~~Hello readers, I'm back with a new chapter.
I don't own anything from Sword Art Online or Code Name: Kids Next Door.
Only my original characters belong to me.~~
It was now mid afternoon in the virtual world.
Back at their house, Sioku and her friends were sitting down on a couch in the living room.
Sioku stared up at the ceiling while lost in deep thought.
A message from Kirito popped up on Sioku's message window: Hi Sioku, how are you and your friends doing?
Sioku messaged back: Hey Kirito, we are doing well. How are you?
Kirito answered: I'm glad to hear that you girls are doing well. I'm very sad and angry at myself though.
Feeling concerned, Sioku replied: Really? Why?
Kirito sadly answered: Most of my guild members just got killed during a quest.
Sioku's face saddened as she read the message.
She quickly responded: What? How did that happen?
Kirito answered: I'll tell you about it in a place more private. Where are you?
Sioku replied: My friends and I bought a house near the Town of Beginnings.
Kirito messaged back: May I please come over?
Sioku then turned to her friends and asked. "Would you mind if Kirito came over for a while?"
"Not at all," answered Jessy.
"Was Kirito the person who you were just messaging?" added Ariel curiously.
"Yes, Kirito needs my help. He's going through a tough time right now," Sioku answered sadly.
Sioku answered Kirito's message: Yes
She then sent him directions to her location.
Kirito replied: Thanks, I'll see you soon.
A minute later, they heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," answered Sioku.
The door opened slowly to reveal a distraught Kirito standing in the doorway.
He quietly stepped inside the house.
All three girls were stunned by the change in his personality.
They weren't used to seeing Kirito so upset.
"Good afternoon Kirito," greeted Sioku.
"It's good to see you again," added Jessy.
Ariel looked at the pained expression on Kirito's face and then back at her friends.
"Kirito seems different right now. He was cheerful the last time we met him," she said with deep concern.
Kirito plopped down on the couch next to Sioku.
Sioku gently pulled Kirito into a comforting embrace.
Kirito snuggled close to Sioku and laid his head on her shoulder.
Sioku blushed internally as she held Kirito tight.
"I would love to hold Kibaou this way in the future," she thought dreamily.
Jessy looked at Sioku wearing a worried expression and asked. "What's wrong with Kirito? Why didn't he respond to us?"
"He's very upset," Sioku answered quietly.
"Do you know why?" Jessy continued.
"We should let Kirito tell us what happened when he is ready," Sioku suggested.
Ariel grinned as she tried to lighten up the situation.
"If my Pomeranians heard somebody knocking on the door, they would go crazy. Those little dogs like to bark at every noise they hear," she said happily.
Sioku burst into laughter at that.
"My dog Trooper would run around and start whimpering," she replied.
"Ariel, how many Pomeranians do you have?" asked Jessy.
"I have three of them," Ariel answered.
"My mom would not be able to handle the constant barking. Those dogs almost never stop," replied Sioku with a grin.
"I know right? My family and I are always telling these dogs to be quiet," Ariel added before she laughed.
Sioku smiled gratefully at Ariel as she continued. "I really appreciate you for trying to cheer Kirito up."
"Talking about my dogs always makes you laugh," Ariel replied.
"You know it," Sioku said before she laughed.
Without a word, Ariel and Jessy stood up before they disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
Kirito and Sioku were now alone in the living room.
"I'm really sorry for your loss Kirito," Sioku said Gently.
Kirito sighed heavily in response.
A long period of silence passed between them.
Sioku decided to change the subject as a thought crossed her mind.
"Hey Kirito, have you seen Klein around lately?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, I saw him after the big Christmas event. I also gave him the special revival item," he whispered.
"That was nice of you," Sioku replied with love.
"Thank you for letting me spend time with you Sioku. Your support means a lot to me," Kirito said softly.
"You're very welcome Kirito, this is my opportunity to repay you for helping me when I had a panic attack that night we stayed in the motel room. I'm glad you came to me first," Sioku whispered back.
Kirito gave a small smile in response.
"I wish he could meet my dog," Sioku thought.
Kirito put his arm around Sioku's shoulders before he continued. "Sioku, did you ever get an opportunity to see Kibaou again?"
"Unfortunately no," Sioku answered with a frown.
"I'm sure you'll see him again sometime," Kirito assured.
Kirito then decided to change the subject and continued. "Sioku, do you really have a dog in the real world?"
