Monochrome Duet

by Solid Shark

After the brutal 25th Floor Boss Raid, Asuna has left Kirito's side to join the Knights of Blood. With his partner gone, Kirito resigns himself to returning to the life of a solo player-until a familiar face from the lower floors unexpectedly reenters his life. The strangely-human NPC Kizmel, despite her quest being over, has returned to his side... Kirito/Kizmel.

14. Chapter XIV: Serenade of Water II

January 13, 2024

---

"There's always a catch," Kirito grumbled. "After the gondola quest back on the Fourth Floor, I really should've known better, but no, I figured this was going to be easy…" After a short pause to check how much progress he'd made, he shook his head and went back to scrubbing wood. "Like having to fight mobs in the water just to get here wasn't bad enough."

"Look on the bright side, Kirito," Philia called from the bow, where she was mopping. "It's a lot cheaper this way—and it doesn't involve fighting any bears to get mats, right?"

"Argo's guide's pretty clear on the Magnatherium not being a bear," came Rain's voice from above. "But yeah, Philia's right. Everything we need for this quest is right here, no giant not-bears or lumberjacks required."

A splash heralded Kizmel's reappearance. "Perhaps so. Forests, however, I know quite well. I'm rather less familiar with boats. I had never heard of barnacles, and honestly, I wish I still hadn't. Were I not a Swordmaster myself now, I'm certain I would be quite exhausted by now—and I do still need to breathe occasionally."

Torvan's Shipyard, as it turned out, had more than enough boats of varying sizes for the clearing group, and they were even at a reasonable price. Kirito had feared his entire impromptu party would need to pool most of their surplus Cor to buy one, but Dockmaster Torvan had offered them quite the deal. With, of course, a catch.

"Boats I've got aplenty," the salty Dockmaster had said, puffing away at a pipe. "With how dangerous the seas've been since Medrizzel returned, I haven't sold one in far too long. So I'll give ye quite a nice price, gent and ladies. O'course," he'd added with a wave of his pipe, "they have been docked for a good long time, Be a bit of a job cleanin' 'em up and makin' 'em seaworthy again.

"Make sure yer sails are rigged right and proper, and yer keel scoured o' barnacles, at least. Lots o' things in that sea you don't want catching you. An' be damn sure yer anchor's in good shape, or ye'll not be getting much sleep."

The twelve-meter, two-cabin sailboat had cost them a solid hundred-thousand Cor, not too bad a price spread between four players. She also was filthy from stem to stern, mast to keel. Before they could even think of chasing after the hints left in the treasure room, they needed to set her to rights.

So, like the players who'd arrived at the Shipyard ahead of them, they'd divided the task and gotten to work. Kirito was scouring the hull above the waterline, Philia was cleaning the deck, and Rain was rigging up the new sails they'd bought from a sailmaker at the far end of the shipyard, replacing the tattered shreds the boat had come with. Kizmel had volunteered for the job of clearing barnacles and other obstructions from the keel.

The elf girl seemed to be regretting it now, as she tread water on the surface while she got her breath back. "I suppose," she said now, reclining to float on her back, "I should be grateful it isn't worse. The metal covering seems to be difficult for these barnacles to grasp."

"That's what copper sheathing is for, I think," Kirito said, trying to focus as much as he could on scrubbing grime off the hull. Any direction he looked just then was dangerous to his peace of mind, but for whatever reason looking at his partner was the worst—though he was beginning to suspect Rain of deliberately showing off, up on the rigging. "This isn't really my area, but I'm pretty sure the copper is to keep the bottom from fouling."

"Then I don't care to imagine how long these boats have been idle. There's more than a fair share of seaweed stuck to the hull, as well." Kizmel sighed. "Well, no help for it. A couple of hours' delay in our quest is a small price." She took a deep breath then, and dove back beneath the water.

She's probably right. I still wouldn't want to do this for real, though. If this were my real body, I'd have some nasty blisters by now. On the bright side, as Philia had put it, the grime on the upper hull was coming away easily enough. The problem was simply how much hull there was, on a twelve-meter boat.

"That's it for the sails, I think!" Rain announced, lightly dropping down to the deck. She made her way over the wheel, next to the hatch leading down belowdecks, and tapped it to bring up the status window. "Hm… yep, we're good to go on that! And it looks like Kizmel's already cleared the rudder, too." She looked at it a few moments longer, then dismissed it with a wave. "We just need to finish the cleaning, and we'll be ready to launch. Kirito, how about I get to work on the port side?"

"That'd be a big help, thanks," Kirito said gratefully.

"What about the deck-swabbing?" Philia said plaintively, gesturing with her mop. "It's not like I don't have plenty left up here, y'know!"

"You've only got the one surface," he pointed out with exaggerated patience. "Between the two sides, there's a lot of hull to cover."

"Fair enough." A few moments went by with nothing but the sound of scrub brushes and the steady swish of a mop. Then Philia paused again. "Hey, at least it'll be all of us when it's time to get the inside cleaned out!"

Kirito nodded in absentminded agreement, and kept moving his scrub brush farther forward. After a few seconds, though, he froze in place. If the outside is this bad, what's it look like in there? …I've got a bad feeling about this. No, no, the hatch has been kept shut, and the boat's obviously watertight. It shouldn't be too bad inside… right?

---

Between the late start that morning, the detour to the Fiftieth Floor that led to Philia and Rain joining the party to begin with, and the questing on Ousetta Island, it had been past one in the afternoon before they even reached Torvan's Shipyard. By the time their new boat was clean above and below the water—and the musty but not too noxious interior aired out—it was closer to four. A good chunk of a day gone with little actual accomplishment—but, finally, they were ready to cast off from the Shipyard.

Kirito found himself elected as helmsman, on the basis of being the only member of the party who'd ever been on a real sailboat. He thought about pointing out he'd only been a passenger, when he was not quite ten years old, but seeing as protesting anything girls decided seemed not to end well for him, he kept his mouth shut and turned his attention to figuring out how sailboats worked in SAO.

Thankfully, there was a manual.

"Okay," he said after a few minutes, during which Philia and Rain lounged on the deck ahead of him, while Kizmel leaned against the rail not more than a meter away from him. "This looks pretty simple. The mast and rudder both work with the wheel. Somebody else needs to handle the sails, and the anchor when we're ready to take a break, but otherwise that's it."

"I've got that part," Philia said with a cheerful wave. "Sounds like it'll be more fun than swabbing the deck, anyway."

"Then I suppose Rain and I are passengers," Kizmel mused, crossing her arms in a way that Kirito found momentarily distracting. "Unless we're attacked, of course. Which we doubtless will be, eventually." She lifted an eyebrow in his direction. "Anything else of note before we set out?"

"Just that we won't need to find a dock before we call it a night." Kirito tapped the ethereal menu. "According to this, when the anchor's dropped the boat counts as a kind of portable Safe Haven. Considering how much of this floor is open water…"

The others nodded. One thing that had become quickly evident was why the previous floor's Boss Room had had a lower than normal ceiling, and the staircase leading up had been so long: to accommodate the unusually deep water of the Fifty-First Floor. That depth made Kirito more than a little uneasy. He'd never encountered an underwater quest before.

He was about to dismiss the boat menu and take the wheel when something else caught his eye. "Oh… It looks like we're also supposed to name the boat. I guess I should've figured; the Fourth Floor's gondolas had the same thing."

"A name, huh?" Rain tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I dunno… I'm not so good with names. Not original ones, anyway. You guys got any ideas?"

"Give me a day, and I might," Philia said, raising her hands in a shrug. "I'm not picky. How about you, Kizmel?"

Kizmel smiled, looking just a little sad. "Mm… Tilnel's name was already honored in such a way. I can think of no other of significance to me. Kirito?"

A demurring comment was on Kirito's mind as well, and he almost said it. Just as he opened his mouth, though, he paused, struck by sudden inspiration. Asuna and I picked Tilnel's name back then, for Kizmel's sake. Since then, there was…

After a long pause, while he debated whether to actually voice his thought, he cleared his throat. "This is… kinda personal. But… how does 'Black Cat' sound, guys?"

His partner's eyes widened, and then she nodded in somber understanding. "I can think of no better name," she said softly. "Philia, Rain?"

"Black Cat?" The treasure hunter's head tilted quizzically. "That sounds kinda familiar, actually. Didn't I hear about something with a name like that a few months back? Something about a… a guild…"

She trailed off, just as Rain nodded in realization. "I heard about it, too," she said quietly. "Argo had quite a bit to say about it when I was buying info about clearers." Giving the two senior clearers a sympathetic smile, the redhead nodded again. "Fine with me."

"Yeah," Philia agreed. "I think it's a good name."

With all agreed, Kirito silently tapped the name into the blank field in the boat's menu, and clicked confirm. Just faintly, he thought he could hear the sound of the letters being etched into the boat's hull.

I couldn't save you guys. Keita and Sachi lived, but even they didn't come out of it like before. But I can at least make sure you aren't forgotten. Even if that's all I can do.

Kirito let himself wade in that dark memory a few moments, then drew a deep breath and deliberately pushed it away again. Tetsuo, Ducker, and Sasamaru deserved to be remembered, but brooding wouldn't help them at this point. "Okay, then," he said. "Rain, can you get us untied?"

"I'm on it," the redhead said cheerfully, turning to slip the line free from the dock.

"Philia, if you'll set the sails…"

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" Throwing a jaunty salute, Philia flipped up onto the main deck and made for the mast. "Sails coming up!"

Cap'n? …Whatever. He gripped the wheel in both hands and waited as sails unfurled, caught the wind, and stretched taut. As soon as the sailboat began to edge away from the dock, he gave the wheel an experimental turn to one side, then the other. He couldn't see the rudder, of course, but from the movement of the mast and the twitches of the bow, everything was in order.

"Time to get moving," he said, giving the wheel a more confident spin to turn them away from the Shipyard. "Let's find that 'great ship of the Dread Pirate Robair'!"

---

Born of a people who favored stone fortresses and hidden cities, veteran of a long conflict with a people of the forests, Kizmel had little experience with bodies of water of any notable size. Indeed, outside of the rivers and small lakes of the Fourth Floor, she had never really been afloat at all, and there only for very short trips.

Aincrad's Fifty-First Floor was thus quite the experience for her. Ten kilometers of sea from wall to Steel Castle wall, Kirito had remarked it was small compared to the vast waters of his home world, but to the elf it was huge. Even with the occasional attacks by Flying Barracuda, the new quest was one she was enjoying immensely.

