Chapter 11
November 12th, 2023
The 45th Floor was one of the creepy Floors. The trees all looked bare and sparse, with skeletal fingers grabbing at the sky, and the carpet of dead leaves crunched underfoot. Even when the sun was high in the sky it was gloomy, and once the moon came out it was nearly impossible to pick out the path from the fog that covered the entire Floor. Leafa didn't mind all that much, really; as long as she could swing her sword, she wasn't going to be afraid of anything. It actually reminded her of when she and her big brother would go out on Halloween, both of them in costumes and trying to get as much candy as possible. Which, come to think of it, they hadn't ever done with Asuna. Hmm, would she have better Halloween hauls because of where she lived? Or would it maybe be worse since there were fewer houses?
Definitely a dilemma. Leafa decided that she'd bring it up when they managed to beat the game and were back home again. SAO was a lot of fun (as long as she ignored the whole death game thing, which... well, she was trying) but it couldn't really pull off a proper Halloween. The event mobs had been neat, but she was glad the pumpkins stopped spawning everywhere...
"So where are we going, Argo?" Silica asked the info broker.
Argo glanced around, then down at the map she was carrying in her hands. "Mmmm... This way, pretty sure," she said, pointing towards a small gap in the trees. "Hate this fog, worse than Floor 3," she grumbled, before glancing over her shoulder at Silica. "Heard rumors from NPCs in town that there's a creepy church out in th forest, so I figured I'd take a look m'self. See if there's any info worth sellin'. It's gotta be there fer a reason."
Leafa just hummed happily, walking on Kirito's left. Asuna was on his right, pressing suspiciously closely to him - so close she'd actually grabbed onto his arm and was holding it to her chest, ignoring anything else nearby. Even the random environment noises made her flinch a little bit, burying her face in his chest. Leafa was pretty sure nobody else noticed what was going on, though, since the three of them were walking at the back; Silica and Lisbeth were walking with Argo in order to protect the girl while she read the map.
Asuna had made it through Floor 5 without revealing her secret by only leaving the inns if she was alone with Kirito, Leafa, or both of the Kirigaya siblings. That being said, Leafa was pretty sure she wasn't going to make it through this Floor as well.
"Ah, there it is!" Lisbeth said, pointing up ahead of them. "Finally!"
A large, ominous church loomed out of the fog, appearing in front of them abruptly. The Royal Blades passed through a wrought-iron gate with ornate twists in the metal, following a simple dirt path towards the front door. Graves, tilted and clustered together, lined either side of the road. It looked a lot like typical gothic architecture she'd seen in a bunch of the games she'd watched Kirito play back in the real world. As they got close to the front door, Kirito gently leaned over and nudged Asuna. "You should let go," he whispered to her. Asuna hugged his arm a little tighter for a second before letting go, brushing her hair back and putting on a brave face.
The door to the church creaked open as Lisbeth and Argo pushed on it. "Of course it's creaking," Silica complained, shivering despite the tepid temperature. "Is it just me or does this place feel like it's going to fall apart?"
"It even feels run-down," Leafa mentioned. The inside was just as dreary as the outside; lit by candles flickering on the walls, the place was clearly abandoned, with a few pews shifted out of line and one or two just outright destroyed and reduced to kindling. A large stained glass window - just colorful glass, no image as far as Leafa could tell - took up the right wall, sending little patches of colored light dancing across the ripped carpet. "We should be careful where we step, it might break."
Argo folded her map away and rubbed her hands together. "Alright, let's get ta lookin', shall we?" The info broker's new battle equipment gave her an almost roguish air when combined with the grin on her face; her new brown hood only covered her upper body, but was higher quality than before and had a lighter strip of color along the edges. The hood was part of a coat that covered most of her arms, though it had slits to leave the upper arm exposed; Argo had paired the hood and jacket with a green scarf and a dark crop top, leaving her stomach exposed aside from a few straps crossing across her back. Her pants were lighter brown than the hood and jacket, and only went to her knees; the side slit exposed most of her thighs, though Leafa couldn't see any underwear visible. A few bonus pouches for items hung off of her black belt that sat loosely on her hips.
The Rat was clearly excited to start poking around and see what secrets this Safe Zone held, but Kirito reached out and caught the back of her hood before she could take more than a few seconds. As she squawked in surprise, he said, "Maybe we should look at the altar first?"
"It does stand out," Lisbeth said. "Y'know, with the whole candles surrounding it thing."
Argo sighed. "Okay, fine, we'll look there first. Buzzkills," she muttered under her breath. Leafa and Asuna giggled at her clear disappointment, played up for theatricality like she always did.
Of course, the altar was the first place Leafa would have looked anyway; it was the most suspicious place in the whole church, after all. The carpet led straight towards it, and it was lit up by a ton of candles scattered around. It was eerily like a ritual was taking place, or maybe that it had been interrupted halfway through? Leafa wasn't quite sure. Either way, she followed the others and approached the altar.
Asuna was the first one there, and she gasped in shock. "Oh! Look, it's two rings!" Sure enough, when Leafa clustered around the others, Asuna was right - there were two rings resting on the top of the altar. They were both darkened by time and wear, but they still seemed like they'd fit a finger. "Hm, they seem old..."
"Let me see, Asuna," Leafa said, and Asuna obligingly handed the ring over.
"But why are there two?" Kirito asked, reaching for the second ring as Leafa held the one in her hands up to the light. "This has to be -"
The instant his fingers brushed the ring still on the altar, a bright light shone from both rings. Leafa was forced to shield her eyes as it got brighter and brighter, and then it finally disappeared. She blinked the spots from her vision, rubbing at her eyes with both hands - Ah! "Hey, where did it go?" Leafa asked, staring at her empty hand. "I was holding onto the ring, and then it just disappeared..."
"Oh?" Argo's eyes were intense and lively as her hand darted out to catch Leafa's. "What's all this?" She turned Leafa's left hand over, and everyone gasped in shock. The ring that had been in her hands was now sitting snugly around her left ring finger. "Guess it equipped itself."
"Wha... Hey, this won't come off!" Kirito complained. The others looked over at him, only to realize that he was tugging at a ring on his own left ring finger. It was the matching ring to Leafa's own. "It's... stuck!"
"Gyahahaha! Finally, it's time!" The old, creaky voice surprised everyone, and they all whirled. An old man in a ratty dark robe was standing by a doorway, raising his skeleton-thin arms in the air. "Soon! Soon my greatest wish will come to pass!" He lowered his arms and stared at the Royal Blades, his eyes bright with madness. "Feed my creation with your life, sacrifices! You shall know the true distance between the two of you, and suffer for it! Gyaaahahahaha!"
