Hey everyone! Kitsune is back again!

I'm really glad that I'm getting back into the groove of writing and that I'm finally making some progress on my stories! It's taken a while to get here but I've been doing a lot of soul-searching and making a load of changes to what I do from day-to-day life and most of them are having a hugely positive impact on me right now. I'm taking a break from streaming until I'm ready to get back to it and I haven't even touched my PlayStation in a little over five days now. The fact that I'm able to use this time do more writing is honestly amazing~

A HUGE thank you for all the reviews and messages about the last chapter, I'm so happy that you guys have enjoyed the new chapter so much! I know a lot of it is quite emotionally heavy but I feel like the foundations of this harem is quite a crucial moment for the character development in itself. I do still intend to take my sweet time with this and really flesh it out, so don't expect too much too soon! There is a small moment with Naruto and Asuna this chapter but don't expect Argo or Lisbeth for a loooooong while after this!

And for people who haven't already caught onto some of the added features; it's mainly Final Fantasy Seven and Fourteen. Also shout-outs to everyone who commented on the quest name on the behemoth fight and that there will be many more references to several of the FF series within this fanfic as well; so don't be surprised!

A quick note for those who are reading this on the FanFiction Apps, change the updating settings to Incremental Download since I've deleted the Author's Note and now just have the chapter flowing seamlessly into one another!

Anyways, enough of the AN; Chapter SEVEN of Sword Art Online: Advent Children! :D

~Chapter Seven~
~The Thrill of The Fight!~

~Outside Yasashi Inn~

"Hyaaaah!"

"Hnng!"

The sound of repetitive grunting and yelling broke through the general piece and quiet, bringing everyone's attention to the origin of the noise; the small gathering of players and NPC's alike making a large circle around the two dueling players in the middle, watching them both spar against one another under a new feature that they discovered in the Player-Versus-Player (PvP) menu.

Originally, there were only three features back in the Beta stages: Fifty-Percent, First Blood and Death Match. Much like the names can attest to, one mode allowed two or more players to fight and the first settling would call a winner to whoever got their opponent down to half-health (namely into the Yellow) first. First Blood was more of an unorthodox selection since it would require the person to land a clean hit to win, which was always a concern when the AI Systems would usually be picky in what it registered as a clean hit. Then the last option was simply the first person to knock a person's health down to zero, before being revived in the arena. Of course, with the current stipulations, this option was now considered banned by everyone since it still had the same settings in place.

What was worrying still was that there had been rumours circulating that there has already been cases of this being used on unconscious players and landing an easy kill. It had left a sour taste on many people's lips that people would resort to cold-blooded murder in a game where your life was in the balance, leading up to the general consensus that the Death Match option was forbidden and resulted in being blacklisted from all groups and players.

The two new features that were added into the game, though; Training and Live Training. Training was a feature that allowed one or more players to train their own skills on a wooden dummy or a live sparring partner if they were in a party, prior. It had the benefit of increasing base stats and even a cumulative bonus if they continued to use the feature over a period of time; a nice and less lethal way to strengthen up their core stats without much risk. It also allowed the growth and mastery of currently learned moves, albeit at half the progress rate, and potential to learn new moves in a comfortable and controlled environment.

Live Training is simply what everyone has taken to calling "Spar", since it could only be used by two or more players in a party. Much like the normal PvP concept, it allowed both players to fight against one another but the health would never go below Yellow. Unlike the normal PvP though, all stats were reduced to level one status and all equipment buffs were negated; allowing players to go all out without risk of injury until both of them calls a winner, a draw or consensus to finish training: the only three ways in which this mode is ended and removing all the restrictions placed under using it.

After some words and reminiscing that morning in bed, both Naruto and Kazuko had reflected on some of their memories together and had lead to the times where the the two would spar together in their taijutsu; prompting them both to discover this new mode in their menus after speaking to Argo later on that morning about possible sanctioned PvP fights.

So now, we find both Naruto and Kazuko using what available ground they had available as their fighting grounds; having drawn a crowd from the interest and seeing two familiar and well-known faces fighting against one another in an impressive bout of hand-to-hand combat.

Landing on her feet, Kazuko soon bounced back into the fray by launching a high-kick at Naruto's head and leading up with her other foot in a backwards snap. Naruto made a duck and aimed a low-sweep kick at the opening but hastily brought his guard up since he baited the feint; grabbing hold of the incoming leg and throwing her away. However, he soon let go of the appendage when Kazuko's backhanded fist came into his guard and aimed for his face. Leaving no time for him to recover, she began to use her hands and feet to land small glancing blows on the shins and forearms of his muscled frame; betraying the pure strength that was held behind each strike and grunting at the impact of her fists.

Naruto noticed a small opening of Kazuko overextending a punch and slapped the incoming arm away, letting him kick her one foot from under her and take a shot at her unguarded torso. In an impressive display of reaction time, her free hand slapped the incoming punch away and started a counter-attack offence as the two kept within each other's guard in a flurry of parries, blocks and misdirected punches; keeping their reactions on high-alert when they would use their feet to land a blow to their feet, only to be blocked and countered.

Naruto soon took a risky opening and launched a feint flick of his hand at her face, before quickly following up with a sweep of his leg; successfully managing to bring Kazuko down to the floor. He quickly made to end the fight but the moment he gotten close to his downed opponent, her legs soon kicked up when he was in range; trapping his arm between her legs as her one leg wrapped around the back of his neck and the other foot applied pressure on his windpipe and started to choke him. Getting down to a knee in response to the submission hold, Naruto grunted as he acrobatically flipped himself around her body and loosened the grip she had on him, all while landing a solid knee drop to her chest and counter with his own submission move. Grabbing one of the loosened legs, he allowed his arm to press into her kneecap and press down, barring the hold with his other arm underneath. Lifting her into the air, he held her as she screamed in pain from having her knee jarred in a painful position.

She grit her teeth and numbed the pain mentally in her leg, taking a moment of reprieve to lash out at his feet; smirking when he looked down and dodged the fist... but missing the other leg that snapped out of nowhere and clocked him cleanly in the jaw. Releasing his hold from the impact of the harsh kick, both of them took their distance from one another; Naruto rolling his arm and Kazuko applying pressure on her leg and jumping slightly... before both of them snapped back with a clean punch to the face before several flurries of attacks and showing them both on even ground once more.

"Look at them go!"

"I-I never knew they could fight like that!"

"They haven't even broken a sweat!"

"Woooaaaahhh!"

Closest to the two of them stood both Asuna and Argo; the former having found them during the start of their spar and found herself mesmerized by how in sync the two were and seeing the contrast in their fighting styles. She had deduced that Kazuko's style, what she had called herŌkami no Tsume (Wolf's Claw) was a fighting style that made equal use of both hands and feet in a flurry of sharp, piercing attacks and left a nasty sting when said hits connect; but overall, a mainly offensive and leading taijutsu in spars since she uses her reflexes as the main form of dodging and blocking. She also had a huge flexibility advantage over Naruto as she used a lot of tricky dodges that would be impossible for someone who hadn't trained extensively for years; plus a natural sixth sense that allowed her to sense around her blind spots for incoming attacks that would usually take her by surprise.

