A/N: FINALLY. This week's update was somewhat late, but finally I got it posted. Whew. Here. Enjoy the fruits of my labour.

..

Silica sighed as she plopped down on a soft patch of grass that was under the shade of a tree. Her feathery dragon and constant companion, Pina, crooned once before landing on her lap and curling up into tight ball, immediately falling asleep.

Silica giggled. "I know, I'm tired too, Pina," she said while stroking the dragon's soft back. Pina purred in its sleep, enjoying Silica's affectionate gesture, making Silica giggle more.

The player and familiar pair had left their new home in the city of Floria early in the morning to train at the nearby fields and had spent almost five hours monster farming for experience points. The girl stopped stroking Pina, much to the dragon's protest, and prompted her menu screen before glaring at the stats display. She had been doing that countless of times now but the green experience gauge never seemed to be increasing as much as she hoped.

"I'm so tired," Silica whined, throwing her hands up in a gesture of frustration. "When am I going to get as strong as Asuna-san?"

Pina made a soft noise, as if questioning its master's sudden urge to level up.

"It's because... I want to meet Kirito-san," Silica said slowly, continuing to stroke Pina's back. "He's up there somewhere, at the 76th floor most likely. And if I'm not strong enough to get there, then I'll never be able to meet him." The unshed tears were making her vision blurry. Silica sniffled, "They're saying mean things about him lately. I need to tell Kirito-san that I don't think the same way. I don't believe he's a bad person, Pina."

The familiar opened its eyes and perked up.

"Yeah, you remember right? Kirito-san saved both of us. He's a good person."

Silica placed an arm over her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She had visited every town on every floor in search of Kirito and had yet to find him. It didn't help that ever since Kayaba announced his plans two days ago, everywhere she went, she could only hear discussions on the topic. The latest she overheard while having dinner last night was that the Army had finally split into two after Kibaou's recent expulsion. The first half, which consisted of Thinker and Yulier's supporters, revived the mutual-aid organization called MMO Today and have taken up the responsibility of caring for the terrified players whom had fled from the first floor. On the other hand, Kibaou had vowed to put an end to the Black Swordsman and was planning to rejoin the clearing group on the front lines.

Why are they acting as if Kirito-san is the only person to blame? Silica bit her lip, preventing a sob from escaping. It's not his fault! Kirito-san would never do something like that without a reason!

Nobody cared what reason the Black Swordsman had for betraying them. All they want is a person to blame. For an unknown cause, her temper flared at that thought. It was the same anger she felt when she saw Heathcliff's face on the projection screen as he addressed the players.

Everyone was taking action. Silica decided that she would take her own course of action too. "I'm going to get stronger," the girl muttered to herself, feeling determination seep within her. "I'm going to show everyone that Kirito-san is not as bad as they say he is! I'm going to get stronger and go up to the 76th floor to find him and when I do, I'll ask his reason for doing this. I'll tell him that even if no one believes him, I will still believe him!"

"A wonderful speech!" the familiar voice that accompanied the claps that came out of nowhere startled Silica. "If you want, I'll help you."

The person who said that was a girl, somewhat around the same height as Silica, but her face was hidden beneath a hood. Pina unfolded its wings and hovered near Silica, showing its wariness towards the stranger.

"Ah, sorry," the stranger rubbed the back of her head in a sheepish manner. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Argo."

Silica gasped when the girl dropped her hood, revealing pale skin that was marked with three straight lines on each cheek and warm, brown eyes. She has heard of this person before. The leader of her previous party had mentioned that Argo, also known as the Rat, would even sell her own grandmother for col. That's how money minded this player is.

Argo allowed herself to be gaped at for a few moments before finally deciding she was done being treated like something abnormal. "I'm sure you know it's rude to stare," Argo said, crossing her arms over her chest. "How about telling me your name now?"

Silica blinked once. Then, a shy smile spread across her face. "I'm Silica."

