Hello, and welcome back to The Silver Shadow! So, first things first, sorry about this taking a while to pop out, but as you can see, it was a very long chapter, and it had to be suitably epic if it were to stand up to the standards of the actual show. Add onto that the fact that I just recently pulled myself out of a writer's block slump, and it was bound to take a bit.
Anyways, so the first thing I wanted to warn you guys about was that this story, and this chapter in particular, will be following and quoting the TV show quite heavily. I will try to limit that, but there are just certain things that were not only done incredibly well, but were also extremely important to character development, so I can't leave them out.
Beyond that, i also need to state, and this is very important, that this is NOT an OC/Kirito fic. He and Bella will not be getting together, and Kirito will be marrying Asuna just as he did in canon. Bella will be a big sister figure to Kirito, and all the other characters except a few, and that is IT. Now granted, she wil be paired with someone, it just won't be Kirito. I'll leave you all to stew on who it might be, but I'm not breaking up the one canon couple, especially since they really are good for each other. So screw you if you object, and that's that.
Alright, I'm fairly certain that's all that is really need right now, other than to say that this is pretty much just episode two of the anime, and to have fun reading. REed, Relax, and Review. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, and all rights belong to them. Dialogue is taken directly from the show, and I only employ it in a non profit manner for creative use. Basically, I quote the show a lot, and I am making no money off of this, so you can't sue me. Well, i hope you can't, anyways. Please don't.
XXX
Kirito was in trouble. All around him, people were gathering, forming parties for the big boss raid that they had just finished a meeting to discuss. The problem was, he didn't know anybody. Glancing around, the black haired boy searched desperately for somebody, anybody who seemed even remotely friendly that wasn't already talking with someone else. FInally, his eyes alighted on his salvation, in the form of two hooded people sitting off to the side, one in red and the other in gray. They were separate, far enough apart that Kirito doubted they were together. Mustering his courage, Kirito quickly scooted over, trying to seem as unthreatening as he could while doing so.
"You guys got left out too, huh?" He asked. The one in gray nodded, a short, definitive motion, but the other spoke up.
"Not even. I wasn't left out. It's just, everyone seems like they're already friends." Her voice was soft and quiet, distinctly feminine. Kirito opened his mouth to continue, but was suddenly cut off by another voice.
"Well, except for us of course.." Kirito saw the other hood shifting slightly, hinting at the owner the new voice. This one, too, was feminine, but deeper and far more amused. The raven haired teen could almost hear the laughter in it.
"So you two are solo as well, huh? ...Want to form a party?" The red hood tilted towards him, a question practically vibrating in the air between them, but the girl in grey leaned back, and for some reason Kirito got the distinct impression that underneath the hood, she was watching him very closely. "You heard what the guy just said, right? We can't beat the boss on our own, and it would just be for this fight." After a second, the girl in red nodded, and Kirito turned questioning eyes towards the other. She didn't move for a while, and just as Kirito was starting to worry she would say no, he got his answer in the form of a party invite. The raven haired teen quickly accepted it and glanced up at the top left of his vision. There, a name appeared under his, and then another just a second after. The first, belonging to the grey hooded girl, was strange, foreign. BellaLux, it read, and a shiver ran down Kirito's spine just reading it. He had no idea what it meant, but he could feel something almost… powerful, in the words. Not to mention, it sounded somewhat familiar. Turning his gaze away from the strange handle, Kirito looked instead to the one under it. This one was at least japanese in nature, Asuna. He gave the girl it belonged to a short nod, before narrowing his eyes at the other. Asuna's hood at least allowed him to see a bit of her face, even if just her mouth and the tip of a nose. Bella's, as he assumed the handle was meant to be split in two, was slightly larger, draped over her head almost like a blanket to block her features completely. The sight almost reminded Kirito of Kayaba and his appearance at the speech where the evil bastard had struck fear into the hearts of ten thousand players and their families.
