Halkegenia Online - V2.1 - Chapter 2

Having caught a wild Kii-bou, it was time to get to work.

They could have flown to Arrun Tower, but walking gave Argo more time to bring Kirito up to speed. It also drove home something that was growing clearer every day.

Arrun was not the Town of Beginnings, and Tristain was not Aincrad.

No matter how completely they had been immersed, the players of SAO had never quite lost the sense that the world of Aincrad was an artificial one. The constant little reminders had added to the sense of desperation.

In Halkegenia, the atmosphere was completely different.

Twenty thousand people, Argo thought, the population of Arrun. That was twice the total number of players in Aincrad on the first day of SAO. It was three times the number who had survived to the end. Twenty thousand flesh and blood people who weren't just waiting to be rescued.

And now, that life was beginning to sink into Arrun.

Ambitious Faeries had taken over formerly NPC run shops. First the skilled tradesmen, then the craftsmen and alchemists who were starting to apply their expertise to produce goods to trade.

The crafters needed raw materials to work with, so they traded with the Mob Patrols who had begun to monetize their work, becoming hunters and herbalists.

This meant that more and more people had money in their pockets. And people with money wanted to spend it.

An Undine merchant had just finished laying out his morning catch atop blocks of magically conjured ice. An Imp woman and her Salamander boyfriend were haggling with a Gnome over the purchase of some spices. A lyre of Puca chattered with one another as they ate breakfast in the shade.

Right now, people were relaxed, even happy. The morning streets were suffused with a gentle energy. It wouldn't be long before this carefree atmosphere was shattered by an official announcement. Then what would happen?

Glancing over her shoulder, her Spriggan partner seemed lost in thought. Argo felt a hint of trepidation. Maybe involving Kii-bou hadn't been such a good idea. But she'd wanted someone she knew she could trust, who would complement her own thinking. And really, that narrowed it down to Kii-bou or Aa-chan.

The ground entrance to Arrun Tower was busy, but the wide base with many arched entrances diffused the commuter rush. They entered an elevator, Argo adjusting the control lever to a small blocky B at the bottom of its range.

"A basement level?" Kirito looked around, his instincts immediately coming to the forefront as he imagined choice leveling spots and hidden treasure.

"'Tis nothing that interesting," Argo joked. "Arrun Tower's Subterranean Arcade 'tis where all of Arrun's best NPC shops were located. There's plenty of extra space down there now, so Abigail-san turned one of the old apothecary shops into her lab."

"I never even knew this existed," Kirito muttered. The elevator deposited them on one of a dozen stone platforms suspended over a pool of deep blue water. Shop fronts lined the arcade's three levels and light shone through the crystal ceiling, the floor of the tower lobby above them.

Argo grinned. "'Tis not a secret that this place exists sa. But 'tis not a place you'd find without exploring a little either. Kii-bou's always been good at that, but I bet you and Aa-chan have been getting up to a different kind of exploring lately." His expression was totally worth the retaliatory jab.

They knew they were getting close when they saw a pair of bored looking Cait Syth standing guard. Both Faeries wore watchmen's jackets, and both looked ready to fall over and sleep. They shot up straight as they realized they were being watched. Being in good with the leader of the 'Glorious Cat Girl Alliance' had its advantages.

Argo identified herself, and got an odd look and a recommendation from one of the guards, "Just remember to keep her on track. A friend of hers brought her some
fruit drink a while ago and she's been wired up ever since."

"I don't know," the other guard muttered as Argo walked past. "Maybe we could set up a barricade?"

"And risk some idiot trying to bust through with magic? No thanks. Besides, then they'll really think we're hiding something. Do you really want that twerp from the paper snooping around?"

Abigail had wasted no time in making the shop her own, clearing out the décor and replacing it with bright white ore lamps, appraisal tools, and piles of books. About the only thing she had kept from the original shop was the glassware and skull props. Argo hoped they were props.

The entry bell rang when they stepped through the door. "Oh, Argo-san, you're here! Wait, you're here!"

"Where else would I be, sa? I said I'd be back once I'd found my partner." She pushed Kirito forward. "By the way, this is Kirito."

"Kirito?" Abigail stood up a little straighter. "The Black Swordsman, right?"

Kii-bou looked nonplussed. "Yeah, that's me."

"Just let me say, I'm like really honored to meet you," Abigail said, bowing. "I've heard about everything you did at Newcastle. Some of my friends were in the raid, and . . ."

