Pretty Cure All Stars Enter The Virtual World
Disclaimer
I do not own anything having to do with SAO nor do I own the characters, concepts or powers in Pretty Cure. I only own the OCs.
Chapter 3 A Black Christmas
Floor 20: Sunlit Forest
Beat slashed a mantis creature upwards before it had a chance to slash at her.
"That's one more." said Beat happily.
"Just don't let it go to your head." said Storm as she leaned on a tree as a screen appeared in front of Beat.
Congratulations!
LV Up! Beat
Level Up
42 43
"Alright!" said Beat excited. Currently the group was fighting any creatures they found since arriving in the Twentieth Floor. For the most part they'd fight with the same number of creatures who appeared to keep things as even as possible. So far they'd all been able to level up exponentially allowing them to gain a good boost in their skills and stats. They'd also changed their attires to something which matched their Cure uniforms a bit more. At least most of them did. Lemonade's battle attire consisted if a yellow battle dress with a which had a knee length skirt that was open in a similar fashion to Cure Windy's but in yellow, dark yellow boots, elbow high yellow fingerless gloves, and she now kept her hair tied in two pig tails similar to her civilian form. Pine now wore a dark yellow boots with a yellow near knee length skirt a top which was similar to the top of her uniform, metallic wristbands, and she had her hair tied in its usual tail. Passion had a red battle dress which had chest armor, red armored boots, and a necklace with a ruby. Moonlight also had a battle dress but hers was a whitish violet color, matching boots, and purple fingerless gloves which were suggested to her by Storm. Beat wore a blue armored top with a navy blue trenchcoat, a blue skirt, and blue boots. Happy had a pink skirt with a top similar to the one she had in her Cure uniform but with chest armor instead of a bow, dark pink fingerless gloves, and light pink armored boots. Beauty had a blue armored top that had included armor on her right shoulder, light blue elbow length gloves, blue knee length boots, a blue skirt, and a navy blue trenchcoat. Storm wore light red pants, what looked like an 18th century top with a closed collar, a dark red trenchcoat, small red boots, and dark red fingerless gloves. All of them had swords equipped with some of them having switched weapons which most of them had on their left sides, with the exception of Storm who had her's on her back. Moonlight took preference to using a Rapier while both Pine and Passion now had long swords as did Storm who also had a long sword that was wider than an average long sword.
"Hey do you hear that?" asked Pine.
"What?" asked Lemonade.
"I hear it too." said Storm. "A battle not far from here."
"Should we go?" asked Passion. Instead of replying Storm jumped onto one of the trees and looked down at the others.
"Who's coming?" she asked before taking off via the trees. The others sighed and then followed. Not long after they stopped at a tree that allowed them a view of a party with six players fighting another mantis.
"What do we do?" asked Lemonade.
"We watch." replied Storm. "Look who's down there." she said pointing to someone in black. The group looked and saw Kirito. They saw as the creature slashed at someone with a shield. After they saw Kirito step in and slash off its right blade. Then they saw someone with a hammer strike its waist causing the mantis to shatter. The group began celebrating when Moonlight turned to Storm who jumped off the tree. The team below didn't noticed her until she hit the ground on her feet landing hard enough to shake the ground.
"Shawn was right. I have the subtlty of a cannon." said Storm as she looked around at the shocked group. "Hi."
"Who are you?" asked a player in brownish red clothes and armor on the upper half of his body.
"Firestorm but call me Storm for short." she replied.
"Are you a bandit or something?" asked a short blue haired girl in whitish blue clothes.
"We've got Kirito with us so don't try anything." said a guy in yellow.
"That's actually why I came." said Storm as the others landed behind her. "Kirito's a good friend of ours so we thought we'd say hello."
"How did you know I was here?" asked Kirito.
"We weren't paying attention to that at first. We were fighting in that direction." replied Storm pointing to the direction they'd come from. "We heard a fight here and came to check it out and lo and behold we see you here." she explained. "It's been a while."
"Yeah it has." said Kirito. "Are you still using those Keshins of yours in battle?"
"Keshins?" asked the blue haired girl.
"We refrain from going that far unless its necessary." replied Beauty.
"Excuse me." said the blue haired girl. "What's a Keshin?"
"Something that's tricky." replied Storm. "It's something that I guess could be described as the spiritual embodiment of a persion's heart."
"How much did you level up to get one?" asked the guy in yellow.
"It's not a game thing." replied Beat.
"Could you show us?" asked the blue haired girl.
"I guess it's okay." said Happy turning to Storm who shrugged.
"We can show you one but you have to swear you won't tell anyone." said Storm. The team of five looked at each other before looking at Kirito who nodded.
"We swear." they said.
"Lemonade?" asked Storm.
"Alright." said Lemonade as a dark aura formed around her body which extended from her back and took form. "Angel of Prismatic Light, Clear!" she called out. The other team looked in shock at the rainbow haired angel.