"Alright everybody! It seems like you're all in your parties now, so let's continue-" The blue haired man who had been directing the meeting started to call everyone to attention, but was interrupted when a guy with orange hair suddenly jumped down onto the stage. Kirito watched as the man started going on a rant about the ex-beta testers, and started to feel a little bit uneasy. He was a beta tester himself, and the man, Kibau, wasn't necessarily lying with his accusations. Kirito did leave town as soon as he could at the start, even leaving his new friend Klein behind. That choice would haunt him for the rest of his days, and it pained him to hear that his actions may have caused the deaths of some of the lost players.
Eventually, Kibau was interrupted by another, large dark-skinned man, calling himself Agil. At the sound of the name, Kirito caught shifting from behind him, and glanced back to see that the grey hooded girl had leaned forward slightly, her head tilted to the side. It looked almost like she recognized the man, or thought him interesting at the very least. Filing it away for later, Kirito turned back to the conversation, breathing a sigh of relief when Agil pointed out that the ex-beta testers had helped with handing out guidebooks. Heck, even Kirito had offered up some of that information, though he was far too busy to actually hand the things out at the time. As the meeting drew to a close, Kirito smiled at the way everyone started mingling. Good, they would have to work together if anyone was ever going to get out of this death game. He turned slightly, hoping to talk to the two girls who were now his party, but neither of them were in their spots. Asuna, he saw walking away, but he caught no sight of the odd Bella. She had disappeared without any trace, like mist on a wind. The only sign that she had existed at all was the odd name, still sitting under his life bar.
XXX
As the rest of the raid group partied, Kirito wandered the streets, looking for his party. When he finally found one of them, Asuna, he smiled a little. She was eating one of the small bread rolls he had been eating for the last few days.
"Those are pretty good, aren't they?" Asuna glanced up at the sound of his voice, her body stiffening. She glanced backwards warily, and the small smile disappeared. "Mind if I sit down?" She didn't respond, just turning back to her meal silently. Kirito took that for a yes and sat. Almost instantly, the hooded girl scooted over, putting several feet of space in between them. Kirito tried to ignore it, pulling out a bun of his own. He had just taken his first bite when the girl spoke up.
"You really think these taste good?"
"Uh huh." Kirito nodded, swallowing quickly. "Since I came to this town, I end up eating at least one a day. Course, I got a trick to make it taste better." Kirito had to suppress a smile at the way she perked up. The bread was decent enough, but after a while it could get pretty dull. Reaching back into his back pocket, he pulled out a small vial. He set it between them, and Asuna tilted her head at it as he tapped the top, a glowing blue orb of light appearing on his finger. She watched as he ran the light over his meal, a thick line of cream appearing in its wake. Kirito took a big bite out of it, savoring the taste as he watched the girl reach out hesitantly. Carefully, the girl copied his actions, seeming shocked when the cream appeared.
"Cream?" Kirito nodded, and Asuna stared at her food for a few seconds. Then, slowly, she took a bite. For a moment, they were still. Then Asuna suddenly started scarfing the bread down, devouring it within a few bites. She sighed contentedly, and Kirito's smile returned.
"I got it from the quest 'the heifer strikes back. You want to know how I did it?" Surprisingly, the girl shook her head.
"I appreciate the offer, but… I didn't come to this town to eat good food." Kirito stared, confused.
"Okay, why are you here?"
"So I don't lose sight of who I am." Kirito froze, unsure of what to say next as she took a deep breath. "I don't want to lock myself in a room in the town of beginnings and slowly rot away. I'd rather stay the way I am, till the last moment. Even if a monster beats me and I die, I won't lose. To this game, or this world no matter what."
"Good. The moment you give up is the moment Kayaba wins, and that monster doesn't deserve the satisfaction." Kirito jumped at the sound of the new voice, appearing right behind him. Whirling, the teen reached for his sword, an instinct driven into him over the last two months. But it wasn't a monster behind them, or even a PKer. Crouching just a step or two behind his previous seat was instead BellaLux, the missing third member of their party. Her hood was still up, as was Asuna's, but something in her body language told Kirito that she was completely serious. Her previous humor was gone, replaced by a demeanor that made it seemed like she was carved from ice and shadows..
Oh. There you are. Where were you?" At his question, the tension broke, and the grey hood turned to him curiously.
