Level Twenty Seven: Living

June 1 - Willow Lake's Day 1

"YOU IDIOTS!" Hikagi exclaimed, slamming his hand on the desk, his phone against his ear. "I can't believe you're stupid enough to have deleted the post!" his lackies had screwed up big time. The post that was going to ruin Akemi's reputation had been deleted off the server queue. But he paused, grinning. "You can make up for it by making your worthless selves useful in game." He slammed the phone down on the table, grabbing his amusphere and putting it on. "If I can't break her down first, I'll have to scare her." He laughed. "I get to torment her in person, that's probably more gratifying!" he lay down and closed his eyes, starting the connection. "Link, start!"

Willow Lake Level One – Base Town

Black Fox and Kirito were sitting at the bar of the Base Town pub, watching all their friends new and old interacting. It was crazy to think they were back here… in this place… Akemi seemed pretty tense, though… Kirito noticed it immediately, she was nervous. "Hey." He ran his hand over the back of her hand, causing her to jump a little. "… Are you okay?"

"Sorry… I'm fine…" she looked to him, trying to smile.

"… okay." He didn't sound convinced, but he didn't push. He would ask again later, out of game maybe. "… Do you want to take a walk?"

"Sure." She stood up immediately, Kirito standing up with her and walking her outside, catching the attention of a couple of the others but no one said anything. As soon as they were outside, Black Fox let out a long sigh.

"You're not okay, huh?" Kirito stood next to her, leaning against the wall. She shook her head hesitantly. "Do you want to log out?"

"No." she mumbled. "… I just have a bad feeling…" she looked around. "I… thought I saw Florien." She muttered. "But I know it wasn't him… it was just… red eyes… blonde hair…" she crossed her arms, seeming worried. "It made me think about how many people were lost after the Ryuuko server went public… how much time was lost… how many people couldn't come back from that…" she dropped her gaze to the ground.

"… but it wasn't all bad…" he reminded her. "… we got together…" he leaned against her a little. "We made a lot of friends…" he slid his hand down the wall and gently slid his hand in hers, soon moving to hold her hand tight. "… right?"

"... yeah." She looked over at Kirito, smiling weakly. "Sorry…" she leaned over and placed her forehead against his when he turned to stare back at her. "… I guess… being here is dredging up memories…" she closed her eyes a little, trying to calm down. "You saw her, right?"

"… The girl that looked like Sachi?" He'd caught a glimpse of her, but he wasn't so sure about what he'd seen. But when he looked at Black Fox, that was when he started worrying. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. The girl was seeing all the old lives that had been lost… she was seeing phantoms of the friends she'd lost, and the enemies they'd fought against.

"… Yeah." She took a shaky breath, gripping his hand tighter. "I don't think I can handle seeing all the lives lost… even if I know it's not them, it hurts to even see someone who remotely resembles them…" her hands were trembling a little, and she grasped Kirito's hand tighter to try and stop the tremors running through her body. Kirito squeezed back, hoping it would help to calm her down. He didn't know how to soothe her when she got like this. It was so weird, to see the girl who had always been so strong and who took everything in stride breaking down like this. Sure, he'd seen her cry before… sure he'd seen her upset before… but this was different. Seeing her mourning like this was different.

"You'll be okay, Akemi." He muttered, standing there with her as she calmed herself down, knowing she didn't want to make a scene. He recalled some of the times they'd shared with the Moonlit Black Cat's guild in Ryuuko.

Flashback: Ryuuko Level 10 - Drift City Lodge

"So, Black Fox and Kirito." Keita sat down at a table with his team mates, the pair of Beta Testers sitting across from them and seeming apprehensive. Kirito because of the lack of trust for beta testers in game, the term Beaters becoming a popular term for them all even though it wasn't really cheating. But he couldn't tell what Black Fox was thinking. She seemed to be thinking about something else entirely. "I hear you two are pretty impressive fighters."

"You have, huh?" Kirito looked nervous.

"Yeah, you two are pretty impressive." He stated, nodding his head. "You're basically a coalition, and because it's only you two of you, you've developed a fearsome reputation." He grinned. "We want you two to join up with us!"

"… Us?" Kirito looked a little confused, but he was relieved that they weren't aware that they were beta testers. "I dunno…" he looked a little worried, glancing at Black Fox, but the girl still looking a little dazed.

"We understand if you don't want to…" the girl named Sachi stated. "But if you two wouldn't mind, we'd be glad to have you on our side…" she smiled. "We're a relatively small guild, and we'd be really happy to have some strong players on our side…" she glanced at Kirito and looked away almost immediately.

"Yeah, join us!" Sasamaru stated, grinning.