Her partner guided Black Cat with rapidly-increasing skill, Philia kept a weather eye on the sails, and Rain and Kizmel herself kept to the flanks to guard against monster attacks from either side. Cutting through the mild waves, their destination was a place some two kilometers northeast of Torvan's Shipyard; so far, the journey had been more pleasant than not—though there was reason to believe it wouldn't stay that way.

"If ye're set on finding the legacy of Robair, which I do not advise," Torvan had told them after sealing the deal for the boat, "yer best bet is probably the Graveyard nor'east of here, 'bout a league. Ships've found their final rest there since before the Steel Castle flew, an' the last o' the old pirates were no different." He'd taken a puff of his pipe then, and raised a finger in warning. "Do not venture past the edges by yer lonesomes, if ye value yer lives. Medrizzel lurks there now, and he'll send you to the bottom fer sure."

From her position at the starboard rail, Kizmel could see that they were far from the only Swordmasters heading for the Graveyard. Within clear view were at least a dozen other boats, from small six-meter craft to a huge twenty-meter that bore the mark of the Divine Dragons. Even so, the old Dockmaster's warning was well-taken, if her suspicions were right.

Medrizzel is almost certainly what we would call a Field Boss. Even with so many Swordmasters here, attempting to fight him without coordination and a plan would be suicidal.

Suicide didn't rate highly in Kizmel's estimation just then. Curious records in a cave and an ominous message from a strange "NPC" aside, her interest in the Fifty-First Floor was rest and recovery, not desperate battle. Clearing was, for once, far from the forefront of her mind.

Though what is, I may need a plan for, as well. Perhaps a more blunt approach is the order of the day for that quest; subtle certainly doesn't seem to be working well enough. How was it Argo put it, in that layered way of hers? Something like a "frontal assault"…?

Her idle planning of her own private battle seemed to go oddly well with the surroundings, even as the air around Black Cat began to turn misty. At length, though, her thoughts were interrupted by a shout from the mast. "I think I see something ahead, guys!" Philia called out. "Hard to say with this fog, but those sure look like shipwrecks to me!"

Pausing only to pith an airborne fish, Kizmel turned toward the bow to look. As the treasure hunter had said, shapes were beginning to emerge from the fog, and they did seem to resemble the hulls of ships. Canted at strange angles, they certainly weren't other Swordmaster boats.

"I think you're right, Philia." Kirito eased the wheel to port, turning their course to a shallower approach. "Take in some sail, and see if you can get an idea of which wreck we should be looking at. I'd rather not have to check them all, if we can avoid it."

"Aye, Cap'n!" Under Philia's touch, Black Cat's sails furled, leaving just enough cloth to keep them edging toward the Graveyard at a cautious pace. She left the mast then, making her way to the bow with Search glowing in her eyes.

Good idea, Kizmel thought, looking over the shapes that were coming into full view now. If we have to search them all, it will cost us precious daylight—and something about this place leaves me loath to linger long. Something tells me Medrizzel is not the only evil that lurks here.

There was something undeniably eerie about the shattered and half-sunken hulls they approached. Perhaps, she thought, it was that they still remained afloat despite the depths of the floor's seas; perhaps it was the fog that surrounded the Graveyard, deep enough to obscure yet not so deep as to block sight of the islands dotting that sea.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that even Medrizzel remained out of sight, leaving the question of what else might be able to hide there.

At length, Philia turned to the rest of the party and lifted her hands, palm-up. "I'm seeing three that look to have decent treasure right on the fringes, and five more a bit deeper in. Can't narrow it down any more than that, sorry."

"It's better than nothing." With the treasure hunter's guidance, Kirito brought Black Cat in close to the nearest wreck. When they were within a meter or so, he had Philia take in the last sail, then drop anchor.

As soon as the chain connecting it to the boat snapped taut, the anchor having hit bottom, a notice appeared in Kizmel's vision declaring [Safe Haven]. She felt herself relax just a bit at the sight; while she'd had no reason to doubt the revelation that the boats were charmed in such a way, certain aspects of the way the world worked for the Swordmasters were not yet second-nature for her, even after three months of being one herself. The direct confirmation that Black Cat would be a safe haven for them was a welcome one.

Once they were secure, the four of them moved to the rail to take a closer look. The wreck they'd chosen as their first target was mostly abovewater, but listing heavily to port; clearly at least some flooding had occurred. Just from a glance, footing appeared treacherous.

Philia reached out to carefully touch the bow of the battered ship. It might have just been Kizmel's imagination, but it seemed almost as if the wreck swayed just from the blonde's motion; from her frown, it wasn't lost on the treasure hunter, either. Slowly, gently, she leaned forward, putting some weight behind the contact.

The first motion might have been imagined; this one wasn't. It was slight, but the wreck noticeably yielded to Philia's pressure.

"Well… that doesn't look very safe." Kirito frowned at it. "I'm no expert, but I don't think it'd be a good idea for all of us to go over. Well, not that I'd be comfortable leaving our boat completely unattended either, but this is a bit worse than I expected. And if there's mobs aboard…"

"Then I'll go alone." Rain flashed a grin at the looks her unexpected declaration drew. "C'mon, guys, don't look at me like that! Think about it. It's too risky for all of us, and really, it'd be too cramped to have us all fighting aboard, if it came to it. I wouldn't bet on more than two of us without risking the wreck going all the way under, and honestly, it'd be easier to sneak around with just one."

"Then I would think I'd be the logical choice," Kizmel said, tapping the shoulder where her cloak would normally be clasped. "With the Cloak of Illusion—"

"Which would be risking the Heat DoT," the redhead pointed out patiently. "And it might get caught on broken bits of hull or something. I don't need any extra gear to sneak around some average mobs."

Kirito eyed her in a way that made Kizmel briefly but intensely irritated, before his words made it clear what he was actually thinking. "You'd need a pretty high Hiding skill to slip by mobs this high up, even if this is a breather level," he said. "Most clearers tend to focus more on Searching, anyway, and mine's—"

"My Hiding is up over seven hundred," Rain interrupted, and smiled at the expressions the statement provoked. "Not everybody plays the same way, Kirito. You'd be surprised what a good ambush can do, especially when you're a solo."

A flash of a snowy field crossed Kizmel's mind's eye, and she nodded in sudden understanding. She had, in fact, known one Swordmaster who used stealth to great advantage, even if in a different way from what Rain was suggesting.

Though I do wonder how she trained her skill so high in the year the Swordmasters have been here. Even Kirito hasn't gotten more than his most direct combat skills so high. Not that she intended to pry. One thing she'd learned very well about the Swordmasters was that they kept their skills jealously hidden for a variety of good reasons, some of them more personal than others.

"…Well," Kirito said, recovering from his surprise. "I guess I can't argue with that… Be careful, though, okay? If you see anything you can't handle—"

"Run away, and use a teleport crystal if I have to. I know, Kirito." Rain rolled her eyes, though her smile remained. "I may be new to clearing, but I've been soloing close to the frontlines for quite a while now." She planted a foot on the railing. "I'll be back soon, guys."

With a quick wave, she vaulted up and over, landing lightly on the wreck's swaying deck.

---

For possibly the first time since Kayaba's terrifying announcement, Rain really felt like she was playing a game again. The swaying deck of a shipwreck shrouded in fog, creepy as it was, looked right out of a more ordinary game, one without the penalty of real death.

Not that she was intending to take chances. The deck was slippery under Rain's boots as she headed aft, and the fog was deep enough she couldn't quite see the boat's stern. She had no idea what might've been lurking there, so she walked slowly, sword in hand, counting on her Hiding to keep any mobs from finding her before she found them.

Slow and quiet, that's the way. Of course, that won't do me much good if there's something here that can smell me, but I don't think that's too likely.

Rain had relied on Hiding enough in her time as a solo to have an idea of what mobs it did and didn't work against. A lot of beast-type enemies ignored it completely; humanoids weren't usually so good. Astrals—which seemed the most likely enemy type for a not-quite-sunk shipwreck—were more of a mixed bag. Some of them seemed to have a "sixth sense", others didn't.

Skulking through the fog toward a structure just barely visible at the stern, Rain was betting on human-like Astrals. If she was careful, she could walk right past those without them being the wiser. The ghosts of sailors were liable to be limited to the senses they had in life, if her experience with Spectral Knights back on the Twentieth Floor was any indication.

Just a quick stealth mission, she thought, nearing the ship's sterncastle. No big deal… even if it is really spooky here. I wish it weren't so foggy. Glancing furtively one way, then the other, and finally back the way she came, she cautiously started up the steps to the sterncastle's upper deck.

Kind of wish I knew exactly what I was looking for, too. A treasure map, maybe? A compass that points to what you want most? Was some kind of hint really so much to ask?

A quick check of the deck revealed exactly nothing of any apparent use. The only things Rain found at all were a couple of cutlasses left to rust on the deck, a ship's wheel with pieces missing, and one rotting tricorne hat. Well, also one hole in the deck, leading down inside.

With nothing of any interest up on deck—not that she'd really expected otherwise—Rain knew the next step was to go below. That hole, though, wasn't going to be her entry of choice. She couldn't see very far down it, so she had no idea if there were any mobs right below.

Or holes leading even farther down. Or sharp objects. Environment hazards in a place like this could be nasty.

Instead, like any sensible solo, Rain retreated down to the main deck, found the ordinary hatch leading into the sterncastle, and very slowly and carefully pulled it open. Okay, ghosts. If you're here, sorry to rain on your parade, I'm just passing through…

It was almost disappointing to find no mobs, ghostly or otherwise, waiting for her inside. Just a table with a few scattered papers, the remains of a chair, and a hatch leading farther down into the ship.

It took her a moment to realize why her hair was standing on end: she could see. There were lit lanterns in the room, lending just enough light to show her that table and chair. Either regular concessions to gameplay, or else… there's someone else in here.

Or something.

Suddenly feeling like she was being watched, Rain made a very quick check of the papers. As she'd unfortunately expected, though, none of them seemed important to the quest; just supply records, as far as she could tell. Whatever it was that made the ship register to Philia's Search, it was clearly deeper in.

Yay, me. Why did I volunteer for this again?

