Liminality

January 10th, 2023

The forest of the Eighth Floor was beautiful, lit by the sourceless blue illumination of Aincrad's night. From the top of one of the huge, hollowed-out trees that formed its first town, Connifia, the view was honestly breathtaking, and reminded Kirito again that Sword Art Online was a place of wonders as much as horrors. After all, where in the real world could he ever have seen a forest of giant redwoods, fir trees, pine, palm, and a dozen others he didn't even recognize, all in one place?

He recognized that the purpose of the varied forest was probably at least partly to trick the eye, making the largest of the trees look taller still than the hundred-meter gap between floors allowed. That didn't really take away from the experience, though—if anything, he was even more impressed by the trick.

Sitting on a wooden stool like a stump at a table at the far edge of the Treetop Inn's top floor, sipping at a mug of cocoa, Kirito couldn't help but notice that the roads below were almost empty of players. Normally, he was used to seeing even low-level players swarming the first town of a new floor, right after he first arrived himself. But then, normally he was one of the very first players to arrive, if not the one activating the Teleport Gate, and he didn't usually get there so late at night.

This time I was late, though, he mused, turning his gaze to the cafe itself. Here, he could see a few players scattered about, their heavier and often brighter equipment standing out from the NPCs—not to mention their louder conversations. The NPCs were mostly lumberjacks with their beer and the waitresses attending them, with dull clothing and quiet mumbling to disguise their repetitive dialogue. The ALS and DKB have probably already hit half the quests in this town, even. And the tourists will be waiting for the next town to open up.

He wasn't surprised that the few clearers and tourists still up so late at night had zeroed in on the Treetop. It had a very cozy, log cabin style to it, with soft lighting that encouraged a sense of intimacy. The only surprising thing was that Kibaou and his Aincrad Liberation Squad were actually being quiet. And that the ALS wasn't trying to pick a fight with Lind's Dragon Knights Brigade, or vice-versa.

Kirito was just glad the lighting was dim enough to keep his end of the bar mostly in shadow. He'd seen Lind and Kibaou both glancing in his direction, and he was just as happy not to attract their attention any more. They may have blamed themselves more for what happened in the battle with Aghyellr, but I saw the looks they gave me after the battle. The Beater went and did something strange again, and they're still wondering if they should yell at me for it.

Just wait until they learn the whole truth of that sword. Can't imagine either of them being happy when they find out I bribed them with the promise of a weapon they can't even safely use. His party had won the Doleful Nocturne from the casino in Volupta. As an incentive to get the guilds to take on the Seventh Floor Boss as quickly possible they'd offered it as one of two game-breaking rewards to whichever guild did the most against the boss. What Kirito hadn't mentioned to Lind or Kibaou was that the sword, powerful as it was, had a very nasty EXP penalty to anyone using it. Or rather, anyone without a particular status effect.

We tricked them. It was so we could get the dragon blood soon enough to save Nirrnir, but we tricked them. They decided neither of them were worthy of it after Aghyellr. Can't imagine I'll be so lucky after the next boss.

But that was apparently a concern for another day. On this particular night, all was quiet, with Kibaou, Lind, and their guilds taking it easy after what had apparently been an uneventful day of clearing. Most of them hadn't even seemed to notice him; odds were they couldn't even really see him, in his black coat and dim corner.

All things considered, he figured that was probably a good thing. He wasn't quite ready to face other players much, let alone either of the big clearing guilds. Not after the game-changing events of the Aghyellr battle.

"Is something troubling you, Kirito?"

The low, warm contralto jolted Kirito from his reverie, bringing his attention back to his own companions. The Dark Elf Kizmel, violet hair and irises both glimmering to his eyes, was looking at him with a concerned frown. Which he honestly thought she ought to have reserved for her own situation, but he knew better than to just brush off her concern. In the month he'd known her, he'd come to realize she took friendship very seriously.

"If you say something like you're just wondering about which girl to marry again, I'm going to be annoyed, Kirito-kun."

He winced, involuntarily hunching his shoulders at the brunette fencer's jibe. He'd kind of hoped Asuna had forgotten all about that little faux pas, not too long after they'd met Kizmel. It had been a stupid excuse, and he'd known it the moment he'd said it. It was just the first thing he could think of, rather than admit he'd been wondering about Kizmel's nature.

At least this time I don't have anything to hide. Trying to ignore both Asuna's arch look and the smile that flitted across Kizmel's face at the reminder, Kirito forced himself to relax. "It's nothing," he said. "Just not used to it being this calm on a new floor, right after we got here. You know."

"Huh." Asuna turned to look out over Connifia herself, eyes narrowing as she squinted into the darkness. "Well, this isn't the first time we've started a new floor at night, but last time Kibaou and Lind's groups were both in a hurry to start the guild quest, so they were up late, too…. I can't really see from here, but I'll take your word for it." Picking up her own mug of tea, she took a long sip. Then, "We'll be okay. Argo's already out looking… and I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to seeing what this town is really like."

Kirito nodded, stifling a flash of worry for Argo the Rat. The info broker had worked on her own much more than she'd partied with them, after all, and seeing just what the two clearing guilds had managed before the four of them had arrived was simple enough. Even if Argo couldn't see in the dark any better than Asuna could, she no doubt remembered the beta test even better than he did.

