Was It All a Joke to You?, a sword art online/ソードアート・オンライン fanfic

Sooo I ended up making another piece before "Stolen Kisses, Iron Resolve" because the background needed for what I have so far was longer than the original pieces, hence what this one is :P

"Getting used to the separation is hard for both parties, but when Kirito and other players' lives are in danger, Asuna instantly comes to his aid. However, harsh words are said after an accidental kiss from Sachi and now Asuna is left wondering, "was it all a joke to him?"

Was It All A Joke to You?

(Part 3 of the "I Do Care Asuna, I promise" One-Shot Series)

Getting used to being alone was hard, not having Asuna around to watch his back in the labyrinth was even harder, and not being able to call a "switch!" With her waiting right behind was excruciating. Not to mention that it almost got him killed. Hardly a two weeks after his split up with Asuna was the boss fight of the twenty-fifth floor, and after working with her for so long, Kirito had forgotten what it was like to fight a boss without her watching his back.

The boss raid was fifteen players short, with the KoB having not shown up just yet, and it had been going fine, with the boss on it's last hp bar, till it all went nuts.

"Switch!" Nothing happened, and Kirito could only stare ahead at the massive hammer moving toward him with the notion that he was going to die while he was stuck in the skill delay. It was his end, and his heart stung painfully. His inner promise to one day really tell Asuna what he felt for her was never going to be fulfilled, he wouldn't be able to protect her. Kirito squeezed his eyes shut, Forgive me Asuna, I should've told you…

"Blackie!" Agil yelled, "we're coming!"

But Kirito knew better, Agil's AGI and DEX wasn't high enough to reach him in time to block the boss' hammer. Agil would have to sprint without his armor and or weapon to reach him in time and it was a death wish. As the hammer drew closer Kirito finished his thought in a disappointed manner. I should've told you exactly how much I cared Asuna. Despite the consequences.

A moment later Kirito heard approaching footsteps, half panicked breathing, and felt something collide with him at high speed. Sending them both sliding across the floor.

Kirito's eyes snapped open to see the axe blade of the boss's war hammer pass through the flapping end of a white cape with red trim, the colors of the KoB, with the effect [Misjudged] an ability only one person he knew of had.

- Misjudged ~(Created by me) Character skill unlocked at AGI 500, causes an opposing attack to miss with a 25% or higher chance depending on speed and weight of avatar -

A lock of caramel colored hair obscured part of Kirito's vision and he became keenly aware of how he was sprawled on his back on the boss room floor and had a girl sprawled on top of him a particular girl that he hadn't seen since their separation a week ago. "Asuna?" He breathed in a quiet whisper, feeling her light AGI and DEX build avatar sprawled over his stomach and chest. That for a brief second reminded him of when he had woken up on the day Asuna went to the KoB to find her sound asleep in his arms grasping his shirt in both hands. Before he recovered himself and watched as Asuna propped herself up on her arms and started shouting orders.

"Squads A and B, switch in! Squad E draw it's agro away from the Black Swordsman! Squads F and G, aim attacks at the jewel on the war hammer! Squad H focus on Tanking not DPS! KoB members, fill out the squads and remain in your command parties!" Asuna looked different than she had a week ago. She looked more serious, driven, and rather melancholy under her fierce battle mask, something he was sure had to do with their separation.

Asuna was in love with him, and he had pushed her away, toward the KoB with what reassurances he could. However, he knew it had torn her apart, shattered her gentle heart, and distant to everyone.

Agil had reported seeing Asuna a handful of times but she never did more than give him a tight lipped smile, soft greeting, and a dip of her head. He had also told Kirito that in the few moments he had seen Asuna outside of her command she looked lost and miserable before she quickly masked it the moment she noticed him.

And now Kirito could see what Agil had meant. Asuna was completely avoiding looking at him as she jumped to her feet and unsheathed her rapier, like if she looked at him she wouldn't be able to hide her emotions all that well. "Stay back," she told him quietly in a voice he barely heard, "heal up and let me handle it."

"But-!"

"I lead a command of twenty players Black swordsman, I can handle myself." Asuna briefly glanced back at him, "I'm doing what you asked of me Kirito," she said in a tired tone and faced forward, "the least you can do is stay back here so I know your safe while I finish this this once."

