Yaaaaay! I'm back! School is over and summer has started and the stress of marching band has returned! Yeah, that basically means "even though it's summer, don't ever expect fast updates." Sorry, but that's true. Anyway, thank you to Impstar, Kanrei, Riku Uzumaki, Anju Makaa, KageFuego4, and the 3 reviewers that used the same name "Guest"! You guys are loved. Oh, and gotta thank Jam-Man265 for taking the time to send me a PM saying, "When will "The Dual Blade Wielder" be Updated?" That literally got my gear back into writing for this one. So, thank you so much for reminding me to update! Anyway, enough talk. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 9: The Promises Made That Day

"Please?"

"No."

Asuna frowned and rested her forearms on the table. "Come on, Kirito. At least consider it. No one should always be ≪Solo≫."

Kirito sighed for the umpteenth time that evening as he buried his face in the palm of his left hand. "Argh, for the last time, Asuna. I'm not joining the ≪Knights of the Blood Oath≫! I already have something to do, okay? So, please, stop begging me and just let me be."

Asuna gaped. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not." Kirito said quite bluntly. She sighed and finally gave up. Ever since they had a delicious dinner (made by Asuna who is an amazing cook. Kirito was surprised that it tasted just like his sister's but better), Asuna had been trying to get Kirito to join her guild. He refused each time without restraint. She knew that he was stubborn, but he was being ridiculous.

"Fine. I give up!" Asuna said as she threw up her hands to prove her point. "But, one question."

Kirito placed an elbow and rested his head on his hand. "Let me guess, why not?"

"No, I was going to ask if you want to come with me to see someone." Asuna said with a slight frown. He didn't answer immediately. "Well, do you?"

Kirito bit the back of his lip. "...well, that depends on who..."

Asuna rolled her eyes. "You know what, you're just gonna come with me." She opened up her menu and gave Kirito a party invite. Kirito stared at the little box is disbelief.

"Wait, now? I didn't even say I would!" he said. All of a sudden, he scooted back his chair to avoid a butter knife in his face. Asuna was holding it with a smile.

"It's just for tomorrow. So, shut up and come with me." she said politely. Reluctant and slightly stressed, Kirito accepted the party invite. He glared at her as she smiled in triumph.

"This better be worth my time..." he muttered. Asuna's smile widened.

"Oh, it will. Tomorrow morning, we go to ≪26th Floor≫. Okay?" she asked. Kirito ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily.

"Yeah. Sure. Okay." he replied, uninterested.

When Asuna forced him to stay over at her house and bidded him good night, Kirito just knew tomorrow would not be one of those boring "trying to clear this floor's dungeon" day.

._._._._._.

Asuna:

Heathcliff, I would like to know if you can excuse me from my duties today. I made a promise to meet someone today and I intend to keep it. Is that okay?

Heathcliff:

Of course, Sub-leader. Just for today. Tomorrow, I want you to come to HQ. I have something important to discuss with you.

Asuna:

Sub-leader? I'm not a sub-leader.

Heathcliff:

You are now. You just got promoted. I'll see you tomorrow and enjoy your day.

Asuna:

Thank you so much! I won't let you down!

._._._._._.

Kirito sat on a bench on the side of the main road in the town of ≪Pinchle≫ while messing with the fabric of his black fingerless-gloves. Asuna was standing next to him and was searching through the crowds for the person they came to meet. For some odd reason, Kirito had the urge to run. Like he really shouldn't meet whoever they were waiting for. But for the sake of Asuna (and himself because he wanted to avoid Asuna's threat), he was forcing himself to be a good boy and stay.

He bit the back of his lip when he felt nervousness started to creep up on him. He looked up at Asuna who seemed really happy today. "You're perky this morning..."

Asuna smiled. "Of course, I'm happy! I just got promoted to be KoB's Sub Commander. Heathcliff, our leader, is giving me a day off."

"Oh, then...Congratulations, Sub Commander." Kirito said with a small polite smile. Asuna nodded her head in appreciation.

"Thank you, Kirito. It feels nice when it comes from you. Especially since you're the ≪Black Swordsman≫!" she said. Kirito rolled his eyes at the title. It was a name he never wanted and he didn't even want to acknowledge it. Then again, he never really had a say in things. Like last night.

Kirito sighed. "It's already 9:40. How long is this person gonna take? They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

Asuna frowned and placed her hands at her hips as she kept searching. "I don't know. He usually doesn't take this long."

"He?" Kirito asked with an eyebrow raised. "Just who are we meeting?"

Asuna's hand suddenly shot up as she frantically waved at someone. "Hey! Over here! Klein!"

All of Kirito's alarms went off in his head. He immediately spotted the familiar red haired player heading towards them. He was smiling as if he won a huge prize. Kirito quickly got up and made a run for it but Asuna was quick to catch his arm and shove him back on the bench.

"Oh, no you don't!" she said with a glint in her eye. "You're not getting away from me again."

Kirito nervously laughed. "Sorry...out of habit..."