With another mad cackle, the man turned and fled through the door. It boomed shut behind him, before cracking open just a hair. At the same time, a quest prompt popped up and scrolled down, updating itself automatically.
"Yes!" Argo grinned victoriously, pumping her fist in the suddenly silent church. "Got it! Now, let's take a lil' look at th' quest, huh? Lessee... 'Ritual of the Joining', eh?"
Lisbeth grinned. "That sounds suspiciously like something a brother and sister shouldn't be doing," she said. She nudged Leafa's side with her elbow. "Eh? Eh?"
"K-Knock it off, Liz," Leafa protested weakly. B-But the rings were on their ring fingers, just like w-w-wed... A brilliant blush bloomed over Leafa's face and she whimpered quietly, staring at the cool metal band on her finger. M-M-M-Married to her big brother... Almost without realizing it, she pressed her left hand to her heart, feeling it beat so rapidly.
Silica tilted her head thoughtfully. "...Is it supposed to be a marriage band, or an engagement ring?" she asked.
Leafa let out a squeak and abruptly tried to leave, too mortified to be standing there. Her steps were quick and hurried, and she wasn't sure where to go except she didn't want to be the center of attention, so she - "Wahh!" she exclaimed as her foot caught on a piece of stone that wasn't quite level. She fell flat on her face, a cartoonish whump sound echoing out as if the Cardinal game engine had decided to make fun of her too.
The others blinked in silence as she sat up, kneeling. "Ow..." she muttered, rubbing at her forehead.
Asuna smiled faintly as she walked over and patted Leafa's head. "Let's focus on clearing the quest," she said. "Argo, does the quest log mention our goal?"
Argo glanced at the blushing Leafa and then Asuna, before visibly shrugging, her cloak rippling. "Nothin' special," she said. "Jus' that we need ta chase after that guy in th' bathrobe. Also, might wanna figure out what 'xactly the curse on Kii-boy an' Leafa is 'fore we get in trouble."
She gestured upwards with a finger and Leafa checked her HUD out of habit before gasping. They were cursed; a purple skull icon was sitting next to her health bar, a matching one beside Kirito's HP bar. "It doesn't... seem to do anything," she said, checking her stats. They were the same as before. Maybe it's just to show that we can't take the rings off?"
"Maybe," Argo shrugged.
"We'll worry about it when it's an issue," Kirito said firmly. "Everyone ready?" A chorus of female voices agreed in the affirmative, and they all headed towards the door the quest NPC had vanished through. As Leafa scrambled to her feet and followed him, she left the Safe Zone - or, she mentally added, this was counted as a dungeon so it didn't apply - and shivered a little bit. They were in the back of the church, now; the hallways seemed to twist and wind, though paradoxically it was better-lit thanks to more candles on the wall.
The first thing they encountered was a split in the path. Frowning, Silica and Lisbeth both peered down each branch, before shaking their heads. "I can't tell which one's the right way," Silica reported. Lisbeth just spread her arms helplessly.
"Guess we're splittin' up?" Argo offered. The girls and Kirito exchanged a round of glances. Naturally, they were going to be looking for all the dead-ends first; Leafa had learned well at the foot of Kirito's RPG knowledge. That's where all the treasure was. "Hm..."
"I'll go with Kirito," Lisbeth said, raising a hand. Argo raised an eyebrow, and Lisbeth poorly hid a smirk behind her hand. "You can come with us, Argo."
Leafa considered pressing her sibling advantage but shrugged when Asuna didn't protest. "This way," the long-haired girl said, "we're fairly evenly split between damage and defense."
"Okay," Silica said. Pina chirped and flapped her wings from her perch on Silica's shoulder.
The two groups nodded at each other and split up; Leafa, Asuna, and Silica headed left, while Kirito, Argo, and Lisbeth took the right path. They'd either meet up when the paths crossed or one group found a -
"Agh!" Leafa exclaimed as her body suddenly locked up, going numb. Her health started plunging, way too fast for comfort. Shaking, she collapsed into Asuna's arms, her vision rapidly pulsing red and black. "A-Asuna..."
"Sugu!" Asuna shouted, immediately concerned. "Your HP! ...And Kazuto's, too! What's going... the curse!"
She felt Asuna move her backwards, pulling her body - and then abruptly the numbness disappeared and her health stopped dropping. Gasping for breath, Leafa huddled in Asuna's arms for safety. "What happened?" Silica asked, eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay, Leafa?"
"I think so," she said. After she took a few more deep breaths, she stood up. Asuna's embrace was still soothing, though, so she kept hugging her almost-big sister. It was pretty much set in stone she was going to be her big sister, at least. They'd spent enough time together that it felt that way. "I don't know why the curse suddenly activated, though."
"Heeeey!" Lisbeth called. The other group of three was hurrying down the corridor towards them, Lisbeth helping Kirito stay upright. They were only a few steps away. "You guys okay?"
When they met, Asuna immediately pulled Kirito into a hug before fussing over him, making sure he was okay. "I was so worried," she said, hands pressing and probing his chest as if their bodies could actually get hurt. "Did you drink a potion yet? Here, drink this..." She pressed a potion into Kirito's hand and one into Leafa's as well, and then watched like a hawk while they both drank them. Leafa didn't mind the fussing, honestly.
While that was going on, Lisbeth, Silica, and Argo were trying to figure out why the two cursed players had suddenly started losing health. "It only happened once we got far enough down the halls," Lisbeth said.
"So it's definitely related to th' curse, right?" Argo said, tugging idly at her hair. "But what triggered it? We weren't fightin', so it's not that..."
Silica tilted her head, making her twintails bounce. "Um, didn't that weird guy say something about knowing the true distance, and suffering?"
The girls all turned to look at Leafa and Kirito. Leafa glanced at Kirito herself; they were standing next to each other, having just finished the potions. They were perfectly fine, the curse just sitting up there and doing anything. "Wait... So Kazuto and I... we can't be too far apart, or we start losing HP?" she asked.
"Looks that way," Argo shrugged.
Leafa looked at Kirito, then back at Asuna, before a wide, smug grin spread over her face. She giggled and grabbed Kirito's arm, lacing her fingers with his. Before he could so much as blink, she was holding his left hand. "Well then, this will make sure we don't get too far apart," Leafa said with a grin. All the others stared at her, while Asuna just sighed and shook her head. "I'll just hold Kazuto's hand and never let go unless it's absolutely, definitely necessary!"
Kirito looked at his hand. "Uh, Leafa..."
