We're back!
First things first, thanks for coming back to read the much-awaited sequel to Unyielding! It's still unbelievable to me that Unyielding is as popular as it is, both on FFN and AO3, but here we are. An entire year later, and we're back for the ending to this story. Anyway, you want to get to the good stuff, so I'll keep this short. I'll include more notes at the end of this chapter.
I do want to express my continued thanks to you all as well. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Unyielding's popularity continues to boggle my mind. Hearing that some of you enjoy rereading it a second or third time is so incredibly humbling. I did also want to share some numbers with you all, just to show how successful Unyielding is, thanks to each and every one of you:
As of the time of this posting, Unyielding has reached 1,021 reviews, 1,357 favorites, 1,293 followers, and 505,869 views on FFN.
As for AO3? 1,192 comments, 1,655 kudos, 413 bookmarks, and 118,395 hits. That's enough to place it squarely within the top 4 non-crossover SAO fics on AO3.
I just… I can't even. That's thanks to you all. I can only claim some of the credit as the author. You're the ones who enjoyed my work enough to review, comment, and revisit it so much that it's rocketed to the top of the charts of this fandom, and in so short a time.
So thank you.
Anyway, it is with much excitement that I present to you the ramblings of a not-so-novice fanfiction writer…
Relentless.
" – two months since the end of Sword Art Online and the discovery that 300 players remain comatose, and the nation is still struggling to come to terms with both the loss of life and this latest misfortune. Because the matter of the comatose players is under active investigation, authorities remain tight-lipped on the specifics. But during last night's press conference, National Police Agency spokeswoman Mariko Tanaka assured the public that every effort was being taken to – "
Kazuto, wincing with the effort and already certain he'd regret not delegating the task, pressed his wrinkled thumb against the remote, silencing the television and plunging the living room into heavy, sullen silence. Even the swooshing click-clack of his mother's dishwashing in the kitchen paused for several tense seconds before finally resuming, though with far more hesitation than before. Suguha, who was sitting on the other end of the couch, remained glued to her laptop screen, though the lack of eye movement was enough to tell him that her focus was an act. She, too, felt the weight of that grim topic on the room.
"...Honey, don't lose hope," Midori Kirigaya called from the kitchen, her voice soothing in the way only a mother's could be. "I'm sure they'll figure this out. We just have to – "
"Wait?" Kazuto interrupted with a croak. His voice, still recovering and hoarse, scratched and clawed its way up his throat. No amount of water or lozenges ever helped. Only time, apparently, would bring him back to anywhere resembling his old self. Time that, he realized, was not a friend in any aspect of his life currently. "Two months, Mom."
"...I know, honey," Midori cooed, her tone dripping with secondhand sorrow. "I know, but…"
She trailed off, but Kazuto knew what came next. It was a sentiment repeated over and over again, ad-infinitum for sixty excruciating days.
There's nothing we can do.
He weakly gripped the remote, feeling a morbid sense of satisfaction as he felt the plastic creak and heard it groan in his hand. Physical therapy was slow-going, but at least it was showing results. Probably not the specific results his physical therapist or his family was looking for – the ability to crush television remotes was likely not a healthy benchmark – but results nonetheless. Just about anything was better than the near-vegetative state he'd been in when he first woke up.
She wasn't wrong, though. There was nothing they could do. For over three years, Kazuto was in control of his own fate, and – to a lesser but still significant extent – in control of the fates of others. His actions as a guild leader determined who lived and who died. His actions as a frontline clearer contributed to the liberation of thousands. His actions as a soldier in the War of the Underworld ensured the survival of millions of fluctlights, souls without a body and yet who he considered every bit as real as the two women he shared the room with.
Yet here he was powerless. Powerless in his own body.
Powerless to rescue Asuna, his wife in all the ways it mattered.
She wasn't alone, either. While the vast majority of their friends woke up that fateful November afternoon, a small, significant handful did not. Nautilus, Sachi, Leonn, and Eugeo never woke up. Kazuto would never forget the utter despair and anger he felt when he was told of this latest cruel whimsy of fate.
