December 30, 2024
Floor 1 - Town of Beginnings
"Honoured guests, I now call this meeting between Asuna-sama, leader of the Seekers of Justice, and Lind-sama, Commander of the Divine Dragon Alliance to order," spoke a solemn Thinker, taking a seat at the head of the table they were using. Asuna took a seat on Thinker's right, while Lind sat opposite her, on Thinker's left, both facing one another.
Behind Asuna stood Kirito, his swords equipped to his back, though he forced himself to stand in a relaxed pose. Regardless of whether it was a safe zone or not, it would not do for him to appear threatening.
Behind Lind stood Schmitt, his lance in his grasp, though the weapon was pointed firmly at the ground.
Asuna decided to start the ball rolling. "Lind-taichou, it is an honour to meet you finally. I have heard much of you, both from Schmitt-san and those of the Divine Dragon Alliance that I have spoken to."
"All good things, I hope?" laughed the Commander of the Divine Dragon Alliance. Lind was a slimly-built man of little presumption, wearing plated steel armour, shoulder plates and greaves; underneath the armour, and extending down to his thighs was a black tunic made of what looked like silk. At his side was a mighty scimitar - Pale Moon, or so Kirito said it was called. "Also, let us not stand on ceremony. You can call me Lind, if I may call you Asuna?"
"Of course, Lind-san," nodded Asuna, glad they were getting off to a friendly start. "I would be greatly honoured."
"Very well, then, Asuna-san. Now, why don't we discuss what it is you want?"
"As I'm sure Schmitt-san has already informed you, I propose an alliance between our two guilds. It is fair to assume that you know what happened against the Field Boss on Floor 76?"
Lind nodded sagely. "I have heard. Three men lost, all in seemingly needless circumstances."
Asuna could feel her anger rising but swallowed it back. "The Boss was much more challenging than we had anticipated. We took every precaution we could-"
"Yet they still died," cut in Lind ruthlessly.
"Yes, they died," said Asuna in a small tone, remembering watching them break apart, helpless in her inability to save them.
"Perhaps you were a little presumptious in your ability to lead such an assault, no?" coerced Lind, his tone snake-like, venomous and cutting.
Kirito could only look on, anger coursing through his veins. How dare this fool talk to her like this! In every Boss encounter that Kirito had seen the 'Commander', Lind had been hiding back, never really getting his hands dirty, preferring to leave it to others like himself and Asuna. No point in risking his own life first, right? Come on, Asuna, don't take this from this guy.
Asuna looked up sharply at his words, wondering where the sudden aggression was coming from. "There was no presumption on my part, Lind-san," she said cuttingly. "As you ought to know, Bosses are always unpredictable. Everybody who was there knew of the very real danger, yet they came anyway. I ask you, Lind-san, were you leading the assault, would you have done better?"
Her question seemed rhetorical, yet it would speak volumes as to the nature of the man. Would he agree and show himself to be overconfident and arrogant, or would he downplay it and back off from this angle of attack? In the end, he chose neither. "That is neither here nor there, Asuna-san," he responded evenly. "Ultimately, the fact of the matter is that these men did die, and that is something that cannot be overstated."
Swallowing back her hurt at the manner of which he was speaking to her, but knowing that she needed his help, Asuna had to keep the conversation from turning into an all-out verbal brawl. "I agree, Lind-san. Their loss is yet another tragedy to level at the feet of Kayaba Akihiko, however, if we ever wish to see justice for all those who have been lost, all four-thousand of them, we will need to reach Floor 100."
Kirito held back a smirk as he saw Lind's simpering smile falter as Asuna hit back. Show him not to mess with you.
Lind regained his composure. "That is a goal, I assure you, of which my guild is wholly dedicated."
Asuna picked up on something, some nuance that told her he was evading. "The question is, are you committed towards ending this game?"
Lind was outraged, if his flaring nostrils were any indication. "The members of the Divine Dragon Alliance have been involved in every Floor Boss raid from the very beginning," he declared hotly, "and we will continue to do so until the very end."
"I am relieved to hear you say that, Lind-san," said Asuna, inclining her head as she did so. Her next words were spoken in a voice of cold steel. "However, that was not what I asked. I asked whether you, personally, were committed."
Schmitt visibly winced at Asuna's words and Kirito could sense that the meeting was rapidly unravelling. With great care, he positioned himself closer to Asuna.
Meanwhile, it seemed as though Lind had heard enough. "I see how this is. You would undermine my position and take command of my guild!? What would happen then? You would use us as nothing more than fodder while taking all the glory for yourselves! My men would be sacrificed so your ego can be maintained. This will not come to pass, not as long as I am able to draw breath," growled Lind, losing control of his emotions.