"What? We're siblings, it's fine," she said, shamelessly playing her trump card immediately.
Kirito scratched his cheek. "Well, if you don't mind, I guess it's fine," he said sheepishly. Leafa just giggled happily. She got to hold hands with her big brother all dungeon! This was the best!
Since they couldn't split up Leafa and Kirito, the groups had to be re-shuffled. In the end, they just decided to stick together as one group, especially since Kirito and Leafa couldn't fight properly. Sure, this might not be the most efficient way to do this, Leafa thought, but it was the most fun!
Argo and Silica were the scouts, so to speak, and when the two of them backed up, Leafa prepared for combat - or, as well as she could with one hand clasped with Kirito's. Her katana was practically unusable, but one-handed was still better than nothing. Beside her, Kirito drew his new red sword and held it in front of him. "We've got trouble," Argo called back. "Mobs!"
They prepared for battle, Lisbeth stepping up to stand next to Silica - and then three pale, translucent shapes appeared, screeching and howling. The Vengeful Ghosts had ragged edges to their spectral forms, and long stringy black hair that hid their face. Their larger-than-normal hands reached out, dirty black claws scraping against Silica and Lisbeth's shields.
"Noooooo!"
The three fighters jumped at Asuna's shriek of fear. Fortunately, they didn't let their guard down, and Argo leapt to slash at the Vengeful Ghosts' sides while they were occupied trying to attack the two tanks. "The heck's that?" she shouted as her claws slashed apart the spectral forms, only to click her tongue when they reformed. "Tch, hate fightin' these things wit'out silver weapons..."
Meanwhile, Asuna was doing her level best to pretend she was literally a part of Kirito and Leafa. The siblings had, naturally, wrapped their arms around the shivering form of the Royal Blades' second-in-command as soon as she turned and screamed. It was hard to hug her properly with their weapons out, but they tried. "Asuna, you have to fight," Kirito said awkwardly. "Argo can't do this on her own, and..."
"No," Asuna wailed, pressing her face into his chest without shame. "I can't! You know how I feel about this stuff!"
...
The final shriek of the Wraith of Regret died away, and the players sheathed their weapons. As a heavy clunk at the other end of the room signaled the opening of the door now that the miniboss was defeated, everyone turned to look at Leafa, Kirito, and Asuna. More accurately, Leafa thought, they turned to look at Leafa, Kirito, and the shivering limpet named Asuna. She'd steadfastly refused to do anything other than press her face into Kirito's side the whole time they were making their way through the dungeon, from the beginning of the quest until they'd found the miniboss, and now that they were safe Leafa knew the questions were about to start coming.
"Um, Asuna," Lisbeth said slowly, "the boss is gone."
Asuna squeezed her eyes shut harder. Kirito rubbed the top of her head, gently stroking her hair. "Asuna, the ghost is gone now," he whispered fondly. "You can let go."
She peeked up at him, teary-eyed, and then coughed, letting go. Leafa just gently rubbed her best friend's back soothingly. "Are you, maybe..." Silica said, "...afraid of ghosts?"
"I-I don't know why!" Asuna exclaimed. "And it's just them, nothing else!" She shivered.
Leafa nodded. "We tested it pretty thoroughly," she said, keeping a straight face as she remembered the late nights teasing Asuna with ghost stories and movies. "Asuna's fine with anything else, but as soon as it's the little bit ghost-y she's clinging to Kazuto."
"Hey, Sugu, don't tell them that!"
Leafa giggled, then wrapped her arms around Asuna in a warm hug. The older girl was still shivering a little bit, but as she hugged Asuna the shivers slowly faded away. Then another warm body joined the hug, and then another and another and another. Leafa looked up in surprise to see that everyone had joined in, forming a huge hug pile with Asuna in the center.
"Aah, let me go," Asuna complained half-heartedly. "I'm fine now that it's gone!"
"Mm, A-chan hugs," Argo said happily, nuzzling against Asuna's front. What little Leafa could see of the short girl's face held a wide smirk. "They're the best."
"Argo!" Asuna squeaked.
Everyone else just laughed cheerily. Once they let the flustered girl go, Asuna smoothed out her skirt and ran her fingers through her hair. "Alright, let's keep going," Lisbeth said. "The sooner we get through the dungeon, the sooner Kirito and Leafa can get those rings off their fingers."
Leafa glanced at the ring in question, and then gasped in shock. It was glowing a pale yellow, and as she watched some of the rust and tarnish fell away. Bits of the ring now gleamed in the light, a brilliant silver color reflecting firelight like little stars. "Ah, that's pretty," Silica gasped. "Do you think it's because we beat the boss?"
"If it is," Argo said, "we got a few more ta deal with. Those rings're still pretty dirty."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Leafa asked. "Let's get going!" With a determined stride, she headed for the door -
- And then remembered she couldn't leave Kirito's side for more than a few steps, and headed back to him sheepishly before gripping his hand tight. "Wow, these rings are getting Leafa to stop charging ahead," Lisbeth laughed. "She can learn."
"Hey, Liz," Leafa protested, giggling a little bit. "I'm not that bad."
Asuna smiled weakly. "You are a little headstrong, Sugu..." Betrayed by her almost-sister! Leafa could only gape in shock.
"If it keeps up, maybe we'll just keep wearing the rings," Kirito laughed. Leafa felt a hot blush creep up the back of her neck and light her entire face on fire. S-So he doesn't... Uwaaah! She wailed inside her head silently. Everything was just too much today!
The next area was definitely creepy. Instead of pushing through the back hallways of the church, they were forced to take a detour outside when the next door turned out to be locked. In their detour outside, they ended up passing through a graveyard; the thin light from the sun filtering through a layer of fog was their only source of light. It wasn't raining, fortunately, but it was just dark enough that the mobs were a constant surprise. Asuna was incredibly glad that the mobs were zombies that rose from the grave and not more astral-type monster, Leafa knew, and the beautiful girl was back in full action.
Of course, since now there were two DPS fighters, Leafa and Kirito didn't have to worry about much fighting unless a zombie appeared behind them or slipped around the two tanks and the two swordswomen. Leafa didn't mind. That just meant she got to enjoy holding her big brother's hand even more than before!
This time, they encountered the next miniboss in a dirt clearing, the wrought-iron fence forming a ring. They couldn't just walk by the clear spawn point for the zombie since the gate leading out was locked with a chain padlock. The Royal Blades didn't even bother searching for a key or anything, they just drew their weapons and walked forward.