Taking a deep breath, Rain went for the other hatch, opened it, and eased down the steep steps to the deck below. The corridor she found herself in then was also gently lit, adding to the chill that had taken up residence in her spine. So far she hadn't seen anything moving yet, but if anything that just made it worse.

Whatever damage had wrecked the ship in the first place was more evident down there than it had been up top. The deck was buckled in some places, and there were holes in the bulkheads. On the one hand, that looked to make her search a little easier. On the other, it made her nervous about what might be lower down. The ship wasn't that big; the waterline had to have been just below.

This isn't an instanced map, Rain reminded herself, heading back forward across the tilted, battered deck. It's not just going to sink on me. So long as I don't fall through any holes in the keel or something, I should be—

Nearing the first hatch along the corridor, she glanced into one of the holes in the bulkhead and immediately had to clap a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. A blue figure stood in the compartment beyond, shimmering and translucent—and with truly evil timing, it was turning to look back through the hole at her.

Rain froze, standing perfectly still, suddenly thankful her avatar didn't actually need to breathe. That utter immobility, combined with the relatively dim lighting of the ship's interior, had her Hiding percentage at a solid eighty. The ghost's direct stare lowered it a couple points, but if she was lucky…

The ghostly sailor might or might not have heard her approach. If he had, he apparently couldn't quite see her, and after a long moment he turned away again, returning to whatever business it was a ghost had in a wrecked ship.

Letting out a very slow, very quiet sigh, Rain stepped past the hole, and very deliberately passed on opening the hatch. It was entirely possible that whatever she was looking for was in that compartment; maybe even likely, given the ghost's presence. She still wasn't going to chance it unless she absolutely had to.

The next compartment she came to had no convenient hole to give her a peek. It also, thankfully, had no ghost when she nervously opened its hatch. It was a cabin that looked like it had been lived in at one time, but there was no one living or dead in it now.

No quest item, either, she thought glumly after a quick search. Knew it wouldn't be this easy.

Back to the corridor, then.

The next compartment also had no damage to the bulkheads, but its hatch was open—luckily for Rain, who otherwise would've opened it to find herself face to face with another ghost, who would have noticed her. With a barely stifled eep, she scurried past.

Two more compartments were empty of ghost and loot alike, leaving her with just a narrow space just under the bow. This better be it, she thought, easing open the hatch. Or else I need to check… whatever the heck the space under this is called. Or I will have to risk the—

Startled, ghostly eyes met her own, and Rain stumbled back, scream held back only by shock as she raised her sword—

"Wait!" the shimmering figure hissed. "I mean you no harm!"

She almost dropped her sword in surprise. But the ghost raised both hands, showing he carried no weapons; on closer inspection, she realized he was much younger than the ghosts she'd seen before. Just a boy, younger than her or her friends, if she was any judge.

Slowly, Rain lowered her sword, and the ghostly boy smiled. "Come," he whispered. "If you're among the living, I can guess why you're here. Believe me, you don't want to get the attention of the sailors. We've all been dead eons, and they still don't understand…"

Nervously, she followed the boy into the tiny cabin. "You're not with them?" she asked, when the hatch closed behind them. She hoped it was the right question; most NPCs, she knew well, didn't have nearly Kizmel's responsiveness.

"I was," he said bitterly, sitting roughly on a tiny bunk. "Well, I was just the cabin boy, but sure, I was one of the Dread Pirate's men. Back when the 'Dread Pirate' thing was just a legend to get merchants to give up without a fight." He shook his head. "Then the ships got taken up into the sky with the sea, and 'Admiral' Robair got that key. Things went right down from then on."

"Hyrus' Forge?" Rain prodded carefully.

"Aye, that's the place. Or so the sailors said." The ghost of the cabin boy snorted, rapping a hand on the bunk. "Not that it mattered a damn, but when Medrizzel and his bastard rider joined up, Robair got dragon sickness right quick, and the rest of the group got it right along with him. 'Course if Robair had had a brain, he'd have known just a key wouldn't open those locks. Not sure what he did when he finally figured it out; haven't seen Kobayashi since, and when Robair took off with Vidal, Medrizzel went mad and killed us all."

She winced. Of course, this was only flavor text, but the story was being told by what looked like a twelve-year-old, and if his words and actions were more obviously scripted than anything out of Kizmel, they were scripted well. After a year of getting used to Aincrad's constructed world, Rain could feel the boy's bitterness at his early, pointless death.

It's just part of the game, she reminded herself. Remember why you're here. "So, you don't know where he took the key?"

"Didn't say that. Said Robair vanished—but I've got an idea where." The boy smiled; a wistful look, Rain thought, with just a hint of a vindictive edge. "There's a place on the northern edge of this tiny sea that the fleet used to hide, called Haze Point. Fog like this damned graveyard, only worse. Takes a special compass to find your way once you're in—and it so happens I nicked my cap'n's, when Medrizzel started killing us."

The ghost reached under the bunk, withdrew a compass dangling from a string, and held it out to her. Hesitantly, she took it, flinching only slightly at the chill when her fingers brushed his. "You're sure about this?" she asked, despite knowing he couldn't really care.

"Robair got us all killed, M'lady. Bastard's long dead himself, I'm sure, but late revenge is better than none." He leaned back on the bunk, smiling that wistful smile. "'Sides, when you've finished the business on Kobayashi, maybe you'll be able to do something about Medrizzel. Kill that damned sea serpent, and the rest of us might just be able to move on to the sea beyond, and finally leave this bloody wreck behind…"

---

Black Cat was just big enough for Kirito to pace, if he was careful not to go too far to either side. Pace he did, to the apparent amusement of Philia and under the oddly interested gaze of Kizmel, as he waited for Rain's return. Intellectually, he knew that she wasn't likely to be in too much danger, given the difficulty so far known of the Fifty-First Floor; "so far known", though, didn't include the Ship Graveyard.

It doesn't include one of us going solo, either. If she found something over there that could see through her Hiding, none of us are close enough to help.

"You are going to wear a hole in the deck soon, my friend," Kizmel remarked, as Kirito neared Black Cat's stern again. "Relax. We all know Rain is quite able to handle herself in a fight, and barring an anti-crystal trap she can run from anything she can't fight."

True enough. Anyone who'd survived the battle with Vemacitrin was more or less confirmed to be one of the top players in Aincrad—and Kirito had seen Rain contribute more than her share of DPS toward the end. And anyone with a Hiding skill as high as hers knows how to sneak around. I still can't help worrying…

At the very stern of Black Cat, just before he could turn and start pacing back toward the bow again, Kizmel caught his shoulder. "Honestly, Kirito, calm down," she said, favoring him with a look of fond exasperation. "There is caution, and there's paranoia. So far we still haven't seen anything to contradict the idea that this is a 'breather level', as you and Argo put it."

"So far," he pointed out, trying not to let his eyes stray too low now that she was standing so close to him. "We've thought everything was just fine a few times before when it really, really wasn't."

"Under conditions wherein we were suspicious, but allowed logic to overrule our instincts." She rolled her eyes; a very human gesture, though not that surprising anymore. "Going by the premise that this Castle was created as a 'game', our experiences in general and this floor so far specifically suggest this is no more hazardous than it appears."

Logic, instinct, and experience. Rationally, Kirito could find no flaw in her assertion. Memories of how badly things had gone wrong when he'd been complacent in the past, though, weren't put to rest by a mere overwhelming argument.

Kizmel seemed to see that in his eyes, and she let out a sigh. Her lips curled in a small smile, though, eyes narrowing in a way that made him vaguely nervous. "Rain will surely be all right, Kirito. In the meantime, if this place is indeed meant as a respite for Swordmasters after the difficult battle to reach this floor, perhaps you should focus on what is before you, rather than worrying unnecessarily."

Maybe it was unintentional, the way she shifted on her feet. Maybe it was just the natural motion of the boat, even anchored. Or maybe, with the way she'd been behaving in recent weeks, it really was entirely deliberate. Regardless, even as she spoke that last sentence, Kizmel's weight shifted, instantly drawing his attention to the sway of her chest.

Intentional or not, she clearly noticed the direction of his gaze, and that Argo-like smile widened just a hair.

Kirito told himself afterward he was just getting back at her for the teasing—or that he was just trying to be contrary, not being in the mood to be calmed down. With everything involved, he was absolutely not prepared to admit there was anything deep to his next action at all.

Hesitating only long enough to be sure Philia's attention had turned to the shipwreck, he abruptly leaned forward and lightly bit at one of the elf girl's long, pointed ears.

He was expecting a yelp, a glare, very possibly even a slap; any of those would've been preferable to things continuing the way they were. In hindsight, though, it was incredibly stupid of him to think it would have quite that effect. Whatever he'd expected, it wasn't what he got.

When Kirito's teeth closed on the tip of her ear, Kizmel gasped, jerked, and stumbled forward a step—as close as they already were, more than enough for her to end up leaning against him, pressing her chest against his in ways that did anything but take his mind off her teasing.

He froze in place, arms stiff at his sides, utterly lacking in any idea of what to do next. Kizmel had teased him many times in the year they'd known each other, and he'd hardly had any idea how to handle that; only now, too late, did it occur to him that trying to turn the tables on her might be even farther outside his ability to cope.

Kirito did think, belatedly, to take hold of her arms to make sure she didn't fall to the deck—or overboard—but if anything that just made his mind freeze up more completely.

After long, awkward moments, not helped by the feel of the elf's breath—and other things—on his body, Kizmel pushed herself unsteadily upright. "…Kirito-kun," she murmured, looking down and away as a flush became visible even on her dusky skin. "I do not know what it might mean among humans, but I should perhaps warn you that particular act is a rather more… intimate one, among my people."

…Ulp. Swallowing hard, it was Kirito's turn to look away. "Um. S-sorry about that," he got out.

"You needn't apologize, Kirito-kun." She lifted her head enough to look at him sidelong, through half-lidded eyes. "Just be prepared for the… consequences… if you should choose to do it again."

"Consequences. Got it." He nodded hastily, turning his own head away now. "Do it again, and I get hurt."

From the corner of his eye, he saw a small smile—one he'd not quite seen from her before, though he thought he'd seen similar one night not so long before—curl Kizmel's lips. "Mm… no," she whispered, almost too low to hear. "I don't believe pain is quite what you should be 'afraid' of, Kirito-kun…"

…Urk!

Kirito was saved from having to confront the implications of that statement by a sudden shout. "Rain's aggroed something!"

