Level Three: Strung Up

Level Ten: Drift City Open Market

"Has it really been a whole 2 months already?" Black Fox mumbled as she walked with Kirito through the open market, getting supplies and whatnot for their travel through level 14, the "graveyard" of the first 15 levels… the death toll on that level was high, even for the front-lines. The stronger guilds that managed to form were already reaching levels in the twenties range. But… their levels weren't a match for Kirito. They had formed a team of sorts, but they had yet to associate themselves with a guild… and for good reason. They weren't getting attacked or anything, but… a lot of bad rumors were going around the betas, despite much of it being just bad rumors… some of what they were saying was surprisingly true.

"I think that's about right." Kirito said as they headed back to their lodging. "We leave tomorrow morning, so we should be sure to get our rest…" he said, noticing some people walk past them, hearing their mumbled rumors. Rumors that many of the beta-testers were working with White Fox, and those who were not were either lucky to be alive, or already dead. Upon arriving back at the lodge, one of the people at the door stopped them.

"Hey, you two…" The group was four boys and one girl, and the girl seemed a little worried… no more like shy? "Are you two staying here too?"

"What's it to you?" Black Fox asked, looking a little on edge from their sudden question. Kirito put a hand on her shoulder, making her stop and calm down a little.

"Ah, so you are… you two are something, being all lovey dovey in the middle of this death game…" the one in green armor said, making the blonde and the one in purple armor nod in agreement. "But its kind of refreshing…"

"O-oi oi we aren't…" Kirito said, Black Fox's cheeks tinting ever so slightly pink. The girl noticed their slight discomfort and urged her friends to stop making fun of them.

"A-anyway, what do you guys want?" Black Fox asked.

Level Nineteen: Torrent Falls

Kirito sat at the edge of the falls, staring off into space. He'd been there for hours already, waiting… well, more like remembering. This was where Keita jumped when Kirito had told him that Sachi and the others had died in the level 24 dungeon. He was remembering him jump when he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch. He almost drew his sword when he noticed who it was. "Black Fox…" he mumbled, sighing. "Sorry…" he mumbled.

"Don't be…" she sat down and handed him a fruit. "Eat. You need it." She said, glancing over at him with a look that showed how much she knew about his state of mind. She'd seen Keita jump too… but she was handling things better than he was. "And stop blaming yourself… Sachi didn't want to see you this way, right?" his eyes went wide and he turned to her, seeing her staring at him from under her mask. Black Fox had been kind of… well, not distant but she hadn't wanted the boys to make fun of them like they had the first day they met… and she had been leaving space for Sachi to get close to Kirito, everyone was able to see that. But right now the only thing that matted was moving forward. "So, let's continue on."

Level Twenty Six: Windmill City

Black Fox was sitting on the roof of the lodging she and Kirito were in, waiting for him to come back from his solo mission. He said he needed some time, so she let him have it. She noticed him headed her way and climbed back in through the window to go and greet him. He came into the room, carrying what looked like a little box. "O-oh, hey…" he said, looking a little surprised to see her.

"Hey." She said, smiling a little. "What shall I cook for dinner, Kirito?" she asked. His cheeks got a little pink but he composed himself and told her to cook whatever she wanted to. "W-we have a long day ahead tomorrow so don't stress out over what I want…"

"Well too bad." She said, smiling at him. She paused to think about a few things. "So… how long has it been, anyway?" she asked him, sitting down on the floor. Kirito paused, looking at her.

"Around 7 months…" he mumbled, sitting down on the bed. "M-maybe it would be better to travel separately…"

"Don't try going off on your own." She stated immediately. "You saw it… how many players went solo and got killed by White Fox's army before they even managed to get to the next level…" she stated, looking almost child-like with worry. "I… I don't want to see you get hurt…" she mumbled, looking back at him. He stared back before nodding to her. Even if he was more prone to going off on his own, he couldn't leave her alone. He didn't quite get why, though.

Level Twenty Seven: Seaside Drop-Off

Black Fox and Kirito walked towards town, a little tired but no worse for wear. "I can't believe that we got ambushed right off the bat…" she mumbled as they headed towards the town. "Those players had no regard for their own safety."

"Even so…" Kirito mumbled. "They're all still alive, right?" he asked her, looking up at her mask. "So don't worry about it." He mumbled. It seemed whenever someone attacked them and accused them of working with White Fox, she got all strung up on it. She got a little depressed and sometimes was really hard to get back to a good state of mind. He was about to say something when he heard a twig snap, making him draw his sword. He glanced around, Black Fox looking around as well. "Who's there?!" he exclaimed, waiting to see who it was. Someone in a cloak stepped out from the tree line, stopping where they could still retreat if they had to. Black Fox looked a little tense, and then he realized why. The person's boots were white with red trim… that was how White Fox dressed too. Was this person one of her soldiers?

"I'm not an enemy." The person stated, looking up at them. "Are you Black Fox?" she asked, looking right at the girl in the veil.

"That's me. Who are you?" she responded, hoping that this person wasn't an enemy. After a short pause, the person removed their hood, her long orangey-colored hair a nice compliment to her eyes, which were a similar color. "… Asuna."

"You remember me?" she asked, walking over. "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"I'm glad to see you too… You seem to be much better." Black Fox said, a small smile coming to her lips. "I was wondering when I'd see you again… It's been a long time."

"Huh?" Kirito looked at Black Fox, then at the girl Asuna.

"Oh, sorry… Kirito, this is Asuna. I met her back in Base Town on day 2." She said to him. "Asuna, this is Kirito. He was in the beta with me."

"O-oi is it okay to just tell her that out of nowhere?" he asked.