Argo butted in, snapping her fingers in front of the latest addition to the Kirito fan club. "You were saying something about us being here?"

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that! I meant you're here . . . but you're here too early." Abigail spoke quickly in quick stops and starts. "I mean, I'm done, but I was hoping I'd have a second opinion by the time you got back." She waved her arms about before snatching a large mug from the table and taking a long sip through a bamboo straw.

Argo reached out and plucked the mug from the girl's hand. "So you found something?"

"Well, yes, maybe . . . I think so." The slight Spriggan tugged at a dark pigtail. "But I wanted someone else to look it over too, I've only seen this stuff in books before. I think it'll be faster if I show you."

Argo felt her tail twisting as they were lead into the back room, and not just because of the cold. Novair had been one of her contacts with Sakuya's staff, so she'd talked to him from time to time. It wasn't a serious personal investment, but it was enough to make her remember that she had spoken to and known the person the body used to belong to.

The remains, Argo corrected herself clinically, were laid out flat on a table, a thin sheet covering them to the neck. The eyes had been closed out of respect, but otherwise the body looked to have been left as it had been the night before. Abigail was hardly disturbed by the gore as she circled around it and adjusted an ore lamp and some mirrors.

"Once we moved the body here, I was able to do a much closer examination. First off, the cause of death was exsanguanation via the opening of the carotid artery . . ."

"I would never have guessed," Argo bit out.

"What's strange is that I can't really think of a way to land a wound like this easily in a fight. The way it's been cut, almost like it was sawed open . . . It had to be deliberate. Maybe an execution?"

The informant paled as this new detail began to sink in. "Wait, you're saying the killer disfigured the body after killing him?" She heard Kii-bou suck in a breath beside her.

"It looks that way," Abigail answered. "And that's not all that I found. There's bruising over his left side, which means his heart must have still been beating when he received the injuries."

"So he tried to fight back?" Kirito concluded.

"Maybe." Abigail raised a cautioning hand. "I didn't find anything that could conclusively be called a fight wound. No clean cuts, just some scratches and abrasions. At a guess, it's probably a sign that his attacker ambushed him. Some of these look a lot like fall injuries, so maybe they got the drop on him while he was in flight. Pushed him to the ground and . . . finished him there."

"Argo, do you know Novair's build?" Kirito asked. "By the way, I'm not paying to find out." Argo nodded slowly. "He was a skirmisher for the Sylph army, one of their scouts. Speed type build with an emphasis on perception. He wasn't a lousy fighter either."

"Those skills transferred over," Kii-bou said thoughtfully. "If he was ambushed, it would have had to have been someone with high stealth or illusion abilities or else . . ."

"Or else?" Argo prompted.

Her partner looked uncomfortable. "Or else it was someone he knew."

"Is that what you think?" Argo asked.

"It's possible, maybe, but I don't think so." Kii-bou held up two fingers. "Such a person could have caught him completely by surprise or else used some indirect method like poison."

"People aren't always very rational, Kii-bou," Argo pointed out. "What's the other reason?"

Kii-bou frowned as he turned back to the body. "I was thinking that if this was a crime committed for personal reasons, I don't see why they would would have resorted to disfiguring the body before trying to get rid of it."

If it had been a personal matter, a crime of passion, or some sort of revenge, the killer might have done it out of anger. Argo wanted to kick herself. At this rate she was just yanking her own tail.

"There's one more thing," Abigail said. "We were guessing earlier that Novair's body was moved before rigor mortis set in. I think I can confirm that now." Reaching down, the Spriggan pulled the sheet just below Novair's navel and began to point at places along the un-bruised side of the corpse. "Like I said, there was faint bruising on the left. But I found fractures and dislocations on the right side with no corresponding inflammation. I think this was caused when the body was moved. It's like they just tossed him down from midair."

"Okay, thanks for all of this." Argo blew out a sigh. "Get back to us once you've had it double checked. Have the Dynamic Duo been down to see you yet?"

"Dynamic Duo?" Kii-bou parroted.

"You mean Jensen and his partner?" Abigail asked. "No, not yet. I wasn't done with my examination so they decided to start with Novair's office."

'Probably leaving everything out of place.' Argo grew alarmed. "Please tell me they have someone with them."

"Oh, I think Recon-san is keeping an eye on them," Abigail said.

Argo turned on her heel to leave, grabbing hold of Kii-bou by the wrist. "Come on."

"What next?" her partner asked quietly.

When the blood trail ran cold, switch to the paper trail. "Novair's office."