"I was in the tree. Did you not notice?" Kirito paused, before his eyes refocused on the space directly behind Bella. There was indeed a tree, a large oak with a branch big enough to sit on extending out over where Kirito had been sitting and where Asuna still was. Kirito tried to fight a sudden blush that started rushing up his cheeks, but it didn't help that Bella seemed to be smirking at him, and even Asuna was smiling a little. "Anyways, you're exactly right Asuna. That spirit, that will to fight, that's all that we have left. We can't run, Kayaba made sure of that, and hiding won't help anyone. So we must fight. Even to our last breath." Calming down, Kirito couldn't help but widen his eyes at the girl's speech. She seemed so, passionate wasn't quite the right word. It was more like she simply accepted the thought that there was nothing left to do but fight as she sounded completely ready to do whatever it took to get do so, even if that meant ripping Kayaba's throat out herself. It made Kirito feel like he needed to say something.
"Yes, well, I wouldn't want a party member dying. So try not to get yourselves killed tomorrow, alright?" He said lamely. The moment the words left his mouth, he knew they were pitiful in comparison to the fire that burned with the words of his two companions. But they didn't seem to care. Asuna suddenly burst into giggles, quickly reduced to holding her side for air as she tried to restrain her laughing, and Even Bella's hood shifted back slightly, just enough for him to make out the hints of a smile lurking on bright red lips. It made him think that perhaps, just perhaps, the next day's battle might turn out alright after all, if these people could still smile and laugh despite their surroundings.
XXX
Kirito stumbled over a rock, only avoiding crashing face-first into the dirt thanks to Bella's quick catch. Nodding his thanks, the raven haired boy turned back to Asuna, the one who had shocked him so. "You've never been in a party before?" The swordsman was incredulous. How did she manage to survive this long without either the knowledge that came with being a beta tester, or a party to support her? She also must not even be a gamer at all, if she didn't know what a switch was. It was less common, but the term was still applicable to pre virtual reality games.
"To be fair, neither have I." This time, even the quick reflexes of Bella were unable to save Kirito from at least scraping his hands on the ground as he attempted to catch himself. Why did they have to be having this conversation in a forest?
"Do you at least know what switching is?" The girl nodded, and Kirito was able to breathe a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't stuck with two total noobs. It would be difficult enough to explain everything necessary to one person. So, Kirito began the long and arduous task of explaining switching and various other party mechanics to Asuna, with Bella piping in every once in awhile In the meantime, Kirito started to observe his temporary companions a little more than he already had.
Asuna was a simple matter. She was around his age, give or take a year or two, and an obvious noob. He could see it in the way she walked and talked, despite that rather inspiring speech the night before. A young girl, caught out of her depth and trying to make sense of the world around her. At least she moved with some measure of confidence, as if she was no stranger to battle. That was to be expected. A will like hers had to be forged through trials of fire, and surviving hardships.
Bella, on the other hand, was completely different. She walked with a confidence and grace the swordsman was almost jealous of. Her movements were assured, and her speech even. If he didn't know better, he would say being trapped in a game with death all around wasn't anything new to the girl. Then there was her humor of course. The girl, despite the heavy hood she wore to obscure her face even at close range, always seemed amused by something. Kirito couldn't make any sense of it, because even though she could laugh, and even smile as he had seen the previous night, there also seemed to be a sort of tension around her, an energy that put Kirito on was like Bella scrutinized every little thing he said or did, and judged it on some scale he couldn't possibly understand. He knew it was ridiculous, but just couldn't shake the feeling.
Kirito shook those thoughts aside as they came to the door of the dungeon boss. It was a big stone thing, set into the base of an imposing mountain. There were carvings on the door, images of death and destruction that set Kirito's teeth on edge. This fight was not going to be simple in the slightest.
"Alright people, I have only one thing to say to you. Let's win!" Diavel the blue haired man who had jokingly declared himself a knight at the meeting, called. As the assembled crowd cheered, he turned, pushing the door wide open, leading the charge inside.
