Last time found Kairi and her gamer allies setting forth and arriving at the cursed dungeon of Hell House, only to find what was supposed to be a special in-game event for Halloween was far more sinister. Discerning that the dungeon was hacked, our heroes nonetheless pressed forward into Hell House, only to find cyber Heartless, controlled in the real world by Foundation X scientists. Unprepared by the onslaught of cyber Heartless, some of our heroes 'died' while Kairi and the others were forced to retreat, only for Kairi to see one of her friends from Rapture, driving her into desperate action and forcing Kirito, Asuna and Yui to drag her away from the cursed dungeon. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Chapter 4: Interview With the Librarian

…New Aincrad…Floor 6...Milliways…

"Which one of you hit me?" asked an irate Kairi as she sat on a bench in front on the roadside tavern, her hand rubbing the back of her head. She glared at Kirito, Asuna, Xenophon, Albion and Mercedes, "seriously, who hit me?!"

"Uh…I did," said Yui sheepishly.

"You didn't leave her much choice, Kairi," said Kirito, "a few more seconds and we'd be overrun by those…those…what'd you call them?"

"Heartless," said Kairi as she rubbed her neck, "long story. And you should have just left me, I'd have been fine."

"Are you friggin kidding me?" asked Mercedes, "those things were worse than an entire coven of vampires high on steroid-infused blood."

"Do vampires get high?" Albion asked.

"With the right chemicals mixed with blood," said Mercedes. She then frowned with a thought, "then again, there was that episode of Buffy where Angel attacked that one guy who was on steroids and didn't like his blood, so what I just said really doesn't count."

"Who cares about vampires and drugs?!" snapped Kairi as she stood up, "that was my friend, Chrissie, back there! If she's here then maybe Travis, Rachael, Joshua, Liza and Calvin. For all I know the rest of my friends are here! Tess, Aiden, Riku, Malcolm, Sora!" she then sat down again, a look of distraught wanting on her face, "Sora…"

Yui then flew over and sat on Kairi's shoulder, reaching out with a comforting hand "He's your special someone, right?" asked Yui.

"He's my everything," said Kairi as tears began welling up in her eyes, "I…I lost him!"

"You remember?" Asuna asked as she knelt down next to Kairi.

"Not everything," said Kairi as she wiped her eyes, "but enough to know that I'd never forgive myself if I didn't do everything in my power to find Sora and the others."

"And some power you have," said an impressed Albion, "what's with that funky sword of yours? That…what was it?"

"Keyblade," said Kairi, "it's the best weapon against The Heartless, but anyone can destroy those creatures if they put their heart into it."

"Just what are Heartless?" Kirito asked.

And so Kairi explained as best she could about Heartless, about The Realms of Light, about Keyblades, about Sora and the others.

"And you've been bouncing around dimensions battling the forces of darkness," said an impressed Asuna.

"And I thought two years in Aincrad was hell," said Kirito.

At that a window appeared next to Albion prompting him of a received message, "it's from Trillian," he said as he read the message, "she, Felix and Beatrice are alright and are back at The Town of Beginnings."

"What about their character data?" Kirito asked.

"Fine, aside from losing all their progress from when they first logged on today," said Albion, "Beatrice's plan worked. They logged off, rebooted their computers and Amuspheres and logged back in without any corrupted data."

"That's good to know," said Xenophon, whom for the past few minutes had been leaning against a nearby tree, reading a grimoire, "when are they coming back?"

"Uh…they're not," said Albion as he read more of the message, "they've had enough."

"Enough for today?" Asuna asked.

"Enough of Hell House and of those Heartless things," said Albion, "they don't want to continue with the quest, that we all should just forget about it."

"They want us to back out of the quest?" Mercedes asked.

"Minotaur crap!" snapped Xenophon, "I've never given up on a quest and neither should they!"

"Even if it's virtual suicide?" Albion asked, "they put up a very convincing argument, especially Beatrice. She says we shouldn't risk our data again."

"But she figured out how to save your data," said Asuna.

"And she's glad she did," said Albion, "but she doesn't know if it'll work twice," he then read the message again, "Or if it'll work without side effects…I don't know, it gets into a lot of techno babble. But she says it's for everyone's own good to call the quest a wash and move on to something else."

