Chapter 7

Friday Nov 18th, 2022

'Kobold Trooper' falling to his blade, Naruto was sick and tired of the same gray hallways. Day three of clearing the labyrinth had the group up to the 7th floor. Repetitive versions of the demi humans wielding a variety of weapons and armor had dulled Naruto's drive. Every fight was the same; the predictable sword skills that the kobolds used were easily dealt with. As morning gave way to afternoon, Naruto engaged in yet another one-sided fight. Priming 'Slash', Naruto simply let the system pull him through the movements. He had noticed it was possible to speed them up, but it required more concentration and effort. Against foes like this, it was better to save his energy for more important things and let the system carry him.

"Switch!" Sachi cried taking Naruto's spot as his blade bounced off the kobold's halberd. 'Twin Thrust' was used, first blow slamming into its chest plate, the second finding its throat. Upon taking critical damage, the kobold cried out, seeking help from nearby allies, this attempt was cut short as it burst into blue polygons. The reason for its death appeared, Ducker, had used the dagger skill 'Invisible Thrust' to finish it off. Sighing, Naruto nodded to his companions before heading towards the safe zone. Finishing up their mob, Klein led his group over and followed them there.

Arriving at the safe zone, Naruto was looking forward to eating lunch. Having hit level six, the experience he got per enemy was pitiful. First, though he would have to hit the tenth floor of the labyrinth to find level six enemies to help him level up. Looking into the room Naruto groaned. Sitting around was a familiar blue-haired player.

"Well, well, well," he said dramatically as he stood up, "look who's here."

"You know him Naruto?" Sachi asked.

Diavel and his friends jeering froze as their jaws dropped, "a girl," Diavel whispered, desire in his eyes.

Reeling back from the stares, Sachi hid behind Naruto's back. Diavel's objectification unifying them, all twelve of the men stared down Diavel's party of eight.

"Ah, uh," Diavel stammered, "well, it was nice to see you again, we're on our way out, from higher floors you know. We recently hit level seven today, so we'll be celebrating that tonight."

"Naruto would still kick your ass," Arthur growled.

Courteous smile freezing on his face, Diavel worked his jaw before silently leading his group past them into the hallway.

"You shouldn't antagonize fellow players," Naruto berated, "We may rely on them to save our lives one day."

"I think I'd rather die," Sachi answered, shivering in disgust.

"Don't say that," Naruto told her rubbing her shoulders, "I'm sure they were just surprised. Females are a rare commodity in SAO."

"Now you're talking about me like I'm an object!" Sachi pouted.

Laughing at her adorable face, Naruto profusely apologized before the overwhelming might of his pouting girlfriend.

Stretching, the group relaxed, taking seats around the room and materializing food from their inventories. As they had discovered, hot meals didn't keep well in inventories. Plates and bowls were a separate item that took up a lot of room. Therefore, previously delicious, hot food usually materialized cold and disgusting. This forced them to sustain on hard bread and water.

Crunching miserably, the mood in the room was pretty low. Unsure whether he should be trying to bolster morale, Naruto chewed thoughtfully. Maybe, a speech after lunch would help. I could use one of those myself, Naruto grumbled. Lost in thought, a head on his shoulder brought him back. Looking over, Sachi was resting her head on him and staring with those doe-like eyes. Every time Naruto looked at her, he was struck by her beauty. He really shouldn't hold Diavel's reaction against him, Naruto decided. It would be like finding water in a desert seeing her.

"You fought well out there," Naruto told her.

"Thanks," Sachi replied, gracing him with her smile, "You weren't so bad yourself."

"Not bad is what I strive for," Naruto replied seriously, earning himself a giggle.

"As goofy as always," Sachi sighed, snuggling in closer and closing her eyes. Wrapping his arm around her, Naruto looked out across the room. Every single one, Naruto thought dumbly. They were all sitting there, food in hand watching their interactions. Blushing, Naruto raised his gaze to the ceiling to avoid the probing eyes.

Ten minutes later, Naruto gently shook Sachi awake, "Time to get up lazy. More kobolds to kill."

"I don't want to," Sachi murmured in her sleepy haze.

Shaking slightly harder, Sachi finally opened her eyes and yawned. "So, what kept Sachi up to make her so tired?" Klein asked with a teasing smile.

Hearing his comment, Sachi went red, "N-nothing happened," she stammered.

Interest perked now, Naruto looked at Sachi curiously, "I'm not sure that could have been less convincing."

"I-I'll tell you later, alright?" Sachi whispered to him.

"Wait so it wasn't Naruto keeping you up?" Klein asked bewildered.

"S-shut up Klein," Sachi announced, stomping out of the room.

Sighing, Naruto went to follow her, "You forgot your spear, silly."

Crimson-faced, Sachi snatched it from Naruto's hand before once again stalking out of the room. Following his girlfriend, Naruto shook his head with confusion. He had initially dismissed the yawns, but Sachi seemed unnaturally tired as the day went on. Deciding if she started to show issues fighting, he would make her pull back.

Finishing the eighth floor in mid-afternoon, the group began their long journey back to Tolbana. At this point it took them almost an hour to make the return trip while minimizing fighting.

Stealing glances at Sachi, Naruto thought that the poor girl was barely able to walk. She had fought excellently up until the end, but now that the battles were over, it seemed exhaustion had caught up with her. Hoping she would last until town, Naruto literally didn't have the ability to carry her in this game. Gazing at her too long, Sachi finally noticed his sideways stare.

"I'm fine," Sachi mouthed, stumbling while doing so. Not replying, Naruto simply extended a hand for her to hold. Nodding gratefully, Sachi held his hand and used it as a support to push her towards bed.

Staggering through their room door, Sachi collapsed on the bed. Curiosity peaking now that they were alone, Naruto was fairly certain he wouldn't get the story until she woke up again.

Beating his expectations, Sachi patted the bed beside her, inviting Naruto to come lie down. "Are you sure?" Naruto asked, warily approaching his spot.

"Yeah, it should only take a couple of minutes," Sachi yawned.

Laying down beside her, Naruto stared into Sachi's barely functioning eyes and doubted her ability to stay awake even that long.

"I snuck out to talk to Argo last night," Sachi admitted.

Completely confused, Naruto gaped dumbly at the exhausted girl.

"Oh, it isn't that surprising," Sachi laughed at Naruto's face, "we had to have a girl talk."

"About what?" Naruto asked, unsure if he wanted to know.

"Girl stuff," came Sachi's happy voice as she passed into the world of dreams.

Mouth still gaping, Naruto was left to lay there in a cold sweat as his girlfriend slept peacefully. Checking his friend's list, Naruto saw that Argo was online, or in this case, alive. Wondering how both of them had survived that encounter, Naruto was forced to wait to hear how the story played out.

Last Night

"So, why do you want to talk?" Sachi asked, voice cold. She still hadn't forgiven Argo for her comments when they met outside the labyrinth. On top of the horrible time Naruto must have had while out on mission for Argo, Sachi really didn't like the girl.

"W-well," Argo stammered, feet shifting nervously. The aura Argo was giving off was completely different from the last time the two of them had met. Feeling a strange sense of comradery to the girl, Sachi leaned forward interested. Seeing Sachi shift into a friendlier position, Argo relaxed a little. "I guess, I'm here to ask you for a favor."

"A favor?" Sachi was shocked. From all she had heard, this mysterious girl didn't deal in favours. She exchanged information for money. Everything could be bought for a price.

"That's probably laughable coming from me, huh?" Argo chuckled at her self-deprecating joke. "But I would prefer to say it outright if that's alright."

"G-go ahead," Sachi replied nervously. There was nothing she could do for this girl that Naruto couldn't, Sachi thought.

"I don't want you to take Naruto away from me," Argo almost pleaded. "I know the two of you are together, but he brings so much light into my life. I don't deserve to be with him, I know that, but please."

That very morning, Argo had invited Naruto to help her with a quest. Just the two of them, like they had been at one point. While the exchange had been brief, the message was clear. Never again. If Argo needed information on something, Naruto was willing to help. However, a quest with the two of them… that wouldn't happen. After almost getting him killed in the 'Copper Caverns', Argo realized her chances were waning. She didn't need to date him or anything, at least she told herself so, but being unable to even interact… It was too painful. Their interactions were as limited as before Naruto had caught up to the front lines.

As tears welled up in Argo's eyes, Sachi experienced yet another shock. Finally, Sachi realized what it was that made Argo seem so familiar, it was that reliance on Naruto. He was currently holding her up too. Providing hope, light, warmth. Naruto naturally radiated them with his his easy smile. He gave them faith that this game was clearable, that they would be able to return one day, see their families again.

"When he left me," Sachi admitted, "I was going to kill myself. It felt like the all the light in the world followed him out the door. I know I hold him back, I'm too needy, I get that. People have probably died because I was unable to let go. So, if one more person needs that warmth to get through the day… I can't say no."

Grunting as a body collided into her, Argo wrapped her arms around Sachi, "Thank you. Thank you so much," Argo whispered into Sachi's chest.

Feeling Argo's tears staining her shirt, Sachi felt a warm feeling spreading through her chest as she wrapped the other girl in her arms. "You didn't have to be so mean to me," Sachi grumbled, interrupting the tender moment.

"Well, you had what I wanted," Argo smiled at her, "besides, I treat everyone like that."

"Why though?" Sachi asked curiously, "Doesn't it make it hard to make friends like that?"

Laughing nervously, Argo ignored the question, "do you want to grab some drinks?"

Exhaustion seeping in at another long day of killing enemies, Sachi's curiosity and desire to get to know this strange girl overpowered it. "Of course."

Linking arms, the girls set off to a different inn so that if one of the boys woke up, they wouldn't see them.

An hour later, the girls were giggling like life long pals, "he didn't," Argo gasped.

"No, he really did," Sachi laughed, "it was amazing. Like, how could someone actually be so clueless about technology?"

