"Look, the boss room."
One of the party member suddenly halt on his track and said while pointing at the big-black door with pattern on it, drawing attention of the other party members. They looked to where the guy pointed at and could see the big door too just ahead of them.
"What should we do?"
Among them, there's a boy with all-black attire with one-handed sword on his back could be seen. He ask another boy beside him with purple haori on his back, two katana on his waist, and a white fox perch on his head.
There's a girl too beside the purple haori wearing boy, a beautiful girl with orange-brownish chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She has a rapier on his waist with an attire that have the same theme as the most of them, typical white clothes of the KoB.
The two boys were Nao and Kirito, the white fox on Nao's head was Haku while the only girl among them was Asuna who is also the leader of the party from the KoB.
When Nao and Kirito explored the labyrinth to locate the boss room, they meet with Asuna's party at the top-most labyrinth and shortly after, they were finally able to find the boss's room.
"Take out your Teleport Crystal and make it ready so that it can be used any time." Nao said while take out the crystal from his item storage and step forward.
"Wait! What do you think you are doing?" Asuna said with surprised look all over her face and slight of worries?
"Hm? Just want to look at the guy inside a bit." Nao said lightly while still walking casually towards the boss room like he want to go and buy a potato chips from supermarket.
'Sigh, why are you always like this.' Asuna sigh inwardly.
All of them understand what the guy's words mean though. He want to scout the boss inside to gather the information about what kind of boss, its strength and movements, weapon it used, its attack patterns etc. so that the clearers could discuss about it next time at The floor boss strategy meeting and come up with better preparation and strategies when the capture group formed.
The Scout was a very crucial role in clearing every floor, but also the most dangerous one at that. They need to go inside the boss room and fight the boss inside without any information about it after all, rather they are the ones who need to gather the information.
For about the ten first floors, the bosses information mostly always provided by the guide book created by the beta tester, but all of the clearers forced to walk inside the darkness without any light thereafter.
Interestingly though, after the first ten floors the guide book couldn't provided any information about the boss, almost at half of the floors boss's meeting at every floor until now, the information about the boss attack patterns,weapon etc. always provided by a solo player and not a scout team from a clearing guild like KoB and DDA (Divine Dragons Alliance).
It's a solo player instead who provided it the most times, the same guy with a short pony-tailed hair and katana on his waist. Make all the clearers wonder, just what kind of nerve does this guy have to do that crazy thing alone as a solo? Is he tired of living or something?
Some of them even began to think that maybe the one who defeated the 27th, 30th, and 36th floor's boss was actually him and not the mysterious guild. But they brush that insane thought off in the end with a shrug. Even if he can scout the boss, to actually defeated it was simply impossible! They thought.
So when he say he want to look the boss a bit, the guys from KoB know right away what he want to do. Make them stunned while look at the short pony-tailed guy with purple haori and all-black attired man who walked beside him, with amaze and disbelieve eyes.
Asuna hastily chased after them and pulled the purple haori guy's sleeve make him halt and turn around to face her.
"You intended to go inside alone?" Asuna asked him.
"Blackie come with me."
"I'm not a dog!!!" Kirito retorted back annoyingly right away after Nao pointed his finger at him leisurely and called him Blackie.
"Anyway!! It's too dangerous. At least let us help too." Asuna said to cut their talk before it become a quarreling.
"Is it alright? From the size, I think it's a mapping team and not a scouting one." Nao said while pointing at her party.
"Then what do you think you are doing with only the two of you?" Asuna try to reason with him.
"Well, it's fine." Nao said while smiling at her.
Out of habit, he unconsciously patted her head before turning around to leave make her stood still there, stunned and stupefied with chaotic feeling inside her heart, surprised, happiness, joy, longing, and many complicated feeling.
He always pat her head every time she retort, reason or throwing a tantrum at him after he tease her. He always does it spontaneously and doesn't think too much about it, without knowing that what he does makes the other party interpret it in many ways.
She only could finally regain her sense just when the two of them, Nao and Kirito opened the door and entered the boss room.
----
Near the teleport gate at the 40th floor, a crowd of people in all-white attire and equipment could be seen. Any who look at them could immediately tell that all of them was a party from the strongest clearing guild in SAO, The Knight of Blood.
They were led by a girl who also their vice-commander, the second strongest in the guild, Asuna. She could be seen instructing something to them there and dissolving the party shortly afterwards.
They are the same party who discovered the boss room with Nao and Kirito before.
After Nao and Kirito enter the boss room, the party together with Asuna neared the door too and take a look at the boss in the room. They scout the boss for a while and finally decide to teleport with their crystal after getting enough information about their enemy.
They arrive at the town together just now and after realized what time is it, Nao look at his message window and teleport to the 36th floor. Kirito followed him to 36th floor too soon afterwards while Asuna need to instruct her party first as the leader.
After dissolving the party, Asuna went to the 36th floor in pursuit of them, or Nao to be more exact. She look around a bit after arrive at the 36th floor and she found them, Nao and Kirito at the edge of a large crowd of people listening to a girl's relaxed, beautiful voice and stood next to them.
