Sword Art Online

After The Incident

Chapter 29 – Exhaustion

~Kirito's POV~

I stared at the small light from the depths of the barrel of the gun, before closing my eyes hard, preparing myself for the worst. Even though I knew it wouldn't hurt me in the real world, I still couldn't help but worry how much it would hurt, or if I might actually die if I died in here. I guess it was traumas of the past that was still haunting me.

I waited. I waited for the soft sound of a trigger being pulled, and the loud and sharp sound of a bullet being fired right in my face. But to my surprise, it never came. It sounded more like something clashing with metal. When I snapped my eyes open, I couldn't believe what I saw.

It was Sinon. She had grabbed the lightsaber I had dropped when the explosion had gone off earlier, and slammed it against the barrel of The Iron Eagle's gun, somehow throwing the mech robot so much off of balance that the bullet that was meant to hit my forehead, only barely swished past my ear. I could even feel a virtual liquid drip down from a wound in my ear which was caused by the wild bullet.

I stared at Sinon as the robot retaliated and grabbed her arm, throwing her across the room and slamming her against the upper wall. Soon Asuna attacked instead, mercilessly firing away at the robot's back, and knocking it even further out of balance. This distracted the boss for a moment, which gave Sinon the window of opportunity to dig me out of the mountain of rubble on top of me.

"Are you okay, Kirito?" Sinon asked worriedly as she helped me to my feet.

"I'm fine Sinon, thanks" I mumbled as I grabbed my lightsaber and pistol "We have to help Asuna! Come on!"

"Right!"

We both sprinted forward with impressive battle cries, determined to defeat this powerful new threat.

"Sinon, you help Asuna attack from above" I yelled through the storm of bullets "I'll knock it off balance from the feet!"

"Got it!"

I growled in adrenalinic excitement as I dodged bullet after bullet, making sure to speed forward towards the huge robot. The person maneuvering the robot screamed at the top of her lungs as she landed in the middle of the battlefield, opening fire wit everything she had as she spun around, sending her ammunition in all directions.

Rockets and bullets swished around to all sides, and I barely dodged or parried any of them, and I saw how especially Sinon had trouble catching up. It made sense since she was a sniper, that she hadn't put as many points into AGI as either Asuna or I.

The three of us managed to push the robot out of the ruins of her past office and base, and at some point, we arrived at the base's huge courtyard. My two companions gasped for air and strained their virtual muscles as they sprinted up their respective wall and jumped over the huge robot somehow, pulling it's attention upwards while they opened fire, reducing it's health bullet for bullet.

As it's attention was pointed elsewhere, I made sure to focus more on it's lower body. I reached the huge metal body within seconds and dug my sword deep into it's left leg, while firing away at my pistol at the right leg. It fell down on one knee, more specifically the one attached to the leg I had just bored my plasma sword deep into.

It seemed to take more damage from physical damage than bullets or plasma shots. This made sense since it mostly depended on it's barrage of weapons to keep it's opponents on a set distance, making it extremely hard to get close to.

I tried to dig my sword even further into the melting metal plates of the mechanical beast, but was quickly slapped away by the huge metal arm of the monster, sending me many meters into the air, and plunging onto the ground about 10 meters away.

"Kirito!"

A couple of meters away I could hear the girls call for me in worry, but they had no choice but to keep their focus on the impressive opponent we had been occupied with.

I grunted as my back hit the ground hard, and I held a hand to my head as I leaned up on my arms, and eventually got back to my feet.

"Damn, that thing is though" I mumbled as I saw it had lost about 20% of its health "this is going to be tough"

I had taken about 50% damage from the punch of the robot alone, letting me realize how much at a disadvantage we were at. The girls was soon pushed back too, and soon they each joined one of my sides with deep and raspy breaths.

"This thing is impossible to beat!" Sinon growled in desperation.

"No, It's not!" I said to her harshly "If you two keep distracting it, I'll make sure to hit it with everything I have from under it. It takes more physical damage than bullet damage"

"Alright, time to be a decoy again I guess" She mumbled with furrowed brows "Just know that if I die, I will make you pay the death penalty"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" I mumbled as we each took our stance and dashed forward again with a mighty roar

"hhhaaaaAAAARRRGGHH!"

~Klein's apartment. Klein's POV~

I sighed a little as I got my pizza from the deliveryman, and payed him what I owed him, closing the door behind me as he thanked me for the extra. Lately, even my pizzas had seemed tasteless. I was tired of sitting on the sidelines, I think everyone was. I desperately wanted to help my best friend, though he had insisted on going on this mission, only with his girlfriend.

I sighed deeply again as I sat down in my couch. I popped open the lid of the cardboard box containing my pizza, and I looked down at the dish I normally loved beyond maybe even games. Today, it just didn't seem as impressive or delicious as it used to do though.