"Does she now?" Kairi asked in a calm voice as she stood up, yet her eyes betrayed burning fury, "well, you can tell Beatrice that I said thanks for all her help and wish her well, same for Trillian and Felix. And I thank you for your help too, Albion," she then looked at Mercedes and Xenophon, "and thank you too, but if you all feel that your continuing a game is more important than the lives of my friends, I'm okay with it."

"Kairi," said Albion in a shamed tone, "I…"

"No, it's fine," said Kairi, "if you're not willing to risk everything in order to stand against the darkness, then you shouldn't fight at all."

"I'm willing to fight!" said Xenophon irately, "a great wrong has been committed and I won't feel satisfied until there's justice."

"Ditto," said Mercedes, "game or no game, you're my friend Kairi, and a friend of yours in trouble is a friend of mine in trouble."

"You know we've got your back," said Kirito, while Asuna and Yui nodded in agreement.

"Wow, thanks, everyone," said a smiling Kairi as tears welled up in her eyes again, only these were joyful rather than of sorrow, "that really makes me feel better."

"I…I'm sorry!" said Albion as he bowed in apology, "I…I just can't!" He turned around as he pulled out a teleport crystal, "I'm sorry! Teleport: Town of Beginnings!" with that he vanished in a flash of light.

"Go on, you chicken!" shouted Mercedes irately, "we don't need you!"

"He's already gone," said Asuna.

"I know," said Mercedes in a deflated tone, "so, now we know where everyone stands. What's next?"

"What's next is we split up," said Xenophon in a matter of fact tone.

"Say what?" asked Mercedes, "I thought we just did spit up? Those who are going and those who are staying with Kairi."

"And we are staying with Kairi, to the end and beyond," said Xenophon, "but we need to know more about this hacked dungeon and those Heartless. I'm no expert on computers, but I know that you can't hack into a system as complex as ALO without leaving a trail, even if you do cover it up."

"What are you going to do?" Kirito asked.

"Log out for a while to make some phone calls and emails," said Xenophon, "I have a few friends from college and work who might just be able to find the people responsible for this whole mess, and if so, alert the proper authorities."

"You really think the police will be able to help?" Kairi asked, "I've seen worlds fall to the darkness. No, the cops or any government agency will be able to stop this."

"You might be surprised what this world has to offer," said Xenophon, "and besides, I'm getting hungry, real-world hungry."

"Me too," said Mercedes, "and I've also got a few friends at school who may be able to help."

"I think some of our friends can also help," said Asuna.

"Maybe," said Kirito.

"And don't you have an appointment this afternoon, Asuna?" Mercedes asked as she smiled with friendly mischief, "you'll be joining us at M.U. soon, so you'll want to make a good impression on the recruiter."

"It's just an interview!" said an exasperated Asuna, "and I've got a few more coming up before the year's out. I don't even know if I want to go to college!"

"You won't know if you don't examine your options," said Xenophon, "let's see," he checked the time on his menu, "it's about 1:30 PM, let's meet back here at 5:30. That should give us all a chance to recover, restore and take care of any and all errands."

"Good idea," said Kirito, "good luck."

"Same to you!" said Mercedes as she gave Kirito, Asuna and Kairi the thumbs up before they logged off and vanished.

"What nice people," said Yui, "they're definitely going on my Christmas list."

"When did you start a Christmas list?" Kirito asked.

"Just now," said Yui, "and…Kairi! What are you doing?!"

Kirito and Asuna turned around and saw Kairi walking up the road back towards Hell House.

"Kairi!" shouted an irate and worried Asuna.

"I'm sorry," said Kairi as she turned around but kept walking towards Hell House, "but I can't wait. Who knows what's happening to Chrissie and the others? I just can't wait four hours!"

"Well, you're going to have to deal with it!" said Asuna, "you can't do this alone!"

"Well, I have to do something!" shouted Kairi, "what would you do if your friends and loved ones were in dire straits and you were told to wait? Well? What would…" that's as far as Kairi got as she swooned and collapsed to the ground, only to be caught by Kirito and Asuna.