The interior of the room was exactly what Kirito had expected. A long hall built of dark grey stone, with the the throne at the end covered in shadows, and the only light being that which spilled in from outside. The entire party, a good forty of the strongest players currently in SAO, spread out quickly, wary of any enemy forces, but none appeared. For several seconds they all waited, eyes darting around, muscles tense. Then, at the far end, two red eyes suddenly blinked into existence, and the whole hall filled with a bright rainbow light to reveal a giant humanoid ratlike creature, with the title of 'Illfang the Kobold Lord' appearing above it alongside four glowing green health bars. As an ear-shattering roar burst forth from the creature it jumped from the throne into the middle of the hall, several of its minions appearing beside it. Most of the players hesitated, a pulse of fear running through them at the sight of the beast, but the same could not be said for three of their number. Kirito charged forward, Bella and Asuna at his shoulders, to meet the blade of the foremost ruin kobold sentry with his own as it attacked one of the frozen players. The force of his blade knocked the other aside, and he jumped backward, calling out in a clear voice.
"Switch!" He felt the air blow past him, and a slightly maniacal grin broke out on his face at the sight of the two girls flying past. Asuna, going high, struck out with a thin, light sword that Kirito recognized as a rapier, and the black-haired boy couldn't help but marvel at how she struck so fast he couldn't even see the tip of her sword. Bella, however, was even more unbelievable. The girl went low, a mere shadow against the gray stone as she slid along the ground so fast Kirito wasn't even sure she was there until she appeared behind the kobold, driving twin daggers through its chest. Bella sent Kirito a fierce grin just as the monster dissolved into shards of blue light, her hood having shifted back just enough for him to see it.
As Kirito moved to block the next kobold, the rest of the party went with him, having overcome their shock and now moving forward in a human tide, determined to take the first step in earning their freedom. The fight quickly descended into chaos, and Kirito, Asuna, and Bella were swept away in the flow.
As they fought, Kirito took the chance to watch his companions more, hoping to glean something from their movements and styles. Asuna was strong, striking far faster than Kirito would've expected a noob to be able to achieve in such little time. Her sword easily became a rain of steel as she would dart past Kirito to take advantage of the openings he created for her.
Bella was both a contrast and a parallel to the other hooded girl. Where Asuna would have a grim look on what little he could see of her face, every twitch and step spelling sheer and utter determination, Bella was wild, her grin as plain to see as possible with the heavy hood covering her features. Even as Asuna and Kirito quickly developed a pattern with the boy tanking blows and creating openings for the other to strike, Bella was like a ghost, sliding around the battlefield and eliminating foes with an almost preternatural ferocity and grace. The grey-hooded girl practically quivered with excitement as she fought, sliding just outside of her opponents blows only to reverse the momentum on a pin's width and eviscerate the monsters an instant later. Bella did everything she could to watch their backs, her primary focus on any enemies who would jump either Kirito or Asuna, but the lone boy in the group was so distracted watching her that he still almost died from those he was face to face with.
Finally, just as Kirito was starting to run out of breath(something he had very quickly learned was possible, even inside a game.) the boss dropped into the red on his final health bar, letting out a terrifying roar. The great beast threw aside the buckler he had been wielding, pulling out a second weapon that materialized on its back.
"Everyone hold! I've got this!" Kirito could hardly believe his ears as Diavel, the man who had organized this entire thing, called the whole party to stop attacking the boss, sauntering forward with a confident grin on his face. It was only at the last second, as the blue-haired man started to charge up a sword skill, that Kirito realized the weapon the boss was holding wasn't a talwar, as they'd expected, but a nodachi, a far more dangerous weapon with less predictable attack patterns.
"No, stop, it's no good!" He shouted even as another voice rang out.
"Don't, you fool!" Kirito barely had time to register the fact that the voice was Bella's, her usual amusement gone, replaced with anger and horror. Illfang, with yet another murderous howl, jumped, leaping from wall to wall before falling from directly above the woefully unprepared Diavel, landing a slash that nearly bisected the man. No blood fell, but the bright red line of light was telling enough. Kirito didn't hesitate in running to where the other man had been thrown from the blow, cradling his head. Kirito pulled out a health potion, frowning down at the man as he berated him.