Naruto's style, in comparison, was a complete contrast to Kazuko's taijustu; the Kitsune no Ken (Fist of the Fox) was a style that utilized misdirection, feints and a lot of counter-attacks. His reaction time, arguably, was a lot better than Kazuko's since he would easily adapt to the fighting style of her style. It was only the fact that she knew his style intimately that negated the advantage his style would bring him in terms of easily picking apart the defences of his opponent and rush in with his Uzumaki-Ryu (Swirling Dragon) style; a pure offensive style that made full use of the channeling and manipulation of kinetic energy and counter-kinetic energy that would land devastating blows.

She remembered the small self-defence lessons she used to take and she remembered her one trainer explaining the importance of kinetic energy in attacks; kinetic energy is when a body is moving and the energy that is made from it is what gives people the energy to walk from A to B, or to do anything really. She remembered an example when her tutor showed her a standard boxing hook against a wooden dummy; a normal punch was enough to make a small wobble in the "Mokujin" but she remembered the second punch splintering the wood when she did it the second time. She had told Asuna that she channeled her kinetic energy from the soles of her feet, through her body and expelled it all through her punch; giving her punch amplified power and make her hits at least four times more powerful than a standard punch.

So she was awed to see that Naruto had taken that principle and was easily able to manipulate and channel his own kinetic energy into his blows. However, her jaw nearly unhinged when she saw when he was able to manipulate and absorb the kinetic energy of their opponent and channel that energy to use back against them in a vicious counter-attack. She took a seat roughly fifteen minutes into the spar and sat next to the grinning and unhooded Argo as she had made a small betting booth for everyone to earn a little bit of Col from this spectacle.

The gasp of the crowd alerted the pair's attention back to the fight when Kazuko had gained a huge advantage in the fight when her fist had managed to break through his defence and land a critical blow to his neck; turning the tide now that she had a foothold in her offensive push. Landing two blows to his solar plexus and snapping his arms from putting up a hasty guard, she snapped her foot up and cleanly caught the chin of her sparring partner before spinning around and landing a perfect reverse flying kick that sent him crashing to the floor. Quickly making her way over to him, she pinned him down by sitting on his stomach and raising her fist to his nose and panted harshly; signaling the end of the fight in her win.

Laughing tiredly and heaving for breath the best as he could with his wheezing, Naruto tapped the forearm on her left arm three times in his sign of surrender. Mixed reactions in the crowd soon grew in noise from the outcome of the fight and how it affected their bets; the groans being louder than the cheers since most of the people had banked on Naruto winning the spar between the two. Asuna herself squealed slightly in happiness since she had a feeling that Kazuko would win the fight and was glad to have listened to Argo's advice, since the information broker knew first-hand from Naruto's mouth that she was better than him in unarmed combat.

"Y-You've gotten better," Naruto panted as he let his head flop on the ground beneath him, letting his hands rest on her legs as he regained his breath. "I keep forgetting how bad your punches hurt, ow." he chuckled, earning a giggle from the redhead still straddling him as she patted his chest consolingly.

"You've always said I was better than you in taijutsu, so I needed to keep my streak going and have something over you!" she grinned cheekily, leaning down and rubbing his cheek before kissing him softly and smiling. "Even so though, I hate you using your other taijutsu; I can never get a good enough read on you, even after all the years I've known you." she pouted cutely, earning another kiss from him as she leaned down and rested her head on his chest as they both recover from the spar.

"It's a nasty one, for sure. I only learned it because my one sensei knew and had taught my mother the style, and she had been taught by my mom's grandmother and learned the style as a thank you for something she had done for her. So she knew full-well when I told her my name that I was my mom's child and she made it a priority to teach me the family style. Something I'll be teaching you soon as well, since you're family too." he explained, earning a nuzzle and a rub of his chest in response from the redhead currently laying on top of him. "So what'd you both think?" he grinned tiredly, turning his attention to both Asuna and Argo as the two sat near him. "How much did we make?" he asked.

"Shishishi~ Asuna-chan made a nice little three-hundred-thousand Col while I managed to rake in a tasty little seven-hundred from the fight, sa~!" she grinned, taking a nice hefty bag of Col out and chucking it to Kazuko. "Two-hundred in there as a winner's cut, sa~ nothing for you, Ruto-kun... unless~" she trailed off, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively and earning snorts of laughter from everyone there.

"I'm half tempted to turn the other way so I don't see nothing!" Kazuko grinned playfully as she sat up and stretched out while still remaining on Naruto's tummy. "Enjoy the view~?" she teased, noting him looking at her as she stretched. Naruto hummed as he turned to Argo and Asuna and winked playfully.

"I mean, she does have a nice pair on her right~?" he teased, earning a blush and a giggle from Asuna as she nodded in response. Argo, however, smirked and plopped herself on his chest and latched her hands onto the redhead's bust and gave them a firm squeeze.

"Oho~ You're not wrong, Ruto-kun~ I could have a lot of fun with these, sa~" she suggested with a little bit of heat in her voice, something Kazuko found herself blushing slightly at and grinning.

"You may get the chance if you're a good girl~" she teased back, seeing the glimmer in the female blonde's eyes and the respect for playing along. "I'm more concerned about Naruto-kun getting a nice view of your ass, Argo-chan! I can feel him getting excited already~" she winked, causing a bigger blush on Asuna's face and a small trickle of blood from her nose since she briefly imagined Naru... to's...

"If he wasn't taken already, I'd be taking care of his problem, sa~" she openly admitted, earning a loud and open laugh from Kazuko from her blunt honesty as she made to get up off Naruto and showing the other two girls his problem at the moment; making Naruto blush slightly from embarrassment and quickly moved his hands to cover himself. Argo pouted but chuckled as she got off his chest and allowed him a chance to sit up and hide his erection from the other three girls, who were looking on with small blushes on their faces.

"A-Anyways," Naruto coughed, feeling flush from being the center of attention and his erection being clearly pointed out by them, "We're sitting on a nice little net profit of Col now so it should be enough to see about meeting your weaver friend, Ar-chan. We can also work with her about getting some outfits for us all that are a little better than what we have now, right?" he commented, earning a few nods in response.

"True true~ We'll have to ask Liz and Kiri-bou if they're wanting any upgrades but I believe us four will probably be the only ones going. I can get a small discount from her since I also help her out with providing leathers and stuff, sa~" Argo nodded, opening up her menu and sending a quick message in advance to their arrival. "I still have the Behemoth Skins from yesterday's fight and want to keep them safe until I get this little perk I'm gunning after. It's gonna cost a fair bit of skill points too~" she commented, showing them the skill tree she had at the moment. "The skill is called Adept Touch; which allows me to make leathers with a quarter less of the materials but the cost of the skill is gonna be two hundred skill points. I'm only just over the hundred mark." she grumbled, closing her menu and smacking playfully at the hand that ruffled her hair.

"You'll get there, Ar-chan. I know you will." Naruto grinned as he ruffled her hair. "Asuna-chan, you got food on you for us to eat, pretty please?" he playfully begged, earning a snort and a loud giggle from said woman as she swiped open her menu and smiled, pulling out a sandwich she made earlier that morning for him. She squeaked when she was hugged out of the blue but soon smiled as she patted his head playfully and returned the hug.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun! Eat that on the way, okay? I have one for you too, Kazu-chan!" she replied, pulling another sandwich out and handing it to the grateful redhead as the four of them made their way back to the Inn. Argo playfully pouted and grumbled about being left out before being handed a sandwich too, to the amusement of the others as she childishly hummed as the four went on their way. As they were walking, none of them sensed the figure watching them for afar; missing the pair of blue eyes that watched them all leave.