The Rat nodded, pleased. "From your little speech I overheard, it looks like you're all fired up about the recent events."

"Y-Yeah, you could say that..."

Argo grinned. "For a minimal amount of col, I'll tell you one of the best spots in this level to farm experience points!"

"Really?!" the Beast Tamer's face lit up. "How much?"

"Only 5000 col."

Even Pina squeaked angrily. How is 5000 col minimal for one measly piece of information? But then again, she did collect a fair amount of col from all the monsters she killed this morning. If the place that Argo spoke of really exists, it would be easy for her to collect 5000 col again. So, should she-?

"You're gonna burst that pretty head from thinking too much." Argo broke out in a fit of giggles, making Silica pout in protest. She was pretty proud of her ability to rationalize better than other kids her age too! "How bout this. It seems we have something in common, so I'll tell you the spot without the money."

That's kind of suspicious.

"Of course, you'd owe me a favour in return. Deal?"

Much better.

"As long as it's not too dangerous," Silica said, sealing the deal with a handshake.

"It won't be," Argo replied nonchalently. She produced two purple teleport crystals, handing one over to Silica. "Just stay close okay? Teleport! Deep Forest!"

The place Silica had teleported to was unfamiliar. The trees rose high up to the ceiling, making her feel small and insignificant in comparison. At first she wondered what floor she was on, but the telltale purple and white flowers that were everywhere in Floria made her realize that they were still on the same floor. There was no obvious road but if she strained her eyes, Silica could spot a narrow dirtpath that she guessed would bring her deeper into this mysterious forest if she followed it. However, much to her dismay, she saw no NPC settlement or even a green cursor that signified the presence of another player anywhere near her current location. Silica's number one rule that she came up with after meeting Kirito the first time was: Never wander too far away from a village or city when alone.

Well, she wasn't exactly alone this time... But still her stomach twisted nervously.

There's something about the place that would make any normal person feel uncomfortable.

"Argo-san, perhaps we should head for the nearest village first so that I could buy some supplies," Silica suggested as she turned to face the other girl. Her vigorous training session had left her with less than three bottles of healing crystals left and Silica wasn't even sure how strong the monsters here were.

She would definitely need more than three. Silica did not want to take any chances with her life.

Beside her, Argo gave the girl a knowing grin. "Don't worry! If you follow me carefully, three would be more than enough to level up at least two times and I guarantee your safe return," she said with a reassuring pat on Silica's shoulder. "All you have to do is-"

There it was again!

Without waiting for Argo to finish her sentence, Silica burst into a full sprint into the forest. She had noticed it, when she first arrived, a black presence that disappeared as soon as she was aware of it. It wasn't a monster, she was sure of it now. Because when she caught the black figure out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw a green cursor.

There was no doubt about it, it must be Kirito!

"Silica!"

Ignoring the call, Silica pushed her body faster. In this virtual world, adrenaline could do nothing to surpass the maximum value of her abilities. Yet, Silica tried her best to keep up with the black figure.

I need to reach him! Silica gritted her teeth, fatigue quickly catching up. She can't keep up this pace forever. Why are you running away?!

Her lungs were about to burst, demanding for oxygen, but the girl refused to give up. Black spots danced in her vision. Just... A little bit more...

A ferocious cry that scattered virtual birds and shook the nearby trees and the ground she stood on made Silica freeze in her tracks.

She stared in disbelief as the black figure she thought was Kirito melt into a small puddle of black mess before merging with a bigger being that made the ground rumble and crack open as it clawed its way to the surface. Silica trembled.

She has never seen something like this before. Before her, a gigantic monster growled, slamming its numerous tentacles into the surrounding trees, crushing the trunks like they were nothing. Its small, red eyes locked on her and from a slit that Silica guessed was its mouth, the monster dribbled grey liquid that quickly made the grass sizzle and turn to ash when it dropped.

She was tricked!