Kirito's throat closed and nothing came out of his mouth, stung by her words and knowing that she said them without really thinking, likely too tired and stressed to worry about what she said around him.

Asuna took the silence as assent and she rushed forward, stabbing the boss in the side and dancing around it's second blade.

An arm hooked under Kirito's armpit and hauled him up to his feet, "you really did a number to her Blackie," Agil sighed. "I'm relieved she and the KoB got here, but…"

"She's not the same anymore," Kirito said quietly with a heavy sigh, "I broke her heart. No, smashed it to peices, and yet she still saved me. Still…" He studied Asuna as she released a powerful Quadruple pain, scoring four critical hits, "she's unhappy, I can tell."

"We're the only two who do." Agil sighed, "but she made her choice and you made yours, not much you can do about it."

Other than wish I could get down on my hands and knees and have her forgive me. Kirito mentally sighed as Asuna finished off the boss with a flashing penetrator that's raw power made him wonder if she was literally throwing herself into clearing the game, and not worry about anything else other than that goal.

Asuna landed lightly on the ground as the 'Congratulations' banner appeared and Kirito saw her glance at her rewards before she promptly dismissed it and looked at the fifteen or so KoB players gathering around her, waiting for orders.

Kirito took that as his cue to start approaching her and heard what she told her group to do.

"Return to the commander for a debrief as a group, after that you're all welcome to return to your homes and rest. We search for the next floor's labyrinth tonight starting at midnight. "

"Yes Vice commander!" The group chorused before they headed off toward the labyrinth, leaving Asuna to go trigger the warp gate.

The term 'Vice Commander' surprised Kirito, had hadn't known that Heathcliff had intended to make Asuna second in command of the guild right away, but apparently he had, and Asuna was working the position just fine. Her next words, oriented toward him, startled him.

"Walk with me Kirito," Asuna said quietly and started walking toward the stairs leading up to the twenty-sixth floor, her long hair swaying from side to side as she went.

Kirito didn't hesitate to hurry after her, idly wondering what she wanted to talk to him about.

For a few minutes they walked together in silence up the long staircase to the next floor, Kirito repeatedly glancing over at Asuna and studying her in her new gear and looking away before she caught him looking at her.

Asuna was the one who broke the silence, once they were safely deep in the staircase and away from everyone else. "You seemed distracted during the boss fight," she said quietly, "be more careful next time. I can't always abandon my command to save you, even if I want to."

Kirito's heart felt heavy, he knew what she was saying was true, it just bothered him that it was true. There wasn't going to be any more moments where she could jump in right away and cover his weak points, he was going to have to do it himself since he wasn't planning on having another partner any time soon. "I'm sorry," he murmured, "I wasn't thinking."

Asuna glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "I didn't mean to make you upset," she apologized softly, "I just want you to be extra careful while I don't have your back. You get into a lot of trouble sometimes and I worry you won't be able to escape one of these days."

Kirito nodded, still feeling a little uneasy at the different attitude she had going right now. She was much quieter, fierce, and more battle worn than before, and he found himself wishing she would act like she used to, poking fun at him, teasing him, being much more light hearted, and even the moments where her face would go bright red from her neck to her ears. He hadn't realized he had spoken his wish aloud till Asuna faltered and apologized in a whisper.

"Sorry…" Asuna murmured and fixed her amber gaze down on her feet and the stairs they were walking on, "these past two weeks have been hard on me, but it's no excuse for treating you like this." She lifted her head and forced a smile when she looked over at him, "how've you been Kirito?"

Their conversation was light after that, as light as it could be in their situation up to the point of reaching the top of the staircase where it died off and they both pushed open the door to the next floor and stepped into the setting sun lit floor.

"Woah…" Kirito breathed, his onyx colored eyes widening as he gazed around at the sloped peaceful scenery of the twenty-sixth floor.

The twenty-sixth floor was mainly a grassland with sprawling slopes, trickling streams and seemed to be an island by the water glittering distantly at the edge of the floor.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Asuna said quietly, the wind tugging at her long hair and clothes, the sun shining on her face and highlighting her fair skin and casting a soft glow on her amber eyes.

