I do not own SAO, and all credit is due to Reki Kawahara.

Thanks to everyone for showing interest in the story.

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InvisableTarget, FlowerFairy22, EnderJelly, Tolotos, shanagan, Miguel22, AJz3,ChaoticSwordOfCrimson, Nihil Verum, RavenX1339,TheMoneyKid,Dragoslayer

Weaver Chance, thanks for the review! I'll take that into account, frankly I think the starts needs a changeup, and I felt that the chapters were starting to seem like stand-alone chapters the way I was writing them. I think starting where I left off will help with the feeling of continuity. Hopefully it helps.

Enjoy the chapter!

Edit: Edited :p

Kikuoka P.O.V.

Seeing the flush on the young woman's face, Kikuoka thought that he might have walked in on something awkward, and decided to do the girl a favor. For the conversation ahead, he could use all the leverage he could get.

"I might have some answers for you, if you have some for me."

He ignored the surprised looks being thrown his way and stared intently at the girl in the hospital bed from his spot in the doorway, waiting for her response.

"You tell me what I want to know and I'll see if I can answer your questions." She smiled back at him and she gestured weakly but insistently for him to take a seat in a nearby chair.

He noticed at the glares he was getting from her parents, most likely for interrupting them just as they were spending their time with their daughter for the first time in over two years. He shifted uneasily and felt more than a little guilty. But it had to be done, he had his job to do, and they had theirs.

"Maybe… it would be easier to have this conversation in private." When the family made no move to leave, he added "just the two of us."

The mother, Yuuki Kyouko, if he was correct, was the first to speak. And she did. Angrily. She got up in his face, finger wagging, "How dare you! We finally have been able to speak to and spend time with MY DAUGHTER. For the first time in two years. Then you come along and try to get in the way of it! If you weren't a government employee I would've-"

Only, half-way into her sure to be magnificent tirade Asuna interrupted her mother. "No. Mother, Father...Brother" She added after catching her brother's movement out of the corner of her eye, "It's alright."

"But-"

"I'll be fine."She smiled benignly at them, but there was a steely glint in her eye that made her brother gulp, and her parents shake their heads in exasperation. She continued to smile at them until they sheepishly made their way out of the room. Her brother hesitated at the doorway, giving Kikuoka the glaring eyes of death,

"Brother." Her smile was still in place, but it was much wider, showing teeth.

"Go." And he was gone.

Good lord, she must be stubborn.

They sat in uncomfortable silence, long after the sound of echoing footsteps faded. No one wanting to make the first move. Kikuoka shifted, trying to find a comfortable position in the stiff chair. Children, more often than not, are more likely to speak of dangerous or foolhardy events in their absence.

Of the people that had survived Sword Art Online, they often reacted to being questioned in different ways. Some retreated into a shell of despair, some boasted of their accomplishments and overstated their self-importance or achievements. While others did the exact opposite, they played their actions down and understated the danger that they were in out of concern for others feelings above their own. He had guessed that based on the rumors of her attitude and personality that she had been the last variety. Though he couldn't be sure if she was one of those people who acted differently than they did in real life.

That made this conversation both easier and harder. She obviously didn't want her parents to know, otherwise she would have let them stay in the room. At the same time, she was confident that she could handle a having to reveal her no doubt traumatic experience so soon after coming out of it. To her, it was most likely less than a few hours since she had been with her friends, only to find out that it had been far longer.

She was adaptable, able to react to unexpected situations with an ease that surprised him, and not a bit of her inner feelings were showing on her face. This would make it difficult to determine whether he could take what she said at face value when it came to danger. But it definitely made her a more likable individual. No one likes a braggart.

"How about-" He opened his mouth to say something, even though she kind of intimidated him (she reminded him of his mother), she beat him to the punch.

"How about we introduce ourselves", she interrupted, smiling sanguinely but her teeth glinted dangerously in the sunlight coming from the window. (Now was the time show that he was in charge-show his dominance over the situation).

"I'll go first. I am Kikuoka Seijirou and I'm in my late twenties, and an investigator in the 'Sword Art Online Case Victims Rescue Force'."

Then he gestured to the young lady across from him. She seemed amused by his directness.

"I'm Yuuki Asuna, 17 years old. Also known as Asuna,"The Flash", Survivor of SAO, sub commander of the KOB." She paused a thoughtful look on her face,

"How should we do this?"

"Hmmm~ How about an exchange of information? I ask you something and then you do the same."

"That seems fair… I'll let you start." Well so much for him being in charge. No matter, he would take what he could get.

"For starters, what exactly was your role in the death game?" Though it was a simple question, it felt a bit loaded, and would direct the rest of the conversation. She looked like she was expecting the question, but was rather hesitant to answer. "My player name was Asuna, and I was one of the… top 'clearers' of the game, I guess you could say."