Tears welling at their eyes, the girls howled in laughter at Naruto's failed technological exploits. Luckily for them they had the entire bar of the inn to themselves.

Smile fading, Argo stared hard at Sachi's face.

"W-what?" Sachi asked nervously, "I don't really swing that way…"

"Huh?" Argo asked confused, "Wait? What? No, you got it wrong, I was just thinking about telling you something."

"Oh, I guess I overreacted," Sachi replied awkwardly looking away.

"Why did that come to your mind though?" Argo asked curiously.

"Well, I've never really had any female friends," Sachi explained embarrassed.

"So, you thought I was trying to get in your pants?" Argo asked disbelievingly.

"Ugh," Sachi groaned, "I-I never mind. Though you can't even… you know, do anything in SAO."

"That is where you are wrong," Argo crowed.

"What!?" Sachi asked stunned.

"This is what I was going to tell you before you freaked out."

"Oh," Flushing, Sachi kept her gaze on Argo.

Smiling evilly, Argo led her through the steps until Sachi found the Ethics setting. "Now, it's important you only disable that when you're somewhere safe, if you do it wherever, anyone can abuse it."

"Um, thanks," Sachi mumbled, "we had kind of hit a barrier and it was pretty awkward."

Smile slipping, Argo fought to keep it plastered, feeling conflicted about what she had done, Argo knew she had hurt her chances of ever getting any of Naruto's attention. Why would he, when Sachi's body would lead him drooling to where she pointed?

"Thank you," Sachi said sincerely, holding Argo's hand.

"Huh?" Argo mumbled confused. "What is this about?"

"I know how hard it was for you to show me this," Sachi began, "I used to think of all the woman who wanted Naruto as hyenas, it was easier that way. I suppose it helped me convince myself that I deserve him. I saw you the same way first, but I understand now, they just see the same things I do. That unconscious kindness and warmth that he emanates."

"He draws us like moths to a flame," Argo admitted with a snort.

Laughing, Sachi nodded he agreement, "I will honor our agreement Argo. Please feel free to talk to him whenever."

"So, if I creep into your room in the middle of the night?" Argo asked teasingly.

"W-well," Sachi stuttered, struck dumb once again by Argo's teasing.

"I'm kidding," Argo assured her. Yawning, Argo checked the time. "Wow, it's almost two in the morning."

"I should go," Sachi said, eyelids dropping. Giving Argo one last hug, Sachi went to leave but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"One last thing, Sachi." Argo began seriously, "Don't undervalue yourself. You may think Naruto is the important one to clearing this game, but so are you. He depends on you, if you fall, I'm scared to think about what he'd do. Anyway, later Sac-chan!"

Blinking at her new nickname, Sachi stood there in silence for awhile before walking back to her room. Laying down, Sachi stared at Naruto's sleeping face unable to do so herself. Argo's final words swirled around her head. She knew what Argo was referring to, the look that Naruto sometimes got in his eyes. Would her death permanently set him off? Unable to come up with an answer, Sachi entered a fitful sleep as the rays of morning entered the room.

Present

After he finished hearing the abridged version, Naruto wondered if he had switched into an alternate reality. Argo and Sachi had become friends? He could talk to Argo whenever and Sachi didn't care. His only stipulation was to keep physical contact to that of friends. Agreeing wholeheartedly, Naruto just couldn't figure out what had happened to change their relationship so much. Last time they interacted, Sachi would have gone orange without people there to hold her back.

"Seriously, Naruto," Sachi smiled, "Argo and I are fine now. It was just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding," Naruto repeated unbelievingly, "trying to kill her is hardly a misunderstanding."

"We both made mistakes in that conversation," Sachi admitted, "but we got over it."

"Uh huh," Naruto grunted, "actually I need to go talk to Argo about something."

"Okay!" Sachi smiled, "I need more sleep anyways."

Walking away confused, Naruto sent Argo a message asking to meet. Getting an almost immediate response, Naruto set out to the location specified.

"Hey Nar-boi," Argo waved upon seeing his form appear in front of her.

"Hi Argo," Naruto replied nervously.

Sighing at the fidgeting boy, Argo shook her head at him. "So, she told you and you didn't believe her, and now you're taking time out of my day to ask me pointless questions?"

"W-well," Naruto stuttered, "I don't think they're pointless."

"I'll be the judge of that," Argo told him scathingly. "Anyways, since you're here, you should pay for the food."

"What?" Naruto questioned, "but you're already eating. I had nothing to do with that."

"Wrong," Argo countered, "I only ordered something after I heard you were coming; therefore, this is on you."

"It seems I lose again," Naruto admitted. Ordering something for himself, Naruto asked his first question. "Argo, do you like me as more than a friend?"

Mouth open, Argo quickly recovered her wits, "you know, if you still haven't figured it out, its no wonder to took you and Sachi this long to get together."

"I'll take that as a yes," Naruto replied, ignoring the jab. "Then secondly, did you tell Sachi this?"

"She already knew, Nar-boi," Argo rolled her eyes at him, "these questions have been pretty pointless so far."

"But it makes no sense," Naruto complained. "You can't both want me as more than a friend, and get along, it makes no sense."

"Really?" Argo asked teasingly, "Haven't you ever heard of harems before?"

Gaping, Naruto wasn't sure he had heard her right. "Y-you really shouldn't joke about that," Naruto rebuked her unsteadily.

"Hmm, you're too easy to tease like this," Argo pouted, "it's no fun."

"Sorry," Naruto apologized, "so, you and Sachi are friends now?" Naruto asked quickly, desperate to change the subject.

"Well," Argo began with mischievous eyes, "you might say that we're tight."

Praying for an intervention to get him out of here, Naruto sat there awkwardly unsure of how to reply to Argo's thinly veiled suggestions.

"So, did Sachi tell you about the thing I showed her?" Argo continued, not letting Naruto off the hook.

"Uh, I don't think so," Naruto replied cautiously, on the lookout for another trap.

"I see," Argo replied leaning back in her chair, "maybe she'll probably show you tonight."

"Show me what?" Naruto asked taking the bait.

"Everything," Argo answered, cackling evilly.

With a bad feeling about how his sanity was going to fare in the upcoming days, Naruto excused himself to go to bed.

Saturday Nov 19th, 2022

"Naruto!" Arthur cried from across the room. Head snapping back to attention, Naruto fumbled blocking the kobold's sword skill resulting in him taking damage. Swallowing back his embarrassment, Naruto focused on his surroundings and directing the others to finish off the kobolds. However, as soon as the last kobold fell, Naruto's gaze was inexplicably drawn back to Sachi. Worried about Argo's statement, Naruto had spent last night in an uneasy sleep and had failed to properly lead everyone today.

"What was that?" Keita asked sharply. "You put us in a bad spot there!"

"Ah, yeah," Naruto loosely replied, eyes drifting back to Sachi.

"Yeah she's pretty, dude," Klein commented, "but you really do need to focus up, we rely on you."

"I know," Naruto commented, "just uh, really out of it today I guess."

"Should we head back then?" Klein asked. "We're on the tenth floor, that means that a mini boss is going to block our progress to the next floor."

"Hmm, I really wanted to defeat it before returning. It would make for a really good continuation point tomorrow."

"Well, Arthur could always take over command of the parties," Tetsuo nervously added.

"Absolutely not," Arthur disagreed shaking his head, "Naruto will pull through if the fight becomes serious, he's just zoning out because he can."

"Uh, thanks," Naruto replied, "I think we can do this mini boss fairly easily. As long as everyone sticks together and doesn't overextend."

"Another great speech, Nar-boi," Argo interrupted from the shadows. Slowly clapping her hands Argo walked towards the group.

"Oh, Argo," Naruto blinked, "What do you want?"

"You could be a little nicer to a poor girl, you know?" Argo teased. "and I'm here for the miniboss kill. I want to scout the upper floors but can't without having been in a party that's taken it down."

"Of course, you can join!" Sachi told her with a smile, wrapping the girl into a friendly hug.

Returning the hug, Argo smirked at the gaping boys over Sachi's shoulder.

"I think I figured out the distraction," Klein said, awestruck.

"Totally," Arthur agreed, not comprehending the scene before him. Just two days ago, Arthur had watched multiple people jump in to stop Sachi from physically attacking Argo. Now, however, the two girls were gossiping quietly like best friends.

Reacting to Argo's words, Sachi's face went scarlet prior to glancing at Naruto and covering her face. Leaving the embarrassed Sachi to her misery, Argo sauntered over to Naruto, "so, where's my party invite?"

"Ah, right," Naruto replied slowly, still distracted by the girls' interactions. With Argo added on, the group of fourteen made their way to the deepest part of the tenth floor of the labyrinth. The parties were Klein, Dale, Harry One, Issin, Dynamm, and Kunimittz in one and Naruto, Arthur, Argo, Keita, Sachi, Tetsuo, Ducker, and Sasamaru.

Despite the uneven split, Naruto decided it was better this way. Klein's group was tightknit and worked well together. Putting himself and Arthur into Keita's crew added some much-needed fighting experience. Due to Argo and Sachi's recent friendship, and Naruto's past dealings with her, it made more sense to put her in Naruto's party. Finishing quickly with the rest of the floor, Naruto stood in front of the large double doors marking the lair of the miniboss. "Here we go, my party will start it off while Klein's deals with the other mobs, when Tetsuo hits 50% we will switch main tanks. Any questions? None, good, let's win this everyone!" Raising his sword to the sky, the room was filled with cheers as Naruto pushed open the doors.

These doors had a special mechanic behind them. If the player had never been part of a party that had killed the miniboss then they were brought to fight said boss. However, if the player had already killed it, then the key item 'Mark of Courage', would activate warping them past the boss to the eleventh floor. This served two purposes, the first was to make climbing the labyrinth easier as you only had to defeat the boss once. Secondly, this prevented players from grinding the miniboss for experience. Furthermore, key items are weightless and can't be thrown out.