Kirito spoke without thinking, his eyes drawn to the way the setting sun heightened Asuna's beauty. "Yeah, sure is…" He was taking the time to really look at her, studying her in her new KoB outfit that revealed some of her bare shoulders and a little bit of her thighs.

Asuna had always looked good in white and red in particular, although the few times he had seen her in black had been permanently saved to his memory. Still, the outfit fit close to her body, flaring out at her hips into a half cape down the sides and back and teasing anyone who looked at her with her beauty. Without her long red cloak that usually hid almost her entire body from her knees up, Asuna was even more eye catching than having te cloak flitting around her knees with an allure of mystery that drew players in. Now, her slightly immodest outfit, although Kirito knew she had a habit with shirts that had cut outs over the shoulders, emphasized by the setting sun caressing her skin, soft cloth of her outfit, and silky caramel colored hair, drew him in a magnet. "More than ever."

"What're you talking about-" Asuna trailed off, noticing his staring and a blush rose to the shy natured tsundere's cheeks and ears. She quickly looked back out at the rest of the floor, conflicted expression showing on her face like she couldn't decided between being flattered and flustered or nostalgic and or saddened.

Kirito's ears turned pink, "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," Asuna murmured, cutting him off, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as a gust of wind blew a little fiercely at them and disturbed her hair. "I don't mind too much."

"I know, but it's not fair for me to say stuff like that now, It-It hurts your feelings." Kirito said and studied his feet for a moment, "I'm sorry."

Asuna didn't reply for a few moments, and when she did, Kirito almost didn't hear her. "It doesn't hurt my feelings… I… I like it."

Kirito looked up at her with a start, looking wide eyed at her for a few moments before he swallowed his nerves and lightly grasped her hand looking over at her, "how're you doing, Asuna? Really, how're you feeling?"

Asuna looked down at their joined hands for a moment before she once again gazed out at the terrain. "I'm okay, feeling fine for the most part." She then sighed, "but I'm sure that'll change over time too." She looked over at him and grasped his hand in a grip of her own, "if I say something in the future that sounds rude or offensive, know that I don't meant it okay? It'll just be the bitterness talking." She looked a little distressed, "I'm okay now, but I may change and… I don't want you to think any less of me."

Kirito offered a soft smile at her and threaded his fingers through hers with a short burst of courage, his actions making them both blush a light pink. "I can never think any less of you Asuna, no matter what."

「Asuna… I have a favor to ask, I need help protecting a small guild」

「Asuna, please respond」

「Asuna」

Kirito glanced at his messages once again and sighed. How could he protect Sachi and the others by himself? Asuna wasn't responding to his messages, and as of late she had been increasingly distant with everyone, never dropping the KoB front she had been putting up lately. Since he had kissed her and their argument he hadn't seen her outside the labyrinth and had heard rumors that the Lighting Flash hadn't emerged from the latest labyrinth for the past week. Asuna… I need your help, just this once. He couldn't ask anything of her again, technically he had no right to ask her anything, but he needed the help of his old partner. Asuna was one of the only ones he knew who was strong enough to help and not hinder him, after fighting alongside her for a year and a half, and he trusted her to be able to help him if he needed her in a situation like this.

Kirito was uneasily walking along through a dungeon with the moonlit black cats, an animous feeling registering in his body. Something bad was going to happen, and that was why he needed Asuna's help.

「Asuna please! I'm sorry, I don't want to bother you again, but I can't protect these players all on my own! If something happens in this dungeon I can't protect them!」Kirito hastily typed out another message, and finally received a response five minutes later. Four words that helped him breathe easier.

「I'm on my way」

Kirito breathed out a sigh of relief, hopefully she got to them before anything happened.

Unfortunately his prediction didn't seem to be coming true, as another five minutes later they came across a hidden door and Kirito nearly had a heart attack. A chest sitting in the center of an empty room? His brain was screaming, It's a trap! And Kirito lunged forward to stop Ducker from opening the chest lying tantalizingly on the ground. " No, stop!"

It was already too late. With the sound of a death gong being played the walls glowed red, the chest shimmered and vanished, and two doors on either side of the room opened, enemy monsters spilling into the room and spawning in with flashes of blue light.

Kirito stood where he was, unsheathing his sword and holding it warily in front of him. "Use your crystals!"