"I don't really mind that Lind and Kibaou got ahead of us this time," he said after another swallow of cocoa, and to his own mild surprise realized he meant it. "Argo will let us know if we're missing anything big. In the meantime, the ALS and DKB can push the regular clearing, while we focus on what's really important."

Asuna followed his gaze, and nodded firmly. "That's right. They're good enough—mostly—for that. We're the only ones who can do this."

Kizmel, feeling their eyes on her, ducked her head; if Kirito didn't know better, he'd have thought there was a faint blush lighting her dusky skin. "You do have obligations of your own," the elf girl pointed out, hiding her mouth behind her tankard of ale. "Thousands of lives depend on you, to say nothing of those born in the Steel Castle. You've no obligation to be so quick to help me."

"Yeah, we do," Kirito said at once, surprising both her and himself with his quick response. "All of this was my fault to begin with. Asuna and I promised to clear your name, Kizmel, and that's what we're gonna do."

It was his fault, too, and he wasn't going to run from the responsibility. Sure, it'd been to save the Qusack guild from the PKer gang's scheme, and it had even worked. That didn't change the fact that he'd used the Sacred Keys as bait, lost them, and gotten Kizmel branded a traitor to her own people in the process.

They'd failed to retrieve the Keys on the Seventh Floor, in part because of the other crisis they'd gotten caught up in. With the Forest Elves' capital city on the Eighth, and the end of the Elf War Quest itself fast approaching on the Ninth, Kirito intended to make it his priority to pull it off here.

He didn't care that Kizmel was an NPC. It was becoming increasingly clear that the more plot-important NPCs had high-functioning AI, and had been running their own lives maybe since before even the beta. That made them as important as any player, in his eyes.

And Kizmel is our friend. I meant what I told Viscount Yofilis, on the Fourth Floor. Every word of it.

"He's right, Kizmel." Asuna set aside her mug, reaching out to take one of Kizmel's hands in hers instead. "It was the criminals that set this off, but it was still from our people. And you're our friend. Whatever it takes, Kizmel, we're seeing this through. For you."

Kizmel looked like she wanted to protest, but in the end, she sighed, smiled, and squeezed Asuna's hand. "The two of you have been greater friends to me than I possibly deserve," she said, reaching her free hand across the table to touch Kirito's. "And braver than most of my own people. Thank you, both of you."

Brave, huh? Kirito wanted to dispute that, but didn't want to deal with the Look he'd get from his partner, nor the affectionate scolding Kizmel would give him. I'm not brave, though. I'm just trying to survive, and Kysarah getting the Keys is my fault. I'm just afraid of losing….

The warmth of Kizmel's hand pulled away, leaving him with a strange pang. The elf girl picked up her tankard, drained the ale in a long gulp, and set it aside. "As a friend, however," she said then, "I must make sure you take care of yourselves. As late as it is, with no immediate leads, I believe Asuna and I should be going to bed."

Kirito nodded at that. A fugitive from her own people, yet unable to interact with basic player mechanics, Kizmel was sharing an inn room with Asuna. It was a strange arrangement, a quest NPC being effectively a full party member with players, but one he thought he could get used to.

Pushing herself to her feet, as Asuna polished off her own drink and also stood, Kizmel raised one eyebrow at Kirito. "Will you be all right, Kirito?"

He nodded again, giving them a smile he didn't quite feel. "I'll be fine," he said, casually waving a hand. "You girls go on, I'll just be a bit."

He could tell from Kizmel's frown, and Asuna's pursed lips, that neither of them really believed him. After a moment, though, they relented, turning to head into what was—to them—the gloomy dimness of the Treetop's inn section. There wasn't anything they could do about the situation, after all.

They still hadn't found a way to undo Vampire status. Gloomy as it was, Kirito settled back on his stool, gaze drifting between the silent streets below and the emptying cafe. Lonely nights, he thought, were something he was going to have to get used to, and the sooner the better.

In the end, Kirito found himself in the hot spring that occupied the highest level of one of the Treetop's other trees. How, exactly, there could be a hot spring high up in the trunk of a tree, he didn't know. He didn't really care, either, more interested in just relaxing. At such a late hour, it wasn't like anyone was likely to barge in on him.

I don't know that any other players would care, anyway, he mused. Sinking into the steaming warmth, he took a moment to appreciate the view. This high up, this close to the edge of the floor, he was able to get a nice view of the stars, through the slim gap between Aincrad's floors. Asuna must be rubbing off on me, if this was the first place I thought of to unwind.

Once, Kirito hadn't cared about bathing in VR. It wasn't necessary, and it just felt off. After hanging around Asuna for over a month, he'd started to appreciate them more. By now, he didn't even really notice the issue with fluid simulation. Late at night, all by himself, it was downright comfortable.

Good thing Dominus Nocte aren't weak to water. I'll have to tell Asuna about it in the morning… just before I go to bed. He felt a pang, and tried to push it away. At least she won't have to worry about swimsuits when it's her turn, huh?

