Author's Note: I may have failed to mention that the updates might not be in chronological order. For now, I'm just trying to finish the scenes I have and put them up for your reading enjoyment, then I'll go back and add more meat to the story. This chapter's not that long, it's actually one of the first I wrote in this 'universe', so to speak.

Disclaimer and Warnings still apply from the first chapter.

Keiko

Keiko had known she was in trouble the moment she'd heard the Drunk Apes yowling in the underbrush, but the severity of the situation didn't fully sink in until her back crashed into the trunk of what had to be the sturdiest tree in Aincrad. She struggled to get up, but a traitorous part of her wondered why she should even try. Her meager repertoire of Sword Skills was less than useless; every time she managed a hit on those stupid monkeys, another would guard while the injured one took a swig from its gourd of healing whatever. Pina's healing breath could only fix so much of the damage they were inflicting on her, and without a party, there was no one to back her up so she could settle into the initial motion of her more powerful Skills.

Damn Rosalia for being such a bitch, she thought helplessly. Damn those idiots for going along with that big-breasted cow. And damn myself for getting such a big head over being a beast tamer. She was going to die here in the Wandering Forest with no one but Pina, and no one would ever be the wiser.

When the biggest, ugliest Drunk Ape raised its club, intent on smashing her into bits of glowing polygons, she heard Pina let out a pitifully weak cry as the feathered dragon raced in front of her, then the sickening crunch of tiny, digital bones snapping under massive blunt-force trauma.

"Pina!" she shrieked, forgetting for a moment that she was in mortal danger, forgetting Rosalia's cruel jabs, even forgetting this stupid death game she was trapped in. Pina was the only one she had been able to rely on in Aincrad, and now, with her health bar dropping faster than she could even register, Pina was going to die.

"No," Keiko cried, tears already leaking from her eyes. "Don't leave me here alone, Pina, please!"

The Little Feathered Dragon let out a squeak before her form started glowing brightly. Hope welled up in Keiko's chest as the light intensified. "Pina, are you evolving? Yes, that's it! Grow big and strong and we can ride away into the —"

Her brief moment of optimism was dashed against the harsh, unforgiving rocks of reality when her familiar's glimmering figure burst into motes of pixels, leaving a single feather behind that floated lazily into her hands.

She was dimly aware of the Drunk Apes bellowing far too close behind her, but what did it matter? Her only friend was gone, and soon she would be too. It was probably for the best anyway; she was just a weakling who would slow down any party she joined, and likely get them killed as well.

The monsters roared behind her again, but this time the pitch spoke of caution rather than triumph. Numbly, she turned around just in time to see a massive gray-and-white wolf tear into the clearing, fangs gleaming in the scant moonlight that filtered through the canopy. The deadly beautiful creature ripped through the Drunk Apes like they were wet tissue paper, and when the last one shattered, Keiko could only stare, wondering if she'd just been tossed out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.

Pale blue eyes turned on her as the wolf seemed to glide toward her with the grace only true predators possess, and Keiko shut her eyes tight in anticipation of the killing blow. Instead of being ripped to pieces, Keiko felt a big wet nose bump into her forehead, followed by an enormous tongue swiping up her face. She nearly let go of Pina's feather to wipe the slobber off her face, but managed to keep a tight grip on the last remnant of her best friend.

"Oi, you okay?"

Keiko whimpered and spun to face the speaker, a tall boy with orange hair and a scowl etched onto his face. He wore a black coat that trailed down to his calves, his mail-clad hands held a pair of wicked Dagger-class weapons while the hilt of a large Two-Handed Straight Sword peeked up over his left shoulder, and hovering behind him were two other players. One was a shorter boy with black hair and a navy-blue peacoat, a One-Handed Straight Sword with a bright blue blade at the ready. The other was a beautiful girl with honeyed hair and hazel eyes, wearing a magenta surcoat with a matching long skirt over pale golden half-armor and carrying a One-Handed Rapier.

Turning back to the orange-haired boy, she sniffled a little and nodded to indicate she was fine, but really she as far from it as possible.

Her turmoil must have shown on her face because he turned to his partners and said, "Kirito, Asuna, have a look around, I don't want any surprise visitors." The dark-haired boy made a noise of assent and vanished, while the girl hesitated a moment (piercing Keiko with a long, searching look) before taking off as well. The big wolf, meanwhile, circled around Keiko twice before settling her massive bulk on the ground, resting her head on Keiko's lap.

Belatedly, she realized that this player must be the Stranger. The pieces fit together snugly, after all; orange hair, all black gear, a humongous Dire Wolf, and accompanied by Kirito the Sapphire Swordsman and Asuna the Bloody Bolt. She'd been saved by probably the most famous players in the game, but the only thing she felt right now was a profound sense of loss.