Silica turned back to run but deapite its huge size, the monster was quicker. Dark beings similar to the one she had been chasing after, blocked her path. Their faceless heads unnerved her and Silica shuddered. It seems that she had no choice but to fight.

The monster roared once, swinging one large tentacle at her and Silica immediately reacted. Using her small body to her advantage, Silica dodged the tentacle and slashed it with her dagger. The black limb writhed on the ground before melting into a black puddle and remerged with the monster, allowing it to regrow.

No way...

Her momentary stupor was enough for the monster to swipe another tentacle at Silica, taking a good chunk out of her health bar and she crashed into a hard tree trunk, slumping to the ground in pain.

She waited for the feel of Pina's healing magic. Nothing. Silica gasped, finally noticing that in her haste, she had left Pina. The girl quickly got to her feet, rummaging her pouch for a healing crystal.

The monster gave a victorious cry and loomed over the girl, raising a threatening tentacle over her head. It brought the heavy limb down to crush her.

Silica never felt it. In a distance, she could hear the shattering of polygons that indicated that the monster was defeated. Who-?

"Argo-san?" she called out timidly, still not ready to open her eyes. The monster had scared her out of her wits and if she saw Argo's displeased expression now, she might just break down. The information broker was sure to charge her ten times more for the trouble she caused.

"No, it's me."

Startled by the voice, Silica opened her eyes. Kirito stood at the place the monster once was in his usual manner, a concerned look on his face. Is this real? Cautiously, Silica glanced at her surroundings. Is this another trap?

This is probably my imagination. Silica stared at the ground in misery. Kirito wouldn't be here, so she must still find him. Where could he possibly be? She wanted to see him so much that even her mind had created this hallucination to make her feel better.

Could hallucinations defeat monsters?

Could players even experience hallucinations in SAO?

Frowning at the questions in her head, Silica glared harder at the ground. She wanted to believe, that it really was Kirito who had saved her and was standing in front of her. But she couldn't. After searching so many floors, he couldn't be on the same floor she lived at.

Something at the back of her mind tugged. He is here.

"Silica."

The girl looked up and immediately teared at the sight of Kirito in his usual black attire. This is real. That voice; that face. Real. Finally. Finally, she found him! Silica stepped forward. Stiffening, Kirito took a step back to maintain the distance between them.

"Kirito-san?" Her heart ached. Why did he back away?

He said nothing, head bent down. Silica let her gaze fall on the unsheathed black sword that Kirito gripped in his hand. The monster had been defeated a few minutes ago yet the sword is still drawn at his side. And... Was he trembling?

Silica met his dark eyes.

"Kirito-san... Are you going to kill me?"

Her question made me flinch. It stabbed my chest, adding to the pain in my heart. So Silica thought the same way as everyone else. It was befitting though; all my previous actions would make any sane player think the same.

Her brown eyes were fixed on my sword and suddenly her words made sense. Of course. I sheathed the Elucidator on my back, hearing the statisfying click as it fit snugly into the scabbard. "I... Would never want to kill you. Or anyone else," I said, offering the girl a weak smile.

She didn't say anything for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever. What could the girl be thinking? I snorted. She was probably weighing my words, deciding whether she could trust them. Trust me, I wanted to say but my gut said otherwise. Who would trust a player killer like me?

Even I don't trust myself.

She opened her mouth to speak and I could somehow hear the words already. How could kill a player? You're just a selfish beater after all. Kirito-san, you're a traitor!

"I believe you, Kirito-san." Her actual words defied all my thoughts. It didn't make sense.

She stepped forward and I let her. "You can say anything in the world and I would believe you."

My voice was barely a whisper. "Why?"

Silica was now close enough to reach out for me, tears in her eyes. "Because I'm your friend."

Friend. That word resounded in my head. Ever since I was trapped in this death game, how many friends have I had? Probably just a handful. I had always known that I was a bit of a loner but the way Silica said it, it actually made me feel...lonely.