"I'm alright," said Kairi weakly, "I just need a second and…" but then her stomach growled loudly. She then laughed a bit, "and a snack."

"You need way more than a snack," said Asuna as she and Kirito helped Kairi stand up.

"I don't even know if I can eat in this world," said Kairi as they helped her back to the tavern.

"You certainly can," said Yui, "I guarantee it."

"And you will eat," said Kirito, "lunch is on us."

"Oh, that's not necessary," said Kairi modestly as she reached for her munny pouch.

"Nonsense," said Asuna, "Kirito-kun and I'd be sorry friends if we didn't splurge on lunch with you, now would we?"

A few minutes later found them sitting down at a table in Milliways, with Yui assuming her human form as she sat next to Kirito, while Asuna and Kairi sat across them. A NPC tavern wench took their order and in less time than it would in the real world, brought out a large loaf of bread and four bowls of stew that steamed enticingly. Kirito, Asuna and Yui ate eagerly, while Kairi looked down at her stew with unsure eyes.

"Eat up, Kairi," said Yui as she spread some butter on bread, "you're behind."

Cautiously, Kairi ate a spoonful. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. She then proceeded to wolf down the stew and bread.

"Hey, take it easy," said Asuna, "you'll choke at this rate."

Kairi swallowed loudly, then tool a long drink from a mug of water, "sorry, I'm just amazed how real it tastes." She then finished her bowl of stew and mopped up the last of the gravy with some bread.

"It's supposed to taste real," said Kirito as he signaled for seconds.

"I actually feel it in my stomach," said Kairi, "I suppose, me being data and the food being data, it's real to me," she then looked at Kirito and Asuna, "but what about you two? What do you feel when you eat in the game?"

"Same thing you do," said Asuna, "we smell the aroma of the foot, taste its taste, feel the texture and experience everything else. But still, it's not real, we only think it's real. Our bodies in the real world are still hungry."

"How'd you survive for two years in the game?" Kairi asked, "you must have been hooked up to I.V. machines. But after not moving for so long, your bodies…"

"Were atrophied, yes," said Asuna, "it took me almost five months of physical rehabilitation before I could walk without crutches, and I still get weak sometimes after exerting myself."

"Papa was back to his old self after less than two months of rehab," said Yui.

"Well, that just makes your father special, Yui-chan," said Asuna in a half teasing, half admiring tone.

After a second helping of stew and bread, with Kairi taking a third helping, the four of them leaned back and relaxed, with Kairi letting out a loud satisfied belch, then yawned deeply.

"Looks like you could use a few hours sleep," said Asuna, "I'll speak with the owner about a room."

"No, I'm alright," said Kairi as she tried to stand up, "I just…"

"When was the last time you really slept?" Kirito asked as Asuna spoke with the owner.

"Uh…let's see," said Kairi in a thoughtful manner, "we had just gotten back from Yubaba's bathhouse and were getting ready to look for the missing powers, I remember that much. We went to Equestria, and remind me to tell you about that later. Then we went to Metamore and Banoi, that's another story for later, and then we were in Rapture…I honestly don't remember when I last had a good night's sleep."

"Well, you'll sleep now," said Asuna as she came back, "I guarantee it, or at least the owner does. They've got the most comfortable, most restoring beds in all of the 6th floor here, or so the owner claims."

A short while later found the four of them in one of the tavern's rooms upstairs. The room was simple yet welcoming; two beds, a table and a wardrobe for clothes.

"Why don't you just relax and get some shuteye?" Kirito suggested, only to be forced out of the room by Asuna, "hey? What are you doing?!"

"I think what Kairi needs some girl time before bedtime," said Asuna, "so why don't you log out and meet me at my place for the college meeting?"

"Uh…" said an unsure Kirito.

"It'll be alright, Papa," said Yui, "Mama and I will look after Kairi."

"Well…okay," said Kirito, "just…"

"If there's a problem I'll PM you," said Asuna, "now go, you've got longer to travel to the real world than I do."

"Uh…right," said Kirito, "see you soon." He then brought up his menu and selected the logout feature, vanishing in a flash of light.

