Hello everyone. Thank you for those enthusiastic with my story. In truth, I honestly thought I would receive more than that, or at least a few reviews and criticisms. But I guess that's a little too high. But still, I received a lovely PM, in which gave me lots of encouragement to continue this story and a nice advice. So here is the second chapter, I hope you enjoy and please, if you like or dislike the story and have any pieces of advice, ideas for future chapters, please leave your thoughts down in a review. I will read, think and consider your reviews and leave a reply in the next chapter. Just don't put a rant session there. I don't take insults nicely.

Disclaimer: I do not own SAO

Chapter 2: Friends

Alne City

It was supposed to be a drink only.

"Oii! Hirano-sannn! Try this one out!"

But then it spiraled out to become a whole tour of the city down the World Tree

"Uhh, are you ok with spending that much in one day?" I asked, a little worried about the current pace we were going. Yuuki had probably spent as much money that could be used to acquire a personal dragon, on purely drinks and food only.

"Not to worry! I still have lots to spare. Come! I bet you haven't tried this Tremble Shortcake before in your entire life."

With a sigh, I walked up to her. Before her, the NPC chef was busy making the said food, while trying to look cool, showing off his skill as a chef. Now, who the hell added that feature I must give that guy a medal for actually succeeding in trying to make the whole waiting ordeal more 'interesting', in a way. Still, the chef still finished that thing quickly enough.

"Hmm. Why does it look like a normal strawberry cake to me?"

"So you really haven't tried them. Go on, have a bite."

She gave me a big smile as she pushed the plate near me. The smell really did intrigue my curiosity. I picked up the spoon next to me, cut a small piece of cake and place it in my mouth. It was then that I realized it wasn't just any normal strawberry cake. The moment the cake left the spoon, the sweet and sourness combining in one rushed to my head like a racing horse. The cream melted in my tongue, while the strawberry was crushed under my teeth, the shuddering sensation was rushing through me like electricity. An acidic, sweet and pleasant taste.

"Hmm! It's surprisingly good." I said. Yuuki seemed glad, as she grinned.

"Hehe. Twenty-five thousand Yrds for you."

Twenty-five?!

"Ugh!"

I almost choked.

"That's all my money at this point! Are you kidding?! How am I supposed to live now?!"

"Hahaha! Oh brother, you should see the look on your faces." She giggled at my reaction. That wasn't funny you…

"Don't try to change the subject!"

Fuck that. Did I just waste my entire effort for the whole year into a strawberry cake?!

"Hehe. Don't worry" Yuuki assured, still recovering from the whole ordeal. "I'll cover that for you. Consider it my thanks."

"Haah, thank you for that…" I said, sarcastically.

Crisis averted. But still…

How much time and money did this girl spend in this game?

I mean, she and I just met for like three hours, and she was already treating me to a cake that's worth half the price of a house. And the fact that she still had a lot to spare. Hell, I knew that some people would spend their entire fortune investing in trying to make their gaming experience a little more special, even if it was just a bunch of cosmetics that didn't even affect their overall gameplay. But here, she is probably, what, fifteen years old? Who the hell would give her money to invest in an online MMO game?

"Hey, Yuuki" I called her.

"Yeah?"

"How do you get that much money anyway?" I asked.

"Me?" She replied. "Well, it is a combination of both hard work and a few farming tips. I usually go to a cave area near the Sylph territory, since there are lots of fairly easy monsters to kill and get some money. Hey! You're a Sylph too. How about one day we go there together to enrich ourselves? I'll show you the way."

"Together?" That was a little unexpected…Two of us. "Are you ok with sharing me this information?"

"Why not? We're friends aren't we?"

We're friends now? That was fast.

I didn't know if she was a bit off in the head or not, but she definitely a little too trusting here.

"But if you're gonna go with me, you'll have to be patient. You aren't gonna enrich yourself overnight." She added.

"Wait wait." I shook my head skeptically. "So you say that you grind all the way up?"

"Yup."

"How long have you been playing the game?"

Yuuki pondered a little bit. " and my friends converted to ALO from Insect Site, last October…so it is nearly six months."

I hunched my shoulders forward. My eyes almost popped out of the socket.

"How many hours do you spend in this game?"

Yuuki placed her hand on her chin, looking upwards, in thoughts.