~SAO:AC~

(Time Skip: Town of Beginnings)

"Not a bad little place!"

Kazuko's comment pretty much said what was on everyone's minds as they stood in front of the the one building they were looking for; a small little cottage just on the outskirts of the city, near the southern exit. The walls were a soft magnolia and the rosewood roof that was painted a lush berry red, giving a warm welcome to the four as they opened the door and headed inside. Along the walls were several hooks that held some of the variety of wears and designs that this place had to offer; from casual clothes and everyday wear to combat-ready outfits and styles made for maneuverability and agility-based players.

At the front of the store was a young woman who was busy drawing something on whatever was behind the desk; the soft blonde hair that was tied into a high ponytail, one similar to Kazuko's, and cascaded and framed the dark-tanned face of the woman before them. Snapping her head up on the sound of her bell going, she looked up and smiled a rather charming smile at the four, letting her gaze linger on the sole male of the group and hum in appreciating for the fine piece of eye candy he was. Naruto grinned his patented foxy smile and the sparkle of her emerald green eyes lit up in appreciation and further widened the smile. Dusting her top and skirt down, what looked like a pure white backless camise top and matching thigh-length sky blue skirt; she bowed and greeted them all with a smile.

(AN: Check out the Hempen Camise from FFXIV for female Elezen and the Miqo'te starter bottoms for the skirt, just without the stockings.)

"Hello~ My name is Ashley and welcome to my store! What can I do for you all today, hmm~?" she greeted, sending a glance towards the male of the group and earned a small wink in response that she responded to; much to the amusement of Kazuko as she dug her elbow into his side. She turned her attention to the other mop of blonde hair and soon moved around the counter to hug the smaller female into her generous bust. "Argo-chaaaan! I got your message you were coming! What're you all after?" she asked, smiling and leaning on the wooden desk behind her.

"Ash-chan, thank you for seeing us on short notice, sa~ Before I tell you what we want, I wanna introduce you to these guys," she began, pointing to the chestnut-haired female of the group first. "This is Asuna-chan, a very intelligent woman and a fine rapier-user. She's also the woman you need to thank for your supply of leathers, sa~" she commented, earning a blush from how highly Argo spoke of her.

"Oho~? Then I'd like to thank you for all your hard work and that I would love to give you a small discount as proxy! And please, I wouldn't offer it if I wasn't fully sure, I mean it." she interrupted with her hand, sensing the rebuttal and having none of it. Squeaking in surprise, Asuna settled for nodding and shyly smiling at her while Argo pointed to the two remaining figures.

"And these two? The redhead with the naginata on her back is Kazuko-chan and the eye candy with the huge sword," Argo teased slyly, earning a small groan and giggle form the other women, "is Ruto-kun; the man who is the main reason why I have my information network up and running right now since he was the one who gave me the money to start it up, sa~" she finished explaining, earning a pair of widened emerald eyes and a soft, warm smile on the weaver's face.

"Then, again, I want to thank you Naruto-san. I knew Argo back in the Beta stages and how she struggled to get the Col together to make the network a reality. She has spoken nothing but praise about you and I'm glad to finally put a name to the handsome face~" she bowed respectfully and earning one in kind from the male as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling a blush appear on his face from being complimented so freely.

"Isn't it just~?" Argo grinned as she coughed into her hand and allowed a more serious look to appear on her face. "Again, thank you for seeing us so soon; I know you have a load of orders to deal with and I appreciate this, sa~" she spoke, taking the waving of the hand as a gesture to not worry about it. "At the moment, most of us are still running around in the starting gear and I wanted to look into getting upgrades of clothes that will last us a good while before coming back to you; not that I don't enjoy your company, sa~" Argo teased and explained, earning a nod from Ashley as she motioned for the four of them to follow her into the backroom.

The first thing they saw was cloth; ranging in styles, colours, patterns, textures, you name it. She had several lengths of cloths, bundles of yarns and even had some raw fibers being woven and converted into yarn as she moved to stand in the middle of them all; taking a seat on one of the crates that littered the room and pointed to a bench that was wide enough to seat the four comfortably.

"Right. Argo already knows all this but I'll explain for the benefit of you three, okay?" she spoke up, earning a set of nods in response. "As it stands, custom orders are a lot more expensive than some of the basic sets that I have; namely for the aesthetics and also the customized stat paths that will suit your preferred fighting styles. It helped that Argo also told me what kind of weapon that you use so it already gives me an idea of what stats to focus on and also what style of clothing would help you best in battle." she explained, earning an impressed nod from Naruto and a pair of widened eyes from Asuna for her skill on insight.

"A standard set of basic clothes for you; meaning a set that insists of an overcoat, a top, undergarments and pants. And undergarments sounds silly but even they can have passive buffs if you know how to make them, which I can. I know Argo is better set for things like boots and for arm-based equipment so I'll leave her to sort out the details for that with you all and confer with her to work on the overall outfits for you. But the price for each of you for a standard set will be two-hundred thousand Col." she explained, earning a small whistle from Naruto as he was impressed at the price.

"That is a pretty good price, Ash-chan! Seeing the quality of your work as well, it helps the players have something affordable and cost-worthy until they can raise more Col to have something more personalized and unique." he praised, earning a slight widening of the eyes before a calculative glint appeared in her orbs as she leaned forward and rested her chin in her palm.

"You have a good set of eyes on you, Naruto-kun~ Also, spoken like a fellow craftsman and businessman if I might say so myself~" she grinned as she swiped her menu down in front of her and sent three friend requests to them all, ones which were quickly accepted.

"I, myself, work in Goldsmithing, while Asuna-chan here has taken up Culinarian. So I'm familiar with the concept of what makes a good little business and working with the clientele; an area where Kazu-chan shines bright since she's our forerunner and commission manager." he explained, earning a startled look before settling down on an impressed look with the group in front of them.

"Geez, I'm getting jealous that I'm not involved in this little group of yours~" she teased, puffing her cheeks up before smiling once more. "I've no doubt you guys would offer for me to join and I truly do appreciate it but I want to work as a solo operation for now. I wouldn't mind working with you all in regards to commissions for both clients and personal, since I've heard a little about your Luck Charms, Naruto-kun." she coyly smiled, just before letting out a small contemplative hum as she turned to the four of them.

"I tell you what. If you four don't mind helping me out over the next month and giving me a hand with other commissions then I wouldn't mind giving you all some bigger discounts in return for the help. And who knows? If you impress me enough, I might just join your merry band of misfits~" she giggled sweetly, earning a few grins and smiles in response. "I know you're all also combat players so I will give you time to improve on your own skills as well, but I do expect some good things from you all~"

~Quest Alert!~

~Weaving Your Way In!~
Convince Ashley of your dedication and want to help and have her join your group!

Potential Rewards: 70% Discount on Wares, +2 Craft Perk Points, +100 Craft Skill Points.