Everyone scrambled to take our the glowing blue crystals, and Ducker pushed his into the air, "Teleport Taft!" Nothing happened. Panic glowed in Ducker's eyes, "Teleport Taft!"

"Our crystals aren't working!" Sachi exclaimed fearfully, and Kirito felt helpless as the monsters continued to spawn in and surround them.

"The walls must be blocking the crystals!" Kirito yelled as he sliced through two of the dwarf like enemies and blocked the pickaxe, arms shaking. "We have to get out of here! Sachi! Stay close to me!"

Ducker yelled and Kirito heard him grunt when he was knocked to the ground on his stomach before being ambushed by more than a few of the dwarves.

"Ducker! Four voices all exclaimed, and Kirito slashed through another dwarf, pulling Sachi behind him and out of harm's way. Ducker's health bar was steadily going down, teetering on the edge of yellow and red.

"Ducker!"

"Hiiya!" Kirito felt someone use his shoulders like a spring board and turned to find the person responsible blocking the two pickaxes attacking Ducker with the polygons of a few other Dwarves floated around her and disappeared.

"Get up! Hurry!" The female voice snapped, straining against the dwarves' pickaxes. Kirito could place that voice anywhere, Asuna had made it. She looked nothing like a Vice commander of the KoB at that moment wearing a dark burgundy colored cloak with the hood pooling around her shoulders that had slim gold trim with tiny crosses at the corners as a hint toward her guild, a creamy white tunic that had a diamond shaped cut out in the underside of her wrists and relatively open shoulders hidden beneath her cloak with red cuffs of her sleeves, a skirt that matched her cloak, white tights, and mid calf length brown boots. Her long caramel colored hair was casually clipped up in the back, and she was using a different rapier than her Lambent Light rapier, this one was purely white with faint feather like details on the crossbar and sheath at her hip, and Kirito knew it as Angelic Light. Asuna's backup rapier she rarely used but was powerful enough to do the job. She looked nothing like a guild player, if anything she looked like another solo player like Kirito, one who had managed to make it into the trap and were helping save them. "Don't just lay there in shock, get on your feet!" Asuna threw off the dwarves' pickaxes and yanked Ducker to his feet, "move it!"

"Everyone! Get close to me!" Kirito yelled to the other members of the Moonlit Black Cats and sliced through another enemy before stabbing a dwarf in the chest, "now!"

The other members scrambled to follow his leader like demand, Ducker scrambling back away from the dwarves and toward Kirito and Sachi, the latter of which was trembling behind Kirito in rapid fear.

Tetsuo barely managed to catch an attack with his shield, scrambling in haste to retreat to Kirito as his shield's durability depleted to zero and it shattered into a hundred polygons.

Kirito was trying to keep track of Asuna, but she seemed to dance around the room, diverting the enemies' agro toward her and away from the others, protecting Sasamaru even as the spear user sank his spear into one of the Granite Elementals and froze from the skill delay.

"Sasamaru!" The other three members of the guild other than Kirito yelled in worry, the harsh reality of Sasamaru's nearly depleted health gauge making them all feel heavy with fear.

"Asuna!" Kirito blurted out Asuna's name without thinking, slashing through another Elemental while trying to twist and see where Asuna was and if she could protect Sasamaru while all at the same time, trying to keep the other Moonlit Black cats gathered together behind him to protect than all. "Sasamaru!"

There was a flash of faint pink light and Kirito's eyes barely managed to track the movement as Asuna flew past him, spearing more than a few of the elementals and dwarves in her haste to reach Sasamaru. "I'm working on it!"

"Sasamaru no!" Sachi shrieked as the Granite Elemental's clawed hand swung down toward the mace user. "Noo!"

"Asuna!" Kirito yelled in a half panic and cut through more of the mobs, spinning around to face where Sasamaru and Asuna were, only to see Asuna cut Sasamaru's spear in half and shoving him into a crouch before taking the hit herself, the creature's long claws dragging down her left shoulder and back down to her waist.

"Go!" Asuna seized Sasamaru by the shoulder strap of his armor and sprinted toward Kirito, her expression pinched, zigzagging and making it harder for the creatures to attack them. "All of you, heal up!"