"Kirito?" asked Klein as he approached the two. "You found Kirito?" He bypassed Asuna who just smiled and took a good long look at a shrinking Kirito. Minutes passed in silence.

Then Kirito broke it.

"Um...hi?"

Klein seemed to have snapped out of his stare when he suddenly bonked Kirito in the head with his gloved fist.

"Ow!" Kirito cried out in slight pain. He quickly protected his head with his hands as he glared at Klein. "What was that for!?"

"For making me worry! How would you feel if someone just suddenly up and left?!" Klein practically yelled. Kirito looked like a kicked puppy as he looked up at Klein. Asuna just stood by and watched, not daring to interrupt.

"I'm sorry! I swear I was just going to help with the boss battle and come back! I swear!" Kirito defended. "It's not like I had any choice in the matter!"

Klein crossed his arms and gave Kirito a stern look. "You should've came to us anyway! What makes you think we wouldn't accept you? Look, Kirito, the ≪Fuurinkazan Guild≫ is always open to you, okay? You need to start depending on others. You can't solo throughout the whole game."

Kirito brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them out of sheer habit. "Okay, okay, I get. But don't be so sure that I'll be joining your guild. Geez..."

"We'll see about that... Setting that aside, are you alright? Nothing weird or anything?" Klein asked as he looked over Kirito once more. The teen just smacked his hands away.

"I'm fine. Nothing's weird or anything." Kirito assured. He gave Klein and Asuna a curious look. "By the way, how did you two meet?"

Asuna laughed a little and shook her head. "I was just going around with Agil and where asking people if they seen you anywhere."

Klein stepped in. "And then I came up to her asking if she seen you. We were both surprised that we knew the same person, so we ended up trading friend codes. After that, we kept updating each other about rumors that might help lead us to you."

"Yup!" Asuna confirmed. "When Agil heard about the rumor of the ≪Black Swordsman≫, we figured that he might know about you since he was a soloist. I was surprised that he turned out to be you."

Kirito nodded. He was surprised that Klein and Asuna met each other because of him. Heck, even Agil was involved. "So, if Agil is involved with this, why isn't he here?"

"He has a shop to look over since he's a merchant." Klein answered. Kirito blinked.

"I thought so. I heard here and there about a merchant like him. All said that they were surprised how tall he is." he said. Both Asuna and Klein laughed.

"Of course, everyone says that." Klein said. Asuna shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, since we're together, do you guys want to go monster hunting?" she asked. Kirito gave a small smile.

"I'm up for it." he said as he got up from the bench and brushed off his black coat.

"Why not? Let's see if Kirito really lives up to his name." Klein said with a carefree smile. Kirito gave him a confused look.

"What?" Realization crossed his face. "Oh. You mean the ≪Black Swordsman≫. I didn't even know I had a nickname..."

"Then it's settled. We go monster hunting!" said Asuna.

._._._._._.

"Kirito, switch!" Klein called out as he jumped back. Kirito quickly took his place and activated his sword skill ≪Horizontal≫. His blade glowed blue as he struck the ≪Killer Mantis≫. The creature stumbled back and roared at the small party of three as its arm swung around. Kirito winced as the arm slashed at his upper right arm. He bit back his cry of pain and jumped away. His HP decreased by a tiny fraction.

"Asuna, switch!" he cried. Asuna dashed forward and finished off the mantis with her own swordskill. The creature screeched once last time before shattering into several pieces. Klein sheathed his sword and grinned.

"That was too easy!" he said as Asuna sheathed hers as well. She brushed her chestnut behind her.

"Yeah, I don't know why I even chose this floor." she sighed. Kirito laughed tiredly as he, too, sheathed his sword behind his back.

"Well, that's what? The sixth one we encountered?" he asked with a hint of tiredness in his amused tone. His left hand gripped his right as he tried to ease the stinging pain. That wasn't the only place that hurt. His left leg was sending thousands of needles with every step he took and his side was completely sore. He sat down as his vision swam a bit. "Can we take a small break? I'm kinda tired."

Klein's eyebrows shot up. "'Tired?' Are you serious? I'm not even close to tired."

Kirito closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess I'm not the ≪Black Swordsman≫ you guys claim I am."

Asuna gave him a concerned glance. "Why don't we go to the safe area and discuss this? It'll be easier to talk there."

"Not to mention, safer." Kirito added. Klein shrugged.

"Fine, let's go before Kirito falls asleep on us." he said with a slight frown. Kirito glared at him.

"I'm not that tired!" he exclaimed as he jumped up to his feet with what seemed like renewed energy when it was just pure will. Asuna just shook her head.

After a long walk with no encounters with monsters (thankfully), the threesome sat down on a ledge. Well, Klein oped to stand while Asuna sat down and Kirito practically laid down, curled up in a ball and fell asleep right then and there.

"Geez, this guy is a baby when he sleeps." Klein marveled as he squatted down to watch the teen sleep. Kirito's face was calm and carefree that it made him look like a girl instead or a child who tired himself out from a fun day. Asuna had her legs folded beneath her as she frowned.