He snapped his head around to look at Philia. The treasure hunter had moved from the mast to the bow, and her earlier amusement was gone, her eyes fixed on something up and to her left. For a second, he didn't understand—then, realizing, he turned his own gaze to the HP bars in his HUD.

Three of them were still full. The fourth had taken a hit, some three percent of it ground away. As he watched, another tiny slice vanished.

He whipped around toward the wreck again. "We've got to help her—!"

"Whoops!"

That shout was his only warning before Rain came sailing over the wreck's rail, landing in a tumble on Black Cat's deck. With an "Oof!" she rolled across and came to an abrupt halt against the port rail.

Kizmel was by her side in an instant. "Rain! Are you all right? We saw that you were taking injury; we were just about to go over and help—"

Pushing herself to a sitting position against the railing, Rain waved off the concern. "I'm okay, really," she said, smiling sheepishly. "Getting the key item from the cabin boy's ghost just aggroed the other ghosts is all, and I was a little slow dodging a couple of them. It wasn't a big deal."

Kirito let out a slow breath, the spike of adrenaline already beginning to reluctantly drain away. "You scared us there. I knew at least one more of us should've gone over. If you'd been a little slower…" He glanced over at the wreck, and shivered at the sight of a few translucent blue figures standing on the deck, glaring at his party.

Good thing an anchored boat counts as a Safe Haven. …Good thing Asuna isn't over here, either. But then, the KoB's gotta be doing something with the Graveyard, too… Bet she's doing some delegating right now.

Rain saw where he was looking and turned to stick her tongue out at the thwarted ghosts. "Honestly, Kirito, it would've been worse if it hadn't just been me. I had to sneak past them on the way in; if I'd had company, they would've aggroed earlier. As it is, the corridor was so narrow we'd have tripped over each other trying to get out when they did turn hostile."

"…She has a point, Kirito," Kizmel said, helping Rain back to her feet. "Certainly we've seen our share of tight spaces where, as your people might say, three is a crowd."

"Been there," Philia agreed fervently. "There was this one place back on the Thirtieth… Er, never mind. What'd you say about a key item, Rain?"

Kirito had almost missed that, rattled as he was. Now, though, Rain had his full attention as she materialized an object from her inventory. "A special compass," she said, holding it up by its string. "According to the cabin boy, the Dread Pirate Robair's flagship is probably in a dense fog way at the northern edge of the floor. Once inside, this is supposed to lead us to the buoy the pirates anchored at."

Dense fog… probably an instanced map, then. Which means it could be trickier than this place. He kept that thought to himself, though. Instances were one concept he never had figured out how to explain to Kizmel, so he tried to avoid bringing them up in her presence at all. So far that had worked out well enough; the conditions possible in such maps were exactly how she believed her entire world worked, anyway.

"Well, at least we know where we're going next," he said aloud, taking the compass when Rain offered it to him. "The northern edge, huh… Probably take about two hours to get there, maybe three if the mobs slow us down too much." He glanced at his time display, noting that it had been about an hour since they entered the Ship Graveyard. "We should get there around eight or nine, I think."

"Hang on a sec," Philia said, raising a hand to stop him when he moved back to the wheel. "There were three wrecks on the edge of the Graveyard that looked important when we got here, right? I know we already got the item we needed, but what's on the other two?"

"Treasure, from what the cabin boy told me," Rain said, glancing back at the shipwreck; the ghosts had apparently realized they weren't going to catch her, and were just now vanishing back into the fog. "Robair took the best stuff with him to Haze Point, but there should be some goodies here."

Philia instantly perked up at that, and shot a look at Kirito that reminded him of a puppy begging for treats.

That, he was somewhat able to resist. Rain's mischievous smile was a bit trickier, reminding him somewhat of Argo in one of her milder trolling moods. Kizmel turning to face him directly, casually crossing her arms beneath her chest, lifting one eyebrow, and adding her own mysterious smile to the mix was something else entirely. "We're not exactly in a hurry for once, Kirito," she said. "And we could certainly use the funds, after what we spent on the boat…"

Kirito turned partly away, hoping his blush wasn't as obvious as he suspected. If we do take the time, it'll definitely be dark by the time we find that ship. Of course, we've all probably got good enough Searching to see… and there might actually be some things there that don't even show up during the day. And it's not like we need to get back to town before we turn in for once…

Not to mention it'll get my mind off what happened earlier…

"Okay," he said finally. "I guess we can detour and check things out. Just those two ships, though," he added, trying to turn a stern look on the girls. "With a Field Boss around, I don't want to risk being around here too late."

"Awesome!" Philia pumped a fist in the air, and dashed back to the mast. "Ready to set sail when you give the word, Cap'n!"

Shaking his head, Kirito returned to the wheel. You'd think I'd be used to this kind of thing by now. Asuna wasn't so different when we were going through the Elf War quest together. These girls, though… And why the heck does everybody always stick me with the leadership spot? "Cap'n", of all the…

Taking the wheel in hand, noticing as he did that Kizmel had moved to stand by his right shoulder, he nodded at Philia. "Quarter-sail," he said. "Let's get to the next wreck—before the DDA does."

---

At that last comment, it wasn't just Philia who called out, "Aye, Cap'n!"

Treasure hunting purely for fun, Kizmel found, actually had a certain charm to it. Scavenging shipwrecks for ordinary spoils rather than the keys to progressing in their mission was one of the most relaxing things she'd ever experienced; a welcome diversion, after the previous day's battle.

Though of course, the treasure Kizmel was most interested in would hardly be found in a pirate's hold—even if the search gave her no few opportunities to pursue her true target.

Perhaps fortunate Asuna isn't with us now, though, she mused, when they finally left the Graveyard behind and set sail for the north. She always did have difficulty facing the spirits of the dead. Not that she had had no qualms herself, crossing blades with long-fallen pirates. The elf girl could only hope that their second death had freed them to move on.

Now that the wrecks within reach had been plundered, and even Philia's appetite for treasure sated for the time being, their course was set for Haze Point, where their real objective lay.

Night had fallen by the time they were more than a couple of leagues northward, and before long they were out of sight of other Swordmaster boats. Others, Kizmel surmised, were either settling in for the night, or not ready to venture so far out. As usual, she and her partner were moving at their own pace, apart from the clearing group as a whole.

She didn't really mind. There was, she'd decided long before, something comfortable about their solitary path. Sailing the Fifty-First Floor's sea by themselves—or almost; and she found she didn't begrudge Rain and Philia's company—only emphasized that, somehow.

By eight in the evening, Black Cat had crossed the center of the floor-wide sea, skirting the eastern coast of what their maps named Onzenna Island. The Banesharks and Flying Barracuda that infested the waters close to the floor's entrance had given way to wilder, stranger creatures; Kizmel had her first encounter with the bizarre foe known as the Black-Tailed Sharkgull a bit northwest of Onzenna.

Despite its remains falling right by Kirito's feet, its sharp teeth nearly catching him before it shattered, her partner's only comment was, "Any chance that left something edible?"

Strips of meat had, in fact, appeared in Kizmel's inventory in the wake of the beast's demise. She wasn't sure she was willing to admit as much. As much as she enjoyed sampling human cuisine, she didn't share Kirito's apparent willingness to eat anything that could be cooked over a fire.

At one point in the journey, as Kirito and Philia focused their attention on navigating some unexpected shoals and Rain kept mob watch at the bow, Kizmel took the chance to surreptitiously open her menu. Typing as quickly as she could—months on, she still found Mystic Scribing new and strange—she wrote, [Argo. Have you learned anything about this floor that might be useful for more… personal matters?]

She appended a suitable amount of Cor, of course. Argo might have been willing to accept a "favor" instead, given the question, but giving the Rat that kind of material was not something even she was sanguine about.

A reply came soon enough. [Try Onzenna Island, Kii-chan. I think you'll find the… facilities… there just right for what ya got in mind.] Moments later, a follow-up appeared. [Oh, and have fun, Kii-chan!]

Oh, I intend to, Argo—but I have no intention of telling you how much…

It was close to ten when Kizmel noticed fog starting to close in around Black Cat. It was more abrupt than what they'd encountered on the fringes of the Ship Graveyard, and grew deeper much more quickly. "I think we're on the right track, guys!" Rain called from where she crouched at the bow. "The cabin boy said it comes up kinda suddenly!"

"Looks like it," Kirito agreed, tightening his hold on the wheel. "I hope there aren't any rocks or shoals in here… Philia, cut us back to half-sail—and is that compass telling you anything yet?"

Cloth rolled up on Black Cat's mast under Philia's command, leaving the treasure hunter free to check the arcane device. "Yep," she said after a moment. "Still kinda vague, but that's not north it's pointing. Um… bring us starboard a couple degrees."

"Got it." Turning the wheel just a fraction, Kirito swung his gaze across their course, taking in the deepening mist. "Keep a close eye out, everybody. I don't want to find out the hard way that there's something to run into around here."

Kizmel agreed wholeheartedly. While this floor's denizens weren't nearly as threatening as those of the floor below, she still didn't care for the idea of swimming clear back to the nearest land. Especially since the fog had finally closed in on them completely, leaving only the pirates' compass to guide their way.

It was another fifteen minutes, she estimated, with Philia calling out occasional course corrections, when it appeared. Looming out of the fog, the hull of a ship far larger than Black Cat, a great wall of wood clearly meant for seas larger than any contained by Aincrad.

Kirito saw it at the same time she did, and quickly spun the wheel to bring Black Cat's bow in a hard turn to starboard. "Take in the sails, Philia!" he called out. "Rain, drop anchor! I think we're here."

Here, his inexperience with boats did show through, as Black Cat bumped gently against the larger ship's hull before he got her fully under control. Even so, it was only a light blow, and the anchor drew the sailboat to a firm halt right where they needed.

"Kobayashi," Kizmel sounded out carefully, reading the letters on the larger ship's flank that Kirito had once identified to her as "Roman". There was also an odd circle marking next to the name, in a styling different enough she wasn't sure if it was supposed to be part of the name, or some symbol of the pirates. "That was the name the cabin boy's ghost mentioned, wasn't it?"

"That's the one," Rain said softly, standing from her crouch to look up at the ship. "Wow… That note in the cave wasn't kidding when it said 'great ship'."