~Mission Difficulty Increased!~

~Quest Requirements!~

Gain Ten Levels in a Craft Class: +50 Craft Skill Points
Craft Fifty Items Grade +2 or Higher: [Reuse] Skill, [Muscle Memory] Skill
Complete Thirty Commissions: +1 Craft Perk Point, [Appraisal - Lv. 3] Skill
Craft a Grade +5 or Higher Item for Ashley's Personal Use: +100 Craft Class Mastery

Complete All Side-Quests: Ashley's IOU Token (Redeemable for One Free Custom-Order Set)

"... am I even reading all this right!?" Naruto commented with a set of widened eyes, stunned into shock at the potential rewards for the quest in itself. If they were to manage to pull all this off and every side-quest, then their crafting class would jump in terms of mastery and the perks would be a great benefit to them all. "Are you sure about all this, Ashley? This... this is insanely generous!" he yelled, re-reading the quest notification in case he was hallucinating and reading it wrong. The soft giggle that escaped her lips betrayed the playful glint in her eyes as she allowed him a small slight of her cleavage and the valley that was nuzzled under the top.

"I assure you, all that you see is what I will give you~ Of course, I'm not an easy woman to please so I do expect you all to wow me!" she grinned before leaning back and crossing her leg daintily over the other and lifting her skirt up slightly but still keeping her underwear hidden. "What I failed to mention earlier before this; the custom orders are exactly that; you get to design the clothes yourself, the stat builds, the full works. But because of the materials I'd need and the strict conditions I would have to work to, the custom set will come to a million Col. That's not be being stingy either, that's for time, effort and materials I'll be providing for you." she commented, earning silence in response. "Of course, you'd have the discount anyways initially but if you impress me well enough, then you'll be saving seven-hundred-thousand Col on your following sets, since I will give you the first one for free as a thank you~" she explained with a serious yet still visible smile on her face.

"We won't let you down!" Kazuko grinned, pumping her fist. "I don't have a crafting class right now but I'm sure that I will find some other way to prove it to you!" she continued, earning a small hum from Ashley as she took note of the weapon on her back. While she noted that the redhead took incredible care of her weapon, she could note a few things that made her take a second glance; namely the small areas of wood that were slightly warped and fixed with a small loops of string to even the grips out. Using her [Appraisal] ability, she could see the durability of the weapon show that it was well-used but still very-much usable for a good while longer.

"I might have a suggestion for you, actually." Ashley spoke up, allowing her eyes to lose the glow from her skill's activation and turned to the redhead who's attention she now had. "You're primarily a mid-range fighter, correct? I want to say you're a spear user but you don't quite seem like one if your preference of weapon is a naginata, since a spear is more thrust while a naginata focuses more on slashing." she deduced, narrowing her eyes as she took a good look at the posture of the redhead as she sat. "Come outside with me a second, I want to see how well you handle your weapon." Ashley ordered, using the back door of the shop to move outside. A few moments later, Kazuko found herself facing Ashley while the other three stood to the side and rested against the wall.

"I won't ask much, I just want to see your standard forms and how well you can handle your weapon. I'm not an expert with but I am trained in Bojutsu so I will see some similarities between our two styles. When you're ready." she ordered, crossing her arms under her bust. Nodding with a serious face on, she closed her eyes for a few moments to bring her weapon in front of her; letting it rest in her hands parallel to the ground before snapping her eyes open and starting her katas she learned from Hiruzen-ojisama.

~SAO:AC~

~Yasashi Inn~

"Thank you for your patronage! If there's any issues, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix it!" Lisbeth bowed to her customers, wishing them a goodbye as they left the shop. Soon as the door closed behind them, she let out a huff and slumped onto the desk in front of her; tiredness kicking in from making her way through the pre-ordered commissions that Kazuko had managed to secure for them all. Grabbing a small dink from her inventory, she leaned back in her seat and took a few mouthfuls of her water; letting her thoughts settled on the conversation from two nights ago.

As much as she tried to deal with her emotions, she silently admits to herself that these commissions were a welcome distraction for her and helped in pushing the thoughts on Naruto to the back of her mind. Since she would find herself with a bulk of the commissions, since everyone would be looking at better weapons, she found most of her schedule of the day being that of taking orders, forging, serving customers who had a fault with their weapon and needed repairs and tweaks, more forging and orders, then what little time she could spare with her friends before crashing out hard at night when she went to bed. Guiltily, she thought to herself, she hadn't had a single thought about Naruto until now.

Letting her arms rest on the desk in front of her, she allowed herself a small break and rested her head on top of her arms; hiding her facing and giving herself a moment of time to sort her feelings out and think about things in detail: the immediate thought that came back to mind was the conversation she had with Kazuko. She still didn't know why Kazuko didn't think any less of her when she all but admitted that she liked him and that she wanted him. To say that to the person's girlfriend, of all people, was something tantamount to suicide and a surefire way to lose them as a friend and lose any hope you had of being with that person.

And yet...

She didn't.

Kazuko accepted it all and she understood the feelings, even if she couldn't accept them herself right now. She wasn't going to fool herself and lower her guard simply because she had the knowledge that Kazuko was willing to go as far as to share him; this was something that doesn't happen. Society doesn't let it happen. Anime had completely blown it out of proportion and continues to think that it's acceptable for several girls to be romantically and sexually involved with only one male. Sure, she can argue that it's not real and that is why people go crazy about it; it's somewhat chauvinistic and almost demeaning to women that they should just throw themselves at his feet because they "love" him.

And yet, she still couldn't shake the look in her eyes when she turned around and admitted that she didn't want to share. That she would have been more than happy to having Naruto to herself and to be the one who spends the rest of her life with him, but she said no. It was that decision that continued to baffle the blacksmith as she replayed the words Kazuko spoke in her head; how she knew that she was more than happy knowing that she would always have a spot in his heart, regardless of what would happen with her... with the others...

In her mind, Lisbeth came to a small revelation about how Kazuko felt. Kazuko fully trusted Naruto. She trusted him and she knew that she would always be a woman in his life who he would love dearly and a woman who would have her own little piece of him to cherish and to hold for herself. That... she cared enough about her, about Argo and Asuna that she would give up her own wants and her own desires they would know that love that Naruto can give to each one of them...

... that she would let them know the love that they longed for with this incredible man and know it without any repercussion, without holding back, without any fear or discomfort of what Kazuko would say or think about it. And that is the one fear that haunted her the most. The moment where Kazuko would turn around and block her from grabbing a hold of that love for him and that it would be rubbed in her face...

She would've continued down her darkening thoughts if it wasn't for the bell piercing the silence of the room and alerting Liz to the newcomer, only to realize the familiar black coat and slumped back down in her chair. Earning a raised eyebrow from the newcomer, the figured reached behind him and turned the clasp to lock the door behind them. Pulling a chair from one of the tables on the side, they gently set it down the other side of the desk and sat down silently. Nothing was said between the two and Lisbeth was left to being lost in her own thoughts and feelings once more, while Kirito remained quiet and gave her the time she needed. Hesitantly reaching out, Kirito placed his hand on top of her head and gently rubbed her head as a sign of comfort and support. It proved to be too much as the tears soon fell from her face and onto the desk beneath her.

Kirito, seeing this, sighed to himself slightly as he reached around the desk and pulled her into his chest and simply held her there; letting Liz continue to cry into his shirt and to use him as a pillar of strength right now as she lost herself in herself. Neither of them knew just how long passed since the two of remained in that position but Liz soon pulled away and wiped the last of her current wave of tears away with the back of her sleeve.