"C'mon, you two!" Ducker nudged Kirito's arm, grinning as much as his comrades. Even Tetsuo was grinning. "Wha'dya say?"

"… Should we?"

"I don't see why not." Black Fox muttered. "… It might be… nice… to be in a guild for once…" She seemed so far away, even if she was answering the questions. He nodded, turning back to the group.

"Guess we're in." he stated, the others all cheering and staring a small celebratory impromptu party.

Level 15 – Argent Inn

Kirito was waiting for Black Fox to come back from her mission for attaining a notch in her summoning skill arsenal when a knock came to the door. He got up and opened the door, seeing Sachi standing there. "What's up?" he asked.

"Ah, just came to tell you the others are ready to eat dinner." She smiled. He nodded, following her to the dining room, but as soon as they arrived Sachi ran off.

"Something wrong?" Keita asked Kirito, seeing Sachi run off. The others looked up from their meal, but Kirito just shrugged. "Well so long as she stays in town she'll be okay."

"She might just want to go look around or something… the shops on this level have some pretty nice items." Ducker stated, biting into a large piece of bird leg.

"… Yeah." Kirito didn't eat much, mostly listening to the conversation the others were having before he got up and headed out.

"Where you going?"

"Gonna see if I can find some info on a good blacksmith." He replied, heading out. Once he left, he checked his team roster and looked at Sachi's location info. She was in town still, but it wouldn't give him a more exact location. He activated a skill he'd acquired on a lower level, letting his eyes adjust. There was a set of glowing green footprints leading towards the west. He followed the footprints inconspicuously, not wanting to attract attention to himself. He then found Sachi sitting under a bridge. "… Sachi?"

"K-kirito-kun?" she looked up, seeming a little nervous. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"… I should be asking you that." He sighed, feeling concerned for the girl he shared a guild with. He went to sit next to her, remaining silent as she spilt her insecurities to him, ending up trying to comfort her as she cried. Once she was better, he went back to the inn with her, seeing Black Fox sitting with the others and eating dinner.

"Welcome back." Black Fox said, having just finished her plate.

"Thanks." Kirito noted that Black Fox seemed different. Not as enthusiastic as she normally was. "Did you get your skill?"

"Yep." She smiled. Okay so that wasn't what was bothering her… Kirito just sat back down, letting the others question him about having come back with Sachi, answering simply.

Level Nineteen – Torrent City

The group was waiting around for Keita, noticing the boy returning with what looked like a document. "We're in!" he exclaimed, the others in the group aside from their two newest members cheering. Kirito noticed Keita trying to get Black Fox to smile. It bothered him, but the girl didn't seem in the mood to smile at anyone. But she gave a small smile to them, congratulating Keita for getting them in as a guild.

"We should go on a mission!"

"A mission?"

"But where?"

"We can try the Torrent Falls dungeon."

"Nn, not a good idea." Black Fox stated. "You guys haven't done a weapon forge since Level 15." She stated. "Take care of that first then we can take on that dungeon."

"Oh, right!" Keita nodded. "We got so wrapped up in getting here to become a legit guild." He laughed a little. The group went off to upgrade their weapons, except Kirito who had done an upgrade on the previous level so his sword wouldn't break down in the dungeon. Black Fox, having no weapon, was just waiting with Kirito.

"So… there another reason you didn't want to take on that dungeon today?"

"I'm gonna go test run the dungeon. There's a drop item in there that's good for taking down long range enemies, and I wanted to see if we could get our hands on it." She stated. "After that last dungeon, I don't want to chance someone getting hit by a long-range kill shot." Kirito nodded at her, remembering that Keita had almost taken a hit by what seemed like some sort of long-range sniper or something. He felt a little annoyed by the thought of Black Fox worrying over someone else, even though he knew she was protective of them because she was probably older than all of them.

"Do you want some help?"

"… No." she shook her head. "Keep an eye on the others… don't want them knowing where I am."

"If they ask? Or decide to track you?"

"Then tell them I wanted to do some training." She smiled, seeming a little more cheerful than she'd just been. He watched as she headed off, the girl being just out of sight when the others came back out of the repair shop.

"Where's Black Fox?" Sachi asked, looking around for the older girl.

"Training. Guess she thinks she needs to practice or something." Kirito stated. The others nodded, the group heading to take a look at some new armor and stuff in a nearby shop.

Level 22 – Dune Town Fountain

Black Fox had run off somewhere tonight, no one seeming to know where she was. Her tracker wasn't coming up but she was still active, so they assumed she was in a hidden dungeon room. Kirito was about to go to sleep when he heard a knock on his door. He went up to see who it was. "Sachi?"

