Gale stood in Itsuki's room drinking a cup of tea. Itsuki looked intently at him as if contemplating what was on Gale's mind at that moment. Gale put his tea back down onto the table and looked at Itsuki. "Whats wrong Itsuki? Am I imposing on you?" Gale asked with a smirk. Itsuki chuckled. "No,not at all. Im honestly flattered you chose to hangout with me rather than your other friends."
Gale smiled at his friend. Then looked down at the table as if thinking something over in his mind. "Itsuki? Can I ask you about something thats bugging me lately?" Gale asked. "Im always happy to listen to you, Gale. Whats been troubling you?" Itsuki asked raising an eyebrow out of curiousity.
"Its about Kureha. She's been acting unusual around me as of late." Gale replied. "What's been so unusual about her behavior exactly?" Itsuki asked. "Where should I start? When I came to GGO, she acted like she always did. Tough, prideful, but kind as always. But recently shes changed when she's around me." Gale explained. "For example, Rei and I went shopping with her one day, and when asked about our past by Rei, she got defensive and irritated. Then, because of my rediculously good luck, I found a rare item drop, so rare, that it made headlines on streams. I found out from Kirito that she had been grinding for months looking for it."
Gale sighed and continued the story. "I offered to help her find one of her own, but she got angry and refused. Then she ran off. I told Rei I understood thats just how she is because she always wants to prove herself. I sent Rei to go find her and talk to her, then for some reason, about 30 minutes later, she comes back with Rei, red as a tomato and smiling awkwardly at me." Itsuki shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"I Know im not exactly fond of people Gale, but I can still see how they feel by their reactions. How can you not tell what she's thinking when she acts like that?" Itsuki asked. "What do you mean?" Gale asked in return.
"When your around Zaleska and her together, how does she act exactly?" Itsuki asked. Gale thought for a moment and then spoke again. "Well, one time I was at Kirito's home with our squadron. Everyone of his female friends wanted to go questing with him. I was planning on going on a Bounty Hunting mission for some extra credits and wasnt exactly well equipped."
Gale took another drink of his green tea, then continued. "Kureha immediately offered to help, then Zaleska offered to help me prep for the mission. Kureha then said that we were good on the matter by ourselves, and I chose to have her help me. Kureha seemed to turn red again after I chose her as my questing partner..." Gale began contemplating again. "What happened after that?" Itsuki asked.
"Oh, Klien got mad, yelled at Kirito and I, and got jealous for some weird reason. Its like he thinks Kirito and I are like two harem protagonists from an anime or something." Gale replied as if what he had said was not unusual to say.
Itsuki chuckled. "That sounds like Klien. But honestly Gale, why don't you ask Kureha directly about whats bothering her?" Itsuki asked. "Even if I did, she's a strong person. And probably the strongest player I know. No offense to you as one, Itsuki." Gale replied.
"None taken, Gale. But you're right. Strong people will never open up honestly. They build up walls around themselves to avoid weakness." Itsuki replied.
"How do I get her to open up then?" Gale asked. Itsuki thought for a moment. Then answered "A place where people have bonded in the past can cause past emotions to resurface. Maybe that will soften her up a bit to talking?"
"But we haven't seen each other in the real world in so long and she moved away when we were kids, remember? So how could I take her somewhere we bonded when we haven seen each other in almost ten years?" Gale asked putting his thumb and index finger to his chin and leaning back in his chair.
"Is there a spot in GGO that maybe similar to an special place in your past for you both?" Itsuki asked. Gale realized what Itsuki meant to imply. A reminder of an event between him and Kureha may spark an opening for him. Gale then remembered something from their middle school days. A specific sunset from the rooftop.
Gale stood up and put his black Intelligence Operitive hood over his head. He then headed towards the table next to exit of Itsuki's home. "You have an idea now of a place to take her Gale?" Itsuki asked watching Gale put his G4 model Photon Sword onto his belt.
Gale then put his secondary weapon, a "Nightsky 4" model pistol onto the back of his belt. He then smiled and looked at Itsuki from under his hood. "Yeah. Im taking her to the Solitary Sands. I'll send you a message later. Thanks again, Itsuki!" Gale then opened the exit door of Itsuki's home and stepped into the elevator. Itsuki gave a quick wave goodbye and a slight smile as well.
After Gale left, Itsuki's smile faded. He then held his fingers to one ear. "Taipan, I have a task for you. Follow Gale and keep me updated." Taipan responded almost instantly. "Yes sir, anything I should keep an eye out for specifically?"
"Make sure they don't get too close..." Itsuki replied.
-To Be Continued-