"S-Sorry, Kirito..." Lisbeth apologized awkwardly, not have expecting to show him such a vulnerable side of her.

"Don't sweat it, least I know now you're not the tough-blooded chick I met on the first day with Naruto." he teased, earning a small tick-mark and a punch to the shoulder in response. "Owww! I was complimenting you, you bitch!" he moaned, cradling his arm to his chest and taking a few steps back out of her range. "It was meant that it's good to see you cry and just be normal instead of bottling up the feelings again!" he grumbled, rubbing his arm to gain feeling back in it.

"O-Oh," Liz blushed in embarrassment, having taken the comment the wrong way and coughed forcefully to regain herself. "S-So what're you doing here, Kirito? I figured you'd be out grinding per usual." she smirked, earning a twitch of his eyebrows in response.

"Hardy-har. Yeah, cause all I care about is grinding my levels." Kirito deadpanned.

"You mean it isn't?" she grinned viciously, showing off all her teeth and him noting how sharpened her teeth looked.

"Shaddup!" Kirito whined as he wiped his menu down and opened a trade menu to Lisbeth. "I found some materials and I was wondering if you could make something with them for me. I'm sure there's more than you need so feel free to keep the rest." he explained, earning a raised eyebrow from the blacksmith as she noted some of the ores she had been given. She was pleasantly surprised to find more than enough for the weapon in itself, seeing how it was Kirito-

She paused for a moment, realizing she was doing something she hated to do; she was judging someone again. The slight pain of thinking about Kazuko jolted through her head and forced a small sigh out of her.

"Thank you Kirito, I appreciate the extra ores. So what kind of weapon you looking for?" she asked, completing the trade and leaning on the desk again in front of her. Kirito rummaged through his pocket and placed a small drawing down on the desk between them, earning a raised eyebrow as Liz moved to scan over the blueprints. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion before glancing... down...

"... you're kidding me." she whispered in pure shock. Turning her gaze to Kirito, only to find a small smirk on his face as he tapped the design sheet a few times. "You're not kidding." she sighed, allowing a grin of her own to appear on her face. "You realize people are going to be asking you questions, right?" she snickered, grabbing and rolling up the blueprints and motioned him to follow her into the forge room. While the egg white walls were a comforting change for someone who would've preferred a darker colour for the use of a forge, the simplistic, minimalist-designed room was quite spacious and added much more room than it seemed to have. Noting a smelting forge, a workbench and an anvil all placed relatively near each other; Kirito took to standing on the wall closest to where the smelter sat, since that was where Lisbeth moved to first.

"I thought you'd enjoy the challenge, honestly." Kirito shrugged slightly, opening his menu and scanning his inventory. Seeing a few things he didn't need right now, he moved them to his storage box; a small feature that allowed him to store items, weapons and even materials to free up inventory space. "Think you're up to it?" he smirked, taunting the blacksmith as she turned and placed her smithing apron over her body, tying the strings with a taught pull. Grin set on her face, she set out to work on the first of many challenges that she would face in this game...

~SAO:AC~

~Floor of Beginnings: Ashley's~

Ashley had to admit to herself that this woman in front of her was nothing short of exceptional. The forms were solid, the footing was never a step outside of where they needed to be, the body positioned perfectly through each stance and swing of the naginata; almost like the naginata was a part of her and she was a part of the weapon, also. Sensing a small excitement bubble within herself, she glanced down in front of her and opened her menu, looking for a certain item she had. Glancing up at the form of the back-turned redhead as she began a series of twirls and swipes with her body, working them in tandem with her attacks, Ashley soon changed her stance and, much to the shock of the three onlookers, reached behind her and grabbed a hold of something and swung-

Only to find a pair of fierce amber orbs staring straight into her emerald eyes, her naginata now held diagonally in front of her as she managed to block the surprise attack from her own bō staff. Launching backwards, she was grinning as she saw Kazuko's fierce grin appear on her face; prompting the weaver to expertly spin the cherry wood bō staff behind and around her body before holding it behind her and extending her arm. The two women kept in position as Asuna walked forwards and shook her head in amusement.

"I'm really not surprised. I should be but I'm not." Asuna giggled as she took a glance at each woman and swiped her menu down and clicked on a few options; prompting a minute countdown timer to appear overhead the area which the two stood. "I've set this to "Spar" settings, since I don't think either of you would prefer to be beaten too badly~" she grinned, earning a pair of laughs in response as the continued to keep their eyes upon one another.

"Since you attacked me first, I want to make a bet with you;" Kazuko smirked, letting her hand point her naginata straight at the blonde. "If I manage to win, I want you to make something for me. No strings attached, no cost. Whatever I want." she offered, earning an amused raise of her eyebrows in response as she slammed the end of her bō staff on the ground and cocked her hip.

"Hmph! Since I did attack you without warning, I can acquiesce to that. However, if I should win..." she paused, letting her eyes glance towards the side and land on the sole male of the group. Closing her eyes in momentary pause, she snapped them open and smirked, "Then I would like to take that handsome man over there out on a romantic date~" she grinned, secretly delighting in the sudden frown that came across the redhead's face and how her body shifted from friendly to aggressive. Kazuko glanced over to her brother-turn-boyfriend and silently spoke to him, knowing she wasn't going to make this decision without his input. Seeing the reassuring smile and the nod of his head, she allowed a true smile to appear on her face before the grin returned with a greater ferocity than before.

"If Naru-kun says it's fine, I'll trust his word. If you win, you get that date!" Kazuko yelled, prompting both women to prepare as the countdown reached ten seconds before the fight started. Letting her eyes close, she used a small meditative technique that Hiruzen-ojisama taught her and allowed her mind to empty of everything except the oncoming fight; having it drilled into her that someone like her opponent will use the advantage of emotions and feelings against her, rendering her open due to a lapse of concentration. By clearing her mind, she can focus on nothing but the fight and release any and all attachments to her friends, her emotions, her thoughts and anything else that could be used against her.

The moment the clock reached zero, Kazuko snapped open her eyes and watched as her opponent made no move to rush her; mentally appraising her for not rushing blindly into the fight despite knowing a little of her forms and stances. Ashley, however, was surprised of the sudden shift in her opponent and narrowed her eyes, knowing that this spar was going to be a lot more akin to a fight than a friendly spar; since Kazuko made no movement and had no outward tells to capitalize on. Clicking her tongue she dashed forward after another few moments of standing still, knowing that Kazuko wasn't going to be the one to lead things off. Rushing in with a deceptive quickness, the staff rushed towards the redhead's face-

Only for the redhead to remain still as the bō staff intentionally missed the side of her face and fly over her shoulder. Leaping back, Ashley cursed under her breath for riling her oppon-

Her instincts flared to life as her staff quickly parried a sudden attack from the naginata, starting the battle in earnest as the two women began clashing their weapons against one another in a frenzy of attacks and blocks; sensing an incoming attack to her abdomen, the blonde span the bō staff in her hands to knock the weapon past her body and snapped her hands to bring the end of her staff up to Kazuko's face. Snapping her head to the side, Kazuko pressed further into her guard as she made a reverse pass and using the butt-end of her weapon to snap at the upper arm of the blonde. Ashley could sense the incoming attack and allowed a swift duck to miss the weapon-

Only for her eyes to widen when she saw the bladed end of the weapon rising rapidly to her face. 'A feint!' Ashley thought to herself as she rolled forward into the attack and allowing the blade to take a few strands of her hair off, planting her hand on the floor and snapping her body upside down and augment her bō staff's attack by spinning on her hand in a windmill attack, locking the bō staff with her leg and pushing Kazuko back a few steps. Flourishing a spin of her weapon and righting herself back to normal, Ashley bounced on her leg before swapping to an orthodox stance and lashing out with the staff in her left hand. Spinning gracefully on the balls of her feet, Ashley brought the staff close before snapping it outwards in leg-sweep; knowing that it wouldn't hit her, she continued to spin and allowed the staff to travel to different heights and become a rotating whirl of pain that Kazuko had trouble fully blocking against.