"Lind-sama, perhaps I might interject and call for calm," stated Thinker firmly, yet, Asuna held up her hand to him.
"It is quite alright, Thinker-san, I have seen enough. Lind-san, it seems clear to me that you are not willing to join us in our venture. Whether that is something that has been a certainty in your mind from before this meeting even began, I cannot say. Why did you agree to this meeting, Lind-san?"
As Lind struggled to regain mastery over his emotions, Asuna continued. "If you truly have never had any intention of agreeing to this alliance, you could have quite simply told Schmitt-san 'no' when he presented my proposal. Instead, you chose to come today and to give me real hope that an agreement could be reached. Was that your purpose? To raise my hopes only to crush them?
"I am well aware of the animosity between our two guilds and, to be honest, I really couldn't care less about which is called strongest. My only concern is getting us to the Ruby Palace in as speedy a manner as possible. If you want to hate me and those in my guild, that is your choice. I will say that I am not overly fond of you at this moment in time, Lind-san, however, I am also willing to work with you if it will benefit our goals. Can you not put aside your dislike for my guild long enough for us to finish this game?"
Truly, Asuna felt wretched. After all the planning with Kirito, all the nights spent agonising over every minute detail, it had all come apart at the seams. From everything she had heard of Lind, she had believed him to be paranoid where his position was concerned, but also perfectly capable of rational thought. In the end, it was plainly apparent that she had overestimated him.
Lind was silent for more than a few seconds, drawing out the tension. When next he spoke, he crushed the last of Asuna's fragile hope. "I will not be part of this farce. The Divine Dragon Alliance shall not serve the spawn of Kayaba Akihiko."
His final words said, Lind stood promptly and turned his back on Asuna and Kirito. "Come, Schmitt! We're heading back to Pani!" Taking off at a pace, Schmitt shook his head wearily. "I'm so very sorry, Asuna-san; Kirito-san."
"As are we, Schmitt-san," replied an emotionally drained Asuna. "Farewell."
With a short bow to the two, Schmitt followed after his leader, leaving Asuna and Kirito with an appalled Thinker. "Not since Kibaou have I witnessed such a blatant disregard for common sense," he raged. "Surely he must see that he is condemning everybody by his selfish and belligerent actions?"
"Paranoia can bring out the very worst in people," sighed Kirito, feeling just as exhausted as Asuna. "It clouds a person's judgement and makes them act irrationally."
"Even so, without the Divine Dragon Alliance's support, the time-scale for clearing the game just became that much longer," said Asuna, her heart heavy.
"That it has," agreed Thinker, his chin held in his hand as he thought. "Asuna-san, given enough time to organise things, I could probably spare a portion of the ALF to aid you in this venture."
Asuna looked up sharply. Was it possible that another way still existed? "I did not wish to presume, Thinker-san. I know that Kibaou forced the majority of your high-levelled men to march on the Floor 74 Boss."
"That he did, and they paid a heavy price for it," he agreed evenly, though he clenched his fist so tightly, his nails cut into his palm. He didn't pay it any mind - being in a safe zone, his HP did not decrease from his wounding himself. "However, you also saved some of them. They owe you their lives, and such a debt must be repaid."
"We didn't save them because we wanted something in return," began Kirito, aghast at the thought of demanding recompense for saving somebody, though Thinker shook his head.
"I know you didn't, and I'm grateful for it. Your selfless actions are what allowed you to save them." He looked up at the wooden beams holding the roof. "Lately, I have been thinking about my guild and its purpose. 'Will we just sit back and let others fight our battles for us?' 'Will we cower in fear?' These are the questions I have been asking myself. Honestly, before meeting the two of you, I feel as though I would have answered 'yes' to both questions. Why risk our lives when someone else is willing to risk theirs first, right?"
Kirito nodded as he remembered his thoughts regarding Lind.
"Now that I have met you, and seen how far you are willing to go to help others, complete strangers who mean absolutely nothing to you, I feel as though I cannot sit idly back and let others determine my fate. I feel, for the first time since becoming part of this world, that if I continue down this path of inaction, I would be ashamed to call myself a man."
"What does Yulier-san think?" asked Asuna in a soft voice.
Thinker laughed. "When I told her how I felt, as I just told you, she threatened to ignore me for the rest of our lives if I didn't put it to you. I assure you that she is in full agreement."