"How did you gain that?" asked the blue haired girl.
"Hang on a sec." said Storm.
"Is something wrong?" asked Kirito. Storm sniffed the air.
"It smells like burnt leather."
"Burnt leather?" asked Kirito.
"How can you tell?" asked the blue haired girl.
"Something's weird." said Storm ignoring the question.
"What do you mean?" asked Kirito.
"It's like the smell was here one second and gone the next." replied Storm.
"Is that possible?" asked the blue haired girl.
"Theoretically if one's fast enough a smell wouldn't stick around long." replied Storm.
"But for someone to move fast enough for a scent to only last a second isn't possible as far as I know." said Kirito.
"As far as you understand." said Storm. "Most people are limited only by their own barriers. That's why many don't learn to do things with what they've got other than what they've seen." she said.
"So it is possible to be that fast?" asked Kirito. He looked and saw Storm was gone. "Where did she...?"
"And I'm back." said Storm seemingly reappearing next to Kirito startling him.
"So you're fast enough to move from there to here without being noticed. Not bad." said Kirito.
"No actually I headed back to town and brought this." replied Storm holding a necklace with a sapphire on it.
"How do I know you didn't just get that out of your inventory or an item pouch?" asked Kirito.
"Because that belongs to me." replied Beauty. "I left it in my room at the Inn we're staying." she said as Storm handed Beauty the necklace.
"Anyway we need to get going to investigate something so we'll see you around." said Storm.
"Alright." said Kirito as he held out his hand. Storm smiled and shook his hand before they left.
"What are we investigating?" asked Beat. "There are very few people who are able to move fast enough to leave a scent for only a second and I can bet it'd be no one from this world."
"So it would have to be someone from our world." said Moonlight. Storm nodded. "Any suspects?"
"There's a few speedsters other than myself but very few who could leave a scent like burnt leather since because there aren't that many who can create friction as they run." replied Storm.
"If I recall correctly other than you the only other speedsters who can leave behind a burnt scent would be Shawn and your brother, correct?" asked Beauty.
"That's right and I doubt Shawn came here secretly since he's the "let them handle themselves" kind of guy." replied Storm. "That only leaves Wes."
"But how do we find him?" asked Happy.
"Good question." said Storm. "He can run more time than I can at high speeds since his speed doesn't originate from fire manipulation and he's very tricky."
"I guess there's a reason that his animal spirit's a fox." said Passion.
"Any idea where to start?" asked Lemonade.
"Well for one thing we know he's on this floor." replied Storm.
"True but each floor is very large." said Beauty.
"Best place to start would be where we know there are players since that would be where he'd have to have been seen there upon arrival." said Storm. After the group headed to the village. On the way Storm noticed Moonlight looked a it down so she got closer. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." replied Moonlight trying to not look down.
"You feel bad about not having spent Christmas with your mom, don't you?" asked Storm. Moonlight looked down. The others noticed but figured it might be better to let them talk since they all coped with not having spent Christmas with their loved ones and were still doing it but during that time Moonlight was the only one who seemed unaffected at the time.
"I know Haru's taking care of her but it's the first Christmas I spent away from her." said Moonlight.
"For what it's worth I'm sorry." said Storm.
"It's not your fault." Moonlight. "I agreed to come n this mission knowing it might take a long time. I was actually flattered you chose me."
"Well out of everyone in Japan you're one of the Cures with the most experience. It would've been stupid not to ask you." said Storm as they arrived at the village.
"Where should we start?" asked Pine.
"Well there's eight of us so let's split into group of four." said Storm. "We'll split up, ask around, and meet up at that café near the center of town. Everyone agree?" The other nodded and they split up. Storm and Lemonade headed one way, Passion and Beat another, Pine and Moonlight a third, and Happy and Beauty in the last.
"So why did you want Pine to go with Moonlight?" asked Lemonade.
"Well Buki's the most empathic person in this group and she's also the one who can adapt the best to any situation." replied Storm. "I just hope Buki can help Yuri."
"Well it was very thoughtful." said Lemonade as she took Storm's hand who smiled.
"You know I wasn't happy when Shawn told me you, Passion, and Beat would be coming I wasn't completely happy but having you close has made me happy. I don't know if I could've gone this long if you weren't here." said Storm.
"Well we've been together for over two years." said Lemonade. "I have to admit something though. Back when we just started going out I was surprised when Reika asked Miyuki out on a date."
"Personally I wasn't." replied Storm. "When we were shown the footage of all the teams of Japanese Pretty Cure I noticed that after Reika became Cure Beauty she seemed to have a gleam in her eyes whenever she was with Miyuki. The others never seemed to notice it but I guess it's because Reika's always been extremely disiplined from what Nao said. I was actually more surprised about the fact that even Nao didn't notice given how long they've known each other."