Sensing an incoming strike for her legs once more, Kazuko allowed her body to rotate in midair as the staff swung under her entire frame; lashing out with the bladed end of her naginata and catching the small slit of the top and tearing it straight down the middle from bust to waist. Jumping back, Ashley glanced down and noted the sudden chill on her torso and grinned as she noted her torn top; sensing that it would be a disadvantage in keeping it on to be used against her. Kazuko's eyes widened when she watched Ashley tear the rest of her top and continued the fight topless; her dark tanned skin contrasting with the light pink of her areolas and the inverted nipples on her body. Kazuko had to admire the firm muscles that rippled beneath the skin of her opponent, noting that she was more than a cheerful personality and (admittedly) sexy woman.

Meanwhile, Asuna blushed a fair pink the moment that Ashley's top fully came off; glancing down at her own bust and gently lifting them up and frowning soon after. Argo simply grinned as she allowed her crystal recorder to continue recording the fight between them both, knowing that something like this would go very well on some more lucrative markets~ Naruto, however, was the biggest shock since he watched on with no reaction whatsoever, though a small shade of pink did rest on his face from the sudden sight before snapping back his impassive face and watching the rest of the fight. Kazuko smirked to herself as she allowed her own menu to show in front of her and clicked a few options; before stunning the rest of them as she also appeared topless before Ashley; revealing her sculptured body and curves, whilst showing off her C-Cup breasts and tying her hair into a high-knot on her head.

Without warning, Ashley started the fight again by rushing in with several spins and lashes of her staff while Kazuko used her sensory skills to smack the offending weapon aside when it got anywhere close to her face and retaliated the moment the blonde overextended one of her lunges; her right leg snapping from its downed position and glancing a blow to the back of Ashley's head and sent her to the floor. Ashley was smart enough to roll with the attack and miss the blade of her naginata by a few inches and snapped her own leg out and caught the shin of the redhead and forcing them both back from one another. The two of them growled at one another as they both made a move to launch their weapons at one another-

"Stop."

A voice rang out and both women found their weapons being blocked by a familiar sword, snapping the two out of their battle-high and turning their sights to Naruto; who was now standing there a serious look on his face and searching the area around them for a brief moment. "Get your tops back on, now." he ordered them, snapping them both out of their funk and following his command on instinct. Whilst that happened, Naruto sighed unhappily as he stabbed the sword in the ground and leaned against it as both women were now fully covered once more. Turning his head towards Argo, he nodded very faintly to her, earning a similar response as she soon disappear from a burst of speed.

"W-What's going on?" Ashley spoke, letting her body recover from the fight and finding herself surprisingly short of breath. Kazuko was in much better shape but she wasn't immune to the fatigue as she panted lightly. Naruto simply raised his hand into the air and began retracting his fingers down from five, as if counting down something.

As it happened, the figure that was busy watching the events of the fight cursed to themselves as soon as the blond interrupted the final blow. The figure soon took note that the smaller blonde woman wasn't there any longer and soon turned around-

Yelping in pain when a kick landed straight to the side of their face and sent them straight to the floor. They didn't have any moments of reprieve when they found themselves turned over on their front and a figure yanking their hands behind their back to tie together with a piece of rope. Attempting to struggle free from the person who capture them, they felt a small sharp pain at the back of their neck before knowing nothing more. Argo looked down at the figure, prompting her to tie their feet together before dragging their body out of hiding and landed them down in front of the group; just as the last finger on Naruto's hand fell.

The five of them soon found themselves surrounding the figure, noting that the frame of the body below them all was unmistakably female. Kazuko reached down and pushed the unconscious body over, only for her eyes to widened in surprise on who it was. Even Naruto's eyes were wide in shock from who this was...

"Sachi!?"

~SAO:AC~

The first thing that registered the moment she woke up was a dull pain on her right cheek, groaning in discontent as the pain began to rouse her from her blissful unconsciousness. No longer feeling the rope on her wrists anymore, she began to stir and moved to sit up. She turned her gaze to her surroundings and could admit that she had never been in this place before, sending a small panic through her system as she gripped the blanket in her hand-

Wait.

Blanket?

She looked down and noted the blanket she was holding onto and the small pillow she guessed she had used to sleep on. Glancing around the room, she noted the small fire over in the corner and that the window next to it showed the night-time sky. She groaned as she realized she had been asleep for a good few hours and that brought her mind back to everything that lead up to this moment. However, before she could, she heard the door opened and a familiar figure appear in the room before her. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the tall frame of the blond who invited her to his party back on the first floor as they made plans to fight Ilfang. The small smile on his face helped calm her nerves slightly but still a little on guard since she was no longer in her armour but a comfortable pair of light blue pyjamas.

"Glad to see you're awake, Sachi." Naruto softly spoke, placing the tray of food down in front of the blunette and showing her small bowl of soup and freshly baked bread they prepared for her to eat. Her tummy rumbled in protest, earning a small blush from her when she heard him laugh softly in response. Naruto gently moved back and motioned for her to eat up, something she did after a moment of hesitation. The moment the soup hit her tongue, her eyes widened in shock from how delicious the food was! Feeling more comfortable in eating this amazing meal, Naruto smiled at her as he watched her eat. "I don't want to sound rude or to assume something before finding out what's going on... but why were you watching us earlier on?" he asked gently, halting her movements as she sadly lowered her bowl to the tray and paused for a moment.

"I-I'm sorry..." she apologized, letting her hair hide her face and find herself shaking for a few moments. Naruto tilted his head in response for the sudden apology, not understanding what it was for. He could interpret it for her spying on them and for Argo knocking her out but he didn't think that was the case.

"What's wrong, Sachi?" he asked her, now concerned for her when he saw her frame shake slightly and the small droplets of tears that landed on the tray. Naruto quickly moved the tray to one side and wrapped his arms around the crying female, feeling her grip his top tightly as she began to sob harder. Using his one hand to stroke her hair slowly, he whispered reassurances in her ear and held her close to him as a form of stability and comfort, Sachi was thankful to him being here right now. She remained in his chest a little while after the crying stopped and had allowed her grip to slacken on his top but remain close to him, taking in his warmth and security as he continued to stroke her hair. "What happened, Sachi?" Naruto asked softly, letting her stay like this as he knew she needed the reassurance right now.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-san," she apologized again, tensing up for a moment before relaxing when his hand began scratching her scalp lightly. "I... I just lost my friends..." she slowly spoke, earning a small sigh from the blond as his arms wrapped across her back and pulled her tight to him once more. "T-They... they found a secret area and heard a rumour about a special kind of weapon in one of the chests there. They w-wanted to clear the place and claim it but..." she trailed off, gathering herself once more to tell the story, "The moment they saw that it was a trap, my friend Keita pushed me out of the room just before the walls closed down on them... I-I heard t-them..." she stammered, feeling the fear overtake her once more and the piercing death screams that haunted her since she left that cursed place.