"What the hell were you thinking?" The raven haired boy tried to give the other the potion, only for Diavel to stop him.
"You know… you were a beta tester too, weren't you?" Kirito's eyes widened, and Diavel gave him a weak smile, the hand holding back the vial that could save his life shaking. Kirito knew exactly what the other man was talking about.
"You were after the last attack bonus, the rare item. You're just like me. A beta tester." Diavel nodded slightly, taking a pained gulp as he turned his head to look out at the rest of the party, who were struggling to hold off the boss. He didn't even flinch as one of the minions appeared, swinging a sword down to end his life, right before Bella suddenly stopped in between them, ducking under the blade to kick the creature back a few steps. The girl paused for a second, glancing back at them.
"You might want to hurry it up." Then she was gone, a shadow against the ancient grey stones, dealing with the minions viciously to allow the rest of the party to survive the boss's turned back to Kirito, that smile fluttering just the tiniest bit.
"Please, you have to defeat the boss… for everyone here…" His last words were a bare whisper, nearly unheard as his body glowed, then shattered into those damning blue shards. Kirito just sat there for a second, his arms holding air. He had a potion, he could've saved him! If only Kirito had insisted, hadn't stopped to talk, or if he had know about the nodachi… Kirito's hands clenched, and his eyes rose to glare at the boss who was still terrorizing the other players. The players Diavel had gathered, had led, had given hope that maybe, someday, they would all be free of this death game. And now the man had put his last faith in Kirito. It didn't make sense. Ever since SAO had began, all the boy had thought about was himself, about surviving, getting stronger. Diavel had done something Kirito had never been able to do, and now… Now it was his turn to make good on that.
Seeming to sense the sudden determination that burned in his very veins, Asuna and Bella appeared at his shoulder's, their cloaks swaying as they stood behind him.
"I'll go too." Asuna spoke first, her voice soft but determined.
"'Till the end." Bella growled in confirmation, and Kirito could hear the darkness in her voice, feel the fires of hell he had no doubt were burning in her hidden eyes. The force of the hatred and killing intent rolling off the girl was so fierce he nearly froze, but the boy clutched his sword tightly, and nodded.
"Okay. We'll hit him just like we did the minions." he didn't wait for the answering nods before sprinting forward, his focus solely on Illfang, but he didn't need to . They kept up with him just fine, shadowing his every step. They reached the boss just as he finished throwing aside a few other players, and Kirito swung as hard as he could to block the giant sword coming at him. The force of the blow threw him to the side, but it did the same for Illfang, allowing the girls a perfect opening as he called out, "Switch!"
Asuna and Bella ran forward, their forms blurring with their speed. Illfang was faster though, and despite his destroyed balance managed to bring another slice to bear, right in Asuna's path. "Asuna!" Kirito yelled, suddenly afraid for the girl, but he needn't have worried. Bella, who had been running side by side with the other girl, shifted slightly, causing Asuna to stumble right under the giant sword. Their cloaks were caught by the blade, however, and thrown off their bodies before disintegrating. Kirito caught a glimpse of flowing brown, a flash of steel grey, before both activated their sword skills and struck, Asuna from the front and Bella once again sliding around the enormous form of their target to strike from behind.
Kirito, who had landed on his behind, could only stare in amazement at the two women, facing the Kobold who had been thrown back by the heavier force of Asuna's blow, making Bella tear long gashes along the side of the monster with her knives. They were beautiful, there was no doubt about that. Asuna, who Kirito rightly judged to be the tamer and more demure of the too, had flowing light brown hair, and bright eyes the color of bronze glowing with determination. Bella, however, painted a far more regal picture, if wilder and more dangerous. Her hair was steel and shadow, hanging in a savage and primal manner about her face, with deadly sharp eyes of quicksilver flashing in hatred, a dark fire burning in them. The light seemed to flicker about her, a depthless anger casting her features in darkness for the second she had paused.