Kirito looked at the closed door of the trap's room, "we need to make it to the door! Asuna's right, heal up and take out our back up weapons! Asuna, do you still have that Assault Spear Skill?"

A chime of a menu and a gasp of shock from the others signalled her answer, and Kirito couldn't help but smile. He missed fighting with Asuna like this, in better situations of course, but as partners.

"Ladies first," he tried to add a little humor and make her a little less wanting to kill him, and Asuna rolled her eyes before hefting the massive weapon and switching sides with Kirito, Kirito taking up the back while Asuna's assault spear glowed pale green and she thrusted it forward, clearing a little pathway toward the door. As they slowly edged toward the door.

Kirito felt like his lungs had finally given up and died once they escaped the trap's room. He flopped on the labyrinth floor on his back and just breathed, as if consciously breathing in a bunch of deep breaths would make it easier to calm his virtually racing heart.

The rest of the moonlit black cats were huddled together on the floor, all of them looking wide eyed at Asuna and like they were in shock that they were even alive.

Asuna was still standing, although Kirito could tell she was simply pretending to not be tired and that she was completely unfazed by the whole experience even though it had rattled her likely to the core. He could tell by the spaced out glaze in her amber eyes, how hard this whole thing was for her, particularly helping him again. Her amber eyes strayed between the moonlit black cats and the labyrinth around them, wandered around without a central focus.

Sitting up, Kirito opened his mouth to speak to her, only to pause when she wouldn't look at him and drew her rapier.

With a pink flash of light the fencer shot down the winding hallway of the labyrinth and speared two of the skeletal monsters that had just spawned in. The soft sounds of her boots as she walked back to them echoed a little around them, and after a few moments she spoke up. "Everyone alright?"

Ducker looked wide eyed at her and spoke in a shaky voice, "wh-who are you? And how did you know we were trapped?"

Asuna looked at the shaking group and sat down on the ground, folding her legs neatly beneath her. "My name's Asuna," she said with a small smile, "I'm a solo player like Kirito. Kirito's on my friend list, he asked me to shadow you guys to make sure nothing he couldn't handle happened and now here I am." She quickly quelled the worries of the group about Kirito going behind his back, and Kirito was incredibly grateful. "Don't get upset at Kirito about not telling you, he wanted to make sure you all would end up safe and sound. He was protecting you, for that he deserves the credit."

"Mrs. Asuna?" Sachi spoke quietly, blue eyes rather timid and nervous as she spoke, "if you're a solo player how do you know Kirito?"

Kirito looked startled and inwardly panicked, but there was no need for it as Asuna responded without missing a beat.

"I fought with Kirito back on the first few floors, we worked together for a little while, that's all."

He had to tell Asuna, even though he felt like he was hyperventilating and knew this wouldn't go well. He stammered out an apology to Sachi and promised he would explain later before rushing down the stairs of the new house. Asuna was standing near the front door outside, politely staying outside until she was invited in and her eyes kept flicking up to where he knew her clock would be in game in her HUD. Pushing away the idea that she had to get back to her guild or labyrinth, Kirito grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the porch stairs.

"Kirito! What're you-" Asuna was clearly startled as she stumbled and barely managed to keep herself from falling onto her face.

Kirito cut her off, "Sachi kissed me," he blurted out, eyes searching hers, scared of how she would react. In a way this was breaking his promise, they had promised, him in particular, to wait for each other. He hadn't been and still wasn't ready for a relationship being only fifteen years old, while Asuna was older than him by a year and was in love with him. He knew that the promise they made was one of the few things really giving her strength to keep going and actively beat the game. She was clearing the game for him, not for herself. Asuna had told him she didn't really want to go back anymore, preferring to stay in aincrad where she wasn't expected to act a certain way and where she could really be. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea she was going to do it and I moved away as soon as possible but it still happened and now I feel terrible!" He rambled, anxiously looking at Asuna who had frozen solid.

"She did what?" Asuna's voice was low, shaking and as cold as ice. "I'm hearing things right?" The strawberry blonde muttered and pinched the bridge of her nose, hazel eyes searching Kirito's in a half pleading manner.