Sioku smiled brightly and answered. "Yes, my dog's name is Trooper. He is a Yellow lab. I have a feeling that you and Trooper would become great friends if you ever meet him someday."
A few minutes later, Jessy came out of her bedroom.
She then walked into the living room.
"Hello Jess," Sioku greeted.
"Hey Sioku, how is Kirito doing?" she asked wearing a slightly worried expression.
"He's all right," Sioku answered softly.
Jessy sat down on the couch next to Sioku.
Kirito looked up at Sioku and said. "Do you want to go on a quest with me? I could use the fresh air."
"Of course, where should we go?" Sioku replied with a smile.
"We could go try to help another player somewhere," Kirito suggested.
"That's a great idea," Sioku agreed.
Sioku then turned to her friend and asked. "Jess, would you like to come with us?"
"No thank you, I'm still feeling tired from our last quest. Ariel and I will stay here," she answered.
"What did you girls do on your last quest?" Kirito asked curiously.
"I helped Jessy and Ariel find some healing crystals in a cave on floor ten," Sioku answered proudly.
"We also had to fight a huge monster," Jessy added.
"That's cool," Kirito replied briefly.
Sioku and Kirito slowly released each other.
She and Jessy carefully helped Kirito get back on his feet.
"Are you feeling okay Kirito?" asked Sioku as she grabbed his hand.
"I'm all right," he simply answered.
The warmth of Kirito's touch brought a light blush to Sioku's cheeks.
She laughed nervously and tried to hide it.
"You two look so cute," Jessy commented with a bright smile.
Sioku only giggled in response.
"We'll see you later Jess," said Sioku as she led Kirito to the door.
"Good luck on your quest," Jessy replied.
Once outside the house, Sioku and Kirito teleported up to one of the middle floors.
The two purchased a few items in town before they ventured into a thick forest.
"Hey Kirito, I'm so glad you decided to go on a quest. You need a good distraction anyway," Sioku started.
"Me too, sitting around and moping won't solve anything. I also like going on quests," Kirito replied.
Kirito noticed a little girl being attacked by a few monsters.
He and Sioku immediately ran to her rescue.
Kirito defeated the monsters while Sioku led the little girl to a safe spot.
The little girl sobbed as she held onto a tail feather.
Sioku kindly approached the girl and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Excuse me mis, are you okay? Who does that feather in your hand belong to?" she asked gently.
"The girl stared up at Sioku with tear filled eyes and answered. "The feather belongs to my best friend Pina. Pina is a feathered little dragon."
"What happened to Pina?" Sioku replied with sympathy in her voice.
Before the younger girl could answer Sioku's question, Kirito joined them.
"You're one of those beast tamers, aren't you?" Kirito asked the girl.
The girl only nodded.
She then proceeded to tell her story. "I got into a dispute with my party members. They wanted all of my healing crystals because Pina already has the power to heal. Anyway, I ran into the forest. That's when Pina and I were ambushed by those monsters. Pina died while protecting me."
Sioku wrapped her arms around the girl in a comforting way and said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Kirito and I would have been able to save your dragon if we arrived sooner."
The younger girl gratefully returned the hug.
"No, this is all my fault. I was stupid to think that I could make it in this forest alone," she replied sadly.
"Check if your feather has an item name beside it," Kirito suggested.
The girl began to sob again as she selected the feather.
Kirito immediately calmed the girl down by telling her that she had a chance to revive Pina since the dragon's heart was still there.
He also explained that a special revival flower can be found in the Hill of Memories on floor 47.
The girl instantly perked up at his explaination.
Sioku and Kirito agreed to tag along and help the girl revive her dragon.
She gently released the girl before stepping back.
"Don't worry Mis, we will protect you from danger. Kirito and I won't let you die," Sioku promised.
The younger girl curiously looked up at Kirito and said graciously. "Thanks for everything, but why are you helping me?"
"You look like my little sister," Kirito answered.
The girl burst into laughter in response.
Sioku smiled at the other girl in amusement.
The younger girl then selected some money to pay Kirito for his help.
"Don't worry about paying me. We could use that money for our trip," Kirito assured.
"You should stay with Kirito and me since we'll be helping you for a while," Sioku added.
"Okay, my name is Silica. Who are you guys?" she joyfully replied.
"My name is Sioku," the older girl answered.
"I'm Kirito," the black haired boy added.
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you," said Silica with a bright smile.