Tired. Sakuya had barely slept in the past twenty four hours, relying on catnaps and her Faerie constitution to keep her going. It was Novair. Only after he was gone did she realize how much she had depended on him.

Sakuya wanted nothing more than to keep abreast of the ongoing investigation, but her duties as a leader constantly demanded her attention. What she wanted didn't particularly matter. Sakuya remembered a time when she'd wanted this job.

"You do not need to do this, Milady." The Sylph warrior at her side urged gently.

He was a tall and handsome young man. Which was to say, he was a normal looking Sylph. The only imperfection which marred his boyish good looks being a nose that was maybe just slightly crooked. Set wrong after having been broken. And green eyes that calmly swept their surroundings for any signs of danger.

Ephi had been a blessing who had come along at exactly the right time. With Novair gone, the Sylph guard had stepped into his predecessors shoes managing Sakuya's security. So far, he had been doing an agreeable job. No complaints from the guard rotations who felt Ephi was carrying on Novair's legacy. The Sylph forces liked him. A valorous veteran of the mob patrols.

Albeit sometimes distant.

"Because it is beneath me?" She felt a flutter of amusement. She felt a little bit of the old fun then.

"Not beneath you." Her Knight raised a conciliatory hand. "Not exactly. But your time is a precious resource, Milady."

She nodded. "You're right. I don't have to do this." Lady Sakuya agreed with her Guard Captain's appraisal. "It's not that I have to do this, it's that I want to. So let me have this one thing for myself."

Composing herself, she made her way across the wide lobby and out onto Arrun Tower's broad landing, where her noonday appointment was waiting for her. Even given the situation unfolding she began to smile.

"Good afternoon, Shaman Hinagiku of Tarbes Garden." Sakuya nodded respectfully to the miniscule green robed girl who had fluttered forward to meet her.

"And a good afternoon to you, Lady Sakuya of the Sylphs." The dark-green haired shaman answered back with a delicate little bow. "The Capital of the Skies is as beautiful as I have heard, and doubly blessed to reside beneath the branches of Mother Yggdrasil."

There really was no precedent for what the pixies were. Once nothing more than sophisticated AI mobs, they had become fully-actualized intelligent beings, their meticulously detailed memories derived from ALfheim's lore.

And they likely weren't the only ones. The Patrols had fought some of the more intelligent mobs on several occasions, ALfheim Orcs, Kobolds, Beast Men, and the Dark Dwarves that inhabited the deep tunnels of the Gnomes.

There had also been sporadic sightings of the other human or Fae-like creatures in the forests, footprints that disappeared suddenly, and native orcs found killed by crude arrows and knives, their scalps staked to nearby trees as a warning.

Sakuya supposed they should just be grateful that Jötunheim was far beneath them, the Boss-level mobs trapped safely within impassable walls of stone and ice.

How many other mobs had gained intelligence, and what were the prerequisites? Had they all been furnished with such intricate false memories? Could they be reasoned with? These were the least of her questions.

Which brought Sakuya back to the petite Shaman.

In some ways this was nothing more than a diversion. The small lives of the pixies were exactly the sort of thing that might be swept aside by events. That was why Sakuya had decided to pay attention rather than delegating to a subordinate. Somebody had to care.

Sakuya regarded Hinagiku curiously. "I've been told that your Sisters have elected you to represent them?"

The Shaman nodded. "Yes, and not just my own Garden, the other Shamans have agreed as well. Since our Garden was the first to meet peacefully with the beings. Actually," Hinagiku said, looking about, "if I may ask, I was told that there would be someone here to represent them as well."

"She'll be here soon," Sakuya promised. The crowds coming and going through the grand doorways began to swiftly part, making way for a quartet of Tristanian Manticore Knights, and in their company, Princess Henrietta de Tristain.

"Your Highness," the Sylph Lord greeted as she saw Henrietta, dressed in traveling clothes, appear behind her guards. "Good afternoon Sakuya." The Princess warmly took Sakuya's hand as she smiled. It was short lived, however, as she let her hands fall. "You seem to be in good health today. A little tired . . . I heard about Novair. You have my condolences. Please, if you need any assistance in your investigation," Henriette shook her head slowly, "do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Princess." Sakuya tried to sound reassuring. There was something about Henrietta that came as a relief to her. It was due in no small part to the Princess's sincerity that the Fae's position was as secure as it was. "But that isn't what we're here to discuss. Thank you for taking time to meet with us on such short notice."