As she started talking her words grew in strength and familiarity.

"When I first started the game, I had no idea how to play, and I was just fighting whatever got in my way." Seeing his face, she giggled a little

"Yeah, I was a bit of a berserker."

He quickly schooled his expression into something more serious as she continued "But up until a certain point, I fought all the time, I practically lived on the battlefield…. I almost killed myself." She finally admitted. Then saw Kikuoka's face.

"Not the way you're thinking!" She exclaimed hurriedly

"I didn't want to throw myself off the edge of the map or anything…some people did though. No, I was constantly in battle fighting. I don't think I wanted to die… I just didn't want to be there. But by the end of the game I was fighting on the front lines, fighting the bosses. We even got to the point that we didn't lose anyone in the boss battles. "She looked proud saying that. It was sad that she had to work for that, that she had to be put in that kind of situation.

"That's impressive."

A sad look crossed her face, "You don't even know how right you are. On the first battle, the very first floor. We lost so many friends, so many good people. A friend of mine," a brief reminiscent smile crossed her face,

"Became a bit of a pariah. Not even the beta testers, who were supposed to know how to play the game, how to fight the bosses- were able to do a thing. That bastard had changed the game around. He would've known that we would have tried to fight it the way the beta testers knew. But he put something in to directly counteract that knowledge. He wanted to get more people killed. He wanted to give them a challenge." Here, she looked into his eyes,

"Only this time, a loss means death." She had to shake her head, as if she was dislodging unpleasant memories.

"After that point we didn't lose any more people to boss battles. At least until that last floor. The 75th floor. We defeated it, but in the meantime we lost fourteen people."

Here they were both silent, a moment of silence for those lost.

He watched as she shook herself, and faltered in her position propped up against the pillows. He quickly got out of his chair to help her, and they both settled back into the uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you." She mumbled and then with more confidence "I believe that it's my turn now." Smile returning with a vengeance.

"What do you know about the Sword Art Online Incident as a whole?"

"We know everything that happened on the outside. The hospitals, the deaths, VRMMORPGS were on the decline. No one wanted to touch the giant mess that had been made. As it was, it was a huge problem trying to get all of the SAO victims to the hospital in the allotted time period. To find everyone, to get them help. I still don't know how many starved to death in their own homes. On the inside however," He glanced at her,

"We know relatively little. Oh sure, we know who had the highest level, jail sentences, guild leaders. Deaths. But we know nothing about how the game was cleared. Who beat the game? Why was the battle on the 75th floor rather than the last? How was living in the game? I've heard many rumors about PKers? How do you feel about the mental stability of some of the gamers in-game?"

"The former players that I had managed to talk to were all rather confused on the subjects, and the majority of the clearers were rather close-lipped on the subject. "

The look on her face was a bit smug, "I think I'll be able to help you with that… as long as you give me what you promised."

Asuna P.O.V.

Some Time Later

Through the long lasting conversation she had managed to get the information she was looking for. She had Agil, Argo, Lisbeth, Silica, and most importantly Kirito's address and phone number. She was determined that as soon as she was able to move, she was going to do her best to set up a meeting, but until then she had her family to deal with.

When the conversation had turned to Heathcliff, she hadn't been able to completely hide her incensed rage, she had had tears in her eyes that she couldn't stamp down, and she was sure that the government agent had seen something different. So her fury was hidden, and she looked like a sad little girl. Which wasn't bad in and of itself. She didn't care how people saw her, and as long as she had her friends she was good enough. And she now knew their names and phone numbers.

He had been rather surprised about her death… wanting to know about the time she had spent talking to Kayaba Akihiko and how it might be relevant to why she had been so late in returning. He theorized that being dead, but not really dead might have confused the system; Even mentioning how the section in her account hadn't had any definite 'yes' or 'no' to her death, but just a blank. He asked a few questions about Kirito, Heathcliff, and some other things that happened. Like the deaths, pking. What she thought the punishment should be etc...

What really confounded her was the news that 300 players were still comatose, and no one could figure out why.

"Hey, Sweetheart." Her father startled her out of her thoughts.

That seemed to be happening more and more these days, and she didn't miss the worried look that passed between her parents. She'd have to be more careful, she didn't want to be sent to some psychiatrist with the understanding that she'd be 'helped' and pumped full of mind numbing medication. No, she'd just be more careful.

So, instead she pasted her omnipresent smile back on her face and allowed herself to be happy in that she was safe, not fighting for her life, and was reunited with her family. Today was for reunions. Every day after was for getting Kirito back.

~ A Muffin with a Mission

p.s. there is a good chance that I will rewrite this chapter later, or edit it. - Finally got around to editing it. Thank God. Still a little way from being rejoice, for it is all written out on printed copies, I just have to edit the online documents. XD