She was a bit surprised tough because just yesterday, she overheard her singing after meeting Nao and Kirito at the hunting ground. She asked the player around about her too out of curiosity because her song give her a buff on her status.
From the player around, she knew that she was the famous uta-chan who always sang near the NPC who played instruments every night. But from that player, she know that which floor she was singing was unknown and always choose the floor randomly.
'Did Nao-kun intentionally come to this floor to hear the girl singing? But how can he know where she is right away then?' She thought inside while glanced at him who closed his eyes to enjoy the song more.
Not only Nao who could be seen closed his eyes, many players and even the NPC too do the same thing to enjoy the song more. That was just amazing the girl skill at singing.
The song last for a while and ended soon after that. The girl gave a bow after finishing her song and get applause from the audience. She smiled shyly and look around the place and spotted Nao who was currently smiled at her.
The girl quickly passed through the crowd after spotted Nao at the edge of the crowd, speedily crossed the crowd and jumped at him right after she near him. Nao catch her right away and hug her after that.
She was honestly glad Nao returned safely. Maybe most of her worries have disappeared, but she has new worries now, about Nao who is always fighting on the front lines. Even though she know how strong he was, she couldn't help but still worries about him.
"Like I said, it's dangerous to jumped like that." Nao said while smiled wryly.
"Fufufufu~ Okaerinasai~ Nao-kun." She greet him while giggling slightly.
"Hmmh~ Tadaima~" Nao reply her greetings.
The both of them was in their own world right now and didn't realized the dumbfounded look of the others. Especially the two, the boy and the girl who just stood there beside him petrified didn't know what to do or say for different reasons.
The boy, Kirito couldn't believe what he seen with his own eyes. His friend hugging another woman in front of him.
'He is cheating from Sugu? In front of me his older brother on top of that?' Kirito thought with wide opened mouth.
Asuna's lips was pale at the moment. She clench her hand tightly that her nails pierced her flesh and blood will flow if not because there is no blood in the game. Her heart feels like grasped tightly and shattered into pieces that she could felt the unbearable smarting pain inside. She choked and felt suffocated because of it.
Her world has been crumbled into pieces. Everything is over, nothing was left. She want to run. Run away as far as she could and crying as hard as she could. She want to scream as loud as how in cruel anguish she in right now.
However, she stood still there, didn't move even a bit. She didn't have the strength to even move a bit and tried with the remaining strength left to hold back the tears in her moist eyes.
She take a deep breath and barely could regain her sanity again. Kirito realized it and glance at her. Looking at how her condition, he could only let out a sigh inside.
'Heartbroken, huh.' Kirito thought while sighing inside.
He shook his head and cough a bit to wake the two who hugging each other up from their own world.
"Hmm? Ah I'm sorry." Nao smiled wryly and Yuna hide her face embarrassedly.
"Well, let me introduce you to them, Yuna. This blackie guy was Kirito..."
"Oi!!" Kirito retort to his introduction but Nao didn't care at all and continue.
"And the beautiful girl here was Asuna. Kirito, Asuna, This is Yuna." Nao ended the introduction.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Yuna." Yuna said while bowing to the both of them.
"Ah, Nice to meet you too, I'm Kirito." Kirito bowed back at her.
"Nice to meet you too, Kirito-san." Yuna said to him.
"Just call me Kirito, the "-san" is a bit..." Kirito said again.
"Alright then, Kirito." Yuna said again and look at the other one.
"Nice to meet you. My name was Asuna, you could only call me Asuna too." Asuna said with a very stiff and really forced smile while trembling with moist eyes.
Yuna was a very sensitive and also skilled at reading the mood, so she know right away that something was off. After looked at how her slightly trembling shoulder, her tightly clenched fist, and how forced her smiled was, she know that Asuna was his another "Victim" beside her.
She felt conflicted inside but could only sigh inside in the end.
"Nice to meet you too, Asuna." Yuna bowed again to her after saying that.
"That's right, Nao-kun. I have something to do after this, so I need to go." Yuna lying to him.
She didn't want to hurt Asuna even more than this because of her presence, so she decide to leave for now.
"Hmm? I see. Well, need me to accompany you?" Nao asked her.
"It's fine. See you later, Nao-kun, Kirito and Asuna too."
"Alright, see you later." Nao said and smiled at her.
Yuna wave her hand and the three of them noodded at her. She speedily crossed the Teleport Gate plaza, and disappeared into the blue portal.
"She looks in a hurry." Nao said after Yuna disappeared.
"Yeah, rather....." Kirito said and look at him later.
"What?" Nao asked him.
"Are you cheating?" Kirito asked him.
Nao silent for a bit an found a bench. He then sit down on the bench with Kirito and Asuna too. Nao keep silent for some time and sigh in the end while smiling wryly.
"Sigh~ well, if we see it from a perspective, I'm not really cheating because Sugu and me, We aren't a couple yet. But I Love her, so much and I know she Love me too. So, yeah.... I feel guilty for cheating on her. I love her after all even though we aren't a lover yet." Nao said slowly.
"Then how about Yuna?" Kirito asked him again.
"She know." Nao said simply.