He tried to push that out of his mind, too. To empty his mind, and just… be. After everything that had happened on the last couple floors, before the tension he was sure was going to set in soon, he thought it would be best to just soak in the water, and watch the stars go by.

That was the idea. The soft click of the bath's door opening, barely audible even to a vampire's ears, snapped him back to attention. Who could that be, this late?! The lighting was dim to normal eyes, this long past midnight; to Kirito, it might as well have been broad daylight, and he quickly spotted a slim form slipping into the room.

"Ah. I thought I might find you here, Kirito."

He choked, pulse racing, as Kizmel slid gracefully into the bath. A couple of days before, steam and darkness would've obscured his view; tonight, he could see perfectly well that she was completely naked. In that moment, all he could see was dusky skin, violet hair, and dark eyes that glinted with clear amusement.

"K-Kizmel!" he got out, quickly turning his head back to the stars. "W-what are you doing here?!"

"Visiting a friend I feared was lonely," was her casual reply. "As I can see is the case. …And would you please look at me, Kirito?" she added, with what he could've sworn was fond exasperation. "It's awkward to talk when you're so flustered."

"But—I mean—you're—" It took all Kirito's willpower not to look, but that was a saving throw he was determined to make. He knew the consequences if he failed that one.

"Kirito." He heard a sigh, and felt waves ripple out from whatever gesture the elf girl made. "Asuna isn't here. As for me, this is hardly the first time you've seen me naked." A teasing edge smoothed out her annoyance. "In fact, I believe this would be the third. Fourth," she added with a chuckle, "if you were looking closely the last time we were in Castle Galey's hot spring."

…She wasn't wrong, to be sure. He'd only seen her back, the time she'd asked him to scrub her back on the Third Floor. But he'd seen everything when she'd tricked him and Asuna into joining her in Castle Galey's spring the first time. The second time…. Well, I did get a glimpse, anyway, when Asuna forced me out of my spot.

After Asuna had accidentally sat in his lap—and that was a memory Kirito forced out of his mind's eye, knowing his partner would've killed him for dwelling on it. It was honestly safer to open his eyes and carefully glance toward Kizmel, so he could legitimately deny thinking about it if Asuna somehow caught wind of things.

When he did look back to the dusky elf, she was mostly covered by steaming water. Mostly. He could still see an indecent amount of her chest, which almost kept him from noticing the wry smile on her face. "Better," she said, leaning back against the bath's stone lip with a satisfied air. "I'm surprised," she said then, eyes falling half-closed as she relaxed into the warm water herself. "I know you're not accustomed to bathing with a woman, Kirito, but I thought you had no objection to it, either. Asuna was the one who always protested, after all."

"I…." Words failed Kirito, realizing she wasn't exactly wrong. That first time, in the Dark Elf camp, he'd tried to just dodge the question entirely, only to be roped into helping her wash up by her emotional appeal. The other times, Asuna had spoken up before he could even say a word. But Kizmel wasn't, technically, wrong.

"If you absolutely insisted, I could put on a swimsuit," she mused, when the silence dragged on. "But I do not have Mystic Scribing, Kirito. I would have to ask Asuna, and I would rather not wake her if I didn't have to."

Urk. The thought of waking Asuna in the middle of the night, for something like that, sent a chill through him that overwhelmed even the warmth of the bath. She might only be interested in trying out the bath herself. Or she might figure out that meant Kizmel had walked in on me first, and then… eep.

Kirito hastily abandoned that train of thought, and decided to try another tack. Averting his eyes again—mostly—with an effort, he said, "It's, um, kinda hard not to stare, Kizmel. That's not fair to you. So, uh, if you want to talk, maybe we should take this somewhere else…."

Kizmel actually rolled her eyes at that, and deliberately stretched in a way that lifted most of her upper body out of the water. He wasn't positive she did it all on purpose, but there was no denying the way his eyes were instantly drawn to her swaying chest.

When she sank back down, she cleared her throat, bringing his attention—barely—back to her face. Her face, and the smile playing at her lips. "Kirito," she said, with a clear mix of amusement and exasperation, "why in the world should I be bothered if one of my two closest friends finds me attractive? Honestly, I'm flattered."

…Program Kirito is not responding. Close program, or wait for it to respond?

Something in his expression obviously amused her, chasing out the exasperation altogether. "Kirito," she said, all teasing now, "the worst that could possibly happen is that I would have to ask Her Majesty for certain… permissions. I believe I told you of that before?" She chuckled, low and throaty. "I doubt it would even be difficult, now that you're one of the Dominus Nocte. My people do think highly of the Lords of the Night, after all."

Urk! Kirito wished he didn't remember the conversation. He'd been thinking about something he didn't dare bring up in Kizmel's hearing, only to deflect with a statement that was, if anything, even more dangerous. Asuna had yelled at him, Kizmel had blandly informed him he'd need her queen's permission, and he'd been left wishing he could reload a previous save and undo the whole exchange.

The elf girl let him flounder, choke, and blush for a minute, her smirk telling him just how much she was enjoying the spectacle. Then, finally, she sobered, smirk fading to a gentle smile. "Honestly, Kirito. You are no longer human, and we have no idea if there is a way to undo the transformation. I think it would be best for you to consider what that means, going forward."

