I do not own Sword Art Online or any of the characters.

Therapy

Michael leaned against the wall beside the gate and sighed. They were late. It was nearly eighteen hundred and no one had shown up.

"How long have you been waiting?" Sinon asked as she stepped out of an allyway off to one side.

"Since a little before sixteen," Michael stated.

"Sorry," Sinon sighed. "Dyne was supposed to message you. The party we were going to hunt changed the time of their arrival. They won't be in position until around eighteen thirty."

Michael sighed and nodded. Sinon leaned on the wall beside him and they waited in silence for the others. Finally the others arrived and they left. Michael followed them through the wasteland outside the city until they reached a destroyed city. Sinon took up position in the ruins of a skyscraper where she could shoot and Michael followed the others to the ambush point. Dyne and him stayed on one side and the other three formed a line in front of the approaching party. Everyone drew their weapons and waited. Dyne explained that Sinon would take the first shot and that would signal them to begin.

Michael rolled over into the prone and looked through a small hole in the wall he and Dyne were hidden behind and spotted the group easily. There were six in total. All had light armor, Optical Rifles, and none had shield projectors. Michael grinned just as one with a much larger Optical Rifle than the others had the pleasure of a sniper bullet punching a round through his head. The players all sighted in toward Sinon but before they could open fire, Dyne and Michael popped up, firing at them. One fell to a hail of bullets from Dyne instantly and another from a well placed headshot by Michael. The other three turned toward them and a hail of bullets slammed into them from the rest of Dyne's team.

"It's just too easy," one of them said.

"You think so huh?" Michael asked looking down the road. "Sorry for the disappointment."

"What's with you?" the player asked.

"Nothing," Michael said. "Here. I don't need it."

He transferred the money he had gotten from his kill to Dyne along with the rifle he had gotten then looked up toward Sinon, then back to Dyne.

"Anything else today?" Michael asked.

"No, we're done," Dyne said. "Why?"

Michael logged out without a response. Once he was back in reality, he took off his NerveGear and sat up, sighing. He walked to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. The face staring back was pale with dark circle from not sleeping hnder his eyes. His hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Just a little while longer," Michael muttered. "It'll help. It has to. But for now, I think a break is in order."

He walked outside, looking up at the clouds and shielding his eyes. He bit back a yawn, blinking and seeing a flash of fire, hearing a scream. He opened his eyes. He was in bed. He didn't remember going to bed. He didn't remember changing into pajamas, and he didn't remember it becoming night, but the sky outside was dotted with stars. Michael lay back down, closing his eyes and trying to sleep. Try as he might, it elluded him.

"Fuck," Michael sighed. "Fine. I give up."

He sat up, picking up his phone and looking at the time. It was two in the morning. He sighed and sent a text to his therapist. Just as he set the phone down, it buzzed. He picked it up, looking at it and found he had an alert from both ALfheim Online and GGO. The alert from ALfheim was a message from Eugene requesting help in a dungeon raid. The GGO alert was an announcement about BoB and a message from Sinon from earlier asking if he was alright. He sighed and set the phone down and closed his eyes, drifting off.

Fire flashed in the distance. By the time the first report reached his ears, blood had already splattered across his face. The flames flashed twice more, the reports once again coming only after the damage was done. Blood splattered on the floor, then across his chest. Screams finally rang out. All around people ran for cover. Vehicles screached to a stop. People abandoned them in the street. A police officer ran toward him, trying to get him away from the scene. Another flash of fire. The officer dropped.

Michael sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. He checked his phone. His therapist could meet with him at ten. Good timing too. He showered, brushed his teeth and got dressed. Then he left, heading to his therapist's office and being let in immediately.

"Thanks for seeing me on such short notice," Michael sighed, sitting on the couch.

"It's fine," she smiled. "Judging by those bags under your eyes, you need to talk."

Michael nodded and turned, laying back on the couch.

"I'm having the dreams again," Michael said miserably. "The same as before. I'm in the street and they..."

"I remember," the therapist nodded, knowing he wouldn't want to talk about it. "Why do you think they started again?"

"I started playing Gun Gale Online, like you suggested," Michael stated. "I don't know if it will help, but...so far it has only made it worse."

"I see," she nodded. "Is there any progress on clearing New Aincrad?"

"We have the first few floors cleared," Michael stated. "Our progress is slowed considerably by the new Laughing Coffin, run by Archon. We're progressing but it seems like every time we make progress, they attack the surviving raiding party and take all the gear and money they get from the raid. Archon is, of course, hounding me in Gun Gale Online as well now too."

"He never should have gotten access to internet again," she sighed. "But at least he can't kill now."

"He's still annoying as fuck," Michael sighed. "Sorry."

"Anything about GGO?" she asked.

"I love GGO," Michael stated. "It's one of the most challenging games I've played in a while. And I met a friend there. Sinon. She taught me how the game worms and got me into her group so I would be able to get playing experience without being massacred."

"What's she like?" she asked.

"Guarded," Michael snorted. "She's kind and patient and has no problem teaching new players but she doesn't tell anyone anything about herself. Took me days to even learn her gamertag."

"I see," she nodded. "Maybe she has some past trauma that she doesn't want people to know. Or maybe she comes from a broken home."

"I thought you were supposed to be my therapist," Michael smirked.

"Right, sorry," she sighed. "Well, for now all I can say is that you should continue to play and see if it gets any better. If it gets worse, I would advise you to stop, though."

Michael nodded and left. He went home and logged onto ALfheim Online, heading to the new Knights of the Blood Oath HQ to meet with Eugene.

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