"Now, about you, Kairi," said Asuna as she walked to the wardrobe, pulled out a privacy screen and unfolded it, then selected from her inventory a simple white nightgown and handed it to Kairi, "get changed," she insisted.

"Uh…okay," said Kairi. She stepped behind the privacy screen, "you sure sending Kirito away like that was a good idea? I mean…what if something happens and…"

"We're in a safe zone, Kairi," said Asuna as Kairi changed out of her clothes and into the nightgown, "one of the principal roles governing online worlds such as ALO and SAO is that monsters and enemies cannot attack in safe zones such as towns and taverns like this."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but yeah," said Yui, "you're safe here, Kairi."

"I wish I could believe you," said Kairi as she stepped out from the privacy screen and sat down on one of the beds, "if there's one sure thing about The Heartless is that they're unpredictable. Just when you think you've figured them out, they completely take you by surprise, and if you're even the slightest off your game, you're finished."

"You poor thing," said Asuna in a sympathetic, caring tone as she sat next to Kairi, "you must have been through hell and back."

"More than once," said Kairi as she leaned against Asuna's shoulder, at which she put a comforting arm around Kairi, "and I don't know how much longer I can keep going. But I have to. I've got to find Sora before something terrible happens to him, and before you ask, he's alive, I know Sora is."

"You must have a bond as deep as the Pacific Ocean," said Asuna.

"You can say that again," laughed Kairi, "I guess we're like you and Kirito. It doesn't take a genius to realize that he's your special someone and vice versa."

"It took us two years to realize how much we loved each other," said Asuna, "especially after he asked me to marry him."

"You're not really…?" asked Kairi.

"Just in the game," said Asuna, "but we'll get married for real when we're old enough. The moment I realized just how much I loved Kirito, I knew that come what may, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, just as he wants to be with me to the end."

"Sora and I are like that," said Kairi, "in a way we're kinda married, long story."

"I'll bet," said an impressed Asuna, "but you can tell me later. Right now you need to sleep." She and Yui, whom had shifted to her human form, helped Kairi into bed and tucked her in.

"You go back to the real world, Mama," said Yui, "I'll look after Kairi."

"Okay, Yui-chan," said Asuna, "and PM me if anything happens."

"Asuna, thank you," said Kairi, "for everything. Another person wouldn't have bothered."

"I'm not like that other person," said Asuna as she smiled reassuringly, "I'm just me."

"Well, I'm glad you're you," said Kairi.

Asuna smiled again, then logged out, vanishing in a flash of light.

"You're really lucky to have such wonderful parents, Yui," said Kairi, "but…if you're still here when they're not, then…"

"I'm an independent A.I.," said Yui, "and if you're wondering if I get lonely when Mama and Papa aren't here, I do, a bit. But I keep busy," she then opened a window which displayed various images from the real world, "I've got the whole internet to explore. Every day I learn more and more about our world, both real and digital, about humans and what it is to be human, the good and the bad."

"And what do you think about us humans?" Kairi asked.

"That you're fantastic creatures," said Yui, "absolutely fantastic. I can't wait for the day when technology has advanced enough to allow me to join Mama and Papa in the real world. You know, I've been thinking. If you really were digitized and the technology allows you to return to the real world, it might be used to one day help me."

"I hope so too," said Kairi in a calmer voice as her eyes began to close, "I hope to be there when you step into the real world, assuming I live long enough. I'm afraid of what'll happen next."

"Don't be," said Yui as she curled up next to Kairi, "I may be a program, but I can keep you safe, Onesan."

"I never had a sister," mumbled Kairi as she was about to fall asleep, "I was an only child."

"Well, you've got one now, Onesan," said Yui as Kairi fell asleep.

…The Real World…

Upon regaining consciousness, Kazuto removed his Nerve Gear, stood up and perform a series of stretches to ease his stiff joints. He went to the kitchen for a quick lunch, then went upstairs to change in more presentable clothes. Just as he finished putting on a collared shirt, trousers and a tie, he heard the front door opening and closing, followed by a familiar voice shouting from below, "I'm home!"