Was this how his family felt during the years of his captivity? Helpless bystanders who could do nothing but watch his body wilt and wither away? Then again, at least they could peer into the world he was trapped in, thanks to Kayaba's egotistical grandstanding. The live streams were a small mercy.
Well, for them, at least. The next person who asked Kirito to autograph a replica of Elucidator risked getting a faceful of his crutches.
Regardless, it was for that reason (the live streams, not the fanboys) and the maddeningly cryptic warning when the game finally ended, that Kazuto could safely assume that Akihiko Kayaba was not the mastermind behind his wife and friends' continued captivity. The man had warned them, though they did not know it at the time, that another force was about to make its move. Even ignoring the foreboding warning, Kayaba was nothing if not a man of his word. He outlined the win conditions for Sword Art Online and promised freedom upon their fulfillment. Even the loopholes and twists along the way played within the bounds of the rules set on launch day. A cruel tyrant and jailor he may be, but Kayaba was fair.
This was not.
"So I was talking to Trish the other day," Suguha, bless her heart, chimed in in an attempt to change the topic. "Andrew… err, Agil is finally back on his feet."
"That's wonderful!" Midori cheered. The sound of rushing water ended with a small squeak, and was replaced by the sound of rustling fabric. A few moments later, Midori sat down on the chair across from where the Kirigaya siblings were seated, tea mug in hand. "I hope he isn't trying to tend bar, though."
Suguha shook her head fondly. "He tried. You can guess how well that went."
The edge of Kazuto's mouth turned upward. He met Agil's wife only a handful of times since his awakening, but it was enough to get a solid read on the woman. Trish Mills was a woman who, in her own words, "took nobody's shit." Headstrong, confident, and more than a little snarky around those who frequented the cafe. At the same time, she was just as quick to offer support and lend an ear to those that needed it. She reminded him of a more spunky and vulgar Asuna in that way.
And just like that, his mood soured again.
"Tsuboi's almost there, too," Suguha reported.
Their mother didn't immediately respond, and Kazuto could tell she was desperately trying to remember who that was. He couldn't blame her, really. Making the transition from avatar names to real-life names was going to be near impossible after calling them by the former for three years straight.
Not long ago, Kazuto had tried logging into his old email account, which wanted his real name as credentials, and it took three failures for him to realize he was typing in "Kirito".
"Klein," Suguha thankfully supplied. "He's hoping to be out of the wheelchair and on crutches by next week."
"Well, I think that's wonderful news," Midori cooed.
"Speaking of…" Suguha segued. "Ryuzaki's been asking about you, Kazuto."
"Hmm?" Kazuto hummed noncommittally.
Suguha sighed. "Kuroi. She's worried about you. Don't give me that look, mister. Even if she's not acting like a ninja – "
"Kunoichi, technically," Midori interjected.
Suguha shot her mother a glare. " – she's still loyal to you and Asuna, Kazuto. She knows you're not doing well and she wants to be there for you."
"I'm not the only one, you know," Kazuto scoffed, but there was no real venom behind it. He didn't have the energy to be spiteful towards his friends and family, but the pity was just too much to handle. He didn't want pity, he wanted his wife back. Why couldn't they see that?
"Yes, but you're the one who saved her life. She probably still feels indebted to you."
"...how are they doing, by the way?" Midori asked hesitantly, thankfully changing the subject. She blew on her drink, and Kazuto felt a small wave of heat splash against his face. The floral scent of jasmine crept up his nose, and he felt himself relax just a little. "Any news?"
Suguha frowned, and there it was again. That pity, only this time it wasn't aimed solely at him. "Alice injured herself again last week."
"Again?" Midori asked.
"Yeah," Suguha sighed. "She's going at it too hard. Her doctors are worried she's going to permanently hurt herself if she keeps it up."