This girl. Silica. She was someone I helped on a whim from a bunch of monsters. If Asuna was my in-game wife, then Silica is something like a younger sister. Like Sugu. Her opinion, to me, mattered. And I'm glad it didn't change.

I reached out a hand and patted her, surprising the shorter girl. She looked up at me before smiling brightly, making me smile a little in return.

"Silica!"

The sudden yell and the appearance of a player made both of us jerk away and look up sharply towards the source of the noise.

As I expected, Pina and Argo ran towards us, the latter looking extremely tired and dishevelled. Pina immediately settled on its master's head, expressing its complaint at being left behind and the girl rubbed the dragon's chin apologetically.

"You sure run fast Silica," Argo said in between gulps of air. "Are you okay?"

"I ran into a high levelled monster but Kirito-san came just in time to help me," the girl replied cheerfully.

"That's good, that's good." A pause. Argo glanced at my direction, finally noticing my presence. "Kii-bou?!" The Rat seemed at a loss of words and openly gaped at me, making me feel slightly self conscious.

"B-But what are you doing here?"

Should I lie to her? As I contemplated between lying or telling the truth, my eyes scanned her avatar, looking for something that she might have. Argo was definitely hiding something because she quickly caught on, pulling her cloak closer to her body and watched me with a certain wariness in her eyes.

"You have it, don't you?" I asked and noted the immediate tenseness of her shoulders. I definitely guess right on this one. Something was hidden in this part the floor and Argo had it. It was an easy guess, really. If anyone had extra information on things like this, it would definitely be Argo the Rat.

"I have no idea what you're thinking about."

Between us, Silica shifted nervously. I had been watching both Silica and Argo ever since they teleported into the forest and through her actions, it was clear that Silica had no idea about this hidden item. Argo, apparently, did know about it and had somehow gained the item when I fought off the monster that attacked Silica.

I suspected that the death of the monster might have triggered an event that I didn't know of.

Now it seems that if I wanted the item, I'd need to negotiate. "I'll pay any price," I offered the Rat.

Argo's eyes widened. Knowing her, she could never resist such an offer.

"N-no."

I was truly caught off guard by her reply.

"Sorry Kii-bou, but no can do. It's not for sale," she said with more strength to her words. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "There's someone who needs it more than you do, so I can't sell it to you no matter how much you offer me."

That was it. If Argo refused to sell anything, then she would not sell it for anything in the world. It was this principle that kept the Beta Testers safe from the anger of the other players throughout this game. I knew better than to push her.

I sighed, defeated. "Then can I at least know where else can I get that item?"

"You can't. It's a one-time item," she replied.

That was true. At least, it was half-true. I knew for a fact that the item she had, is in fact a legendary item. And it could possibly help me in the long run.

Deciding to give up for the time being, I fished a teleport crystal from my pouch. Silica noticed the action and made a move to stop me but I activated the crystal before she could interfere. "See you guys around; Silica, Argo." Those were the words I said before the sound of shattered glass filled my ears and white light consumed me.

Somehow, I'll have to get that item from her.

...

"Thank you Asuna-san!" the children cheered as they gathered around the table which Asuna had piled with various types of weapons and items.

The girl frowned, watching each child as they chose and picked their preferred equipment. "I'm not really sure about this..." she muttered, throwing a worried glance at the door in case Sasha appeared. "Sasha-san would never approve."

"You're right, I don't." Asuna nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the woman who merely chuckled. "I'd rather these kids not endanger themselves like this," Sasha continued.

"Don't worry! With these, we'll do our best to protect you and the younger kids!" one of the older children said, evoking a loud cheer. They had such a fierce determination that even Sasha could not help but smile. Asuna decided that they would make great warriors in this game.

"I'll find a way to repay you one day, definitely." Sasha said, bowing gratefully to the flustered girl.

"N-no! You don't need to."