"But in the end they wound up together and even went on a first date to Paris." said Lemonade.
"I still feel kinda bad it became a double date though." said Storm.
"Well we were all new to not just dating but dating girls." said Lemonade. "I had a lot of fun that day."
"You know we're starting to get caught up in the past and we're supposed to be asking around." said Storm.
"Oh my gosh you're right." said Lemonade. After they began asking different people if they'd seen someone matching Wes' discription.
Pine and Moonlight were walking actually focusing to the task at hand and asking around. Most people didn't recognize Wes' discription and after a few minutes they sat down on a bench to take a break.
"You know why Storm had us team up, don't you?" asked Pine.
"I assume because she wants me to talk to you about the slight bit of guilt I feel about not having spent Christmas with my mother." replied Moonlight. "It's funny. Sometimes Storm can be unpredictable but other times she isn't all that inconspicious."
"So do you wanna talk about it?" asked Pine.
"I suppose." said Moonlight. "I just haven't been away from my mother on Christmas since I spent all that time in France searching for my father. I know that Haru's with her but I..."
"I know how you feel." said Pine. "Most of us do. We've all got families that we didn't get to spend Christmas with."
"That's true but..."
"Don't forget that we're all in this together so if you need anyone to talk to you don't need to ask." interupted Pine with a smile.
"I suppose that's true." said Moonlight with a smile. "Let's keep asking around."
"Right." said Pine.
Beat and Passion were also focusing on asking around but were also thinking about a few other things.
"Well I guess that's another who hasn't seen him." said Beat. "Passion?" she asked turning to the scarlet Cure who seemed distracted. "Passion." she said tapping the other Cure's shoulder.
"W-what? What happened?" asked Passion.
"You spaced out." replied Beat. "Are you okay?"
"Yes I'm okay. Sorry." replied Passion. "It's just thinking about how Moonlight was missing her mom made me..."
"You're thinking about the Momozono's, right?" asked Beat.
"Yeah." replied Passion. "Since I returned and they took me back in I felt very happy. Especially with how much faith Love had in me."
"She's a good person." said Beat.
"One of the best people I've ever met." said Passion. "She's the best sister I could've wished for."
"It's kind of funny." said Beat.
"What is?" asked Passion a little confused.
"A few of us thought you and Love might end up dating." replied Beat.
"Really?"
"Well the two of you are really close." said Beat.
"That's true but she's been more of a sister than anything." said Passion. "Like on my first day of school." Hearing this caused Beat to laugh a little.
"What's so funny?"
"It's nothing." replied Beat. "I was just remembering how nervous I was the day before I started school in Kanon Town."
"From what I heard you were more than nervous." said Passion.
"Well I..." began Beat.
"You stayed up all night and you kind of overdid your introduction." said Passion. "At least that's what I heard."
"Well they said I had to write my name big." said Beat in her defense.
"I think they meant big enough to be read by the others not big enough to cover the board." said Passion with a light laugh.
"Well no one explained that." said Beat with a pout.
"Hibiki and Kanade are right." said Passion. "Almost anything you do is cute." Hearing this caused Beat to start blushing which also caused Passion to laugh a bit more before she poked the lavender haired musician's cheek. Beat blushed bright and looked to the side.
"Mou. Come on. Let's keep asking." said Beat as she walked ahead. Passion sighed and followed.
Happy and Beauty had been asking but decided to take a break on a bench.
"This sucks." said Happy as she kicked.
"Do not forget that patience is a virtue." said Beauty.
"I know but..." began Happy as Beauty took her hand and kissed it.
"I understand it has been long but do not forget that we have a mission." said Beauty.
"I know." said Happy. "I'm just glad to have you here."
"And I am glad I am here with you." said Beauty as she hugged her partner.
"That's so sweet." said a voice. The two turned to see a short girl with brown hair that went down to her waist along with bangs, orange eyes, and a red headband on the top of her head who wore a near knee length skirt with an orange armored top and a sword on her lower back.
"Ka..." began Happy before the girl covered her mouth.
"Call me Dawn here." she said.
"Very well." said Beauty. "What are you doing here Dawn?"
"Right now I'm delivering a message." said Dawn with a smile. "Shun wants to meet you in front of a shop east of the café in the center of town. Fifth building to the left."
"Very well. We'll be there." said Beauty.
"Good. See you then." said Dawn as she left skipping.
"I know she's on our side but she scares me sometimes." said Happy.
"Well she was one of the most viscious and deadliest foes we ever had since becoming Pretty Cure." said Beauty. "In any case we should go and meet up with the others to give them the message."
"Let's go." said Happy.
Afterwards the two left to meet up with the others. When they arrived at the café they saw they were the third group to arrive and saw they were sitting at a table outside with tea cups. Those who had arrived before them were Storm, Lemonade, Pine, and Moonlight.