No longer human…. Kirito clung to that thought, figuring it was a safer topic than her insinuations. Mostly. It's only in the game, he reminded himself. Kizmel doesn't know it, but it's not like my real body has changed any. I can't help but wonder, though. If this were real… how would I feel about it?

An odd question, and one he'd never really considered before. Yet now that he thought about it, his new vampiric status did have potential long-term consequences. From the beginning, his avatar had been different from his real body, but mostly just in that it was stronger, with somewhat sharper senses. It was more than his real body, yet it was more a difference of degree than kind.

In a way, becoming Dominus Nocte was the same. But it was so much more that it might as well have been a fundamental transformation. Even in the dark of night, he could see as if it was daylight, giving him an all-too-clear view of Kizmel even through the darkness, steam, and water. He could hear her heartbeat, across the bath. That alone, he knew, was going to change how he dealt with the world around him; he could tell, just from that pulse, that she was a lot calmer than he was.

He couldn't tolerate the light of the sun anymore, or the simple touch of silver. Though he'd always had a tendency toward late nights, he was going to have to be genuinely nocturnal going forward, putting him completely out of sync with most people's sleep schedules.

I've never even really thought about what the adjustment will be like going from a normal avatar back to my real body. Just getting used to normal strength is going to be disorienting enough. If we don't find a cure for the vampire status soon, if I get used to reading people's moods by their heart rate and only being active at night… not to mention drinking blood….

Shivering, Kirito pushed thoughts of the real world aside, with a deliberate reminder to himself that aside from the blood drinking and the super-senses, that wasn't too out of the ordinary for people who worked night shifts. Besides, he could worry about the real world later. Right then, he thought, what his new status meant in the game was more important.

It did have its advantages, objectively speaking. If SAO were "just" a game, Kirito might even have considered choosing the status on purpose. The heightened senses after dark, boosted stats, minor self-regeneration buff, and ability to effectively wield the stupidly-strong Doleful Nocturne sword were definite perks. Daylight being actively harmful and silver a dangerously lethal poison balanced it, making Vampire status potentially a high-risk, high-reward play style. Honestly, the challenge-craving gamer in him found the idea extremely tempting.

In the context of the death game SAO had become, he wasn't so sure. Bad enough to be known as the "Beater" already, with all the bad reputation he'd taken onto his own shoulders to protect other beta testers like Argo the Rat. Having the buffs of a Dominus Nocte and having to operate exclusively at night—when outside of being in a really big hurry, few other players wanted to risk nighttime monsters—had the potential to ostracize him even more.

Though Kirito found Kizmel's teasing insinuation that he was no longer bound by human social standards ridiculous, he couldn't deny he'd probably just removed himself from that society. I'm the only player like this. I'm… alone.

He shivered, despite the warmth of the bath. Because that was what he most afraid of, he knew: that Asuna would leave him, now that their sleep schedules were out of sync. Adventuring together would be much more difficult, and the simple fact was that he didn't think she really needed him anymore. He'd promised to be her partner until the day came she didn't need the help anymore. He'd been dreading that day, and now it seemed like it might've come sooner than he'd feared.

A sigh broke into his increasingly-depressed musings, and he looked up to see Kizmel shaking her head. "You brood too much, Kirito," she said, clicking her tongue. "Do you truly believe Asuna would abandon you now?"

Um. Kirito swallowed. "…Did I say that out loud?"

"Some," she replied, an enigmatic smile flitting across her lips for a moment. "But I believe I've come to know you well enough in any case, my friend, to guess what you're thinking. I know you've been holding something back about her for some time now." She arched one eyebrow. "Has it ever occurred to you to talk to her about it? I know you've not even asked her what she intends to do now that you've become Dominus Nocte. Perhaps it's time you spoke up."

The idea of asking the question frightened Kirito almost more than the potential answer. After all, as long as he didn't ask, he didn't have to face the reality of the answer being one he didn't want to hear. Even if Asuna really was going to leave, he could hold onto the illusion she wouldn't, just a little longer.

Kizmel sighed again. "Someday, my friend, you need to tell me why you trust your friends so little. …Kirito." She slid around the edge of the bath, slipping close enough to reach out to him. "The promise we made earlier goes both ways. Even if, by some terrible chance, Asuna must leave you… I will not. One way or another, you will not be alone."

She grasped his hand then, under the water, and squeezed it gently. He jolted at the contact, flushing again, as her warmth bled into his cold, vampiric body. He somehow forced himself not to pull away, though, as the elf girl held his hand and his gaze, a warm smile curling her lips.

"Kirito," she said again. "I must thank you. For rescuing me from prison, even when I tried to dissuade you. For everything you've done, since the night you and Asuna saved me in the Forest of Wavering Mists. You've done so much for me. Thank you."

Swallowing hard, face burning, Kirito could only awkwardly grip her hand in return. "I… um, well… I had to…."

Kizmel chuckled, low and warm. "I believe I understand what you're trying to say, my friend. No need to strain yourself. Though you know," she added, tone and smile turning whimsical, "you were the first to broach the idea of marriage, and when we'd known each other but a few days, at that. If that is the thanks you'd prefer, we need only conquer this last floor before we can reach the Royal Capital. After everything you've done for my people, I doubt Her Majesty would deny you."

