A/N: What is this? Has the apocalypse arrived? Nah, I'm just throwing out a bonus chapter for you guys since it's both simultaneously my birthday, AND I get to move off to college tomorrow.

I-I only did this since I thought you'd all be sad if I didn't upload in a long time! I-It's not like I enjoyed writing it or anything! Hmph! Don't get any weird ideas! Baka!

Yea-no. Never doing a Tsundere impression again. That was terrifyingly bad. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and review review review!

Usual Disclaimers Apply.

Chapter 16: A Fireside Chat

Asuna, Aincrad: Floor 22. Coral. D+204

Asuna sighed, staring at the ceiling of her room. Mere hours ago, she'd been so exhausted she couldn't even walk straight, instead relying on Kirito to guide her. However, now that she was safe in a room of the 22nd floor's inn, Asuna found herself refusing to fall asleep.

Instead, chaotic thoughts whirled around her mind, trying to make sense of everything she had learned in the past few days. The idea of time travel was inconceivable to her, and Kirito's references to genocidal aliens, galactic superweapons, and child super soldiers seemed to be ripped straight from an old science fiction novel. If she hadn't been traveling with him for so long, she would've simply dismissed Kirito's claim without a second thought.

But she had been traveling with him for several months. Repeatedly, she had placed her unconditional trust in him to keep her alive. She knew that Kirito wasn't one to simply make up elaborate fictional tales just to impress others. Even if he was such a person, the sheer accuracy and unhesitating confidence with which he spewed out dates and numbers made it incredibly difficult to disprove his claims.

That wasn't even counting the number of times events in the game itself had backed him up. His reaction time and skill with weapons was unparalleled. His plans were brutally efficient, forwarding his goals with military precision. However, Kirito's personality was what finally convinced her that he was telling the truth.

Frankly, it was terrifying how quickly he could switch from a kind and considerate friend into a cold, emotionless killing machine. One moment, he would be talking with her and laughing at her jokes. The next, he'd be fifteen meters ahead with a trail of polygons and exploding mobs to mark his path of destruction. Asuna simply couldn't imagine how Kirito's life must've been like, to treat life so preciously, while simultaneously cutting down groups of living, breathing players without remorse.

Asuna frowned as another question struck her. If Kirito was a supposed to be here to protect the ancestor of some genius theoretical physicist, then why was he bothering with her? Shouldn't he be sticking to the person he was supposed to protect like a second skin instead?

Her eyes widened and she sat up slowly. "Oh," she whispered.

He was sticking to the person he was supposed to protect like a second skin wasn't he? She looked to the side, where Kirito's sleeping form could just be seen on the floor beside her. He'd charged in to protect her on the third day of SAO's release and never left her side since. She'd always wondered why someone as incredibly skilled as he was would willingly slow himself down to match her much slower pace. Turns out, he'd been under orders to do so, to protect her from anything that posed a danger to her life.

It took a moment for the thought to sink in, before she stopped short. What did that mean? Had Kirito helped her and stayed with her not because he viewed her as a precious friend, but because he had orders to do so?

Convulsively, Asuna doubled over, gasping as she clutched her chest.

"Asuna?" Kirito's voice drifted across the room. "What's going on?"

Asuna bit down the sob that threatened to escape. "N-nothing." She managed to croak. "Just going to the bathroom."

Mechanically, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she turned the lights on and stared into the mirror.

"Why? Why does it physically hurt so much? Why do I feel so betrayed?"

Several minutes later, Asuna stepped out and crawled back into bed. Despite Kirito's presence in the room, Aincrad had never felt lonelier.

Kirito, Aincrad: Floor 22. Coral. D+205

"Asuna? Are you alright? You seem really tired."

Kirito's concern was met with a sad smile. "Yeah, these last two days have just been really tiring."

Opening his mouth to further question Asuna, Kirito was interrupted by a yawning Argo as she entered the inn's main floor.

"Morning everyone, how's it going?"

Argo glanced over as Asuna halfheartedly mumbled a reply, before latching herself onto Kirito.

"Ki-bou! There's some questions I want to ask you about the stuff you said yesterday." Not waiting for a reply, she promptly dragged Kirito away from the table.

The moment Asuna was out of sight, Argo spun around to face him.

"Alright Kirito, what did you say to Asuna yesterday? Cause she's moping around like her boyfriend just died."

Confused, Kirito replied, "I didn't say anything yesterday! She was perfectly fine before I fell asleep, and I woke up to find her like that!"

Argo looked at him incredulously. "There's the reason why she's so depressed right now." She muttered to herself.

"Huh?" Kirito looked even more confused.

Argo sighed. "Look, you've been sticking to Asuna like a second shadow ever since this whole mess started. Yesterday, you flat out told her that the only reason you're in this game is to protect a player who is so critically important, that the fate of millions depends on her survival. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure out that Asuna is the one you're protecting."