"Not at all, I'm always happy to extend the hospitality of the Royal Family. Besides," her smile widened, "I could hardly let these little ones come all this way by themselves."

"Little ones?" Hinagiku asked, and then her eyes widened as the Princess stepped aside so that a familiar pink-haired girl could come forward in the company of a half dozen pixies and a black-feathered dragon.

"You've found so many!"

"Seven," the petite pink-haired girl reported. "These six, and one more who didn't want to leave the Capital." She looked a little awkward. "Uhm, Botan says we need to send a Shaman to keep an eye on her . . ."

Hinagiku's brows rose, she nodded quickly. "Of course. I'm sure one of my Sisters will volunteer." The Shaman looked up at the girl gratefully. "Thank you so much for finding them, Louise-san."

That was why Sakuya recognized the girl. Louise de La Vallière, the daughter of Duchess Karin de La Vallière.

"It was nothing," Louise said softly. "We know that there are still six more that we need to find, and . . ." she trailed off, " . . . and there were two others." She fell totally silent. "I'm sorry."

"I see." The Shaman's look of joy faded slowly, to be replaced with a kind look of sympathy. The pixie attempted to console the girl who was hundreds of times her size.

"Miss Hinagiku." Henrietta stepped forward. "On behalf of the Crown of Tristain, I would like to extend my apologies for the difficult times that you have faced. You've been badly wronged, and that wrongdoing won't be set fully right until we can ensure it won't happen again."

Sakuya glanced at the clock set high on the wall and felt herself gaining speed. She had a meeting with the Arrun City Council in two hours, and then back-to-back planning sessions with Thinker and Rute after that. "If you would please follow me this way Princess, Hinagiku-san, we can . . ."

The sound of shouting in the near distance silenced Sakuya. The Sylph Leader's ears perked suspiciously as her whole body went tense. "Lady Sakuya!" An Imp was running closer, waving his hands frantically.

Sakuya stood tall, gathering up the sleeves of her robes. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked with every ounce of presence she could muster.

"It's . . . come see for yourself, Lady Sakuya."

Sakuya exchanged glances with Princess Henrietta.

"We certainly didn't see anything just a moment ago," the Princess said, looking confused.

Sweeping out onto the landing, Sakuya saw dozens of Faeries. They were of every Race, but every one of them was staring up at the side of the Tower.

Summoning her wings, Sakuya stepped out into the sky and banked to get a good view of the face of the Tower. When she saw it, she hissed.

It was quite clear how Henrietta and her guards would have missed it. The vandal hadn't defaced Arrun Tower itself, but rather had hung a banner from the Tower's summit. All they would have needed to do was sneak it up during the night, then cut it loose in the daylight. But that wasn't what was on Sakuya's mind as a pair of Sylphs flew up to meet her.

"Lady Sakuya!" the commander of her guard reported, gliding to a halt beside her. He turned to look back at the Tower, and simply stared. "What the hell is this?!"

"This," Sakuya said as she looked at the stylized Sylph Crest crossed out in red paint, the anti-war slogans, and the calls for her resignation, "is someone voicing their discontent."


"I just don't get it!" Louise proclaimed as she flopped back down on the sofa.

The apartment was smaller than her room at the Academy, much less the suite she had all to herself at the Palace. But it hadn't felt right to pass up KoKo's generous offer.

KoKo's home was modest, but the view more than made up for it. The whole district was built directly atop one of the World Tree's curving roots, and the balcony offered a magnificent view of Arrun's center in the afternoon light.

"What don't you get?" The question came from the Cait Syth woman busying herself over the stove. A faint sizzling rose from a pan as she mixed the contents.

Louise waved her arms in the direction of Arrun Tower. "They insulted Lady Sakuya in front of the whole city!"

KoKo's tail continued to twist and curl. "First, the Watch doesn't know who did it."

"And what else?" Louise rested her elbow against the free arm of the sofa.

"Well," KoKo said, "even if the vandals are found, Lady Sakuya won't punish them."

Had she just heard that correctly? "Won't punish them?" Her mental flexibility had grown by leaps and bounds, but this was too much.

"Oh, they'll definitely be in trouble for vandalism and for causing a public nuisance. But, that's beside the point."

Louise had gathered that KoKo was reasonably well educated. In terms that Louise could relate, most all of the Fae had been petty nobility. Surely she could grasp why an insult to one of her Lords had to be dealt with harshly!