Midori shook her head. "She has to realize that rushing things is not going to bring Eugeo back any faster…"
"Oh, they've tried telling her that," Suguha said. "She isn't listening. I'm not sure which is worse… her recklessness or everyone else's depression."
"I thought Keita was doing okay?" Midori asked before taking another sip of her drink.
"He is, and that's mostly because of Ducker," Suguha explained, finally closing her laptop and committing herself to the conversation. "I think Keita's dragging him down with him, though. Argo said she saw them both in Sachi's room the other day. Looked like they'd been crying again."
"That's healthy, though," Midori countered. "Just because nobody's dead doesn't mean they can't grieve. It's hard. They're having to deal with everything we did on Launch Day, but times ten. They formed relationships in there."
Kazuto sat silently to the side, content to listen and not comment. He was thankful they weren't explicitly drawing him into the conversation again. Either they were ignoring his presence or had forgotten he was there.
"Yeah, that's probably healthier than Rika and Yuuna," Suguha grimaced, pain written plain as day on her face.
"Okay, Yuuna I got, but Rika…?"
"Liz."
"Thank you."
Kazuto's vendetta against the television remote promptly flared back to life, and the sound of groaning plastic pierced the air. Where Alice threw herself into action, and where Keita and Ducker had each other for support, Liz and Yuna simply… lost it. "It" was different depending on the person.
Getting Liz to do her physical therapy was like pulling teeth, and her free time was spent doing absolutely nothing. That was no exaggeration, either. Hours upon hours of nothing, not even watching television. He knew Liz, by her very nature, had the soul of an artist. Whether she was crafting something beautiful or practical, or both, she put all of her considerable spirit and amazing dedication into it. So to see her so subsumed by resignation and despair because of her fiance's absence was painful. But at least she was responsive when prompted.
Yuna hadn't spoken a word since she learned of Nautilus's continued slumber. How tragically fitting that the woman whose voice inspired thousands – likely millions, now that he thought about their international fame – lost the will to speak, let alone sing, in her grief. The doctors were worried that continued disuse would lead to permanent loss of voice.
Kazuto recalled, with bitter melancholy, one of Yuna's last performances. It was after the 87th floor boss, which had died under a hail of cannonfire from the Endeavor and several other warships fielded by the Assault Team. Uniquely, the way forward lay beyond a narrow fjord and, as the small fleet was sailing through, Yuna had sung 'The Northwest Passage'. Maybe it was Yuna's beautiful voice, perhaps it was how close freedom seemed. Regardless, more and more of the players joined in on the refrain until it seemed all of Aincrad was singing along.
The contrast between the songstress who'd caused a whole fleet to break into song and the mute despondent girl Suguha had alluded to was like poison in the veins.
Not that Kazuto himself was much better. He was just… going through the motions. Everything just started feeling numb.
"Hey."
He lifted his gaze and was met with the very determined eyes of Suguha.
"They'll get her back, Kazuto. Don't lose hope. Please." She affirmed, though he could detect a hint of pleading beneath her determination. "How about we go get some fresh air? Actually, Trish and Andrew have been asking about you. Maybe visiting will take your mind off it for a while."
Kazuto shrugged. Something told him that seeing his guildmate would only bring that pain to the forefront again, but he'd humor her. She was trying so hard to lift his spirits, and truthfully he wanted the chance to reconnect with her. Despite being wheelchair bound, and having little else to do besides brood over how much he missed Asuna, he hadn't many opportunities to really, truly, bond with Suguha again.
"Sure, why not."
As Suguha rolled her brother to the front door, she took a deep breath and braced herself. Somehow, knowing what awaited on the other side of the door made things worse.
She turned the doorknob, opened the door, and braced herself for the inevitable.
"It's Kirito!"
"Kirito, over here!"
"Kirito! Do you have a moment to answer some questions?"
Suguha felt her temper flaring, and she gripped the handles of her brother's wheelchair all the tighter for it. This was the last thing he needed right now! She understood why her brother was famous, but it was like the media was either unaware or indifferent to the fact that he was still recovering.