Kirito would have liked to stay like that, studying every inch of the faces he had wondered about the last twenty four hours, but his attention was drawn away by a furious howl. Kirito's body moved before he had even given it instruction, swinging his sword to once again block the returning enemy. This time he was better prepared, and managed to keep his feet as Bella and Asuna slid past him, bronze and silver a stark contrast as they moved side by side. Watching them, somehow, as they passed him again and again, Kirito had the strangest feeling that this was good, this was right. In that moment he believed that whatever happened, these two girls were very important.
But Kirito couldn't focus on that, the thought slipping away as Illfang suddenly pulled a reversal again and a deep gash appeared on his chest, the force of the blow throwing him backwards into Asuna. They slid across the ground, and Kirito's health bar had dropped to below half before they finally came to a stop, Bella nowhere to be seen. Before Kirito could consider where she had gone, there was a loud ringing sound, and a long shadow fell over them. The boss was right above them, activating a sword skill. Kirito's mind raced in those few seconds, desperately searching for something to do, but it was cut off when suddenly a green glow appeared, and the descending nodachi was thrown back by a giant axe, the man Kirito vaguely remembered as Agil suddenly between them and the boss. The large axe-wielder glanced back at the, a small smirk crossing his face.
"Don't worry. We can hold him off until your health gets back up." Kirito couldn't say anything as Agil and several other players surged forward to meet the boss, who was already coming back with a vengeance. He had barely remembered there were other people in the fight, his whole world having narrowed to just him, Bella, Asuna, and the boss. And now those people were fighting desperately, to give him time to get back up to speed. Kirito had no idea what to do with that concept.
"You're the one who Diavel passed the mantle onto." Bella's voice was a whisper, but still he jerked his head to the side to see her standing there, those burning eyes studying the battle in front of them. She didn't say anything else, but Kirito had gotten the message. When Diavel died, they had all lost hope. The raven-haired boy hadn't paid attention, too wrapped up in the enormity of what the other man had just asked him to do, and his own realization of how pathetic and self-centered he had been, but now he remembered the shell-shocked and terrified looks on each of their faces as he took up his sword and passed them on the way to clash with the boss. Diavel, the best of them had fallen, and each and every one of them must have been tempted to give up right then, and let his dream die with him. That was why Diavel had asked Kirito what he did. And now… they had been inspired, when Kirito and the girls didn't give up. When they had continued to face the boss, continued to fight, it had given them new hope. And now they were fighting for that hope.
It wasn't long before the boss overwhelmed the others, tossing them all away like ragdolls with a swing of his sword, but by then Kirito was back up to almost full hp. He stood, gripping his sword tightly, and glanced to the girls already positioned at his shoulders.
"Come on, one last attack. Let's end this!" They charged forward once again, that shining trinity of silver, bronze, and the black of iron, ready to finish what they had started. One blow, Kirito deflecting the giant blade up high, Asuna and Bella slipping underneath to lash out with vicious determination. But Kirito didn't stop there, couldn't stop, not with the weight of responsibility hanging from his shoulders, and the ghost of Diavel guiding his sword as he threw himself forward one last time to strike, his momentum driving the sword in his hands up along the great red body until it was cut cleanly in half. It rose into the air, thrown up by the force of Kirito's final blow, and glowed , blinding everyone in the room for a split-second. Then, finally, it burst, the shards that had grown far too familiar in the last two months, and even more so in the last hour, bringing a measure of relief for once. The room was silent for a moment, everyone in the party too shocked at the thought that they had just accomplished such a difficult task. Then, as one man started to draw breath in an attempt to say something, a great banner appeared in the hall, with the word 'congratulations!' Upon it, and suddenly the room was filled with cheers as they all realized that yes, there might just be a single chance in hell that they could pull this off and earn their freedom.
"That was some fine swordsmanship back there. Today's victory is all thanks to you." Kirito, too tired to join in the celebration, looked up from the screen that had appeared in front of him to see Agil and Asuna standing above him, the girl nodding her assent to the big man's words. Bella was nowhere to be seen, but Kirito got the strangest feeling that she was likely just leaning against one of the pillars scattered about the room. Ignoring that for now, he shook his head. It had been Diavel, not him. He was just a coward that had been given a chance to make a horrible mistake right. There was nothing heroic about that, no matter how much they thought it.
