:: Author's Note ::

I'll hopefully be posting the first three chapters tonight just to get a solid foundation, and to give you all a better idea of where this story is going. At the time of posting, I have eight and a half chapters written. Anyone who has read my work before will tell you my posting schedule can be a little bit sporadic, though my chapters tend to be pretty lengthy.

In any case, here is Chapter Two for you. Hope you all enjoy.

:: End Note ::

Kazuto Kirigaya slowly opened his eyes, his vision returning. He could see his ceiling fan slowly spinning, feel the stale air hitting his face. Every time it was the same. Whenever he unlinked, whenever he opened his eyes to stare through that textured glass visor up at his ceiling, it felt like he was waking up from a dream. One reality ends, and another begins.

Then again, the reverse was true as well. Kazuto felt like a teenager who'd been half asleep his whole life, trying to find out what he was like before he woke up. Light and unfeeling. Drifting and phasing between two realms of existence. And then, just as he was about to pierce the crust of one life, like a flying fish leaping out of the sea, he felt the sudden pull from below. Sending him back into the deep dark abyss.

God he hated school.

Slowly, methodically, he pulled the NerveGear from his head and lurched up, before working himself off his bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he entered the bathroom and turned on the light before getting blasted by harsh, bright rays that his simply couldn't adjust to in time to be in any way comfortable. Kazuto slowly turned and stared into the mirror. That feeling of cold grayness he always got wafting off of him whenever he looked at what was staring back at him. Messy, unkempt hair that was way too long to be appropriate for someone his age. Pasty, unhealthily pale skin. Tired, sunken in eyes.

Why did this have to be his reality? At least in Aincrad, he had a cool mask he could wear.

He dutifully brushed his teeth and flossed, as had been drilled into his being like every other part of his morning routine. Though his body went through the motions, his mind was still asleep. His thoughts still laying on his bed, strapped into the NerveGear. This didn't used to bother him so badly. This perpetual feeling of isolation. Then again, the NerveGear changed a lot for him in the past two years.

With a deep breath, he spoke the words that had become his personal mantra over the years.

"I'm...exceptional," he declared in front of the mirror.

Exceptional. That was the word Dr. Sojiro first used to describe him. A slightly more democratic term used to avoid the damning labels of 'gifted' and 'deprived'. Fifty years ago, he would have been 'special'.

Honestly, Kazuto had no idea what was so 'exceptional' about him. He knew what he liked and didn't like. He knew that the new Tekken game was a lot of fun, and that riding on subway trains was not. He knew the exact order his colored pencils were supposed to go back in the case, and he knew that you should never raise your voice at someone who's just trying to help you. He knew that strawberry jelly on toast was much better than grape, and he knew that the girl with long brunette hair who sat two seats down from him in homeroom was very pretty.

Kazuto knew himself better than anyone else. But 'exceptional' simply wasn't a word that ever came to mind when he looked in that mirror. Only the NerveGear could give him that feeling.

An automated tone went off in his room, letting him know he'd received an instant message on his computer. Kazuto smiled, his demeanor brightening. He walked briskly back into his room and sat down at his personal gaming PC. Sure enough, he'd received a message alert.

:: How's it hanging? Got anything good? ::

He eagerly tapped away on his keyboard.

:: You bet! Six hackers caught on the twenty second floor. All PK'd ;) ::

The chat bubble on the bottom right part of the screen appeared. If it stayed in place for longer than ten seconds, his anxiety ramped up and he felt the urge to send another message. But fortunately the person he was messaging was always prompt.

:: Great! Send me the data you acquired and I'll add them to the next patch notes. ::

Kazuto proceeded to open up his browser and send a copy of everything his NerveGear recorded.

:: Sent! :3 ::

:: Sweet! Looks like nothing new. Most of this is already scheduled to be patched in the next update. ::

:: They made it pretty far. Floor 22 :P ::

:: Hmm. Probably using some sort of tunneling script as well. I'll have to double check what you sent me. ::

:: Shouldn't be a problem! ^.^ Nothing in their arsenal I couldn't take care of. ::

:: Still blows my mind how many cheaters we're finding in Beta. ::

:: You know they're calling themselves something different now? ::

:: Oh? ::

:: Beaters .-. ::

It took a moment before the chat bubble appeared again. Kazuto laughed. No doubt his chat buddy was trying to process what he just read.

:: That's...so lame. ::

:: Lol! Ikr?! ::

:: How'd you like Floor 22 btw? :) ::

:: Duuuude! :0 That skydome is insane! Can't wait for launch day! ::

:: It'll be here before you know it. Be patient, my friend. ::

:: Trying. :P ::

A knock on the door broke him from his conversation.

"Kazuto? Breakfast is ready."

He frowned before turning to the door. "Be down in ten minutes, Suguha."

"Mom says you have five," she called back insistently.

He sighed despondently before turning back to the screen.

:: Won't be long now. I promise. We're working overtime to get the server up by launch day. ::

After a moment of thought, Kazuto typed his response.