Silica had light brown hair and red eyes.
She wore a yellow robe with a dagger and pouch strapped to her waist at the back, a silver breastplate and pauldrons, brown leather gloves with metal bands, black shorts, and yellow boots.
As the three made their way into town, Sioku began to wonder how her friends were doing at home.
She sent a message to Jessy: Hey girl, how are you and Ariel?
Jessy answered: We're doing just fine, how are you and Kirito? Is he feeling any better?
Sioku replied: Kirito and I are doing well. We're helping a new friend revive her dragon. She is a friendly beast tamer named Silica. Kirito's mind has been focused on this quest.
Jessy messaged back: That's great, I hope you three have fun together. I'm happy to know that Kirito has found a way to distract himself.
Kirito looked over at Sioku and asked curiously. "Who are you messaging?"
"Jessy," Sioku briefly answered.
A few boys came rushing up to Silica with relieved expressions on their faces.
"We were so worried about you," one of them said.
Will you join us?" asked the other one.
Silica turned to face them and answered. "Sorry, but I've already joined another party. I'll see you guys later."
"I didn't know that you had fans. You must be popular," Kirito commented.
Silica frowned in disappointment as she replied. "No, those people don't take me seriously. They expect me to be their mascot."
"Really? Why would they want you to do that?" Sioku chimed in.
"Those people call me a dragon tamer, and I let it get to my head. Pina died because of me," Silica answered sadly.
"Don't let them get to you Silica, they're just bullies. You don't deserve to be used," Sioku said with concern.
"Thank you so much for being kind to me," she replied sincerely.
"Where do you live Kirito?" asked Silica.
"Floor 50, it's far away from here. I'm thinking about getting a room for Sioku and me tonight," Kirito answered.
Silica paused with a look of jealousy in her eyes before she continued. "I also forgot to ask a question. Are you two dating?"
Kirito and Sioku stared awkwardly at her.
A light blush came to Sioku's cheeks as she answered. "No, Kirito and I are just friends."
Silica smiled as a thought crossed her mind.
"I want to take you guys out for cheesecake. Is that okay?" she asked with joy.
"Sure," answered Kirito.
"Cheesecake sounds fabulous right now," Sioku added.
"Okay, that's great! The cheesecake they sell here is really good," Silica replied wearing a joyous expression.
As they were walking, another female voice entered the space. "Well, if it isn't Silica. Wow, you made it out of the forest alive. Good for you, girl."
Instead of responding, Silica just turned away.
A slim woman with purple eyes and deep, glossy flame-red hair walked up to them before she stopped directly in front of Silica.
"Hold on, what happened to your little lizard friend? Did it run away?" she said in a taunting manner.
"No, Pina died while saving my life," Silica answered sadly.
Silica then smiled as she looked at Kirito.
"I'm on my way to revive Pina right now," she continued in a happier tone.
"Oh, are you going to the Hill of Memories?" Rosalia asked wearing an intrested expression.
Silica only nodded at her.
Sioku turned to Silica wearing a concerned expression and chimed in. "Pardon me Silica, but who is this crazy lady? Why is she picking on you?"
Silica let out a disappointed sigh before she answered. "That's Rosalia, she is a member from my original party. She isn't nice to me at all. Rosalia always expects me to find rare items for her."
"Sioku gave Silica an apologetic look and said. "I'm sorry, this woman sounds like an awful person. You deserve to be in a party with people who will actually treat you right."
"Thank you Sioku," Silica replied softly.
"You would never be able to clear that floor at your level Silica," Rosalia teased.
"Yes she will," replied Kirito.
"Yeah, I believe in her too," Sioku added.
Rosalia gave Silica a disgusted look and said in annoyance. "Oh my gosh, did you seduce another player?"
Silica stared at Rosalia in confusion.
Feeling annoyed, Sioku shoved herself in front of Rosalia and shouted. "That's enough lady, back off! Silica has done nothing wrong to you or anybody else!"
Rosalia glared at Sioku and replied with irritation. "I didn't know that Silica had a little girlfriend. Who are you?"
Sioku glared back at Rosalia and yelled back. "Excuse me princess, my name is Sioku! I am one of Silica's true friends! All you ever did was use her to get rare items!"
Rosalia angrily marched away from the group.
"Good riddance," said Sioku.
Silica led Kirito and Sioku into a nearby restaurant.
They ordered their food before sitting down at a table.