I sighed a bit and looked up from my crouched down position as I suddenly heard my doorbell ring. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Hadn't I given the pizza guy enough?

I walked up to the door and opened it slowly, expecting to see someone on the other side, though, I didn't. The only thing I found was an empty walkway from apartment to apartment.

I looked down at my feet. I widened my feet as I saw a normal paper letter lying there on the walkway. Strange, no one used that kind of mail anymore. I picked it up and searched for any return address or a name, but both the front and the back of the letter was blank.

"Strange… a normal paper letter with no return address.." I mumbled as I pulled back into my apartment "This smells far away of something fishy…"

I looked down at the suspicious letter, and slowly opened it. Inside was a short letter. Though the contents was short, I had never read something so disturbing or unsettling then those small phrases.

"Hello, Ryotarou-san.

You don't know me, but I definitely know you. And the people you are surrounded with.

I will only warn you once. Stay away from Kazuto and Asuna, the next 30 days. When those 30 days are gone, you can see them again. If they aren't dead and buried by then that is.

This is your only warning. If you choose to ignore my warning anyway, I will make sure to bring pain onto anyone you hold dear. Your friends, your family. Anyone you have ever spoken with. That's a lot of innocent people on your consciousness, now isn't it?

So I suggest you do as I say. Or your friends gets it…"

I barely even finished reading the letter before it fell out of my shaking hands, and onto the cold floor of my silent apartment.

I had never felt so scared, or so threatened in my entire life. Not even the feeling of the reveal of the Death Game back in SAO could compare to this.

It wasn't as much the fact that my friends was in danger, cause I knew they could take care of themselves if they had to. What scared me more, is that this person apparently knew exactly where everyone I knew lived, and apparently had the means to hurt, even kill them if he had to.

My whole body began shaking now. I could barely sit still. I tracked round and round my tiny apartment, trying to figure out what to do. I couldn't tell anyone right? Apparently this guy knew where I lived and where the others were. So why wouldn't he be able to tell if I had talked to the others about it?

"Shit… This is fucked up…" I groaned as I slumped back into my sofa, looking at the pizza I had had delivered "I have definitely lost my appetite now.."

~Kazuto's POV, Gun Gale Online~

I panted deeply as i slumped backwards in exhaustion. The mech had crumbled onto it's knees and it's cockpit had popped open, the young woman controlling it slowly stepping out of it. Asuna and Sinon quickly joined me, just as exhausted as I was.

"Geez… Is it not over yet?" Sinon asked with a growl.

"Don't you worry girly" The girl mumbled silently as she collapsed onto her knees "The mech uses my own life force as a fueling source. The fact that you destroyed that, also means you destroyed me"

"Well that's encouraging at least" I mumbled sarcastically as I put my sword back in my belt "So we're just waiting for you to explode?"

"Yeah, pretty much" She said with a bitter chuckle "Good work soldiers. I can only be happy to have lost to such powerful soldiers"

"Now, suddenly she's happy we destroyed everything" I mumbled with a confused expression.

"Just shut up and let her talk" Sinon mumbled as she bore her elbow into my ribs.

"Aow, okay, okay"

"You guys are good, I'll give you that" The girl mumbled with a sigh as she slumbed forwards towards us "I hope you guys can manage to level this war to the ground"

"We'll do our best" Asuna mumbled silently as she watched the woman collapse on the ground.

Finally, and with a heavy and exhausted sigh, she took her last breath and disappeared in a sea of blue glass shards.

We watched the glass shards slowly ascend into the heavens, in a mix of exhaustion and nostalgia.

"Well, I'm happy that's over at least" I mumbled silently as I rubbed my sore shoulder "What do we do know?"

"Well, considering our exhaustion," Sinon mumbled with a groan "Let's get back to the safe zone. We can continue training tomorrow"

"That sounds like a plan to me" Asuna mumbled as she let her body collapse onto her legs "I am exhausted"

"Pff, that was nothing" I said with a teaseful cocky attitude "I could have taken him myself"

"That is complete bullshit" Sinon said with a laugh as she hit my shoulder, making me yell in sore pain "Asuna, could you go back to the safe zone? I have to speak with Kazuto in private"

I looked over at her in surprise. What could that be?

"W-Well, if you have to have some privacy," Asuna asked in a surprised tone "I guess its okay for me. You okay with that Kazuto?"

"I guess it's okay" I mumbled silently, just as surprised as Asuna herself was "Okay, we'll see you later Asuna"

I smiled a bit and walked over to her, kissing her cheek softly before she waved and began walking towards the safe zone. When I had waved back to her with a smile, I turned towards Sinon with a wondrous expression.

"So, what are you gonna talk to me about?"