"What?" Kirito and Asuna was surprised at the same time.
"Like I said, she know that I love Sugu too." Nao said again.
"And she fine with it?" Kirito said to him again couldn't believe what he heard.
"Yeah, she said that she want to share me with Sugu. Something like that." Nao shrug his shoulder at that.
"Then what if Sugu didn't want to?"
"I will give up on Yuna right away then. Sugu was the first after all, and I know she is still waiting for me outside. I love her so much, and she was irreplaceable for me." Nao said firmly while looking at the sky.
"And Yuna know about that too?" Kirito ask.
"Un! I tell her that I will give up on her if Sugu said didn't want to share me with her." Nao nodded.
Kirito didn't know what to say about that. He tell the girl he loved and leved him that he will give up on her if the other girl said so. Even though he didn't too know how Nao's relationship with Sugu, he know that they love each other very much. So he could understand a bit Nao said something like that to Yuna, but still.
"Then what do you think Sugu will do? Will she told you to give up on Yuna, or...." Kirito asked him again.
"Well, I think she won't mind about it." Nao said while smiled wryly.
"Huh?!?!" Kirito and even Asuna who keep silent up to now let out a surprised voice.
"Hehehe~ Well, if we are talking about her, then she won't mind it. She won't want to be the cruel one who hurts other by keep me for herself, rather she would make me the cruel one who cheating on her and put all the blame on me." Nao said while chuckled and smile wryly.
'Well, she said that to me before. Even though indirectly.' Nao thought inside his mind.
"Well, if we talking about her then, yeah it's very possible. Rather......, I really think that she will something like that." Kirito couldn't help but smiled wryly. He remembered when he give up on kendo and beaten up by their grand father. At that time, Sugu stop him and said that she will work harder for his part too instead.
The both of them smiled wryly and chuckled a bit remembered about Sugu make Asuna surprised by the two of them. Just what kind of girl Sugu was? She thought.
"But still, there's still another possibility. Rather than Sugu, what Yuna will do if Sugu really tell you to give up on Yuna?" Kirito asked again after some time.
"She just tell me that she will never give up on me and still will tell Sugu that she love me and ask her to share me with her." Nao said what Yuna said to him before.
"So she won't give up on you?" Asuna asked him again suddenly make Kirito and Nao a bit surprised.
"Huh?! A-ah~ Hm! That's right. She said that she won't give up on me before. What's wrong?" Nao asked her back. She was really quiet up to now after all, so Nao a bit surprised that she suddenly asked him.
"Mmm~, n-nothing." Asuna shook her head and looks like she was thinking something. After a while, she smiled a bit like she was finally make her decision. Nao look at kirito and Kirito look at him too, then shrug his shoulder while shook his head. Nao tilted his head didn't understand, or he didn't want to understand?
"Well, that's it about my relationships. I will go first then." Nao said while get up from his seat.
"Alright then." Kirito said to him.
"Hmm~ see you later Nao-kun." Asuna said while smiling at him cheerfully.
'Hm? She look strangely very cheerful all of a sudden. Carefully think of it, I never saw her this cheerful again for the last six months. She always a stiff and strangely a strict person after join the KoB after all.' Nao thought when look at how bright her smile.
'Well, it's a good thing.' Nao shrug it off and smiled at her too.
"Alright, see you later then." Nao said and leave the both of them.
He walked to the teleport gate and sphere light started to glow until he finally disappeared.
"So you won't give up too?" Kirito asked to Asuna after Nao disappear.
"Huh? W-what are you talking about?" Asuna said while blushing slightly.
"Well, I think I need to apologize to you anyway." Kirito said.
"About what?" Asuna asked him.
She could guess actually what he mean and what apology he's talking about. But she let him to finish his word and know for sure what he is talking about.
"I don't know at that time that you like him so I finally tell you the relationship between Sugu and Nao when you ask me about that. If I remember carefully, at the beginning when you tell us, Nao and me about KoB invitation, even though we didn't mind, you didn't look interested at all. However, when Nao and me accidentally talking about Sugu in front of you, and finally you asked me about that when Nao wasn't around, you suddenly accept the invitation and leave us. So, I think I need to apologize to you about that." Kirito said to her and she didn't say anything and let him talking.
"If I'm not tell you at that time, maybe you are the one who will be at Yuna's position right now and be with him already. So, I'm sorry. Maybe, maybe I shouldn't have told you about Sugu and Nao at that time." Kirito said apologetically. Maybe I say something that shouldn't be said at that time. Kirito thought.
"It's alright. I leave back then, well..., their relationship was one of the reason. But, there's another reason too aside of that. So, you needn't to apologize about anything." Asuna said while smiling slightly.
Sugu and Nao's relationship that she know from Kirito before she join the KoB was indeed the reason why she leave their party six month ago. But, she has another reason too. The reason about how she want to chase him, to be beside him even though she know about the relationship.
"I see. Then I will go to. See you next time." Kirito said and leave.
"Un! See you next time." Asuna said to him too.
She look at the sky while smiling brightly after that and still like that for a while until he stood up and leave too. Her mind was clearer now and she will honest to her heart from now on.