubbing my chin. "I mean, bonus loot from chests? That would be incredibly valuable-"
"In Aincrad, yeah," Tomo said, "But ALO's a PVP-based MMO, closer ta Blade and Soul than Final Fantasy XIV."
"So the PvE race is shoehorned in as merchants," I concluded, picking up the stat sheet she had made on the race. On paper, they were a solid race; able to find 25% more items and at a higher potency than the other races, in addition to their illusion skills that let them scare off high-level enemies, they would have been able to breeze through most of Aincrad's dungeons.
In practice, a lack of combat bonuses would mean that they lost to other races more often than not.
"And with the way that item storage works in-game, there's regular caravans back and forth ta get the newest items from the treasure-rich Spriggan lands." Tomo again indicated one of the regions on the map, the one that looked like it was covered in ancient ruins. "Ta the capital," The Info Broker finished, tapping the tree in the center of the map.
"We're gonna hitch a ride on one o' them," Tomo said, "It's common enough for newbies, since the World Tree and its surroundin's are PVP hotspots, so the newbies head there after gearin' up."
"Never thought I'd be disguising myself as a PVP'er," I said, swallowing the last of my drink.
"Oh no," tomo teased "I have ta spend a couple days pretendin' ta not like people, how will I ever survive?"
"Through spite," I said, making Tomo laugh. "In any case, let's go over the details of this operation."
"Right." The blonde handed me a sheet of paper. "If we start today, we can grind in the [Mixotl Ruins] near the capital, an' get some decent gear..."
"I'm back, Sugu," I called out as I closed the door. As it swung shut, I heard heavy footsteps coming from the direction of the kitchen. I put my cane in the umbrella stand. At home, I wasn't walking long enough distances to need it. Then, I straightened up. It was time to face the music.
My adopted sister turned the corner, looking distinctly unimpressed.
"Kazuto, what time is it?" She said, planting her hands on her hips.
Guiltily, I checked my watch. It's face seemed to glare at me. "6:23 P.M."
"And what time did you say you would be home by?" I winced as Suguha's voice rose sharply.
"5:00 P.M."
"Now," My sister advanced on me, and I found myself quailing back before the nationally ranked kendoka. "Why might that be?" She poked me in the chest.
"I was walking Tomo back to her apartment," I said, the only defence I could offer.
"Ugh!" The kendoka groaned, grabbing me by the shoulder, pulling me into the dining room effortlessly.
Wordlessly, I grabbed one of the plates that Suguha had set out. Our mother often made meals for us before she left for work. Today's meal was standard: some pressed Salmon Oshizushi, and pickled plums. Stuff that we could store in the fridge, and eat cold.
Suguha still wasn't letting me touch the stove after I had set the fish on fire when I tried to cook it.
We ate in silence, Suguha glaring at me as she scooped up bits of Oshizushi with her chopsticks. When almost half her considerably larger meal was gone, she set her utensils down.
"Kazuto, While I appreciate that you care so much for your friends," She began, having clearly rehearsed a speech in her head while eating. "I was very worried when you didn't show up at the arranged time, and you left your phone behind, so I couldn't even call you to figure out where you were!"
I sat there guiltily, not even a third of my food eaten as my very understandably worried sister ranted at me. "What if you got lost or worse, attacked? What would I have done then?"
I would have… What would I have done? I didn't have a phone attached to me at all times like I did in SAO. Hell, I didn't even have anything to defend myself with. I still felt naked without a sword, but I couldn't even carry a Bokken around without standing out far more than I felt comfortable with.
My cane, even though I told myself it was sturdy enough, wasn't meant to be a weapon. It would probably break if I got into a fight with it.
Maybe Tomo had the right idea, carrying around a knife all the time.
"I'm sorry Sugu," I said, setting my chopsticks down next to the plate. "I'll set something up to remind me to take my phone tonight." My sister nodded, looking satisfied.
"I'll help you."
In the end, the solution was simple; We taped scraps of paper to the inside of the front door, my bedroom door, and the side door saying: "Did you remember your phone?"
"Well, I've got some stuff I need to do tonight," Suguha said after we had finished putting up the signs.
"Make sure not to stay up too late," I called after her as she left. Then I closed my bedroom door, and glanced at the bed. The Nervgear almost seemed to stare balefully at me from where I had left it after quickly unpacking it while searching for paper.
"Well, time to get started," I muttered.