"Sorry to bother you…" she smiled a little. "May I come in?" He let the girl into the room.

"What's wrong?"

"… I couldn't sleep." She sighed, seeming upset by this. "I keep seeing the battles… I end up getting scared and crying…" she looked to him. "Black Fox told me being near someone you trust helps with the nightmares…" she added. "She told me to come see you…"

"Me? Why?"

"Well, she told me that she wasn't going to be back so… she didn't want you to be by yourself… she really likes you a lot and she's worried about you more than anyone else." Sachi smiled.

"No, she's not…"

"She is." Sachi reaffirmed her statement. "… She really worried about you… But she's still giving us space because the others are kind of pushing us together."

"Huh?" he looked confused. "… Well, whatever." He shook his head. "I'm going back to sleep, so… if you want to stay." He added, motioning to the bed. Sachi nodded and laid down, Kirito laying down in the same bed but keeping his distance to be respectful. "… Does she seriously worry about me?"

"Yes… she told me once, when you and Keita and the others went on a mission… that she was worried about you…" she smiled. "… She doesn't want any of us to get hurt… but she worries about you more." She added, closing her eyes. "You've been closer to her since you travelled with her since Level One…"

"… I guess."

"She will always protect you…" Sachi stated. "That's what she told me…"

"… Always, huh?"

Level 24 – Red Earth Dungeon

Black Fox and Kirito barely managed to escape, but both were extremely upset. "Damn it!" Kirito slashed at the dungeon wall, chipping his sword. "Just two seconds!" he screamed. "I could have saved her if I'd been two seconds faster!" he stabbed the wall with the sword, grinding his teeth, seething with anger and self-loathing. Sachi, Ducker, Sasamaru and Tetsuo; gone, just like that… Kirito was about to break his blade on a ridge when a hand caught his wrist.

"Stop." Black Fox's voice was trembling, her hand gripping his wrist tight, almost painfully so. "Just stop…" she shook her head, tears flowing down out of her mask. "… It won't bring them back… please… just stop." She mumbled.

"…" Kirito felt weak, dropping his arm and letting his sword shatter as it fell to the ground. Sachi and three of their guildmates were dead… And now they had to break this news to their leader… Kirito shook his head, trying to hold it together. "Damn it…"

Level 19 - Torrent Falls

The three of them stood there in complete silence. Keita had just been told that his guild mates, his friends were dead. Black Fox watched in horror as Kirito tried to jump to pull Keita back from the edge of the falls, stopping him from going over, but unfortunately failing to save Keita. Kirito watched their last guild member dissolve, the message alert letting them know that their guild was dissolved now that Keita was dead. The two stayed there for a minute before Kirito left, unable to handle being near here at the moment. Black Fox followed silently, expecting him to get mad for stopping him or something. But he remained silent. They both did. When they went to sleep that night at the inn, they stayed in the same room and said not a word. But they didn't need to. They needed space to take in the day's events… Kirito swore never to be this helpless again. Black Fox held back her tears and locked them up, throwing away the key. This was going to be their turning point. They were going to get stronger, never turning back.

Present – Base Town

"… It made us stronger." Kirito muttered, making Black Fox turn to look at him. "… We're stronger now because of what happened…"

"I suppose we are." She smiled a little, leaning over and pressing her lips to his cheek. "… Thanks…"

"It's fine…"

"Ahem." The two froze and looked up to see Asuna and Majin standing nearby. "You two are awfully sneaky, you know."

"… Nee-san is weird. I told you they were just making out or something."

"But still!" Asuna pouted. Black Fox quirked an eyebrow. That look was much like the one Asuna gave Kirito in Ryuuko. Was she in love? The honey-orange haired girl turned back to Black Fox, giving her a look that confused both the boys in their company. "Come on, back to the party." She grabbed Black Fox's arm and dragged her along, the boys trailing behind. "You're lucky you made up just then." She whispered to the blackette girl, a smile coming back to Black Fox's face.

"Yes, I suppose I am. But you're flirting with my brother and I think that's a pretty dangerous venture." She replied with a smile, remembering a few times that Asuna's attraction to Kirito had caused some tension between the two.

Flashback: Level 27 – Seaside Town

Asuna walked over to Black Fox as Kirito was bombarded by questions from the other members of the group, namely Suzuka's friends. "Can we talk?" the honey-orange haired girl asked the summoner, earning a nod as they went to a hallway to have their chat.

"What's bothering you, Asuna?"

"…" the girl took a deep breath, cheeks colored as she glanced back at the room.

"Ah… you like Kirito?"

"H-hwaa?!" Asuna jumped at the sudden question, but she didn't deny it.