He looked at them, his eyes unwavering, unflinchingly serious. "Asuna-san, though I know it will put your plans back by at least a couple of months, would you be willing to wait for this span of time to allow us to sufficiently level?"
Asuna stood and walked to Thinker. Holding out her hand, she said, "I would be honoured to accept such a gracious offer. My sword, and those of my guild, are yours whenever you require them."
Thinker rose from his seat and took her hand. Shaking it firmly, he replied, "If ever you or those of your guild require shelter, you have but to ask and it shall be given."
With those words exchanged, the alliance between the Seekers of Justice and the Aincrad Liberation Force was born.
xOxOx
Floor 22 - Lake Outside Coral
"And that's what happened," concluded Kirito, looking up from his non-bobbing fishing lure to the man at his side. The man had a frown on his face as he worked through the details in his mind, always aware of the lure floating atop the surface of the lake.
"I have to say, Kirito-san, that is quite a story," he said finally, looking away from the lure for a moment to consider the swordsman. "What will this mean for the clearing of the game?"
"Well, regardless of the alliance with Thinker and his guild, because of the failed talks with Lind, we would have had to postpone pushing forward. Considering just how powerful the Field Boss of Floor 76 was, it's only natural to assume the Floor Boss will be even more threatening. Seeing those people die, Nishida..." and here Kirito faltered, wondering whether it would be right to speak of Asuna even though she was not there.
Nishida seemed to understand as he nodded his head sagely. "Yes, I can believe that something like that would leave its mark."
Kirito appreciated the old man and his ability to see to the heart of the matter. "Still, in a way, this is a good thing. It gives Thinker and his men the time they need to improve themselves and their equipment, it gives us the opportunity to power-level in the Floor 76 Dungeon, and on a personal level, it gives Asuna and I the chance to spend some time with Yui."
"Ah, Yui-chan." It had been surprising to Nishida to meet the young girl who introduced Kirito and Asuna as 'Mama' and 'Papa', but out of all the crazy things that he had seen since beginning the game, this was comparatively sane. His anger at learning that the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath had actually been Kayaba Akihiko in disguise was terrible, and Kirito had only managed to calm him by promising that Asuna would cook him dinner again, provided he caught her a fish to cook, of course. "She's lonely?"
"I know that she understands that we're both really busy with the guild, Asuna especially, but I can still see how sad she gets when we leave her."
"As you know, Kirito-san, she is welcome to stay with me anytime you need," offered the fisherman.
"I appreciate that, Nishida," thanked Kirito, looking to the lake with a sigh before deciding to call it a day. In the hour he'd spent chatting with Nishida, his Fishing skill had only increased by one point. "It's a slow day, so I'm going to head home," he said, rolling his shoulders.
"I'm going to stay a while longer," replied Nishida, his eyes ever focused on the water's surface. "Be sure to give my regards to Asuna-san and Yui-chan."
"I will. Come round for dinner again soon."
"I'll bring the main event," grinned the fisherman, his eyes closed with mirth.
xOxOx
Floor 22 - Forest House K4
Kirito used the time afforded him by the walk back to the log house to think through what he and Asuna had discussed following the failed negotiations with the Divine Dragon Alliance, and their newfound partnership with Thinker and his guild. Truth be told, there was something about Lind that just rubbed him the wrong way. He had felt a similar vibe coming from Kuradeel, and he could vividly remember just how well things had turned out regarding that man, the Laughing Coffin member.
Though he was somewhat disappointed by the delay, he also saw the many blessings the delay caused. It allowed everybody adequate time to become stronger, it allowed more time to better prepare their equipment, and most importantly, at least from his own viewpoint, it allowed him to spend much more time with Asuna and Yui.
It would be a grave disservice to them to say that they had become anything less than his whole world. Anything that dared to threaten them would find itself at the very limited mercy of his twin blades...
"Mama! Is it nearly time?" Yui was waiting for Kirito to return from his visit with the 'funny fishing man', as she called him - impatiently, thought Asuna, though she wouldn't say anything about it. Seeing Yui's face scrunched up in cute discontent was more than enough reason for her to not make a remark.
"Almost, Yui-chan," soothed Asuna, absently plucking a few strands of loose hair out of her face and wrapping them behind her ear. She was standing on the balcony overlooking the lake, watching calmly as a flock of birds streaked across the sky, their wings a blur of movement, almost like a hummingbird.
Yui came to join her, her eyes wide, the sparkling lake reflecting in her eyes, giving them a brightness that was otherworldly. "It's so pretty," she breathed, a beaming smile on her face.
"It really is," agreed Asuna, wrapping her arms around her daughter, "but you're even prettier, Yui-chan."
