Kirito stared at the cup of coffee gripped tightly in his hand, shaking slightly as he grew more and more worried. True, the beverage was virtual, but SAO had a caffeine system in place to provide small shocks of energy to a player's brain, originally designed for those late-night gamers who needed something to take the edge off their lack of dedicated sleep. Kirito, however, had taken solace in the warm, bitter drink for a wholly different reason; Bella, his best friend and lone companion through this death game, was missing.
Normally, the young woman would remain out of sight often, going about her business in the shadows or just generally watching over Kirito, but it was almost unprecedented for her to spend an entire day without appearing at Kirito's side at least once, and never without letting him know when and how. Even then, she would invariably show up at whatever inn the swordsman chose for the night, typically by way of climbing in through the window, much to his long-suffering chagrin. It had been three days the last time that happened.
Kirito supposed it started with the minor adventure he had gone on with Asuna the Lightning Flash, vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. They sorted out the "murder in a safe zone" mystery eventually, although Kirito was surprised when Bella didn't step in to offer even a little bit of advice as she was wont to do, but he figured she must have been busy with something else. Now, however, after three long days of slowly growing worry and concern as more and more hours passed without word, Kirito was far less certain.
At the sound of a shifting chair, Kirito glanced up from his coffee to see a man he didn't recognize sitting down across from him. Leaning back in surprise, Kirito carefully released his grip on the coffee cup and allowed his hand to drift closer to his sword. They were in a safe zone, sittiing at one of the open air cafes around Algade, but Bella had driven the knowledge into Kirito that nowhere was safe from danger, no matter how small it may be.
"Can i help you with something?" The raven-haired boy asked, his voice low and threatening as he took in the newcomer. The man was dressed like a living shadow, black on black on black, and his face was hidden by an even darker hood. In fact, the only distinctive features Kirito could make out were glowing red eyes peering out from under the hood, and a pitch black sword strapped across his back, with a distinctive white outline.
"Are you Kirito, the Black Swordsman?" The voice was even and measured, but still it brought a chill to the teenager's spine as it drifted through the air towards him. Only once before had he ever heard something so dark and dangerous, immediately after fighting Illfang, and never again did he wish to repeat the experience.
"I might be. Who's asking?" Kirito hedged, every lesson of caution Bella had taught him pounded into his head. The girl was a master of disguise and acting, and had taken great pleasure in sneaking up on him whether under a false face or from the shadows in order to liven up the long months of progressing through SAO. As such, the teen's danger sense had slowly become very highly developed, and right now every single bell he had was going off. It didn't help when the strange man laughed, a cold, hard thing that reminded Kirito of cracking glass.
"My name's not important, but you can call me Shadow, if necessary. Tell me, do you know a girl named Tenshi? She may also go by BellaLux." Kirito's blood froze at the names, but he fought to keep his face in a carefully neutral expression. It was surprising enough that this man would know Bella's username, since she rarely gave it out except to those she trusted or was forced to work in close proximity with, but it was the first that truly terrified him. After the Black Cats died, they had shared their real life names, with the promise that were one of them to die while the other survived, they would find the family of the fallen and tell them how and why. Even then, it was only after a great deal of coaxing and pleading that Kirito managed to get Bella to part with her real name, Ankokou Tenshi. So the question was, why did this man not only know her by that name, but even better than her username?
"She's a friend." Kirito finally said, after scrutinizing Shadow for several moments. The man narrowed his eyes, but then nodded, before waving down a nearby waitress. After placing his order and dismissing the NPC, he turned back to Kirito, leaning forward slightly as he spoke.
"Ten-Bella, is in danger. She's been taken by Laughing Coffin." Kirito was glad he had set down his coffee, as otherwise it would have crashed to the floor at the murder guild's name. Laughing Coffin? That made no sense.
"LC doesn't take prisoners." He said shortly, cutting a glare at Shadow. The man, for his part, merely shrugged, apparently unconcerned by this fact.