Entering, Naruto locked eyes with the miniboss, 'Kroil the Kobold Captain'. Dressed in only iron plate mail, the kobold stood two metres tall and wielded a single-edged great sword. Accompanied by two trooper mobs, it was strangely reminiscent of an elite mob. Rushing forward to draw aggro of the main boss, Naruto cued up 'Rage Spike' as he got closer. Unprepared, the boss took the edge of the sword skill across its chest. Thanks to its high health and plate mail, perhaps 1% of its health was removed. The sword skill, however, had accomplished its mission. Off balance, the boss was unable to attack as Klein's party drew away the two auxiliary monsters. Recovering, the kobold let out a screech and unleashed a powerful two-handed sword skill, 'Hurricane Slash'. The skill was two-fold, starting waist level from the right the horizontal swing would come across, only for the momentum of the blade to reverse into a spin before ending with the blade where the skill started. This gave the skill the possibility of hitting a target up to three times.

Ready for the move, Naruto activated 'Slash', meeting the first hit and using its momentum to carry him back and out of the way of the follow-up. "Switch!" Crying out his command, Naruto was pleased when Tetsuo stepped in to take aggro as planned. Using the shield skill, 'Howl' Tetsuo taunted the boss, drawing primary aggro to himself.

By wielding a shield in his left hand and having taken the shield skill in his second slot, Tetsuo was able to utilize additional sword skills. Equipping a shield passively increased your defense with the trade-off of decreasing attack. The versatility it provided, however, made shield fighters far and away the best tanks in SAO. Not only could they use sword skills with their primary weapon, they could use sword skills from the shield mastery tree as well. Possessing only the starting skill, 'Howl', Tetsuo was still miles ahead of any other member of the party when it came to being able to tank hits. Having his party invest money into him, Tetsuo proudly wore bronze plate mail, a rank below the captain with which he now dueled.

Cooldown on 'Hurricane Strike' over, the miniboss marched forward to meet Tetsuo's challenge. Raising its blade over its head, the kobold used 'Avalanche'. A typical over the head slash with a gap closing charge attached. This was the two-handed variety of 'Rage Spike', a very helpful sword skill. Standing his ground, Tetsuo raised his shield to meet the boss's imposing blade. Impacting with a loud bang, Tetsuo slid a meter back losing close to 5% of his health despite the clean block.

"Arthur, hit it," Naruto commanded calmly, not panicking at the damage. "Tetsuo down a potion and continue tanking." Standing back, Naruto calmly gave commands to his party. Losing health rapidly after being bombarded by sword skills, the boss cued up another 'Hurricane Strike'. Sensing that it was surrounded, the boss used an AOE sword skill to disperse the threats.

Once again, Tetsuo valiantly raised his shield before the immense bulk of the boss. Taking the first hit well, Tetsuo was unprepared for the second slash which clipped the edge of his shield. Dragged off balance, the final blow caught Tetsuo cleanly across his breastplate. Going down from the force, Tetsuo's health steadily dropped to the 75% mark.

"Tetsuo!" Ducker, Sachi, and Keita all cried in union, boss forgotten. Since the three had missed their turn to strike the boss, it recovered rapidly from its stasis and got ready to use another 'Avalanche'. If this skill went off, there would be trouble. Its strongest skill against a vulnerable target would deal massive damage. Preparing to step in, Naruto noticed his efforts were pointless, Argo had already dealt with the problem. Using a claw skill, 'Flashing Blow', Naruto thought, Argo ripped into the boss's vulnerable head disrupting its skill.

"Nice one, Argo!" Naruto shouted. "You up Tetsuo?" Naruto asked, not taking his gaze from the boss.

"Give me a moment," Tetsuo panted from the ground. Fear and adrenaline coursing through him, Naruto didn't argue with the boy who had chosen probably the hardest role in the game. Unfortunately, Argo's hit wasn't enough to overcome the hate generation of 'Howl'. Still advancing towards Tetsuo, Naruto stepped in its way.

Not considering Naruto a threat, the boss lazily removed its left hand from its sword and back handed him. Rolling his eyes at the disrespect, Naruto easily parried the slap. Only one hand on its blade, Naruto took advantage of the boss's vulnerable position and smashed a 'Vertical' on its head. Reeling back from the critical hit, the boss refocused its attention on Naruto.

Growing anxious, Arthur and Sachi stepped forward, ready to help. Sensing the enclosing members, Kroil readied his 'Hurricane Slash' once again. Deciding it was damage he had to take, Naruto used 'Slash' to deal with it in a different way than he did last time. As the blades collided, Naruto held his ground. While he was able to cancel the skill, it cost Naruto health. Losing another section of health, Naruto sighed. He didn't like taking damage, usually it meant he made a mistake. In this scenario, however, it was a necessary evil. Unlike last time, Tetsuo wasn't there to grab aggro.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed that Tetsuo was up, but fear stopped him from going back in. Gritting his teeth, Naruto stayed in to continue tanking the boss. Predicting the 'Avalanche', Naruto easily rolled it and called out instructions to wail on boss. Listening admirably, the boss was battered yet again, lowering its health to below 60%. With everyone backing out of range, the boss went back to 'Avalanche', one of the few available skills that the developers gave it.

Forgetting his life was on the line, Naruto automatically used a 'Slant' to hit the side of Kroil's blade, pushing it to the side. Not only did this interaction leave Naruto in a better position, he didn't take damage from it either.

"Done!" came Klein's triumphant cheer from the side. The two mobs defeated, his party came back over ready to help. "So, why isn't Tetsuo tanking?" Klein asked confused.

Not deigning a reply, Naruto called out instructions on who was to hit it with sword skills. It was important to manage who had what sword skill on cooldown. One of the most important skills their party had was 'Decisive Strike'. This two-handed spear skill applied a slow debuff on enemies increasing the duration of skill activation. However, this skill could only be used once a minute, therefore, the four spear users had to alternate their uses of it in order to keep the boss permaslowed.

Egged on by Klein's innocent comment Tetsuo yelled, "Switch!" and activated 'Howl'. With Tetsuo standing side by side with Naruto, another 'Hurricane Slash' came out of the boss. Forced to leave Tetsuo alone, Naruto dived backwards to get out of range. Unlike last time, Tetsuo managed to endure the three hits and remain standing. Nodding his approval, Naruto ordered the two assassins to move in, Ducker and Argo. Dagger and Claw skills tearing into Kroil's flanks, he let out a howl as he dropped under 50% health.

"Back away and stay alert, Tetsuo shield up." Naruto hastily told the group. According to expectations, the kobold's pattern changed as it entered yellow health. Running at Tetsuo, Kroil haphazardly swung his massive blade. Unprepared for a non-activated attack, the previously raised shield was all that saved Tetsuo from taking the slash head on. Continuing its rampage seemingly unconcerned about aggro, Arthur was forced to backstep a horizontal slash.

Grinning at the opportunity, Naruto stepped in and parried the next slash easily. Dancing through his opponents unhinged attacks, Naruto steadily began to wear down its health single-handedly.

"I see ya still got it, Nar-boi," Argo commented lightly from behind.

"No doubt he's enjoying it," Arthur sighed, knowing his friend too well.

"This is going to take all day," Keita complained.

"True," Klein agreed, "as impressive as this is, the damage output is just too low."

"Fine," Naruto grumped, "I'll finish it then."

"Wha?" either exclaiming unbelievingly or unsure if they had heard him right, not one person believed he could actually do it. Sitting just under 45% health, it would take multiple sword skills to reduce its health to zero. It wasn't feasible that Naruto could just up and kill it whenever.

Waiting for the next vertical swing, Naruto rolled acrobatically between the boss's legs. Without hesitation, Naruto used 'Horizontal' before the boss could turn around. Hitting squarely on the back of the bosses unguarded kneecaps, Kroil fell. On the downed boss, Naruto released the rest of his arsenal: 'Vertical', 'Slant', 'Rage spike'; as the blows fell, so did Kroil's remaining health. When he finally staggered back to his feet, his health was red. Naruto had removed 25% of a boss's health in a matter of seconds.

Staring unbelievingly, Keita still had to comment, "it isn't dead though."

"To be honest," Naruto replied, "I expected at least one person to join in."

"Sorry, Nar-boi," Argo teased, "it's just too much fun watching you work."

Nodding her agreement, Sachi stood leaning on her spear, not ready to fight.

Rolling his eyes at his unhelpful comrades, Naruto focused once again on the kobold captain. Health red, Kroil entered his final stage, holding his sword over his left shoulder, Kroil used a new sword skill. 'Three-pronged Death' was an enemy specific skill. Unavailable to players as far as they knew, it killed many a player in the beta. The first slash was delivered from the upper-right, the enemy would then spin into a vertical slash and finish with a blow from the upper-left. Dealing with this sword skill was a struggle even for veterans. Dodging was hard as the follow-up strikes could be reoriented. Blocking was therefore the typical approach, but the damage that was put out even through a shield was intense.

Now, Naruto was staring down the wrong end of this skill without even a shield to soak it with. Smirking at the boss regardless, Naruto ran towards the boss's right side. Slipping just under Kroil's blade, Naruto ended up beside the boss. Turning to unleash its second hit, everyone noticed the brilliance in Naruto's plan. He was so close to Kroil that its gap closing skill was counterproductive. Additionally, by dodging the blade in the direction it had come, Kroil was stuck attempting hit Naruto with attacks coming from the wrong direction.

Roaring its failure, Kroil slammed its blade into the ground a third time ending its skill. Blade cutting its vulnerable knees, Kroil toppled forwards yet again, this time to its death.

Calmly going over the post-fight readout, "you guys really should have contributed more," Naruto commented, "I got most of the experience."

