Disclaimer: I don't own Assassination Classroom or Sword Art Online. Assassination Classroom is owned by Yusei Matsui and Shueisha. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and Shuiesha.

It had been about a month since that night in the tunnel. Sachi had confessed to her fear of the upper floors, leading the Moonlit Black Cats to go to the lower floors. Every night, Sachi would have a nightmare, and would ask Kirito if she could sleep with him. Kirito would give her a gentle smile and let her. When Keita found out and realized that it was platonic and not romantic, he decided to have the entire guild sleep together, calling it a massive sleepover. Asuna tried to refuse, but gave in to Sachi's pleading. It certainly was nice to have friends like them. Not to mention that the group started to trust each other more. Which leads them to this.

"You guys are the Beaters!?" Keita exclaimed. Kirito winced, but nodded. Asuna was standing to the side, but also was a little worried. They were on floor fifteen, grinding for some more levels.

"Wow! That is majorly cool!" Keita cheered. Kirito and Asuna looked at him, stunned.

"Wait, you're okay with this?"

"Look, if I knew this when I asked you guys to join, not gonna lie, I probably wouldn't have asked you." Keita confessed. "If you told me after say, all of my friends died during a mission where they got in a situation where they bit off more than it can chew, I'd probably blame you both for it and jump off the castle and into the void leaving you two to suffer from guilt and misery for a long time!" he chuckled.

"That's, uh, oddly specific." Kirito sweatdropped.

"Strange huh? Well, I've gotten to know you two pretty well. You guys did good for Sachi, so I trust you guys, and I know that you wouldn't let us die on purpose. The rumors are most likely to be fake based on what I've seen." Keita said, smiling. Kirito and Asuna smiled back.

"Come one. We should tell the crew. The sooner they learn, the better." Keita motioned them to follow. Kirito and Asuna looked at each other in worry, but nodded. It would be better for the rest of the guild to learn as soon as possible. They went to the teleportation gate and stood on it together.

"Teleport! 18th floor!" Keita exclaimed as he held his hand up. The gate encased them all in a blue light and transported them to the 18th floor. The town, like all other floors, was extremely archaic in structure, giving a good fantasy feeling to it.

"Why do you keep putting your hand up when you tell the gate to teleport us?" Asuna asked.

"It just feels right." Keita grinned.

"How-"

"Don't question it. It's just guy talk." Kirito put a hand on her shoulder. Asuna sighed in annoyance.

"Boys." she muttered. They walked back to the inn where the rest of the Cats were waiting for them.

"Hey guys!" Keita said as he entered.

"Wait until we tell you the news!" the entire guild and Keita said. They paused.

"You-" they started, but paused. Kirito and Asuna groaned. Asuna stepped forward.

"Sachi, you start!" she said. Sachi nodded.

"We did some more training earlier. We've earned enough money to buy our own house!" Sachi cheered.

"Really!? Score!" Keita cheered as well.

"Yeah! We finally can have our own house." Ducker said. He walked up to Keita and gave him a slap on the back. "So, what was it that you wanted to tell us?" Keita exchanged looks with Kirito and Asuna.

"You might want to sit down for this." he said sheepishly.

The Moonlit Black Cats had taken the news about Kirito and Asuna rather well. The boys were a little wary about them, but were still friendly. Sachi had taken to them well. Not too surprising considering that Sachi had started seeing them as parts of the family, rather than just friends. Keita was proud of his team for being open minded. Kirito and Asuna were grateful that they believed that the rumors were false. There were a few questions asked, but it wasn't annoying. Soon, even despite the newsdrop, things went back to normal.

"Okay guys. Kirito and Asuna are in charge. Later!" Keita said cheerfully a few days later. He saluted them as he teleported.

"Hey guys. How about we go to the higher floor? We can grab some more Col." Ducker said excitedly. Asuna immediately shook her head.

"Absolutely not. We earn enough Col on these floors." she said.

"But there's more Col on the higher floor! Come on, it should be fine. We have both you and Kirito." Ducker pleaded. Tetsuo and Sasamaru also spoke up, pleading with Asuna.