"I'll say." Kirito stepped away from the wheel, trying to get a better look. "That's gotta be… what, thirty meters long? She sure wasn't built for where she is now. Kobayashi'd be overkill for the biggest boats Torvan makes. Not to mention…"

When he trailed off, Kizmel turned a puzzled look in his direction, then followed his gaze up Kobayashi's hull. Her partner seemed to be staring at a long row of strange openings in the ship's side, from which gaped the mouths of what looked for all the world like very narrow barrels.

After a long moment of trying in vain to reconcile them with anything she knew, she gaze up and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Do you have any idea what those are, Kirito?"

"…Yeah," he said quietly, breaking his stare to look at her. "It doesn't really matter here, but I'm pretty sure those are cannons. They use black powder to fire iron balls at high speed—not something we need to worry about here. If arrows don't work in Aincrad, I can't imagine cannons would, either."

From his tone, Kizmel suspected that was fortunate. She didn't know what a "cannon" was, but she remembered a reference he'd once made to black powder bombs. Her imagination was more than up to supposing what such a weapon would do to a person, even one with the strength of a Swordmaster.

"Forget the cannons, Kirito. We're looking for a key, remember? And first we need to find a way up to the deck—and that, I think we've got."

They both turned to look at Philia, who—typical of the treasure hunter—had spent the time they were mulling things over examining Kobayashi. Now the blonde had a hand on the lowest rung of a ladder, set directly in the hull and leading clear up to the deck.

"Right," Kirito said, scratching his head sheepishly. "It's getting late, so let's get to work. Hm… I hate to say it, but with the size of this thing, we'd probably better split up. There shouldn't be anything aboard two of us can't handle."

"One with Searching, one with Hiding?" Rain suggested, moving to join Philia by the ladder. "That way if there's ghosts, one of us can find the treasure, the other can slip through and get it. It's late enough that Kizmel's cloak shouldn't have too much of a Heat penalty, either."

"Agreed. In that case, the teams should be—"

"I'll go with Philia," Kizmel broke in on impulse.

They both looked at her in surprise. "I don't mind," Philia said, tilting her head. "But I kinda thought you'd rather go with Kirito, Kizmel."

The elf girl smiled, a look she wasn't surprised to see Kirito flinch from. "I find myself needing—how would Argo put it? Ah, of course—'girl talk'. If that's all right with everyone."

---

Kirito had faced down many a boss fight with little concern. Outside of the quarter-mark bosses, it had probably been about twenty floors since he'd been personally very afraid during one; his excessive level-grinding, if nothing else, had given him a relatively comfortable safety margin. Not to mention his partnership with a certain elf.

Said partner saying the words "girl talk"? That was more than enough to get him to instantly agree to Kizmel's team suggestion. That she invoked Argo's name at the same time only underscored it.

Especially after his attempt at turning the tables earlier had backfired so spectacularly.

Not that Rain wasn't distracting in her own way, as the two of them descended into Kobayashi's interior through a hatch near the bow. She seemed more self-conscious about her brief swimwear than Kizmel ever did, but she wasn't being anywhere near as shy about it as he might've preferred, nor as matter-of-fact as Philia had been since her initial teasing.

Still safer, he told himself, walking cautiously down a corridor on the first level below the deck, sword in hand. After what happened at the Yule Festival, there is no way being around girl talk could possibly end well for me. Not with… everything.

"Say, Kirito?" Rain asked softly. "That fog… this is an instanced map, right?"

Kirito glanced toward her, and told himself when he quickly looked away again that he needed to keep an eye out for mobs. After all, if there were hostile ghosts on the shipwreck, there were bound to be more on Robair's own flagship. It had nothing whatsoever to do with her having to walk close to him because of the cramped interior.

"Pretty sure," he said, when he'd given the corridor ahead of them a very careful look. "The Graveyard, you can see far enough out that it's pretty obviously part of the regular floor map. The distance between the fog edge and the ship here, I'd be surprised if this wasn't a separate map."

"Which means just about anything could happen here," she said, sounding as if she was confirming it to herself as much as him. Just after speaking, she paused by one hatch, and motioned for him to stand on the other side of it.

He complied, settling into a ready stance as Rain slowly reached for the latch. "Probably just to allow for different quests to take place here," he murmured. "Most people won't be doing the Hyrus quest, after all… I've never been in an instance that did anything really crazy."

She might've nodded at that, but he kind of missed it when, as soon as the hatch opened a crack, a ghostly hand slammed it all the way open, almost flattening him against the bulkhead. The shimmering blue figure followed up with a neck-level Reaver, forcing Kirito to hastily parry.

Rain promptly ripped into the Pirate Ghost with a Sharp Nail's inverted triangle to the back, staggering him. That bought both of them time to pull back and get a tiny bit of breathing space—maybe the only thing that kept them from taking brutal damage when two more Ghosts rushed out of the compartment.

Kirito quickly found himself very glad once again that the Fifty-First Floor was clearly intended as a breather. It took a couple of Sword Skills each, and in the close quarters of the ship he and Rain both took several hits along the way, but in just a couple of minutes the Pirate Ghosts were all shattering to pieces with dying cries of rage.

So much for stealth, he thought a moment later. Alerted by the noise, more Ghosts rushed out of the other compartments along the corridor, and suddenly he and his temporary partner were very busy.

"So even in the Elf War," Rain called out in the middle of driving her sword into a ghost's face, "separate instances never meant much?"

"Nope," Kirito confirmed, taking a minor hit to his left arm in exchange for an opening to slash his own current opponent with a Horizontal Arc to the neck. "Mind you, there were a lot of maps like that toward the end—I think because of Cardinal having to compensate for what Asuna and I did to the regular progression by saving Kizmel—but it was never anything but unique variations to keep us from bumping into other players at the same time."

There was another pause in the conversation as they finished off their respective foes, and gained a few meters more down the corridor. Kirito was half-tempted to bring out the Baneblade and see if it had any bonuses against undead pirates—two evil qualities for the price of one—but there wasn't time. He was soon fending off another cutlass heading for his stomach, with no chance to open his menu even for a moment.

Good thing Asuna isn't here, he thought, bashing the Pirate Ghost away with the unsettling effect of it falling halfway through a bulkhead. Of course, she might've gone berserk and killed them all by now, but… I'd better send her a message to warn her.

Later, he amended to himself, taking the ghost's head off with an Uppercut. As soon as we're out of this dungeon.

"Speaking of the Elf War," Rain went on, her tone becoming increasingly casual as they fought their way through more dead pirates, "since we're alone… Is Kizmel real? I mean, like us? I mean, I know what Argo's info said, but… how can an NPC…?"

"She's real," Kirito said firmly, channeling out a spike of irrational irritation into a Suigetsu kick to another ghost's chin. It was a reasonable question, after all. "I can't tell you how it's possible—I know everything publicly revealed about SAO's code, and nothing in there was anything this groundbreaking—but she's definitely a Turing-class AI. I've known her for over a year now, and she's never fallen back on any kind of scripted 'default' dialogue, no matter how much slang or out-of-context terms players use."

Kibaou had confused her more than once, of course—but Kibaou could be hard for players to understand. That Kansai dialect of his was pretty thick sometimes.

"So I'm not imagining things, then." Even in the middle of combat, he could see Rain shake her head. "Wow. Kinda wish I could get her opinion… Um. If Kizmel really is a person… Can I ask you something, Kirito?"

"Well," he grunted, taking shattering another ghost with a Snake Bite across the chest, "you've already asked me several things, but sure, go ahead."

The redhead started to reply, then cut herself off with an annoyed grunt; she'd been crossing blades with a Pirate Ghost Bosun when she last spoke, and just as she finished him off with the traced figure-four of a Savage Fulcrum a second Bosun lunged through the first's shattering corpse.

Kirito had never been so rude as to ask Rain's level, but he was starting to wonder about it. After the power-leveling he and Kizmel had done after meeting PoH, he was well above the "safety margin" for this floor; these ghosts were only remotely a threat to him because of numbers—and from how quickly Rain was taking the Bosuns apart, she wasn't in much danger, either.

Her Hiding may be through the roof, but she's no ninja-build. She's good with that sword.

Before he'd realized it, they were out of targets, with a clear path to the stairs leading down to the next deck. A quick glance at his map showed Philia and Kizmel in a similar position on the opposite side of the ship; judging from their HP bars, they'd also run into a little trouble, but apparently less than he and Rain had.

"Anyway," Rain said now, leading the way down the stairs, "about Kizmel… You, um, do know she's flirting with you, right?"

The blunt question almost made Kirito trip and fall the rest of the way to the deck below. Catching himself with his free hand on the rail and his sword stuck through the gap between supports, he blurted out, "W-what?!"

Reaching the bottom with a lot more grace, she turned to give him an exasperated look over her shoulder. "Kirito, you've been watching her closely enough to be sure she's a Turing-class AI. You've made a name for yourself starting from the first boss by manipulating everybody else into thinking you're a mutual enemy without quite getting anybody to try to kill you."

That made him blink. As far as he knew, only one person who didn't know him really well had ever figured that out. It wasn't the sort of thing he'd have expected even Argo to sell, either. She was one of the people he'd protected with the villain act, after all.

"So please," Rain went on, "tell me you're not a stereotypical otaku who can't even read a girl when she's being that obvious. Because honestly, I'd have to call you either an idiot or a liar."

Urk. Well. It was true he'd noticed a change since Christmas—kind of hard not to, considering the stunt Argo had pulled with Mistletoe—and even if he hadn't been sure what it was, his partner's behavior since the Vemacitrin battle had kind of given him a few hints…

No, Kirito told himself. Lie to others all you want. Get in the habit of lying to yourself in this world, and it'll kill you. You know perfectly well what Rain's talking about. Even if she's not human—no, especially because she isn't. The Dark Elves might be casually pragmatic about showing skin, but there's nothing casual about what Kizmel's been doing lately.

"…Yeah," he said finally, looking away in a probably vain attempt to hide his blush. "Yeah, I've… noticed something like that, Rain."

The redhead's smile was one of a cat having caught a canary, leaving him to wonder uneasily if she'd made some kind of bet with Argo. "Good. I'd hate to be alone in a dungeon on the frontline with somebody that dumb." She sobered. "So you know. And I've seen the way you look at her, even when Philia and I are right there too. It doesn't take women's intuition to tell you like what you see."

Oddly, Kirito thought she looked just a bit wistful at that. She turned to face front again before he could decide for sure, though, and started a cautious prowl toward aft. He hurried to follow, on the lookout for any unexpected encounters with the undead.