"Well you deserved it, Sweetie," Sachi told him, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Yeah," Argo agreed lightly, "Maybe Sachi will reward you tonight,"

"Argo!" Sachi complained while Argo cackling evilly, and the rest of the group celebrated their victory.

Sunday Nov 27th, 2022

"I'm so bored!" Arthur complained, "I've hit level eight, I'm too strong for this floor, let's just fight the boss ourselves."

"Argo thinks it's a bad idea," Naruto sighed, fed up with dealing with this.

"We finished the labyrinth two days ago!" Arthur shot back, "you are undoubtedly the best player in the game, what are we worried about?"

"You don't think Argo knows that as well? I am not risking peoples' lives, our lives, on forcing through without help."

As Naruto asserted himself, Arthur gave in. "Fine, you're the leader. Want to go farm those spear mobs on the eighth floor? They drop materials I need to upgrade my spear."

"Just the two of use? Could be fun," Naruto replied, smiling, "Let's go."

"Where are you going?" Sachi asked with a yawn, entering the bottom floor of the inn.

"Oh, farming materials," Naruto told her, "you can stay here."

"Alright," Sachi agreed, "I'll see if Argo wants to do something later."

"If I get any extras, I'll give them to you," Arthur offered as he left with Naruto.

Dodging yet another feeble attempt from the kobold, Naruto struck off its head with a critical hit. "Are we done yet?" Naruto asked bored. Three hours into grinding the same mobs Naruto and Arthur's experience bar had barely moved. Fighting level five enemies at level eight was not conducive to fast leveling. This, Naruto had learned, was due to the scaling algorithm in place. Experience received from an enemy was multiplied by a percentage based on level difference. Beyond 10 levels higher or five levels lower, the mob would give only one experience point. This had two applications, first it prevented power levelling, and second, it stopped people from being able to grind to insane levels on weak enemies.

Scaling experience was an outdated mechanic some felt, but the implementation had crucial effects now that death was permanent. Without it, grinding out levels and having massive advantages against bosses would be feasible.

"Just a couple more dude, chill out," Arthur replied exasperated. "Also, we're getting closer to 100 skill points in our weapons so there's that."

Sighing, Naruto nodded his acquiescence. Despite experience scaling, skill experience was consistent. This meant that while they couldn't grind levels, they could grind increased skill experience in order to unlock better skills to fight the bosses with. Turning the corner to the next spawn site, the boys were greeted with the sight of someone else already fighting the mobs they were grinding.

"Damn, someone's taking them," Arthur grumped. Sighing, Naruto leaned against the wall and waited for them to finish fighting. If they were after the same drops it would be faster to add them to their party than fight over the spawns.

"Wow," the boys echoed each other as the hooded figure struck down the kobold, "Their…"

"Awesome,"

"In rough shape," looking at each other in confusion, each wondering how they came to such different conclusions.

"Didn't you see the way they casually dodged that kobold's attacks?" Arthur asked bewildered, "they reminded me of you."

"Yeah, the dodges were clean," Naruto agreed, "but look at the state of that cloak, and their weapon. They've been fighting this enemy for so long that they're on autopilot at this point."

"Well," Arthur relented, "just because their gear is shit doesn't mean they are."

Chucking Naruto stood up straight, "let's go say hello to our friend."

Hearing their footsteps approaching, the hooded figure hesitated warily. Saying nothing, nor sheathing their weapon. Standing there awkwardly, Naruto was unsure at this greeting. Expecting cocky boasting, Naruto was unprepared for this caution.

"Uh, hey," Naruto said, "nice fight there, we're here grinding against these enemies, so… wanna party up?"

Not bothering to reply, the cloaked figure shook their head and walked away. Mouths agape, the boys watched the figure turn at the end of the hallway and disappear. "What the hell?" Arthur asked, expressing what both were feeling.

Tapping the table, Naruto was unable to calm down, he had missed something crucial, but he couldn't figure what it was. A hand on his arm brought his mind back to his surroundings, "Is everything alright?" Sachi asked.

Sitting at a large table with the rest of his friends, Naruto knew he was ruining the mood of what was supposed to be a festive dinner. They had taken the day off to prepare for this. Being the first ones to conquer the labyrinth was a big deal. Looking into his girlfriend's scared eyes, Naruto placed his hand on hers to calm her down. Trying to refocus on dinner, Naruto's mind wouldn't relax.

As the door opened, the last member of their party entered, Argo. Seeing the silhouette of their new companion, Naruto's mind struck gold. "A girl," he breathed. "The stranger from the labyrinth was a girl."

Despite being barely audible, his words silenced the table. "You sure?" Arthur asked. "I mean, they were solo on the frontlines."

"Are you seriously saying that in present company?" Argo rebuked Arthur.

"Ah," Arthur backpedaled, "I mean you're well known though, and there's so many more guys in the game that… statistically I meant."

"Sure, you did," Argo snorted, rolling her eyes. "How did you just figure this out now anyways, Nar-boi?"

"They were wearing a cloak," Naruto told her, "didn't say a word either when we tried to talk to them. They just walked off and we never saw them again."

"Oh, mysterious," Argo chuckled, not taking the conversation seriously.

"I think we should go back in tomorrow and find her," Naruto told the table seriously. "She needs help." Receiving glares from the two women present, Naruto didn't back down from his stance. "I'm not doing this because I like her," Naruto exasperatedly defended himself, "I just have this feeling, if we don't help her now, she won't be there to help in a week."

Conversation took over the table, mostly affirmatives from the boys, but the two Naruto were interested in stayed silent. Meeting his eyes, Sachi sighed, "I agree, we should at least talk to her. It might be best if Argo and I do it, however." While it hurt to hear Naruto worry about another girl, Sachi thought she knew what this one was feeling. That overwhelming despair with nowhere to turn. Looking around the table Sachi was reminded how blessed she was to have so many wonderful people around her.

Argo nodded her agreement to Sachi's statement, "sounds like she's afraid of boys if she walks around with her face covered."

"So, Argo, Sachi, and I will head out early tomorrow morning to locate our mystery girl," Naruto asserted.

"Wow," Klein denied, "if you think I'm going to let you hang out with three girls by yourself you got another thing coming. I want in on this."

"So, Klein is definitely not coming," Argo commented, shutting him down. "I think Naruto coming is a good idea for raw fighting power. We should probably bring one more for insurance."

"Arthur," Sachi and Naruto declared at the same time for completely different reasons. Naruto knew that if things got tense, Arthur could be relied on to not panic. Sachi wanted Arthur around since he was the only guy here who had a chance of competing with Naruto in looks.

"One question," Tetsuo interrupted, "how do you plan on finding them, and how do you know they're still alive? I mean, shouldn't you have seen them again after that?"

"No," Naruto denied, "I told her we here farming those enemies, so she simply moved on to avoid us. I know she'll still be there because, unless my instincts are wrong, they don't leave the labyrinth."

"What?"

"No!"

"That's insane!"

The reactions came in one by one, each denial he heard the more confident Naruto was in his analysis, the state of the cloak, the un-upgraded weapon, being pulled through sword skills. Most likely she had minimal food and minimal sleep. It was hard to sleep when the footsteps and howls of the surrounding mobs permeated the air.

"Maybe we should rescue her tonight if that's the case?" Arthur inquired, willing to believe Naruto's assessment.

"Won't work," Argo disagreed, "girl doesn't think she needs help."

"Which is why we go tomorrow," Naruto continued, "Sachi and Argo befriend her, get her out of the labyrinth and maybe she'll come around."

"You know, this is quite the complex analysis you've made of someone whom you've never heard talk." Keita countered.

"Fair," Naruto assented, "but it feels right, and I'd rather worry more now and be wrong than leave someone to their death."

"Wow, you're just so good with people," Ducker sighed, "no wonder you're building a harem."

The rest of the dinner was concluded within the awkward silence Ducker had effortlessly established once again.

Monday Nov 28th, 2022

The seventh floor of the dungeon was no different then the rest of the floors. Wide hallways with narrow passages leading off of them. With chests and monsters aplenty, figuring out the floors took a long time. If you had map data, however… the task of traversing them became almost trivial. "Do you think we should give out our upper level map data?" Naruto asked his three travelling companions.

"Nah," Argo countered, "Diavel was having a party last night for clearing the sixteenth floor, so they'll be fine."

"Well, if he asks for it, I won't say no," Naruto defended, knowing the sentiment was useless. Diavel wouldn't seek Naruto out to ask for map data.

"How did we pass everyone?" Sachi asked interested. "We were so far behind at the start."

"Party size and Naruto for the most part," Argo answered easily. "Having more people reduces the stress of using continual sword skills. Additionally, you have Naruto who is a party by himself."

"Also," Arthur broke in, "I don't think you can underestimate the effect of having Klein's maturity on managing fear in the fights."

"I agree," Naruto nodded vehemently, "Apparently a lot of the parties debated quitting after they beat the mini boss. Especially ones that suffered losses on it."

"That would have been a great money-making idea," Argo exclaimed, "Selling our talents to beat the miniboss for people."

"Getting people through the game alive should be its own reward, Argo" Naruto frowned disapprovingly.

"Obviously," Argo snipped, "but the good guys need money too. It ain't easy being awesome."

Sighing at the incorrigible girl, Naruto focused on guiding his party up to eighth floor. Taking the stairs up, Naruto immediately cut down a side passage heading for where they found the girl yesterday. While he doubted she'd be hanging around the same spot, Naruto figured it wouldn't hurt to check. Upon seeing the spear enemies, he and Arthur had been farming yesterday still alive, Naruto's hunch was confirmed. She'd moved on, pushed by him and Arthur. "We head to the ninth floor," Naruto commanded, setting a direct route for the stairs up.

Arriving on the ninth floor in short order, Naruto set out to one the periphery safe zones. There were three safe zones on the ninth floor, two were hidden near the edges while one was in the middle of the direct path onwards.

"You seriously think she found this one?" Argo asked dubiously. "The one on the main path seems more likely."