"I log in twenty-four over twenty-four…though I spend probably around twenty hours doing the grind."

She spoke that fact so casually it nearly caused my jaw to fall to the floor again. What the hell? Twenty four over twenty-four log in? Nobody has ever done that kind of binge ever since the SAO incident. And that was totally unintentional and forced. How does she eat and drink? How does she handle her education and so on? And who would approve this kind of lifestyle for god's sake?

I looked at Yuuki, my eyes widened both in shock and in skepticism. There was something about this girl. Something that did not make sense, yet deep. Something that was pulling me into trying to find out more about her.

"How do you even manage to maintain a twenty-four-hour schedule?" I pressed on with the question, to satisfy my intrigue, but it appeared that I went a little too far.

Yuuki's eyes were dancing around, as she scratched her neck, nape, and hair with her hand. Even a kid could tell that she was being reluctant to speak. Perhaps I just hit a sore spot…

"…Can we talk about something else? I…I don't feel comfortable talking about it now." Finally, she looked at me with a tiny smile.

I knew she would say that. I decided not to press on. She and I just met, there's no need to know much about her.

Quickly, Yuuki decided to reverse the subject, "Let's talk about you then." to me. It was her turn to beam in curiosity. "I watched how you fight back there. Your sword techniques, and the way you swing your swords. It looked a bit like…"

She paused for a while, thinking.

"You mean kendo?" I asked her,

"Yeah, that's right. Argh, Tecchi told me about it before but I completely forgot the name!" and she confirmed it. Wow, she really didn't know about it. But I wasn't too surprised, considering she logged in all day long

"Well…" I tried to remember stuff. "I did practice kendo back in high school, and still practice it from time to time now at college, though I'm just an occasional practitioner. Most of that was improvised as I progress in the game."

"Ah, I see. Cool." She said. "You are still practicing it now?"

As she said that, my eyes were on the floor now. My eyelids were heavy, and I had to blink multiple times. I took a long moment there, and Yuuki almost had to repeat the question. But before so, I replied. "No." My voice felt like something was stuck in my throat. "I don't practice it anymore."

"Why not?" She asked, her brows seemed to frown.

"I have a few issues. With my own study schedule. And my own ability as a kendo practitioner myself."

The purple haired girl seemed to be even more confused. Crap. I realized the contrast of what I just said.

"I thought you…" Yuuki was about to say something but hesitated for long. She looked at me, deeply and then finally decided to stop. "Nevermind what I just said."

Now we were truly in an awkward silence. We just touched each other's sore spot, accidentally that now we were basically staring at the table and at the food we ordered. Several times, Yuuki tried to speak but seemed unable to find a good topic. As a result, we were completely still for…who knows how long.

I turned to look at Yuuki again. This was perhaps the first time that I actually spend a calm moment to observe her in details. Now that I see it for myself, she really looked a bit small and cute in a way. Petite would be the correct expression here. I remembered the moment when I shook her hand, that her hands seemed so fragile to me. Now that I looked at her closely, she looked even more so. I found myself drawn to this young woman, in a way that made me want to look deeper into her character, to understand this always cheerful girl, and how she managed to maintain that

'Snap out of it Hirano. That's not something of importance that deserves your concerns.'

Then what is?

'You seem to forget your current state now. The more you reach out to those around you, the more you are going to be hurt when you inevitably die."

That's right…

I had ALS.

That my body was slowly, painlessly, but cruelly refusing to comply with me. That I would inevitably unable to move, to talk, to be talked to, and then finally unable to breathe anymore.

'And even more, hurting for those who you connect to witness your departure.'

I clutched my forehead, feeling my fingernails digging into my skin as I closed my eyes. My chest was heavy, and my body seemed to lose strength. I know I really should stop all of this. It is detrimental, and would sooner or later take its toll on me, but I just couldn't stop.

"Hey." The girl in front of me said softly, putting her small hand near my food plate so that I could notice. "Are you alright?"

I stopped holding onto my head, but couldn't stop myself from giving a long sigh.

"I'm ok." I said, "It's nothing to worry about." I found it difficult to lie my way through. "I'm just a little off recently."

"Hmm." Yuuki made a hum, as she retreated. "Well, that was delicious!" Suddenly, she came back to the lively Yuuki I knew. She stood up, stretched her body and faced me.