"No, but they do take recruits." For a moment, Kirito stared at the man, not quite comprehending his words, before, with a rush of blood in his ears, anger swept through the teen.
"You're joking." There couldn't be any other explanation for this guy to be telling him such stupid things. Bella was far too gentle, and dare he say it, kind, to have joined a murder guild of all things. She was more likely to slaughter them all in their sleep, for daring to harm innocents. Kirito wouldn't believe she would ever willingly join something as evil as that. "Bella's too good to even consider joining Laughing Coffin." He said, his voice cold. Surprisingly, Shadow smirked in response.
"Of course, that would explain why she was so keen to slit my throat. How silly of me."
"This isn't a joke." Kirito snapped, and Shadow, seeing the boy's temper flaring, nodded, backing off.
"I apologize, that was in poor taste. In all seriousness, I believe you. In fact, Bella gave me a message for you."
"What is it?" Kirito asked, trying not to show the palpable relief he was feeling. Shadow agreed? Then what was this all about?
"'Even the dead cast Shadows.' Those were her exact words." For a moment, all was silent as Kirito regarded the man curiously, leaning back in his chair with a raised eyebrow, a trick he had learned from Bella herself. Memories of a long-gone lesson flashed through his mind, and the teenager smiled slightly. Even the dead cast Shadows, huh? Bella you clever girl. If he was right, Bella may have just done something incredibly foolish, but also with the possibility of ending one of the major threats within Aincrad. As the pieces came together, Kirito's smiled stretched even wider, and he rested his arms on the table, before addressing Shadow with a hard stare.
"Tell me everything."
XXX
Asuna observed the two boys with narrowed eyes as they stalked through the halls of Grandzat, marveling at the picture they painted. It was an interesting parallel, black set against black, but at the same time, those who knew the two, or at least had some experience in reading people, could see the vast contrast between them. Kirito, who Asnua knew personally, was a kind, if a bit daft, young man, with a heart too soft and bright for the cruelties and responsibilities their digital world heaped upon him. He had darkness hidden within, yes, and a pain she doubted anyone but his normally ever-present Shadow could understand fully, but somehow he had managed to push through that to become one of the guiding lights of SAO.
Beside Kirito, however, was a man Asuna didn't recognize, but still one who gave her shivers as she observed him. Shadow, as he had claimed to be called, actually reminded Asuna of Bella a bit, as absurd as the thought was. He was living darkness, with a depth of pain and loss too deep to comprehend, but there was some good in him, a streak of light that was all which kept Asuna from drawing her blade on him and denying the man entry to her guild's fortress. He wasn't as benevolent as the Silver Shadow, but however dark his purpose, Asuna suspected there was a decent heart beneath it all.
Even more than their appearance and bearing, however, was the similarities and differences between their eyes. Kirito's burned with a bright fire of determination, while Shadow's were dark and icy, promising death to all who opposed him. As they reached the grand doors which opened into Grandzat's conference room, which typically held the KBO's council meetings, she wondered why that was, and just what the two were doing together. Putting the thoughts out of her mind, however, Asuna pushed open the doors, leading the two men forwards.
Inside, only one of the room's usual occupants was present, despite it being filled nearly to the brim. On Kirito's-and by extension the Moonlit Black Cat's- request, all the heads of front line guilds were present, and a few more notable players not distinctly aligned with any singular guild. All jumped at the sound of their entrance, before zeroing in on the man himself, each highly interested in why exactly the meeting had been called in the first place.
"Yo, Kirito! Good to see ya man, but where's your lady friend? Bella finally skip out on ya?" Kirito brightened as he heard Klein's friendly greeting, smiling at the redhead as they grasped forearms in their traditional greeting.
"Hey Klein, still as scruffy as ever, huh? And Bella is actually the reason we're here." The leader of Furinkazan frowned slightly at the evasive answer, but after a moment of debate shook his head and dismissed any question he might have asked. He would get answers soon enough.