"It's not like there's a wall in front of them Argo. She probably walked the whole floor fighting enemies."

"I see," Argo replied quietly, brows crunching with worry. Unconsciously increasing their pace, the group hurried towards the first safe point.

"Empty," Naruto's hollow voice rang out. "Let's head to the second one. Approaching the next safe zone, Naruto knew he had struck gold. Enemies were missing, they had been killed and recently. Loud clashes alerting them, they skid around a corner to a kobold erupting into blue polygons. "Go!" Naruto whispered urgently, pushing the two girls towards the cloaked figure before diving back behind the wall and taking Arthur with him.

"H-hey," Sachi greeted the cloaked figure awkwardly, a mixture of a smile and a scowl covering her face.

Regardless of Sachi's strange introduction, her very presence did what the boys could not, "a girl?" the cloaked figure uttered, shocked.

"Yeah, we both are," Argo confirmed joining Sachi.

"I was beginning to think I was the only one," the cloaked lady laughed. Like wind chimes, her beautiful laugh filled the corridor and chased away the gloomy atmosphere.

"I think I'm in love," Arthur whispered to Naruto from around the corner.

"Shut up," Naruto growled back quietly. But inside he understood. Her voice had lit up the labyrinth like a spell.

Affected similarly, the girls could only gape for awhile before Sachi stuttered out a reply. "Y-yes it definitely is a male demographic orientated game. B-but I mean a lot of that comes from the stigma of girls gaming in the first place, then the limited copies meant only diehard fans could get one anyways so…" realizing she was rambling, Sachi promptly cut herself off mid sentence.

"Why did you do that?" the cloaked girl asked curiously, "it was an interesting thought."

"It was?" Both Sachi and Argo asked, unsure if they had heard her correctly.

"Of course, it was. I mean, is the lower number of women in gaming due to societal differences in the genders or something else, perhaps even a philosophical outlook."

"Right," Sachi laughed nervously, "that's what I meant."

"Do you have a name?" Argo cut in, hoping to get the conversation back on the rails. "I'm Argo and the rambling one is Sachi."

"Argo?" The girl asked surprised. "As in the one writing the guidebooks?"

"That's me!" Argo answered happily.

"They have been a great service to me. My name is Asuna," the girl introduced herself, bowing politely to the girls. "As fun as this conversation has been, I'm afraid my mobs are spawning soon so I must go. If you would like to talk again, I'll be here… maybe."

With that ominous parting, Asuna turned around and began walking away. Looking at each other, Sachi and Argo were unsure of what to do.

"That's quite enough from you," Naruto growled at the receding figure making his presence known.

Freezing, Asuna turned her head to look at the person who had called out to her. It was him, that boy from yesterday. That meant those girls were a trap of his to get her to open up. Fully facing him, Asuna prepared herself to beat him down with her voice alone. Many parties had attempted to get her to join on her rampage from the Town of Beginnings to the labyrinth, all had failed. The reason? None of them could look her in the eye and tell her that they would live. No one could confidently declare they would beat the game. How could they? Trapped on the first floor for three weeks at this point did not bode well for victory.

Strutting towards the pretentious boy, Asuna looked eyes with him. Like staring into the abyss, his dark irises reflected her hazel ones. "And who do you think you are, trying to tell me how to play this game?"

"I'm not," came Naruto's surprising reply, "I'm trying to stop a depressed child from killing herself."

Mouth agape, Asuna was put off balance for the first time. "Killing myself?" she replied frostily, "No, we were all killed when that person made it so we couldn't leave this world."

"Oh really?" Naruto shot back, "I still feel alive. I've made friends, laughed, and lived. If you care enough to survive and get out of this game, you probably will."

This was the argument, where everyone fell apart. While he had been different up to this point, Asuna's victory was assured. "So, you're going to kill all one hundred of those bosses yourself?" Asuna laughed scornfully. "Can you look me in the eye and tell me, that you can defeat the one hundred bosses, their dungeons and the floors, all without dying once?"

"No," Naruto denied her, "but together with my friends, we will try to clear this game. Neither our victory nor our defeat is assured. However, to say we're already dead is disgraceful to those who fight. Besides, if your so sure you're going to die, then at least make it a worthwhile death."

"W-what?" Asuna stammered, stunned, "b-but it has already been over twenty days! At twenty days a floor, is 2000 days! That's five and a half years!"

"Stop shouting," Naruto berated her, "You're so focused on the time you haven't even considered that this is statistically the hardest floor. Everyone needs to learn how to fight, and we can generate a minor level lead over the enemies coming."

"B-but the floors…"

"Furthermore, guilds haven't been established. Once people have generated a safety net, and learn to trust those with them, it will get easier."

"It doesn't matter!" Asuna shouted, hood falling forgotten, tears streaming down her face. "My life back home is ruined! I am ruined! It doesn't matter…"

Briefly struck by the beautiful face he encountered, Naruto soaked in her features. Gorgeous… Naruto had to physically prevent himself from reaching out to wipe off the tears. "Then make yourself a new life. If you need friends, we're right here. If you need a purpose, then fight with us to free everyone. Whatever you need, just ask."

Tears streaming uninterrupted, Asuna's jaw worked itself as she formulated a reply. Willpower worn down by this strange boy in front of her, Asuna sighed, "I need to sleep."

"That's a good start," Naruto agreed, "my name is Naruto by the way."

Nodding her understanding, Asuna just quietly followed him back to the rest of the them.

Inserting herself in conversation, Sachi grinned at Asuna, "Hey! It's good to hear you'll be joining us for awhile. If you need something, Arthur over here is very helpful."

Nodding dumbly, Arthur gave Asuna a lopsided smile. Inching away from the boy, Asuna walked beside Naruto to avoid Arthur.

"You know, I was expecting more of a reaction to the name Naruto," Argo pouted at the back of the group.

Interest peaked, Asuna rose to Argo's bait, "Why would I react to it? I mean it sounds a bit grandiose…"

"Thank you," Naruto whispered profusely, thanking the heavens. "I knew she was special."

"Uh," taking a step away from Naruto, Asuna wondered if it hadn't been premature of her to accept this strange group's request.

Sitting with Sachi in his room, Naruto was trying to figure out what was wrong with Sachi. She had been giving off an angry aura ever since Argo and Asuna had split to find Asuna a bed. Pretending to scan his menu, Naruto tried to ignore the girl's intent stare.

"So, you were friendly back there," Sachi eventually spoke.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, playing dumb.

"You're going to play it that way, huh?" Sachi asked not impressed. "I mean Asuna! Sure, she's well, gorgeous beyond description, but still! How am I supposed to be your girlfriend knowing your crushing on someone else!?"

"C-crushing?" Naruto asked bewildered, "I said what I needed to. Getting her out of that labyrinth and starting to try to stay alive was the most important thing."

"Right," Sachi commented drily, "so the whole, 'I knew she was special' thing was nothing?"

"W-well, she didn't react negatively to my name, that's all."

Closing her mouth, Sachi realized she had run out of complaints to make. While the bad feeling persisted, Sachi couldn't say that. How could she justify complaining to her boyfriend that the only people he could help were men? Gritting her teeth, Sachi decided to wait for now, "I'm going to sleep for awhile. I'll see you for dinner."

Tuesday Nov 29th, 2022

"Oh man have I got a story for you guys," Argo began, mirth turning her lips into a smile. "Aa-chan here knew absolutely nothing, the fact that she's still alive is basically a miracle."

"Hey!" Asuna protested, "You said it was a secret!"

"But it's so funny!" Argo complained, "I mean you are literally using store bought iron rapiers with no upgrades!"

"I can fix that," Naruto interrupted, "I have a 'Wind Fleuret' which dropped for me a couple days ago and no one in our party uses a rapier." Handing it over to Asuna, Naruto could feel Sachi's burning gaze eating into him.

"Well, that solves one of our problems," Argo nodded happily, "all that is left now is too upgrade it. Let's go Aa-chan!"

Pulling the helpless girl along behind her, Asuna was helpless before the force that was Argo. Despite not having a say in her activities, Asuna looked almost happy, Naruto thought. Deciding to ask Argo later what she had done to cheer the girl up, he followed them to the NPC.

Asuna cautiously approached the burly blacksmith. Fitting the stereotype to a tee, the man's arms were almost as thick as Argo's torso. Wiping the sweat from his brow the man turned to Asuna, "do you need something, little miss?"

Since he was addressing Asuna, only she would have an interaction menu to use if she so desired it. This is how the game got over multiple people wanting to use the same NPC. Either they blocked access entirely like the 'Medicine of the Forest' quest, or it gave one person direct interaction and all successive ones a menu.

"Er, I've been told you can upgrade weapons?" Asuna asked nervously.

"May I have the weapon?" The blacksmith responded automatically.

Put-off by the strange response, Asuna looked to Argo for help. "All he heard was upgrade weapon. Just give it to him, you're fine."

Reinforced by Argo's confidence, Asuna took the sheathed weapon off her waist and handed it to the man. "Good sword," the blacksmith muttered, heating his forge. Stuck in a loop of animations, the NPC waited patiently for Asuna to input her desired values into the menu provided. Selecting the amount of material used and what property she wanted, the upgrade began. There were five properties one could choose: Sharpness, Durability, Quickness, Accuracy, and Heaviness. The effects of each enhancement were obvious from their names: sharpness increased damage, durability weapon resistance, quickness sword skill speed, and so on.

With the materials for Accuracy thrown in the furnace, the flame turned a bright blue. Seeing that, the blacksmith gave a satisfied grunt and inserted the Wind Fleuret. When the blade began to glow with heat, the blacksmith removed the blade and slammed on it with heavy blows from a hammer. Eight, nine, and with the tenth strike, he lowered his hammer and examined the blade. "It is done." Accepting the blade reverently, Asuna stared at it.

"Weren't you bringing it to plus two?" Naruto asked, confused at the girl's actions.