Any trace of composure Kirito might still have had fled, and he would've fled right along with it if the elf girl hadn't tightened her grip on his hand. "Er, Kizmel," he got out, trying to pull away, "that's—I mean, you can't really be—"

She didn't let him go, demonstrating that her elven strength still exceeded even his as a vampire. "Of course," she mused, as if he wasn't trying to run away, "if you can't wait that long, well, I'm already disgraced. Next to clearing my name of treason, overlooking a premature dalliance with a hero seems a small thing, don't you think?"

If his body weren't made so cold by the vampire status, Kirito was sure he would've burst into flame. If the NerveGear hadn't been tampered with, his spiking vitals would've triggered a forced log-out. He had no idea how to handle the teasing she was throwing his way—if it was teasing—and his inability to get away was pushing him toward outright panic.

Unable to flee, Kirito could only stare at her, and at the half-teasing smile on her face, while desperately trying not to look at her bare body. Stare… and listen, to the heart beat no one else would've heard.

Wait. Her pulse, something about her eyes….

Kirito stopped pulling away, and settled back into the water. "…Kizmel," he said, when she arched a surprised brow, "what's wrong? This isn't like you."

It really wasn't. Kizmel had a wicked sense of humor, he knew. She also had no concern whatsoever about human standards of modesty. Judging by the way she'd tricked him and Asuna into seeing each other—and her—naked in Castle Galey's hot spring, smirking all the while, she seemed to find human nudity taboos downright funny.

But flirting with him? That wasn't normal. Though she hadn't exactly objected, when he'd made the stupid remark about wondering whether he'd prefer to marry her or Asuna, her reaction had been calm and matter-of-fact. Nearly a month later, the subject had never even come up again.

From the way her eyes suddenly widened, and her grip on his hand slackened, he'd nailed it.

For a long moment, Kizmel was silent. She turned her gaze to the stars, and she looked suddenly more vulnerable than Kirito had ever seen. The sad look on her face reminded him of the night she'd revealed to him the fate of her sister, only more anxious. Others, he thought, might not even have seen it; he knew her well enough now, and could see well enough by starlight, that it was obvious to him.

"For someone so awkward at times," she finally said, slowly, so low only his vampiric hearing caught it, "you can be very perceptive, my friend." The elf girl drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her free arm around them. "…To be honest… you're not the only one feeling out of place, this night. At this moment, I am as much an outcast from my people as you are from yours. And so, I'm… trying not to think. About how my own people see me as a betrayer. About how much can still go wrong. I've lived my live as Knight of Lyusula, and now… I'm afraid. Without that, I don't know who I am."

Kirito swallowed. "…I'm sorry," he whispered, gently running his thumb over her hand. "This really is my fault—"

Kizmel shook her head, still looking at the stars. "No, Kirito. This was my mission. My responsibility. My choice, to support your actions. I would not have it said that I was evading responsibility."

That stung. She was right, but it still stung, to think he had hurt her pride as a knight. I should've known better. I know Asuna is touchy about that kind of thing; and it's not like I don't have my pride, too. Wincing, he began to pull his hand away.

Her grip tightened again before he could escape, and she finally turned to look at him again, a bittersweet smile playing at her lips. "I believe it was the right choice, Kirito," she said, shaking her head. "As Sir Lavik said, Kysarah the Ransacker is a truly formidable foe. Had we done otherwise, several of your people would've died, lost to a conflict not their own. My reputation with my people may suffer, but my honor would've been shattered had I not aided your plan."

Still, the man in the poncho was the one who dragged them into it. Kirito didn't say it, though, knowing Kizmel would only point out that it was still the Fallen and Forest Elves behind the conflict as a whole, and who had agreed to the criminal's plans.

"Asuna and I will still do everything we can to help you," he reminded her, giving her the only reassurance he could. Daring to tighten his own grip, he forced himself to say, "We care about you, Kizmel. Meeting you was probably the best thing that happened us, since we were trapped here. If there's anything we can do, we will. No matter what we have to fight along the way."

Once, that would've been unthinkable. No player in their right mind would risk their lives for an NPC, a replaceable, unthinking piece of SAO's programming. It was insane to even suggest it. After a month of following the Elf War quest, though, Kirito knew Kizmel was different. She could do things ordinary NPCs couldn't, and she was a friend. One of the few friends he had in any world.

The way Kizmel's smile turned from small and bittersweet to wide and warm made his face hot, but the accompanying warmth in his chest made it worth it. "You truly are the greatest friends I could have ever asked for," she told him. Then her smile turned teasing again, and this time nothing about her pulse—felt more clearly than ever, as she still held his hand—betrayed any anxiety. "And you know, Kirito, if it comes to it… well, a Pagoda Knight banished in false disgrace and a Swordmaster turned to a Lord of the Night finding love amidst adventure? That seems the stuff of a new legend of romance and heroes." She chuckled, low and throaty. "That has its own appeal, don't you think?"

Kirito choked.