"Come on! Please Kirito?" Tetsuo turned to Kirito. Kirito grimaced slightly. He turned to Sachi.

"Are you okay with that idea?" he asked gently. Sachi hesitated, but nodded in response.

"We can buy some good furniture." she said hopefully.

"Still, no. I don't think-" Asuna began.

"Compromise." Kirito said.

-Line Break-

The compromise was to call in some of Kirito and Asuna's friends for backup just in case. As a result, while the Guild was on the 27th floor, very few of the members were worried. About the floor at least. They were worried about the friends that Kirito and Asuna called in. As soon as Nagisa saw them, he immediately gave them bumps on the head for making him worry for several months. Hotaru hugged them while crying in relief. Karma and Kayano simply talked to the Guild while waiting for Nagisa to stop scolding the Beaters for walking out on them.

"Honestly, the nerve! What right do you two have, making me worry so much!" Nagisa demanded. Karma walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, let's calm down here. They're fine Nagisa. They have good friends. Everything is fine. And hey! They called us. That's a good sign, right?" Karma pointed out. Nagisa sighed.

"So, what did you two call us here for?" Nagisa asked the Beaters.

"Well, we were wondering if you two would be willing to help us get through the dungeon here." Tetsuo explained. He quickly went on to talk about how they wanted to get some money for their new house, and how they probably needed some stronger people to help them out.

"You okay to help us?" Ducker asked.

"Sure! It should be fun." Kayano chirped.

"I see no reason to." Karma shrugged.

"Of course." Ritsu nodded.

"Sure, why not." Nagisa said.

"I'm So HaPpY YoUr AlIvE!" Hotaru cried as she clung to Asuna.

"She says yes." Nagisa translated.

"Great! Let's go!" Tetsuo cheered as he led the group to the dungeon entrance. Kirito looked at it and raised a brow.

"A Labyrinth? I know we said that we'd go for a hard dungeon for more loot, but don't you think this is a little too hard? You guys are only around level thirty. That might not be enough for such a difficult dungeon spot." Kirito said worryingly.

"Relax. So as long as we all keep our guards up, we should be fine." Karma said. He walked to the front. "Just in case, Nagisa and I will be in front. Ritsu and Kayano will be in the back. Kirito and Asuna will be in the center. Everyone else will be mixed in between. That way the lower level members will be safer. Sound's good?" Karma offered.

"That's a good idea. Sachi and Sasamaru, you two are behind me and Asuna. Tetsuo and Ducker, you two in front. Hotaru, keep with Sachi and Sasasmaru." everyone nodded and got into position.

Sachi and Sasamaru were equipped with their favorite spears. Tetsuo had a one handed mace and a kite shield. Ducker, Hotaru and Kayano each had their own respective daggers. Karma had decided to go back to his sword, and Nagisa had his katana. Katanas, Kirito noted in confusion. Ritsu was carrying a large battle axe. One that's a little too big.

"Ready to go?" Karma asked. After receiving nods from everyone he led them down the path leading through the dungeon. The Labyrinth was a little spooky in Kirito's opinion, but he wasn't too afraid. What he was afraid of though was the lack of monsters.

"Don't you think it's a bit too quiet here?" he spoke up. Karma looked around and frowned.

"Yeah. It is." Karma and Nagisa looked around suspiciously. Kayano and Ritsu also were on edge. Kobold Sentinels suddenly spawned around them. Everyone drew their weapons.

"Why are these things all over the place!?" Karma grunted as he blocked a downward attack. Nagisa quickly moved to his side and cut off the Sentinel's head. The entire area quickly became a warzone. The group quickly fell into a routine. Parry, kill, repeat. Kirito killed the Sentinel in front of him and looked over to his Guild. He was amazed when he saw Nagisa attacking with two blades, not just one.

"Nagisa? What is that skill?" he questioned his friend as he cut down the last Sentinel.

"Dunno. Karma and Kayano said it wasn't in the beta test, and it isn't in the skill directory." Nagisa shrugged. "It just showed up in my skill list one day when I was training my reaction speed."