"Hey." said Storm as she waved at them. The two went up to them and pulled up a pair of chairs before sitting down. "Any luck on your end?"
"Actually we did." said Beauty. "We found Dawn here."
"Dawn as in Kayo?" asked Storm. The two nodded.
"She had a message." said Happy.
"What was it?" asked Pine. Just as Happy was about to say Storm raised her hand.
"Let's wait for Beat and Passion first." said Storm. The others nodded and ordered some tea. They waited a few minutes when the two missing Cures finally arrived.
"Sorry for being late but we found a weapon shop that had really good weapons." said Passion.
"It was my fault. I got caught up looking around." said Beat.
"Don't worry about it." said Storm. "For now it seems that Happy and Beauty ran into Dawn and they have a message from her."
"Dawn?" asked Beat.
"You mean Kayo?" aske Passion. The group nodded.
"So what's the message?" asked Storm.
"Shun wants to meet us at a shop east of here fifth building to the left." said Beauty.
"Alright." said Storm. "Just give me a sec." she said going inside the café. A minute after she stepped out. "Alright let's go." After that they left.
"Why did you go inside?" asked Pine.
"I got us a snack for later." replied Storm as they headed in the instructed direction. A minute or two of walking they stopped at a shop which they entered.
"Hello and welcome to Usui's Rare Item Shop. How may I help you?" asked a black haired teen in a grey shirt. "Oh. Storm-san."
"Hey Usui." said Storm. "We got a message to meet someone here."
"Ah yes. There's a Mr. Shun waiting for you in the back room." said Usui as he jumped over the counter. "Please follow me." he said leading them to a door at the back of the shop. After he opened the door which led into what look like a closet. Then he elbowed the wall to his left causing the wall to open before stepping back allowing the eight Cures to enter. Inside they saw a large room which had several tables lined side by side.
"Hey little sis." said a guy with red hair who an outfit similar to Storm's minus the trenchcoat and with red gloves.
"Why are you here?" asked Storm.
"We haven't seen each other in months and the first thing you ask when you see me is 'Why are you here?'" asked Shun with a smirk. Storm glared. "Alright fine. Jeez. Listen Shawn sent me as back up for you."
"Not just you, is it?" asked Storm. "No matter how much Shawn trusts either of us he'd never send one or two people as back up."
"That's true." said Shun. "Alright everyone. Come on out." he said. At that one of the walls opened and out of it five girls stepped out. The first they recognized as Dawn. The second had somewhat long tealish hair, grey eyes, and wore a grey skirt with a matching armored top and silver forearm armor. The third had long red hair in a somewhat odd looking ponytail and wore a red skirt with a white armored top that had some red. The fourth had hair similar to the previous one but was blond and wore a short yellow skirt with a whitish yellow armored top. The last looked significantly younger and had long orangish red hair with pink eyes and wore a yellow skirt with a yellow long sleeve armored top.
"How did Usui afford a secret room in the back of a shop with two secret entrances?" asked Storm.
"He does sell expensive items." said Lemonade.
"Alright so back on track." said Shun. "I believe everyone knows everyone but for the sake of the game this is the rest of my team here Dawn, Chie, Ace, Peace, and Muse." he introduced the team each of whom nodded in the order described.
"You're a dork sometimes. You know that?" said Storm.
"Hey I'm just trying to keep the game going." said Shun.
"Whatever." said Storm. "So you're our back up?"
"That's right." said Ace.
"There's more though." said Peace turning to Shun who nodded. He opened up his system menu and then went into his inventory. After a box appeared which Shun turned and opened revealing eight crystals.
"What are they?" asked Storm.
"Shawn called them Synchronizers." replied Shun.
"Wait. Why didn't he send them to us directly?" asked Storm.
"He couldn't locate you." replied Shun.
"So how do these 'Synchronizers' work?" asked Beauty.
"You know how we're still tied to the rules of SAO?" asked Peace. The eight nodded. "Well Shawn made these so that the you here could synchronize with the you who's asleep to give you access to you full powers."
"I assume there's some kind of condition or cost of their use." said Beauty.
"Kinda." said Shun. "The crystals won't work until you reach level 77."
"Why 77?" asked Lemonade.
"Because that's the lowest level from here that can match your powers on earth." replied Ace. "We've all got one since he sent them all together."
"I've gotta say I really hate when he does things like this without telling me." said Storm.
"I don't see why. You've been around the guy for more than a year." said Shun.
"I suppose you're right." said Storm. "So have you been following us or...?"
"Nah. We've been just leveling up to access our Synchronizers." said Shun. "You know this is one of the few times I've been glad I wasn't a Pretty Cure."
"Why?" asked Beat.
"Because his powers aren't like ours so he doesn't need to go as high." replied Muse. Shun smirked.