"It's fine. Asuna wasn't in the beta, but she doesn't think badly of us." Black Fox stated. "She's seen what White Fox has been doing, and she knows we aren't helping her either." Kirito sighed and gave in to the explanation, but he seemed a little uncomfortable. "Anyway, Asuna…" she looked back at the girl. "I hate to ask but…"

"It's fine. Lodging's all set up for you two." She said, turning around to lead the way back towards the town. "And people are waiting."

"People?" Kirito asked as he followed them both. "What do you mean, people? Who else knows we're here?" he asked, almost sounding accusing. But Black Fox put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax… I contacted them last night." She stated to him as they weaved through the trees. "This town's getting notorious for getting really aggressive towards any betas who pass through here… We needed people who weren't beta testers here first, so we wouldn't be questioned." She said to him, sighing as they got close enough to see the town lights. She paused, putting a hand on her mask and removing the mask for the first time in front of anyone. Kirito stared for a moment as she also removed her veil, her long black hair finally visible for the first time in a long time. Her eyes were a stunning purple color, almost like the tail end of a sunset in a way, tinted blue. "Come on, let's go…" she said as they headed into town.

As they made it to the inn's dining room, they saw people waiting for them. "Welcome back, Asuna." One man stated.

"Good to be back." She said as she closed the door behind the new comers.

"Hey. You lost the mask?" one man asked Black Fox, getting right up in her face, only to be glared at and back off in mock fear. "So scary~" he laughed, the others joining in. "Don't be like that, we missed ya."

"Whatever." She sighed, shaking her head at them. "In any case, you guys are working hard… thanks…" she said, smiling. Her eyes showed her emotions strongly, and Kirito assumed that was why she wore the mask. "So… did you find anything?"

"White Fox has been gathering huge numbers of Beta Players and then some hackers who didn't get into the beta…" one man stated to them, opening a little book. "Any beta who refused her offer got killed." She turned her gaze down, hating to hear that.

"Don't be so gloomy, you're making her all mad." A woman said, going over to Black Fox and Kirito, putting her arms around their shoulders. "And I'm sure her boyfriend isn't too pleased to hear that either."

"D-don't call us that, Suzuka!" Black Fox said, cheeks turning pink immediately. The group laughed, Kirito's cheeks turning ever so slightly pink. "St-stop laughing, it isn't funny!"

"Aww come on… I was kidding, Black Fox." She grinned. "Anyway, she's planning something big… so I say we start gathering allies of our own!" the room agreed whole-heartedly with her, raising their glasses, somehow one getting shoved to both Black Fox and Kirito. "To our new guild!"

"Wait wait, what?" Black Fox asked, looking confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

"What else? If White Fox has an army, then you, Black Fox, need a guild!" Suzuka said, downing her drink in one long chug. "So, leader~! Lead us~!"

"Yeah, Black Fox! Lead us!"

"You guys are all crazy…"

"I…" she looked down at the glass in her hand. "Even if I wanted to… I can't…" she mumbled. "White Fox won't take this sitting down… she'd come and attack you guys if we separate… besides, if you stay associated with me… the people who are aggressing against the betas are just going to cause you trouble…" the room fell silent, seeing how upset she looked. "I appreciate the offer, but… you guys know that's not safe…" she said, materializing her mask and putting it back on. "Sorry…" she got up and left the room, Kirito watching her leave to take a walk, so he assumed.

"Aw man, I told you it wouldn't go over well." Suzuka sighed. "She's all depressed again… not that I blame her, after what happened to Hibiya."

"To who?" Kirito asked, turning to them. They looked at each other, but Asuna took a step closer to him. "Who's Hibiya?"

"Hibiya… was a smart guy. He was a beta tester, and he introduced us to Black Fox on day one of the public server." One person said. "He said, when we got to the right level, we should all start a guild together. And of course, he would lead… and he asked Black Fox if she'd join us…"

"But… that night, when we were all out partying; celebrating our new alliance… White Fox showed up." Suzuka mumbled.

"Hibiya-san… was killed by White Fox because he said he wanted to keep Black Fox from being alone." Asuna stated. "She's got it out for her former partner… said that she doesn't deserve to be loved cause she's nothing but bad luck." She added.

"And how would she know that?" Kirito asked, starting to piece things together.

"I think White Fox knows Black Fox form real life… and probably knows about her past too. Cause when she killed Hibiya… I heard her say something about "Another one lost to your bad luck."…" Suzuka said. "It sounded like they knew each other…"

"Even if they did, White Fox is one messed up girl." Another person stated.

"Yeah really… I mean, if this is some sort of problem with Black Fox, why drag everyone into it? And if not, then what's the deal?" someone else chimed in. Kirito stared at his glass a moment longer before putting it down on the table and going to look for Black Fox. "H-hey, where's he going?"

"Let him go." Asuna said, watching him hurry outside. "I think they've been travelling together for a while, but she's never told him what happened… just let them talk this out." The others nodded in agreement, a slightly unsettled calm coming over the room as the rain started to come down outside. It was going to be a long night.

((Guys, thanks for viewing my story so far ; u ;''' Though you've made this my most viewed story yet, I still don't have any reviews and I'd like to know what you think... if you don't mind... So please review if you want to give your opinion, or even if you're just asking for another chapter ; u ;'''

Also um, I'd like to ask if you guys would rather see Flashbacks to the beta, a more progressive relationship between Black Fox and Kirito, or if you'd like me to get them back to the real world faster? ; u ;''' I don't want to get stuck in the middle of this story so... opinions are appreciated.

-Winter Cheshire))