:: Can't come soon enough. ::

The chat bubble faded in and out of existence a few times as the person on the other end typed something, deleted it, and then typed again. Not surprising, really. Considering his chat buddy had the same problems he did when it came to talking. Finally, he responded.

:: Problem? ::

Kazuto lowered his head and typed.

:: Beta ends tonight… ::

:: And? ::

Kazuto typed, deleted, typed again, deleted again, and finally typed one more time before posting.

:: I'm not ready to leave yet. ::

The chat bubble took a long time to appear and his anxiety spiked. But as always, it finally appeared and his chat buddy responded.

:: Everything going okay at home? ::

Kazuto sighed in a depressed tone. He always could read right through him.

:: Problems at school. ::

The chat bubble appeared and disappeared several times. He was choosing his words carefully.

:: Bullies? ::

It took him a minute, but Kazuto finally found it in him to respond.

:: Yeah… ::

:: Wanna talk about it? ::

:: Not really. ::

:: It's only two months. ::

Kazuto thought about his next words for a moment before typing.

:: What sucks isn't that they hurt me. It's that I understand why they do it, but there's nothing I can do about it. At least in Aincrad, I feel like I'm in control of myself. In Aincrad, I can be someone that people will respect. ::

The chat bubble appeared instantly and stayed there for a long time.

:: I understand how you feel. Same thing happened to me when I was your age. But don't worry. Your reserved copy of the full SAO experience is already waiting for you. In the new world, everyone will be on an even playing field. I promise you. ::

His smile finally returned as he typed out his response.

:: Thanks Dr. Kayaba. G2G eat breakfast now. Ttyl. ::

:: No problem, Kazuto. I added a little extra to your normal fee for the Floor 22 job. Take care of yourself, my friend. :) ::

Kazuto exited the chat window and took a breath, finding his positivity again. Leave it to Dr. Kayaba to put him in a better mood. Then again, he'd always been good at that.

Ever since he first got that message saying he'd been selected to run the Alpha Test for SAO's developmental stage, he and the project's director had become good friends over instant messaging. Even if he was also technically Kazuto's boss, Dr. Kayaba was always nice to him. And they understood each other better than anyone else ever could.

As Dr. Kayaba liked to say, they were of the same mind. Two souls with equal motivation to rise above the hand that life had dealt them. Those words always made him proud. Not just to hear that he was motivated, but that he shared something in common with someone as brilliant as Dr. Kayaba.

He was really happy they were friends. Kazuto desperately needed one of those right now.

Kazuto got showered and dressed before heading downstairs for breakfast. As always, his mom had set his plate down in the spot he preferred, while Suguha sat two spaces away from him.

"Good morning, Sweetie," Midori greeted her son cheerfully.

"Good morning," he replied flatly, his eyes remaining on the table.

She frowned gently but otherwise didn't comment. "Did you sleep well?"

Kazuto shrugged. "I don't know."

Suguha looked up from her breakfast and gave him a weird look.

"You don't know?" Midori asked, concern in her voice. "Are you having trouble sleeping, Dear?"

He shook his head. "No. I just have no idea how I sleep when I'm linked in."

"I worry about you using that thing at night," she admitted while returning to her dishes.

"Why? You're always asleep when you use the NerveGear," he explained flatly. "Nighttime is the perfect time to use it."

"Yeah, but doesn't your brain need sleep too?" Suguha suddenly spoke up.

"The brain doesn't sleep," he responded dully.

She gave him a confused look. "Huh?"

"Only the body rests during sleep. The brain remains active," he explained.

"Well okay...but..."

"NerveGear places the user into REM when a link is established," he continued, starting to fidget uncomfortably in his chair. "It's no different than heavy dreaming."

Suguha looked like she wanted to say something else but just sighed in frustration before returning to her breakfast. "If you say so."

A tense silence filled the room.

"If you say it's alright, then I believe you," his mom finally assured him. "So long as you're staying healthy, that's all I care about."

"I am," he responded in that same flat monotone.

"Remember to eat your egg. Get some protein."

He nodded. "Okay."

Another tense silence filled the room as they ate. Suguha looked over a few times at her brother before deciding to speak again.

"Are you having fun?"

He looked up from his food. "Hmm?"

"Are you having fun?" she asked again. "With your game, I mean."

Kazuto slowly set down his chopsticks. After a moment, he smiled.

"Yes. I'm having fun."

She smiled as well, instantly cheering up. "Good. I'm glad."

His smile slowly faded. "Beta ends tonight…"

"Huh?" Suguha gave him a weird look. Midori, meanwhile, looked up from her dishes.

"Beta Testing ends tonight," he repeated. "SAO's server is shutting down until launch day."

"So...what does that mean?" Suguha asked. She was still completely clueless about this stuff.

"It means I can't play anymore," he responded. "Not until launch day."

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry to hear that," his mom responded gently.

"Why?" he asked, as if not understanding.

"Well...because I know how much you love that game. It's sad when you don't get to do something you enjoy anymore."

His gaze lowered back down to the table. "I'm not sad."