"Asuna, I've seen girls in love before, I know, believe me." The older of the two stated. "… Do you wish to pursue him?"

"… I wanted to know if you two were in a relationship or not…"

"We aren't but…"

"But?"

"… Well, I'm not exactly going to just hand him over." She smiled.

"… You like him too?"

"I can't say I like him yet but… Kirito's something special." She replied, glancing towards the room the'd been in. "He's a good kid… But this is also no place to openly admit that you want a relationship with someone…" she stated.

"But then how would we go about it?" Asuna asked, the two conversing for a while about what would be a better way to go about it, eventually Black Fox coming up with something concrete.

"So, how about this? Whoever manages to win his heart will be the one to make him happy. No questions, no complaints. No openly admitting love and confessing. Let him choose with no interference." She purposely left out the fact that she already kind of flirted with him while they were alone, though it was almost like she was baiting him. She wasn't technically saying anything.

"… Deal." The pair shook hands on it. But Asuna seemed to know Black Fox had an advantage. There was something terrifying about this girl, even though she was being perfectly civil. "Whoever wins his heart had better make him the happiest boy alive."

"Or at least as close as we can get." Black Fox smiled, Asuna nodding in response.

Level 50 –Central Village Chapel

Black Fox and Kirito were officially married, the girl wearing the chi-user diamond ring on her finger and a flowy sleeveless white a-line dress with a white lace veil. The accents were black, so it wouldn't look odd that the girl had a black mask on, and she was carrying a white rose bouquet with a black ribbon. Every girl attending was ready to catch it when tossed it over her shoulder. The reception was calm and nice, a good change of pace for everyone. Black Fox slipped away to talk to Asuna. "Congrats." The younger of the two smiled. "You won his heart."

"Yes, now I just hope I can make him happy…"

"You already have." Asuna pointed out to her, glancing at Kirito who was being congratulated by some of the others in attendance who hadn't gotten to tell him yet. "… So don't slip up." She smiled. "Or I'll take him."

"Ooh, feisty aren't you?" she chuckled. "Well you caught the flowers so I guess that's proof enough I need to be careful." She added with a smile. Asuna nodded before they clinked their champagne glasses together. This was a peace that would dissolve soon enough. They wanted to enjoy it.

Level 50 – Black Fox and Kirito's Home (Six Days after White Fox's Arrest on Level Ninety)

Black Fox was moping around when someone knocked on the door. She opened it to see a head of honey orange hair storm past her. "… What is it, Asuna?"

"You're breaking your promise." She stated simply, crossing her arms. "Kirito's all mopey now, and you're just sitting at home?" she asked, pouting. "That's a terrible way to make him happy!" Black Fox just stood there, listening. "You need to stop being like this. You're one of our best front liners! Pull it together, Black Fox!"

"… Asuna…"

"I mean it! Or I'll… I'll go to Kirito and take him out on a date!" she blushed, getting all flustered and causing Black Fox to laugh. "I-I'm serious!"

"S-sorry." She held her stomach and laughed. "You're so passionate about it…" she shook her head, smiling at the girl. Asuna was one of a very few who'd seen her face, and with her mask sitting in the inventory, the girl could see the blackette's smiling eyes. "… Thank you, Asuna… I know I've been slacking, but you just got me all protective of Kirito again~"

"… Yeah well… don't slip up again."

"I'll try not to." She said, the younger girl seeming satisfied with her answer before she left. Black Fox sighed, sitting back down as Kirito returned. "Welcome back." She smiled.

"Ah… I'm back…" Kirito said, walking over to her. "Here." He handed her a box of pastries. "I… thought it would cheer you up."

"… Ehe." She smiled. "Thank you…" She hugged him around the waist weakly, her body still fatigued thanks to her past week of lying around and sulking. He sat down with her as they ate, her smile coming easier than it had in quite a while.

Present – Base Town

Higaki scoffed, looking annoyed. He couldn't get to his target with all these other people around. He'd have to wait. That annoyed him. "Maybe if she goes off on her own to do a summoner quest or something?" he asked, sighing. "Otherwise I gotta do something complicated…" he walked away, feeling a little indignant. His plan had unraveled thanks to some incompetence in his follower's ranks. "How bothersome… But I suppose it will be more fun…" he looked at Kirito and Majin, smirking a little. "Which to go after first?" he laughed as he slipped away into the shadows.

((Ahaha, finally managed to get another chapter...

Writers block hopefully stays away for a while, but we shall see ; v ;''

Thanks for all the support you guys! I appreciate it ; 7 ; I hope you guys still like what's happening...

Reviews are always loved~

-Winter Cheshire))