Kirito swallowed hard and looked at her, dark silver eyes regretful and rather concerned. "Sachi kissed me," he repeated for Asuna's benifit. "She pulled me aside to thank me for saving the guild and she kissed me."

Asuna breathed in a sharp breath and her amber eyes narrowed. "She didn't." At his hesitant nod irritation sparked in her eyes, "you promised!" She hissed, and Kirito could see the hurt mingling in her eyes behind the furious and unforgiving front she was putting up. "Darn it Kirito! You promised you felt the same way!"

"I do!" Kirito exclaimed in return, "I'm not the one who initiated the kiss remember?! Sachi did, not me!"

"Then why didn't you try and stop her?" Asuna snapped back, narrowing her eyes at him further, "if doesn't take a rocket scientist to prevent a girl from kissing you!"

"You don't understand! Sachi's delicate," Kirito snapped, "I didn't want to push her over the edge and I'm telling you right now aren't I?"

"Yeah out of guilt," Asuna snapped back harshly, crossing her arms over her chest in the process. As if protecting herself from him.

The notion made Kirito angry himself, he hadn't done anything wrong! He had pushed Sachi away and immediately went to Asuna, so why was she getting so mad at him? "No, I came to tell you out of respect for our agreement and concern about your feelings! But clearly that was a stupid idea now wasn't it?!"

Asuna's eyes flashed with hurt and her face screwed up into an indignantly hurt expression. "What so it's a stupid idea when I react like any sane person would? Kirito you're the one who pushed me away and got as close to rejecting me as you possibly could! Excuse me for being upset that you kissed someone else besides me!"

"I didn't kiss her, she kissed me!" Kirito snapped, "I didn't kiss anyone!"

"Oh so you're just the innocent bystander then?" Asuna snapped angrily and stepped closer to Kirito.

"No! But you're over reacting!"

"Really? I'm over reacting?" Asuna spoke harshly, "I just found out that the guy who I'm clearing this damn game for and am waiting for, decided to go off and excuse me, 'get kissed' by another girl! When I've already told him how I feel, found out they were reciprocated, and work my butt off in a guild I don't want to be in just for him!"

"I never said I love you back," Kirito snapped, and instantly wanted to take it back. He felt the color drain from his face and witnessed Asuna's fair complexion go whiter than a ghost. "Wait… I didn't..."

Asuna stared at him, amber eyes staring blankly at him as his words registered in her head and destroyed everything she had been leaning on for the strength to beat the game for him. Her lips echoed the words, as if the words were sinking in, including the truth in them that she had been avoiding thinking about.

"Asuna… I didn't…" Kirito reached to grasp her hand, silver eyes widening as tears welled up in his partner's eyes. "I didn't mean that… I don't know why I said that-"

"But it's true," Asuna cut him off abruptly and jerked her arm away from him, tears welling in her amber eyes. "I'm deluding myself thinking any of this was real! That any of that promise was even true when you never said anything!" She exclaimed in a rather emotional yell, "so it was all a joke right? A horrible joke to make me join a guild and try and clear the game when I don't even want to?!"

"No, that's not-" Kirito tried to explain. Feeling his chest tighten in fear and hurt at what Asuna was insinuating, along with the crippling amount of hurt on her face and the betrayal.

"Are my feelings a joke to you?" Asuna asked weakly, her anger completely deflating to be replaced by hurt and heartbreak. The tears welling in her eyes spilling down her cheeks as she hugged herself, trying to protect herself from the pain she was going through. "Is it funny playing with my heart?" She asked quietly with a sniffle, "cause it hurts you know. Knowing that I'm doing all of this for nothing and that you never meant that promise."

"Asuna-"

"Stop," Asuna's voice adopted a hard and authoritative edge for half a second before deflating again. "Just stop, leave me alone." She walked past him, being careful to avoid touching him at all. "You didn't mean any of what you said anyway."

"No, Asuna hold on!" Kirito turned and hurried after her, "I meant everything I said the days leading up to you joining the KoB!"

"Teleport, Granzam."

"I meant it all-"

But Asuna was already gone. Enveloped in a soft blue light of a teleport crystal and vanishing into thin air.

Kirito fell to his hands and knees, punching the ground. "Why didn't you wait so I could explain?!" He snapped harshly to the air, feeling his eyes burn with tears of his own, "damn it Asuna why didn't you let me explain?!"