"Ahh, Kirito. Welcome to the home of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Are you ready to explain why you have called us all together today?" The Black Swordsmen glanced towards Heathcliff, guildmaster of the KBO, and his mood soured visibly. The older man had always given him a bad vibe, and Bella an even worse one. Sure, he was creator and leader for what was widely recognized as the strongest guild in existence at the moment, but he was just a bit too friendly.
"I am, Heathcliff, but first I should introduce a recent acquaintance of mine. This is Shadow." Kirito waved towards the man by his side, who nodded respectfully to the assembled crowd, before continuing. "He's the one who provided the information which made me call you all here today. To put it simply, We've found Laughing Coffin's base, and have information on their leader." Unsurprisingly, there was a collective round of gasps at his words, and suddenly the room was filled with dozens of voices, all vying for dominance, until a loud crash rang out. All eyes turned to stare at the leader of the KBO, whose fist was now resting heavily upon the large oak table in the center of the room.
"Thank you." He said, sweeping the room with his cold grey eyes until they landed once more upon Kirito. "Are you certain of the validity of this information?" For a second, Kirito met his gaze, then nodded slowly.
"I am." Again, the murmurs started, although they kept it down to just a low muttering, until finally, the leader of one of the smaller guilds spoke up.
"How did you find this information? Laughing Coffin has been like a ghost haunting us since almost the beginning of SAO. Every time someone thinks they have them, they disappear." Kirito turned an appraising eye to the speaker, a slightly older man, with kind blue eyes and long blonde hair.
"You all know who I am, right?" the entire assembly nodded, fully aware of the legend of the Black Swordsman. "Then where do you think my usual companion is right now?" Kirito could see exactly when the realization crashed over them like a wave, and several people cursed quietly.
"But Bella would never join Laughing Coffin!" Klein's voice rang out over the group, the leader of Fuurinkazan being the most well-versed in the ways of the Silver Shadow. Sadly, or perhaps stupidly, several others shouted him down, convinced that of course the Silver Shadow, who many had developed a great mistrust of over the course of SAO's history, would betray them. She had always walked in shadows and never made an effort to hide that there was blood on her hands. Soon enough, the entire room was filled with shouts once again, those who were less familiar with Bella crying out for her blood while the Beater's friends did their best to counter them. NOt even Heathcliff, banging so hard on the table Kirito was afraid it might break under his fist, could bring them to order.
"Enough." The single word was spoken quietly, little more than an aggravated whisper, but somehow it cut through the rabble and clamor, freezing the entire room like ice. All eyes shot to the speaker, Shadow leaning calmly against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and red eyes glowing balefully at the gathering. "I know not what preconceptions any of you may have about T-BellaLux. I, myself, have only barely met her. I was, however, there when she was brought before the Court of Shadows in Laughing Coffin's fortress." Shadow swept his gaze over the crowd daring them to speak once again, but not a single whisper escaped, as each was staring at him with amazement and perhaps even a little bit of fear. Satisfied that he would not be interrupted, he continued.
"The leader of LC is a man named Adam, who once knew Bella IRL. He had his men capture her and bring her to him, in the hopes of coercing the Shadow into joining his side. But he made one fatal mistake. He let me live." Again, his eyes swept the hall, until a small voice spoke up from the back, prompting Shadow to face Asuna
"Why?" Shadow grinned at the question, a dangerous, feral thing that made several of the gathered shiver.
"Because Bella asked him to. She had a message for me to carry." Shadow nodded to Kirito, who stepped forward and brought up his menu, surprising everybody else.
"Bella gave Shadow words I remembered from an old hunting lesson she taught me while we were practicing stealth a few months ago. 'Even the dead cast shadows.'It's supposed to mean that a shadow is the one thing you can't hide, no matter how skilled you are. All you need to do is find somebody's shadow, and you can follow it to them. And right now, I know exactly where LC's Shadow is." After a few deft manipulations of his menu, Kirito threw up a map into the center of the room, with a single, glowing red dot on it.