"Mama," said Yui embarrassedly, though her smile became bigger than before.
The door opened then, revealing Kirito who had an expression of utmost peace on his face. "I'm home," he said, shutting the door behind himself.
"Welcome home, Papa!" exclaimed Yui, bounding to her father in a few rapid steps. Ruffling her hair for a few seconds, getting a few giggles from her, he walked to Asuna and took her in his arms, hoping she could feel the intensity of his feelings for her.
It seemed she could as she held him tightly. "Welcome home, Kirito-kun," she whispered, leaning their foreheads together. "Did you have fun?"
"I couldn't get a bite," he griped, "though Nishida was on top form as usual." His expression became introspective. "I think the Fishing skill must increase not only the chance of catching the fish once it bites, but also the likelihood of one biting to begin with. Either way, I told him to come for dinner soon. He promised to catch us a good fish, as long as you were willing to cook it up."
"That's good. If we had to rely on you for our meals, we'd be eating bread bought in town all the time," remarked Asuna, a cheeky grin on her face.
"That was one time, and I didn't know about the difficulty of the lake," grumbled Kirito. "When are you going to stop reminding me about it?" His face was set in a scowl, though it quickly melted away as he heard his two girls laughing. He would ask for nothing more as long as they were happy. "Anyway, I think it's about time, don't you?"
He gave Asuna a significant glance, one that held a hidden meaning that she immediately understood. "Yui-chan, there's something we'd like to show you," she said, gaining the girl's attention as she opened her player menu. Scrolling through her items, she finally found what she was looking for. Activating it, a decoratively wrapped box materialised in her open palms.
"What is it, Mama?" asked an extremely curious Yui.
"Open it and find out," encouraged Kirito, a soft smile that was reserved for his daughter forming on his face.
Looking to her mother for confirmation, and finding a warm smile on Asuna's face, Yui eagerly began to pull at the ribbon holding the present together. Paper flying everywhere and Yui's squeals of delight were followed by a solemn hush as an unadorned box was revealed. Licking her lips in anticipation, Yui carefully lifted the lid - inside, on a bed of soft velvet, was a necklace made of thick black thread. In the centre of the piece was a clear-cut jewel, an aquamarine that so closely resembled a frozen teardrop, Yui was afraid it would melt if left in the sun too long. She looked at her parents in confusion.
"When we lost you, Yui-chan, I was beside myself with grief," admitted Asuna in a shaky voice. Yui was silent as Asuna's tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "If not for Kirito-kun, we truly would have lost you for good that day. Thanks to his quick thinking, he was able to save your data as a Key Item in our inventory. It was called Yui's Heart, and it looked almost exactly the same as the crystal on that necklace. You were so beautiful, Yui-chan."
"Mama..." Yui's eyes were shimmering.
"Asuna never took that necklace off, Yui," continued Kirito. "Wherever she went, she held you as close to her heart as she could. We truly do mean what we've said to you - you honestly are our daughter, and we love you so very much."
"Papa..." Yui was sniffling.
"That jewel was both a blessing and a curse. It showed us that you weren't truly gone, but it was horrible to know that you were somewhere we couldn't reach." Asuna was unashamed in the tears falling freely from her eyes. "When we went to face the Field Boss two weeks ago, we wandered into the town to just look around and spend a bit of quiet time together when we spotted this jewel in a shop window. We thought it had to be fate that such a thing could happen, so we bought it as a reminder of just how precious a person we lost, and how grateful we are to have her back with us."
"That why, Yui, Asuna has something to ask you," concluded Kirito. Yui looked to her Mama in confusion, her own tears breaking free and rolling down her cheeks.
"Though I know I could wear it regardless, now that you know the significance behind this jewel, and what it means to me, is it alright if I wear it, Yui-chan? That way, no matter where I go or what I'm doing, I know that I always have you with me, right where you belong - by my heart."
Yui didn't answer straight away. Her eyes were concealed by her sheet of ebony hair, making her face darken in shadow, her entire body shaking. When she did look up, she had a watery smile on her face. "Can I see you wear it, Mama?" she asked in a ghost-soft whisper.
With a gentle nod, Asuna opened her menu and equipped the necklace. With a brief sound of materialisation, the necklace flashed out of existence for a second before reappearing around her neck, the jewel hanging over the hollow of her throat. The sunlight filtering in from the balcony reflected off the gem's surface, sending iridescent patterns rippling off the skin around it. "It looks very pretty, Mama," decided Yui with a brief, but firm nod.
Asuna smiled through her tears.
"Thank you, Yui-chan."