"It's okay to be sad," she assured.

"I'm not sad," he repeated.

"But it's okay to be," she insisted gently. "It's always okay to be sad when something you love is taken away from you, no matter how brief."

He remained silent for a moment. As always, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Okay."

She nodded. "As long as you know."

Suguha smiled at him. "You know...as long as you can't play, I'd be willing to hang out with you."

He looked at Suguha. "But you don't like video games."

She giggled at him sweetly. "Well no, but we could always do something else." An idea formed and her eyes brightened. "Hey, I have an idea! You should help me with my kendo practice!"

He inhaled sharply and his anxiety spiked. Midori immediately frowned with worry. She knew that look all too well.

"I know it's been awhile since you practiced. But you said you use swords and stuff in that game right?" Suguha offered in a friendly tone. "I was just thinking, if you didn't want to get rusty we could always..."

"Kendo isn't the same as using sword skills," he quickly cut her off, clear distress in his voice. "The mechanics are completely different."

"It can't be that different," she insisted. "I mean, it's still just swinging a sword around right? I bet I could give you some new techniques to try out when you..."

He slammed his palms down onto the table.

"Kendo is not the same as using sword skills!" he repeated in a much louder, much more agitated voice.

A tense silence filled the room once more.

"Sorry…" Suguha hung her head, clear hurt in her eyes.

Kazuto slowly sat back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap.

"I'm done now...can I please leave the table?"

Midori nodded, a worried frown still on her face. "I'll meet you in the car, Sweetie."

He stood up and left without so much as a word to either one of them. Midori sighed and turned to her daughter.

"Suguha, you know how he feels about kendo. Why would you..."

"I know. I know," Suguha insisted, a hint of frustration in her voice as she rested her head in her hands. "It was a stupid idea bringing it up."

"So then why..."

"We used to be so close." There was clear hurt in her words. "Now it just feels like we're strangers." Tears started to form in her eyes. "I just want to connect with my brother again. The way we used to."

As she started to quietly weep, Midori slowly made her way over to her daughter and sat down before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know this has been frustrating for you," she spoke gently while Suguha silently cried. "It's been frustrating for me too." Midori bit her lower lip nervously before turning her gaze back to where her son had left from. "But as frustrating as it is for us, it can't be as bad as whatever he goes through. That's something we have to remind ourselves of."

"I'm trying." She sniffled before wiping her face clean. "I just miss him."

Midori offered her a warm smile. "I miss him too. But you know something? I have faith your brother will find his way back to us." She placed a hand against her cheek. "Until then, we have to let him be."

Suguha nodded in understanding, a melancholy gloom hanging over her. "I just wish there was a way I could understand him better."

"Maybe there is," her mom offered. "But right now, it's important that he has a chance to better understand himself."

Life always felt like a window to Kazuto. A sheet of glass separating him from everyone else. Whether it was the window looking out over his room, or the passenger side windshield of his mom's car, or the windowsill next to his desk at school. Kazuto always felt like his life was simply staring out a window at other people living theirs.

"The principal called," Midori stated while puttering along the highway towards Kazuto's highschool in her old beat up Toyota. "He said you're doing well in your new classroom. And he's very proud of how well behaved you've been."

"That's good."

She strummed her fingers against the steering wheel for a moment. "Are the other kids in your new class being nice to you?"

"They leave me alone," he assured.

"But are they being nice to you?" she insisted.

He hesitated for a second. "They...they leave me alone."

She sighed wearily. "You know, if it gets to be too much, we can always try having someone come sit with you while you..."

"I don't want an aid," he cut her off.

She shook her head assuredly. "No, not an aid. I remember how well that worked last time."

He didn't respond.

"But we can always get someone to just keep an eye on you. Maybe...another student or…"

"I don't want a student aid either," he quickly clarified.

Midori blew a breath through pursed lips. God she did not miss these one sided conversations. Six years of behavioral health sessions and for what? It really felt like her son was right back where he started. But as always, she checked herself before letting her frustration show. The last thing her son needed was for her temper to flare up.

He had endured enough of that already with his grandfather.

"Does Suguha hate me?" Kazuto asked while staring out the window.

Her question caught him off guard. "What?"

"Does Suguha hate me?" he asked again.

"Why would you ask that, Sweetie?"

"I yelled at her the same way Grandpa used to yell at me," he explained. "I always hated him for that. So does Suguha hate me now?"

His words broke her heart, though she hid it well. Of all her screwups as a parent, the one thing she would never forgive herself for was not seeing the abuse Kazuto was suffering at the hands of her father for as long as she did. Of course back then, she was just as brainwashed as he was.

She let her father convince her his grandson just needed more discipline. And she believed him, if for no other reason than she was exhausted herself. Midori knew better now. But the damage had already been done. She'd since spent the past six years doing everything she could to make it up to Kazuto. Working extra shifts at the office so she could afford to get him some of the best care the city could offer. Still, she always felt like there was more she should be doing.