"If Lady Sakuya and the other leaders allow themselves to be openly insulted, they will not be taken seriously," Louise explained patiently. "And then there is how it will hurt her standing with the rest of her Peers. Furthermore, it might become a problem in her personal affairs if her honor is called into question without defense. How can she expect to marry if her reputation is tarnished by miscreants?"

KoKo wore a bemused expression. "I think Sakuya-sama has bigger things to worry about than her love life. And remember, the Sylph Lord's not a proper Countess, she's the First Lord of Sylvain."

Louise scowled. Again with that idiot system. Of course qualified people should naturally have a say in the running of things, but the idea of tallying the vote of every commoner was ludicrous. That wasn't any sort of rule except by means of the mob.

There was a natural order to things. Those who displayed leadership and ability, and those who were invested in the Kingdom through the ownership of property and ties of blood, should act on behalf of those beneath them. That way, the natural ability possessed by the right people could benefit all.

"You Faeries might be able to make that work," Louise said, yes very diplomatic! "but most of the nobility won't see it that way."

Her host set the plates aside. "Put yourself in our shoes, Louise. Would you like it if your family wasn't allowed to voice its opinions?"

Louise crossed her arms. "Of course not. The Vallières have been loyal servants of the Crown of Tristain. We have earned the right to speak in matters on behalf of our family interests."

"Then the right to speak is a privilege?"

"Of course it is a privilege, otherwise people would abuse it!"

"Maybe. What those vandals did was completely inappropriate. But they must feel strongly about their concerns. Maybe after they get caught we should hear them out." KoKo nodded sympathetically as she carefully picked at her own plate. Unlike Louise, the Cait Syth made do with a pair of lacquered sticks to manipulate and pick up her food. "The problem is that they're resentful for a lot of reasons, some of them good, some of them bad. Sakuya-san and the other leaders wouldn't be in the right to silence them, especially when other people share their sentiments."

"Other people?" Louise frowned. "Do other people really think like that?" How horrid!

Her hostesses ears drooped. "I don't think most people would be as tasteless about it, but when you've got ears like mine, you hear things, a lot of things, that people think they're saying in private." She put down her sticks. "A lot of people feel like the Faerie Lords have done an amazing job."

"They have!" Louise agreed. "For everything that they've done holding all of the Faeries together, a native Tristanian would be immediately elevated to knighthood!"

KoKo laughed in that nasally fashion that was common among Caits. "Nyeh heh! I really can't imagine Alicia-san as a knight. But that's not what everyone thinks." KoKo looked out over the expanse of Arrun. "There are people who are afraid that things are headed towards a dictatorship. Sakuya-san and the other leaders have the strongest fighters on their side, with the best equipment, and control of the treasuries. It's easy for people to feel jealous of that power."

Louise tried to reason as KoKo asked. "So if it looks like Lady Sakuya is overreacting, then it could make her look like . . . a villain." Gyah! She didn't care to think too much like a Faerie.

KoKo nodded. "Anyways, this isn't really what you're here to talk about, right?"

Louise nodded hesitantly at the change of subject. "I mostly came to give my report about the pixies."

"Mmm." KoKo mumbled a reply, "It sounds like you did perfectly to me. It may not seem like a big deal, Louise, but you're doing good work for us."

Louise nodded. "Well, we haven't made as much progress as I would have hoped." She told KoKo about the missing half-dozen pixies, and how it hinted at trade in other ALfheim curios. "Really, we could use more help."

"What about Kirche and Tabitha-chan? Aren't they still helping you?"

Louise bit down hard on her fork. "That's still only three of us . . . four." She added Botan as an afterthought.

"Hmm, more manpower . . ." KoKo trailed off, resting her elbows on the table. "Why don't I tag along?"

"You?"

KoKo nodded, baring her fangs in a mischievous smile.

The offer was tempting, it really was. KoKo was good at thinking on her feet, and it would mean having someone other than Tabitha who could cover a lot of ground.

"Wouldn't you stand out a little too much?"

"Neh?" KoKo chuckled. "I have no idea what you'd be talking about." Her ears wagged cheerfully. "It'll be alright, Louise-chan," she chided.

"Well. Your help would be appreciated."

"Great, then it's settled! Which reminds me, when you finish up dinner, I have something for you."

KoKo retreated back into her apartment to rummage around in the closet. A rattling of metal against metal came from inside the small room, then she returned clutching a large parcel which she presented to Louise.

Not knowing what else to do, Louise plucked at the twine holding the box's lid in place, and carefully removed the lid.

"It's . . . It's beautiful!"