"Oh and before I forget." said Shun as he went back into his inventory and pulled out a wristband like object that had a yellow crystal on it which he handed to Lemonade. "Here." he said handing the wristband to Lemonade.
"What is it?" asked Lemonade.
"Not really sure." replied Shun. "From what I was able to understand it's supposed to link you with Miyako."
"Did he say something like it creates a signature through the combination of bio signatures and neurological impulses?" asked Storm.
"Something like that." said Shun.
"What does that mean?" asked Lemonade.
"Since Miyako was originally a dark copy of you then you and her, just like the other originals and dark copies, have a similar link to the one twins have. Which means that thing is meant to amplify the signal given off by your brain waves." explained Storm.
"Uh..." Most of the Cures became completely confused by this.
"So that object is meant to use your link to the Arc in order to create a direct connection between Urara and Miyako?" asked Beauty.
"That's my guess." said Storm with a hand on her chin before she caught something which was thrown at her. She turned to Shun who smirked. "And this?"
"It uses your link to Sam to pull her in by creating a portable CyberMat in case you get in a situation where you need to Bio-Merge." replied Shun.
"He just thought of everything, didn't he?" asked Passion.
"That's how he is." said Storm. "So is there any way we can contact you in case we ever need help?"
"Just send us a message." said Shun. "So just between us, what level are you all?"
"Anywhere between thirty five and forty five." replied Storm. "So have you participated in any of the boss battles?"
"We were in the battle of floors six, eleven, and fourteen." replied Muse as she turned to Storm. "So is it true you actually used your Keshins in one of the battles?"
"Just the first one but it was only because a small group of Bloodysquitos appeared when we were about to beat the boss." replied Beat.
"Really?" asked Chie. The eight nodded.
"Something doesn't makes sense." said Shun.
"Actually it kinda does." said Dawn causing the others to turn to her, minus Storm. "You thought of this too, didn't you?" she asked with a giggle. They turned to Storm, this time minus, Dawn and Chie.
"Prologue." said Storm.
"What do you mean?" asked Ace.
"I assume you were told about that lab they found with the dead scientists." said Storm. The back up team nodded. "And that they found out it held completely evil version of the nine Elemental Pretty Cure, myself included." They nodded again.
"Am I correct in thinking you believe your copy or one of the others was behind that?" asked Muse.
"More than behind it." replied Storm. "In order to create a direct link from the Darkness Civilization Land into a cyber world there's a lot any of them would need. I mean for one she'd need some kind of marker or something which could open a portal there."
"What else?" asked Lemonade.
"Some kind of converter similar to the Cybermat but possibly within the portal." replied Storm with a hand on her chin.
"But that's not what you're worried about is it?" asked Lemonade.
"Like I said. That little show was a prologue which means whoever did it wanted give previews of what was to come. The real question right now is when will they make their move and will we be ready to fight." replied Storm.
"I'm sure if we fight together and with the help of the other players we can win." said Peace.
"It is unlikely." said Beauty. "While the creatures from here have HP meters which allow us to see how much damage they have taken and how much must be dealt the creatures such as the Bloodysquitos do not have them."
"So we keep attacking until we take them out." said Shun.
"Attacks here have a set numerical value in terms of damage with an addition or subtraction of the conditions within the battle itself such as combat area, weapon durability, etc. Because those creatures have no HP bars they others won't be able to do any kind of damage to them." explained Storm.
"I think you know that there is another problem." said Muse.
"What problem?" asked Beat.
"Possibilities." replied Storm. The others turned. "The Cardivus kept a detailed database of every enemy every team of Cures around the world ever fought including enemies like Fusion, Bottom, Black Hole, Extinction, and maybe even Devan."
"Devan?" asked Ace.
"He was the final enemy the Mythos Pretty Cure fought." replied Storm. Ace looked at her. "They're the Pretty Cure from Oregon in the United States."
"How bad was he?" asked Muse.
"That's something for another time. For now we need to go. There's something wee need to do." said Storm going up to Shun. "It was good seeing you Nii-san." He held out his hand and she took it, shaking it.
"Good seeing you too kid."
"I may be younger than I look but that doesn't mean you can call me kid." said Storm with narrowed eyes.
"I know. I know. It's just fun to see when you get mad over it." said Shun. Storm glared but then smiled as she let go of his hand. After they left the shop and headed back to the place where they had rented a few rooms to stay in. Since they were an even number they rented four rooms with Storm and Lemonade sharing one, Beauty and Happy in another, Beat and Passion in the third, and Pine and Moonlight in the last. By now it had gotten dark and the others had gone to sleep. Storm tried to sleep found she couldn't. She turned to look at Lemonade who seemed to be deep in dream land which caused her to smile.
"Maybe a walk." she whispered to herself. Storm turned back to looked at Lemonade who was under the covers and the stepped out before equipping her clothes without her weapon and heading out to walk.