"Your sister loves you," Midori assured, her voice filled with compassion. "We both do. More than anything."

"But I yelled at her," he responded. It wasn't clear, but she thought maybe she heard a hint of regret in his normally flat monotone of a voice.

"Sometimes, things like that just happen." She smiled at him while the car was stopped. "But I'm proud of you for acknowledging what you did."

"But I still yelled at her," he insisted.

"You did. But you regret doing it, right?"

He quietly nodded.

"Then I'll tell her you said you were sorry," Midori assured.

"Will that make her happy?"

She nodded. "It will."

"Then tell her I said I'm sorry," Kazuto responded.

She smiled at him again. "I will."

So maybe her son hadn't completely withdrawn again. Worried as she might have been, she could still see a glimmer of light come peeking out from behind that wall he kept up every now and then. So long as it was still alive, then she knew she hadn't failed him.

"Suguha asked you about kendo because she wanted to help. And I asked you about your class because I want to help as well. We just want you to be happy," Midori spoke soothingly to him. "That's all we've ever wanted."

After a moment, the traffic began to move again and Kazuto smiled.

"The girl who sits two seats down from me in my new classroom is pretty."

"Oh is she?" his mother asked, a hint of playful intrigue in her voice. "Do you like her?"

His face turned red. "She's just pretty…"

"It's okay to have a crush, you know," she spoke more confidently. "Just remember the rule about touching."

He nodded in understanding. "I remember."

"You have to ask for permission first," she repeated the rule to him just in case.

He remained silent for a moment.

"The proper term is consent."

"Hmm?" She gave him a curious look.

"The proper term is consent," he repeated. "Permission and consent can both be used as nouns or verbs and both share the same root definition. To grant authorization." Kazuto began tapping his four fingers against his thumb one at a time in a row. "But only one of those words implies a willingness to grant authorization."

"Huh, I didn't know that," she admitted.

"You can give someone permission to do something without actually wanting them to do it," he continued. "For example, you've given me permission to keep playing SAO even though you clearly hate it."

Guilt seized her yet again. She should have known better than to think she could hide her feelings from him. Nothing slipped by Kazuto. Nothing.

"Whereas I consent to riding in the car with you every day to go to school. Because it's much nicer than taking the subway."

"Kazuto…"

"I don't want people to interact with me because they feel obligated to. I want them to express a desire to do so first." He frowned softly, his cheeks turning pink again. "Especially pretty girls like her."

There were times where Kazuto genuinely amazed her. If there was one thing you couldn't say about her son, it was that he didn't care. To think he could still feel guilt over an incident that happened when he was in third grade. His heart was as big as his memory was ridiculously long.

One day, the world was going to see just how much her son had to offer. She was sure of it.

Kazuto always showed up to school twenty minutes after everyone else. This was done so as to avoid crowds and excessive noise. A lot of the other kids just thought he didn't like them. That wasn't the problem.

The other students didn't seem to like him.

How strange it was, that teenagers of honest feeling and sensibility, who would not take advantage of a fellow student born without arms, or legs, or eyes...how such people think nothing of bullying one of their own, simply because his mind didn't work the same way theirs did.

It started with the whispers and quiet murmuring in the hallway. From there, the glaring as he took his seat at his desk in homeroom. He always ignored most of it, what he could block out anyway. Regardless, once he sat down, he could pull out his sketchbook and block out his surroundings entirely. The need to link up during times where it wasn't possible drove him to get creative. In this case, Kazuto had taken up sketching to keep his mind distracted. The teacher never seemed to mind so long as he stayed quiet and did his classwork on time. Of course, he'd already done all his classwork in advance for the remainder of the school year, but he kept that part to himself.

"Pst! Hey freak," one of the male students called to him a few desks away. "Whatcha drawing over there?"

He ignored him. The student was obviously expecting that given he simply chuckled to his buddies. This particular bully had come prepared today.

"Watch this," he pulled out a rubber band and folded up piece of paper. He loaded the paper into the rubber band like a slingshot between his fingers and launched it at Kazuto.

Who caught the projectile effortlessly with his free hand inches from his face. The male student was completely taken aback by the display, whereupon he scowled bitterly before turning back to the front.

"Fucking freak…"

The teacher came into the classroom soon after. Much to Kazuto's disappointment, class was about to start and he didn't see the pretty brunette haired girl anywhere. She must have been sick.

"Good morning, everyone," the teacher greeted.

"Good morning, Sensei," the class responded, save for Kazuto who continued to draw.

"I hope everyone had a productive weekend." He took his place at the front desk and addressed the students. "I know college entrance exams are over, but we've still got two months of classes left. Remember to use your off time wisely."

"And now the red goes next to the blue, and the blue goes next to the yellow…" As he talked, Kazuto meticulously rearranged his colored pencils into a new order before picking up a new one and getting back to work.

"Now, we've got a few things to cover before we begin today's lecture," the teacher continued. "First of all, the faculty wishes to advise students regarding a recent development in..."