"Stop it! Stop cheering!" Before Kirito could express his thoughts, a shout burst out from the middle of the room, and the crowd parted to reveal the orange haired man from before, Kibau, sitting there, tears in his eyes as he glared at Kirito. "Why'd you do it, huh? why'd you let Diavel die!?" Kirito couldn't think of anything to say. The question had struck far too close to home, and he couldn't stop the image of the health vial in his hands, held back by the feeble hand of a dying man.
"Let him die?" Kirito spoke without thinking, too shocked to control his own words.
"That's what I said. Admit it, you knew the technique the boss was going to use. You could've told us. Then Diavel would've stood a chance. He wouldn't have had to die!" Kirito could hardly believe what he was hearing yet again. Then it struck him. He had yelled out, telling Diavel it was no good to attack as soon as he recognized the weapon the boss was going to use. It could have looked like that meant he knew what was going to happen beforehand, to the untrained eye.
Suddenly, all the people around them, except Agil, Asuna, and Bella, wherever she was, started murmuring, now doubting their previous belief in them. Then it got worse when one of them spoke up. "I know why he knew. He used to be a beta tester! Think about it, he knew the boss's attack patterns, he knew, but he kept it from us!" Kirito looked away, his head bowed in shame. No, he hadn't known the boss's attack patterns until he saw the different weapon, saw that it was different from what it should be, but not saving Diavel wasn't the only sin he had committed, and most had been done with his knowledge as a beta tester. He deserved the accusation. "And, I bet he's not the only beta-tester here. Come on, show yourselves." Kirito tried not to watch as everyone, even Agil and Asuna, started glancing around, looking for the so-called beta-testers. Before anyone could say anything though, before any more accusations could be said, suddenly the speaker let out a muffled shout, and a familiar dagger had appeared at his throat.
"Not one more word." Bella, standing behind the speaker in a way that let Kirito know that she had her other blade pressed against the small of the man's back, spoke in a tone filled with ice. The dark fire flickered in her eyes, and Kirito was suddenly very afraid that she might do something drastic if no one interfered. Then, he glanced back at the screen he had yet to close out, and a plan formed in an instant. A horrible one, so twisted in its goal that only someone who truly had no self esteem could pull off. And yet, that just made it perfect for him, with his new realizations, and desire to do some good in this world while they were still trapped there. So he started laughing. He laughed and laughed, a cold, haunting sound echoing loudly off the stone walls.
"So you guys think I used to be a beta-tester. It's not cool to put me in the same class with those noobs." He stood, a dark smirk crossing his face. His eyes roved over the crowd, and when they met Bella's, he was surprised to see a flicker, the tiniest amount of light, break through the shadows filling them.
"What'd you say?" Growled Kibau, but his anger paled next to that of Bella's, and it was far too easy for Kirito to shrug dismissively as he stalked forward.
"You heard me. Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta test were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys are better than they were." Suddenly he came to a stop, right in front of Kibau, the smirk on his face growing into an evil grin. "But me, I'm nothing like those guys man. I reached levels that were higher than any of the other beta-testers, that's a fact." Suddenly he was cut off, Bella's tone ringing out in that familiar amused lilt he had first heard it in.
"Well, almost any." It was a struggle for Kirito not to jerk his head to her, but he managed, instead turning it slowly, languidly to meet her eyes. The fire was gone now, in its place an understanding so deep, it nearly took Kirito's breath away. She knew exactly what he was doing, what he planned on sacrificing, and he could see her decision to do the same written in her face, which was stretched in a near exact copy of his own twisted grin. He considered, for the briefest fluttering of a second, if he should try to stop her, since this was his sacrifice, and his burden alone to bear, but then there was a flicker of something. Not the hatred, not the darkness that had terrified him so much his very bones shook from the weight of it, but a plea, a desperation in her eyes to just let her do this, let her join him. Kirito had no idea why she would want to do such a thing, sacrifice so much, but Bella's desire was just as strong and deep as any of the other emotions he had seen in her, unfathomably so, and he couldn't deny it.