"I know it's not really any of my business," Rain continued after a brief pause. "But if you know Kizmel's interested, and you think she's hot stuff… why do you keep acting like a stereotypical otaku?"

He was very tempted to point out she'd said it herself: it was none of her business. That would've been an easy out, protecting him from having to go any deeper into a conversation he was already hideously uncomfortable with. But—

But who else can I talk to about it? I never see Asuna anymore, Klein's just… no. And Argo? Kirito shuddered. Let's not even go there.

"There's more to something like that than just looks," he pointed out, trying to salvage at least something resembling dignity before he got to the real point. Rain's over-the-shoulder eye-roll told him pretty clearly what she thought of the effort. "But even if I were interested… Rain. Kizmel's real, but she's still an AI."

He still didn't know that much about Rain yet, but he knew she was smart. As he expected, the exasperation faded from her expression, replaced with a very serious look. "She's part of SAO, you mean," she said softly. "When the game's cleared…"

"We don't know exactly what will happen then, but yeah. No matter what does happen, we leave and go back to the real world—and she doesn't come with." Not something Kirito liked to think about very much, but it was true. "We can put our minds in machines, but taking minds from machines…"

There was a long pause after that. Partly because he was gathering his thoughts, and partly because of checking the compartments along the new corridor for treasure—not to mention dealing with several more Pirate Ghost Bosuns, along with a Pirate Ghost Cannoneer wielding a small cannon like a heavy club.

They'd fought most of the way to the large hatch at the stern when Kirito brought himself to speak again. "There's more to it than that, though," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "We know all that—and Kizmel doesn't. She doesn't know this world is going to end, and she has no idea what she really is. And after months of trying, I still can't think of a way to tell her that."

Rain winced at that, and nodded slowly. She opened her mouth as if to say something, closed it, and frowned in obvious thought. She started to open it again—but if she actually had thought of something to say, Kirito never found out. It was at that moment that the stern hatch suddenly slammed open on its own, and a shimmering blue figure stomped out.

A tall man, dressed in armor that Kirito found vaguely familiar. In his hand was a saber of a style he found more than familiar: though not identical, it was plainly of similar make to Kizmel's old Corrupted Sword of the Order.

"Ha!" the man said, brandishing his saber with a flourish. "Intruders aboard Robair's precious flagship? And—that ring, boy." His eyes narrowed, a thin smile playing at his lips. "Eons it's been, and finally someone shows up hewing to old alliances? If you've made a pact with the elves, boy, I can guess what you're here for."

Rain gulped audibly. "Um, Kirito… is this guy…?"

"Pretty sure." Above the ghost's head was a lifebar with the name [Vidal The Treasonous Dragonrider], and Kirito had never been so grateful to see a traitor to a dead order show up in his life. It saved him from having to answer Rain's real question—or face it himself—at least for now. "That's right," he said to the ghost, lifting his sword in a ready stance. "The key you stole. We've come to take it back."

"Have you, now?" Vidal's smile turned cruel. "Well, now. I'd almost let you have it after all these endless years. No use to me now, is it? But… if I were the kind to just hand it over, I'd not still be trapped here, would I? No, I'm afraid I've no interest in helping anyone bring that damned Order back, after all the trouble I went to."

"Then we'll just have to take it by force, won't we?" Rain said, brandishing her own blade.

"Ha! You've courage, girl—or a lack of wits. Well, they do say fortune favors the brave and foolish alike." Vidal lifted his saber in mocking salute. "Know this, young fools: even if you get what you're looking for from Hyrus' mouldering old fortress, you'll have to best my old friend Medrizzel if you hope to climb above this sea. And if you want the Key to the Zaro Cave Palace, well, I've only half. The 'Dread Pirate' has the other." The cruel smile turned to a grin. "You'd best hurry, by the way."

A time limit? Kirito thought, suddenly alarmed. "What do you mean?" he demanded harshly.

"Oh, I expect you'll find out. Robair's not the type to let others have what's his, even in death. He made ready long before we ever died to make sure he kept his treasures—and the whole ship knows you're here. I'd give it… oh, perhaps ten minutes before we're all in pieces with Kobayashi."

Pieces. And— "Kobayashi," Kirito whispered, turning a horrified look at Rain. Now, too late, he remembered where he'd heard that name long ago. Or part of it, anyway—

"A circle at the end of the name on the hull," she said slowly, eyes widening. "Maru."

"It's a trap!"

"Aye, so it is!" Vidal laughed. "Come, young fools—show me if you've the strength and wit to survive it!"

---

"So that's it." Kizmel shook her head, a bemused smile playing at her lips. "Up to now, I had been assuming it was simply that we were from different worlds, especially with what I've been told of how Swordmasters view Aincrad. Given how well he's taken to living here in recent months, though, I was beginning to wonder."

"Well, I can't say for sure," Philia said with a shrug, peering ahead to Search the darkness around them. "I dunno if even the Rat knows much about him IRL—back in our world, I mean. And, well, you know I only really met him last week. But from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure that's how it is."

The two of them had started their exploration of Kobayashi from the stern, and as far as Philia could tell had ended up on the opposite flank of the ship from Kirito and Rain when they went belowdecks. A dozen or so battles with Pirate Ghosts later, and they were down in what Philia thought was the cargo hold, where all the best treasure was sure to be.

So far, she'd seen a bunch of crates and chests, but nothing that looked especially valuable. She was sure she'd find something if she kept looking, though; no way would this quest have just key items in it.

Along the way, Philia cheerfully indulged Kizmel in "girl talk", more so when she heard what the NPC—if she could really be called that—really wanted advice on.

Talking about boy trouble was probably the most normal thing Philia had done since getting caught up in Kayaba's trap. It made her more than a little homesick—but in a good way, she thought.

Sorry, Rain, she mused to her absent friend. Think you might be out of luck on this one.

"So absurdly simple," Kizmel murmured, sniffing at the cargo hold's musty air. "In short, no matter the race, men are idiots?"

Philia broke into a genuine grin at that. "Yep!" she agreed heartily. "That's about right. Trust me, even if Kirito does have a clue—and let's be honest, he's not the dumbest guy ever—he's still going to be clueless about how to handle it."

"Then I suppose I'll simply have to take matters into my own hands. Now that I understand the problem…" The elf girl trailed off, sniffing again. "Philia? Do you smell sulfur?"

"Sulfur?" The treasure hunter blinked. Pausing mid-step—she'd just spotted a chest that glowed a promising silver to her Searching—she took a deep breath of the air herself. She promptly started coughing at the harsh smell, and wondered how she'd missed it before. "What the…? Why is there…?"

Suddenly feeling just a bit anxious, Philia resumed her walk to the chest. As she went, she took a closer look at the seemingly unimportant crates around it, noticing uneasily that some of them were open. When she got to her target, she opened it slowly and carefully, in case something in it was going to leap out and try to bite her.

She'd never been so relieved to see a chestful of jewels and gold coins in her life. Nothing in there but a small fortune, enough to hopefully fund upgrading her increasingly-outdated Swordbreaker.

That out of the way, though, Philia turned her attention fully to the bigger crates. Gripping the edge of one of the open ones, she pushed herself up to look. "Iron balls?" she said, frowning as an icy sensation crept up her back. "Wait. Those are…"

"Saltpeter," Kizmel said suddenly. "Sulfur, saltpeter, and something I don't quite recognize. Philia?"

Philia swallowed, pushed back from the crate, and hurried back to her erstwhile partner. "Black powder," she said. "This isn't just the cargo hold, this is a—I think it's called a magazine. Cannons might not work right in Aincrad, but things still burn."

She didn't need to explain further. With another of those un-NPC-like moments of understanding even she was beginning to take for granted, Kizmel nodded and turned to face the still-dark expanse ahead of them. "Which explains why this part of the ship has no candles. We'd best hurry, then, and return to the others as soon as we have what we came here for."

"Yep. Hurrying sounds like a plan."

For once, Philia was actually frustrated by the need to check every chest they came across. Few actually contained any loot, compared to the crates of cannonballs and other ship resources, and most of them had nothing more than vendor trash, but they needed to know.

I hope Kirito and Rain are having better luck. You'd think the cargo hold would be where they'd keep this kind of thing… Oh. But if the key is so important, then the head honcho himself might want to have it someplace safer, which probably wouldn't be—eep. Careful, guys, you might be walking into a trap up there!

Though I'm starting to think this whole ship is…

They'd almost made it clear to the far end of the hold, having found nothing more than trash, some potions, and a couple of chests of genuine valuables, when a sound other than their own footsteps and hushed voices rang out. A kind of shing—a sound no player in Sword Art Online was likely to mistake.

The sound of a sword being drawn was followed by a low chuckle. "At long last… Plunderers come to steal what's mine, eh? Ye've kept me waitin' far too long. Don't you know, the Dread Pirate Robair can't go out like any ol' corsair?"

Light flared, almost blinding: blue light, from a ghostly figure who radiated enough to make up for the lack of lanterns. Tall, wearing fancy clothes straight out of a pirate movie, topped off with an ornate tricorne hat, long coat, and heavy cutlass.

Above his head, an HP bar with a red cursor, and the name [The Dread Pirate Robair].

"Aye, this is what I've been waitin' for," Robair said, stomping away from the gilded chest he'd been guarding. "Let me guess: ye're after the key that bastard Vidal took from his old mates, right?"

"And if we are?" Kizmel's voice was steady as she drew her saber, a fact Philia was grateful for just then. "I don't suppose you would be willing to hand it over without a fight?"

Robair laughed. "Oh, I admire yer guts, Lady of the Elves. More than many of yer kind I've known. But I think you know the answer to that. Even if I did, Vidal's not as friendly as I—and the Dread Pirate Robair will not end his time in this world with pretty words." He grinned, and reached into his coat with his free hand. "Nay, if you want my treasures, lassies, ye'll have to take it with your own hands—and right quick, too."

The way the night was going, Philia wasn't even surprised when Robair pulled out a match, struck it against his sword, and casually tossed it at one of the barrels of gunpowder. The barrel caught fire immediately—and while it didn't go right up in a blast, she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Kizmel—"

"Yes. I see." Kizmel's eyes narrowed, and she pointed the tip of her saber at Robair's throat. "Very well, 'Dread Pirate'. If it's a spectacular end you seek, we will be happy to oblige."