"Ah, Sugu!" said Kirito as he went downstairs to find his sister, Suguha, returning from practice at her school's kendo club, "how was practice?"

"The usual," said Suguha as she took her shoes off and set her stuff down, "you heading out, Onisan?"

"Yeah, Asuna has her college meeting and I promised I'd be there with her," said Kirito.

"Well, don't be too disappointed if she chooses to go to a college that's way out of your league," teased Suguha.

"She hasn't even decided if she does want to go to college," said Kirito, "and neither have I. We both want to keep our options open."

"I figured as much," said Suguha, "so, anything happening in Alfheim that I need to know about?"

"Yeah, something big," said Kazuto, "ever hear of Hell House?"

"The cursed dungeon on Floor 6?" Suguha asked, "yeah, I've heard of it. Wait, are you and Asuna…?"

"It's a long story, Sugu," said Kazuto, "and I'd tell you all of it but I've got to meet up with Asuna. But if you're going online today, would you do me a favor and check in with Yui? She's looking after a friend at Milliways on the 6th floor. She'll explain everything."

"Sure, no problem," said Suguha, "I'll take care of it in a bit. Tell Asuna I said good luck with the meeting."

"Will do," said Kazuto.

A short time later found Kirito on his motorcycle, driving to and arriving at Asuna's house. Yet as he pulled into the driveway, he noticed an unfamiliar car had arrived a few seconds before he did. A woman in her early 40's with graying dark blond hair, hazel eyes behind glasses, wearing a blue and white business suit and high heals and carrying a brown leather briefcase, exiting the car and walking towards the front door.

The woman then turned and saw Kazuto, whom had gotten off his motorcycle and was walking towards the house. "Kirigaya Kazuto, I presume?" the woman asked in Japanese, while her accent hinted of New England origins.

"Yeah," said Kazuto cautiously as he approached the woman, "and you are…?"

"Oh, I do apologize," said the woman, "in my profession I sometimes forget my manners. Dr. Samantha Armitage, from Miskatonic University, at your service. I'm here to see your beloved Yuuki Asuna about her future."

"You're the college recruiter?" Kazuto asked.

"In the flesh," said Dr. Samantha Armitage, "now, shall we go see your ladylove about the next step in her education?"

"Uh…yeah, sure," said Kazuto in a slightly confused tone. With that the two of them walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Asuna answered, dressed in a white blouse and orange sweater with a matching skirt and white stockings. "Kirito-kun!" she said happily as she saw Kazuto. She then saw Dr. Armitage, "Oh…you're here early. I wasn't expecting you until 3:00."

"Was it at 3:00?" Dr. Armitage asked in a slightly confused tone. She pulled out her phone and checked her schedule, "oh, my mistake. I set the reminder an hour too early. Still, I'm here now, so we might as well get down to business. May we come in?"

"Yes, of course," said Asuna as she showed them in to the living room and they sat down.

"Now, first thing's first," said Dr. Armitage as she opened her briefcase and pulled out a file filled with documents, "you'll forgive me if I'm slightly disorganized. My colleagues keep insisting that I go fully digital, but I prefer the feel of actual paper on my fingertips. Now," she opened the file, "academically speaking, Ms. Yuuki, you are an exceptional student; not the best but certainly well above average."

"I'm just lucky, that's all," said Asuna.

"You're more than lucky," said Kazuto, "you're…"

"Above average?" Asuna interrupted.

"Brilliant, that's what," said Kazuto.

"You're also quite adept in many fields," said Dr. Armitage as she read more of Asuna's file, "excellent marks in math, science, languages," she then began speaking in English, "especially foreign languages."

"It helps to know how to talk to other people," said Asuna in carefully spoken English.

"That it is," said Dr. Armatige as she switched back to Japanese, "back to your school records, you've done well athletically, perfect attendance, not counting the two years spent in a cyber coma, and you've recently been getting top marks in home economics."

"The week before last I had an interview with a recruiter from one of the top culinary schools in France," said Asuna.

"Miskatonic has a more than decent culinary program," said Dr. Armitage, "history, literature, the many fields of math and science, and our athletic programs are, while not as boastful as those from Notre Dame, Duke, UCLA and whatnot, we're nothing to sneeze at either." She then pulled out from her briefcase a blue sweatshirt emblazoned with the letters M.U. in white on the front, while on the back was a gray and white squid, "Though we could do with a different mascot."

