Kirito found his days going even stranger since the 'meeting' at Agil's café.

Starting from his experiences when he logged into ALO, he had a strange feeling, like the solution is at the tip of his nose, and he is blindingly missing it, like a sleeping man grasping around for something he knows should be nearby, for the help he needs in his dream.

The reappearance of Yui only increased that feeling.

The next day another member of Klein's guild encountered him on the street as he was back from buying Sugu a tea brand she liked as a compensation for returning so late. Though her description of the 'visitor' who was looking for him was confusing.

The guy introduced himself as Harry One, whom Kazuto remembered to be part of the guys that followed Klein around, and gave a gift in form of a charm for good luck, as they talked about an incident at the 45th floor where Klein… well Kirito now had some blackmail material of embarrassing stories about his samurai wannabe friend.

He apparently missed the girl who was looking for him, as Suguha told him she saw her earlier in the neighborhood.

When Kirito prepared himself for his delve back into ALO, for some reason he decided to put the good luck charm on before commencing Full Dive.

This time around the strange feeling seemed muted a bit, or maybe he got used to it. He still got a really bad vibe from Sigurd when he and Leafa met him.

But flying is so awesome! I can see why the game is so popular-that feeling of freedom is really great.

it was nice of Sugu to leave him food on the table, as he was hungry when he did his break from the game. She is a good girl-sorry I wasn't around those two years, sister. After Asuna and the others are free I will make it up to you, somehow.

When they were ambushed at the underground lake, kirito simply couldn't give up, it would be a spit into the faces of all those who will never be released from SAO, a spit on the grave of the Black Cats!

When he fought against the established system and paradigm-by which he would lose against the outnumbering group, he made an opening, and used the beast form spell. He almost felt as the system tried to resist him, his ridiculous stats-but he focused himself, and on the belief that it was real, as real as Aincrad, and the relationships built there were.

Soon the resistance crumbled and he slaughtered the opposing group.

CXCXCXCXCXCX

Suguha found herself confused again, and this time it was not even about her brother, or strange people outside. It was that Sprigan player she met in ALO-Kirito!

He behaved as if he forgot this was just a game, with a surprising intensity.

And the way he just bribed that last member of the ambush with items and Yarudo-it was just shameful-as if all the worse stereotype rumors about Sprigans were trying to show themselves true.

While she was secretly glad he didn't leave her to join the salamanders to get to the world tree faster, his mad dash was uncomfortable.

And the bluff against the salamander General? Their aerial duel was impressive sight she could appreciate even more, due to her kendo practice. And when he won-there was a moment of silent disbelief!

And the look on Sigurd's face when Sakuya banished him-was priceless.

But the way the two faction leaders were all over him after that-it made her so angry!

CXCXCXCX

That night, the Girl who was called Argo in a game once, have received distressing news.

One of the ghouls she had watching over Kirito, saw something suspicious, and called the Kindred squad that was waiting on standby for whoever would attack him (she wasn't going to rely on Klein, as dependable and genuine as he was during SAO). Said squad failed to report in, and as she made it clear that she was to be informed immediately of any news regarding THAT situation, a scared Neonate was contacting her.

She immediately prepared for combat, and called her personal guard and Childe to drive there post haste. As well as had the Prince of the City prepare Ventrue forces on standby, just in case.

She had a bad feeling about it.

As they arrived, she soon saw the reason for the lack of response.

From the single enemy corpse, she pulled an intriguing object- an Ofuda, like those of Omnyudo monks. One whose power she felt trying to harm her as she touched it.

Sorcerers, I really don't like fighting sorcerers.

"Dave, stay here and have this body taken away, identified and discretely disposed of. I want to know who this man was by tomorrow evening."

He just nodded.

Now alone, she proceeded forward, running at full speed, with her black cowl and a hastily put blond wig hiding her identity.

As she hurried, she made a call phone and left instructions to another agent of hers, while hoping that the Samurai wannabe Furball knew how to fight sorcerers and will prove true to his words.

CXCXCXCXCXCX

Kirigaya Minetaka was not blind, as much as he pretended to be otherwise all too often. He travelled much on his job, and noticed that the world was filled with monsters, but he tried to pretend otherwise, as an American movie he happened upon while abroad on business told 'to run from immortal things only attracts their attention'. And as he saw, those who did the polite thing turned blind eye to these darker aspects tended to continue their life, while those who didn't would either get sucked right into that Darkness until it dominates their life, or are never heard of again, presumed dead-as was often the case.

His choice was obvious-he had a family to take care of, even if they were unaware of the things that went bump in the night.

As such he had heard that his recently awakened from coma like state of SAO son\nephew Kazuto was accompanied by strange people, guys mostly in their twenties, who were muscular and had a street like bearing, but weren't delinquents. He was weary of what connection they could have with his shut in computer kid of a son and the one time he came near one of them for close inspection, he sensed a subtle predatory feeling, and new that this guy was somehow part of that World of Darkness, sleep didn't come that night, as he worried about his son's possible connection to that.

So when he received a call from a recently transferred junior manager, asking if he was alright, and about his family, it was strange, stranger still that he was asked about his location first, and told to wait there, as said man later entered full of presence, with an escort from security, and told about how there was an emergency, and they were asked to remain there by the upper management. When he spotted that a fellow co-worker, Yamasu-san, who was with him, was only complaining until one of the men tilted his glasses to look him in the eye, and told him to return to his table, that removed any protests very fast as Yamasu-san did just that.

For a moment there the eyes seemed to glow.

Minetaka knew right then and there that it was the 'strangeness' involved, and hoped that his family, dear Midori, little Suguha and Kazuto-who just returned to them, would be fine when he will see them next time, hopefully there will be a next time.