The classroom door burst open and a young lady rushed in, clearly out of breath. Kazuto looked up and smiled. The pretty brunette girl wasn't sick after all.

"Ms. Asuna, you're quite late," the teacher spoke sternly with his arms crossed.

She bowed her head respectfully. "Apologies, Sensei. The trains were running late."

He shook his head at her. "That still makes you late, young lady."

"No it doesn't," Kazuto spoke up while continuing to draw.

The girl named Asuna blinked at him, a curious look on her face.

The teacher cleared his throat gruffly and cast his gaze to the student who spoke. "Do you have something to contribute to this, Mr. Kazuto?"

"She just finished explaining that the trains were running late," he responded plainly. "Assuming she got up and got ready at the same time she always does, then that would mean she did everything she was expected to."

His teacher took a breath to keep his temper even. "It is the responsibility of every student to be here on time, regardless of their means of transportation. If they are not at school on time, then they have failed their responsibility. That is the rule."

Asuna frowned sourly and turned her head away. Kazuto, meanwhile, continued to shade in the waterfall he was working on.

"Are teachers allowed to break the rules?"

He blinked at him. "Err...no, no they're not. The same rules apply to teachers as they do students."

"You were fifteen minutes late on Tuesday and seventeen minutes late on Thursday," Kazuto pointed out candidly.

He blanched, having been taken completely off guard. "Yes...well...as I said...traffic was..."

"It is the responsibility of every student to be here on time, regardless of their means of transportation," Kazuto repeated what he said verbatim. "Those were your exact words. If the same rules that apply to students apply to teachers as well, then you're also guilty of being late."

The teacher scowled sourly. It was clear there was something he wanted to say, but he refrained. Meanwhile, the class devolved into quiet murmuring.

"Did you hear him? Why do they let him get away with talking back like that?"

"It's because he's 'special' or whatever."

"Must be nice getting to say whatever you want without consequence. If we tried that we'd be in detention right now."

"Just...just take your seat, Ms. Asuna." The teacher finally gestured to her seat before mumbling quietly to himself. "Why'd they have to stick him in my class?"

Asuna glared at him sourly while he wasn't looking before walking over to her seat. She smiled sweetly at Kazuto as she passed, but he wasn't looking at her. So instead she scrawled something down on a piece of note paper once she was at her desk, whereupon she folded it up and tossed it behind her.

As usual, Kazuto caught it without looking. Upon realizing the direction it came from, however, he blinked a few times while lifting his gaze up to rest upon the object in his palm. Kazuto then turned towards Asuna for confirmation as to where it had come from, whereupon she gestured with her hands for him to open it, a bright smile on her face.

Kazuto opened the note and read it.

Thank you!

In place of a signature, she'd signed the note with a heart. Kazuto looked back up at her for confirmation that this was indeed meant for him, to which she simply smiled brightly at him again. Not sure what else to do, Kazuto put the note in his pocket and returned to his drawing, a deep set blush on his face. Asuna giggled at him before turning back around in her desk.

Over on the other side of the classroom, the male student who flicked paper at him seethed in bitter resentment.

Kazuto liked libraries. They were quiet. There weren't any noisy teachers or loud students to distract him. Here, he could really focus on his drawing. He wanted to get this one exactly right while the idea was still prominent in his mind. The sketch was complete for the most part. Now it was just a matter getting the right blending of color for the skydome and the waterfall in the background.

Over a couple yards away, a group of girls chatted with each other. Occasionally they would laugh obnoxiously loud. And every time they did, Kazuto felt his anxiety ramp up. This was why he preferred the public library to the school library. People were more likely to follow the rules there.

"Omigod! Did you hear that Rebecca dumped Brandon yesterday?" one of the girls spoke up.

"Get out! You're not serious, Akira," another girl insisted.

Akira nodded. "Totally. Word has it she caught him making out with Mizuna in the janitor's closet."

"Ooooo, scandalous."

They all started giggling hysterically.

"You're not supposed to be loud in the library," Kazuto spoke up, his eyes still focused on his work.

Their expressions all soured as they turned and glared at him. If he noticed the looks they were giving, he didn't seem to care as he didn't even acknowledge them.

"So what's the deal with him, Asuna?"

Asuna, who had been mostly keeping to herself, her nose buried in a textbook, finally looked up. "Hmm?"

Akira pointed at Kazuto. "I mean the special kid. You're in his homeroom class aren't you?"

She frowned at them before looking over at the boy who bailed her out earlier that day. "I think he's just misunderstood."

One of the other girls spoke up. "That's not what I heard."

"What did you hear, Shizu?" Akira asked.

"The kids a psycho," she whispered cautiously to them. "I heard he broke another student's nose in his last classroom which was why they had to move him."

"Really?" another girl whispered. "Because I heard he slammed the student's head repeatedly into a desk."

Shizu shook her head in disgust. "I'm telling you, Jace was right about him. The guy's a freak."

"Don't call him that," Asuna insisted sharply before turning her gaze worriedly over to Kazuto. "We have no idea what it's like to have to live in his head."