"I don't understand why Rosalia is being so mean to me," Silica complained.
"She's just a bully who doesn't have anything else to do with her life," Sioku commented.
Kirito explained how a player's cursor will turn orange if they commit crimes against others.
He also said that players with red cursors are known as player killers.
Sioku's eyes widened with horror as she looked at Kirito.
"No way, are you serious?" she asked fearfully.
"Do they really kill other players?" added Silica in shock.
"Yes, these guys are all about murder," Kirito answered in a low voice.
Sioku and Silica trembled in fear.
Kirito gave them a reassuring look and said. "I'm sorry, You girls don't need to worry."
"I think you're a good person Kirito! You saved me after all," Silica said while perking up.
"I agree with Silica," Sioku added.
Silica then jumped up in a flustered way.
"Excuse me, our dessert hasn't arrived yet!" she called out.
Sioku couldn't help but giggle at Silica's perky behavior.
After dessert, Sioku and her friends checked into their hotel rooms for the night.
Kirito plopped down on one of the beds with a heavy sigh.
The boy's face saddened again as he lowered his head
Sioku sat down on the bed beside him.
"Hey Kirito, are you okay?" she asked softly.
"I guess so," he answered quietly.
Sioku pulled him into a comforting embrace.
"Are you thinking about your guild?" she asked gently.
Kirito looked up at Sioku and took a deep breath.
"Yes, it's finally time I told you what happened to my friends. My guild was called the Moonlit Black Cats. I went on a quest with everybody except one person. We went up to the twenty-fifth floor to try and earn some cash and experience. I tried to stop my friends from grabbing a treasure chest, but they were too excited to listen to me. The treasure chest ended up being a trap which killed everybody except me," he explained.
Kirito's story had Sioku stunned into silence.
She laid her head on his shoulder.
"I feel so guilty for not telling them sooner," he whispered sadly.
Sioku could sense the pain and sorrow in his voice.
Seeing him in that situation broke her heart.
"Don't worry Kirito, things will get better for you. I promise," she reassured.
Kirito hugged Sioku tightly in response.
They released each other before Kirito spoke again. "Thank you Sioku, I'm going into Silica's room now. Would you like to go with me?"
"Most definitely," Sioku answered happily.
After standing up, Sioku and Kirito exited their room.
They walked across the hall toward another door.
Kirito gently knocked on the door and said. "Silica, are you awake?"
Silica jumped up from her bed and replied. "Yes, you can come in.
Kirito and Sioku quietly entered Silica's room.
"Hello Sioku," greeted Silica.
"Hi Silica, it's nice to see you again," Sioku replied with a smile.
Kirito selected an object from his inventory and set it down on the table.
"Kirito, what is that thing used for?" asked Silica as she stared at it.
"This item is called a mirage sphere. It shows you different locations nearby," he explained.
"It's really pretty," Silica said in admiration.
Sioku stared in awe at the new object as she continued. "I've never seen one of those marvelous things before. Hey Kirito, where did you find it?"
"I found it on one of the higher floors," he answered.
Kirito then pointed to an image of a beautiful flower garden right next to a town and said. "This is the Hill of Memories. We'll be able to go there tomorrow morning when we take a shortcut through town."
They heard some noises outside the door.
"What's going on?" wondered Silica.
"Someone is trying to listen in on us," Kirito answered suspiciously.
"It's probably that crazy Rosalia girl," Sioku replied with irritation.
Silica turned to Kirito wearing a worried expression and asked. Why would someone want to listen to us?"
"This person most likely wants to get his or her hands on the revival flower," Sioku answered angrily.
"Hey Sioku, it's getting late. We should head back to our room now," said Kirito.
Sioku let out a yawn before she replied. "That's a great idea. I'm starting to get tired."
"Good night," said Silica.
"Same to you," replied Sioku.
After exiting Silica's room, Kirito and Sioku went back to their room.
They settled into their beds and fell asleep.
The next morning, Kirito and Sioku met Silica outside her room.
"Good morning you two," Silica greeted.
"Same to you," replied Sioku.
"Did you sleep well?" Kirito added.
"Yes," Silica briefly answered.
Sioku and her friends eventually made it to floor 47.
The entire floor was covered in different types of flowers.
Silica grinned joyfully as they explored.
Sioku's eyes widened with joy as she looked around.
"Oh my gosh, this place is absolutely gorgeous. I love it," she said happily.
