...MERRY CHRISTMAS! Please, consider this as a Christmas gift from me to you! And Sorry, I haven't updated for two months! I was busy and Finals just had to rain down on my parade. Also, I actually just realzed that I jacked up Kirito/Kazuto's medical recond. You know how I said it's a mental problem in Chapter 3? Well, that's half (or more than half) wrong. I'll give you the actual problem at the bottom. You guys deserve it too!

And, Thank you to Vangran, Impstar, DemonFoxBK201, Geust, Serge Ta'Null, Takei Daloui, Sw0wk1tty, AW27, strabimonx, SpringStars (and for PMing me), Hipoisthabest, The Defenestrated Typewriter (from chapter 7), ahnikagee, and thepkrmgc (from Chapters 1-13) for reviewing last chapter! Especially to ahnikagee and SpringStars since you guys are the reason why this chapter came. :D

Chapter 18: The Little Beast Tamer II

"Alright! You did it, Silica-chan!" Klein congratulated the girl as she defeated the Garnish Gerbera. Silica beamed with joy and excitement as she spun on her heel to thank him. She opened her mouth but stopped herself when she noticed something was missing. Or rather—someone was missing.

"Ano, Klein-san, where's Kirito-kun?" Silica asked with a confused expression on her face. Klein's eye immediately widened as he spin on his heel.

"Kirito!" he cried out, desperately searching for the black-haired teen, but the boy was nowhere in sight. He turned back to Silica with a panicked look. "Sorry, Silica, but it looks like we need to make a detour!"

Klein didn't even finish his sentence as he took off in any possible direction Kirito would've gone. Silica blinked in surprise.

"E-eh?! Wait for me!" she called after Klein, hurriedly scurrying in attempt to be not left behind.

To say that Klein was worried, would be an absolute understatement. He was beyond calming when he realized that Kirito was nowhere to be seen. Poor Silica had to scramble just to keep up with Klein.

"Klein-san! Wait for me!" Silica cried as she lost him once again in the forest the somehow ended up in. Klein gritted his teeth and came to a stop, waiting rather impatiently for her to catch up.

"Hurry or else Asuna will have my head!" Klein said just as Silica caught up. He didn't even give her a chance to relax when he continued on at a fast jog. He didn't mean to be rude (especially to a lady), but he was in a desperate situation. In his mother-henning mind, it was always Kirito first, everything else second. He was obsessed or anything. He just didn't want to lose a friend. A ridiculously risky friend with a big heart.

"At least slow down, please!" Silica begged him. Klein pressed his lips into a thin line and slowed his jogging to a fast-paced walk as he muttered an apology. Silica was relieved to slow down and matched his pace. "Why do we have to find Kirito-san quickly? Isn't he fine on his own since he's a solo-player?"

Klein glanced at the small girl and shook his head. "E-eto…he can. It's just that I can't trust him on his own right now. He could get himself killed without even realizing it."

Silica tripped at his words in shock and recovered quickly. "Get himself killed?! That's not good!"

"And that's why we need to hurry!" Klein said as he picked up the pace a bit more. Silica hummed in agreement behind him. He looked around the scenery of trees and tried to find the familiar mop of black. Just as he was passing by a clearing he caught a glimpse off golden and thought nothing of it…that was until he did a double-take, remembering how out of place gold should be in a green forest. There, surrounded by a rolled over golden bundle of fur, was Kirito.

Silica caught it too. "Hey, isn't that—"

"Kirito!"

._._._._._.

Kirito gritted his teeth together when he could feel an oncoming headache, accompanied with a sharp pain in his chest. He placed a fisted hand over his heart and begged for it to go away, but it didn't. He felt Shiku nudge his face in worry ("Can AIs even feel worry?" Kirito asked himself) with his muzzle. He gave Shiku a frown as he ran a free hand in his mane.

"I'll be okay…I think." he muttered, completely unsure of his words. Kirito flinched when he heard his name called out by a familiar voice. He forced a smile on his face as he saw Klein appear at the edge of the clearing, but he dropped it immediately when Klein suddenly dashed forward. His eyes widened in shock. Ignoring the pain, he shoved Shiku aside to dodge a sword skill aimed at the lion.

"Klein! Wait, I can explain!" Kirito exclaimed as Klein chased after the golden lion.

"Get back here, you monster!" Klein snapped at Shiku. The lion leapt and dodged all of Klein's swings with ease, almost as if it was playing a game. Kirito couldn't help but sigh when he felt a small amount of relief. Though, it didn't help with his headache. "I guess…that's fine, too…"

"Kirito-san!" called a voice. Kirito looked over to see Silica dashing to his side. Her eyes were wide in surprise. "Are you hurt?! Were you petting that lion just now?"

Kirito was speechless when he caught the sparkle in Silica's red eyes, barely registering what she just asked. Luckily, Klein's cursing gave him an excuse not to answer her.

