"Kirigaya-san, visiting hours are over..."

The soft, apologetic voice of the nurse served to bring her back to reality. Suguha who had been sitting besides the prone body of her brother, looked up at the nurse with painful eyes.

"Can I have a few more minutes?"

The nurse smiled sadly. "Of course dear, I'll be back in awhile."

Closing the door, the nurse felt her heart go out to the poor girl in the room. This SAO tragedy had been a shock to everybody since it had affected mainly children. Grieving mothers and family members had all taken it upon themselves to visit as often as they could. The heart-wrenching scenes of families being notified of their loved ones death was a somewhat regular occurrence these days.

Suguha who had visited every day of the week near the start had been forced by her parents to visit only once a week as they knew the situation would not be resolved anytime soon. They also knew just how close Suguha was to Kazuto, and despite feeling guilty at forcing her to resume her life, they knew that Kazuto would not want Suguha to waste away at his side.

"Onii-chan..." She whispered, gripping his cold hands tightly. The form of her most precious person laid prone on the hospital bed, and she couldn't help but feel anger at the piece of machinery that surrounded his head. The usually strong figure of her brother was now pale and unnatural - a result of the nutrients used by the hospital. She often wondered why her brother had been so into SAO, being incredibly excited for the official launch.

And yet...

The days on the calendar had counted down, and with each passing day Suguha struggled with the feeling of helplessness. As it approached Christmas, the thought that Kazuto has been trapped for nearly two months haunted her. Her ever reliable brother was trapped in a death game created by a madman, and yet when he needed her the most, she could do nothing.

She recalled vaguely that Kazuto had promised to spend extra time with her during the holidays, something that they had rarely done lately. Since their parents were usually always busy with work, they had little time to celebrate even during the holidays. Kazuto and Suguha never minded, content to spend most of the time with each other, and celebrating with the family on the rare days they could.

Kazuto always kept his word, never failing to keep a promise despite how inane or troublesome it was.

"You promised Onii-chan..."

Kirito traversed the snow covered forest expertly, having been here multiple times before. The forests on the first floor was something that was incredibly familiar to him after all, having cleared the area multiple times already. His black-clad form was silent and as he moved through the forest, he met no resistance. Being at a rather formidable level of 19, the mobs shied away from him, and the ones that stayed were swiftly dispatched in a single slash.

December 20th, 2022.

A week in which the majority of the world would be celebrating as a holiday, counting the days until Christmas. For Kirito who was trapped in a death game along with 10,000 other players, celebrating was not something that was on his mind. Old habits died hard however, and the reason he was searching through the level 1 forest was because of his MMO sense.

Something that was a custom in every MMO was the creation of exclusive content during special times of the year, often easter eggs that would be different every year. In SAO it was no different, the creator having talked in depth about how the world would change itself to suit the season. He wasn't simply talking about the weather which was quite realistic, but the fact that the NPCs changed and some of the mobs also changed.

It affected almost every floor, and players had wondered at the sheer scale of the changes that a seasonal event would bring. Having been cruelly trapped inside the game for almost two months has left players in a rather non-cheerful mood however. It was to be expected after all, Christmas was a time that was spent with family. Being the first Christmas in which they were completely alone, many could be seen with solemn looks on their faces.

A very slight movement amongst the snow caused Kirito to stop and carefully scan his surroundings. His eyes immediately finding the source of the disturbance; a particular cute rabbit. The bunny mob was particularly adorable with a small santa hat and dressed in what seemed to be a miniature rabbit-sized tuxedo. His eyes gleamed in anticipation, hands steadily reaching down for a throwing dagger.

The mob «Holiday Rabbit» was something that only appeared during the christmas season on select floors of Aincrad. It boasted an incredibly low spawn chance, with each floor having only a handful of the rabbits. What was so special about the monster besides its spawn chance was the exclusive holiday drops that it contained. Being a level 1 mob with 1 health point, its only advantage was its supreme agility. If you failed to destroy it in one hit then you were doomed as you would never be able to catch it again.

His dagger soared through the air with impressive speed.

The sound of a squeak and polygons dispersing met his ears, and Kirito smiled in satisfaction. Besides the small chance of dropping an extremely rare item like a ring or other accessories, the rabbits always dropped at least one special drop. For Kirito who had been hunting the rabbits steadily throughout the morning, he was rather surprised that this rabbit contained two drops for him.

[Santa Hat] x1

[Christmas Chocolate] x2

Kirito manipulated his inventory to examine the item in detail, it seemed it was a rare drop after all. Upon looking at the stats however, he was disappointed to see that it was merely an accessory item, having no beneficial stats. It was still rare though, and Kirito wondered how much col he could make by selling it. A sudden thought struck him, and he grinned, storing the hat into his inventory. There was a much better use for the hat after all.

Stretching absently, he decided it was time to head back for a late brunch, something he and the girls had decided upon. With the holiday season many did not have the inspiration to clear the front lines anymore. Therefore it was decided upon by most of the clearers to take a week break - the very first break to many of them.

It was to be expected after all, the clearers had been working non-stop to clear the floors ever since that dramatic first boss battle. Along the way, most of the resentment had been buried in favour of working toward the goal of beating this game. He had been glad to see everyone putting aside their differences to work together, and despite the fact that not everyone wanted to volunteer for boss fights, the general atmosphere was one of comradery.

His group, or guild rather, was one of the few constants at the boss battles, always taking the lead in battle and leading the way. Along the way, they had proved to the players that they were worthy of respect, and even those who did not like them personally held their tongue in regards to his decisions. Especially since the creation of their guild on the third floor; where the guild creation hall was found. They had started to build a rather noticeable reputation, and most of it was centered on Kirito, much to his exasperation.

The «Royal Swords», rumoured to be the strongest guild in SAO, even though there were only a handful of other guilds to compare to. Lead by the strongest swordsman, and consisting of the strongest and cutest girl players, the guild had a rather interesting reputation about it. If only they stopped believing all of the ridiculous rumours that had started since the first floor, like the rumour that he was a girl too, or the one where they thought he was an npc in disguise, and his all time hated rumour was the one where he was the villainous playboy who surrounded himself with a harem of cute girls. He wanted to strangle whoever started those rumours, and was thankful to the fact that most of the regular players could not put his face to those rumours.