---

"You said separate instances never had anything crazy happen in them!" Rain gasped out, not even slowing in her mad dash as she knocked a Pirate Ghost's sword aside with her own, taking his arm with it. Finishing it off was the furthest thing from her mind. Making it back to the other end of the corridor was the only thing that mattered.

"They didn't!" Kirito protested, slowing very slightly to kick a hatch back in the face of the ghost opening it. "How was I supposed to know this one would be different?!"

She wanted to snap back at him, she really did. She was absolutely sure the right comeback would come to her eventually—probably at about three in the morning, when the moment was long past. In the meantime, all she could muster was an inarticulate growl.

Not like there was time to think just then, anyway. Not when the corridor behind them was on fire, and the flames were racing to catch up.

He just had to throw his sword at that lantern when we killed him, Rain thought, swinging her slender sword through the neck of a ghost unlucky enough to poke his head out of another open hatch. His HP was zero, and he still managed to do that before he shattered.

I hate scripted deathblows!

"At least we got Vidal's half of the key, right?" Kirito said half-heartedly. He almost crashed into her as they reached the stairs leading up; catching himself at the last moment, he swung himself halfway up them in her wake. "Mission accomplished!"

"Yeah, sure, if Philia and Kizmel got the other—and if we don't burn to death first!" They were only one deck below the top now, and Rain piled on more speed toward the bow. "Are they—?!"

Somehow, he managed to bring up his menu on the run, and after a second's look he nodded. "Looks like they're on their way back up, too—look out!"

The corridor ahead of them was on fire, too—something Rain realized belated she should've expected. Fire didn't need stairs, after all. Now a support beam was falling free ahead of them, narrowing the corridor even further; worse, a pair of Pirate Ghosts were just emerging from a compartment a bit beyond the choke point, swords drawn.

Growling incoherently, she thrust her blade forward as she approached, letting the System Assist speed her up just a little more. The Vorpal Strike itself caught one of the ghosts square in the chest, knocking him flying back; Rain flung herself into the opening, landing in a skidding slide that took her under the fallen beam and past the other pirate.

Kirito, the show-off, got through the same gap with the strangest Sonic Leap she'd ever seen, somehow managing a long jump bare centimeters above the deck. His flight ended with his sword buried in the stomach of the remaining ghost; without slowing, he turned the landing into a roll, came back to his feet, and kept right on going just behind her.

Rain was just starting to see a Heat DoT on her HUD, along with a gradual chipping at her HP bar, when they emerged onto the outer deck. "We're out!" she shouted unnecessarily. "Let's find the others, and—"

"Kirito, Rain!" Charging toward them from the stern, Kizmel in tow, Philia waved frantically. "We gotta get off this ship!"

"I know!" Kirito yelled back. "All this fire—"

"She's gonna blow! Robair set the magazine on fire!"

Blow? Magazine?! It took Rain a second to process that. When she did, her face went as pale as the ghosts they'd been fighting, and she put on an extra burst of speed toward where they'd left their boat.

"We have Robair's half of the key," Kizmel said hurriedly, as the two pairs reunited by the rail. "We have what we came for."

"Then let's go!" Leading the way, Kirito vaulted over the railing, not even bothering with the ladder they'd used to board. Rain followed him without hesitation; the damage she took from the fall was nothing next to what she'd take if she was still on Kobayashi when she exploded.

Philia was next, almost hitting the mast on her way down to Black Cat. Kizmel was last by under a second—landing directly on Kirito, resulting in a yelp from the swordsman and a tangle of limbs around the boat's wheel.

Rain glanced at the result, took a second to reflect Kirito would probably be having interesting dreams that night, and hurried to the bow to raise the anchor. Portable Safe Haven or not, she didn't want to take the risk of staying next to an exploding ship.

From the sound of billowing cloth, Philia had the same idea, and by the time the two of them had gotten their jobs done, Kirito had managed to untangle himself and get to his feet. "Full sail!" he panted, spinning the wheel hard to starboard. "We're getting out of here!"

The wind, or at least the random number generator, was with them. Black Cat started to pile on speed right away, taking them away from the burning Kobayashi and back into the deep fog. A meter, then five. Ten, then twenty; twenty-five, and they were more than twice the length of their own boat away.

They were almost completely into the fog again when Kobayashi erupted with startling suddenness. The ear-splitting boom brought with it a concussion that knocked them all off their feet again; Rain, for one, ended up flat on her back, with a great view of flaming chunks of wood spiraling into the air.

She saw most of the debris' trip back down to water level, too. Whether or not it actually impacted or shattered into polygons before it could, she wasn't sure; she couldn't see from her angle, and the system was doing a very good job of simulating temporary deafness from the explosion. All she could hear was the ringing in her ears, and the way the world seemed to be spinning kept her from even trying to get up.

When Rain's artificial dizziness and hearing loss subsided, she slowly pushed herself to a sitting position. Black Cat was deep in the fog now, wind in her sails still driving her along the last course Kirito had managed to set her to. Off to port, Philia was tangled in the low railing, legs dangling over the side; from the look on her face, she'd been as disoriented as Rain. In the stern, where their "captain" and his partner had been clinging to the wheel…

Well. Rain was torn between a mild pang, and gleeful laughter. Kirito, on the other hand, looked like his face was about to go off as spectacularly as Kobayashi, pressed as it was against Kizmel's chest.

Kizmel herself looked utterly unperturbed. At least, unperturbed by the compromising position. Wearily, she lifted her head, craned her neck to look back at the debris field that was once a pirate ship; then she sank back down again. Resting a careless arm across Kirito's back, she sighed and said, "As Klein would probably say, Argo had best give us a hazard pay bonus for this information."

---

"Heat debuffs, swimsuit armor, ghost pirates, ghost pirate treasure, and an exploding ship," Philia counted off on her fingers. "All of that, just since this morning. I think that may be more weird and crazy on this one floor than I've seen the whole time I've been in Aincrad."

"Don't forget there's still Medrizzel, too," Rain pointed out. "A sea dragon fight in a graveyard of ships is sure to be crazy, too."

"Compared to some things we dealt with today, I think a field boss might be kind of relaxing, actually," Kirito remarked. "But… it has been pretty fun, hasn't it?"

"It has," Kizmel agreed softly. "Very much so, actually."

The four of them were stretched out on Black Cat's deck, the boat anchored near the floor's northern edge, about a kilometer west of Haze Point. Night had fallen completely by the time they'd gotten out of the fog, and all had agreed after Kobayashi's spectacular demise it was time to call it a day. Not quite ready to turn in, though, they were taking advantage of the boat's anchored Safe Haven status to relax in the cooling night air.

Reflecting on the day's events, Kizmel was surprised to realize it really had been more fun than anything else. Teasing her partner, hunting for treasure, battling the spirits of pirates who were no real match for them… Even the escape from Kobayashi had been exhilarating more than it had been frightening.

Under the light of what few stars could be seen past the edge of the floor above, she mused to herself that the day had been quite a success, overall. She even had an idea of how to proceed toward her own private objective, now that she had an idea of what the real problem was.

Not something Asuna would approve of, I suspect, Kizmel thought, favoring her partner with a surreptitious glance. But I've tried things the human way long enough, I believe—and as the human saying goes, all is fair in pursuits such as this.

"Just about the most fun I've had in over a year, I'll admit it," Philia said, resting her head on her hands. "Lots of treasure all around, and sailing turned out to be pretty cool. Especially this whole 'Safe Haven out in the middle of nowhere' thing. Kinda cozy, being out here all by ourselves, y'know?"

"Better than sleeping in a regular Safe Haven in a dungeon, that's for sure." Kirito told her. "Kizmel, Asuna, and I had to do that once. In a jungle. With lots of giant mosquitoes buzzing around just outside. Not a fun night." A small smile lit his face. "Yeah… this is kind of nice."

"No argument here." Rain propped herself on one elbow, sipping at a drink she'd pulled from her inventory. "Speaking of the boat, though… I was wondering. Earlier today, Kizmel, you mentioned a 'Tilnel'. Can I ask what that means?"

The smile vanished from Kirito's face. "Rain," he began, "that's kind of—"

"It's all right, Kirito," Kizmel said, placing a calming hand on his arm. "I don't mind." Turning on her side to look at the redhead, she continued softly, "Tilnel was my sister, Rain. She… was killed in battle with the Forest Elves, barely a month before I met Kirito."

Strange, how it didn't hurt as much as it once had to mention her fallen twin. Perhaps, she thought, meeting Tilnel's shade in the Trial of Wisdom had given her some closure. Or perhaps it is because I am no longer alone. Now, more than ever.

Rain's eyes widened, then squinted shut for a moment. "Sorry," she said, looking away. "I… Well, I've never had family die on me like that, but… I kind of know how you feel. Not being able to see somebody close to you."

"Me, too." Kirito's gaze was fixed on the floor above, a faraway look in his eyes. "I try not to think about it too much, but I can't help worrying about how my sister is doing, especially after… well. Some things I should've done better."

That got him sharp looks from all three girls, not least of them Kizmel. Pushing herself to a sitting position, she found herself staring at him in surprise. Swordmaster etiquette generally dictated silence on matters of the world they came from, and her partner had held to it even more than most.

Over a year now I've known him, and this may be the first time I've heard him mention family at all. As close as we have become, he never said… "You have a sister, Kirito?"

"Um. Yeah?" Seeming to realize he was being watched from all sides, Kirito flushed. "I never told you? Er, I guess that's kind of obvious now, actually… Um." Resolutely, he fixed his gaze on the floor above again, coughed lightly, and gave a slight shrug. "Technically, she's my cousin, but I don't think she knows that. My parents died when I was less than a year old, so the two of us were brought up as siblings."

Several emotions flashed through the elf girl. A flair of surprise; a spark, quickly suppressed, of envy. Sadness for her friend, at the separation he was forced to endure—and perhaps most of all, warmth at having learned more about his life, in the world she had never seen. "She must be very worried about you."

"…I don't know." The admission was quiet, pained; just a little guilty, Kizmel thought. "Truth is, we haven't been close in a long time, and it's my fault." Kirito hesitated, in a way that reminded her of when he was trying to explain aspects of the Swordmasters' worldview to her. "Long story short, we had a very strict grandfather, who insisted on passing on the family's kendo style to us. I wasn't really into it, though, and dropped out when I was about ten. He… didn't take it well."