"So, what do you think? How's today?"

How's today? Well, I did not accomplish my goal of getting the Obsidian Crusader at all. I actually threw that away. But in exchange I got a trip to Alne, somewhere I have already been to. The only thing that was completely new to me was the Tremble Shortcake, which was something that I would never dare to touch again. One financial alarm was way enough.

"I think it's…enlightening" I said with a smile and a sweat on my face.

It was fun with Yuuki around but please no more of this.

"Anyway, what's the time?" I said as I opened the menu and checked my IRL time. Thirteen to eleven. That's a little late for today. I should get off.

"I think I'll need to get off soon. I have an early morning class tomorrow."

"School on Saturday? Wow, you're a hard-working person." She complimented, but I simply clarified.

"In college and university, there is no fixed schedules. I just happen to sign up lectures during that time."

"Ooh." Yuuki nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you later. Do you want to go to the cave tomorrow?"

Well, why not?

"Sure, I don't mind."

I didn't have any particular goal in mind at the moment, now that I just tossed the previous one away for Yuuki.

"Where shall we meet?" I asked.

"You know the Vanara waterfall right?" She said.

"Yeah. The one at the border?" I replied

"Yup! Just go there, and I'll find you. When will you be available?"

"Hmm…At most 3 PM. Can be sooner. Depends."

"Okay! It's settled then. 3 PM. Don't be late!" She reminded me with a smile. "Oh, do you mind…" She summoned the tabs and menu and made a few clicks. Immediately, a notification appeared in my own menu.

Friend Request (1)

Yuuki

Yes/No

I took a quick glance at Yuuki, who was standing there, gazing at me somewhat expectantly. Then at the friend list that I have. Two friends. One's last online status: four days. The other five days.

Maybe it would not hurt to have one more. This one's online status at least would remain green constantly, that if I needed help, I could come to her.

I clicked yes. The name disappeared, and my friend list had another addition.

"Great! I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Yuuki said as the trademark Imp wings grew from her back.

"Yeah, tomorrow" I replied. "See you then."

"Bye." She waved me goodbyes and flew away.

I raised my hand to my chest-level as goodbyes as well along with a small smile. For a while, I just stood there. The menu bar was still open as I stared at it. The number next to the friend list had been changed to three. And I stared at it for a bit. It was a strange feeling.

Then, I flew away. Ten minutes later, I was already back at my house, and I logged out.

Returning to the real world, the confinement began right away. My eyes shot open, as I realized I was in my room, the darkness seemed to consume me. I sat up, slowly, as my hands shook with every push. It took nearly five seconds for me to sit up straight. And another ten seconds to remove the visor from my eyes.

I turned to the bedside and stood up, but not without having to hang onto my study desk nearby for support. I reached out for my walking cane and proceeded to drag myself to the kitchen. I had a quick snack, then brushed my teeth and finally went back to my bed for some sleep.

The next morning, the sound of my six thirty alarm woke me up from my deep sleep. Slow and struggling, I made my way to the bathroom, had a quick bath, brushed my teeth, combed my neat dirt-brown hair, and then got dressed in my navy blue suit. The last part was now especially difficult. The feeling when you are barely strong enough to pull your shirt over your head to your torso was just…helpless.

I had a quick breakfast before heading out to my college. The sight of a young man with a walking stick and an odd, shaky and clumsy looking posture was hard to miss. It was fortunate that my apartment was right near my college, so it didn't take that long to get there. When I was still able-bodied, it would take probably fifteen minutes walking just to reach the doorstep of my classroom. But now that I have three legs, the timing doubled. Once I reach the part when I am on the wheels…I just don't want to think about it…

"Hello, Hirano-kun." Said one of the shop owner, Mrs. Sanae, in a friendly manner as she rolled up the door, ready for another day of sale. "I see you are still keeping up with the motto 'Everyday at school is a fun day'"

I forced a smile in return. "Yeah, haha. It gets a bit better in recent days."

Mrs. Sanae owned a bread shop along with her husband, which did pretty well, enough to survive and saves a solid amount of their original lifestyle. I was quite a common guest at her place, usually paying her shop a visit back in high school while less common but still visiting once I got to college, so I was on friendly terms with her. But looking at me right now, she was no different from an average stranger who knew what the hell was going on with me. And I was far from liking it.