Shaking his head, he tried to avoid thinking of the ridiculous situation that seemed to be his reputation. Since despite his misgivings, he found being with his guild something that he would not change for the world. For each member of his guild had found a place in his heart, and he had vowed to see this game cleared for each of their sakes.

Clearing the forest and arriving onto the main road, Kirito was hit with a sense of nostalgia as he scanned the first floor fields. It was this area that he had advanced through during the first week, and he found it hard to associate that reckless solo player with the current him. He had been selfish in the beginning, advancing through the floor believing that making himself strong would be a better way of helping others. Believing that being in a group would slow him down, secretly hiding the fact that he was afraid of being responsible for the lives of other players.

Now though... having leveled with his party members for a month, he knew he was wrong. The feeling of fear was still there, but muted by the sense of strength that the group gave him. Knowing that they believed he would protect them no matter what, and knowing that they would do the same for him had made them strong. Their teamwork was solidified, and their trust in him allowed him to lead without hesitation.

Walking along the road, he was surprised to see a group of players leveling on the level 3 wolves to his left. They were the first players he had seen on the first floor actually leveling, and he silently applauded their courage. Even after almost two months, there were still players that lingered in the Starting City after all. Some had ventured onto the other cities that had been unlocked by the clearers, but even then they remained at level 1. A waste in his opinion, but at least they were venturing out of the first floor.

Watching the group for a while, one player caught his eye in particular. The figure was cloaked in a hood of white so he couldn't distinguish any details. But what had caught his attention was the strangely familiar way that the figure wielded his or her weapon. A rather standard issue spear was held in her hand, but instead of wielding it with both hands to thrust or swing, it was over the shoulder in a throwing motion.

In SAO, the physics of the game was rather sound, only being broken by player skills, therefore if you threw a rather pointed object like a spear at a mob, the potential for high damage was there. It wasn't efficient however as if you missed, you were effectively helpless until you recovered your main weapon, the system wouldn't allow you to replace your main hand because it knew you had thrown it. Only with swords were you allowed to equip another weapon onto your main hand, the system would assume you were trying to dual-wield.

Seeing the figure throw the spear fluidly caused him to blink in surprise as the weapon flew through the air gracefully. It stabbed through the wolf mob with ease, exploding the poor monster into polygons. Admiring the players aim, he silently praised the unorthodox way of killing the wolf. It was always great to see innovation, and especially when it was very effective.

Smiling as he headed back onto the main road, Kirito felt oddly elated at what he had seen. It seemed there were many more talented players in this death game.

Asuna hummed as she moved around the kitchen area, happy to have access to a fully equipped one. The inns on the current floors had no kitchen after all, and she couldn't work on her growing «Cooking Skill». To her silent pride, it was already at a level 51, not that she would ever tell her guild members.

Everyone had been very supportive of her when she announced that she wanted to cook for them. After the first meal she had prepared, she had been officially promoted to head cook, much to her embarrassment. It wasn't like she minded though, since she enjoyed cooking for the others, especially enjoying the look of elation often on Kirito's face when he ate her cooking.

Speaking of Kirito... Asuna put on an angry expression as she turned around to face him. "Stop staring at the food!"

Kirito who had been sitting on the counter, silently drooling at the piece of meat being prepared snapped out of his trance. "Wuh?"

Turning his entranced stare onto Asuna, who was equipped with a rather frilly pink apron, he blinked.

"I said... d-don't stare at me like that!" Asuna blushed as Kirito seemed to be drooling at her, absently covering her figure with her hands. "G-go outside until the foods done!"

Kirito hastily obeyed, knowing how scary an upset Asuna was, especially equipped with a soup ladle. Silently pouting as he moved away from the food, he deeply hoped the food was ready soon. Ever since he had tasted Asuna's cooking, he had been hooked, and had looked forward to every meal ever since. Did he dare tell Asuna that her cooking was better than his mother and Sugu's combined?

Shaking his head from such ominous thoughts, he opened the back door and stepped outside to the back porch. Having rented the same house they had stayed the first time, he was familiar with the layout. Seeing that Lisbeth and Silica was sitting and talking amiably on the swinging loveseat, he joined Argo at the wooden table. The mousy girl was responding to a multitude of PMs as usual, and he stared in wonder at the speed in which her hands moved on the virtual keyboard.

"Hey Ki-bou~" She greeted the moment he had sat down beside her, getting a tired reply from him.

Resting his head on the wooden table, he sighed in contentment, the peaceful atmosphere along with the beautiful sight of the calm snowfall was doing wonders in bringing him to sleep. If he wasn't looking forward so much to lunch, he would have preferred to take a nap. Something he had taken to doing much to the girls' irritation.

Staring at the girl out of the corner of his eye, he glared suspiciously as Argo giggled in her reply. He had long suspected that she was responsible for a good amount of the rumours about him, since he knew she received a lot of requests for information about him. Since she never asked him for information, he suspected that she probably said whatever she wanted about him. If only Kirito knew how many of the requests were from interested girls.

"Kirito-kun!"

Before he could ask Argo what she was up to, Lisbeth and Silica joined them at the table, startling his train of thought.

"Hey girls." He greeted, receiving smiles in return.

"So so, did you find those 'easter eggs' you were talking about?"

"Actually yes." He answered. He had actually gotten three of the rabbits from his time hunting from the morning till now. It was a surprising amount considering that there were probably only a couple left on this floor. "I found some things you girls might like."

His teasing tone made the three girls curious. "What is it?"

"It's a secret." Smiling at the girls' pouts, he was suddenly reminded of something. "Oh yea, that reminds me, I found something this morning for you Silica."

"F-for me?" The smaller girl asked in happiness.

Manipulating his inventory, he opened up a trade with the younger girl, and traded the rare drop he had gotten this morning.

"'Santa Hat'?" Silica murmured in wonder, wondering why Kirito seemed to be beaming in happiness.

"Equip it." He told her, trying not to sound too eager.

"Okay..."

The moment she equipped the item however, everyone around her froze. Silica looked around nervously. "W-what's wrong?"

Twin cries of elation was her reply, as she was promptly glomped by Argo and Lisbeth.

"SHES SO CUTE!"

Indeed, with the santa-styled cap on her head, she looked adorable with her matching red armour and small figure. Kirito resisted the urge to hug the girl, seeing that she was already blushing enough from the attention of the other girls. Pretending to not see SIlica's pleading look, Kirito wished he had some sort of recording device as the scene was simply too cute.