The Spare Body died just like every other zombie mob they'd fought so far, just... slightly slower. Leafa and Kirito did fight this time, since the arena was designed to be small enough for them to fight without activating the curse. With all six Royal Blades fighting, it didn't last long enough for them to really register what they were fighting. "Huh," Lisbeth said as the rotting corpse shattered. "...That was easy."
"Who cares," Argo shrugged. "Th' gate's open, so we can keep goin'."
"The rings are glowing again," Silica said. This time, it was a pale blue glowing coming from the rings on Leafa and Kirito's ring fingers; when it faded away, more of the tarnish had faded, revealing small blue gems along the center of the rings, spaced apart evenly along the entire ring. "Ooh, that's pretty."
"Yeah," Leafa breathed, lifting her hand to stare at it. The silver of the ring was still pretty dirty, and naturally it still couldn't be removed, but she idly thought that she wouldn't mind keeping it on, if her big brother thought it looked nice...
In the end, it was about a thirty minute detour that led right to the other side of the door; Asuna slid a bolt lock out of place and nodded in satisfaction. "Should we go restock on healing items?" she asked the others. "We're being careful, but better safe than sorry."
"I don't think the curse will go away until we finish the dungeon," Leafa said slowly. "It's manageable now, but out in the open might be a problem."
"She's right, it's better to not risk it," Kirito said. Then he grinned at Asuna. "Unless you feel like going back through the first part of the dungeon? I think the mobs probably respawned by now."
Immediately Asuna walked away from the door, her back stiff and straight. Leafa giggled. "Geez, you two, stop winding her up," Lisbeth sighed. Silica sighed as well, and Argo cackled before patting Asuna's back in consolation. Leafa just smiled mischievously and promised herself she'd give Asuna a huge hug at the end of the day for putting up with them. After four years of dealing with the Kirigaya siblings, Asuna definitely deserved all the affection Leafa could give.
The third segment of the church dungeon took them upstairs; most of the monsters were skeletons in ill-fitting armor and weak swords, but they knew how to use Sword Skills which made them the most threatening mobs they'd fought that day. Aside from the midbosses, Leafa added mentally. The halls were mostly the same, aside from the mobs that would burst through doors at random; they were, however, designed to all but force the players apart with traps and twisting passages. If Leafa hadn't been happily attached at the hip with her big brother, they definitely would have been split up and forced to lose health.
Before much longer, they had explored everywhere, collecting all of the treasure. At first it seemed like they'd run into a dead end upon entering the last room they hadn't mapped, but Asuna peered out a large window in the room, an anomaly in the design of the level. "You can get to the roof from here!" she gasped.
Naturally, it was shut tight - and naturally, as they approached it, the third midboss appeared. It fell from the ceiling in a pile of bones, armor, and steel before slowly reassembling itself, clicking and clacking as the bones pulled themselves together. The Royal Blades gathered themselves and prepared to fight the Soulbound Skeleton as the two HP bars filled themselves. The skeleton clacked its jaw at them, seemingly cackling at them, before it raised its heavy steel-tipped club and charged.
Unlike the other two midbosses, this one was pretty tough; Leafa was glad their party had three tanks, since they could keep cycling Hate skills and loop the boss in an endless cycle of charging attacks that left it wide open after the charge ended. The biggest problem they ran into, honestly, was that they didn't have a source of consistent blunt-type damage. Since Lisbeth was the only one that used a mace or hammer, it limited their options; she did what she could, but the sheer length of the battle meant that they took more damage than usual out of attrition.
When they finished draining the last bit of HP, the boss crumbling into a pile of bones before shattering into blue polygons that floated away, the large window creaked open. "Guess we're headin' outside," Argo said with a shrug. She padded over to the window and pulled at the windows. "Ack! Hey, Liz, gimme a hand, they're stuck." While the two girls tugged on the windows, the two wedding bands glowed red. It felt warm on Leafa's finger, and she cradled it against her chest. The glow faded away, and she lifted her hand to take a look - "Wah!" Argo yelped as she and Lisbeth tugged extra hard on the windows, toppling over when they flew open without resistance - at the change. This time, the last of the tarnish had disappeared, leaving a beautiful silver band with ornate carving.
"I think we're almost there," Kirito said. "The rings look like they're new." Leafa glanced over to see Silica and Asuna cooing over how beautiful his band was. He looked up and met her gaze, smiling at her, and Leafa beamed back happily.
"Stupid windows," Lisbeth muttered, brushing herself off. "Alright, people, let's go!"
They filed out through the window, climbing onto the roof of the church. Leafa shivered; storm clouds had blocked out even the weak light the sun was casting. A chill wind was blowing, and she leaned over. Kirito, naturally, was super warm, and she took the chance to bask in the spot of heat before anything happened.
"Fools!"
Oh, there it is, Leafa thought as lightning cracked in the sky, illuminating the roof. It wasn't raining, fortunately. When the lightning flashed again, the old man was standing on the roof in front of them. "How dare you interfere?! When I'm so close to bringing her back, you try to stop me?!"
"Oh, so he's a necromancer," Silica said, clapping a fist against her palm. "I wonder who he's trying to bring back?"
"Prob'ly his wife, or daughter, or somethin'," Argo said with a shrug. "Rings're makin' me think wife."
The church bells started tolling, and the necromancer's wide mouth spread into a mad grin as he cackled. "At last! With your deaths, she will have enough energy to be reborn! Come!"
As the bell rang one final time, reverberating throughout their body, another lightning strike lit up the night. A massive figure, just barely human-shaped, was standing up on top of the bell tower. As the light faded as swiftly as it appeared, an inhuman roar echoed throughout the darkness. The shape jumped from the tower, briefly silhouetted against the clouds, before it slammed onto the roof, shattering it. "A forced transport!" Kirito shouted as they fell. "This is definitely the final boss!"
They all landed in the chapel they'd started in, the altar at the back glowing an ominous purple color while the necromancer chanted over it. In front of them, the creature that had jumped down and shattered the roof reared up and let out another howl. It was misshapen, but Leafa was pretty sure it was supposed to be a human; long stringy hair clumped in patches, and its arms were as thick as tree trunks, forcing the tall creature to stand in a hunchback. The Failed Experiment... It had three health bars, marking it as the final boss of the area. They started to fill slowly, and -
"...Huh?" Lisbeth asked when the last health bar stopped filling halfway, the other two still empty. "What?"
"What?!" the necromancer shrieked. "How did your drained life only fuel my creation that much?!"
"Nya hah hah!" Argo cackled gleefully as the Failed Experiment howled and started thundering toward them. "Its HP is equal to how much Kii-boy an' Leafa lost! An' since they stuck together like glue, it's got nothin'!"