"'The Fighting Cephalopods?'" asked Kirito in careful English as he read the logo beneath the squid.

"Long story," said a slightly embarrassed Dr. Armitage. "Yes, our football team does get more than a few laughs from the crowd whenever they take the field, but like real giant squids, we're not to be taken lightly. And I'm sure that if you decide to join us, Ms. Yuuki, you'll find yourself warmly welcomed by our fencing team," she then looked at Kazuto, "while I'm sure you'll find more than a handful of other students wanting to form a kendo team, Mr. Kirigaya."

"I'm hardly ready to decide on a college," said Kazuto.

"It's never too early to plan for your education," said Dr. Armitage, "we've had our eyes on you too, Mr. Kirigaya. Even before you were imprisoned against your will, your grades and skills in computer sciences had tickled M.U.'s fancy."

"Well, I'm glad you want me for your school," said a slightly uncomfortable Kazuto. He then frowned slightly, "I'm sorry, but you never told us what you're a doctor of?"

"History and literature," said Dr. Armitage, "I'm the head librarian for M.U.'s main campus at Arkham, as was my father, his father and his father before him. It's been a bit of a tradition since my great-grandfather, Henry Armitage."

"And that's what bothers me," said Kazuto.

"What's bothering you, Kirito-kun?" asked Asuna.

"Why would the head librarian for an Ivy League school come halfway around the world to recruit to above average yet still ordinary Japanese students?" asked Kazuto.

At that Dr. Armitage smiled, "because you're not ordinary, that's why. I personally believe, and there are others back at M.U. who believes the same, that you two are among the most extraordinary youth alive; your experiences while trapped in cyberspace proves that."

"How does that prove anything?" Asuna asked, "yeah, we survived, but so did over six-thousand others. Why haven't you visited and offered any of them a place in your school?"

"Because you have something they lack," said Dr. Armitage, "you both died and came back to life."

"Is that all?" laughed Kazuto, "we've already been over this with the authorities. No one knows why Asuna and I survived when we should have died, not even Kayaba, and he's dead too."

"And yet part of him is still alive," said Dr. Armitage, "but that's a whole other kettle of fish. This is about you two. My colleagues and I both believe that there's something about you that allowed you to overcome and defeat Kayaba's programming; Was it some aspect of your brain chemistry? A genetic fluke or a slightly evolved genome? Maybe just sheer human willpower and strength of heart and soul? We don't know."

"And you want to experiment us to figure it out?" asked Asuna in a hard tone that was leaning towards outraged, "because if that's the case," she stood up and pointed at the door, "if that's the case, I humbly suggest you get the hell out of here and go back to America! Find someone else to be your guinea pigs!"

"You completely misunderstand," said Dr. Armitage in a placating manner as she stood up, "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. This is by no means a ruse to lure you into a lab for human experimentation."

"Then what do you want?" Kazuto asked as he stood up.

"To help bring out your full potential," said Dr. Armitage as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a white business card, "and to use that potential for the sake of all mankind."

She handed the card to Asuna. She and Kazuto looked at the card, reading the three black words printed on it, "'The Night Scholars.'"

"Um-hum," said Dr. Armitage as she took the card back, "'Saving the world since 1925.'" She then frowned slightly, "come to think of it, our own centennial has come and gone and we never even had a party. Oh well, there's always next century."

"I don't understand," said Asuna, "Dr. Armitage, just who are you?"

"A woman with a strange legacy, Asuna," said Dr. Armitage, "and please, call me Samantha."

"Okay, Samantha," said Kazuto as he, Asuna and Samantha sat down, "so, who are The Night Scholars?"

"A group of gifted individuals bound together with the purpose of keeping our world safe," said Samantha. "'Safe from what?' you ask. Well, the most simple version starts back with my great-grandfather, Henry Armitage. He and a few of his fellow M.U. staff helped prevent a plot to destroy the world, way back in the early 1920's. A lot of innocent people were killed in the process and a very dangerous and powerful artifact nearly fell into the wrong hands."