Vultures, the lot of them!
She still had no idea how Kirito's "secret identity" had been leaked to the media and, contrary to her long held inclinations, she knew she could not blame Kayaba for it. Between all the people who watched the streams from the Dicey Cafe – those like Ren "Leviad" Yoshihito who'd gleaned her relationship to the "Black Swordsman" through amateur detective work – and the hospital staff who knew who she was visiting and when, she may as well have been, as Trish had put it, trying to find out who killed Jimmy Hoffa. Frankly, Sugu didn't care who leaked Kazuto's identity. Or why.
She just wanted to find the culprit and introduce them to the business end of her shinai.
"Oi!" Suguha shouted over the din of reporters. Not as many here compared to the first month, but the small smattering of about a dozen reporters was still enough. "Make way! Kirito has no comments at this time!"
"The public has a right to know – "
"And my brother has a right to privacy!" Suguha snapped. She fixed the foolish woman who spoke up with a heated glare. The reporter, thankfully, was cowed a little. But, she didn't quite back off. "So, no comments at this time."
"But – !"
"About anything!" Suguha growled. She took a deep breath. "Look, I get that you all are just trying to do your jobs, but my brother is still very much recovering from a traumatic experience. If you have any questions, you'll have to wait for the SAO Victims Rescue Force press briefing, just like everyone else. I'm sure Mr. Kikuoka would be more than happy to answer your questions."
"She's right, you know."
The crowd parted, and Seijirou Kikuoka strode forward with all the swagger and confidence of a billionaire. For a moment, Suguha was struck dumb by how strange that was. Kikuoka was a confident man, sure, but he never acted like he was the center of attention. He was a bureaucrat at the end of the day, not a figurehead. However, when the reporters swiveled and began asking him questions, Suguha realized his play.
He was providing a distraction. And, a good one too.
"I don't think I need to remind you all of the special considerations given to the SAO survivors under our protection, do I?" Kikuoka reminded them, and Suguha had to hold back a giggle at the hints of cringing and embarrassment that swept over the crowd. "Or do I need to remind you all of the rather hefty fine that comes from harassing a designated SAO survivor? Interviewing them after obtaining consent is one thing, but Mister and Miss Kirigaya here have declined to comment. Now, I'll be happy to field some of your questions, but I reserve the right to decline commenting. Wouldn't want to spoil the press briefing tomorrow, would we? And, it'd be such a shame if you couldn't make it because your networks were too busy fending off litigation."
Suguha met his eyes and gave a thankful nod. He shot her a playful wink before turning to the reporters, and just like that, the Kirigaya siblings wheeled off down the sidewalk and away from the hustle and bustle which resulted from Kazuto's unsought, and unwanted, fame.
"How did…?" Kazuto croaked.
Suguha cut him off, digging in her pack and proffering a bottle of water. "Probably Mom. I think she was on the phone with Mr. Kikuoka while you and I were getting dressed."
"Mm." Her brother hummed, and with the crackle of the bottle cap opening, the subject was officially dropped.
Truthfully, she hated seeing him like this. Oh, he was faring a lot better than some of his friends, but the spark of life and joy that dominated much of his time in SAO was just… gone. Dimmed. Not snuffed out, thank goodness, but it was a near thing. Despite his (partially self-attributed) status as an edgelord and loner, the relationships he built in there were now a part of his identity. They were a source of his strength…
…and his only weakness.
Suguha took a deep breath as she wheeled him down the sidewalk. The Dicey Cafe wasn't far. Hopefully a visit with friends would help lift his spirits.
"Is that Kii-bou I see rollin' in?"
Kazuto rolled his eyes, but a fond smirk nonetheless found its way to his lips. Argo rolled her wheelchair closer to the doorway, abandoning her place at one of the Dicey Cafe's tables.