"Hey, Klein." she addressed with a hint of worry. "Did you notice his actions earlier?"

Klein looked up with a confused look. "What do you mean? The way he fought? I would say he's not bad. I can see why they call him the ≪Black Swordsman≫. Actually, he seems to be...what was the phrase? Lacking something? Or was it more like hesitating?"

"I mean after each fight." Asuna clarified. Klein hummed as he moved to sit next to Asuna. Kirito seemed to have curled into a ball further.

"Oh, yeah. During the battle, all of us take a bit of damage. But, I did notice that he flinched each time he got a small slash. I know he's at a level where the damage doesn't affect him as much on this floor, but...I don't know maybe I'm imagining things." Klein ranted. Asuna took it all in without disagreement.

"You're right. There might be something wrong. I mean after our last battle he was holding his arm as if he could feel pain. We not supposed to are we? I mean, you don't feel pain when you get damage, right Klein?" Asuna asked.

Klein nodded. "Right. I thought that in this game we don't feel any pain. I don't think we're supposed to."

Asuna's gaze suddenly became serious. "Wait a minute. Let's just assume that Kirito can feel pain. If this game doesn't allow pain, then why can Kirito? Did something happen in the time he disappeared after the first floor boss was defeated?"

Klein's eyes widened when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, crap! Asuna, after the tutorial, something happened."

She looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Right after the barrier around the plaza disappeared, Kirito dragged me out of there." Klein began. "He wanted he to go with him to start clearing the game. Of course, I refused but just as he was about to leave, his avatar just completely shut down."

"Shut down?" interrupted Asuna. Klein nodded.

"Yeah-like collapsed! And that wasn't the weird part. I thought he was just sleeping, but he didn't move. He stayed like that for a whole week! He was like a dead rock or something." Klein explained. Realization dawned on Asuna.

"Something must have happened during that whole week." she muttered. She looked up at Klein and saw suspicion in his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied. "It's either his IRL body, his NerveGear, or the SAO server. Whatever it is, it's singling Kirito out."

Asuna frowned. "Do you think he knows?"

"He's a beta tester, so I wouldn't be surprised if he does know about this." Klein answered. The two were so engrossed in their conversation, that they didn't notice their other companion as he sat up.

"You know," Kirito started as he caught their attention, "You guys talk too loud that I can't sleep."

"Ah! You're awake! I'm sorry, Kirito." Asuna apologized with a small bow of her head. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Caught us red-handed, huh? Sorry, Kirito." Klein said as he scratched the back of his head. "How are you feeling though?"

Kirito forced grin. "Peachy. Just peachy."

Asuna frowned. "Is that in a good way or a bad way?"

"In a good way." he replied. He gave the two a stressed look. "Guys, can I trust you to keep this to yourself? I don't want this kind of thing leaking out... Can you imagine how the other players would think about this?"

"They would probably think that the same thing would happen to them, right?" Klein said with seriousness. "Don't worry, you can trust me."

Asuna nodded in agreement. "You can trust me, too. I won't say anything."

Kirito sighed in relief. "Thanks, guys."

Klein had a mischievous smile on his face as he got up and swung an arm around Kirito's waist, swinging him over his shoulder.

"Hey! Klein! W-what are you doing?!" Kirito cried as he banged his fists against Klein's back and frantically kicked his legs. "Put me down!"

Klein laughed. "After finding out what's wrong with you? I don't think so! You're stuck with me. And trust me, I'm keeping a close eye on you from now on!"

Kirito banged his fist one more time before giving up. "Don't I get a say in this?!"

Asuna stood up and dusted herself off. She looked up at Kirito with a sympathetic smile. "Unfortunately, I don't think so..."

"Asuna! Help me!" Kirito begged her as Klein began walking off. Asuna followed close behind.

"Sorry, Kirito. But I'm going to let this pass." Asuna said. "I really think you should join a guild."

"I told you guys once, and I'm telling you guys again," Kirito stressed, "I'm not joining any guild! So, put me down!"

Kirito was completely ignored as the other two began to have a normal conversation about the weather.

"It's nice today, isn't it Asuna?" Klein asked.

"Yes. Yes, it's very nice today, Klein." Asuna answered.

"Don't ignore me!"

And done! Hopefully this chapter was interesting and entertaining. It was getting too serious so I decided to out a bit of humor in. Anyway, tell me what you guys think! I kinda sited the chapter but I'm sure there was a couple mistakes. Last chapter had so many horrifying mistakes that it bothered me waaaay to much. I hope you guys liked this chapter. 'Cause I did. Before I forget, I couldn't find any reference for Floor 26 so I just made up any random name. The floor that they were "monster hunting" was floor 20. Again, tell me what you guys thought about the chapter and your predictions. I might actually take you prediction and make it real. Imma stop here. It's freaking 1:46 in the morning. 1:47. Well, Good night and Good Morning!

-CloudyLightning