"Scatter!" Kirito called, and they all split up and jumped to the side as the Failed Experiment hammered its fists down, the wooden ground cracking under the strength of the blow. Leafa drew her katana with the ring of metal leaving its sheath and immediately slashed, using the Crit Draw bonus unique to the Katana weapon. It scored a damaging hit on the side of the boss, a small chunk of the already low HP bar vanishing from the blow.
With a howl, the Failed Experiment lashed out with a heavy hand, catching Leafa in the side. With a cry, she went flying, crashing through one of the rotten pews. She didn't lose much health, either from the blow or until Kirito got to her side, but the curse icon in her HUD flashed and she heard a dismayed cry from Silica. "It got health back!"
"Be careful!" Asuna called. "The curse is still active, if Kazuto or Sugu take damage then it'll regain some health!" Leafa winced, regretting her hasty attack already. She'd lost health and given the boss some more. "Sugu, Kazuto, hang back!"
"We'll try!" Kirito shouted, and the Failed Experiment's head swiveled to stare at him. "But I don't think it likes us!" He was forced to dodge as the Failed Experiment pounced, landing in the pews and crushing the one where he'd been standing.
Leafa wished she could rush in and attack, but she couldn't risk getting hit again and letting her health be drained. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her katana, but she forced herself to avoid charging. Yes, she could keep her cool in a kendo match, but this wasn't anything like that. Her beloved big brother, her Asuna, her everyone was in danger! But... but if she attacked, she would just be putting them in more danger.
With her hand and his clasped together, Leafa and Kirito jumped away from the Failed Experiment's next lunge. It crashed through the pews again, stumbling on its own legs and toppling to the ground. Instantly, the eyes of the other girls flashed with predatory instinct and they pounced. In a normal fight, where the players being cursed would have lost more health along the course of the dungeon, the opening would only be enough for a small amount of damage.
This, however, wasn't a normal fight. The girls were all very high-level, as befitting the most powerful guild on the front-lines. As well, the boss had incredibly low health, thanks to Leafa and Kirito never splitting apart through the entire dungeon aside from the first time the curse triggered. Finally, all of the girls had... incentive to finish the fight as quickly as possible.
Essentially, the boss had no chance once it made itself vulnerable that very first time.
As the Failed Experiment shattered and disappeared, the necromancer let out a shriek. "No... No! All my hard work..." he wailed. Unearthly green fire rose up around him, the backlash of his necromancy finally catching up to him, and with another wail the old NPC faded away.
Leafa opened her mouth to speak and congratulate the girls, but a bright white light shone from her hand. She winced, covering her eyes - and when it faded away and she could see again, the curse icon was gone from her HP bar, and Kirito's as well. "It's gone!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm not cursed anymore!"
"Then you can prob'ly take off th' ring, right?" Argo said, staring at her intently. "Right?"
"Eheheh..." Leafa really didn't want to take off the ring... Well, before she took it off however reluctantly, she opened her menu to check out what exactly the ring was. "Oh! It's got really good stats!" she said with surprise. It hadn't been effective while cursed, but the Ring of Life's Bonds boosted stats all around. VIT, STR, DEF, DEX, AGI... Everything got a nice little lift.
"Let me see, Sugu... Oh wow, that is nice!" Asuna exclaimed.
Well, that settled it. It was definitely better than anything she was wearing before. Giggling, Leafa clutched at her hand. "Yep, I'm keeping it on. You're doing the same, right, Kazuto?"
"I guess," Kirito said. Leafa smiled at him before catching Asuna's eye and grinning incredibly smugly. Asuna, for her part, just rolled her eyes, huffing quietly and folding her arms before turning away.
"At... At least switch it to the right hand!" Silica exclaimed, clenching her fists. Pina let out a cry, flapping her wings. Lisbeth and Argo both nodded in agreement.
Kirito stared at them in surprise, before visibly shrugging and opening his menu. The rings on his fingers flashed briefly before the ring that had previously been on his left hand was on the mirroring finger on his right. Leafa let out a small sigh of defeat before reluctantly switching the finger she was wearing hers on as well.
They were still matching, which was enough. "How come you gave those two the rings?" Lisbeth asked Asuna.
Asuna crossed her arms defensively. "How was I supposed to know they were cursed? Or that they were engagement rings?! And it could have been any of us that ended up engaged to Ka- I mean, any of us could have been cursed!"
It was enough for now. For now, Leafa promised herself.
November 20th, 2023
The 47th Floor Boss fight had gone fairly well. Despite being a fierce Floor, with tough enemies and an environment that was just as dangerous - the tall cliffs were a definite falling hazard, especially since so many of the mobs specialized in knockback attacks and charges that could easily carry players off and to their deaths - the Boss fight itself had once again been cleared without casualties despite the threatening nature of the massive wyvern they were fighting. That marked the thirteenth Boss in a row that had zero casualties.
Of course, no casualties wasn't the same thing as no injuries.
"What were ya thinkin'?!" Argo all but screeched at Kirito. "Ya big idiot!"
Kirito frowned slightly. "I don't know why you're so upset, Argo," he said. "The healing crystal fixed everything."
"Ya still lost yer hand!"
...
The argument in question was thanks to Kirito's questionable action during the boss fight; he'd thrown himself in the way of the boss's desperation attack when a player in the KoB had frozen in place, unable to move for whatever reason. The boy's partners had tried to carry him away, but because the boss had been attacking, they wouldn't have been able to get out of the way in time. They were absolutely, a hundred percent dead - until Kirito had thrown himself in the way of the blow, using his Dual Blades skill to parry the powerful attack as best he could. Unfortunately, since it had been a hasty attempt, solely to save their life, he had been vulnerable, and its blade had cut off his right hand at the wrist.
He'd been able to recover his Burning Heart blade, fortunately, but it meant that he was mostly out of the fight. The temporary Max HP penalty for losing a limb was severe, and this boss was powerful; even being slightly weakened was dangerous. Asuna and Leafa had all but bullied him off to the side, where he was forced to sit. Silica had even given Pina strict orders to guard Kirito until the fight was over.
Fortunately, the battle was over quickly enough. The victors would describe the Royal Blades as furious to a person; as such, the poor boss was shredded by claws, a rapier, a katana, a longsword, and a mace. Once the combat finished, it was only a matter of time before they returned to the Safe Zone; Kirito's hand reappeared as soon as the debuff was wiped away.
Of course, just because the hand reappeared didn't mean the girls stopped worrying. Lisbeth immediately gripped his hand, lacing her fingers between his. "So warm... Like it was always there," she whispered.