"This place is like a dream," Silica added.
Kirito smiled at her in agreement and replied. "I know, "The Hill of Memories is also called The Flower Garden."
"That's a pretty name," Sioku commented.
Silica began to feel jealous as she watched many couples walk by.
Kirito led Sioku and Silica to a different area of the dungeon.
"We have to be very careful in this area. There are monsters lerking around here," Kirito warned.
A monster suddenly jumped out of the flowers and Grabbed Silica.
Silica tried to struggle out of its grip.
"Kirito! Sioku! Please help me!" she cried.
"We're coming Silica!" Sioku hollered back.
Kirito and Sioku freed Silica from the monster by defeating it with their swords.
"Thank you so much," Silica said gratefully
"No problem," replied Sioku.
Kirito gave Silica a teleport crystal and told her to escape on his command.
Sioku chose to explore the area while Kirito and Silica had a conversation.
She couldn't help but listen to some of the things that Kirito had said about his family.
"Kirito, do you know where that revival flower is?" asked Silica.
Kirito pointed to a specific flower and answered. "It's over there, you can go and get it."
Silica slowly approached the glowing flower before she gently picked it up.
She then rushed back to Kirito in excitement.
"I did it! Are you sure this will bring Pina back to life?" she said cheerfully.
"Of course, but we should leave here as quick as we can. You can revive Pina when we get back to town," Kirito advised.
"Good idea," replied Silica.
"I'm so happy for you Silica," Sioku said with a bright smile.
"Thank you so much Sioku! Would you like to be friends?"
"Absolutely," Sioku answered cheerfully.
The two girls then sent each other a friend request.
Kirito was leading Sioku and Silica out of the Hill of Memories when he sensed another player hiding in the flowers.
He stopped abruptly and called out. "Whoever is hiding, come out now!"
Rosalia emerged from her hiding place and said to Kirito. "Wow, your sensing skills must be very high swordsman."
"It's Rosalia," Silica whimpered.
"I won't let that woman hurt you," Sioku reassured.
Sioku shook her head at Rosalia.
"Oh no, look what the cat dragged in. This is certainly an unwelcome interruption," Sioku said with a glare.
"I didn't come for you shorty. Stay out of this fight," Rosalia ordered.
"That's not going to happen Princess, I'm staying here to help Kirito protect Silica," Sioku replied confidently.
Kirito and Silica couldn't help but laugh at Sioku's comment.
"What are you doing here?" Sioku demanded.
Rosalia ignored Sioku and focused her attention on Silica.
"Nice job Silica, you managed to get your hands on the Pneuma Flower. Congratulations! Now hand it over or you will get hurt," Rosalia threatened.
"Nobody is giving anything to you!" yelled Kirito.
Sioku let out a dreamy sigh as she heard Kirito raise his voice at Rosalia.
"Oh really swordsman? Why is that?" Rosalia wondered.
"You're the leader of an orange guild known as Titan's Hand," Kirito blurted out.
"But her cursor is green," interrupted Silica as she pointed at Rosalia's NerveGear.
"I know Silica, but it's a trick. A green player can enter an orange guild undetected. The green players find their victims and then lure them to the orange players for an ambush," Kirito explained.
"Seriously? That's awful," replied Sioku.
Silica whimpered in fear.
"That doesn't surprise me at all. Rosalia is the type of person who would join an orange guild just to hurt others," Sioku commented.
Silica paused as she thought about Kirito's words.
"Rosalia must have infiltrated my party to get all the rare items that we collected," she said out loud.
"How perceptive of you, I was only in your party to observe and watch you guys earn lots of money. I folloed you here because you said that you were going to find a rare item," said Rosalia while smiling wickedly at Silica.
Sioku protectively shoved Silica out of the way and yelled furiously at Rosalia. "Stay away from my friend! You'll have to deal with me before you can get to her."
"Is that a challenge?" Rosalia inquired.
Before Sioku could respond, Kirito faced Rosalia and demanded. "Was the person spying on us one of your guild members?"
Rosalia intentionally changed the subject and replied. "If you knew about my guild, why did you bring Silica to this place?"
"I came here to look for you Rosalia," Kirito answered.
"What are you talking about?" asked Rosalia cluelessly.
