A/N: Hey everyone! Back again with chapter 2!
I'd like to thank everyone for the great reviews last chapter. Reading y'alls reviews is pretty much the highlight of my day.
Before this chapter starts, I would like to go ahead and explain something for the more casual readers out there. In times past I explained that I name characters according to how they think of themselves (meaning Kirito v Kazuto). And this is still true but altered slightly. Now the characters are named in which the POV thinks of them. Example being Kirito thinks of Argo as Tomo, so its listed as such. But Sinon thinks of her as Argo, so again, listed as such. Sorry if that's confusing.
Also last chapter I may have misspelled a beta's name (sorry Tawnis) and you guys made me very aware of that fact XD.
Just a warning, this chapter is a little more... I don't wanna say lighthearted but just less edgy then last.
Didn't get the chance to send this one into Port so any mistakes are my own.
[EDIT 4/16/21, corrected A/N]
Betas: Tawnis and TwistedFilms
Sinon took a sip from the coffee in front of her, a happy sigh leaving her mouth as the froth from the cup deposited a small, white line across her upper lip. She quickly wiped it off with her hand, tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear as she did so.
She was seated in a small cafe, the window next to her showing the streets of the Saitama Prefecture, bustling with rush hour activity.
The door to the cafe opened, the small bell above it alerting Sinon to the newcomer. She broke her gaze from the window and looked towards the entrance and Argo the Rat looked back, a confident smirk present on her face. The short girl made her way towards the corner table, deftly weaving through the other patrons and obstacles. She finally came to a stop in front of Sinon and pulled the second chair back, exchanging greetings as she did.
"Hey there, Sii-Chan!"
The smaller woman was dressed in a simple grey hoodie and jeans. The simplicity of it was a far cry from Sinon's own choice of a white dress shirt and black pencil skirt, but did nothing to detract from Argo's natural beauty. She could pull off practically any attire with ease, after all.
"Hey Argo... You seem chipper today."
The Rat flashed her another cheeky smirk before replying.
"Oh please, Sii-Chan, I'm always in a good mood!"
In truth, Sinon could tell that something was bothering Argo. Her smile seemed strained, and the happy expression came off as a little forced. In the few short years Sinon had known her, Argo had become very easy to read. Not that she would ever say as much out loud. Sinon knew that Argo would tell her, eventually. So until then she decided to play along with the niceties.
"So, Sii-Chan... How's work been? I heard from Kikuoka you had a little issue?"
"Ugh, don't remind me. My capitan is still giving me crap for taking that shot. I'm suspended for a week."
The issue mentioned was kind of a sore spot for Sinon. Her work in the Tokyo Special Assault Team was typically annoying, but their last mission had landed her in hot water with her superiors. A bank robber had taken a girl hostage, and Sinon had been called in as a support marksman and recon agent. However, her initial reaction to seeing the helpless little girl caught in the clutches of a deranged criminal had been far from disciplined.
"Nya-ha-ha! I still can't believe you shot the gun straight from the robber's hand!"
The Rat descended into a fit of laughter as Sinon pouted silently. She finally calmed down before giving a small coo at the sight of her friend. "Aww, don't get broody! You're not very good at it, you know."
A sharp huff escaped Sinon's lips at her words.
"I'll have you know that I'm great at brooding. I learned it from Kiri-... I mean, an acquaintance of mine."
The slip-up wasn't missed by Argo, whose smile immediately grew even more strained. Sensing that her attempts weren't fooling anyone, Argo ultimately decided that it wasn't worth the effort and dropped the fake expression with a sigh.
"He... is actually the reason I'm here."
Sinon's good mood instantly evaporated, replaced by a cocktail of emotions too volatile and confusing for her to properly deal with.
"It's... real bad, Sinon... He's drinking, smoking and fucking his way to an early grave. And that's not even mentioning the jobs he's been doing for Kikuoka. Calling him a mercenary would almost be too kind at this point."
Sinon gave a shuddering breath before replying.
"Does anyone else know?"
The Rat shook her head.
"No-one else has contact with him anymore. The only person from our group who's seen him in the last year is Agil, but even he kicked Kazuto out of the bar for good last week."
A small, disappointed sigh escaped Sinon's lips. She had known for a long time that Kazuto was in a dark place, but she hadn't realized it had gotten this bad.
"Did you try to talk to him?"
Argo gave her a deadpan look, as if to say 'what else would I do?'
"Of course I tried! He wasn't having any of it, though. For a drunk, Kii-boy can argue surprisingly well."
Sinon took a small sip of her drink, before setting it down and sliding it towards Argo. She accepted the caffeinated beverage with a nod, drinking a mouthful before sighing happily.
"Thanks... I think I needed that."