The woman shook her head, gesturing to the group of children that huddled around a table. "With the sudden demand for weapons on the lower floors, the prices have gone up. Without you, we would not have enough weapons to equip ourselves and would have a higher chance of dying anyway," she said.

Asuna sighed and agreed with the woman. "MMO Today has a limited amount of resource after all," she added. "My guild will help out in anyway we can but there's only so much we can do. We must focus on the front lines too."

A small hand touched hers and Asuna looked up to the determined looks of the children. "We'll be okay, Asuna-san," they said, giving her a slight relief. "You do your best and we'll do ours!"

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

The small room that Asuna had rented for them quickly filled with laughter that was uncharacteristic of the somber atmosphere that blanketed the whole second floor. Asuna clenched her fist, trying her best to memorize the sound of happiness. I'll protect these children. I definitely will.

After making sure that Sasha and her charges had everything they needed, Asuna left the inn and headed towards the edge of the town where Thinker had set up a temporary headquarters for his guild, MMO Today. The yellow building was moderate sized, suitable for a guild whose members had dwindled after the splitting of the Army.

Yulier and Klein did not even look up when she entered the discussion room, too immersed in their strategizing. Thinker offered the Commander of the Knights of the Blood a seat at the table as he filled her in with the minor details of the meeting.

"Money is the biggest problem right now," Yulier muttered. "We must get all the civilians equipped first. Then, we'll need manpower to help train them."

"What about safety?" Klein interjected. "Kibaou and his band of bullies are still in town."

"Schmitt could probably help with the training," Asuna suggested, recalling the conversation she had with the man during their last meeting. "He did say that his guild is willing to train anyone who will join the front lines once they are strong enough."

Thinker nodded. "I will make an effort to contact and negotiate with him. But the players here are all at very low levels and it will take a long time before they will be able to get anywhere near the front lines."

"That's true too..."

All of them stared hard at the floor map that was spread on the table. Klein tapped his foot impatiently, sighing heavily.

"Well, on a different note, we don't know when these monsters would be able to breach the town's safe area," Thinker said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Our first focus must be to raise the levels of the players so that they will be able to evacuate this city as soon as possible. The safe margin would probably be at least three floors above."

"I'm sure there are some middle level guilds that are willing to help," Klein said as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'll check in with some buddies of mine."

Yulier smile and placed a comforting hand on Asuna's shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "MMO Today will do all we can to save as much lives as possible. The Clearers should also do all they can to end this game quickly."

Wow. No pressure, huh?

She was about to say something when the door slammed open, revealing Silica who looked like she desperately wanted to say something with Argo trailing behind her.

She marched into the room, right up to Asuna and gave her a strong look.

"Asuna-san," Silica began. Asuna held her breath, anticipating what the girl would say.

"I would like to join your guild. Please accept me."

Asuna didn't know what to do. So instead, she laughed at Klein's sudden outburst that had him cursing his luck with girls.

"How about joining my guild Silica-chan?" Klein pleaded, attempting to pout at the girl. "Our guild is so lonely without girls! It's not fair that Asuna's guild gets all the females!"

Silica cringed and backed away from Klein; making Thinker and Yulier laugh at Klein's pitiful attempt to recruit Silica.

"A sweet girl like you shouldn't be in the same guild with someone like Klein," Asuna said with a grin, deliberately ignoring Klein. She gave the girl a side hug and ruffled her hair. "Welcome to the guild!"

To Silica, this is when her quest to become as strong as she could possibly be, began.

A/N: okay, so I have bad news. I'll be taking a short break from this fic (2 weeks tops) due to exams. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, exams.

Blame student life.

Anyway, there won't be an update next week. So, I am terribly sorry to all of my followers and reviewers. I'll pick up as soon as I can when exams are done.

No sneak peek this week cause I haven't started writing the next chapter. But I promise some sweet KiritoxAsuna moments! Look forward to it!

Don't forget to leave a review on your way out! :D