"Ah, right," Asuna blushed, obviously having forgotten that her mission here wasn't done. Handing the blade back, Asuna whipped through the menu settings and the blacksmith started the process once again.

Eyes shining bright, Asuna happily skipped at the head of the party of five. Along with Naruto and Argo, Sachi and Arthur had decided to come to the labyrinth so Asuna could get used to her new weapon. Locking eyes, Naruto and Arthur smirked at each other. While she may have still worn the hood, the skipping Asuna was a far cry from what they had met two days ago in the labyrinth.

Entering the first floor, Asuna turned down a hallway looking for something, anything to kill. Encountering a weak kobold with a rusty one-handed sword, Asuna smirked. Moving with deadly grace, Asuna fired off a 'Linear' before the mob could raise its weapon into the ready position. Striking clean through its throat for a critical hit, the mob fell back, exploding into polygons.

"Oooh," Asuna exclaimed, happily examining the shimmering blade. "I've never done that much damage before! And it like, homed in on the weak spot I was aiming for!"

"It is called Accuracy for a reason, Aa-chan," Argo teased. "Maybe we should go find something you don't one-shot, yeah?"

Finally getting a good look at the girl from the front, Naruto was confused, "Argo, did you not take her to get armor?"

By the look on the info broker's face, Naruto could tell she hadn't. "Oops?" Argo replied abashed.

"Well, it's not like she'll need it on the first ten floors anyways. She'll just need it when we reach the Kobold Assassins."

"You know I'm fully able to speak for myself?" Asuna stamped angrily. "You could have just asked me."

"Aww," Argo interrupted, "are you sad he didn't talk to you?"

"N-no, of course not!" Asuna stammered, face going red.

"And Naruto scores a third one," Arthur sighed sadly, "just when I thought I might have a chance."

As Arthur received the ire of both Asuna and Sachi for his comment, Naruto wisely stayed out it.

On the third floor, Sachi was quietly fuming to herself at the back of the party. Level seven, Asuna was level seven after only one week of fighting. Having blown through the plains, Asuna all but skipped the swamp in favor of making progress. Not only that, but the girl was better than her. Sachi had had two more weeks to practice activating sword skills and still Asuna was better.

Taking the position at the back of the party, Sachi had the important job of stopping any enemies that aggroed them from behind. Fuming silently, Sachi glared at the red caped form that was leading the party. That should have been Naruto, but he was quietly observing from the right side, not really fighting.

"Ugh," Sachi groaned, lifting her head from the floor, wondering how she had gotten here. Lifting her head, Sachi saw a kobold with a rusty handaxe standing over her. Starting another skill, Sachi's eyes went wide with fear. Screaming, Sachi covered her head and prepared for the impact. With a loud clang, something flew over top of her body. Peeking out of her arms, Sachi saw Naruto swiftly dispose of the kobold. Noticing the four of them looking at her, Sachi got up unsteadily. Hands shaking with adrenaline, Sachi tried to explain herself. Falling short, Sachi hung her head and waited for Naruto to say something.

Feeling warmth embrace her, Sachi looked up. Naruto pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "please be more careful next time."

Nodding her assent Sachi let herself be embraced. That was right, she still had him. Argo and Asuna were amazing girls no doubt, but Naruto chose her. Warmth returning, Sachi indicated that she was fine. Releasing her, Naruto stepped back to his position.

"Wait," Argo complained, "does that mean that if I screw up, I'll get a hug?"

"How about if you do something really awesome," Naruto replied easily.

"In that case, how do I get out of this hug deal entirely?" Arthur asked drily.

Nodding her assent with Arthur's statement, Asuna didn't trust herself to speak on the subject and turned to continue down the corridor. Asuna had thought she was the best in the party. She had thought that Naruto was embarrassed to fight in front of her because she was better. Doubts repressed, Asuna was amazed by what she had seen. Turning around when Sachi screamed, Naruto seemed to teleport from his location to intercept the kobold. The reaction had been instantaneous.

Noticing Argo walking beside her, Asuna looked at her questioningly. "You're confused by what you saw, aren't ya?" Argo asked quietly to keep the conversation private.

Nodding, Asuna waited with bated breath for the explanation. Was Naruto cheating? Did he have a special item?

"I've never met someone else like him," Argo admitted, crushing Asuna's expectations, "I've seen all the best players fight, and he blows them away without trying, he is quite easily the best player in the game."

Processing the information, Asuna didn't reply. That slash he had done, Asuna wasn't even sure if it had been a sword skill or not. If that was natural… then yes, he probably was the best. Extending this, Asuna wondered if maybe he could do it. If he really could free her from this game. Could she serve under this man for a hundred floors? Lost in thought, Asuna silently led the party to more monsters.

"Bath!?" Asuna asked intently, face inches from Naruto's.

"Umm, yes?" Naruto hesitantly replied, unable to move. Seeing her beautiful eyes right in front of him, Naruto was unsure as to what he was supposed to do.

"I. need. It." Asuna emphasized each word clearly.

"Ah," interpreting the meaning behind it, Naruto understood. While he hadn't meant his speech to Asuna to mean that he would fulfill her every little demand, this one was easy enough that he didn't mind. Nodding his understanding, Naruto told her. "There's a farmhouse just outside of town that we have rented for the week. Since it's nice, we usually rotate who gets to sleep there. Right now, it's Argo's turn, Sachi is visiting so she can bathe as well. You'll have to ask Argo if you can join them."

Turning to the whiskered girl, Asuna's intense expression, brooked no disagreement. "Y-yeah, it's fine." Argo relented under Asuna's terrifying stare. "S-some more girl time will do us all some good."

Glad that he had gotten out of the encounter alive, Naruto was now free for the evening. Wishing Sachi and the girls farewell, Naruto set off followed by Arthur.

"You should have seen Sachi's face," Arthur chuckled, once they were out of eyeshot of the girls, "She was livid."

"About what?" Naruto asked curiously. While he felt bad that he hadn't noticed, Naruto had been too focused on Asuna and hadn't seen Sachi's face.

"Either the fact that Asuna looked like she was going to kiss you," Arthur started teasingly, "or the fact that you looked like you wanted to kiss her."

"What!?" Naruto screeched. "I-I wasn't, I wouldn't!" Mind flashing back to Asuna's petite lips, Naruto wondered how they must taste. Growling, Naruto shook his head to focus.

"Right," Arthur sarcastically agreed, "so, you won't mind if I make a move? I mean, even with that cloak, can you imagine the body that girl has? Where was she back in the real world?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto replied stoically.

"Uh huh, well best of luck surviving the week."

With a sinking feeling, Naruto realized he needed all the luck he could get to make this work.

Sitting across from Sachi, Naruto racked his brain for something to say. The girl had come back from the farmhouse fuming. However, upon inquiry, everything was fine. Mustering his courage, Naruto gave it one more try, "so, you're back sooner than I thought you'd be."

"Oh?" Sachi growled, "am I not allowed to come eat dinner with you."

Frowning, Naruto knew something serious had happened. "Just because something upset you, doesn't mean you get to take it out on me. I'm on your team."

Roughly stabbing her food Sachi didn't reply, but her cheeks were tinted red. "Why is she so hot?" Sachi murmured unhappily. Just loud enough that Naruto's strained ears could hear her.

"I'm not sure I follow."

Rolling her eyes at Naruto, Sachi sighed. "Obviously I mean Asuna. She covers as much as she can, and your eyes still follow her!"

Shaking his head at Sachi, Naruto was at a loss. How could he convince this girl that he wouldn't cheat on her? Forcing himself to take deep breaths, Naruto repressed his building anger. "She is an unknown element in the party. I was making sure that she wouldn't make mistakes. However, I apparently should have been watching you because you were paying more attention to me than the monsters."

Flushing a bright red, Sachi's eyes glowed with righteous fury. "Yes, that's right. You should have been watching me. I should be more important to you than some random girl!"

"I trusted you to watch my back! I trusted you to protect us! How dare you accuse me of not treating you well!?" Rage finally exploding at Sachi's unreasonable demands, Naruto glared down at her.

Tears in her eyes, a shocked Sachi stared up at Naruto disbelievingly. Darting out of her chair, Sachi fled into the night leaving Naruto behind.

Chest heaving, Naruto ignored the incredulous looks from the onlooking patrons. With a final glare at the closing door, Naruto left the food on the table and stomped up to his room.

Running through the night, tears streaming from Sachi's face, she screeched to a halt at the edge of town. Breathing hard, Sachi's eyes were wild with terror, there was nowhere to go, she was trapped. Inspiration striking, Sachi dashed back down the street. Entering the center square, Sachi saw her destination, the teleport gate. Calling out her destination, Sachi returned the biggest city in the game, the Town of Beginnings.

Entering the hated square where her life was changed forever, Sachi averted her eyes and sprinted away from the black iron palace. Eyes on the ground, Sachi ran through the deserted streets; the majority of the players were huddling in inns, seeking out companionship as night fell.

"Ugh," Sachi let out a grunt as she crashed to the ground for the second time that day. Instinctively she rubbed her head despite the lack of pain. Sachi looked up to see what she had crashed into. Looking into large brown eyes, with tears falling from them, Sachi felt like she was looking into a mirror. With brown hair suspended in pigtails, the petite girl was undeniably cute.

Not bothering to get up, the girl sat there sniffling. Folding herself into a ball, she waited for Sachi to leave.

Standing up, Sachi hesitated to leave this girl here. Her short stature and youthful face indicated she couldn't be much over twelve. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," the girl replied into her knees. "I can't lose health inside city limits."

"W-well," Sachi stammered at the factual response. "I meant are you emotionally alright."

"Just because you're older doesn't mean you can tell me what to do." The girl bit back.

"I was just asking if you were okay," Sachi snapped, moving to walk past the depressed girl.