Chuckle turning to a full laugh, Kizmel finally released his hand, and stood, further short-circuiting his brain with the reminder that she was naked. Walking away, she gave him a full view of her bare, toned back and rear; tossing a grin over her shoulder, she said, "I believe that's enough for now, Kirito. Don't stay up too early. You need your rest, as well, and I believe Asuna—and I—will have much to discuss with you, come next evening."

Brain caught in a loop as the shameless elf girl left the bath, Kirito couldn't help but watch to the very last moment. …What just happened?!

January 11th, 2023

It was probably inevitable that Kirito slept fitfully, when he finally turned in just before dawn. For all that he had a diehard gamer's nocturnal habits, outright inverting his sleeping patterns wasn't going to be the smoothest process. Even he didn't generally sleep straight through the day.

Dreams influenced by his recent transformation didn't help, either. Though if anyone ever found out about the ones that involved a certain Dark Elf and way too much skin, he was totally going to blame Kizmel herself. It was not his fault that she kept walking in on him like that.

So Kirito was groggier than usual when his alarm woke him up, at eight in the evening. At first, all he registered was the unfamiliar wood ceiling of his room in the Treetop, his sleepy mind distracted tracing the patterns and knots in the panels. It took him a couple seconds longer to remember why he'd slept so late. Still not used to that, he thought muzzily. I wonder what Asuna and Kizmel are… doing…?

Turning his head, sleep was chased out by the sight on the other bed. He'd rented a room with two beds simply because it was what was available, but hadn't thought much of it; Asuna had booked a separate room, and they'd decided Kizmel would share that one for the time being. It wasn't that much different from what they'd done throughout their partnership, really.

So why is Asuna in my room? I didn't go into the wrong one, did I?! …No, no, Kizmel would've been here, too… uh-oh.

Frantically, Kirito checked his own bed, one side and then the other, and relaxed a fraction when he found he didn't have company that close. He'd shared a bed with Kizmel before, but that had been by mutual agreement. He wasn't sure what even she would've thought if he'd absentmindedly crashed with her unannounced.

Which still didn't explain why Asuna was in the other bed, sound asleep. He'd never yet quite gotten a handle on her habits, but he was pretty sure sneaking into a guy's room wasn't usually one of them.

A quiet click and the creaking of hinges snapped his attention to the door, which eased open to let Kizmel slip in. Wearing her tights and tunic, but not her armor, she looked like any player just getting ready to start the day. She glanced at his bed, then to Asuna's, before focusing on him with a small smile. "Ah, Kirito," she said quietly. "You're awake. I hope you slept well?"

"Well enough," he said warily, sliding back to sit up against the wall. Not remotely willing to admit the role the elf girl had played in his dreams, he quickly changed the subject. "Um, do you have any idea what Asuna is doing here? I was sure we'd gotten separate rooms…."

A groan from the other bed preempted any response from Kizmel. "Looking after you, dummy," Asuna said around a yawn. Blearily sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes. "Since we knew you wouldn't look after yourself if we didn't take the initiative."

"We spent last night, and the day, sleeping in shifts," Kizmel explained, closing the door and leaning back against it. "That way we would both be rested, by the time you were ready to begin the… evening." She lifted one violet eyebrow. "And so that we would all be prepared to talk. I believe you have something to say, Kirito?"

Uh-oh. Kirito had hoped Kizmel wouldn't remember that part of the discussion in the bath. Now, with the elf blocking the door, Asuna giving him a suddenly piercing stare, and the window probably not reachable before the fencer caught him, he was trapped. I'd rather be fighting a boss!

No such luck. The chestnut-haired fencer cleared her throat pointedly, managing to look intimidating even in her sleepwear. "Out with it, Kirito-kun," she demanded, no trace of sleepiness left in her demeanor. "What's going on?"

"It's—it's not really that important—" Kizmel tapped her booted foot on the floor, and Kirito cut himself off. "It's just…." He hesitated, trying to find the right words; this time, the elf girl didn't rebuke him. "I wasn't sure you'd still be here tonight," he finally admitted, unable to meet Asuna's eyes. "Now that I'm a vampire, partying together is going to be a lot more complicated. I mean, the sleeping schedules alone are going to be a nightmare, since I can't go out in the day."

The moment of truth. The moment he'd been dreading. Asuna had demanded, once, that he tell her the instant she was a burden on him. She didn't want to be a charity case. She insisted they had to be equal partners, or not at all. If she applied that both ways, it only made sense for her to leave now. She was strong enough to survive without him, especially if Kizmel went with her, and trying to keep their partnership going was definitely going to put a burden on her.

After a long moment of silence, he heard a deep sigh from the door. He risked a glance there, and saw Kizmel shaking her head, a look of deep exasperation on her face.

Then the other bed shifted, as Asuna swung her feet off to the floor. "Kirito-kun," she said, echoing Kizmel's sigh. "Sometimes, you're an idiot, you know that?"

"Um… maybe?" he managed, not daring to disagree with her. What's going on now?

"'Maybe'." Asuna snorted. "Kirito-kun. Kizmel and I already worked that out. We're sleeping in shifts—that's no worse than some of what we've done, with some quests. If you thought having to adjust to sleeping half the day was enough to make me run away, you are an idiot."