"Do you remember what happened ten years ago? You led an attack on another guild called the Silver Flags. The leader survived, but his four guildmates didn't. He had been begging everyone he met to avenge his dead friends. He wanted you and your guild to go to prison instead of being killed. Do you even know how he feels right now?" Kirito replied in a serious tone of voice.
"I can't say I do," Rosalia answered carelessly.
Sioku threw Rosalia a piercing glare and chimed in. "Wow, you really are heartless. You don't care about anybody but yourself."
"I gladly take that as a complement," Rosalia replied bitterly.
Rosalia then turned to Kirito and said. "It doesn't matter if people get killed in this game. There's no proof to determine whether somebody dies IRL or not. You three should be worrying about yourselves right now."
Sioku shook her head at Rosalia in disgust.
"Kirito, Silica, and I are not like you Rosalia. We actually care about others," she shot back.
Rosalia commanded the six men surrounding her to attack Kirito.
"Kirito, Sioku, there are too many of them. Let's get out of here," Silica begged.
"No, please don't worry about us. Stay where you are until I tell you to leave. Keep the crystal with you just in case," Kirito advised.
"We'll be just fine," Sioku reassured.
Kirito confidently strolled up to the men.
"Kill this man and take everything he owns!" Rosalia ordered.
Sioku angrily bolted after Kirito and hollered. "Nobody will be killing my friend or taking anything from him! I won't allow that to happen!"
"You guys might as well take out the little shorty too," Rosalia commented.
Sioku smirked at Rosalia before bravely circling around her men.
Three of Rosalia's men began Swinging their swords at Sioku.
Kibaou's loud voice echoed in Sioku's mind, giving her a major boost of courage.
Sioku repeatedly jumped around while dodging their blades with her sword.
She knocked a sword out of one man's hand by flicking her arm upward.
The sword flew through the air before it landed in a patch of flowers.
"Nice shot Sioku," Kirito praised.
Sioku gave a big smile in response.
Three other men surrounded Sioku with fighting intent, but she didn't seem fazed at all.
She rapidly spun around in circles while slashing the men in their legs.
The three injured men stumbled backward in pain.
She then turned to them wearing a proud expression on her face and said. "The next time you want to pick a fight, keep this in mind. Never mess with a girl in love."
Kirito turned to Sioku wearing a stunned and amazed expression.
"Wo Sioku, where in the world did you learn to fight like that?" he asked in astonishment.
"I thought about Kibaou and started attacking," Sioku answered proudly.
Kirito gave a thumbs up in response.
"I bet Kibaou would have loved to see me fight like that just now," Sioku dreamily thought.
As soon as the other four men began to fight, they stopped abruptly and frantically studdied Kirito's features after hearing Silica call out his name.
"Hold on Rosalia, we're facing the black swordsman! He's from the Asult Team!" one man called out.
All of the men suddenly backed off and started panting in exhaustion.
"Are you guys going to kill these two or not?" Rosalia demanded.
The men didn't respond.
Kirito laughed before revealing that he was on level 78 and had 14,500 HP.
"That's pretty impressive," Sioku whispered.
Silica nodded in agreement.
Kirito then pulled out a warp crystal and explained. "This crystal is linked directly to the prison. You guys are going straight there now."
Rosalia tried to persuade Kirito into letting her join him before she disappeared along with her guild members.
"That's a good way to get rid of those trouble making pests," said Sioku before laughing.
"Yeah, I agree," replied Silica.
Kirito then turned to Silica with a look of remorse and said. "I'm sorry for using you as bate to catch Rosalia and her guild."
Silica smiled back at him and replied. "Don't worry about it, I'm not mad at you. You and Sioku are good people. Besides, I think it's awesome that you're with the Asult Team."
"I didn't know that either," Sioku added with a look of shock.
Kirito laughed nervously in response.
"It was a pleasure meeting you Silica. I'm going to teleport myself back home soon," said Sioku.
Silica looked at Kirito wearing a saddened expression and said suddenly. "Are both of you really leaving?"
"I need to go back to the front lines now. I've been away for five days," Kirito answered.
"My friends are waiting for me back on floor one," Sioku added.
Kirito smiled at Silica as a thought crossed his mind.
"I have an idea, let's meet up in the real world," he suggested.
"Okay," replied Silica as she smiled back.
"That's a wonderful idea," Sioku added.
Silica selected the Pneuma flower from her inventory.
"I can't wait to revive Pina," she said with a smile.
"I'm sure Pina will be happy to see you," replied Kirito.