"Food is ready~"

Everyone froze as Asuna made her entry. They looked on as she blinked once, taking in the odd scene. As her eyes fell onto Silica, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Silica-chan!"

Kirito hastily dived, hands reaching to save the large plate of food that Asuna had dropped in her lunge.

"Eep!"

Silica promptly suffered as the pile of girls fell on her.

It was a while later that the group had finally settled down, and had gathered around the wooden table for brunch. The group happily enjoyed the meal, praising Asuna for once again making such delicious food.

"This is so good Asuna!" Lisbeth exclaimed in happiness, happily biting into a sandwich. "I didn't even know the game had mayo."

"Well...it doesn't." Seeing the questioning glances, she elaborated. "They have very generic flavours you can choose from, but you can make your own by matching several other ingredients. This sauce is one that I made recently from sampling a bunch of other flavours, It doesn't taste exactly like mayonnaise, but I'm working on improving it."

She felt nervous as the group shared a look with one another.

"Asuna is ours right?" Lisbeth asked Argo beside her.

"Mmm, of course. Lets keep this to ourselves.." Even for an information broker, she knew a secret like this was worth more than any amount of col.

Asuna giggled as the group all shared serious nods, inwardly glad that they appreciated her cooking so much.

"By the way Kirito-kun, did you find the special monsters you were talking about?" She and the girls were initially very skeptical when he had told them where he was going, especially since the information came from an NPC. One of the NPC hunters in the city often spoke to the players about how the rarest rabbits would come out of hiding nearing the end of december, a rumour that had remained unproven until today.

"I actually found two of them this morning." He said happily. "One of them even dropped the hat that Silica is wearing."

The group stared longingly once more at the now sulking Silica who had been forced to keep the hat on despite her protests.

"Both of them dropped something I think you girls will like." Seeing their curiosity overwhelming them, especially in the case of Lisbeth, he decided to appease them. Manipulating his game inventory, he quickly materialized the chocolate he had gotten from this morning.

"I-is that..." The voice came from Asuna, but she was not alone as the rest of the girls gasped in awe. Chocolate was not something that could be found in Aincrad, not from the NPCs nor from Cooking, although there were rumours that you could unlock the method once your «Cooking Skill» was high enough. Even then, the mere idea of chocolate was just rumours and speculation as many people thought the ability to eat the treat without impacting your real body was just too good to be true.

"Yep, likely the only piece of chocolate in Aincrad, the rabbits usually drop tw-"

He was interrupted as Asuna swiftly swept the chocolate bar out of his hands, unwrapping it with haste. Taking a slight nibble, Asuna moaned in contentment as the taste of high quality chocolate hit her tongue. "This is amazing."

Seeing the other girls stare in jealousy, Kirito laughed. "Relax, I have enough for all of you."

Having distributed the rest of the chocolate bars to the excited girls, he smiled at their ecstatic expressions once they had a taste. He never had a thing for sweets but he knew girls, especially Sugu, loved them. His money had often been spent on an exorbitantly large amount of chocolate especially during the holidays or special dates.

"So... what are you girls going to do today?" Asking them once they had their fill of chocolate, Kirito hoped that they would be busy.

"I'm going to be at the market district on the fourth floor, we still need to sell a lot of our drops, and I still need to meet up with a few... informants hehe~" Argo beamed at him, and he couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious.

"I'm going with her, I need to level up my «Blacksmithing», and I thought I should try and help the rest of the players a bit." Lisbeth had been only making their weapons for most of the time, all of them having put their free time to training.

Nodding at the two girls, he turned to the other two.

"Um... I'm going to visit the Church, I haven't seen them in a while." Silica smiled as she thought of all of her friends back at the church. Although they had been extremely surprised when they found out that she was now a front-liner, they had all been very supportive of her, even Sasha who still worried after her even now.

"That's great, I'll drop by sometime too." Kirito said thoughtfully. He also hadn't been there in awhile, although he still kept up with Sasha through PMs, and thought it would be nice to visit them while they had all this time.

Turning to Asuna who was still contently nibbling on the chocolate bar, Krito hoped that she would also confirm that she was busy. "And Asuna?"

"Huh? Oh." Blushing as she was snapped out of her chocolate-induced state, she put a finger to her chin in a thinking pose. "I don't know... I was planning on working on a few new recipes."

Seeing the unusually eager look on Kirito's face, she narrowed her eyes. "Why do you look so happy Kirito-kun."

"W-what?" The girls all turned to look at him suspiciously. "I just... you know, thought that I could sleep in today, given that you are all busy."

The girls all shared an annoyed look with each other. Kirito had been napping almost every time they had free time lately, and they had to deal with his unresponsive body even though his sleeping face was often too cute. They knew he liked to sleep, but napping shouldn't be treated as a hobby.

"And you girls won't let me train alone so..." It wasn't as if he resented them for it, but the girls acted like he would suddenly fall over if he was left alone. He liked to think he was somewhat strong despite his delicate appearance.

Asuna sighed as she regarded the boy in front of her. He just couldn't understand that they worried about him just as much as he worried about them. Kirito would never let any of the girls train alone, but couldn't understand why they thought the same way. He was too protective sometimes... in a good way.

"No means no Kirito-kun, especially on the fifth floor."

Ever since they had arrived on the fourth floor, many players had been overwhelmed by the introduction of a new type of monsters. The humanoid types, the ones that imitated human movement and were stronger than most creature-based ones. Many players were not used to the human-like movements of the mobs, and was slowly adjusting to it. It was a bit daunting to be faced with a savagely smirking human npc that was equipped with a sword and could use the same sword skills as you.

It was a wonder how they had defeated the fourth floor boss, who was a rather large stone guardian that had very human-like movements. It could be largely attributed to the fact that Kirito was unfazed to the new mob type. Even the fact that he had encountered them in the beta did not excuse the fact that Kirito seemed to be more at ease facing them than the other type of mobs.

He could take on a variety of the humanoid monsters without taking a single hit because he could read their movements like a book. He had told them that it was something you learned in Kendo; to learn to anticipate all of your opponents moves. They had been very skeptical however, as the way he deflected and dodged the attacks was simply too fluid. It was like a dance, the way he moved between opponents, leaving crippling damage in his wake. Asuna herself had wondered how strong Kirito would be in a duel, to which Argo merely smirked widely.