At Kirito's blank stare, Argo threw her arms up in frustration. "What do you think of Asuna?"

Kirito paused for a second, "Well, she is extraordinarily skilled with her rapier, and she has more courage than some of my peers."

"Not her skills, what do you think of her as a person! Do you consider her a friend? Or is she just another client that you're supposed to protect?"

Kirito hesitated, "I-I don't know what exactly she is. I mean, it's my job to get her through this alive, but I don't think that I've ever enjoyed an escort and protection mission as much as I have this one."

"So you enjoy being around her? You feel like she's a friend to you?"

Kirito froze, thinking deeply about Argo's question. Finally, he shook his head. "I definitely feel that I like her much more than any other person I've guarded before. Unlike my other missions, I really enjoy being around her, but at the same time, it's nothing like the friendship I shared with my fellow Spartans."

"If you never got your orders to protect her, would you still be with her in this game?"

Kirito stiffened, feeling slightly insulted at Argo's words. "Of course I would! I've fought alongside her and I respect her enough to put my life on the line for her!"

"So tell her that! Since you never said anything about why you're sticking around, Asuna probably feels that you don't even care about her well-being outside of your mission!"

A musical beep interrupted their heated conversation, and Kirito idly swiped open his PM inbox. Glancing at the new message, he froze.

"Asuna's leaving early." He said, "Something about helping the Black Cats."

Argo glared at him, "then why are you still standing here? Catch up to her and clear this misunderstanding up!"

Without hesitating, Kirito spun on his heels and sprinted out of the inn. Briefly he heard Argo calling out behind him.

"I'll be expecting your payment for this information later!"

Kirito chuckled slightly, Argo's first priority would always be money. However, he had much greater concerns demanding his attention.

Kirito, Aincrad: Floor 13. Raining Jungle. D+205

"What? Asuna isn't here?" For the first time in his life, Kirito felt panic welling up in his chest.

"No, we thought she would be staying with you for a while." Keita looked confused, they'd never seen Kirito panic before.

Kirito cursed as he turned and ran off without bothering to explain his unexpected visit.

Without breaking step, Kirito pulled open his map and selected Asuna's tab. He frowned in confusion as he saw her blip still on the 22nd floor.

Kirito, Aincrad: Floor 22. Lumberjack Forest. D+205

Forcing down his rising panic, Kirito deliberately slowed down before he entered the forest. Asuna's position hadn't changed from the moment he checked the map on the 13th floor, which meant that Asuna had either stopped to rest, or she'd gotten into trouble. It also meant that she wasn't in immediate danger. With seven bosses killed in a row, Asuna wouldn't have any trouble with the local wildlife and if she were in combat, her dot would be weaving around anyway.

Carefully, Kirito entered the forest, equipping a green cloak as he did so. There would be no harm in taking a longer period of time if Asuna was resting. If she was in trouble, well Kirito preferred to take trouble by surprise.

Kirito, Aincrad: Floor 22. Lumberjack Forest. D+205

Kirito's eyes widened as he slid out of concealment behind a thick tree. Forcing himself to slow down, he moved into the cover afforded by a cluster of bushes as he processed what his eyes were showing him.

On the edges of a clearing, a group of hooded players sat chatting over a fire. However, that wasn't what made his heart leap into his throat. Bound to a tree on the edge of the clearing, Asuna stood with her head bowed.

Automatically, Kirito felt his Nagant settle into the palm of his hand. Bringing the weapon up, he took note of the light breeze and the distance to the target. His finger was already on the trigger before Kirito stopped.

Slowly, Kirito pulled his rifle back, and scanned his surroundings. He spotted two sentries sitting in the treetops, and he took note of their positions and lines of sight. Carefully, he crawled out of his bush and towards Asuna's tree, taking care to avoid the sentries' positions.

It took an excruciating 15 minutes for Kirito to crawl into position behind Asuna's tree. In order to remain ready to act immediately if something went wrong, he'd decided to keep the Nagant ready for use as he moved, forcing him to move much slower than he otherwise would've.

Keeping an eye on both sentries, Kirito slowly pushed himself into a crouch. Praying for Asuna to remain silent, he carefully tapped her hand.

Asuna stiffened, but otherwise gave no other outward indication. Silently, Kirito let out a sigh of relief.

"Stay still, I'll have you free in a moment." Kirito whispered. His voice was barely louder than the rustling of the leaves, but the slight shift in Asuna's hair told him that she'd nodded.

"Sorry, I'm just making your job harder aren't I?"

Kirito paused, detecting a tiny sob in her voice.

He hesitated, before smiling slightly. She wouldn't be able to see it, but hopefully she would hear it in his voice itself. "If it's for a friend, I'd give my life away in a second."