Floor 28: Wolf Plains
"I can bet if Di's watching this she's gonna wanna kill me when I get back." she said to herself as she walked towards what looked to be some ruins. Part ways there she spotted a figure in black who seemed to be walking in the same direction from her left. "Is that...?" she asked herself while squinting but couldn't see more than a silhouette so she decided to just go up to the figure and tap its shoulder. The figure turn revealing Kirito. "Twice in one day. What are the odds?"
"Hey Storm." said Kirito.
"Are you alright? You look kinda glum." said Storm. "I mean more so than usual."
"How would you know?" asked Kirito.
"Remember when we told you about us being Cures?" Kirito nodded. "Well our mission didn't have to do with ending this. Our top priority is your protection so we keep an eye on you."
"I'm surprised then sent you with a group of girls." said Kirito.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Storm.
"Well I mean a guys with seven girls..." began Kirito before Storm smacked him behind the head. "What was that for?"
"I'm a girl sword for brains." said Storm wtih a glare.
"EH?! Seriously?!" asked Kirito in shock.
"I was cloned form a guy." said Storm.
"So how come you're dressed like that?" asked Kirito.
"Hey I may be a girl but that doesn't mean I have to like wearing skirts or anything like that." said Storm.
"Alright. So are you and Lemonade..." began Kirito.
"Dating?" asked Storm. Kirito nodded. "Yeah. We've been together for about two going on three years now."
"So how did you two meet?" asked Kirito.
"She was part of one of the team of Pretty Cure we trained but I became interested in her way before that." replied Storm.
"When?"
"I've only been alive for about three years and a few months early when my team and I were rescued I started having nightmares about every mission I was assigned prior to that. Every person I killed, every target who looked into my eyes asking for mercy, and every soldier, guard, and officer who stood in my way. I'd see their faces as they died by my hand and I'd wake up completely horrified so my original had me listen to a song that soothed me enough sleep. After I listened to that song constantly." said Storm with a smile.
"What song was it?"
"It's called Extraordinary! Door of Courage by Kasugano Urara." replied Storm.
"So..."
"That's Lemonade's civilian identity." replied Storm. "Anyway I listened and I found myself enchanted. So how come you're out so late?"
"I just needed some time to myself to think." replied Kirito. "What about you?"
"Came to hunt wolves." replied Storm with a shrug as they got to the top of the hill where they spotted a small party fighting some dark red wolf creatures. They turned and saw two more going after another wolf side by side while a third guy ran in front of it.
"Klein." said Kirito.
"Friend of yours?" asked Storm.
"Kind of." replied Kirito as they saw the one in front of the wolf charge slash the wolf causing it to shatter. Then he turned and spotted them.
"Hey. Kirito!" he called out. "Hey guys can you clean up the rest of the trash mobs?"
"Sure." said another guy. Klein then went up the hill.
"It's been a while since we've seen each other." said Klein. "You're out leveling up this late? That mark. Are you in a guild?"
"Yeah, kind of." replied Kirito.
"So who's your friend?" asked Klein.
"Name's Fire Storm but I prefer to go by Storm." she said holding out her hand.
"I'm Klein." he said shaking her hand.
"Hey! We're ready to go." said another guy.
"I gotta go." said Kirito as he walked by Klein.
"Alright." said Klein. "Jeez, that's still in your head?"
"He's stupid that way." said Storm. "Hey can I join you guys?"
"Sure." said Klein. "So why are you out late?"
"Couldn't sleep." replied Storm. "I usually sleep better after killing a few wolves so I like coming here when I can't sleep. I'm just hoping my girlfriend doesn't wake up before I get back or I'm never gonna hear the end of it."
"You have a girlfriend?" asked Klein as they walked with his group.
"Yeah." replied Storm.
"What level are you?" asked an overweight guy.
"That's rude to ask." said another guy.
"I don't mind. I'm level 42." said Storm. "My team and I have been fighting anywhere we can although I know Pine still has trouble with it."
"Pine?" asked Klein.
"Yeah." said Storm.
"You mean the cute blond with the katana skill?" asked Klein.
"Yeah." replied Storm wondering where he was going with this.
"Is that who you're dating?" asked Klein.
"No. Pine and I are in the same team but I'm dating someone else within my team." replied Storm.
"Who?" asked Klein.
"How does every conversation I have go to my love life?" she asked herself.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude." said Klein.
"It's fine. I'm actually dating Lemonade." said Storm as they spotted a few more wolves. They hunted around two hours before Storm checked the time. "I'd better get going." she said.
"Already?" asked Klein.
"It's midnight and if Lemonade wakes up she'll get really mad." said Storm. "Hopefully we can hunt again some time." she said holding out her hand. Klein smiled and shook it.
"Yeah. And maybe next time you can introduce me to Pine." said Klein.