"And you're sure you're not hurt, Kazuto?" Asuna pressed, hovering near his other side. The only reason she hadn't snatched Kirito up and insisted on checking his hand herself was that Leafa had already claimed his left arm for her own, hugging his arm close to her chest.
The whole time, Silica kept close to Kirito's heels, almost stepping on them from time to time when he had to stop or slow down after Lisbeth or Leafa pressed a little closer. Pina was constantly letting out a slow, quiet keen, as if sensing that her master was worried sick.
Of everyone there, only Argo wasn't visibly upset. That was, as long as nobody knew Argo as well as Kirito and the others did. She was quiet and subdued, barely doing more than trudging along a little bit behind the guild. Normally, she would be full of energy, laughing and joking about how much money she was going to make on her newspaper, but she was totally silent. Kirito glanced back out of the corner of his eye to see her staring straight ahead, like she was trying to memorize his appearance without missing a single thing.
When they got home, Asuna insisted he sit down on the couch and rest before she swept off into the kitchen. Lisbeth followed her, while Silica and Leafa ran off to go fetch him blankets or something, Kirito wasn't quite sure. Eventually, he was left alone in the living room with Argo. She stood there, stiff and taut, like something just below the surface was just about to burst. So, almost like he was preparing to attack a boss, he said, "Argo, is something wrong?"
The info broker's lips twitched, before her face went bright red - with anger. "What were ya thinkin'?!" Argo all but screeched at Kirito. "Ya big idiot!"
...
"My hand is fine, Argo," he tried to tell her, but the info broker waved away his words as she hopped over the table between them, standing over him. He actually had to tilt his head back a little bit.
"It's not fine, Kii-boy!" she shouted, hands on her hips. "Ya got hurt! Didn't ya think 'bout how we would feel? I was terrified!"
Kirito blinked, surprised. He'd never seen Argo this wound up before, no matter what he said to get a rise out of her. She would always just laugh it off or turn the tables on him. "Argo-"
"No!" she snapped. "I know you wouldn't have run away while there were players fighting! If it hadn't been th' boss's desperation attack, ya woulda gone out there and got yerself killed! An' fer what? A couple 'a players an' a newbie who froze?"
Kirito frowned. "I recognized them, Argo," he snapped. A distant part of him noticed that he'd stood up and was standing over her, now, and Argo glared up at him without backing down. Another distant part noted that Silica and Leafa had poked their heads in the doorway and were watching with wide eyes as Kirito and Argo fought. "Those players that were trying to rescue him, they were a few that went to those camps I used to give earlier. They were there in that fight because I taught them, Argo!"
"You don't owe them anythin', Kii-boy!" Argo shouted.
"What do you want me to do, Argo? Let them die?" Kirito shouted back. "Maybe try thinking about someone besides yourself for once!"
Immediately, he knew he had crossed a line. All of the color drained from Argo's face, and her mouth moved soundlessly. Like someone had punched her in the face, she swayed drunkenly before she took a hesitant step away. One step turned into another and then they all cascaded as Argo turned and ran, scrambling for the stairs that led to her room. Kirito reached out desperately, hand closing on empty air like he'd still managed to grab something. Above him, he could hear Argo's footsteps scurrying across the floor, followed by the slamming of a door.
He didn't... He didn't know what to do. He couldn't figure out what he was feeling, whether he was upset or furious or... or anything. "K-Kirito?" Silica asked quietly.
He- he couldn't. He couldn't stay in this house, and hurt someone else. "I'll be back in a little bit," he said, trying to smile. He was pretty sure he didn't succeed. "Just need to get some fresh air."
"O-okay... Don't be out too long, Kazuto," Leafa said hesitantly.
When it was his little sister, however, Kirito was able to smile. The look in her eyes told him she wasn't reassured, though. Kirito opened his mouth, intending to say something, anything to soothe her, but he couldn't; it felt like everything he wanted to say was getting tangled up in his throat, the words strangling each other. After giving his sister one more silent smile, Kirito left the house and just walked without thinking about where to go. Eventually, his feet led him to the Teleport Gate in town, and Kirito called out the name of a town on the 42nd Floor. He didn't want to risk going out to the front lines, no matter how confused he was - and the 42nd Floor was easy enough for a solo player to hunt on their own.
It was a snowy area, cold even for the end of November. There was a small layer of snow on the ground - enough for it to crunch underneath his boots and color the ground white, but not enough for it to really make it hard to walk. It was quiet and peaceful, and he just let himself wander through the empty Floor for a while.
Occasionally, he'd fight. His swords made quick work of the enemies, since they were upgraded enough for the mobs five Floors higher than where he was. It was therapeutic, being able to just swing and fight without thinking. It let the mess in his heart settle, sorting itself out. He knew he'd crossed a line and said something he didn't really mean, in the heat of the moment. But how could he apologize to Argo? Was there something he could say to her to - "Ah," he said.
He'd just killed a mob, and as it shattered he realized he was staring directly at another player. They were wearing a white hood, different from the style Asuna had worn for the first few Floors of the game. Theirs was just the upper part; enough to cover their face, but that was it. Other than the white hood, the player was wearing simple leather armor, mottled for a higher stealth rate. The only concession to form over function was a bright sapphire blue scarf wrapped around their neck, dangling down their back. And in their hands was...
"Is that a bow?" he asked, eyes wide. He didn't know they even had those in the game. When the other player didn't respond right away, he raised a hand. "Oh, sorry if I'm interrupting your hunt or something. Are you a solo player, or here with a party?"
"...Just leave me alone," the player said, and Kirito realized with a blink of surprise that he was staring at a girl. She turned around, and Kirito realized that from that angle, it was very obvious she was a girl... "Or stay here, whatever."
"Ah, wait -" But before he could say anything, the girl had left, heading through the forest. If he'd wanted to, he could try tracking her with his Skills. "Do I... know her?" There was something about her that was pricking at his memory, something he'd forgotten that was pressing just beneath the surface. After a few seconds of trying to remember, though, it faded away and he sighed. So much for whatever she reminded him of, he thought.
At least his original goal had succeeded; he'd come out here to clear his head and maybe try to figure out what to do. Now, Kirito didn't feel quite so confused... and he was pretty sure he knew what his next move was going to be.
Argo sniffled to herself, doing her best to keep tears from falling. She... She wasn't going to cry. She'd seen the look on Kirito's face after he said that, and knew he didn't really mean it, it just came out in the heat of the moment, and...
St-stupid tears, she thought. Stop it, stop crying. You don't need to cry about this...
Argo curled up on her bed in the comforting dark, trying desperately to make her traitorous eyes listen to her. She didn't want Kirito's thoughtless words to affect her as much as they did. But they still hurt, digging into her emotions and twisting every time they echoed in her head.