"Eww, no thanks." Akira shivered. "I've seen the way he looks at you, Asuna. There's no telling what kinda perverted fantasies he has going on up there."

Asuna looked genuinely surprised. "Wait...you've seen him looking at me?"

"You mean you really haven't noticed?" She gestured over to his table with her pencil. "I catch him glancing over here every minute or so."

"You need to watch out, girl," Shizu insisted. "People like that, they can't feel anything. They're basically like robots."

Asuna gave her an annoyed frown. "Why would you say that? He's still a human being, even if he is a little different."

Akira crumbled up a piece of notebook paper into a ball. "Don't believe me? Watch this."

She tossed the balled up piece of paper at him, whereupon he caught it without looking. He then tossed the ball of paper into a nearby trash can, again without looking up from his work. As if he had memorized the exact location where that trash can was in relation to his seat. As well as how hard he had to throw the paper to get it in without looking.

Asuna quirked a brow at the sight. "Okay...that was actually kind of impressive."

"Impressive?" Akira asked in disbelief. "Asuna, the guys a machine. He barely even knows we're here."

"Look, would you keep your voice down?" she insisted, a hint of aggravation in her tone. "He can probably hear you."

Akira shrugged indifferently. "So? It's not like he has any feelings we can hurt."

"She's right, Asuna," Shizu spoke up. "It's basically like insulting a photocopier."

"You guys are wrong about him," Asuna insisted defiantly, her arms folded and her eyes on him again. "He's just different. That's not a bad thing."

There was no way what her friends were saying about him was true. The way he spoke up for her, that smile he gave Asuna when she thanked him, that boy wasn't a machine. He was a person, just like them.

"Don't tell me you've got the hots for that freak," Akira spoke in a snarky tone.

Shizu giggled teasingly. "Omigod, I think she does."

Asuna flared at them angrily. "Both of you stop. You have no idea what you're talking about."

Akira snickered at her. "I think it's kind of cute. I mean...if you squint really hard he could pass for a young Koji Seta."

"Ooooo, I can kind of see it, Akira," Shizu added. "If you don't focus on the hair, he's almost a dead ringer."

"Don't compare my precious Koji to that freak," one of the other girls spoke up in a huff. "Koji is a God among Japanese actors. He's just an antisocial neet with anger management issues."

That was it. Asuna had officially had enough. Maybe it was just the fact they were bound for college in a few months, or her conscience overruling her desire to fit in with the rest of her peer group, but she was sick and tired of this.

"You know something…" she spoke in a low, disgusted tone. "I've known all of you for three years. Akira, I've known you for five."

They stared at her in confusion.

"And in all that time, none of you have changed. None." She stared at them hatefully. "Honestly, if I could rewind the clock and go back to our freshman year, Shizu, I would never have accepted your invitation to sit with you at lunch. Not if I had known what a catty, judgemental human being you are."

"Woah, hey. Calm down, girl." Shizu raised her hands up defensively. "We're only joking around. There's no need to take it personally."

"No." Asuna shook her head vehemently, her mind made up. "You need to hear this. All of you do. We're two months away from graduating. We're going off to college soon and yet none of you have grown up. Not one bit."

They all stared at her incredulously, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"All I can say is, I really hope the friends I make in college are a hell of a lot better than you," she finished.

After a moment of quiet disbelief, their expressions all turned to bitter resentful scowls.

"You know what? Whatever. I don't have to sit here and take this." Akira stood up from the table and left.

"Have fun spending the rest of the year by yourself, Asuna," Shizu added in a snarky tone.

One by one they all stood up and left her. Asuna sighed in frustration before resting her head in her hand.

"Yeah? Well good riddance," she mumbled quietly to herself. Truthfully, Asuna had been wanting to set herself free from her toxic little group for a while now. A year ago, she was over the moon to be hanging out with girls like Akira and Shizu. Now? Now she was just kind of indifferent about it all. In three years, none of them had changed. Only her.

Of course...it really wasn't by choice.

Either way, she decided she wasn't going to dwell on it. They only had two more months of school left anyway. The other girls could say whatever they wanted and judge her however they saw fit. It really didn't matter anymore.

Life was going to be very different for her once the summer was over anyway.

Not wishing to wallow in self pity, Asuna finally decided to pack up her things and head for the door. She stopped, turning back towards the boy who was still busy working on his drawing. After a moment of thought, she smiled brightly and walked over to him.

"Hi." She waved her hand in a friendly manner.

Kazuto stopped drawing for a moment but quickly resumed.

"Hi," he responded flatly.

She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away. Maybe she was out of her depth here. Asuna had no idea how to talk to a boy like him. What if she just scared him away? Or made him mad?

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"I...see you really like to draw," she observed, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Drawings okay," he replied frankly.

"Right…" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, unsure what else to say. "Listen...about earlier, I just wanted say..."

"Which one is the lie?" he cut her off, not looking up from his drawing.

She gave him a confused look. "Sorry?"

"Which one is the lie?" he repeated. "Three days ago, those girls made fun of me and you laughed. Today, you're acting like you want to be my friend."