"If you have nothing to do then... lets go hunting!"

"Ehh?" Kirito exclaimed in surprise, along with the other girls.

"S-since you are obviously growing too lazy." Asuna blushed lightly at the focused attention from the others. "And I want more of the chocolate."

It was an acceptable excuse after all, hunting for the rare seasonal chocolate that likely wouldn't show up for another year. The girls all accepted the decision, overwhelming any protest that Kirito would have had. He accepted it with a minor protest, since he had wanted to continue hunting anyways.

"So just Asuna and Ki-bou huh? Don't do anything I wouldn't do kids~"

Twin blushes met her teasing and Argo laughed on the way out, dragging a suddenly reluctant Lisbeth and Silica along.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

The voice of her long-time friend startled her from her deep thoughts.

"I... of course Keita... I want to do this."

He frowned as he regarded the frail looking girl besides him. They had been together long enough that he could easily tell when she was lying. Judging by the way she clenched her spear nervously, he could tell she didn't want to do this.

"You don't have to Sachi-chan... really. We wouldn't mind at all, and I'm sure some of us might even feel better if you were safe."

Although he tried to sound comforting, his words sank deeply into her person. The thought of being safe in the starting city, all alone was something that scared her. She didn't want to be left alone... alone to her thoughts. Ever since the group had started leveling a week ago, she had tried her best to wait patiently in the city. Yet every moment she spent in the city was spent in fear, fear for her friends, and fear for her future. She couldn't take any more days in silence, waiting desperately for her friends to come back.

"I'm fine Keita. I really want to help." She murmured.

Even though he didn't look convinced, he nodded his assent, going back to the front of the group where his rowdy party was playfully bantering. He hoped Sachi would be okay eventually, he knew she was a girl that often pretended to be strong.

The group had decided a week ago to do something other than sitting around the inn, trying to will the time away. Ever since they had learned of the clearing of the first boss, many of them had been inspired. Visiting the unlocked cities, and seeing the high level clearers had made them aware of the gap between players like them. Besides the gap in levels and equipment, they had seen something in the clearers that they had lacked; a sense of determination. After a long discussion, the group had decided that they also wanted to help, to one day be on the front lines, clearing the game for the sake of everyone else.

Keita smiled as he led the way to one of the leveling areas, he was confident in this rag-tag group of friends he had known since elementary school. The computer club was just something he had decided to start as a way for his friends to hang out after school, but along the way they had picked up new members like Sachi and Ducker who had become like family to them. SAO was supposed to be an awesome new game where they could meet each more often.

It was his suggestion, and he felt the weight of his decision everyday, and even though none of his party members blamed him, he often wondered what would be the result if he had just decided to forgo playing SAO on the launch day.

Ducker who had been conversing rather loudly with his friends suddenly stopped, noticing the trailing Sachi. Slowing down his walk so he could fall into place besides the solemn looking girl, he frowned as he noted her state.

"What's wrong Sachi?"

The girl looked up at the blonde haired boy in surprise. "N-nothing."

"Come on now, you can tell me anything Sachi." He smiled widely at her.

"I'm just... worried I guess." She mumbled, looking away.

"You have nothing to worry about! We are all here aren't we? Were not going to let anything happen to you." He stated firmly, before calling the other guys. "Right guys?"

Sachi smiled slightly as the group shouted a loud affirmation. She felt slightly better as the group consoled her, but still couldn't shake the nervous feeling in her stomach. Didn't the group know that this was now a death game? Going out like this, facing monsters... it wasn't a game anymore.

"Thanks." She murmured to Ducker, receiving a big smile in return.

Silently steeling her resolve, she decided to put her trust in the group, they had always been there for her after all. In a group of computer club students, she was definitely the odd one out, being the only girl. Her friends however, always treated her like she was one of them, being patient with her shy nature. She could confidently say that the group was like family to her.

There was a sudden commotion with the group and Sachi caught up to them curiously.

"What's going on?"

Her question was answered when the group pointed towards a particularly odd scene. There were two players, a sight which was rare in itself as most of the groups that ventured out tended to be full parties. What was even more surprising was that they seemed to be arguing in the midst of a large concentration of mobs. She vaguely recalled that they were only level 3 wolf mobs that the group had talked about taking down yesterday.

Their arguing had created a large amount of noise, angering the wolf mobs around them. Sachi sucked in a breath as she watched a handful of the wolves leap up at the players. Before any of the group could even shout out a warning, the wolves exploded into polygons. Most of them were dispersed by the rapier user, and the rest was dispersed swiftly by throwing weapons from the other player.

"Come on."

She was startled when she heard Keita urge them towards the two other players. Suddenly nervous as they approached them, especially as she took in their appearances. One of them, the rapier user, was revealed to be a very pretty female player with flowing chestnut-brown hair. She seemed to hold an aura of confidence that Sachi couldn't help but envy, wielding the weapon at her side with familiarity. The other player... Sachi felt her eyes widen as she took in his appearance. Messy black hair framed his face, and with piercingly deep eyes, he held himself with an aura that she couldn't identify. All she knew was that the boy was someone that held absolutely no fear... someone completely opposite of her.

The group stopped a few feet from the arguing players, waiting until they were noticed. Most of the boys were gazing in awe at Asuna, understandable as she definitely stood out in terms of looks. The male player wasn't immediately noticeable to them, but Keita seemed to narrow his eyes in thought, trying to think where he had seen him before.

"-nd I say it was your fault!" The girl huffed, crossing her arms.

"I told you I had it, attacking from ranged was the best bet!"

"Oh? Are you saying you didn't believe in my rapier skills?"

"W-wah I didn't mean it like that, just saying that it would have been easier for me." The male immediately regretted his words, as the girl opposite of him narrowed her eyes.

"What are you trying to say?" She bit out. Inwardly smirking as Kirito sweated in front of her. She knew that he was much more skilled than her, but the way he had said it had irritated her.

Kirito sighed and was about to open his mouth to apologize when he suddenly blinked, noticing the presence of multiple players behind Asuna.

"Erm..."

Seeing Kirito's confused expression, Asuna looked over her shoulders only to let out a squeak of surprise as she faced five curious faces. She immediately made her way over to Kirito's side, seemingly hiding behind his shoulders.

"Hello!" Keita greeted cheerfully, the group stared at him oddly.