Kirito couldn't help but sag in relief at that. He still thought she probably should go, for her own sake, but he was desperately relieved that she wasn't going to. Put off a little longer, at least. …But I really do need to start preparing myself. Sooner or later—

A pointed cough from the door made him jump, and startled Asuna, too. "Out with it, Kirito," Kizmel said firmly, folding her arms and giving him a flat stare. "The rest of it. The part you wouldn't talk about last night. She deserves to know. And I believe you need to say it, for your own sake."

The two players both stared at the elf, one in surprise, the other in sheer terror. Then Asuna turned, very slowly, to look back at Kirito. If SAO had possessed an Eye Beams skill, he would've been struck with twin critical hits. "Ki-ri-to-kun?"

He flinched, from the stare and from the dangerously punctuated address. He again considered taking a flying leap out the window. Realized again he'd never make it. And if I did, Kizmel would call me a coward. For real. …I couldn't handle that.

Kirito had to turn away, not able to even look in Asuna's direction this time. But, very slowly, he began to speak. "When we first met… I thought it was going to be just a temporary partnership. Just for the battle with Illfang, I thought, and then… just for a little while longer. Just long enough for the crisis at hand."

Barely a month ago. He'd met her by coincidence in a dungeon, teamed up with her in a boss fight simply because they were the odd ones out, and then just happened to bump into each other again when planning to upgrade their weapons. When they stumbled on the scam the Legend Braves were running, it still never occurred to him that they'd keep working together beyond resolving it.

Then we stumbled into a unique version of the Elf War quest… and it feels like it's been forever.

"I thought," Kirito forced out, before either girl could scold him for pausing, "that we'd only be working together as long as we needed to."

"So did I," Asuna said warily; he couldn't—didn't want to—guess what her expression was like. "But I didn't mind continuing, after we met Kizmel." It was her turn to pause, and a thick tension began to fill the air. "I also told you to tell me the minute I became more a hindrance than a help. …Are you saying I am, now?"

The hurt in her voice was like a dagger to his heart, and he quickly shook his head. "No! No, of course not! I'm more worried about being a hindrance for you!"

Dead silence. Then, very softly, "Explain."

Kirito swallowed hard. "I told you, when you asked me how long I was planning to work with you, 'until you're strong enough not to need me'. The truth… the truth is, I've always thought that my job was to prepare you for greater things. To be a leader for the clearers. That I was supposed to help you get strong enough to stand at the top of the guilds. Because…." His throat closed up on him, between fear and pure self-recrimination. He forced the rest out anyway, knowing it had to be said now. Wanting to get the pain over with. "Because I'm just a cowardly solo who abandoned his first friend to save himself. Asuna… you're too good to be stuck hanging around someone like me."

The silence that followed that declaration was painful. He had no idea how Asuna would take it, but he was sure it wouldn't be well. But I said it. No more secrets. At least… at least I won't have to wonder anymore. Better to go back to being solo than have it hanging over my head any longer.

All he could hear, for endless seconds, was breathing and beating hearts, his own and the girls. In the silence, with his vampire's ears, it was deafening. His own pulse picked up, suffocating him—

"You do Asuna a great disservice, Kirito." Startled, he looked up, to find Kizmel giving him a very disapproving stare. "And yourself, if you truly think so little of yourself. You call yourself a coward, for the actions you took the day you were called to Aincrad? Yet you took Asuna under your wing. You saved me, and many of my people. You've defused a number of conflicts among your own people, and at great cost to yourself. You sacrificed even your humanity to save others of your people, and a Lord of the Night. And me." She shook her head, violet eyes locked on his. "The only 'cowardice' I see is your willingness to push others away when you deserve better."

It sounded so much more noble than it felt to Kirito, when she put it that way. He wanted, more than anything, to believe it. The shadow of abandoning Klein, of only saving Kizmel because Asuna didn't know it was "hopeless", of having planned the scheme that ended in Kizmel being declared a traitor, fought against it. But if Kizmel really believes it….

The sound of Asuna's feet hitting the floor jolted him. "Are. You. Really. So. Stupid?!" Red-faced, fists clenched, shaking, she glared at him. "Did you ever, for one second, stop to think about what I might feel about this?!"

Alarmed by the explosion, Kirito shrank back. "W-well, I—"

She crossed the small space between their beds and loomed over him, brown eyes flaring with anger. "Well let me tell you something, Kirito-kun," she snapped. "What if I don't want to be a great leader? What if, maybe, I just want to be me? What if, just maybe, I'm right where I want to be?!"

There wasn't anywhere else to go. Pressed flat against the wall, Kirito fleetingly wished Aincrad vampires could turn to mist, like in the old novels; there sure wasn't any other way past the Wrath of Asuna. He only vaguely heard Kizmel's quiet laughter.

Asuna planted her hands on the bed and leaned over it. "Do you know how it's been for me? I've been afraid of when you would decide I was strong enough, and leave! If I'd had any idea you actually liked having me around this much, I would've beaten the stupid out of you weeks ago!"

"U-um…." Raising his hands defensively, Kirito tried—and failed—to think of a response. Of all the possible reactions to his admission, he hadn't thought of this one.