Guilt seized her being. She had no idea. Then again, she was hardly paying attention to a word they were saying that day. How could she have been so careless?

"Which one is the lie? The laugh? Or you wanting to be my friend?" he asked again.

After a moment of silence, she sighed in a melancholy tone and turned away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you."

"You're not bothering me. You're following the rules," he assured.

Again, she could only stare at him in bewilderment. "I am?"

He nodded. "No yelling in the library. That's the rule. You always follow the rules in here. Your voice is always soft."

She went wide eyed, her face flushing. "O...oh. Well...thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, seeming completely indifferent about it.

After a moment of thought, she bit her lower lip and shook her head. What am I doing? She thought to herself before turning and walking away. Kazuto, meanwhile, placed his blue pencil down and began to rearrange them again.

"Now the blue goes next to the red, and the red goes next to the green…" he mumbled to himself.

Suddenly the other end of his table was bumped and all his colored pencils were scattered. The brown one fell to the floor.

"Oof, sorry about that," the male student from his homeroom class apologised before walking over to him. "Here, let me help you."

He picked up the brown pencil and seemingly offered it back to Kazuto, only to pull it away moments before he could take it.

"You're a freak. You know that right?" he spoke coldly to him. "I've had to sit in class and listen to you disrespect Sensei all week while you play with these things. Do you just like causing extra work for the rest of us, you psycho?"

During this time, Asuna had stopped, turned around, and was now glaring at him murderously. She wasn't sure why this was suddenly bothering her so badly, when a week ago she would have probably just done what every other student would do and walk away.

Still, did she really want to get involved in this? She barely knew this kid. As bad as she felt, was it really worth getting into trouble starting a fight in the school library?

"I'm...I'm not...psychotic." Kazuto's body was trembling.

"Y...y...y...you're not?" he mocked. "What are you then, huh?"

"I'm...I'm on the...spectrum."

"The fuck does that even mean?" he snarled angrily. "You're on the spectrum? Spectrum of what, Dumbass?"

He didn't respond. Kazuto didn't even look at him. From where Asuna was standing, it was impossible to tell if he was angry, frightened, or just anxious. His face still looked completely blank.

"You know, every time you have one of your little episodes, the teachers blame us for it," he spoke hatefully while holding the brown pencil out of reach. "We were all told by the faculty we're not allowed to 'antagonize' you. But you get to do whatever the hell you want without consequence. You disrespect the teachers. You do whatever the hell you want in class. You stick your nose where it doesn't belong. And you never get into any trouble for it."

Again, he didn't respond.

"Well here's a little trouble for you, Freak." He proceeded to snap the pencil in half.

Kazuto inhaled sharply, his body going rigid. "I needed that one."

"What are you gonna do, Freak? Break my nose like you did that other student?"

"I needed that one," Kazuto insisted again.

"Did you know he got suspended for that? In addition to having to go to the emergency room? You broke that kids nose but he was the one who got in trouble for it. How is that fair?"

"I...I didn't...break...his nose," Kazuto insisted while tapping his fingers against his thumb very rapidly. "He fell."

"Oh, so it was an accident? Bullshit," he retorted sharply before picking up another pencil. "That was just as much an accident as this is."

Again he snapped the pencil in half. That was it, Asuna had reached her threshold.

"Why don't you stop with this little act and just do something, already?" he seethed while picking up yet another pencil and bending it.

"Lay off him, Jace!" Asuna shoved the bully named Jace hard enough to make him drop the pencil. Kazuto caught it before it hit the ground and hid it away with the rest of his belongings.

"What the hell, Asuna?!" He took a step back, his hands in the air. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, are you like...five?" she asked incredulously. "What is wrong with you? He's not hurting anyone."

"Tell that to the kid he got suspended," Jace countered angrily.

She put her hands on her hips defiantly while glaring at him. "You heard the same story I did from the faculty. That kid started it. That's why he was suspended."

"Come on, don't tell me you really believe this little stunt he's pulling," Jace insisted. "We all know it's just an act to get special attention."

"That's incorrect."

Jace shot Kazuto a nasty look while he continued to fidget in place. "What did you just say to me, Freak?"

"That's incorrect," he spoke again. "You used the word 'act' as a noun. Meaning its definition is to put on a performance of something other than what you are."

Jace's eyes narrowed at him. "Yeah. And?"

"I'm not acting," he insisted. "Acting isn't a skill I possess. If I were good at acting, I would just act like normal people."

Asuna's heart broke at his words. Jace meanwhile, simply scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Get real, Freak. You may have the faculty fooled, but you don't fool me. Now are you going to admit to Asuna you're faking or am I going to have to…"

"You're not going to do anything," Asuna insisted, getting directly in Jace's way. "I don't want to see you anywhere near him again. Understand me?"

"Or what?" he challenged.

Whereupon she slapped him sharply across the face, much to his absolute shock.

"Did...did you just slap me?" he asked, still trying to process if that just happened or not.