"Well, I'm going to keep it short" She said with a smile "I need you to meet me in town tomorrow, alone"

"Huh? Why can't Asuna come with?"

"Because this is rather personal stuff" She mumbled, her smile suddenly turning into a serious expression "I just need you to be at the town plaza, by yourself, tomorrow an hour before the planned time"

"Uhm sure. If you want me there, I'll be there"

She smiled and nodded softly before stretching and sighing deeply.

"Geez I'm beat…" She mumbled tiredly "Mind if I log out right away? Who knew games could exhaust you so much"

"The irony is real" I said with a chuckle "Well, if you're tired, you can go ahead and log out. I'll catch up to Asuna soon enough. Just know your body might be looted out here"

"I'll take the chance" Sinon said with a smirk "This area is so high level that people don't dare to come out here anyways"

"WHAT!? You said this area was a low level area!"

"Aww stop screaming at me" She said with a giggle "You survived didn't you? See ya tomorrow"

"Hey! Come back here!" I yelled as I reached out towards her "I'm not done with you!"

But before I could reach her she managed to giggle and log out of the game, leaving me behind on the beach.

"Son of a…" I mumbled quietly as I silently began chasing down Asuna.

~A bit later, in the real world~

I sighed softly as I sat up in my hospital bed and pulled off my VR helmet. I looked around the room to see nurse Aki, standing between me and Asuna's beds, taking note about how our conditions were. By my bedside, to my surprise, Lizbeth was sitting on a wooden framed chair, looking down at me with a smile.

"Welcome home guys" She said with a smile as I sat up in the bed.

"Thank Liz" Asuna said with a smile.

We were both soon helped out of the stickers that connected us to the IV and the other medical machines, before walking over to hug Liz close.

"Thanks for visiting Liz" I said with a smile as we parted from her "We're ready to leave in a second, so please wait a bit more okay?"

"Sure" she said with a smile as she walked out to the hall.

I smiled a bit and wrapped an arm around Asuna, kissing her cheek as I put on my shirt.

"Whew I'm exhausted" I mumbled silently as I snuggled closer to her "Kind of just want to go home and snuggle on the couch"

"That sounds interesting" Asuna said with a teaseful smirk "Good thing we don't have to walk home, since my mom is picking us up"

"I thought she was busy working" I mumbled as we walked out to the hall to join Liz.

"Well, she was…" Asuna said with a smile "But she was free early today, so she could pick us up"

"Well, that's great" Liz said with a smile as we walked downstairs to the lobby "That means I can come home with you guys and make sure you don't rip the clothes off each other"

She smirked a bit and looked at us suggestively as she stood in front of us with a teaseful smile and confident expression.

"It's not like that" both Asuna and I said in perfect unison.

"I know, I know" she said with a laugh "It was a joke, damn"

She continued to chuckle silently as we reached the lobby, and eventually the automatic slide doors of the exit. We soon reached the parking lot, and sure enough, Asuna's mother was standing beside her grey family car to pick us up.

"Oh! Rika is here too!" Her mother said surprised "Are you in need of a ride too Rika?"

"Well, that would be great" Rika said with a tomboyish smirk " I was actually asking Asuna here if I could hang out at her place"

"Well, we'll have to make dinner for one extra" Kyouko said with a smile "But I'm sure if kazuto would help, we can have it done on usual time"

"That sounds good" Rika said with a smile as she sat in the back seat.

"Wait, what?" I mumbled in surprise "I-I thought I was going home to myself?"

"Hell no Kazuto" Asuna said with a small laugh "You're coming home with me!"

"Asuna, watch the language" Kyouko said with a frown.

"Sorry"

"W-Wait a minute!" I yelled as Rika reached out of the car and pulled me onto the back seat "I don't even get a choice here!?"

All three ladies turned towards me with each their own grin.

"NOPE!" They yelled and giggled.

I sighed a little and slumped into the seat.

"So much for freedom in a relationship" I mumbled with a pout as Asuna stepped in, and we drove away.

"I don't think you should complain Kirito" Lizbeth said with a chuckle "Don't you want to be close to three beautiful ladies?"

"Okay, hold on" I yelled as I pointed at her sharply "Two of those ladies are my girlfriend's best friend and mother! Don't you get any ideas now!"

As the girls laughed and talked on, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and looked at the screen. Seemed like the call was from Klein.

I smiled a bit and tapped the screen, putting the phone to my ear.

"Hey Klein! What's up? Didn't you order a pizza?"

"Yeah, uhh, I did" He mumbled, with an unsettling low tone "but that can wait until I've told you this…"

"Huh?" He seemed troubled. In worry, I sat forward and rest my arms on my lap. "Klein, is something wrong?"

"Yeah, there is…" He mumbled silently "I got a disturbing letter today… And I was told that if I don't stay away from you… Everyone I knew would be killed…"