A long time coming I know, Lily and I worked this one over a couple hours but I'm sure I missed something in the editing, please enjoy!

The day after Keiko asked her Sensei and Argo what they thought Asuna's deal was she had decided to go speak to someone she respected, was older then her thus had more life experience, and she had no deep connection to for advice.

Thankfully Diavel was game for a luncheon and when she entered the plaza he waved to her lazily. He was somewhat precariously leaning on the back legs of his chair, resting a hand on the table before him while sipping from a goblet sending Kirito a playful smirk in the process.

"Does the phrase 'Man Child' mean anything to you blueberry?"

"Does the phrase 'Future Spinster' mean anything to you, your Grace?"

"Ouch," Kirito muttered before nodding towards Diavel, "Harsh, but well played."

Diavel tilted his goblet towards her while drawling out, "Appreciated, your Grace."

"Stop that, I need adult advice and I'm hoping you can gift some of your knowledge to me. You said you were a linguist student right? Had to learn several languages and cultures, understand how people work and all that shit?"

"For someone who is significantly more intelligent then the majority of the population your active vocabulary is always so...vulgar."

Kirito raised a brow at that, "I can swear in French if you want, I prefer it honestly, it's like wiping your ass with silk really."

"You speak French?" He queried in surprise.

"I speak Japanese, obviously, French, English, and German. Grandfather insisted, always kind of made me wonder what he was getting up to while he spent twenty years abroad but whatever..."

"Huh...neat. Ok what did you need me to help with then?"

Kirito sighed landing in the chair beside him and sulking for a minute before speaking, "Asuna is acting weird. I don't know what I did that has upset her so much but it's bothering me. She's my best friend and one of the few people I honestly trust so it is just making things uncomfortable for me."

Diavel nodded at that before tapping Kirito's shoulder forcing her to meet his gaze, "When did things get weird?"

Kirito frowned, tilted her head to the side then nodded to herself, "Right before I confronted those Player Killer's. I suggested we get married to tie our inventories together and she got really weird with me and keeps blushing and making excuses every time I brought it up afterwords.

Diavel sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and decided he did not want to have any part in this so he took the easy route.

No one would blame him all things considered.

"You need to confront her with it Kirito, you both are private, scarily intelligent girls and keep things bottled up, so one of you is going to have to make the first move no matter how much you want to avoid that."

Kirito remained silent for a time before nodding and sitting up, "You're right, fortune favors the bold and all that eh? Ok I'll just straight up ask her what her deal is, thanks Diavel."

As she walked out the front door Argo appeared beside Diavel while snarking out, "Coward."

"Oh like you have room to talk you're her girlfriend's best mate for crying out loud."

Argo scoffed, "I'm a neutral party in this affair, thank you very much. Plus they aren't dating so she isn't her girlfriend."

"Not dating yet you mean."

"To-may-toh, to-mah-toh."

"Keep telling yourself that Argo, I'm still going to win the pool."

Asuna had been thinking about Keiko's proposal for days now, after the distraction of occupying Sachi had been taken away by said girl camping out in the first floor starter town it was all she really had to do. Asuna acknowledged that the offer had been made in good faith, she had just not known how to process her emotions in regards to it.

So, she decided to take a chance and ask someone who was close enough to Keiko to understand how she thought but wouldn't judge Asuna for her questions.

It didn't hurt that Klein was completely shit faced when Asuna plopped down on the stool beside the drunk in question as he downed another tankard of cheap beer.

He let out a mighty belch a moment later and held his now empty tankard out to the barmaid NPC, not saying a word as she refilled him and he took a long pull from it before placing it on the bar top to meet Asuna's gaze evenly.

"Well well...weird seeing you in my presence without little sis being at your side. Trouble in paradise?"

Asuna blushed and glanced to the side a moment before letting out a huff and muttering out, "That's kind of the problem..."

"Oh?" He asked lightly as he sipped his beer, tilting his head to the side in contemplation.

Asuna's cheeks went crimson as she replied, "How would you let someone like Keiko know that you...like them like them?"

Klein blinked owlishly then leaned forward with surprise clearly evident on his face, "Wait...are you telling me you and Keiko aren't already a thing?"

Flustered Asuna glanced away for a few moments before sheepishly meeting his incredulous gaze, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes?" He replied in a questioning tone, "I mean...well Ok Keiko is socially retarded, an introvert, and has several signs of being a high functioning sociopath and...oh good lord she has no idea she's in love with you does she?"

Asuna was red as a tomato now and Klein, being the 'Bro of Aincrad' that he was let out a tired sigh and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, "Sweetheart, seriously, my advice? Be straight forward with her, Keiko sees plots within plots within plots but she can't see what is directly in front of her when it comes to emotions. She can fake understanding like the best of them and can manipulate people as easy as breathing, but chances are she doesn't even recognize what romantic love is, you're going to have to spell it out for her, that's all there is to it."

She huffed at that and glanced away, "And how do I do that?"