"That feather," the Stranger said softly, and Keiko looked up, baffled. That voice and the one which had snapped her out of the despair she'd felt that first day in Aincrad were so radically different; it was incredibly jarring to hear them come from the same person. The Stranger's face still bore a frown, but it held no anger. Just frustration and sadness.

Keiko bit her lip to keep from sobbing. "What about it?"

"You're a Beast Tamer, right? That's your familiar's heart; it means you can still revive them."

That shocked her out of her gathering depression. "What!? No way!"

The Stranger nodded solemnly, crouching down to pat his wolf on the shoulder. The animal raised her head a bit, huffing softly, then dropped it back onto Keiko's legs, which were starting to go to sleep under the weight.

"When the assault team was taking on the Floor Forty-Five Boss, Artemis here died taking a hit for me, just like your familiar must have done tonight and left behind a fang as big as my fist," he said, grimacing for a moment as he relived that moment. "When the raid was over, an info broker I know told me a rumor about an item that can revive a familiar, but it was on the Floor Forty-Seven, and it could only be administered three days after the familiar's death."

Keiko could only feel terror at the words. The only item that could bring Pina back to her was on a Floor she couldn't possibly handle, and she only had three days...wait...

"You cleared a whole Floor in three days!?" she exclaimed. Obviously, he had, since the wolf was still alive, unless he'd gone all the way back to Floor One and tamed another Dire Wolf.

"Two and a half," the Stranger corrected. "It took another half a day to get to the Hill of Memories; we almost didn't make it." A fond smile had broken through his fierce scowl, and Keiko thought he actually looked rather handsome like that.

"But you did," Keiko murmured, crestfallen.

"I suppose I did," he acknowledged, "with a lot of help from my comrades and friends. The item is called the Pneuma Flower, and it blooms once a day as long as there's a Beast Tamer nearby."

A few quick chimes made her glance up to find the Stranger holding a delicate-looking flower out to her. She gaped for a few moments, probably looking like a complete idiot as she read the item's name: Pneuma Flower.

"This is..." she began, but was unable to finish, her throat tightening painfully. He gently grasped her hand and pressed the stem into her palm.

"Hurry and revive her," the Stranger half-ordered. "We'll need to get you back to town soon; monsters are always stronger at night, 'specially those damn dirty apes." He straightened up and offered her an amused smirk. "And for the record, familiars don't evolve."

It was easy to take orders from the Stranger; he seemed to give off an aura of competence and confidence that reassured her immensely. She quickly moved Pina's feather under the flower and let the dew drop clinging to its petal fall upon it. The ensuing light forced her to close her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was Pina, blinking sluggishly as she stretched herself out.

Keiko couldn't help the joyful tears as she hugged her familiar tight, babbling nonsense to the little Feathered Dragon as she leapt to her feet and spun her friend around merrily. After a while, she remembered who it was to facilitate this reunion.

The Stranger was standing a way off, leaning against his own familiar. Both were wearing an oddly identical half smile as they watched on, and Keiko realized that this person knew exactly what she'd felt just minutes ago, but far worse. He might have lost his companion, and it was only through tireless effort on his part that other Beast Tamers like her wouldn't lose their partners.

"Thank you so much, Stranger-san," she said, bowing as low as she could. She felt Pina crawl up to her usual perch and do the same. "I don't know how we can ever repay you."

"I'm Zangetsu, not Stranger," he answered gruffly. "And as for repayment...I have a request."

Once Rosalia and the rest of Titan's Hand had been crystal-warped to prison and their quartet (plus two familiars) were heading back to town, Keiko finally breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Zangetsu, Asuna, and Kirito were all front-liners, members of the illustrious assault team and at a higher level than most people she knew could ever hope to be, but her heart had still clenched painfully when she saw the three of them face an entire guild while she could only stand by and watch helplessly (though her anxiety had eased slightly after watching the complete thrashing her new friends had dished out to the orange guild).

"Silica," Zangetsu called her over, and she hurried to match his long-legged stride. "You're alright?"

Keiko couldn't help but giggle a bit at the worried tone snaking its way into his voice. "I'm fine," she answered, and meant it. She hadn't had this much fun in ages; she finally understood what it was like to have older siblings who wanted nothing more than to protect her and help her grow.

Zangetsu's eyes did that thing where they softened while still maintaining his almost omnipresent scowl. Over the last day and a half, Keiko had realized that Zangetsu was really just a big softie who hid behind a gruff attitude; it was especially noticeable when he talked with Kirito and Asuna, who the Stranger seemed to regard as younger siblings as well. Keiko had heard about the Big Brother Instinct before, but Zangetsu really took it to incredible levels.

"Good," he said, turning his gaze toward the setting sun. "The equipment we gave you should last quite a while, especially if you take proper care of it. There's a blacksmith named Lisbeth on the Floor above this one who does maintenance for our gear, I'm sure she'll give you a discount if you tell her we sent you."