"It must have been hard dear." She came close to me and held my shaking hand. "If you need anything, feel free to come to my place. I'll listen to you day and night."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sanae," I replied, my voice heavy, as I looked down. "If you would excuse me."

I knew she was being kind, but I just could not deal with it. I'm sick of it.

"Good luck, Hirano-kun." She waved me goodbye as I continued on my trip.

Minutes later, I arrived at my college. Immediately, I headed for my class.

"Hirano-kun!" Said a familiar female voice behind me as I was walking. I turned around to see another girl. She too was wearing a suit but was a lot lighter in color, along with a light tan-colored jacket that she carried on her arms. Making her way here, the wind caught her long orange hair flying.

"Hey, Satsuki." I gave her a two-finger salute and a smile as a friendly gesture. She strode right up to me, her school bag in front of her, and immediately matched my steps.

Satsuki Mihakawa was my first college friend. A potential nurse, we both met each other at the orientation party. It was purely a work of coincidences, with both of us ended up sharing a two-man table due to the sheer number of students attending the party. She was, as expected, a shy person so she had difficulties making friends. For me, I was late for the party due to a few issues. So we were set to sit with each other. I was pretty much the primary talker there, but she eventually opened up to me. I then realized she wasn't really a bad talker herself. She just had this hard-to-approach aura that distanced her from others, along with the fact that she did not know how to properly start a conversation. To me back then, those traits were not a handicap. And so we quickly became friends over the course of my stay here.

"So how's class? Not so well right?" She asked me as I nodded my head in disappointment. "It really does require a lot of physicalities to paint. So? What are your plans now?"

"I…" I gave a sigh. "…haven't really decided."

"What are the choices?" Satsuki frowned.

"There are many, but the most appealing are: Transferring my major and, therefore, university…Thinking of moving back closer to m for easier treatment."

"What major?"

"Maybe something more of a desk type of major. Like computer science." I said.

"I never knew you like computers." My friend raised her eyebrows a little.

"Mostly through my interactions with gaming and the recent VR MMO games anyway. Perhaps it is only just an interest, not a passion like this one." I replied.

"Really? I also played VR MMO games but I couldn't find interest anywhere with computers. Well, maybe it's just something that I play for fun only." Satsuki replied. If you knew anything about Satsuki, she was an anime lover and a gamer at heart. But she was nowhere near the level of a shut-in, which is I am at the moment, otaku. She took a lot of care for her own physicality and knew when to stop. So she could always maintain high academic scores while still able to maintain a low-stress happy life. Quite impressive really.

"What's the other options?" She continued.

"Try and claw my way to finishing this course," I said, unmotivated at the prospect. "I've already thrown the javelin. I may as well just follow it until the end."

"Well, that is if you can complete it before ALS kills your ability to paint." She added to which I very much agreed.

"I'll have to fivefold my effort for that," I said. Satsuki looked down a little, before giving me a pat on my back. Usually, it would've been harder and stronger, but she knew what had taken its toll on me.

"I'm not the one to decide but if I were you, I wouldn't recommend continuing your major myself, even though I'll be sad to see you leave." She said, her tone getting a lot heavier and a little stressed. "If you leave now, it might be the last time we'll see each other."

It may be unintentional, but it stings.

My teeth clenched tightly.

'The average life expectancy is three years.'

Those words resurfaced in my mind.

A long silence filled the air. Time around me seemed to stop…

Before me, the image of those four white walls came back to me. Illusions of mindless passers-by appeared. People too busy, or too pitying that didn't even bother to check up on me, or even give me a glance. The only person of importance was the one wearing that dreary white coat that I may have unfairly antagonized ever since. He spoke those words to me, like any computer program designed to perform only that specific task. Every word felt like a knife slash. It hurts

"Hirano-kun?"

And then he coldly joined the stream of passers-by, walking away from me. And then, there was nothing. Nothing but darkness to envelope me in my own despair…

"Hirano-kun."

I could hear Satsuki calling for me. Everything went back to normal soon enough, back to my college courtyard.

"I-I didn't mean to say that. I just…"

A little too late for that Satsuki…

Saying nothing back to her, I walked away. I am running late for my class...