"Ah, hello?" Kirito hesitantly replied, he had never expected to meet any other players on the first floor and felt awkward as he took in their appearances. They looked like new players, judging by their equipment, and he suddenly felt slightly guilty. "Are we by any chance taking your training area?"

Asuna behind him suddenly looked guilty as she glanced around at the cleared wolf mobs.

"We were chasing a mob and it led us out of the forest so..." Kirito explained, gesturing to the forest behind him. The rabbit had sprinted with such speed that it was nearly impossible to keep up with, yet he and Asuna tried their best considering that it would likely disappear afterwards.

"Ah, no no! We just saw you guys arguing and it caught our attention." He said, causing Asuna and Kirito to blush slightly in embarrassment.

"Ahaha... sorry about that." Kirito murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But, I'm curious, what are such high level players like yourselves doing here?" Keita's group suddenly blinked as they re-examined the two in front of them. Indeed, you could immediately tell the difference between their equipments, Kirito's black coat a definite indicator. Asuna likewise had a set of red cloth armour, and a comfortable looking white woolen cape around her. What was even more indicative was the guild icon besides their names when you examined them. Only the highest leveled players were in guilds at the moment, since you needed a good amount of col just to create one.

Kirito blinked before answering. "Well, the front lines right now are on a break due to the holidays... and we thought we would spend some time hunting «Holiday Rabbits»."

Seeing their confused looks, he told them about the special holiday mob, and how it dropped special items. The group looked awed, as they had never expected something like this for a holiday event. Most of them were even more awed by the fact that the two of them were obviously the rumoured 'clearers' that everyone was talking about. The very select few that risked their lives on the front lines and on bosses.

As Kirito finished his explanation, Keita felt that this was a perfect opportunity that was not to be wasted. "I have to ask then, are you two busy?"

Kirito shared a look with Asuna before replying. "I don't think so, that rabbit was probably going to be the last one for this floor..." He had been deeply disappointed as they had only hunted down one additional rabbit.

"Could you... I mean, would you guys help us out?" Seeing that he had their attention, Keita elaborated. "We're a new group you see, and we want to train enough so that we can eventually be on the front lines like you guys... but we are kind of nervous, and I think it would help alot if we had players like you giving us some tips."

Kirito smiled along with Asuna, his goal was a very admirable one. "Of course, we don't mind."

"Sure!" Asuna herself could see where these guys were coming from, if she didn't have someone like Kirito with her, she would surely be similar to them.

"That's great!" Keita gave off a wide smile, before gesturing to himself. "My name is Keita."

Seeing him gesture to them, the rest of the group began their own introductions.

"And my name is Tetsuo."

"Sasamaru."

"Ducker!"

Seeing that Sachi was hiding herself slightly behind them, the three of them grinned before pushing her infront of them. "Ah! Uhm... I'm Sachi."

Smiling at the girl's shyness, Asuna stepped up to grasp the other girl's hands in greeting. "Hello! I'm Asuna."

"H-hello." Sachi greeted shyly.

"And I'm Kirito, nice to meet you all." Kirito finished.

With the greetings finished, Keita grinned before clapping his hands in excitement. "Great! Lets go get some training!"

Sachi watched on as her group cleared the pack of boars under the supervision of Kirito and Asuna. They had been doing so for about an hour now, and they looked as enthusiastic as ever, talking amiably with the two. Kirito had already pointed out several flaws in their teamwork, and the group had set out to correct them. With the presence of the two clearers, the group seemed to be unnaturally motivated, seemingly trying to prove something.

She felt unnaturally out of place. Sitting here under the tree, watching her club members fight for their lives on a snow covered field. She had been reluctant to join in, and they told her it was fine, and to sit out for awhile until the area was more cleared. Yet, the more she watched on, the more she dreaded the thought of facing the monsters.

"Sachi-san." The voice of Asuna caught her attention, the lithe rapier user walking up to her.

"Ah, Asuna-san..." She wondered what the girl was doing here.

"Kirito-kun's handling things fine, so I thought I would check up on you." Asuna gave her a worried look, and Sachi brought her knees up to her chest closer.

"I'm fine Asuna-san, no need to worry."

The two of them were silent for awhile before Asuna decided to sit down next to her by the tree. She sighed, watching with a slight smile as Kirito berated the group for targeting more boars than they could handle. It felt nostalgic even though it had only been about a month, but the difference between the Asuna from a month ago and the Asuna now was such that they could have been two separate people.

"It's okay you know..." Asuna began, causing Sachi to look at her in surprise. "To be scared. I know that feeling well." Her fear had become so great at one point that she had effectively become detached from reality in order to deal with it. Fighting monsters without a care for her hp, not stopping to rest, only caring to forget herself.

"But... how? You are so strong Asuna-san... compared to someone like me."

"That's not true at all." Asuna interjected firmly. "I'm not strong at all... in fact you could say I'm incredibly weak."

Sachi chose not to respond, but did not believe her. How could someone with the courage to step out on the front lines, risking their lives for the sake of others be weak?

"In the beginning... I was like everyone else, scared and helpless. After the first few weeks, I had pretty much given up." Sachi shot her a confused look, and Asuna smiled wryly. "It was over, I had decided. Why bother delaying the inevitable? That was my train of thought, and so I threw myself out onto the field, and without a care for anything else, I started to slay monsters."

"B-but, that's good isn't it? You had the courage to go out there."

"It wasn't courage Sachi-san..." Asuna murmured sullenly. "I had effectively given up, but couldn't end it by choosing to jump off the world, instead I wanted to fight until I couldn't anymore, to effectively let the world end me." She wanted to die fighting in a vain attempt to justify suicide. "I would have died continuing like I had... no sleep, no rest, no care for myself."

"What happened?" Sachi was captivated by the story, wondering how such a strong character like Asuna could have been in such a state.

"Kirito-kun happened." Asuna smiled in remembrance. The odd encounter that had such a profound effect on her that she had promptly snapped out of her trance. "He gave me hope in such a bleak world."

They both looked onto the field at the subject of their discussion, the black haired boy seemed to be showing several of them how to properly position themselves.

"That boy... there's something about him that makes you want to believe." Besides his commanding aura, he also had a gentleness to him that made you want to be at his side... or maybe that was her slight affection for him talking. "Because of him, I've met my closest friends in this game, and ever since then we've all been together. Together... I think, no we will beat this game."