She looked frail. Argo (the name "Tomo Hosaka" still felt awkward on his tongue) was already a petite girl, but muscle atrophy did her no favors. He could see the faintest hints of regrowing muscle in her arms and shoulders, and even her legs looked a little meatier than in the photos she sent a few months back. It still looked like a stiff breeze would be enough to knock her over, though.
He probably wasn't much better, in retrospect.
As she came to a stop near him, he noticed something else about her appearance. What hadn't changed in the almost four years he'd known her was the life in those eyes. Even weak and debilitated, she carried herself with confidence, aplomb, and with more than a little mischief, ready to be unleashed on whatever poor soul was unfortunate enough to end up in her crosshairs on any day of the week. It was a little muted, sure – she was just as impacted by their friends' absence, after all – but where the others fell into depression and despair, Argo used that same grief as fuel to spur her onward. She was an information broker, after all, and she still had her online connections.
Kazuto wished he had that kind of tenacity.
"Trish! I need some ice cubes! Kirito's zoned out again." Klein's voice called out.
"You got it, hon'!"
That woke him up, and his eyes snapped over to the side. Klein and Kuroi were in wheelchairs as well, but both seemed content to remain at the table. Klein looked just as gaunt as the rest of them, though his smile was no less strained for it. It was refreshing to see someone so genuinely happy to see him, and it brought a smile to Kazuto's face.
Kuroi was strange to see out of her kunoichi garb. She wore a pair of glasses that made her look the part of a bookish young woman rather than an assassin, the rims and lenses thick to the point where her eyes looked somewhat magnified. Her brunette hair was short and cut in a style every bit as demure as what Kazuto guessed was her pre-SAO personality, and even the way she sat in the wheelchair was entirely unlike her confident and stoic in-game persona. Hell, were it not for the fact that Kazuto knew what her face looked like, he would have mistaken the former ninja – kunoichi, he corrected himself before Sugu could – for a complete stranger.
His eyes wandered back towards the redhead, who sported an impish grin as he reached into a glass full of ice cubes.
"Nope!" Kazuto objected, startling in his wheelchair. He shot a glare at Klein, who answered only with a snicker and a smirk. "I'm here. I'm awake, sorry."
"Good!" Argo placed her hands on her hips. It would have looked more impressive if she didn't have to contort her arms and elbows to avoid the armrests, though. Her attention shifted to Suguha. "Is he givin' ya trouble at home, Sugu-chan? Bein' all mopey and broody?"
"No more than usual." His sister said, the traitor. She huffed. "Stupid news won't shut up about…"
"Aww, Kii-bou…" Argo's playful attitude shifted to something much more sympathetic. "I know…"
A bubble of indignant anger rose within, and Kazuto's face formed a sneer. Not this again.
"...but there's nothing we can do?" Kazuto spat, the words tasting awful in his mouth.
"Hell no!" Argo bit back. Kazuto blinked in surprise, that furious ember fizzling out in an instant. ""Nothin' we can do"? Fuck that noise! Did the past three years teach you nothin', Kii-bou? We put our minds to somethin' and nothin' can stop us! You're Kirito the Black Swordsman, leader of the Resolute Renegades, Savior of the Underworld, and the man who defeated Akihiko Kayaba!"
Kazuto opened his mouth to correct her on that last part – he'd gotten the last hit in, but that hardly made him the one who "defeated" him – but snapped it shut when Argo glared. If there was one thing he learned in SAO, between leading a frontline guild and being married to Asuna, it was the value of choosing your battles.
So he stayed quiet.
He noted Agil and Trish standing behind the counter of the bar, or leaning against it in the case of the former, nodding along with every word out of the info broker's mouth. Klein looked just as outraged at the notion of standing – or sitting, he supposed – idly by, and while Kuroi's posture suggested otherwise, she too wore a deep frown and held a rebellious fire in her eyes.