Argo was very intelligent, especially for her age, and that meant school had always come easy for her. Of course, she'd put in the right amount of effort - pay attention in class, take notes, study the material - but her results were simply better than a lot of her fellow students. Naturally, her name being at the top of the rankings of her school got her some attention from the others. 'Hey, Kana, can you help be with this? I don't get the math problem.' 'What's the answer for number 4?' 'Can I copy your homework? I didn't do mine, sorry.'
She'd thought they wanted to be friends at first, so she helped them out. That's what friends did, right? Helped each other with problems. She was even a little proud they were asking for her help. It meant they really liked her, right? But slowly, she started to realize that all they ever came to talk to her about was when they needed help with their homework. It was always 'math problem' this and 'test prep' that. They never wanted to talk to her.
So, she'd started instituting a policy. If they wanted something from her, they had to pay up first. It was like tutoring, and tutors got paid to help the students, so why should she be handing out the answers for free? But as soon as Argo had started asking for a little pocket change - not even all that much! - people started whispering. 'She's making people pay to get answers.' 'She only thinks about herself, and she's not willing to help others.' 'What kind of person does that?'
Well... part of her plan had worked out. The students definitely stopped talking to her just to ask for help on their studies. Unfortunately, they stopped talking to her at all. Everyone that had pretended to be her friend simply left her alone. Argo didn't know what to do; all she'd wanted was for them to stop abusing her gifts for their own sake, not abandon her, but it wasn't like she could back down on her condition. In the end, she decided to just double down and not ever let them see how lonely she really was.
Even in the SAO beta, she'd been a solo player. Sure, she partied with people from time to time, she wasn't antisocial, but most of the time she played around and explored on her own. Her actions swiftly gained her a reputation as the notorious info broker that would sell anything about anyone. Nothing was off-limits, even personal information like a girl's three sizes. Heck, she'd even sell her real name if a client paid her enough, not that anyone came close to being able to pay for it in the month the beta had been active.
And then... she'd realized something. The last three parties she'd been a part of, the same player had been there. All three times, a swordsman who used two blades. Naturally, she'd known about Kirito - she couldn't call herself an info broker if she hadn't - but he'd never approached her before, so she hadn't paid too much attention. Still, three times was one too many for it to just be a coincidence, so she wasn't surprised when he eventually approached her after the third party wiped against the Floor 8 Boss. Argo even remembered exactly how that first conversation went:
"So, yer Kirito, right?" Argo asked, raising an eyebrow. When the kid in black nodded, she asked, "Whatcha want? I'll sell ya anythin' ya got the col for."
"Actually, I didn't want to buy information," he replied, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"...Then why'd ya come by?" Argo asked, totally confused. "Jus' ta talk?"
Kirito shrugged helplessly. "I guess... you just looked lonely."
Argo gaped at him, stunned silent, before she eventually shook her head and tugged her hood over her head. Before she replied, a message popped up in the corner of her vision, saving her. "Whoops, gotta run," she said with a sly grin. "But... feel free ta drop by, Kii-boy. Yer interestin'."
She darted away. Behind her, just before she was out of earshot, Kirito murmured, "'Kii-boy'?"
And then after that, he'd brought Asuna and Leafa, and then Lisbeth and Silica, and all of a sudden Argo had friends. People that didn't care that she was smart, or that she would sell information. They just wanted her for her. And now, she was remembering how achingly lonely she'd been, back in school. Kirito hated her, and then the rest would too, and she'd be alone all over again. Those thoughts ran through her head nonstop, chasing their own tails.
Argo sniffled again and rolled over, moving to a spot that wasn't wet with tears. Before she could do more than wipe at her eyes fruitlessly, someone knocked on her door. It was hesitant and slow, but Argo still looked up. "Argo?" Kirito asked, and Argo flinched. "...Can I come in?"
"...Sure," she said, hating the fact that her voice felt and sounded weak. She really hated the fact that hearing his voice made sharp hope bloom in her chest.
The door creaked open and Kirito stepped inside, the light from the hallway briefly spilling in before he shut the door again. Argo sat up, pawing at her eyes in a vain attempt to pretend she hadn't been sobbing, and Kirito took a seat on the bed. There was more than just the physical distance between the two, though. Argo hugged her knees, hiding as much of her face as she could.
"...I'm sorry, Argo."
Argo barely breathed. She'd wanted to hear those words, but she hadn't truly expected them. If she said something, she'd wake up from the wonderful dream she was having.
"I... was angry, and said things without thinking, but that's no excuse." Kirito shook his head. "I should never have said something so hurtful. I know you were just worried about me."
Yeah. That's all it really was, right? Argo smiled weakly into her knees. She'd been so worried about him, after he lost his hand. She just... wasn't sure how to put it into words correctly. Wasn't that funny? For all the information she knew, she didn't know how to make sure the boy she loved was safe.
Argo abruptly stiffened as that last thought crossed her mind. ...The boy she loved? Argo blushed bright red, even as she was forced to admit it to herself for the first time. She'd known she was crushing hard on Kirito, but she hadn't thought...
"Argo?" Kirito asked, leaning towards her. "If there's anything I can do to make things right, name it."
Oh, screw thinking about it, Argo decided, and she lunged. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she hugged Kirito tight, nuzzling against his chest. "Jus' stay here fer a while, Kii-boy," she said as she cuddled against him.
"...Sure thing, Argo," he said. Argo smiled as she felt his hand come up and start stroking her hair gently.
Mmm... Cuddles from Kii-boy are the best, she thought happily.
"C'mon!" Leafa urged, tugging on Kirito and Asuna's hands as if that would make them walk faster to the top of the hill. "We're gonna miss it if you don't hurry!"
Kirito smiled as he watched his little sister tug on Asuna's hand, his best friend laughing as she let herself be pulled. They'd all been forced to grow up too quickly by the death game, he thought, and it was rare for her to get to act like this. Silica, too, come to think of it, though for some reason it was a little easier to remember Silica was younger than the rest of them. Maybe he was just imagining it, and it was easier to rely on Leafa since she was his little sister.
According to the calendar of game events, there was going to be a meteor shower on the 22nd Floor. Kirito and Leafa had been excited to go watch, but when Asuna mentioned off-hand that she'd never seen a meteor shower and didn't understand why they were so interested, the siblings had decided without question that they were taking Asuna along.