Asuna suddenly clapped her hands and stood up, dusting off the small bit of accumulated snow off of her. "Alright, lets go kill some boars Sachi-san."

"But I-" Sachi looked up, meeting Asuna's smiling face, and seeing eyes that didn't judge her, but merely supportive of her. "Okay..."

The group had gathered around her, shouting words of encouragement as she faced down her firs enemy. She didn't feel so nervous anymore, instead she felt an oddly warm sensation spread through her as she felt the encouragement of her friends wash over her. Gripping the sword firmly in one hand, she replayed the instructions she had gotten from Asuna. Glaring down at the boar, she charged.

"Believe in yourself Sachi, you're stronger than you think!"

She met the boar in a frenzied daze, and in a short moment later felt the odd surge of victory as it exploded into polygons. As her friends rushed up to her in happiness, she felt a smile break out of her face. Asuna and Kirito watched on from the side, smiling at the warm scene.

She had found her resolve.

"This is it, welcome guys."

The group stopped in front of the western styled cottage in wonder, silently asking how he had a residence as grand as this in the first floor. After the training session, Asuna had invited them all over for dinner, seeing the need to celebrate. They had accepted readily of course, having heard of her wonderful food from an appreciative Kirito.

Opening the door, Kirito was immediately met with several loud exclamations.

"Kirito-niichan!"

"Oof!"

Several small bodies collided with his, and he had to readjust his balance several times as he was overwhelmed. Calming down rapidly after seeing who it was, Kirito merely laughed as he tried to appease the excitable faces of the children. It seemed that Silica had also invited everyone from the Church over as well.

"Oops..." Silica murmured as she saw the large group of people behind Asuna. It seemed like the cottage would be overcrowded soon. The girl sheepishly grinned as Asuna gave her an exasperated look, wondering if she expected her to cook for all these people.

This wasn't the time to argue however, as Asuna beckoned the group inside, to which they followed slowly. Their eyes widened however, when they saw all the people inside. It seemed there was a huge gathering of players, but what was unusual was that most of them had no equipment on except standard clothing, and most of them were extremely young, ranging from 10 to 12 years old.

Kirito was soon swarmed by additional children as he struggled with the ones currently riding on his body, he was soon overtaken as he collapsed under the weight of all the smaller players. Everyone laughed as Kirito suffered under a dog pile and despite his pleas, had a smile on his face as he pretended to fend off the children.

"Are these... all children?" Keita murmured in wonder.

"Yes." A voice from besides them surprised the group. The speaker was revealed to be a young woman in her early 20s with short brown hair and sharp green eyes, she was currently wearing a nuns uniform to the players' confusion. "Most of them were alone after the game started, so I try to take care of them by myself..."

"That's very honourable of you Miss..." Keita recovered quickly, admiring the aura the lady seemed to hold, something that reminded him of his homeroom teacher; a particularly vicious woman.

"You may call me Sasha." She said curtly, choosing to stare on as Kirito played with the children, a small smile on her face. Ever since the start of the game, Sasha had held resentment for many of the players, seeing that they ignored the helpless children who would have remained alone if not for her. Meeting Kirito however, served to remind her that not all players were the same, as he was someone that had helped her greatly. Seeing him and his companions had given her and the children hope.

She still checked in from time to time, more so in the beginning since she felt that Kirito rarely cared for himself. She was also glad that his companions seemed to care very deeply for his well-being. Silica was also a concern that had been frequently on her mind, but it was proven to be unfounded as Silica seemed to have blossomed alongside Kirito. She was no longer a lonely little girl who sat by herself, but an inspiration for the other children - someone that would carry their hope for them.

"Around 30 people..." Asuna mumbled, silently calculating the amount of food that would be required.

"Oho?"

Everyone looked once again at the doorway where a surprised Lisbeth and Argo stood. Keita's party looked shocked as their minds connected the dots. Kirito's party members that he had spoken fondly of were all girls. Kirito felt a sudden chill run down his spine, probably due to the numerous glares.

"It seems we have a party here, why wasn't I notified Ki-bou?" Argo pouted, crossing her arms.

"Hey Sasha-san." Lisbeth greeted, getting a nod in return. "Um... hello?"

Keita's group seemed to rearrange themselves as they all sought to greet her in a hurry. Lisbeth was surprisingly popular, as well as Argo. It was to be expected since Asuna was way harder to approach than the two girls in front of them.

"Hello! My name is Ducker, 14 years old, single." The beanie-clad blond smiled radiantly at Lisbeth who blinked in surprise.

"...Okay?"

Argo on the other hand merely giggled as the other two boys made a fool of themselves trying to introduce themselves. "Well, isn't this nice?"

Kirito coughed suddenly. "I guess introductions are in order. Everyone, these guys are a new party that we met today."

He gestured to the nervous looking group, introducing each of them. Argo and Lisbeth immediately latched onto the nervous looking Sachi, silently appraising her. "Mmm..."

The girls shared a look before nodding, saying their introductions quickly, they grabbed Asuna and Sachi and headed for the kitchen, Silica on their heels.

"Wah~" Sachi let out a noise of protest as she was dragged along.

"Dinner in about half an hour, set up the tables Kirito!"

Kirito sighed as he looked around the cramped cottage, despite its luxurious interior, it was not meant to be housing this many people. He would have to start rearranging much of the furniture. Before he could start however he was interrupted by a stern cough.

"By the way Kirito-san, I would like to have a word with you about your... sleeping arrangements."

Silently cursing, Kirito reluctantly followed the older woman into another room, probably for a motherly scolding.

The rest of the group shared a confused look as they were left with a room full of younger children.

"Now what?"

"Really!?"

"Oh my..."

"That's so cruel Sachi-san..."

"Yea, I don't think I could've done that."

Sachi blushed as she was subjected to the scrutiny of the other girls. It would be the first time in... ever, that she was surrounded in a group of girls that was interested in what she had to say.

"W-well, it's not that bad! I mean, I do get a room by myself, and they share the rest..." She was referring to her housing situation, having been in inns for the past two months.

"Still though... to be living with four guys like that, you poor thing." Lisbeth patted her shoulders in sadness.

"Um..."

"Right, we need to help Sachi out immediately, lets get her some proper clothing first of all."

"W-wait." Before she could protest a trade menu had already popped up and Argo immediately placed a variety of clothing onto it. "I can't possibly accept all this!"