Naruto immediately understood where she was going with the story and Naruto felt his empathetic heart going out to her right now as he could feel her fear and sense how lost she felt right now. It was never easy losing someone you built bonds with, especially if they sacrificed themselves for you so that you can live another day when their stories were cut far too short. Naruto pulled her head against his chest once more and rubbed the back of her head as she cried once more, hearing her mind play on the thoughts and the sounds she heard. She jumped slightly when she felt another pair of arms wrap around her from behind and glanced to find a few strands of chestnut brown in her sight; remembering the rapier-user of his group and connected it to her.

"I know how hard it is, Chi-chan," Naruto started, surprising her with a new nickname like the one he just gave her, "It's... it's never easy seeing someone you know and trust die. It's hard to come to terms that they will never see you laugh, cry, smile... and that you will never hear their voices again, laugh with their jokes or even take comfort when you feel afraid." he softly spoke, feeling Asuna's arms reach further and grip onto his top and allowed the other hand to gently rub his left arm. "I lost my parents in a car crash when I was only five years old. I... I was so hurt and for the longest time, I felt like you do now, Chi-chan; lost, alone, afraid, scared." he continued to tell his story, noting that Asuna was also learning this about him from his own lips this time.

"It hurt so much that I tried killing myself, just so I could be where they were. So that I could be with them again." he quietly confessed, earning a tensing from the blunette and a small gasp from the light-brunette. "It... it wasn't until I sat down with a kind old lady who was friends with both my parents told me a piece of advice that gave me a purpose in life again and gave it meaning. She told me, 'the best way to give thanks to the people who had such an impact in your life, is to simply live. To live life with a smile on your face. To live with no regrets. To enjoy life to the fullest and to be the very best that you can be. So that when you see them again, they can admire the wonderful person you turned out to be. And they would be able to ask nothing else of you because they would have the only wish they had for you answered and be so proud of the person you've become.'" he shakily spoke, remembering the words of his late-sensei and the woman he looked up to as a grandmother. It wasn't until much later when she passed away that he was on the mark when she was his grandmother; Mito Uzumaki.

Both Asuna and Sachi remained quiet and awed when they listened to the words that came from Naruto's mouth, feeling themselves so inspired and amazed by the message that this woman gave to him all those years ago. Naruto felt the woman in his arms slump slightly and looked down, smiling softly when she found her fallen asleep against his chest, no doubt letting her exhaustion come over here after staying awake long enough to hear the words. Gently setting her down with the help of Asuna, he lifted the blanket back over her and gently brushed some stray locks out of her face and noted the relaxed smile on her face as she slept. Turning to Asuna, he gently picked up the tray and smiled at the forming tears in her eyes as he motioned to her to follow him.

Taking a small detour to the kitchen to place the leftover food down on the counter, the pair soon moved to one of the lounge rooms and shifted one of the sofas so that it sat in front of the dying fire; still giving a nice warmth as the bright flames grew weaker into a dancing ember of blues and oranges. Naruto sat down on the sofa and patted the spot next to him for Asuna to sit, with her gratefully taking the offer as she leaned into his side slightly.

"I..." he started quietly, letting an arm gently wrap around her and rested on her hip. He smiled slightly when he felt her hand rest on top of his and lock her fingers with his own, feeling her gently rubbing his hand with her thumb and resting her head on his shoulder. "I know about the conversation you had with Kirito and I'm not upset." he began, squeezing her hand when he felt her tense up. "It's okay, Asuna-chan. You don't have to hold back from me, okay? I will not think any less of you, whatever you tell me. I promise." he spoke, easing her fears as she relaxed from tensing up and gently rubbed his hand again. The two sat there for a little while as they continued to watch the dying flames dance beautifully in the blackened pieces of wood, letting her have this time to gather her courage.

"I feel so confused, Naruto-kun," she slowly started as she began to open up to him, "I look at you and I feel myself smiling with no warning. I feel my shoulders become lighter, I feel happier and I feel my heart quicken whenever I look at you and watch you in whatever you do. I-It's a little scary, truthfully..." she giggled in response to her last words, earning a small chuckle from besides her as his hand gently pulled her closer to his side. Letting her legs rise up and rest over his lap, she turned herself to her side and allowed her head to rest on his chest and close her eyes. "I still remember the first day I met you in that back alley and how I felt up till that moment; I didn't have anything to eat in three days and I didn't know how to use the game system to even buy a room to sleep in. I... I was a mess. And yet, you happened. You showed me such kindness, to a stranger you never met and had nothing to gain from." she trailed off, feeling more confident now that she could feel the slight hastening of his heartbeat as he listened to his words.

"You fed me. You gave me a place to sleep. You taught me how to use the menu in this game and took the time to teach me the basics of this game, despite being a beginner yourself. And through it all, you never asked for anything. You didn't have ulterior motives, you didn't want to have an advantage over me, you just genuinely wanted to help someone like myself. And, soon enough, I-I found myself admiring you and c-crushing on you." she shyly admitted, her pink blush decorating her face and added a new beauty to her that Naruto adored. "Then you go and do so much for everyone else in this group of ours; and the more you do, the more of you I got to see and I discovered how selfless a person you truly are, Naruto-kun. That you take joy and happiness in seeing the smiles on the faces of everyone else and the joy in their hearts when you do something incredible for them." she smiled, her voice shaking as her tears began to fall softly. She shuddered as the warmth seeped into her very being and felt herself become engulfed in the presence that was unmistakably his.

"That's why... seeing you so close to Kazu-chan and then seeing the two of you kiss... it felt like a piece of my heart was being ripped from the rest of me and the pain my chest hurt so much." she confessed, feeling a little bold as she gently pushed him down on the sofa as she moved so that her body rested on top of his; her legs placed either side of his own and feeling the toned abs underneath her butt as she sat on his tummy, shortly before leaning down onto his chest and staring at his beautifully blue eyes that glowed with the light of the fire. "I wanted to cry because it felt like someone had beaten me to the one, most amazing, person in my life and that it was only a month ago where I didn't even know how important to me he would be. How... I soon stopped lying to myself and accepted the fact that I was... no." she shook her head softly, her light-chestnut hair following her since she had let her hair fall freely down over her shoulders. "I am in love with that wonderful man and I-I... I couldn't have his love returned." she teared up, not looking away from his eyes once as she allowed him to see the very depths of her soul right now.

"I wanted to be so selfish and steal you away and to go far away from everyone so I wouldn't have to be afraid of someone else taking you from me. I still do..." she confessed, earning a look of sympathy and understanding from the male blond underneath her body right now. "But I love Kazu-chan and she has become the sister in my life that I've never had. The same for both Liz-chan and Argo-chan. Kirito... well." she grinned playfully, earning a laugh from him in which she giggled along with. "I haven't told many people this but I'm the daughter of a CEO who is the head of the company, RECT Inc." she began explaining to him, since she realized that she new a bit about his life but he knew nothing about hers.