Glancing back at the unmoving form of the girl, Sachi went to walk away, clearly unwanted.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" pausing, Sachi focused on the source of the voice.

"I should've been nicer. I apologise."

"Really, it's fine." Sachi assured the girl. Giving her curled form one more look, Sachi decided to try one more time. "Is there anything you want to talk about."

Brushing herself off, the girl slowly stood up to buy herself time. "I-I wouldn't mind talking, if you have time that is."

Smiling at the girl trying to hard to act grownup, Sachi led her to a nearby tavern.

Entering the building, Sachi was struck by a wave of nausea. This was the room that she met Naruto for the first time in game. Averting her eyes, Sachi led the girl to a different part of the inn. "What's your name?" Sachi asked curiously as a way of getting conversation flowing. As someone who wasn't overly popular in school, Sachi had a lot more experience talking to the male members of her computer club.

"Silica is my name…" the girl answered slowly. Looking Sachi up and down, Silica's face fell.

"W-what?" Sachi asked worried.

"You're one of the ones that sit in the city and are waiting to get saved, aren't you?" Silica mumbled. "One of the cowards."

Mouth hung open in shock, Sachi stared at this petite girl she just met. Opening her menu in almost a trance, Sachi made her status visible and showed it to Silica.

Eyes widened as she read the level repeatedly. Rubbing her eyes, Silica gave it one more try only to find that that stubborn level eight refused to change. "Y-you fight…"

Uncomfortable with the hero worship in Silica's eyes, Sachi nodded awkwardly. "That's right."

"I'm sorry for doubting you! That's so amazing! I can't wait to join you out there!"

"What?" Sachi interrupted. Unable to follow Silica's hyper talking, Sachi attempted to calm the girl down.

"Will you bring me with you? Teach me to fight?" Silica asked, pleading in her voice.

Unable to answer, Sachi voiced her initial concerns, "why do you want to fight so badly? Aren't you worried you're going to die?"

Flushing, Silica's brown eyes bored into Sachi's black ones. "It's our duty as players. We must fight to free ourselves. If we don't, it's an insult to those who do!"

Mouth gaping, Sachi backed down from the staring contest. Heart aching, Sachi was ashamed to sit in front of this girl and pretend she fought. The only reason she ventured out to fight was because Naruto did. If he ever stopped fighting, Sachi would never wield her weapon again. Her place was by his side, or so she had thought.

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"I asked what was wrong," Silica pouted. "You ignored me to stare at your lap."

"Oh, sorry," Sachi half-heartedly replied. "Its been a bad day."

"You can tell me if you want." Silica replied, excited. Confident she was going to be regaled with tales of heroics fighting monsters, Silica sat up, eager to listen.

"So, you're jealous another girl is better looking than you and you're taking it out on your boyfriend who eventually snapped." Silica succinctly summarized after hearing Sachi's tale.

"T-that's…" Sachi tried to protest but failed to come up with a convincing argument. "I just feel like I'm losing him," Sachi sighed.

Eyes full of pity, Silica looked at the older girl unsure how she could help. While Silica knew boys didn't have cooties anymore, they were still foreign territory. Silica wasn't sure if she knew a guy she would even call a close friend, yet alone a boyfriend. Casting about her limited experience, Silica tried to come up with something to help.

Watching as Sachi's tears landed on the table, Silica swallowed. This would be her first test as an adventurer she told herself. To help her new friend. Racking her brain, Silica struggled to come with anything. Seeing no advice coming, Sachi stared morosely at her lap.

Swallowing, Silica mustered her resolve. Her brain had finally landed on the one experience that may help; the breakup she had with the girl who used to be her best friend. Apparently, Silica, or Keiko in the real world, had changed. Keiko was no longer the person she had befriended.

Using this, Silica spoke. "You need to act like the person he fell in love with. If you change to someone else, how can he be expected to love this new person?"

While Sachi felt there was something fundamentally wrong with the young girl's statement, Sachi also recognized the kernel of truth buried within. Slowly absorbing the girl's words, Sachi looked within herself. When had the problem began? The start of SAO? No. Sachi's insecurities went back even further. To a day just over two years ago. Back when Sachi and Kazuto had been close. Before the distance had started to grow between them. Before Sachi had started doing everything in her power to control Kazuto. Sachi had been invited to a 'celebration dinner' Kazuto had called it. Not often having the chance to visit his house, Sachi was thrilled.

She remembered knocking happily at the door and being let in. That's when the surprises started, it wasn't just Kazuto and his parents; it was his aunt, uncle, and cousin as well. Gazing at the young girl, Sachi felt a myriad of emotions, why was she here?

"Oh, right! I forgot to tell you that part!" Kazuto told her happily. "It's Sugu's celebration party. She was accepted into a kendo club, despite not technically being old enough! She impressed the instructors so much that they made an exception for her!"

"That's great…" Sachi mumbled. Throughout the dinner, Kazuto's focus was on his cousin. Why wasn't it on her? This one question consumed her. She was the princess of the fairy tale, wasn't she? Kazuto was her prince; this girl should find her own. But for once in her life, Kazuto was more interested in another girl. Seeing his cousin smirk at her was the last straw. She knew how Sachi felt, and apparently didn't care. Repressing the urge to cry or scream, Sachi excused herself, saying she had to leave. Finally, Kazuto focused on her, but it was too late, saying her goodbyes, Sachi didn't make it a block before collapsing in tears.

Crying there on the ground, Sachi promised herself it wouldn't happen again. That she would prevent any other girl from getting his attention. Kazuto was her hero, not theirs. He saved her when they were five. He saved her earlier that very year. That was when Sachi knew they were destined. Now, she knew she'd have to fight for him.

Thoughts reaching his far, Sachi sighed. "I've been acting like a bitch," leaning back in her chair, Sachi stared at the ceiling. She realized now how much Kazuto was hoping she would get along with his cousin. It was obvious he doted on her. She wished she could go back and do it all again. Befriend his cousin, Suguha. Agree to play catch with him, anything. Now she would be lucky if Naruto still talked to her. Her chances of being able to say his girlfriend were even slimmer…

"Yep, a total bitch," Silica happily agreed, snapping Sachi back to the present.

Giggling together, Sachi felt budding affection towards this strange young girl. "So, why were you out in the streets at night?" Sachi asked, changing the conversation to Silica.

Laughter stopping, Silica paused nervously sizing up Sachi.

"Whatever it is, I won't judge, I swear."

Having Sachi's promise, Silica breathed a sigh of relief. "I want to be a fighter… but I actually haven't fought a monster. A lady named Sasha found me. She's renting out a church and takes care of all the little children she can find."

"So, she took you in," Sachi logically concluded.

Nodding her agreement, Silica's face turned into a pout. "But I don't want to hide! I want to fight! She has no right to force me into the dinky church to twiddle my thumbs while brave people put their lives on the line to free us!"

"Well, it's a game, she literally can't force you to do anything." Sachi replied before thinking better of it.

"You're right," Silica realized, wonder on her face. "I could have left whenever I wanted. Oh, thank you so much Sachi! I can come fight with you now, right?"

"W-well, this Sasha person probably cares a lot for you. It wouldn't be right to leave without saying anything. Also, well, it takes a long time to reach where my party is."

"Oh," Silica said dully. Casting her gaze at the table, Silica thought over what Sachi had said to her. "So, if I train and reach your level, then I can join?"

Nodding her acquiescence, Sachi's heart hurt thinking of such a small girl trying to fight against the monsters she was personally terrified of.

"I think I'll try to find a party," Silica said, determined to make her dreams a reality.

"You have to promise me Silica, don't underestimate this game. Too many people have died, you aren't invincible."

"I'll be alright," Silica nodded, "I've memorized the guidebooks Argo has published. I really hope I get to meet her one day."

"She's great," Sachi agreed with a smile.

"You know her!?" Silica squeaked excitedly. "She knows everything about the game, its awesome to see a woman leading the charge to save everyone."

Nodding vaguely, Sachi felt that Silica didn't truly appreciate the dangers of fighting in Sword Art Online. "Make sure to only fight with people you trust," Sachi heard herself saying, "and leave yourself a comfortable safety margin."

Nodding eagerly, Silica drew Sachi into a tight hug. "I'll message you my progress every night! I should go talk to Sasha, I'm sure she's worried." Waving goodbye, Silica darted out of the inn, much happier than she entered.

Sighing, Sachi rested her head on the table. It had been a split-second decision to come here, and Sachi was glad that she did. Silica was so brave. Foolhardy, some may say, but brave nonetheless. Wishing she could borrow some of that courage, Sachi headed for home.

Entering the room that she shared with Naruto close to 10 pm, Sachi gulped. Lights off, Naruto sat on the couch, chin resting on his intertwined hands. Not even glancing at her, Sachi paused in the entrance. Closing the door, Sachi turned on the lights to buy herself some time.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Shocked at the voice, Sachi whirled around to face him. Locking gazes, black eyes met black eyes.

"But I need you to loosen up. I can't deal with you yelling at me every night about things that aren't my fault. It's too stressful. I need to be able to focus on leading everyone, and I can't do that right now when you always seem to mad at me about something."

Lowering her gaze, Sachi sighed. "I met someone tonight who helped me realize that. You're trying to be a hero, you're trying to save thousands of lives, and I'm standing in the way of that."

"Sachi?" Naruto asked confused.

"Maybe it would be best if we go back to being friends. That way I won't distract you. You can give everyone the attention they deserve. Goodbye." Tearing up, Sachi ran for the door unable to face Naruto any longer. Grabbing the handle, Sachi attempted to wrench the door open. Giving the unyielding door multiple tugs, Sachi noticed the arm preventing it from opening. Looking up at Naruto, Sachi had only one question, "why?"