"Not really sure why you bother Nagisa, you already have the highest reaction out of all of us." Karma joined in as he walked over.

"How fast are we talking?" Kirito asked.

"Fast enough how to make us look slow." Karma responded.

"I'm not that fast."

"Right. And I'm a well behaved individual with a pure heart." Karma joked. Nagisa gave him a look. "Don't start with that again."

"You do have a pure heart, you just-"

"-need a proper outlook on life, I know. You keep telling me, over and over again." Karma groaned.

"That's because you don't listen!"

"Will you two stop all ready?" Kayano said loudly as she walked over to the two. "Every time! Every time you two start this argument. You've been arguing about this for years!"

"Hey, he's the one who keeps trying to psychoanalyze me!"

"You're the one who keeps trying to insist that he's a hopeless delinquent!" Nagisa argued.

"I am a delinquent! I'll admit that maybe I'm not hopeless."

"So you do admit you can be helped."

"Can we stop please?" Kirito groaned in annoyance.

-Line Break-

"We've got a pretty large amount of Col. Should we head back?" Kirito said. They've been battling in the Labyrinth for almost two hours. Both parties were pretty well off in terms of both Col and Exp. The Moonlit Black Cats had each gone up a level. The rest were almost leveled up too.

"I see a room up ahead. Let's check it out, then we can go back." Ducker offered as he ran ahead.

"Formation! Only if we stick to the formation!" Asuna said. They quickly fell into formation. Karma looked at Asuna with an amused grin.

"Wow Asuna. Mom much?"

"Shut up." Asuna grumbled. Nagisa looked at her in surprise.

'She's loosen up. Either that or Kirito is an influence on her. Either good or bad, we'll have to wait and see.' he thought as he and Karma led the group into the room. They stopped at the sight of a single chest in the middle of the room.

"Score! An easy chest!" Ducker cheered as he ran forward. Nagisa quickly grabbed him by the collar.

"Let's be cautious," he warned.

"Oh come on! You guys are too paranoid! Live a little!" Ducker groaned as he squirmed out of Nagisa's grip. The Guild quickly filled the room, but Ducker flipped open the chest before they could stop him. An alarm blared, making the room turn red.

"Quick! Form a circle!" Karma barked. The guild did just that as a mini army materialized into the room. Granite Elemental and Dark Dwarf Miners surrounded them all.

"Ducker, crystal! Now!" Kirito barked.

"Teleport! Taft!" Ducker cried out as he held up a Teleport Crystal. It didn't do anything, making Ducker look at it in panic. "Teleport! Taft!"

"Our Crystals aren't working!" Sachi cried.

"We're going to have to fight our way out then." Tetsuo gritted his teeth. Karma threw a glare at Ducker.

"Do you watch any movies!? An unguarded chest in such an easy to access room!? It was obviously a trap!"

"Sorry! Got a little excited I guess." Ducker said sheepishly. He yelped as he barely dodged a swipe from an Elemental.

"Ritsu!" Karma called out as he blocked an attack. "Start disabling the trap!"

"On it!" she said. Nagisa charged at the mobs. He was surrounded by a wolf head which rammed into a few Elementals, crushing them with its teeth. He leapt back to dodge another Elemental's attack, pulling out his second sword. He quickly attacked with a two-hit combo, taking out another Elemental.

"This is going to be rough! Get ready!" he said. A scream made him whirl around. Hotaru was being attacked by several dwarves. Nagisa let out a roar of anger and charged at them. He swung his blades, decapitating them all at once.

"N-Nagisa." Hotaru whimpered. She held a hand out to Nagisa, her lips barely moving, before her body shattered. Nagisa was frozen, just barely snapping back by Karma screaming at him to fight. He attacked furiously, killing mobs left and right.

"Help me!" Tetsuo screamed, right before an Elemental stuck him. His allies could only watch in horror as his body shattered, killing him. Kirito yelled in anger and attacked furiously. Asuna knocked away the pick of a dwarf and impaled it in return.