"Don't worry Sachi-chan, this is very important, I won't take no for an answer." Argo firmly stated.

"Alright..." Silently pressing the confirmation button, her inventory immediately filled up.

"Now put on the blue dress!"

The girls all watched as she manipulated her inventory, finding the aforementioned item. "This one?"

As she equipped it, she immediately felt the change and was silently awed as she felt the difference in quality. It felt much more comfortable than her beginners starter armour.

"Very pretty!" The girls all agreed, causing Sachi to blush shyly.

"Good, now we only have to get you some sexy lingerie." Argo hummed thoughtfully.

"Ah! N-no thank you!" She squeaked.

The rest of the girls all sighed in exasperation. "Don't worry, Argo is just teasing." Silica said from the side.

"Anyway, back to our interrogation. You were saying something about your own room?" Lisbeth inquired, eyes gleaming.

Sachi gulped.

"You think they are talking about us?" Ducker whispered to his friends. They had been seated around a glass table while the children had several wooden tables to themselves. They seemed to be behaving rather nicely under the stern watch of Sasha, although several of them were still running around the room recklessly.

"No way..." Murmured Tetsuo. "Why would they talk about us, we just met them."

"I think I made a pretty good impression though." Ducker grinned. "I think the pink-haired one likes me."

"Pfft not a chance Ducker." Sasamaru scoffed, smirking when Ducker glared at him.

"What do you think Keita?"

The guys all turned to stare at their contemplative leader who had been thinking deeply the whole time. "What are you thinking about anyway?"

"Mmm..." Keita hummed thoughtfully. "I think I know who Kirito is."

They all shared a look of surprise before looking back at Keita. "Who?"

"His high level, black clothing, and that oddly commanding aura, theres no doubt in my mind that he is the rumoured «Prince»."

"Prince?!" Ducker exclaimed, gathering the attention of many in the room, including Kirito who tilted his head to the side in question. Smiling awkwardly, Ducker tried to avoid their curious stares.

"You mean the one that's the leader of the «Royal Swords»? That would mean..."

They all shared a look of surprise as their minds connected the dots.

"Damnit! That means all those girls... they are in his party." The group had heard all about the infamous guild, it was the most popular and circulated rumors after all.

The «Royal Swords», consisting of the infamous «Prince» and four other female players. There were many rumours surrounding the other girls, none of them being confirmed. But the one rumour that everyone knew to be the truth was that the «Prince» was the leader of the guild and was a male player who lead the boss raids. His physical appearance was also obscured by several dozen rumours as well as his in-game name, only the colour black was repeated in those rumours.

To the regular players who heard his title, they wondered how he had gotten such a moniker, but when you asked any of the clearers, they would reply that it suited him perfectly. One of the more popular interpretations however was that he was acting like royalty, surrounding himself with a collection of cute girls.

Kirito suddenly felt three separate glares fall on his back, and he wondered why he felt suddenly chilly in the warm cottage.

Keita however had been observing the player the whole day, trying to figure out the exact difference between a high level player and himself. He had been saddened at first to see just how far the gap had run, seeing the immense strength Kirito showed from the very brief moments when he showed them how to kill something. It was more than the level difference with Kirito, for the player seemed to radiate an aura of strength, showing a grace that he knew could not be replicated.

But now he understood, and felt slightly better knowing that he was trying to compare himself with what seemed to be the strongest player in the game. Nonetheless, he was grateful towards the player who had helped them improve tremendously in such a short amount of time. Sachi most of all, as she seemed like a new person after spending the afternoon with Asuna.

"Dinner is ready!" The cheerful voice of Asuna caught everyones attention, causing many to shout in happiness. "Kirito! Help us carry the food out."

It was moments later when the girls and Kirito carried out their food and as they set the large plates down, everyone gasped.

"I-is that... roast boar?" Ducker exclaimed while salivating. His group members were likewise dumbfounded as they saw some gourmet meat land in front of them. This wasn't something you could ever buy, and it smelled and looked absolutely delicious.

Seeing Sachi sit down silently beside him, Keita turned towards her only to blink in surprise. "Sachi?"

The poor girl seemed to be blushing deeply as she sat down with the group. Everyone turned towards her and couldn't help but look appreciatively at her new dress.

"Lookin' good Sachi-chan!" Ducker shouted, only to be met with Sachi burying her face in her hands in embarrassment.

Chuckling at the antics of his group as Ducker immediately set about apologizing, receiving chastising remarks from Tetsuo and Sasamaru. He silently sent a thankful nod towards Kirito, who noticed it and smiled back. He had never seen his group this happy before ever since the start, especially Sachi, who was now smiling at their antics.

"Itadakimasu!"

It was much later after everyone had their fill and then some, that it was time to leave. The children having started to nod off, having gorged themselves on the luxurious food.

"The food was amazing Asuna-san!" Keita exclaimed in thanks, everyone was now at the door exchanging good-byes, and the general atmosphere was light.

"I-it was nothing Keita-san, please come by again!" She replied happily, she had constantly been pelted with praises the whole night, with one of the children asking if she would become his mother to the laughter of the entire group. Her face was still slightly red from embarrassment.

Off to the side, Sachi was exchanging good-byes with the rest of the girls in Kirito's party.

"Make sure you keep in touch Sachi-chan." Argo began, patting the younger girl on the head. "If the messy boys ever become too much, feel free to join us you know."

"I will Argo-san." Sachi smiled, having taken a liking to the excitable girl, knowing that she genuinely cared.

Exchanging hugs with Lisbeth and Silica who she had also connected with, Sachi felt content for the first time in a long while.

Finally seeing Asuna, she walked up to her and surprised her by grasping her in a tight hug. "Thank you..."

Asuna stiffened as the girl whispered into her ear, but relaxed as she felt the heartfelt thanks. "No problem Sachi-chan... anytime."

Her group members stood to the side watching the scene with wide smiles, they were happy that Sachi had finally broken out of her shell. They wouldn't say it, but they had been worried about her lately, especially because she kept bottling her worries inside.

Seeing that everybody was ready, Kirito stretched before joining up with the large group.

"I'll walk you guys to the starting city." The precaution was unnecessary but he knew it would help assure Sasha who had been staring outside, worried about the dark moonlit night.