"My father, my father is a wonderful man and you remind me of him in some ways. He is always compassionate to those who works for him and he is a very empathetic man, but will be firm if someone is taking advantage of him. I remember once, he told me about an employee who had just lost her husband and her child to a house fire. She was still in work when the fire happened and she was devastated by the news and tried to take hew own life." she began explaining, letting her hand rub his chest as she laid her head down. "He paid for all the costs for her to have counselling sessions, mental health recovery and even bought her a small apartment for herself out of his own money because he wanted her to know that she wasn't alone... that he was there to help her and that she only needed to ask him for anything. Two years later, she settled down with my father and had married him due to the support he had shown her and ended up having two more children of her own; my older brother and myself." she smiled, speaking about her warm-hearted woman who always spoiled her. Naruto smiled also, feeling the joy in her voice as she spoke about her family and gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"I don't want to deny the feeling or to try and tell myself what isn't true anymore, Naruto-kun. I know deep down that I've fallen in love with you and even if I can't have that love back, that I will still keep loving you for the rest of my life." she smiled, letting her tears fall as she continued to rub her hand on his chest and listen to his calm, strong heartbeat. Naruto, meanwhile, smiled warmly as he closed his eyes and tried to will the tears from escaping his own orbs after such a heartfelt confession from the wonderful woman on top of him right now. Gently reaching down to cup the cheek of this young woman in front of him, he took delight in feeling her nuzzling and leaning into his hand; seeing the peaceful and content look on her face.

"A-Asuna-chan..." Naruto softly began, earning her attention as her softened hazel eyes stared back into his cerulean blue. "I can't deny that I think so highly of you and that you are such a wonderfully beautiful woman." he smiled tenderly, seeing the blush on her face from that comment and the pinkish tint across her cheeks. "I've... I've had moments where I've pictured myself with you and with so many things that the two of us are doing together. It's scary... how easily I can see that but it's your smile and your eyes, most of all..." he grinned, letting his stray tears fall down his face. "How your eyes hold so much life within them and so much joy! How you are still learning about yourself and learning about the world, and this game. How you take awe in all that you see and how your heart reaches out to others, just like you said so much about mine doing so. And your smile," he closed his eyes and paused, feeling her hand reach up to wipe his tears away and hover her face above his own. Staring back up at her, he found his words escaping him as he took in the sight before him.

Her hair, still undone, had taken to fallen down her right side of her face and pooled slightly beside his neck; the smoothness of her hair and the silky feeling of it tickling his skin as she watched him and he, her. Her face and her hazel eyes glowing with such a warmth that nearly threatened to melt him from how beautiful she looked right now; her eyes full of love for him and such tenderness in her eyes and her smile. That rare smile that he's understanding is reserved for him and him alone. Reaching up to her hair, he allowed his fingers to stroke them as his palm rested once more on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. The look of pure contentment on her face, bringing more tears to his eyes since he could now understand how much she loved him. That he could physically see the love for him in all that she is right now and it threatened to overwhelm him.

"T-That beautiful, beautiful smile of yours!" he stammered, feeling his chest tighten as he spoke. "I-I... I'm sorry, I-I-" he shook his head, his words now failing him as he continued to stare into her hazel orbs that resembled pure gold in this dim firelight. Gently pulling her head down to his, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips on top of hers and letting his emotions speak the words that he couldn't right now. Asuna's eyes widened in pure unfiltered shock but soon began crying hard into the kiss when she felt the depth of his emotions for her right now and how much there was. Cupping his cheeks and pressing herself to him, their tears continued to fall and join together as the two of them lost themselves in this kiss, with her pouring her feelings and her own emotions back through the kiss and melding with his own. Her body was wanting to shut down from the overload of emotions but was thankfully given a small break when he pulled away from her lips for a small moment, letting them both savour the tingling on their lips from that passionately emotional kiss between them.

"Asuna-chan, I... I love you. All that I ask right now is time. Kazu-chan knows about how you all feel about me and she's come to accept that she is willing to share me with the three of you because you feel so strongly about me. I don't want to rush things since this is new for us all and I need time to understand my own feelings." he whispered into her lips, feeling her hands continue to stroke his cheeks while burying themselves in his blond locks of hair. "But I do love you. I can't not love you after all you've said and how you feel. When... when we are both ready to bring you into this relationship we're discovering ourselves, then know that you will have everything that you're wanting from me. That you will have my love and that you will have a piece of my heart that is yours alone. Okay?" he gently explained, seeing the smile on her face only brighten more in admiration and in love.

"I promise you, Naruto-kun, I will wait however long needs be. Knowing that I have your love is more than I could ever ask for." she replied, leaning back down and allowing her tears to flow once more as she deeply kissed him and felt him return the kiss in just as much tenderness as she is right now. She mewled quietly when she felt his tongue gently teasing her lower lip and soon brought her own out to rub against his, causing a gasp and a soft, sexy moan to escape her throat as she allowed herself to lose her sense of time and deepen this amazing love she had for the man who she was kissing.

Outside of the door, a figure stood in the dimmed light of the hallway lamps and smiled to herself. Not intending to hear the conversation between the two of them but finding out a little more about her dear Nacchan and how she felt about her and the others, it brought genuine tears of happiness to her eyes that she saw her as family. As people she truly loves and as people she could not live without. She also smiled at Naruto's response and accepting that he loves her as well, alongside the pride she had for him in knowing that this would take time and that he wasn't forgetting about her in all this. That alone, reassured her that Naruto was capable of loving not just her but the other women in this small family as well.

The raw emotions she could hear in their whispering was something that resonated deep within herself that made the tears keep falling in pure joy, since Naruto wasn't denying himself anymore and that he was starting to understand and accept his own emotions too. That he was finally opening up and letting the fears of his own past go and finding people who will stand beside him as he begins becoming even more of an amazing man and seeing the person he can be. Resolving herself that she wants to be intimate with him again tomorrow night, she decided to leave the two to themselves for tonight. They deserve this night together.

'Their night together.'

~Chapter End!~

I'm really happy with this chapter. Really happy! =^.^=

For those who might be thinking about it, no; Ashley is not gonna be a member of a harem and I have plans for her. Not gonna say who, I'm gonna let you all guess and sit here reading your mails and reviews! Heheheh~

I'll be honest... I wasn't planning to release this chapter for a good month or so. But, I feel like you guys deserve this for how long I've been absent so here you are. I won't be here for a week or so since I'll be away but I will still work on some stuff for both this and ETK-

A small side note for the followers of ETK, while I'm on the subject: I have the plan typed out for the rest of the season now. Sitting down with my new co-author and my best friend (even better than Joey and Chandler), we have worked out several of the upcoming duels in the Eight-Stars Arc and we have only TWENTY planned chapters left before the end of season one!

It's... a sobering though, truthfully. After... what? Six years, give or take? We finally have an end in sight. I'll be starting a new story for Season 2 but I will take a long break before starting up to get some more personal projects on the go. Nevertheless, I'm serious in saying that we will get this done! :3

As always, F/F if you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you for the next one!

Kitsune, logging out~