Gazing at Sachi, Naruto knew that the question went deeper than it seemed. Eyes locked, the time they had spent together as children flashed before his eyes. Best friends. They had done everything together for awhile. From the time they met until they were twelve, they were inseparable. Naruto had always assumed it was their distinct hobbies that had driven them apart. Naruto had felt it with other friends, it was a part of growing up. You lose some friends, you make others. Sachi was the one Naruto tried to prevent from leaving. Often asking her to do something, it made it no less awkward. Sachi always seemed to want something more, Naruto just wanted his friend back.

Taking one last deep breath, Naruto collected his thoughts for Sachi. "I already told you Sachi. You mean too much to me, I could never hate you. We've been through too much. I don't know what changed, and I'm probably too stupid to figure it out; but I'm not going too lie. Playing Goblin Slayer with you, finally being able to reconnect, I was so happy. All I ever wanted was to spend time with you. I didn't recognize your feelings, and I failed you as a friend. I think that was why I initially agreed to date you, I was guilty…"

"Kaz…" Tears rolling down her face, Sachi felt each word like a dagger in her heart. This was it. Her final chance and she had driven him away. Needy, possessive, psychotic. The various descriptions of her failings bounced around her head. Energy leaving her body, Sachi fell to the ground and wept. There was no point anymore. She would sit in an inn room and wait for them to free to her. They would be better off without her, happier.

"You didn't let me finish." Naruto spoke quietly.

"What?" Surprised at being addressed, Sachi lifted her head to stare at those glistening black eyes.

"I said initially. Now, however, I enjoy waking up next to you, holding you. Hearing your theories about money grinding optimization or how the system compensates processing power by blurring the peripheries. It may be selfish of me, but I don't want to lose that. At times, I felt our old synergy return. What I'm trying to say is… I want to try again. I want you to be my girlfriend. However, you need to stop the tantrums, stop blowing up about every little thing, and most importantly, stop the jealousy."

"Kaz… no, Naruto…" Still staring at his face, Sachi felt the tears slowly dry up. He didn't hate her. Despite all the hardships she had brought him, he didn't hate her. Hope fluttering in her heart, Sachi stood up again. Facing her oldest friend, Sachi could feel it, this was it. The decisive moment of their relationship. If they went back to being friends, friends are all they would ever be. But was she brave enough to try and date him? Sachi realized now that a romantic relationship could only work between equals. She could no longer pretend to be a princess in need of saving, Sachi had to step up and stop relying on Naruto. "I want to try!"

The strong reply shocked Naruto. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Even if… even if it doesn't work. I would rather try to be make it work than eternally regret not even trying."

Smiling broadly, Naruto patted her on the head. "That's the girl I remember."

Hiding her face, Sachi nervously extended her arms. Noticing the gesture, Naruto moved forward and wrapped Sachi in a tight hug.

A knock on the door, interrupted them. Unwrapping his arms, Naruto went to answer it.

"What?" Naruto growled, facing whoever was brave enough to get in his way.

"Hey," Argo shyly winked, "you can't have been too busy, you still have your clothes on."

Blushing, Sachi peeked her head out around the door to see what Argo wanted. "Huh?" Sachi muttered in confusion. Behind Argo stood a very uncomfortable looking Asuna. Red cloak pulled low, the girl looked as if she had been forcibly dragged here.

"Ah, yes," Argo happily sang, "Aa-chan has something she wanted to say."

Pushing the unhappy girl forward, Asuna stared at her feet and made no attempt to start speaking.

"Asuna?" Naruto gently inquired.

"I wanted to say thanks," Asuna mumbled quickly.

Tilting his head in confusion, Naruto waited for Asuna to continue.

Swallowing, Asuna plowed on. "Today, I felt happy. I thought I'd never feel happiness again when I realized I was trapped in this game. But today, getting a new weapon, chatting aimlessly, and having a bath… I just wanted to thank you. You had no reason to come back for me, especially with how I initially treated you. While I still doubt we will leave this game alive… I'm glad I get to fight with you."

Speech ending, Naruto was flabbergasted by the enigma in front of him. The raw anger she had expressed yesterday was still there, but she had a reason to keep living now. Naruto didn't know what that reason was, but anything that stopped her from continuing her suicide mission was worth it.

Giving the girl a smile, Naruto rubbed her cloaked head. "Anytime Asuna, we're glad to have you."

"Hey, what about me," Argo complained, "I think I deserve some head pats."

"Of course," Naruto chuckled, patting a nearly purring Argo.

"Ahem," Sachi coughed. "I am still your girlfriend, am I not?"

Arching an eyebrow at Sachi, the girl blushed and backed down. Retracting his hand, Naruto asked the two girls, "did the two of you want to come in?"

"Skipping the threesome and going straight to the four play, how bold of you, Nar-boi." Argo exclaimed in fake shock.

"Forget I said anything," Naruto grumped.

"Wait!" Argo cried, stopping the closing door with a foot. "It's a long way back to the barn, don't you have another bed Aa-chan and I can use for the night?"

Glancing at the time, Naruto had to concede it was getting late. Sighing, Naruto opened the door to let the two of them in. Since it wasn't really all that more expensive, Naruto and Sachi had opted to get a room with two beds when they arrived in Tolbana. It seemed like the decision was coming back to bite him.

Argo strode boldly in and plopped herself on the bed. "Thanks for inviting me in," Asuna bowed demurely at the entrance.

Praying for nothing dramatic to happen, Naruto got into bed before removing his outer clothing, to Argo's disappointment.

Crawling in after him, Naruto could almost feel Sachi's disappointment at having their privacy stripped away.

"Y'all are lame," Argo sighed, "it's not like we're doing anything important tomorrow."

"But you're the one who said it was too late to go back to the barn?" Asuna asked confused.

"Ugh, haven't you ever had a sleepover?"

"Uh, well, you see… no," Asuna admitted embarrassed.

Shooting up at the information, Naruto and Sachi stared at the girl bewildered. "Really? I can't imagine you had no friends."

Looking away, Asuna shifted awkwardly. Pulling her cloak down further, she began to speak. "Friends don't get you straight A's. Hours of studying does that."

Whistling, Argo nodded appreciatively. "That's some motivation girl."

"Not really." Asuna denied. "It's not like I had a choice in the matter."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked quietly.

Twiddling her thumbs nervously, Asuna hesitated before answering. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Asuna curled into a ball on the couch in the room. "It's a bit of a long story."

"We will listen, if you consider us worthy."

Looking into the eyes of her saviour, Asuna nodded. "My family is quite rich. Ever since I was young, I would be brought to these… functions." Swallowing, Asuna continued, "my mother used brag about me to my cousins, like we were prized horses they were comparing. How not only was I top of my class, but also able to play piano, among other things. It didn't leave time for friends."

Taking a breath to stabilize herself, Asuna continued, "My brother made it through despite the expectations. I keep telling myself, that if he could do it, then so could I. Now though… the day I left my hotel room was the 21st. I chose that day because it was when my midterms were. Since I missed them, I knew I was no longer prized, no longer wanted.

"I sought out death, but instead… I found you guys." Looking Naruto full in the face, Asuna smiled.

"Oh, look out Sachi, Aa-chan's out for your man," Argo teased.

"Like you're one to talk," Sachi shot back.

"I-I'm not!" Asuna denied, face red.

"Well, I think I'm going to sleep," Naruto yawned, "it's good to have you Asuna. Night all." Stretching Naruto showed off muscular torso. All three girls stared transfixed at his well-defined abs. Feeling the gazes, Naruto awkwardly turned his back on them and tried to fall asleep; the giggling didn't help.

Naruto was unsure what time it was, maybe two or three in the morning when he noticed. Sleeping on the far edge of the bed, Naruto was practically falling off. Looking over, Sachi was a little distance away, and beside her… Argo. Smiling faintly at how the girls had gotten so close so quickly, Naruto looked farther. Sitting awkwardly on the side of the bed she now had to herself, Asuna looked… sad, Naruto thought.

Getting silently out of bed, Naruto waved Asuna over. Coming over hesitantly, Asuna peered questioningly at Naruto. Only smiling at the girl, Naruto pointed towards his vacated spot and pushed Asuna towards it. Resisting slightly out of courtesy, Naruto insisted. Giving in, Asuna allowed herself to take Naruto's position in the bed.

Giving the three girls one last look, Naruto went over to the second bed. Crawling into the cold sheets, Naruto sighed. Guilt attacked him. He hadn't lied to Sachi, he did enjoy dating her. The problem was he could see himself with other girls as well. The time spent with Argo, her teasing and yelling had undoubtably saved his life. He was eternally grateful, and enamored, he admitted, with the sly info broker. If his problems ended there Naruto would have rejoiced, but now there was Asuna. Naruto had barely spoke to her, but her spirit was beautiful. Eternally shooting forward at full force, the girl was dazzling.

These problems didn't even include his cousin. After trying to get Sugu and Sachi to get along, Naruto had given up on introducing people to his cousin. For some reason the thought of telling Sugu he was in a relationship brought an image of her wielding a shinai to mind. Thoughts shifting, Naruto finally thought about 'her'. Someone who had altered his life and left. Shaking his head, Naruto stopped himself from even thinking about 'her'. She was gone now, and anything that may have been there couldn't exist anymore.

Caught in a state between waking and sleeping, Naruto allowed himself to consider the words Argo had mentioned, a harem… Dismissing it after a brief pause, Naruto laughed at his own stupidity. Polygamy was all but extinct in the real world. It just wasn't done. Who was he to think he deserved any of these girls anyway? Cursing his inability to process his feelings, Naruto's exhausted mind finally fell into the world of dreams.

Author's Notes:

Hello again!

Hopefully you enjoyed the penultimate chapter of part 1! I've got to say, the drama is a lot harder to write than the action. I really agonized over a couple of those sections and I think they definitely could use more work, but that would stall out the story too much. Anyways, a couple of more girls have entered the scene, and Naruto's troubles have grown :P and Sachi's issues have finally come too light. I'll probably upload the final chapter in a week, so see you then.

Later!