She didn't give him a chance to think of anything, anyway, instead reaching out to seize his hand. "You think I'm destined for greatness? To be a 'great leader', leaving you behind? Well, forget that! You're stuck with me." She forced his hand through the motion to open his menu. "If I'd known what an idiot you were being, I'd have done this already. Friends List, now!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" There was, Kirito knew now, nothing in SAO scarier than a teenage girl in her sleepwear, yelling at him. Though the Dark Elf laughing at him was a close second. Obeying Asuna's demand, he brought up his Friends List, and dutifully sent her a friend request.

Weird. The fencer's ears were literally smoking, thanks to the game's emotional expression system, yet she was also smiling brilliantly as she accepted the request. I'm never going to understand girls.

An instant later, her name appeared in the list. Only the third name Kirito had added to his Friends List in SAO, after Klein and Argo the Rat. Now, it wouldn't matter where they were relative to each other. Even if they disbanded the party, they'd always be able to contact each other.

"I don't care about guilds," Asuna said quietly, rage draining away. "I'll join a guild with you, or never. Not if it means breaking our partnership. I told you that I first went into a dungeon so I could be myself, remember?" Taking a deep breath, the smoke dissipated from her ears, and she smiled warmly. "Kirito-kun. You're an idiot. We're friends, you know?"

Kirito swallowed thickly. "Yeah," he choked out, eyes blurring. "I guess we are."

"Of course we are." A couple of quick footsteps, and suddenly Kirito was dragged off the bed and squished with Asuna, caught in Kizmel's frighteningly strong hug. "We all are," the elf girl said, holding both of them tight.

He was never going to get used to Kizmel's hugs. That her soft figure wasn't separated from him by armor this time really didn't help. Yet, somehow, he found it in himself to return the hug, even putting his other arm around a reddening Asuna.

I don't deserve this, Kirito thought. But if they think I do… who am I to argue?

Too soon, not soon enough, he wasn't sure, but Kizmel finally released them, and stepped back. Just a step, just enough to give them a little space. "Well, now that that's settled," she declared, "perhaps the two of you should get dressed for the field? The night is young, and we have much to do." She laughed, turning toward the door. "A fencer, a new Lord of the Night, and a disgraced Knight. Shall we see what trouble we can stir up this evening?"

…Maybe… I'll find my place after all….

Author's Note:

So, here's that little side project I've been hinting at recently. It's rougher than I'd like—indeed, I just spent two nights writing up a replacement for the opening scene, only to decide the original version was better after all—and it's really more set-up than payoff, but here it is: the first one-shot in Calling to the Night.

The long and the short of it is that this, and following one-shots, are more or less what Monochrome Duet would've been, had Progressive been up to Volume 8 as of when I started. Truth be told, I've felt for a long time that I would've handled the beginning of Duet very, very differently if I'd read even Volume 3 at that point—just to mention the most obvious point, the idea that Kirito and Asuna wouldn't have even visited Kizmel after the Elf War quest is ridiculous. As early as Volume 3, Kirito flat-out states the reason they're helping the Dark Elves is because they love—his words—Kizmel. Even if she couldn't accompany them to higher floors, they darned well would've gone to see her as often as they could!

Way too late to change that in Duet, of course. When Progressive 8 came out and showed me just how different things went from what I'd expected, I knew I had to at least write a one-shot playing on it. Kirito as a vampire—with all the gameplay implications, in a death game—and Kizmel functioning more or less as a permanent party member? How could I possibly pass that up?

So this is basically how Duet would've begun, in the wake of Progressive 8. Since I've gotten much more comfortable writing Sword Art Online in general since then, and my likely readership knows the overall drill, this really will be the series of one-shots I'd originally planned Duet to be. After the first couple of stories to set things up, it will mostly be "what if?" takes on canon events. But with, in some ways, considerably more twists than Duet managed, given it's a trio and Kirito is operating under very different conditions. And, I'm sure, there will be some things completely of my own devising. Regardless, no direct, word-for-word rehashes of canon, even if many of the rough events are taken from it.

As I said above, this is definitely rough, and is really only the most basic set-up. That being said, the next story, You Are Not Alone, will be considerably meatier (and not have most of its word count taken up by a bath scene; didn't quite anticipate how that would take over this one). That will jump to the aftermath of the Ninth Floor, going into something I always wanted to but could never find the space for in Duet: the immediate aftermath of the Elf War quest itself. Except, of course, going in a very different direction from Duet's backstory.

I don't imagine this is more than a light snack, but I'd like to think it will be at least a little entertaining, and serve as a hook into the rather more elaborate next entry. It also, incidentally, serves to mark twenty years of fanfic as Solid Shark. Not my best work, but I dare say it's a heck of a lot better than the garbage I wrote in 2003! (No, that is not a suggestion to look it up. Please don't. I will be mortified.)

Right. Rambling done. I hope this was at least a tasty snack, and I'll see you all in… whatever I update next. Going to be working on Under the Osmanthus Tree once I've rested a bit, so maybe that. Or Oath of Rebellion, since I certainly don't want to leave that hanging for months again…. -Solid