"What artifact?" Kazuto asked.

"An unabridged Latin translation of The Necronomicon," said Samantha, "quite possibly the most dangerous set of words to ever be penned by human hands, or inhuman, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, my great-grandfather, his fellow teachers and a few likeminded students, got together to create The Night Scholars. Their mission was to track down dangerous artifacts and keep them safe, while also locating and stopping humans who wished to use these artifacts for nefarious purposes."

"Why not just call the police?" Kazuto asked, "If these artifacts are real and as dangerous as you say they are, why not let the authorities handle it?"

"Like they'd believe us," said Samantha, "even today when technology is capable of producing near miracles, would you believe that manuscripts and antiquated items from the ancient world had powers that are almost like magic? If I were to tell you that there was, for example, an urn from a pre-Sumerian civilization that was capable of…again, for example, open a wormhole to another galaxy and allow hostile aliens to invade, would you believe me?

"Another example; if you were told that a group of deluded maniacs had gotten hold of a book of ancient magic and were planning on using it to rip a hole in the fabric of reality and allow god-like beings to come down and wreck havoc on the world and murder the human race, would you believe it?"

"I…I don't know," said Kazuto, "well…I wouldn't dismiss it outright. I always try to keep an open mind about things, especially things that science can't immediately explain."

"Good answer," said Samantha, "and another example, if you were somehow warned ahead of time that Sword Art Online was truly meant to trap ten-thousand innocent gamers in cyberspace, all to satisfy the mad desires of Kayaba Akihiko, would you believe it?"

"No," said Kazuto, "no one would have believed that Kayaba was capable of doing it. And the authorities were powerless to stop him."

"That's what The Night Scholars are for," said Samantha, "to handle potential crisis's that the authorities can't. Why us? If we don't do it, who will?"

"But why us?" Asuna asked, "yes, Kirito-kun and I defied Kayaba's programming, but why us? And even more, why me? Kirito-kun made it back to the real world, but then had to go back online to save me."

"Ah, yes, the ALO incident," said Samantha.

"Incident?!" exclaimed Kazuto as he stood up again, "that perverted piece of filth, Sugō Nobuyuki , he trapped 300 innocent minds to use them in mind-control experiments. He tortured them! And what's worse, what's even more unforgivable, is what he did to Asuna!"

"I know what he did," said Samantha as she stood up, a serious look on her face, "he trapped her in a gilded cage with daily threats of rape and suffering, all so he could live out his sick, fairytale fantasy. The man was a thief and a coward, he didn't even have the balls and know-how to make his own online world; he had to steal the software and programming from Kayaba's work. Well, what's done is done and the only thing we can do is move forward and try to make the future a little brighter.

"That's the bottom line here, Kirigaya Kazuto. That's why I'm here to recruit you and Yuuki Asuna. My colleagues and I believe that you two have what it takes to ensure our world a better and brighter future, to stop wicked minds and malicious otherworldly beings from plunging that future into darkness, a darkness that could be everlasting.

"Of course, you both have a choice in the matter. We don't force people into joining us. Our policy is to expose them to the truth of the world, little by little, so they can accept that not only magic is real, not only are aliens and godly beings real, but that our world is just one small, almost microscopic, part in a great and unsafe universe, a universe that wouldn't give a damn if our civilization, our race, our world were to simply blink out of existence.

"Some accept these truths, others don't, which is understandable. This is not for everyone and we respect those who chose not to. But if you do accept, if you wish to make a difference in the world and keep the darkness at bay, then you will, that I promise you."

"How often do you guys save the world?" Asuna asked cautiously.

"More than you might think," said Samantha, "it's a never-ending struggle, one that must be kept secret from the general population in order to avoid a global panic, and there would be one if man were to find out just how small he was in the grand scheme of things. It's a thankless job with only old books and artifacts as company, that and a group of dedicated friends whom always have your back."

She then took the card back from Asuna and wrote on the back of it, "I'm flying back to The States the day after tomorrow. Think about what I've said and whatever you decide, this is my cell number and hotel where I'm staying." She handed the card back to Asuna, "you will think about it, right?"