"Damn it! Will you stop moving?!" Klein yelled. Holding up an index finger, Kirito glanced at Silica.

"Wait one moment." Without a second thought, he quickly jumped into action and tackled Klein to the ground for the second time today. He winced when his left leg burn more than it usually did. Klein gasped in shock when his face suddenly smacked the ground, his Katana flying out of his hands.

"Urgh! This again, Kirito?!" Klein asked. Kirito didn't pay any attention.

"Klein! Stop it! You're not allowed to hurt Shiku!"

"Wha? Shiku?! You named that lion?!"

"Yes! Now, shut up and let me explain!"

._._.~A couple minutes later~._._.

"So, you're telling me that this…lion is your stuffed animal in real life?!" Klein practically exploded. Kirito pretended not to flinch at Klein's steadily growing stress level and smiled happily.

"Yup! You either love him or hate him, because even I can't tell him to give me space." he said as he struggled to push the golden lion away to get some breathing room. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. The lion just snuggled closer, as if to offer comfort to Kirito.

"Well, I love him! He's so cute and fluffy, but Pina is still better!" Silica said as she ruffled Shiku's ears. Kirito sighed rubbing the temples of his head as Klein groaned and ran both his hands down his face in exasperation.

"Right, I forgot about Pina…" Klein mumbled under his breath. Kirito looked over to Silica.

"We should head back. We wasted enough time with my… lion." he said, warily glancing at Shiku. The lion immediately appeared at his side with a happy purr. Silica didn't seem to mind as she shook her head happily and began to lead the way back to their original route.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed. Kirito shook his head and carefully stood up. His leg still pricked him mercilessly, but he ignored it along with his headache and the twinging pain in his chest. Klein sighed one last time before turning to Kirito.

"You have a lot of explaining to do when we're done helping Silica-chan." he said with a parent-like tone. Kirito couldn't help but chuckle as he strode past him with Shiku trotting after him, putting up an act of being perfectly fine.

"Yes, 'Dad'!" he joked.

Of course, Klein (being Klein) somewhat exploded. Kirito didn't really listen to the older man's extensively long rant, but he was sure he heard him say "I'm not old!" or, different versions of the line about…twenty or so times. It took them a while, but the three managed to make it back to the main road. They fought a few monsters (well, Kirito and Klein had to strain Shiku from attacking while Silica went ahead and fought). Although, they move at a slower pace, since Kirito kept falling behind. Klein would send him questioning glances, but he just waved them off with reassuring smiles.

"Ano, Kirito-san, Klein-san? Why did you decide of help me?" Silica suddenly asked them as she slowed to walk next to Kirito. Klein shared a look with Kirito.

"Well, I couldn't leave a little girl like you in distress!" Klein said with a grin. He hooked an arm around Kirito's neck, who stumbled, but was quick to catch himself, and messed up the teen's hair. Shiku bristled slightly and padded closer to Kirito.

"Hey!"

"And plus, this guy wanted to help you, too! But, I'm sure it's for another reason though." Klein explained. Kirito glared at him as he managed to get out of Klein's headlock. Silica looked at Kirito curiously. The teen averted his eyes when he realized that she was waiting for an answer.

"…Promise you wouldn't laugh, and I'll tell you." he said, his face flushing slightly red as he looked at the ground and his hands messed with the hem of his shirt. They all came to a short stop. Klein grinned as Silica nodded.

"I promise." Silica said seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now out with it!" Klein said happily. Kirito wanted to kick Klein, but he decided against it. His leg would kill him first, if he did. He couldn't look at them as he answered.

"Silica…reminds me of my l-little sister…"

"Eh? I do?" Silica blinked while Klein flat out laughed.

"So that's why you wanted to help her! Wow! I never knew tha—"

"Would you like to become Shiku's dinner?" Kirito asked him casually with a soft smile on his face. Klein's laughter came to an abrupt stop when Shiku crouched low to the ground, tail waving around excitedly.

"…Sorry." Klein said as he raised his hands up in the air. Silica smiled as she imagined Kirito like an older brother. She can already see how he would be fun since he offered to play games on their way to the Hill of Memories.

"Hey! Silica, look! It's up ahead! The Hill of Memories!" Kirito suddenly exclaimed as he pointed to an altar. Silica spun on her heel and took in the sight before her. A white stoned alter with a floating pedestal of dirt was just up ahead. Her eyes widened as she felt a rush of excitement. With one look at Klein and an encouraging smile from Kirito, she skipped ahead, Shiku bounding after her with a amused purr. Klein gave Kirito a side glance.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he stated rather than asked. Kirito grinned as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows?" he said as he began to follow after Silica. When he reached her, the Pneuma Flower had already blossomed. Silica stared at it in awe before she picked it with tentative hands. A bell sounded as she claimed the flower.

"This…" she began as she held the flower close to her. "This will bring her back, right?"