"Keep fighting!" Karma yelled as he stabbed another Elemental. Sasamaru cried out as he was knocked to the floor. Several dwarves fell onto him like vultures on a carcass. Ritsu swung her axe, killing them, but it was too late as Sasamaru died.

"No!" she cried, barely bringing her axe to block another attack. The battle felt like it lasted an entire hour, but when they looked back, it had only been around twenty minutes. They regrouped and formed a circle as they fought, focusing more on their defense. By the time Ritsu had disabled the trap and gotten them all out, they had run out of potions, and were all extremely low on mana and health. Only Ducker, Sachi, Kirito, and Asuna remained of the Moonlit Black Cats. Karma, Kayano, Nagisa, and Ritsu had survived, but Hotaru had been lost.

Sachi and Kayano began to cry for their lost comrades, Asuna and Kirito joining. They had lost their friends, their family. Karma collapsed onto the floor, leaning against the wall. Ritsu was gripping her axe in anger and sorrow.

"This is your fault." Nagisa growled after a few minutes. Ducker stiffened as the attention was grabbed by everyone else.

"Nagisa, we can't blame Ducker. He didn't know." Kayano said gently.

"But he ignored us. Said that we were too paranoid. Said that we had to 'live a little'." Nagisa spat mockingly. Kirito stood, but his cloak was grabbed by Ducker.

"No. He's right. It is my fault." Ducker said quietly. "I should've listened. I got annoyed, when all you guys were trying to do was protect me. Protect us."

"Ducker, we don't blame you." Sachi cried as she tried to hug Ducker. Ducker pushed her away as he stood up.

"Nagisa does. And so do I. This is my fault. I'm the one who suggested going up here. I'm the one who opened the chest." Ducker insisted.

"We wanted to go. I'm at fault too, for agreeing to go." Kirito said.

"We all are at fault. If we were just a little stronger, we might've all survived." Asuna said quietly. Ducker was silent for a little bit.

"...I have to take responsibility." he said quietly. He quickly reached for his dagger, and thrusted it towards his neck. Kirito moved forward, but was pushed aside by Nagisa who gripped the dagger before it touched his throat.

"How dare you." Nagisa hissed. "Sasamaru. Tetsuo. Hotaru. They died for us. And you want to spit on their grave by killing yourself? By making the fact that they died meaningless?"

"I-"

"If you want to make it up to them, live. Live with the knowledge of your mistake, let it make you stronger. Become strong, and get out of this game. That way, you can truly make up for their sacrifice." Nagisa said, pulling Ducker's dagger away. Ducker was silent, but started to cry. Sachi rushed over, pulling him into a hug. Kirito and Asuna joined in, comforting Ducker. Nagisa walked away, only to be stopped by Kayano's hug from behind.

"Nagisa. It's okay to cry." Kayano murmured. Nagisa stiffened, before beginning to shake. He whirled around and hugged Kayano, crying.

"She was right there. I could've saved her. I could've, I could've…" he sobbed. Karma walked over and hugged his friend as well. Hotaru adored and looked up to Nagisa. Nagisa loved her like a sister. They knew that Nagisa's harsh lecture was also for himself. That while it was his fault, suicide was not an option.

After crying for a little while longer, the team went back to the inn, where Keita was waiting. He broke down when he heard the news, but comforted Ducker as he broke down too. The assassins left them as they mourned, heading back to their inn in silence.

"Everyone, my chest. It hurts, so bad." Ritsu sobbed. She felt sorrow before, when Korosensei died, but that didn't lessen the pain at all.

"If this is what emotions feel like, then I don't want to feel." Ritsu cried. Nagisa stopped and turned to Ritsu.

"Emotions aren't meant to only feel good Ritsu. They propel us, enforce us. That is why humans feel in the first place." Nagisa looked to the horizon. The echoes of Hotaru's whimpers still in his ears.

'I will get stronger. Stronger than anyone else. I will kill you, Kayaba.'

So, there we go. Chapter 10. My second attempt at something like this. Let me know what you think. Is it a yay? Nay? Are you satisfied? As per the usual, leave a review. Azure out.