"We'll see." said Storm as she let go and left.
A little less than a month after that they found themselves on floor twenty seven walking around the dungeon.
"Why are we here?" asked Passion.
"Because I've been having a bad feeling all day." replied Storm.
"Then shouldn't we be in another floor?" asked Beat.
"Not like we're in danger. More along the lines of someone else is in danger." replied Storm.
"How can you tell?" asked Lemonade.
"The mark I placed on Kirito and Asuna back before the first boss battle." replied Storm.
"I've been wondering about that." said Moonlight.
"It's something Shawn taught me." said Storm. "By placing the mark of the phoenix I can create an empathic link to them and from what I'm sensing he's afraid for someone."
"Can you tell which way?" asked Happy.
"He's becoming more agitated so I think so." replied Storm as she closed her eyes. After took off running shortly followed by the others. Not long after they arrived in front of a large black door which she began punching.
"What's wrong?" asked Lemonade becoming concerned.
"I don't know. He's becoming way more aggitated." replied Storm as she kept punching the door. Then she opened her inventory and brought out a small object. "I hope this is what I think." she said as she focused on it causing it to glow. After the took the shape of a small red bird with nine tails.
"What took you so long?" asked the bird.
"Phoenrae not now! I need you to help me smash the door." said Storm. Phoenrae nodded and began glowing before disappearing as an armor appeared on her.
"Override code 55674." said Phoenrae's voice as her hand began glowing. Then she punched the door causing it to shatter. Inside she saw several creatures who filled up the room.
"Rage Fire!" she called out slamming her hand on the ground which caused the floor of the room to catch on fire destroying most of the creatures. In the center of the room she saw Kirito as he took down the remaining creatures. "Are you alright?" After destroying the remaining creatures Kirito turned to Storm.
"I'm fine." said Kirito as he walked by her while looking down. "Thank you." he said as he left.
"What happened?" asked Beat.
"He was in a guild. Him and five others." replied Storm as her armor disappeared and Phoenrae reappeared.
"But why was..." began Happy before her eyes widened.
"They're gone." said Storm as she clenched her fist. "The other five are dead." she said as her teeth became sharper.
"Then we should try to help him." said Happy. Moonlight placed a hand on her shoulder.
"it's best to leave him be for the time being."
"Damn it." said Storm as she punched the ground causing a small screen to appear which said Immortal Object.
After the incident they continued to do their own thing. Over the course of the year they kept doing their own thing while occasionally keeping an eye on Kirito. Through out the course of the year they were also able to level up significantly enough to be able to use the crystals they'd been given but made sure refrain from using their full power at any time. At the same time they watched as Kirito seemed to fall into endless dispair. It wasn't until Christmas Eve that they noticed something.
Floor 49: Myugen
"Why are we here?" asked Moonlight.
"I've been listening in and I heard Kirito say that he was meeting an Information Broker." replied Storm.
"He said that?" asked Passion.
"Actually he said something about meeting someone but I'd say it's a good guess." replied Storm.
"Why?" asked Passion.
"Call it Wesen instinct." replied Storm as they saw someone walk up to Kirito wearing a cloak. The cloaked figure seemed to be talking but they were too far for most of them to hear.
"What are they saying?" asked Happy.
"The person in the cloak said something about a first time even that wasn't the in the Beta." replied Beat. "Sounds like an event boss will appear later tonight but I wonder what for."
"If I had to guess I'd say it's for an extremely rare item." said Storm.
"So what do we do?" asked Lemonade.
"We're gonna back him up." replied Storm. "Come on. I got a message from Usui that there's something he wants to show us." A few minutes after the group left to a shop. Inside Usui was waiting for them.
"Hello and welcome to Usui's Rare Shop." he said.
"So you got a second shop?" asked Beat.
"No. I closed the first shop to open one here." replied Usui. "Now what can I do for you?"
"You sent a message about a rare item. What is it?" asked Storm.
"Ah this." replied Usui as he pulled out a small box. He opened it revealing what looked like a dark yellow pendant. "This is called the Amulet of Extinction. It basically gives the user an added boost to all their stats once their health goes below thirty percent."
"How much?" asked Storm.
"I'm not sure. I think it's like a fifteen percent boost to everything but it goes up the lower their health." replied Usui.
"No I mean how much for it." clarified Storm.
"Oh. Sorry." said Usui with a sheepish smile. "Given the journey I had to take to get it so 6K."
"I'll give you three." said Storm.
"Fifty five."
"Four."
"Fourty five." said Usui.
"Deal." said Storm pulling up her system menu. Once she paid the amulet was added to her inventory. "Anything else you've got that might be interesting?"
"Well I have an Amulet of the Full Moon." replied Usui. "It gives the user a boost in certain conditions." Storm turned to Moonlight.
"Fine." said Moonlight. "How much?"