It was almost time for it to start when the Kirigaya siblings and Asuna sat down at the top of the hill. Asuna breathed out in awe as they all looked up at the cloudless night sky, filled with little glimmering lights. "It's beautiful," she whispered. Kirito smiled at the sheer, unfiltered joy on her face. He was glad he could be the one to show this to her. "Wow..."
"Asuna, come on!" Leafa said, gripping the girl's hands and tugging her to her feet. "Dance with me!"
As the two girls whirled around, not doing anything more than just spinning in place, Kirito smiled as he watched them. His sister was laughing happily, and there was a huge smile on Asuna's face. They were... wonderful. He never wanted them to stop smiling.
"Ah! It's starting!" Leafa gasped, pointing up at the sky. Kirito tilted his head back to see streaks of light start crossing the sky. "Quick, quick, make a wish!"
Naturally, Kirito knew what he wanted to wish for, so he closed his eyes and wished very, very hard that it would come true.
When he opened his eyes again, it was to see Asuna and Leafa sitting on the hill on either side of him. When his little sister realized that he was looking at her, she smiled beautifully and placed her hands on top of his; on his right, Asuna did the same. Kirito grinned at both of them.
"Hey, Kazuto," Leafa said, leaning over, "what was your wish?"
Kirito looked at her. "Shouldn't it be obvious? I always want to have you at my side like this, laughing and smiling and dancing. Same with Asuna." Leafa's cheeks turned a bright red, and he felt Asuna fidget next to him. "What did you two wish for?"
Leafa hummed to herself thoughtfully, before she smiled. "Sorry, Kazuto, can't tell you. It's a secret!"
"What? Oh, come on, I told you mine. Asuna?"
Asuna blinked, and then looked away. "L-Like Sugu said, it's a secret!"
Oh, that just wasn't fair, Kirito grumbled to himself. Still, with both girls leaning over and resting their heads on his shoulders... It definitely felt like his wish was already coming true.
A two-for-one scene of these kids being cute as heck. I see nothing wrong with this.
First off, Sugu gets married. Temporarily. It's a weird thing. She's a little better about not getting flustered when Kazuto teases her in this story, thanks to being around him and Asuna for four years, but there's still a limit. Having her wish come true, even temporarily, is past that limit, so we get to see Sugu not know what to do. Also, I just like the idea that because she's so in love with her big brother, it totally neutered the boss.
And then we have the second half of the chapter, focusing on Argo and Kirito. When I'm planning out these stories, I try to have a nice grasp on the characters, as well as any changes to their base personalities that may occur; part of that includes a quick sketch of what they would fear. Naturally, Kirito's thoughtless comment slammed right on Argo's button, and… Well, you all saw what happened. At least Kirito was smart enough to come home and apologize immediately. Words hurt, all the more for coming from people we love, and if you don't reconcile fast enough relationships can be damaged permanently. It was irritating coming up with the reason for their fight (I knew what I wanted Kirito to say, I just wasn't sure what Argo would say to trigger that response) so I went with 'Kirito loses a hand because he risked his life'. Cliche, yes, but hey, it happened in canon. ...The losing his hand thing. Not Argo and Kirito having a fight and then reconciling as Argo realizes she's in love with Kirito.
(Kirito was also staring at Mystery Girl's butt. Naughty Kirito… If you asked the girls in the Royal Blades, I'm sure they'd be willing to give you a show.)
Finally, and for no real reason, I just wanted to show the siblings being adorable. Hooray for meteor showers on the 22nd Floor! And hooray for Ordinal Scale and Lost Song for giving me the idea. Will Leafa or Asuna's wishes ever come up again? Probably. Maybe not, though.
Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or left a review.
Canon Scene: Empty
Leafa and Silica sat awkwardly on the couch; Kirito had left about thirty minutes ago, and Argo had run upstairs right before that. They... weren't really sure what they should do. Asuna and Lisbeth had heard the argument as well - hard not to, in this house, Silica thought to herself - and come out of the kitchen to sit down. Dinner was postponed until Kirito got back, of course.
"So... That happened," Lisbeth said awkwardly, trying to make a joke. It fell flat, though.
It felt weird without Argo around. It wasn't the first time she'd gone off on her own, or the first time that it was just the four of them around, but it was different this time. It felt like the energy had gone out of the room, maybe, or that they were missing something important in the group.
"They'll make up, right?" Silica asked quietly.
"I'm sure they will, Silica," Asuna replied with a gentle smile. Silica smiled back, choosing to let herself believe in what Asuna said.
Leafa folded her arms and grumbled under her breath. "Stupid Kazuto, saying something rude like that..."
"Hey, he's your brother," Lisbeth pointed out.
"Now, now, you two," Asuna said. "There's no point in fighting. We all know Kazuto didn't mean what he said."
"Yeah," Silica said. "Argo's really nice! There's no way she wouldn't care about the other players. That's why she puts out those strategy guides for free."
The girls all knew they were talking to fill over the hole in their group, but it wasn't like any of them wanted to admit it. Silica bent her head and just stroked Pina, scratching her pet dragon in the small of her back, the way she loved it. Pina rolled over and presented her stomach for better scritches, and Silica obliged. Asuna, across from her, let out a small, quiet whine at how the dragon wouldn't let her so much as touch her.
When the front door opened, everyone jumped at the sudden noise. Kirito stepped into the living room before immediately being approached by Asuna; her eyes were hard, and she poked him in the chest with a finger. "And where have you been, mister?" she snapped.
"...Out on the 42nd Floor, thinking," he sighed.
"Well, you'd better have been thinking about how you're going to apologize to Argo," she said, punctuating her words with repeated pokes to his chest. "The poor girl is still holed up in her room."
Kirito nodded. "That's what I was trying to figure out. Sorry it took me so long."
Asuna puffed her cheeks out. Staaaaaaare... Eventually, she smiled and stepped back. "I'll go start dinner. Hm... I think about fifteen, twenty minutes should be enough." Lisbeth stood up and stretched, briefly stepping over to hug Kirito before heading into the kitchen with Asuna.
Kirito walked towards the stares, before Silica asked, "Kirito? You're not really mad at Argo, right?"
He stopped and looked at her, before walking back over. She let out a little squeak of surprise when he placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Of course not," he said. "Sorry to worry you, Silica."
"Thank goodness," she giggled in relief. Just like Asuna and Lisbeth, she jumped up and gave Kirito a huge hug before he gently pulled away. Of course, he gave his little sister a hug as well before heading upstairs, making his way to Argo's room.
Silica smiled happily and went back to the couch. Yeah... Things felt better than before, like the energy in the room was back to normal.
I wanted to show this part, too, but switching PoV to Silica like that just for 100 words would be super weird. It's nice that they're all one big family.