Something about his tone made Kizmel suspect he was glossing over something with that statement, something she suspected would've made her quite angry. Before she could press, though, he quickly continued with his story.

"My sister got him to calm down by promising to be good enough at it for the both of us. She did, too: she got pretty far at the national level before our grandfather died, making even him happy." Kirito sighed, closing his eyes. "By then, I'd run away into computers—the mechanism of our 'sorcery'—and, well, my sister and I haven't spoken much since. So… I have no idea how she's taking any of this."

Now Kizmel was definitely starting to grasp some of her friend's issues—especially how sympathetic he'd always seemed about Tilnel's loss, even in the days he'd not truly believed she was real. She was sure something was still eluding her, something he was still holding back, but she felt she was finally beginning to understand him, personally.

Something I will be quite sure to discuss with him when we reach Onzenna. Certainly he'll be in no condition to dissemble then. For once, she was grateful for Argo's habits. The Rat's information, paired with Philia's advice, had allowed her to plan what she expected to be a very effective move. When the time was right.

"Just 'cause you haven't talked much doesn't mean she doesn't miss you," Rain said suddenly, her soft voice breaking the silence. Giving a sheepish smile when attention turned to her, she ran a hand through her hair and continued, "I haven't been able to see my sister at all in a long time, and I miss her a lot."

It was Philia's turn to blurt out, "You've got a sister, Rain?"

"I don't know if she even knows it, but yeah." The redhead smiled sadly, turning her own gaze toward the blocked-off sky. "She's a genius. Literally, I mean. Long story short—" she turned that smile on Kirito, a bit of genuine humor creeping in "—my parents disagreed about how to handle that. So… my sister lives with my dad on the other side of an ocean now, and I haven't seen either of them in years."

An ocean… Kizmel was reminded again that the world the Swordmasters came from was a far vaster one than the Steel Castle she'd known all her life. One not hemmed in by walls, separated by well-guarded pillars, suspended in an endless sky.

More, though, she was struck by a sudden sense of camaraderie, a connection with these Swordmasters that she'd never realized she had. For all that their ways, the place they came from, was different, there were still things she had in common with them.

Rain stood, looking out to the few visible stars. "I think about my sister every day," she said softly, reaching out a hand as if to grasp those distant stars. "I read everything I can find about her. After all these years, I haven't given up hope that I'll see her again. So…" She looked over her shoulder, still wearing that sad smile. "Kirito, don't give up on your sister just yet. I'm sure she's waiting for you to come home so she can show you how good she's gotten with a shinai while you've been gone."

For a long moment, Kirito only looked at her silently, a conflicted look in his night-black eyes. Again, Kizmel had the sense that he was holding something back; but just as the silence started to grow uncomfortable, he smiled faintly. "Maybe you're right," he whispered. "She always did like to show off, after all…"

"'Course she does," Rain said firmly. "What kind of sis doesn't like to brag to their big brother?"

Kizmel found a bittersweet smile coming to her own lips at that. She and Tilnel had been twins, scarcely minutes between their births, but there'd been no small competition between them, as well. Tilnel had always been quick to show off a new medicine she'd learned to make; in turn, Kizmel had never missed a chance to demonstrate mastery of a new Sword Skill.

All the more so when she married that idiot, she mused. I certainly couldn't let a mangy Wolf Handler outdo a Pagoda Knight, now could I?

The sound of a clearing throat brought Kizmel's attention back to the here and now, as Philia raised a hand. "So… can I add a cheerful story to the tales of sisters, guys?"

"You have a sister, Philia?" three voices chorused—smiling all around, none of them really surprised, now.

She sat up, scratching her head with a sheepish smile of her own. "Well… yeah, actually. Guess that's something we all have in common, huh? We're the party of the long-suffering older siblings." The treasure hunter turned her gaze to the sea, looking out at the distant islands. "Actually, I guess it doesn't start out very cheerful, but it turned out okay. My sister… When we were younger, she was frail, and couldn't go outside much at all, or even play inside very well."

"She was sick?" Kirito asked quietly. There was an odd tone to his voice, one Kizmel couldn't quite place.

"Yeah," Philia said, nodding. "Since she was really little. So, y'know, I'd tell her stories about the 'adventures' I had, going to school and everything. Made up a few, when nothing was really going on. Little things to keep her going." She smiled brightly, at odds with the apparent seriousness of her story. "Of course, a couple of years ago, the doctors finally figured out what was wrong with her, and she was able to go school and see things for herself."

"Let me guess," Kizmel said dryly, a matching smile creeping up on her. "She discovered you'd grossly exaggerated the 'wonder' of learning?" She didn't know much about human education, but she certainly recalled her own experiences. If this was one of those things humans and Dark Elves had in common, she could guess Philia's sister's reaction.

"I don't think she's ever forgiven me for the 'terrible lies' I told her about how 'great' my old math teacher was," Philia said with a laugh. "But y'know," she continued, smile turning sober but no less warm, "that's kind of what I'm fighting for. I want to go home, and tell my sister about all the things I've seen in this world, and all the people I've met.

"And I'm sure she's still waiting for me. 'Cause she never had any hope she'd get better, but she did. She knows not to give up 'til the end—and I'm not gonna give up on getting home to her."

---

Close to midnight, after chatting about all manner of things from the day's events to stories of their respective adventures on lower floors, the gathering on Black Cat's deck finally broke up. First Philia, then Rain went below to the tiny cabin the two of them shared, intent on making up for the early start they'd both gotten that day.

Kirito elected to remain on deck a while longer, clearly lost in his own thoughts. Kizmel, too, stayed; as much as she enjoyed the company of their new friends, she treasured the times she had her partner all to herself, much as in the days they'd spent with the Black Cats. This particular night, something about the setting—stretched out on the deck of a boat at sea in the night, just the two of them—appealed to her greatly.

When she was sure the others were not coming back to the deck, Kizmel carefully shifted so that she lay closer to Kirito. She didn't think he would attempt a repeat of his teasing earlier in the day, but if he did, she did not especially care to have witnesses to her carrying out her "consequences".

Almost to her disappointment, he did no such thing, even when she came to a rest such that there was hardly any distance at all between their shoulders. Neither, though, did he flinch or try to move away. That, she decided, she would count as a victory.

Kizmel didn't know what he was thinking, looking out at the stars beyond the Steel Castle. Perhaps he was only planning the next day's adventures, now that they possessed both halves of the stolen Key to the Zaro Cave Palace. More likely, Kirito thought of his sister, after all the talk of siblings that night.

Or perhaps he simply enjoys the view, as I do. Often it is the simple things that matter most, in times such as these.

"Kirito-kun," she said at length, turning her head to look at her partner. "Can you see the stars, in your world?"

"Eh?" Kirito twitched, seeming surprised at the sudden break of the companionable silence they'd fallen into; his shoulder bumped into hers for a bare moment, before he recovered himself. "Oh… Yeah, we can. Well, depending on where you are, anyway. In a big city like where I live, there are so many lights that the stars are mostly washed out. It's been a long time since I could really do much stargazing, considering how little I get out."

"Mm." There was something sad about that, if unsurprising. Still, it brought a small smile to Kizmel's face, finding another tiny connection between them. "…This is the most I have ever seen of the night sky myself, and with my duties rarely this. I will not tell you how old I am, Kirito-kun," at this she turned a teasing smile on him, "but I will say I'm far too young to have known the stars before Aincrad's steel blocked the sky. I have only ever known this tiny sliver."

"That's too bad." He glanced at her, an unreadable look in his eyes, before quickly turning his gaze back to the sky. "Where I come from… If you're far enough from a city, the only light you've got is from the moon and stars, from horizon to horizon. On the ocean, before new techniques were developed—even today, a lot of the time—sailors navigated by them."

Kirito lifted an arm off the deck then, pointing at the stars as if to draw lines between them.

"I don't know how it is in this world," he went on quietly, "but my people find pictures in the patterns of stars. To find our way, and to find something recognizable in a part of the world we hardly knew. Even now, we link the stars with legends from the past."

"So too did mine," Kizmel told him. "We so seldom see any stars that they are things only of ancient tomes, but we, too, marked the constellations of our world. In years past, when the war with the Forest Elves weighed heavily, I read of them when my duties allowed."

Ancient knowledge had been her only solace sometimes, in those days. When Tilnel had been busy elsewhere, legends of old had been Kizmel's distractions, among fellow knights she somehow never quite connected with.

At length, she slid a bit farther over, and rested her head against her companion's shoulder. "Kirito-kun," she murmured. "When we reach the Ruby Palace atop the Steel Castle, before we begin our last battle there, I want to show you the constellations my people have drawn in this world's stars, and tell you the stories behind them." She hesitated. "And… if some miracle allows it, someday I would have you show me your world's patterns in the sky, and tell me the tales behind them."

For a long moment, Kirito's shoulder was tense, and his breath caught. Then, very slowly, he slid his arm under her shoulders, and let out a long sigh. "…Some miracle, huh? …I'd like that, Kizmel."

---

Author's Note:

---

Of the delay, I could say many things. What I will say, rather than belabor the point, is that November was not fun, and that "breather arcs" can actually be kind of difficult.

Point of fact, this chapter fought pretty hard. First draft came out almost all filler until the last couple scenes, and even the revisions I made have a little too much of it feeling kind of aimless. I think I did succeed, though, in adding in appropriate amounts of the main theme of the arc, which seemed particularly lacking the first time around.

Overall, not too much to say about this chapter, I guess. Philia's sister is of course not canonical—as far as I know—but it seemed a fitting addition considering the other three do canonically have sisters. Also, despite being one of the most prominent game-original characters, very little of her background seems to have been revealed, so I thought expanding on that would be a good idea.

Other than that… Next chapter should be less aimless—I've got it worked out to a few key plot points, including a major boss fight to make up for the dearth of good fighting in the arc so far, and a Kirito-Kizmel bonding moment I've been planning for some time. Also, on a more trivial note, this chapter marks the point Monochrome Duet officially exceeds the two-hundred-thousand word mark (FFnet's word counts always exaggerate for some reason, even discounting author's notes).

Lastly, thank you all once again for the truly incredible review count you've given the story, and hopefully this chapter's few non-filler scenes will make up for the aimless ones. Next up is the action-packed finale, and then we're off to deal with friendlier dragons, if you get my drift. -Solid