Kirito laid there, staring up at the dimpled ceiling with sadness faintly pulling on his expression. His argument with Asuna had haunted him all afternoon and night. The events of it all between Asuna helping saving the guild, Sachi shyly kissing him after he and Asuna saved the guild, their shouting match where he said he didn't have feelings for her and didn't mean any of it, which reduced Asuna to tears and practically broke her again. Which all resulted in her teleporting back to her guild and setting her visibility on a map to friends to invisible. Asuna had completely disappeared off the face of Aincrad.

So Kirito was feeling the massive amounts of guilt weighing down his shoulders. Yesterday was a mess. And it's not something I can easily take back no matter how much I want to. No matter how much I want to stop myself from getting angry and instead understanding that Asuna was just hurt. This is a mess, all of it. I shouldn't have ever pushed her away, not after everything that had happened since the beginning of the game. What would Kizmel think if she saw this mess? He wondered how their Dark Elf NPC friend would react to his and Asuna's current situation, especially with how close she actually was with Asuna. They had been practically sisters.

He would never know though, Kizmel had been brutally killed by a member of Laughing Coffin just after the completion of their quest. Kirito would never forget the expression on Asuna's face as a thick dagger was pushed through the NPC's chest and where she toppled to the on the ground, the player cackling wickedly. Kirito had to forcibly pull Asuna away around the waist as the strawberry-blonde cried and struggled to go back to Kizmel's unmoving avatar. However, while Asuna had been asleep that night with Argo watching over her, Kirito had managed to slip out of Asuna's death grip on his shirt and returned to where Kizmel had been, only to find that oddly enough the NPC hadn't shattered into polygons and was still laying there. There, he had gained access to a quest called "Nature's Mourning Cry."

Kizmel would slap me with the flat edge of her sword and demand in her older english way why I had pushed Asuna away and then lecture me about how it wasn't fair to Asuna. Kirito sighed out loud at the thought and shut his eyes, "I'm an idiot."

To make matters worse, he received a ping of a message, that briefly showed up with the sender being Argo, only to minimize and lurk in his notification collom.

So with another sigh, and a flicker of concern, for Argo didn't message him that often out of the blue, Kirito sat up and opened his eyes. What's got Argo messaging me for? He clicked the message after bringing up his menu and began to read.

「Okay Kirito,」 The use of his full game handle sent alarm bells in Kirito's head, 「I've stayed out of the mess that you and Asuna seem to have gotten tangled up in just like you asked. However, when I have to get Caylee involved to pull a risky hack that's rendered the hacker mute and unable to speak as the rebound affect, you know it's gone too far. I've politely stayed out of it despite Asuna being my younger sister in all but blood, and instead gathered info like an every day indifferent infobroker, but as of last night and this morning's events I'm stepping over the professional line, and even over the friend zone with both feet firmly set in the sibling zone.

「I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You. With. My. Bare. Hands.

Let me explain. 」

「Last night I was on Floor thirty-four in the jungle like forest looking for information on a special skill for making buffed Healing Crystals, when I received a message from Agil telling me to go to Tolbana where something was wrong with Asuna. So, like the good sister I am, I abandoned the search for the crystals, covered in mud and with more water in my cloak than it could handle, only to reach Tolbana and find Agil holding Asuna up. Her gear was torn and beat up, she had multiple red highlights across her body of damage, and her health gauge was deep yellow and draining with an unusual debuff above it. She was whiter than a sheet, glassy eyed, and sustained crippling amounts of damage to her lower limbs and torso. Asuna looked like she got mauled by a bear in game and poisoned simultaneously Kirito!

She couldn't walk straight, was barely conscious, and seemed to have a fever. And on top of all of that, guess what she said?

"Kirito lied to me."」

「What the hell did you lie about that nearly made her throw her life away? She contacted Agil and Caylee, so obviously she doesn't have a complete death-wish, but what the hell did you do to my little sister?! Now, you have five minutes to get to floor seventeen to Caylee's place before I spread enough rumors to make everyone chase after you for hurting their Lightning Flash and have Caylee swipe all your armor to leave you in just your boxers!」

By the time Kirito finished reading the message he was up and heading for the door to teleport.