"I'll admit, what we can do is a lil' limited right now, since most of us are cripples." Argo waved off nonchalantly. The way she casually disregarded their debilitated states bordered on baffling and offensive, but Kazuto pushed that to the side for now. "But we ain't helpless, either. Yer mind works, right? What about your hands and fingers?"
Kazuto shrugged, but ultimately nodded.
"Then guess what? Yer gonna get a crash course in internet sleuthin'!" Argo declared. "Hell, I'll teach anybody who wants to help out. If we're gonna find out where Aa-chan and the others are bein' held captive, we're gonna need all hands on deck and as many ears to the ground as possible. Agi-bou!"
"Must you call me that, Argo?"
"Aww, don't be like that, Agi-bou~" Trish teased. "I think it's cute, honey."
"Not you, too…" Agil groaned behind a facepalm.
"Kii-bou, you and Agi-bou need to rally the troops." Argo continued, heedless of Kazuto's confusion and the marital teasing and bickering behind her. "Trish-chan, mind if we use the cafe as a base of operations?"
Trish shrugged. "It already was during the broadcasts. Sure, why not?"
"Don't I get a say in this?" Agil asked.
Trish raised a single eyebrow and said nothing else as she stared at her husband.
"Just because I was going to agree doesn't mean you shouldn't at least ask me first, you know."
"Well, Kii-bou?"
Kazuto blinked again, very much overwhelmed. The past 30 seconds of conversation were a bit of a blur, to be honest. Argo the Rat, information broker and investigative wunderkind was back with a vengeance, apparently.
It was a relief, though. He was tired of waiting around.
"Do it." Kazuto said, and he sat up straight in his chair. "Agil, Klein, get the word out. Anyone who wants to help, let's get them over here. Argo, how does Friday sound?"
"Fine by me, Kii-bou! That should give everyone enough time to make arrangements if they live a ways off."
"I'll get Shinichi and the others involved. Count us in, too." Sugu chimed in.
Kazuto fought to keep his eyes from rolling out of his skull. Shinichi was… an interesting boy. Shinichi (he insisted on Kazuto using his given name) was an unabashed fanboy of his, and seemed to stammer and stutter his way through sentences anytime Kazuto was within sight. Between that and the fact that Shinichi and Sugu were in some weird romantic purgatory… it was awkward.
So incredibly awkward.
But he wouldn't turn down the help. Shinichi was clever and intelligent, and that was sorely needed right now.
"Okay." Kazuto finally acknowledged his sister's additions to their group. "Let's do this."
He gripped the plastic armrest of his wheelchair tighter. This time, the creaking and groaning was not a symptom of futile rage, nor was it a silent roar to the heavens. No, this time it was a battlecry, a call to arms. Now that he had something more solid, more concrete to pursue, Kazuto could act. Inaction was something he was entirely unused to, and it had become a poisonous torture. Action was something he'd done for three years straight, and he seized upon it the way a drowning man seizes upon a lifeline.
"Let's bring them home."
(12/1/2023 edit: According to a reputable source of mine, apparently recovering from full-body atrophy doesn't take that long with proper treatment, especially if you're young like Kazuto and company are. Changed the timeline accordingly, so now they've been out of SAO for only a few months at most, not half a year.)
Off to a decent start, I hope!
The release schedule for Relentless will be a bit different compared to Unyielding. As amazing as a weekly schedule would be, I feel like parts of Unyielding suffered for having that kind of schedule, so I'm taking my time with this one. I am writing chapters ahead of time and thoroughly proofreading and editing to ensure that you, the reader, gets to experience a sequel that is (hopefully) a better read than the first. Will chapters be spread months apart?
No.
Will this story be longer as a result?
Also no.
Brevity is said to be the soul of wit, and frankly I don't WANT to write another 600k epic when I can write a shorter sequel that is superior in quality to the first.
And to that end, I'm stepping up my game and bringing in some help! For Relentless, I've brought in two friends of mine as my beta readers and co-authors for the entirety of this story. Both have poured over my rough drafts and helped to improve the quality of writing and storytelling. From time to time, they might pop in and say a few words here in the Author's Notes.