"Of course," said Asuna as she took the card, "won't we, Kirito-kun?"

"Yeah, of course we will," said Kazuto, "but, Samantha, what makes you think Asuna and I can make a difference in the world?"

"You already have," said Samantha as she repacked her briefcase, "the two of you saved 6,147 innocent lives, most of them children and young adults. You also prevented Sugō Nobuyuki , a man as mad as the Mad Arab Abdul Al-Hazred, from initiating a plan to enslave millions of minds."

"We had help most of the time," said Kazuto.

"Well, next time you'll have even more help," said Samantha, "assuming you decide yes."

"We'll think about it," said Asuna, "and thank you for coming."

"Thank you for having me over," said Samantha as she shook hands with Asuna and Kazuto.

"What a strange person," said Asuna after they showed Samantha out. They watched through the window as Samantha got into her car and drove off, "do you think she's for real?"

"About what?" Kazuto asked, "the part about magic being real, the aliens, gods and preventing the end of the world?" he shook his head, "I don't know."

"Well, she sounded sincere to me," said Asuna, "and she seemed sincere about us making a difference in the world."

"Well," said Kazuto as he looked at the card Samantha left them, "we've got a while to think it over. At the very least, we'd get to study abroad at an Ivy League school. So, what do you want to do now?"

"We've got a while before we're due back with the others," said Asuna, "couldn't we just hang out for a while and do nothing?"

"That's how this whole mess got started," said Kazuto, "with us just hanging out and doing nothing."

With that the two young lovers spent the next two hours sitting on the couch watching TV and enjoying each other's company. But then Kazuto's phone rang. "It's from Sugu," he said as he read the Caller ID, then answered, "hello."

"Onisan, don't get upset," said Suguha on the other end of the call, "but we've got a bit of a situation."

"What kind of situation?" Kazuto asked.

"Kairi's gone," said Suguha, "I'm sorry, but she ran off."

"What?!" exclaimed Kazuto as he stood up, while Asuna stood up as well.

"You said you wouldn't get mad, onisan!" exclaimed Suguha.

"I never said I wouldn't!" said Kazuto.

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked.

"Kairi's gone," said Kazuto.

"What?!" exclaimed Asuna. She then grabbed Kazuto's phone and put it on speaker, "Suguha! What happened?"

"Oh, you're there too, Asuna?" asked Suguha, "how'd the interview go?"

"It was alright, but that's not important right now," said Asuna, "what happened with Kairi?"

"Please don't be mad at me, Asuna," said Suguha, "and don't be mad at Yui, there wasn't anything she could do, Kairi was already gone when I got there."

"What? Wait, start from the beginning," said Kazuto, "what happened?"

"Well, it's like this," said Suguha, "after you left the phone rang. It was Okasan and she asked me to make a call for her, so I did, but I wound up at call waiting and was on hold for over twenty minutes. But then I was disconnected for some reason, so I had to start over, only this time I was on hold for almost forty-five minutes, and then when I finally got through to someone, I was put on hold again, so…"

"Sugu!" said Kazuto irately.

"Oh, sorry," said Suguha, "so anyway, I finally took care of the call and was free to log on. I got to Milliways on Floor 6, but then Yui-chan rushed out, looking like something terrible happened and she told me that Kairi ran away while she was asleep. Say, who's Kairi anyway?"

"I'll explain when I get home," said Kazuto, "I'm not mad at you or Yui, but I'm still upset."

"Me too," said Asuna.

"Kairi must be really important to make you both upset," said Suguha, "I'll be waiting for you here, Onisan." With that the call ended.

"You get home and log on," said Asuna, "I'll log on here and try to catch up with Kairi."

"Do you know where she's gone?" Kazuto asked.

"Where else would she go?" Asuna asked, "back to Hell House. We've got to catch up with her before she goes in alone and gets hurt, or worse."

"It's almost like SAO again," said Kazuto, "because if Kairi's been turned into data and is part of the game, then if she dies in the game, she may die for real."

The end of chapter 4.

Next chapter finds our heroes and allies heading back to Hell House, with some new yet familiar faces joining the party. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!