Kirito waved lightly at the girls by the door before falling in step with the larger group. The night was very dark, and fortunately for the full moon that gleamed in the night sky, the group could still navigate clearly. With the soft constant snowfall that had been present since this morning still continuing, the night made for a beautiful scene.

He smiled as he watched the children lean onto each other for support, most of them extremely tired. They seemed to have enjoyed visiting him, and that was something that made him happy, knowing that children like them could still have fun in this trapped world. He silently vowed to treat them again as Christmas approached, as he knew the girls wouldn't mind it, and it would be good to surround them with company during the first holiday spent without their family.

Turning his attention to a softly conversing group centered around Keita, he also reminded himself to invite the group. To start out this late in the game must have taken considerable will power, and he applauded their courage. Having worked with them steadily throughout the afternoon, he felt he had an accurate gauge of their potential. If they continued working at this pace, and perfecting their teamwork, he felt that they could easily catch up in no time. They just needed more practice, and he also felt that Keita would be a good leader to them.

Sachi... she was someone that he hadn't worked with much compared to the others, having left her to Asuna. It seemed to work as she no longer looked sullen and seemed to be carrying herself with a renewed sense of confidence. He had seen her in the beginning with eyes filled with hidden fear that he didn't know where to begin with her. Seeing Asuna talk with the girl and subsequently teaching her, he had wondered just how Asuna had done it. The results in the end were unquestionable however, and he felt that Sachi could work well with the group. The only issue would be her final role within the group, seeing as she could fit anywhere at this point.

Seeing the girl turn her head around slightly to peak at him, he smiled in response. He was slightly confused when she hastily turned her head back to the front. Maybe he had done something to her he didn't know about...

The large gates of the starting city loomed up ahead, and Sasha let out a sigh of relief along with most of the children.

"The Church is just over there." She gestured to a building with a large cross situated on the top. Turning towards the others she bid them farewell, waving lightly at Kirito. The children also sleepily said their goodbyes, and Kirito promised to visit them more often, sucumbing to the doe-eyed stare of one of the younger girls.

"Our inn is just a few minutes from here." Keita pointed out. He was surprised when Kirito decided to walk up next to them.

"It's okay, might as well accompany you guys the rest of the way." The group nodded their assent, and proceeded tiredly to their inn.

Approaching the large stone building with a single sign that said «Traveler's Den» the group stopped and exchanged tired goodbyes with Kirito.

"Thank you very much for today Kirito-san." Keita began, shaking his hand firmly. "I don't know how I can repay you."

"Don't worry about it Keita-san, it was my pleasure." Kirito smiled, shaking his hand once more before letting go. Keita clasped his shoulders in thanks before making his way into the inn where a soft bed awaited him. The rest of the guys also turned to thank him, shaking his hand firmly, and Ducker even gave him a short bow.

Soon it was just him and Sachi.

The poor girl looked like she would faint as she looked rather feverish in front of him. Kirito frowned but decided not to comment, he had wanted to place a hand against her forehead to check for a fever but he knew that you couldn't get sick in SAO.

"Kirito-san." She began nervously, and to Kirito's shock she bowed deeply. "Thank you!"

Smiling slightly as he grasped her shoulders and helped her up. "Sachi-san..."

"Y-yes?" She tried to look away from his piercing stare but felt entranced.

"I just want you to know that your friends believe in you, and that together you guys are strong." Kirito's gaze was fierce as it was mesmerizing and Sachi felt herself nodding at his words. "So trust in them okay? And believe in yourself, you are stronger than you think."

She nodded firmly and Kirito let go of her shoulders and offered his hands for her to shake. To his surprise however, she pulled him into a small hug, lasting only a scant moment before she drew back in embarrassment. Her face was bright red as she bid a hasty retreat back inside of the inn.

Kirito smiled as he watched her disappear inside, feeling satisfied at what she had just whispered into his ear.

"Thank you so much."

It seemed to be much later when Kirito finally arrived back at the cottage, utterly exhausted. The day had been rather excitable and he couldn't wait to finally be united with his favourite thing in the world...sleep.

In his sleep-deprived brain however, he followed the steps that he had taken when he had been living alone, taking the stairs up onto the second floor and lazily opening the door to one of the bedrooms. Falling tiredly onto the insanely comfortable bed, he felt something soft surround him in an embrace, and he absently wondered why the bed smelled so sweet...

The next morning was something Kirito would forever mark down in his memory as one of the worst days of his life.

Argo would mark the next morning as one her best.

A/N: Phew, another chapter out. This one was mostly an interlude but I think introduced some very popular characters, and shows some character development/interaction.

Thanks so much for the reviews last chapter everyone, I actually received 63 reviews for chapter 3, which tells me you guys enjoyed it. I'm glad since that chapter was a killer to write. This one didn't take me that long but I had to decide where I wanted to go immediately after the last chapter and decided upon a transitional chapter.

About this chapter, it is mostly showing character interaction and some development, mostly on Asuna and a little on Kirito. Now the introduction of the Black Cats, I know some of you really wanted to know what I was planning to do with Sachi. This interlude chapter pretty much sets the stage for me to pretty much take any direction I want with the guild. I still haven't fully decided, but expect the guild and Sachi to appear later on.

Hopefully what I showed here is development of Sachi into something tangible in the future, not just someone Kirito rescues along the way. Also just a side note about the group of levelers in the first scene; they are not the black cats, but an entirely random group (maybe important.)

Also I want to address everyone who has said that the story is too 'soft' for SAO at the moment, probably because Diabel didn't die, but since its just the early stages of the story I think its fine. Expect a lot more conflict from the next chapter and onwards, its going to be amazing to see Kirito vs Other Guilds vs Pkers vs Bosses vs Players. Not everyone is going to be happy with his reputation and success of course.

Side Note: Hey guys, I recently created a forum for SAO on FFnet, its called "SAO Fandom Nexus." and you can find a link on my profile. Basically its a forum for everyone to discuss story ideas/existing stories. I want to encourage everyone to visit the forum because I feel like SAO has so much more potential for many stories, and hopefully we can get some new stories out there.

There is also a thread on there that will be about this story, where you can discuss it or give me ideas/suggestions. I actually don't have a lot of things planned out for this story, although I do have many scenes and a general timeline in my head. Most importantly there is a progress meter on that thread, since I know a lot of you are interested in how much I've written ( Llama haha).

Thank you for reading.

Next Chapter: The Strongest Leader