He gestured toward the fields of multicolored vegetation that spread to the horizon. "You've leveled up enough today to be able to solo this floor easily with Pina, and you don't have to worry about a repeat of the Wandering Forest now you've got a Pneuma Flower of your own. Keep farming it for about a week and you should be a powerhouse in your own right."

By then, they had made it to the warp point, and her new friends began to say their goodbyes. Artemis, who had been snapping playfully at Pina as the little dragon orbited above her head, moved forward and gave Keiko a quick nuzzle.

"I agree," Kirito added confidently, raising his arm and clasping his biceps. "You've got good reflexes, Silica. It won't be long before you're fighting with us on the front-lines as well!"

Keiko didn't think she would take it that far, but an image of her using Zangetsu's Dual Wielding Outside-System Skill to jab a floor boss in both its eyes was quite tempting nonetheless.

"Shut up, you two," Asuna scolded. "Let her do her own thing." She pulled Keiko into a one-armed embrace. "If you want to join the front-lines, that's up to you. There aren't nearly enough strong women to keep boneheads like these two in line, but if you want to take it easy, none of us will think any less of you. I bet Liz would be more than happy to take you on as an apprentice!"

The idea of becoming a merchant-class player didn't seem so bad, either, especially now that she could go out and farm good-quality ingredients and materials. Maybe being a blacksmith would be fun?

"There's also Ashley," Asuna continued. "She's the best seamstress in the game, and I've got an in with her, since I spend so much of my money at her shop!"

Keiko suddenly felt an indescribable rush of emotions that threatened to make her start crying, but she valiantly held it in. "I can't thank you three enough, for everything you've done for me."

Kirito gave her a small smile. "There's no need to thank us, Silica. We're just doing the best we can to make this game a little less terrible; that includes helping people. If you ever need anything, just give us a chime."

Asuna released her one-armed hold on Keiko only to lean down and fully embrace her. "Keep in touch, Silica. You're just way too adorable to stay away from now that we know you." Pina squawked indignantly, and Asuna laughed, reaching up to give the feathered dragon a perch. "Of course I mean you, too, you feathery ball of cuteness!"

Kirito and Asuna soon warped out, both with a smile and a promise to stay connected, leaving Zangetsu and Artemis to give their farewells.

"I mean what I said before," Zangetsu said. "You're a strong person, and I don't mean in skills or level. You have a kind heart, Silica, and despite your age, you've not given up yet." He gazed up at her familiar and added, "Stay vigilant, Pina. You've done fine work making sure she's safe so far; keep it up."

And with a small smile and a ruffle of her hair, Zangetsu and his familiar were gone as well.

For a few minutes after, Keiko was aware of various players she passed giving her odd looks as she walked by beaming, but she felt so happy she wouldn't wipe the smile off her face if she could. She had two big brothers and a big sister to watch out for her, and a vague plan for the future.

Before yesterday, all she'd wanted was a nice party to while away the time with until the assault team finally beat the game. Now, though, she was going to get strong, and find a way to help her newfound friends in their climb to the top of Aincrad. Kirito, Asuna, and Zangetsu had given Keiko back her purpose, and she wouldn't disappoint them by losing it again.

After-Action Report: Again, not much to say about this chapter. The trio of Ichigo/Kirito/Asuna didn't just happen overnight after the Floor One Boss battle, rest assured. Kirito's, like, super awkward at times which is justified, but it'll take more than partying up and laying down the smack on Illfang to break him out of his shell.

A guest reviewer going by the name Anonymuse has brought to my attention the fact that after the first floor boss battle, the front lines went up the floors weekly, and that it was physically impossible to clear the game faster. However, that was in canon. Ichigo's speech did more than just stop everyone from freaking the fuck out; it gave people hope and filled them with the zeal they needed to start getting better. Players who would have otherwise sat back in a nice little town on the First Floor instead took up their weapons and headed for the front. That means that with more Players, the Assault team could cycle in front-liners when clearing floors and fighting bosses, which prevents the sort of battle fatigue you're talking about. Butterflies and all that bullshit. Thank you very much, Anonymuse, for bringing up a great point. I hope my response is adequate.

Another reviewer, Bad Habits, pointed out that in the Light Novels the system makes it basically impossible for anyone to get beyond level ten on Floor One, making Ichigo's level twelve not just stupid, but thoroughly against canon grain. To this, I have no response, and I can only apologize to those LN readers. I seriously need to find those fucking things...

Anyway, thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and especially reviewed. There's a problem with FF.N's review system (again), so I haven't been able to respond in PM, but I'm sure it'll be fixed soon so I'll hit you all up then. Any questions or comments regarding the story can be sent to me via review or PM, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you all for reading, and have a great day!