"Kiss her, obviously," Klein said shrugging, "Honestly it's the only way you're going to get through to her. If there is unfortunately one thing I understand from being a teacher it is teenagers, and Keiko, as brilliantly ambitious and downright conniving as she can be is part of said group just as you are. Don't make it a guessing game with her, she's a schemer, a plotter, a puppet master, when you just drop your cards on the table showing your hand before someone like her, you'll have her very confused, yet undivided attention."

"I...what will people think if...we...you know?"

"Become an openly gay couple? In game, not much, you two are literally perceived as royalty, no hyperbole there either. Real world, I'm not sure about your own social situation but I'll tell you right now, Keiko will not give a singular fuck what anyone but her mom and sister think, that's it. You know her just as well as I do, if not more so and that girl has a chip on her shoulder when it comes to societal expectations that isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

Klein finished his beer then met her gaze while tilting his head to the side, "Little sis will stick by your side no matter what, what you gotta figure out is if you're willing to do the same cause if you break her heart, there's a good chance that there is never going to be anyone who can fix it. You are staring down the rabbit hole here Alice, decide whether you can face the consequences jumping in will cause, because Keiko? She's gonna be playing for keeps if you chose her, damn everyone else."

Asuna was quiet for a time when she heard a cough behind her and turned around starting in surprise as she realized Kirito was standing behind her looking sheepish, "Umm... Hey Klein, mind if I borrow Asuna for a couple minutes?"

Klein grinned at her brightly while making a 'shewing' motion with his hands, followed with an "Of course not, you two have fun."

Asuna took several calming breaths and tried to remember to be straight forward and honest as she stood and accepted Keiko's hand.

Kirito raised a brow at that as she led Asuna out of the tavern and the pair walked down the dark streets for a time before the raven haired teen spoke.

"Asuna what did I do wrong?"

Her partner started at that, "Wha-what do you mean? You haven't done anything wrong!"

Releasing Asuna's hand Kirito spread her arms wide looking utterly perplexed, "Then why have you been acting weird as hell the past couple days! At first I thought it was because of the Black Cats and the Player Killers, maybe even Sachi, but none of that makes any sense!"

"Because it had nothing to do with that! It was you saying we should get married!"

Keiko rubbed a hand across her face several times before meeting Asuna's gaze, "What the hell does that have to do with anything!?"

"It has everything to do with everything!"

"What the hell does that even mean!?"

"I LIKE YOU!"

Silence...Keiko tilted her head in confusion as a single brow rose, "Ok...I like you too so what?"

Asuna yelled into her hands in frustration as she turned back to her partner, "I like you, like you Keiko."

Kirito was completely out of her depths here, "What...I don't?"

"Fuck it!" Asuna stated as she stepped forward, grabbed the sides of Kirito's head and pulled her into a brief chaste kiss. Taking a step back Asuna crossed her arms and waited for her partner to process what just happened, Keiko for her part was blinking rapidly and the corners of her lips turned up slightly as her head tilted to the side.

After a minute or two she shook her head and met Asuna's eyes evenly, "You...like me, like me?"

"Very much so," she replied with a defiant lift of her chin.

"Huh..." Was all Keiko could think to say in reply.

They were silent for a time before Keiko sighed and ran a hand through hair before speaking again, "Ok, Asuna, before going forward you need to understand some things about me. This is... all new territory so please just bear with me for the moment, ok?"

Asuna nodded as Keiko grabbed her hand and walked further out of town avoiding the small crowds of players, finding themselves in a small park Keiko paced a bit before stopping, and nodding to herself.

"I'm messed up Asuna, the shrinks have been telling me that for years, being stuck in this game for a little over a year hasn't helped. I can understand how people act, but I couldn't tell you why they did what they do half the time. I'm not a sociopath but I'm close, very close, but I understand familial love, hatred, apathy...I get those, but all the nuances? I can fake it like it was no one's business but I just don't understand most emotions..."

Asuna's head dropped at that, all while thinking Klein had been right, the girl she had fallen for wa-

"That being said, I...I'd really like to learn what romantic love felt like, because... While I don't know how it feels... I know I really really like you, and I've never felt that way for anyone else before I met you. So... If... If you can give me time to figure out what love is? I would be honored if you'd let me be your girlfriend?"

Keiko looked so small, so vulnerable at that moment Asuna couldn't help herself and rushed forward to wrap her arms around the younger teen, they stared at each other a moment, then they broke out laughing.

They kissed once more, it lingered a bit more than the first, then they giggled, held each others hands, then happily walked back to the tavern they had left Klein in.

Argo appeared a moment later the air around her fluctuating, pouting, "Damnit... Diavel won...why couldn't they hold off till Christmas..."

I kind of love the fact that Keiko was the last one to figure out she was gay, this is highly amusing to me, as is her highly logical breakdown of her own mental state but still wanting to at least try if for nothing else but Asuna's sake.

Hope you all are enjoying the rapid updates!