"Do you mind if I watch?" asked Sioku.
"Not at all," Silica answered.
Kirito watched the revival process as well.
The Pneuma flower began to glow once it came in contact with the tail feather.
The feathered little dragon was then resurrected by the majestic flower's magic.
Silica grinned as she hugged Pina tight.
"I missed you so much Pina. I'm glad to have you back," she said joyfully.
"Awe... Pina is so cute! You chose the perfect pet," said Sioku while smiling at the dragon.
"Thank you very much Sioku," Silica replied joyfully.
Sioku pulled out her warp crystal and said to her friends. "I'll see you guys later. Good luck and have fun with Pina."
"Hopefully I'll see you in the real world," Silica called back.
"Tell your friends I said hello," Kirito added.
"I sure will," Sioku replied with a grin.
Sioku used the crystal to teleport herself back to the Town of Beginnings.
She leisurely strolled down the grassy path that led straight to her house.
The warm sun lightly touched her face.
A joyful grin spread across Sioku's face as a wonderful thought about Kibaou entered her mind.
She pictured herself fighting along side him on the front lines.
"Oh Kibaou... I would love to join your guild one day. That would make me so happy," she said out loud.
Sioku calmly approached the front door of her house.
After opening the door, Sioku happily skipped into the living room.
Jessy smiled at her in amusement and greeted. "Hey love bird, what are you so giddy about?"
"How is Kirito doing? Is your new friend okay too?" Ariel added.
Sioku spun around in a circle before plopping down on the couch beside Jessy.
"Kirito is doing much better now. Our new friend Silica just revived her dragon at the Hill of Memories on floor 47," she answered.
Jessy put a hand on Sioku's shoulder as she continued. "Anyway, what made you so happy this afternoon?"
"I was just thinking about Kibaou," Sioku answered with a slight blush.
Ariel looked at Sioku confused and asked. "Do you really like him?"
"Of course I do," Sioku answered dreamily.
Jessy sighed as she looked at her friend.
"Sioku, you haven't even talked to this man yet. Why do you have such a big crush on him?" she continued.
Sioku's cheeks turned bright red in response.
"I just adore Kibaou's personality. Hearing him speak to everyone that day at the meeting ignited a spark of love in my heart. I really fell for Kibaou when he fought those monsters in the boss room," Sioku answered.
A brief period of silence passed between the girls.
"Sioku, is there something else on your mind?" asked Jessy.
"You know you can tell us anything," Ariel added.
Sioku took a deep breath before she answered. "Yes, I want to join Kibaou's guild and fight along side him on the front lines."
"I knew this was coming since you first started talking about Kibaou," replie Jessy.
Ariel stood up wearing a saddened expression on her face and said. "Sioku, you're going to leave Jessy and me behind if you join that guild."
"Yeah Sioku, what happened to you being loyal to our party?" Jessy added, her voice slightly raised.
"That's not true Ariel, I will not forget about you guys. I promise to come home every day. You two should just come with me," Sioku replied sincerely.
Jessy and Ariel stared at each other in silence.
Ariel finally spoke up. "Sioku, do you know where Kibaou's guild is? Do you know what it's called?"
"Yes, Kibaou is a member of the Aincrad Liberation Squad. They are located on the third floor," Sioku informed.
"What are the requirements to get into his guild?" continued Jessy.
"A player must be on level 10 or higher," Sioku answered.
"I'm on level 20 right now. Sioku, what level are you on?" asked Ariel.
"I'm on level 25," Sioku answered with a small smile.
"I'm on level 22," Jessy added.
Jessy looked at her friend and sighed.
"I appreciate the offer Sioku, but I'm not interested in joining any guilds. I would rather stay with the people who I know," she replied.
"Same here, I don't want to fight on the front lines either. It sounds dangerous," Ariel added.
Sioku stared at her friends with a pleading look in her eyes and said. "Ariel, Jess, I don't plan on leaving the party. Most of the money I win after every single fight would automatically go to you guys. I can easily send it to you since we are friends in the game."
"That sounds like a fair deal," replied Jessy.
"We appreciate your loyalty Sioku," Ariel added.
"You're very welcome," Sioku said with a bright smile.
"Jessy hugged her friend tight and said. "Sioku, promise us that you will be safe out there on the front lines."
"We don't want you to get hurt," Ariel added.
"You ladies have my word," Sioku replied.
After standing up, Sioku quietly walked out the door.