"Yeah. Because obviously your mother is overdue," she responded before pointing to the door. "Now get the hell out of here before I report you to the faculty."

His face turned red from anger but he kept himself in check. "I'm gonna make you regret this."

With that, Jace finally stormed off. Asuna took a deep breath and finally calmed down before turning around. Kazuto was just staring at his colored pencils, impossible to read.

She knelt down and picked up the pieces of the broken pencils before placing them back on the table. "I'm really sorry you have to deal with that."

"I can't finish it," he spoke despondently.

Asuna frowned at him. "Can't finish what?"

He pointed at the sketchbook. "I can't finish the cabin. I needed the brown one for that."

Asuna peered down at the image. It was surprisingly detailed given he was using rather simple colored pencils. The image he'd captured onto paper portrayed a beautiful moonlit forest clearing, complete with a waterfall.

"This is beautiful," she complimented, a hint of wonder in her voice.

"It's Floor Twenty Two," he explained.

"What's that?"

"Floor Twenty Two is one of the levels of Castle Aincrad. The world of Sword Art Online."

She quirked her head at him. "Wait...that's that online game everyones been going nuts over, right?"

"Sword Art Online is a VRMMORPG," he explained. "The first of its kind. SAO takes place on a one hundred floor floating castle named Aincrad. Your objective as the player is to fight your way to the very top."

"You sure know a lot about it," she observed, taking a seat opposite of him while continuing to admire his drawing.

He nodded. "I'm a Beta Tester."

"What's that?"

"A Beta Tester is someone who plays the game before its official release to test for bugs and glitches," he explained in a monotone. "It's considered the last stage of development before a game is launched."

"That's so cool." She smiled at him excitedly before placing a finger on the portrait. "And you got to go here?"

Her excitement made him smile and he nodded his head.

"What was it like?" She rested her head in her hands, curiosity in her eyes.

His heart fluttered and he suddenly got very nervous, though he wasn't sure why. "It's...it's very nice. That forest in particular is very quiet." He shut his eyes and pictured it in his mind as he always did. "The temperature is never too hot or too cold. You can hear the wind in the trees, without noisy distractions like cars or horns. And the stars are always out at night. I always thought that spot would be a nice place for a cabin."

She picked up the picture again and pointed at an unfinished spot. "Is that what you were going to put here?"

His smile faltered again. "Yes. But I can't now."

She frowned at him sadly. "Because Jace broke your pencil?"

He nodded quietly.

"I'm sorry," Asuna replied, a guilty look in her eyes.

He quirked his head at her in confusion. "Why? You didn't break my pencil."

"Well no, but I should have intervened sooner. I was just…" She sighed. "Look, it's not important. Is there any way we can replace your broken pencils?"

"I'd have to go to the craft store," he spoke plainly. "Only mom can take me there and she's at work."

She gave him a confused look. "Aren't you eighteen?"

He nodded. "I am."

"Can't you go there by yourself?"

His eyes fell to the floor. "Not anymore…"

A gloomy silence hung in the air. Asuna looked away for a moment, biting her lower lip in thought.

"Where is this craft store?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But it's next to a coffee shop with a green sign and a white star on the logo."

"Any other landmarks?" she asked while pulling out her phone and pulling up a search browser.

Kazuto raised his head up, perplexed as to why she was so interested. "There's...a store across the street from it. The logo has three cherry blossom trees in the background, and the handles on the door are made of gold colored metal."

She began looking for locations. He was describing the logos for Coffee Star and Books A Bundle perfectly. So all she really had to do was narrow her search down to an area where those two stores were within eyesight of each other.

"Oh." Upon finding the right address she smiled. "It's not that far from the school. If you'd like, I can walk with you there."

He blinked at her smiling face several times in perplexment. "You...you wanna walk with me to the craft store?"

"Why not?" she responded brightly before standing up and offering him a hand. "I kind of owe you for earlier today, anyway."

Kazuto looked at her hand for a moment before turning away meekly. "I need your consent first."

"Huh?"

He shook his head. "I don't touch girls without their consent. Not permission, because permission implies authorization with or without desire. Consent implies authorization with desire."

She blinked at him several times in bewilderment before smiling again. "And just like that, you've proven yourself to be smarter than just about every meathead jock I've ever dated."

Kazuto smiled shyly, his face heating up. "Thanks…"

She giggled at him before offering her hand again. "You have my consent to take my hand."

He grabbed his belongings before gingerly taking her palm and standing up. Some of the other students stared at them as she guided Kazuto out of the library. But Asuna ignored them. As they left the library, she could feel his hand start to tremble.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I've...never held a girl's hand before," he admitted bashfully. "Except Suguha. But she doesn't count because she's my sister."

Asuna giggled at him sweetly. "Your name is...Kazuto, right?"

He nodded shyly. "Kazuto Kirigaya."

"Well it's very nice to formally meet you, Kazuto," she replied sweetly. "My name is Asuna Yuuki."

The two walked out of the school hand in hand, heading for the craft store. For some reason, Asuna felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.