Louise carefully lifted the cloak from its box, examining the craftsmanship with fascination. The fabric felt almost like supple leather, and it was dyed a deep violet. "This is for me?" she asked.

"Un." KoKo laced her fingers together. "Remember, I said we were going to get you a real Last Attack Drop, didn't I?"

Louise blanched as she realized what KoKo was telling her. This was made from that monster's hide! It wasn't just a beautiful cloak. "Thank you. Thank you so much KoKo."

"We all chipped in," KoKo said. "Gaius was so stingy!" she added under her breath. "Here, let me help you with it."

There was a mirror in one corner of KoKo's apartment. Standing in front of it while KoKo threw the cloak around her shoulders, Louise turned around to view herself from all sides.

"How do I look?" she asked.

KoKo leaned back, appraising her from every angle. "I think it suits you perfectly."

When she had been satisfied, KoKo returned the cloak to its box and they watched the sunset from the balcony. Louise was treated to something she had never seen before as the darkness settled. The fading sunlight was seen off by a slowly spreading glow, as lights all across the city began to come alive. The city shone as a stunning island of golden light gilding the trunk of the World Tree.

They talked some more about nothing in particular, KoKo asking her about her days, and how she was getting on with her studies. Really, the only other person who ever cared to ask so casually was Cattleya. But Louise couldn't stand to disappoint her sister. Instead, it was nice to speak of her frustrations aloud for once. KoKo then showed her how to play some of the games from her own homeland, including one involving a set of cards like those used for playing Crowns or King's Gambit, but comprised of nothing but elegant wood prints of various flowers and scenes.

Soft cries of 'Come On' carried on the wind well into the evening.


The door opened with a soft -click- barely more than the ghost of a sound. A figure cloaked all in black stepped in like a shadow from the night street and crept without noise down the hall. Not even the floorboards creaked with his passing.

A pool of light spilled out from the kitchen. Inside, a young woman stood over the breakfast table, expression neutral, arms crossed, eyes flicking over the broadsheet taken down from the evening message board.

He watched her silently. And so many terrible, violent, possible things passed through his mind.

The Assassin's Blade in his hand issued a faint -click- as he fidgeted with the mechanism.

"Kirito?" Asuna turned.

The concealed sword disappeared into his coat which he carefully shrugged off and placed on the hook beside the backdoor.

The Spriggan smiled tiredly. "I'm home." He stepped into Asuna's open arms and hugged her tightly. She embraced him back just the same.

"I was just reading the paper again." Asuna murmured. "Did you hear the news? Novair, Sakuya-san's secretary . . ."

"It's all anyone was talking about today. It was impossible not to hear about it."

"This is worse than Aincrad. How could it start so brazenly so soon?"

"There's more of us than there were in Aincrad." The Spriggan reasoned. "Maybe that just means more of us to go bad." More people to go bad. More ways to go bad. And no icons to handily identify an avid killer. "It's going to be alright. The Watch is already investigating and Argo told me the officers have police experience. This won't be like Aincrad.It won't."

"Kirito?" She asked as he held her tighter. Like if he let go she'd be in danger. It wasn't rational. It didn't have to be.

"It's nothing." He said. "It just worries me too."

"What did Argo want?"

His stomach churned.

"Kirito?"

"She was just hiring me for a job."

"What kind of job?"

"A dangerous animal. The Faerie Lords want it hunted down as soon as possible."

He felt a little sick how the words came out. Not exactly lies, but not the truth. He hadn't meant to when he'd opened his mouth, but Kirito realized that he'd been practicing all day. Practicing how he would stretch out this moment until there was no moment left to stretch.

Asuna gently untangled herself. "What sort of dangerous animal?"

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before." Kirito said. Killing the truth cut by cut. "It's just bounty work. I'm not going it alone. And you know Argo has my back."

"Maybe I should be helping you . . ."

"N-No . . . I mean . . . It's not that dangerous. And you're still adapting to life here." She looked at him as if she was unconvinced. "Please just let me do this."

"Kirito?" Asuna looked into his eyes. "I can trust you, right?"

"Of course you can."

"And you trust me?"

"You know I do!"

He did trust her. He really did. It was the worry in her eyes. He couldn't bare to make it worse. He would beg her for forgiveness later, but in the meantime, she would be safe.

He would rather die than fail her again.

She held her gaze and then nodded. "Alright then." She leaned forward, they kissed tenderly, and when they parted, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Just promise you'll stay safe."

"I promise."