"Yes, almost any." That was where he remembered the name, where he had first heard the handle BellaLux. She was the one beta who had been better than him, gotten farther. He hadn't recognized her because no one would, since she was practically a ghost. People would catch sight of her for a few seconds in town, and then she would disappear again, gone for a few months. "I knew the boss's attack patterns because I've fought monsters with stronger, more complex patterns on floors far higher. I know a bunch of other things too. More than you can imagine. More than any info broker." The entire party looked shellshocked, staring at him with gaping mouths. Then, appearing to gather some measure of courage, Kibau spoke again.
"Then you're not just beta-testers, you're goddamn cheaters! You're- you're Beaters!" Kirito's grin widened slightly as almost everyone started agreeing. Perfect.
"A Beater? Yeah, that's good. I like it." As Kirito spoke, he continued to stare into Bella's eyes, too afraid of losing control if he dared to turn anywhere else. He almost regretted it a moment later, however, as a flash of mischief sparked in her eyes at his words.
"Poetic." She agreed, and the crowd gasped at the purr in her tone, the boy she was still holding at knife point looking as if he had wet his pants. Kirito, however, stayed in character, the twisted grin devolving into a slightly less evil smirk as he opened his menu..
"Okay, you can call us Beaters. Just make sure you don't confuse us with those beta testers anymore." And that was the whole point, the entire reasoning behind his sacrifice. To drive it home, however, something more was needed, something to push the message seemed to have had the same idea, and Kirito couldn't help the legitimate smile that crept onto his face as an article of clothing appeared on her at the same moment his own popped out of thin air. Kirito's, for his part, was a sleek black trench coat, intimidating in its darkness. Bella, in contrast, summoned a light grey cloak, the hood lighter than her old one but still enough to hide most of her features except a few strands of steely hair poking out, lined with silver trimming. Kirito had to admit, Bella's earlier claim was true. Their contrast was quite poetic, especially since their color schemes were nearly opposite of the truth.
Kirito threw one last gloating smirk at the crowd before walking away with measured steps, only the slightest sound of cloth brushing over stone letting him know that Bella followed. It seemed he wasn't to make a clean getaway, however, as the sound of footsteps, too loud to be Bella's, sounded as the pair drew near the door, it's carvings seeming far less intimidating now that the battle had done. Kirito didn't pause, however, until he heard the voice.
"Wait." The boy froze, one foot resting on the next step. He didn't turn back however, allowing Asuna to continue.
"When we were fighting, you called me by my name." It wasn't a question, but Kirito, keeping with his new character, didn't bother to look at her as he spoke, only turning slightly towards the soft voice..
"I wasn't trying to be rude. Did I mess up the pronunciation?"
"How'd you even know it?" Kirito knew he couldn't begrudge the girl her hard tone, but it still hurt. Was this really what he had condemned himself to, the price of his atonement? He pushed those thoughts away however, and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, though, he was cut off by the sound of Bella's voice, amusement oddly absent in the soft tone.
If you look here, right underneath your health bar. Should be a couple of names there." Kirito's eyes narrowed as he turned to glance at Bella out of the corner of his eye. She was pointing at the exact spot where Asuna's health bar should be, the other girl's eyes narrowing as she read the names.
"Kirito… and Bella? I can't understand the last bit." Kirito had to struggle not to stare in awe as his partner, or whatever she was, laughed, the sound melodic as it bounced around the hall.
"Bella is fine." This time, even Kirito's control cracked at the cute giggle Asuna let out, and he was glad his face was still turned from the crowd.
"I'm so silly, it was there the whole time!" Kirito could do nothing more than nodding, although it felt odd to do so while facing a completely different direction. He did have one last piece of advice for the girl, however, a token of thanks for standing beside him.
"You can become strong here, on your own. But if the time comes when someone you trust asks you to join a guild, don't hesitate to accept. There are limits to what a solo player, even two of them, can accomplish."
"But you two are solo players." Kirito was caught off guard by the comment. He really didn't have anything to say to that. It wasn't like he could tell the girl why he was going off alone, or near enough. So he just turned away completely and continued walking away, Bella following close behind. After all, they were Beaters. There was no one else for them, anyways.