"The friend tracker," Asuna breathed from the corner, and Kirito smiled at her.
"Exactly. Bella hasn't erased her friend's list, allowing us to easily track her to LAughing Coffin's base."
"How do we know the Silver Shadow hasn't just forgotten, and you're covering for her? Or better yet, she could be leading us into a trap!" Kirito scowled at the blonde man who had spoken up again, but before he could say anything, SHadow cut him off.
"Because Adam killed her entire family before hacking his way into the game to find her." He stated bluntly, shrugging at the aghast expressions on everyone's faces. "Would you side with the guy who slaughtered your entire family for some messed up obsession?" It took several moments, but finally the man managed to answer, stuttering his response.
"A-and he actually believed her when she joined him?" Shadow shrugged again, his expression bored.
"The guy's insane. Not to mention, he had a hot chick rubbing up on him at the time. I wouldn't be surprised that he wasn't thinking clearly." Suddenly, half the room was stammering and turning red, including Kirito, but before anyone could reprimand the mercenary for his crude humor, a high tinkling laugh rang out from the shadows.
"I can attest to that. Bella has a way of destroying pretty much any higher brain functions when she wants to." Shadow raised an eyebrow at the small, mousy form cloaked in brown, but didn't deign to comment. Bella had never struck him as that sort of person, but hey, who was he to judge?
After a few moments to allow the gathering to regain their senses, the man spoke up once again, which Shadow found to be quite annoying. Seriously, the guy was starting to get on his nerves. "Alright, fine. But what do you people want us to do with this information? It's not like we can just storm their base and kill them all!"
"And why not?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow, unsurprised when the man sputtered at him.
"B-because that would make us no better than them! I don't know about you, but I don't want blood on my hands." At his words. Several of the group muttered in ascent, and Shadow's blood boiled. How could they all be so stupid? DId they not know what was at stake? Just as it looked like several people were right on the edge of leaving, the mercenary took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Calm, Shadow. If they don't understand, then you'll just have to make them. WIth that thought in mind, he rose from his slouched position against the wall and stepped up to the table, drawing his sword and slamming it down with a loud thunk. Instantly, all attention was drawn back to him, and once again his baleful red eyes swept the room, but this time they lingered on each and every person they passed.
"There is a saying I once heard. 'At the end of the day, blood will always be spilled. ALl we can do is decide whether it be innocent or not.' Right now, you have a choice. You can walk out that door, forgetting this day ever happened, and leave Laughing Coffin to their own devices. But if you do, then tomorrow, or the next day, when one of their members kills someone, it will be because you didn't stop them. That death will be on your head, and their blood staining your hands. Sometimes, inaction is even worse than committing a crime yourself. So go ahead and leave, living your nice innocent life with your innocent little hands. I'll be here, fighting for something that matters." For a moment, the man stared at him, fear and awe mixing in equal measure within his eyes, until slowly, hesitantly, he reached up to the sword strapped across his back. Then, with a jerk, he drew the blade, steel gleaming darkly in the setting sun behind him, and stabbed it into the table. Directly across from Shadow's.
"My sword and my guild are yours then. Use them well."
XXX
Alright, so this is finally up, and things are starting to get rolling. Next chapter we'll get to see the attack on Laughing Coffin, whoo! Also, I wanted to apologize for this taking a bit longer than planned, I was caught up with a lot of work to graduate early, so that kinda distracted me a lot. And for one last thing, I was asked by the original creator and owner of Shadow's character, Arctic01 to mention that his theme song is the nightcore version of 'Wrong Side of Heaven". Don't forget to go show that guy some love, yeah?
Anyways, that should be everything for now, so I'll just let you guys go, and I'll see ya later!