"No problem. Back to the subject at hand, though... I get why you're so concerned about him. Hell, I have half-a-mind to find him and lock him in a padded room myself to keep him from hurting himself. But... Why tell me all of this? And why keep it from the others?"
Argo did not give her a straight answer. Instead, she clambered over the table to jam a finger against Sinon's chest.
"Uh... Argo?"
"I want you to help him."
Those simple words might have been reasonable if it wasn't for the fact that she was all but leaning on Sinon at this point.
Argo must've realized how it looked, as she quickly retreated back to her own seat with a slightly embarrassed cough.
"So... You want me to help him? How exactly?"
Her earlier enthusiasm returned in full force upon hearing Sinon's question, however.
"I want you to talk to him. Out of everyone in our group, you're the one he's most likely to listen to. He knows you can relate to him, at least to a certain extent."
There were more than a few things that confused Sinon in Argo's proposal.
"But... No, wait a minute here. Wouldn't he relate more to a fellow SAO survivor?"
Argo shook her head.
"Nah, not really. You have to keep in mind that SAO isn't the only traumatic thing in his past. And while it may have been the catalyst for a lot of his problems, the game itself wasn't an issue for him in the slightest. He actually liked Sword Art Online, from a gameplay perspective at least. It was all the pointless death he hated. And the lack of choice."
Argo's explanation left Sinon at a loss for words.
"That being said, he learned a lot from his time in SAO. But this isn't a problem that can be fixed just by being with other SAO survivors. Liz and Silica don't realize that."
She could see where Argo was going with this, but the request still felt a bit raw to her.
"Even so... Why would that alone be enough for me to get through to him?"
Argo took yet another sip from Sinon's coffee before responding.
"Simple. Besides myself, you're the only person Kirito has fought alongside for an extended period of time. You two were partners in GGO, and the bond you shared was different from the rest. With Liz and Silica, they were definitely grateful to him, but that's about as far as it went. With you, however, it was more than that."
A slight blush threatened to spill out across Sinon's cheeks at her words, but she quickly suppressed it.
"I remember when I first met you. You and Kirito were constantly sitting at the edge of the crowd. It almost looked like you were scanning for threats, watching each other's backs even though there was nothing to be scared of. An admirable level of caution, given the fact that it had almost been a full year since your incident at that point."
Her words made sense, even if Sinon didn't want to admit it. She could still remember the times back when she and Kirito used to hang out. His eyes were always scanning the crowd, hand poised to draw a sword that wasn't there. She had been no better herself though, her left hand subconsciously drifting to where her MP7 holster would usually be in GGO.
Admittedly she had also been somewhat anti-social at the time too. There had been a lot of people she didn't know the day she met Argo, and staying at the edge of the crowd seemed the easiest choice.
Argo continued speaking as Sinon lost herself to her thoughts.
"There is one final thing, too. The main reason I want your help to begin with, which is also the reason Kii-boy pushed the others away. He… He doesn't associate you with Asuna."
Sinon's eyes immediately widened at the mention of her deceased friend.
"With Silica and Liz, he can't help but think of her when he's near them, because he typically spent time with the three of them together. Hell, Liz was her best friend! With you, however, it's not like that."
Argo took a deep breath, before releasing it slowly. She looked up at Sinon, and the expression on her face shocked the girl to her core. It was one of pure despair, and Sinon could tell that she was desperate to help her best friend.
"Please, Sinon... I know that I'm asking for a lot here. But I just want you to try. I'm even willing to beg."
Sinon gave a short sigh before leaning back in her seat. It wouldn't do to have Argo beg her for something so simple in public. That would just be embarrassing for the both of them.
"Alright, alright... You've convinced me. I'll talk with him."
Kazuto picked up his phone from where it lay on the table, answering the incoming call with a click.
"What is it?"
The man on the other side of the line gave an exasperated sigh before responding.
"I have another job for you."
Kazuto pinned the phone between his shoulder and ear as he made to grab a black, metal object from his drawer. A second, smaller one followed quickly after.
"Give me the who and where."
If the man was offended by his curt attitude, he didn't let it show.
"Chiyoda Ward. The exact details will be sent your way shortly. But... Kazuto? This is an arrest, not a hit. I don't want any casualties during this mission."
"Whatever you say, Kikuoka."
The smaller object was pushed into the first, before Kazuto racked the slide of his SilencerCo Maxim 9 handgun.
It was going to be a long night.
A/N: Cause thats not worrying at all...
Not much to go over this chapter. Its more a driving point for the plot then anything.
I will say though, I got way behind this week on fanfic. Hence why this chapter came out so late in the day (Or I supose only really late if you live on the east coast like me)
Welp, till next time and let me know what you think so far!
Next chapter: March 14th