"Of course." Kirito assured. He subconsciously held his left arm with his right as he shifted his weight off of his left leg. He was pretty sure Klein saw him wince. Surprisingly, Shiku was at his side in a blink of an eye, supporting him with a nudge on his left arm. Kirito thanked the lion with a smile as Silica spoke.

"I'm so glad! Thank you, Kirito-san, Klein-san, so much!" Silica exclaimed as she suddenly gave Kirito a hug. He was caught completely off-guard and stumbled into Shiku with a cry of surprise and shock. Thousands of needles shot up his leg as Silica forced him to land on his left side.

"Kirito!" Klein exclaimed in surprise and rushed over to them.

"Ow! Silica, please let go of me!" Kirito practically begged her.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" she apologized as she scrambled off of him. Klein was quick to give her a hand to help her up. She took it and moved to the side and Klein held a hand for Kirito.

"You alright, Kirito?" he asked. Kirito didn't answer as he bit the back of his bottom lip and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the wave of pain to pass. His chest felt like it had a heavy weight placed on him and it was crushing him inside. He even felt like he smacked his head against something, when in reality—or virtual reality—he didn't. Shiku licked his face in attempt to help him, and it worked…somewhat. Silica and Klein shared a looked of worry when he sat there for a good thirty seconds before finally answering.

"I-I'm fine." he breathed as he took Klein's hand, believing the worst was over. The pain in his leg dulled to a throb, but as Klein pulled him up with ease, Kirito was unable to hold his own weight. The needles suddenly felt like knives tearing at his leg. He couldn't hold back a cry of pain as his knees buckled under the pain. Klein, who acted by instinct, quickly pulled Kirito close to him and hooked an arm underneath his legs, carrying him bridal style. It didn't even register in Kirito's head that Klein was carrying him. He felt like he was drowning in water.

"Kirito-san!" Silica yelped as she rushed to see if he was okay. Shiku growled in surprise and nudged Kirito's loose hand. The teen whimpered as he drew his hand away from the tiger and fisted it over his chest, gritting his teeth again the pain. Klein, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening.

"Klein-san, what's going on?! Is he hurt?" Silica asked, completely confused about what was going on.

"Sorry, Silica, but we're teleporting back to the closest town, right now. When we get back, you should know what to do afterwards, right?" Klein asked as he placed Kirito on Shiku's back. Kirito leaned heavily on Shiku's neck as he struggled to stay up. Silica shook her head.

"A-ah, n-no..." she said. Klein stuck his hand in the pouch on his side and pulled out two blue crystals. He handed one to Silica. She took it, questioning him with a look.

"Once we get back to Floor 35, we're going back to the inn we stayed in and you go and revive Pina, okay?" Klein said. Silica wanted to say something, but the worried look on his face made her stop and nod.

"Okay." She reluctantly agreed. Klein nodded once and picked up Kirito once more with the crystal in hand as Shiku stayed very close. At the same time, Silica and Klein spoke. Their voices clashed strangely, but it worked.

"Teleport: Mishe!"

As Silica glanced at Kirito while the light gathered around them, she felt a twinge of fear. Kirito was paler that a sheet of paper and his face was scrunched up on pain. She didn't know why, but she felt scared.

"What's wrong…?" she muttered to herself as they disappeared.

Ahahaha...Don't kill me. So, the next chapter shall be a reality one right? I should just call it a reality check...

Anyway, again, sorry for not updating and tell me what you guys thought of this chapter! I had a bit of a hard time writing this so...sorry if it's crappy. Oh, and here's the medical record I promised:

Kazuto lost the ability to move his left leg due to a deep laceration from his hip to his knee (as mentioned in Chapter 13) when he was four. By the time he was admitted into a hospital after his first accident, they couldn't treat the nerves. They were beyond saving. He inability to speak added to his troubles in his second accident to save his "sister" (as mentioned in Chapter 15). However, it's a bit strange. Due to his weak body in the first place, his ability to heal is slow and his immunity to sickness is low. Really slow and very low. The swelling in his head caused his speech to become impaired, but everything he thinks is still perfectly clear. If that makes any sense. It's still healing and he's had it for about four years now.

I know it doesn't sound believable, but that's as best as I could make it. If you guys are actually picking out the clues I placed in there, then you can see ALL of theses things were mentioned or at the very least "touched" on. Well...I think that's all I had to say.

Preview!

"Eh?" Midori asked dumbly as her grip on her cellphone loosened slightly. "I'm sorry, what?"

There was a small sad, yet hopeful chuckle on the other end. "I'm coming home. To Kazuto-kun; to Suguha-chan...and to you. This time, I can be there, I'll be there to see him wake up. I promise."

Midori clamped a hand over her mouth as she slid down the wall when her knees slowly lost their strength. An overwhelming sense of relief and sadness poured over her when it finally sank in.

"I promise."

Merry Christmas! (and a Happy New Year if I don't update until next year) :D

-CloudyLightning