"Two thousand nine hundred." replied Usui. Moonlight payed and equipped her new amulet. After they took off and began following Storm which led them into a large forest with several trees before they all ran at the same speed until they spotted Kirito as well as a party who appeared in front of him. Then they stopped near him.
"Can you convince him to stop acting so wrecklessly?" asked Klein after he noticed Storm.
"If I tried it would be a waste of breath." said Storm. It was then a few more parties appeared behind Klein's.
"It looks like you were followed too Klein." said Kirito as he place a hand on his sword.
"Looks that way." said Klein as he held his weapon.
"Isn't that the Holy Dragon Alliance?" asked a member of Klein's party. It was then the another party arrived.
"Nii-san?" asked Storm.
"We thought you might need a little help in this endeavor." said Shun. "So they're the jerks who'll do anything for rare item."
"It seems like we're outnumbered." said Muse.
"Just the way I like it." said Storm as she cracked her knuckles.
"Kirito you go after the item." said Shun. "We'll keep those scum bags busy."
"How do you know my name?" asked Kirito.
"Is this really the time for questions?" asked Shun.
"He's right." said Klein. "Go and we'll keep them busy." Kirito looked at the group before nodding and leaving.
"So should we hold back?" asked Shun.
"I think not." replied Storm. "It's been way too long since I got to fight seriously." she said turning. "Phoenrae. Ready?"
"Always." said Phoenrae before flying straight up causing a bright flash. After they saw Phoenrae had become a much larger version of himself.
"Phoenrae. Plazma Burst!" called out Storm.
A few minutes to an hour later the group sat down with Klein's group feeling exhausted enough to just sit.
"You're guys weren't bad." said Shun as he held his hand to Klein who took it allowing Shun to pull him up.
"Thanks." said Klein. "You were all very impressive. I never knew we could reach such high speeds."
"You can't. I can." replied Shun with a smirk.
"You're forgetting I can too." said Storm. "So can Lemonade, Peace, and Chie."
"So any idea why Kirito followed a rumor?" asked Klein.
"Because he blames himself." replied Storm looking down.
"For what?" asked Klein.
"You remember when we met a number of months back?" asked Storm. Klein nodded. "And you remember how at that time he had a Guild Icon on his bar?" Klein nodded again. "Well around a month after Kirito and the guild the Black Cats of the Full Moon fell into a trap in the dungeon on the twenty seventh floor. An ambush in an enclosed room. Of the six of them only Kirito survived long enough for us to destroy the door."
"Since then he's been fighting on his own to raise his level as fast as possible." added Moonlight.
"That's horrible." said Klein.
"It gets worse." said Muse causing Klein and his group to turn to her. "A few months ago someone found out who he was and they commited suicide in front of him."
"Should we go help him?" asked a member of Klein's group.
"No." replied Storm. "This is something he's chosen to do himself for a reason. If we intervene it'll make things worse for him. For now let's be patient." she said as she sat down with her hands together as did Lemonade.
"What are they doing?" asked Klein.
"Meditation." replied Moonlight. "We completed a quest and obtained the Meditation skill. Storm uses it to relax and Lemonade uses it to...convene with other parts of herself."
"What do you...?" began Klein when Kirito returned. It was then Storm and Lemonade stood up. They all noticed Kirito holding a small sphere.
"Kirito!" called out Klein before noticing Kirito's expression looked dead. It was then Kirito threw the sphere to Klein who looked up the information of the item.
"Use it on the next person you see die." said Kirito before turning and leaving. It was then Klein took hold of Kirito's coat.
"Kirito, you have to survive!" said Klein. "Please survive until then man." he said as tears fell from his eyes and he released the coat allowing Kirito to leave.
"Don't worry." said Storm as she placed a hand on Klein's shoulder. "Our mission here is to ensure his survival. He will make it out. You have my word." Klein turned to Storm.
"Thanks."
"You know you could be a great asset." said Storm with a smile.
"Thanks." said Klein as Storm placed a hand on his arm causing a faint glow.
"Watch yourself." said Storm. "When the whole thing is over I hope you'll be willing to join us in something dangerous that's to come."
"What do you mean?" asked Klein. Storm smiled before both teams disappeared.
A few minutes later the two teams arrived back in town.
"You know." said Storm. "There's not much to do today so how's about we spend Christmas together."
"Sounds like a plan." said Shun turning to the other members of his team. "What do you think?" The four Cures nodded. "I heard of a Christmas party in a little pub not far from here." he said.
"Alright. Let's go." said Storm. On the way Lemonade looked a bit down. "Hey. What's wrong?"
"I just feel bad for Kirito. Did you see his eyes."
"Don't worry about it." replied Storm.
"How can you say that?" asked Lemonade.
"Let's just say he'll be getting a message from the other side." said Storm with a smile. Lemonade became confused but continued to walk.