In fact, both have a few words they'd like to say!
Co-Author's Note: Hey, there. The name is Falchion1984 and, like many of you, I read the seminal Unyielding practically out of the gate, and fell in love with it. Ultimately, reading Ikell's fine work caused some flashes of inspiration, which I relayed to him and which he agreed to use. Now, I don't mean to shine my star… actually, I do. Anyway, my contributions included providing the ideas and beta reading for the confrontation between Suguha and Ren, how Shouzou caught wind of Sugou's true nature, the sea shanty omake, the "Great, Mighty Poo" omake, the concept of a Laughing Coffin member getting his NerveGear ripped off by a doctor during the raid, Shouzou's melancholy introspection just before confronting Sugou, Sugou's villainous introspection after the confrontation, the "Picard meme", the tense exposition in the real world after Quinella's death, Kayaba's showing the gang video of the real world being changed by their exploits, and the prison scene at the end.
I also came up with those gross inmate tattoos. Am I swell, or what?
Now, is my star shiny enough? …my, what homicidal glares you people have. Anyhow, to get to the bottom line, during this fic I will be contributing beta reading services, the original framework of how Sugou's evil plan will unfold, and I'll also be dropping hints about a possible series of short stories set in Unyielding that, hopefully, Ikell and I will write after Relentless is done. So, if you see an event that most definitely did NOT happen in Unyielding, you just got a preview.
I hope you enjoy this work. And, on a side note, a gimmick of mine is to add references. There's one in the first paragraph which is a nod to a, very, early 90's series of games. Find it, prove it in your comments, and prove that your geekhood is beyond reproach!
Other Co-Author's Note: Heya, my name is Quality over Quantity, or Armada Jacksound on some other platforms. When I first started reading Unyielding, I really loved the idea of all of these characters coming together as a guild and found family, and I eventually reached out to Ikell with suggestions. Ikell really liked them, and we began corresponding more and more, and he managed to bring a lot of my ideas to the forefront. I am grateful to Ikell for not only listening and using my ideas, but also brainstorming with me, and if we had a disagreement, we would often work together to find a way to make it work for both of us!
Some of my ideas include the initial suggestion to include Nautilus and Yuna into the story and the guild, as well as Lokuss/Jackson Soong, my pseudo-SI. More ideas are the idea of the winter survival and combat of the 52nd floor and the work on those related chapters, as well as the group therapy bath sessions. Something else that was my idea that I really campaigned for was the inclusion of Aiko/Ran into the story, given that I was aware that the SAO casualties would be reborn into Underworld, I really wanted to make sure that Yuuki was reunited with her twin, especially given how much she cared about her in canon, seeing a vision of her before she died. Ikell was hesitant to include her at first, given that the Underworld time goes faster than regular time and Aiko died before Yuuki, so she would have been either aged or passed away by the time they reached Underworld. What I love is that we brainstormed and worked together, and we came up with the idea to make Aiko/Ran into an Integrity Knight, so she wouldn't have aged when she reunites with Yuuki, and can use Aiko's erased memories as a plot point.
I look forward to helping out with Relentless, with both beta reading and idea suggestions. Unyielding was a great fanfic, and I am honored to be able to have been a part of it. I honestly like it BETTER than canon! I would also like to contribute to a possible series of short stories set in the Unyielding universe. So here's hoping that happens!
Thank you for your time!
Ikell: Like I said, these two will occasionally pop in via the Author's Notes, probably to weigh in on certain scenes and contributions, so you'll get to see a little bit of our creative process! Rest assured, I'll be writing the vast majority of Relentless (I'm not outsourcing this story and passing it off as my own) but these two are and have been invaluable sounding boards for me, who have only added to the depth you saw in Unyielding and will hopefully continue to see here.
Damn, it's exciting to get this story going again. I, for one, am looking forward to this, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the reviews and comments!
We'll see you all in the next chapter!