Asuna stiffened again, "F-For a friend?" She sounded hesitant, scared, even. "I'm not just a target that you've been ordered to protect?"

Kirito sighed, "Asuna, it's almost been a year since I'd thought that way. For months now, I've held you with the same respect that I held my fellow Spartans. Back in my old squad, such respect went unspoken, and I never realized that it had to be verbally expressed."

Kirito let out a quiet laugh, "It took Argo yelling at me for several minutes before I even realized how much you've started to mean to me. Another five before I understood why, you were so depressed from me not explaining myself."

Asuna chuckled quietly, and Kirito was relieved to hear a note of happiness within.

"You idiot," Asuna laughed quietly.

Kirito rapped her knuckles which were still tied in place behind the tree. "Quiet there and let me think how to get you out of this bind."

He opened his menu, and cursed when he realized his knife had been destroyed by the golem two days ago. In his haste to catch up to Asuna, he'd forgotten to have it replaced. Both his regular and backup swords had gone the same way as well, leaving him without a blade capable of cutting Asuna free.

"Kirito? What is it?" Asuna's voice filtered around the trunk.

"Have a knife on you? I still need to get mine replaced." He whispered back.

"Yes, of course I have a knife on me, just hold on a second and let me open my inventory." Asuna's sarcastic quip caused Kirito to chuckle.

However, humor wouldn't get Asuna out of her current situation, and Kirito frowned in thought. Maybe if he used that –

He discarded the thought immediately. The light and sound would be a dead giveaway to Asuna's captors.

His choices ran dry when he heard a shout of surprise and anger behind him.

Acting on instinct Kirito whirled around, sighting the new threat and firing his rifle in a heartbeat. He heard a strangled yell and a thump, followed shortly by breaking glass.

Kirito swore, mentally beating himself for his carelessness. Just because he spotted two sentries didn't mean there weren't more!

Whirling back to his original problem of freeing Asuna, Kirito made a split second decision. An ethereal, twin-pronged blade erupted from the device in his hand with a crackling hiss, smoking as he expertly nicked the edge of Asuna's bindings. Courtesy of one of the seven bosses killed the day before, the energy sword burned through the ropes in an instant and Kirito stepped out from behind the tree and in front of Asuna to give her time to recover.

The hooded figures hesitated, before drawing their weapons and continuing to advance.

Kirito's rifle shimmered, vanishing into his inventory as he took up a combat stance with the magnetically stabilized blade of superheated plasma.

"Well, if it isn't our Asuna's little boy-toy." The lead figure sneered, advancing another step further.

Kirito tensed, ready to spring into action at the slightest movement. "That's far enough" he hissed.

"Kirito, they outnumber us ten to one! We have to get out of here!" Asuna called over his shoulder.

Kirito grunted, "You get away first, I'll cover you until you're in a safe area."

"That's right girlie! Leave your boyfriend here and run along now!"

Asuna's fist clenched in anger. Swiftly she equipped her rapier and stood beside Kirito. "That's not going to happen. You're several months too late for me to be content with letting myself be protected by others."

Another robed figure sniffed, "This is getting boring Kibaou, let's kill these two and take their drops already."

Both players stiffened at the name. "Kibaou?"

The lead player laughed, "Of course! Did you think I wouldn't want revenge for those you killed on the first floor?! Because of your selfish actions, several of my friends died!" He directed his anger at Asuna, "And you! Did you think I'd forget how you humiliated me after the Beater left? No, no, today, I'll avenge my friends by killing you, and then I'll have some fun with your girlfriend as well!"

Kirito gritted his teeth, "Asuna, get away as fast as you can. You don't want to see what's going to happen next."

Asuna shook her head, "Even you can't face this many at once. I thought I lost you when you revealed your secret. I'm not going to let it happen for real this time."

She looked at him, only to see Kirito staring back, a slight smile on his face. Slowly, his smile widened.

"I never told you this before have I?"

Confused, Asuna shook her head.

Within the space of a second, Kirito's eyes changed, lifting the veil of kindness which had been concealing the terrifying depths of anger within.

"Spartans. Never. Die."

The next instant, Asuna found herself flung backwards by an incredibly powerful push. Dazed, she looked up just in time to see Kirito leap into combat.

Kirito's crackling blade sizzled as it bisected one player before the group could even react. Two more fell to his blade before Kiabaou scrambled backwards, pointing at Kirito with a shaking finger. "Kill him! Kill him now!"

One swordsman, either braver or simply stupider than the rest, rushed Kirito with a cry, bringing his sword down with all his might. His eyes met Kirito's, whose contemptuous expression never changed as he raised the flat of his blade to meet the strike. The doomed swordsman watched in horror as his blade simply vaporized on contact. The last thing he saw in the game was the double-pronged blade of plasma coming down, surrounded by glowing motes of what used to be his own blade.

Uncertainly, the surviving players advanced upon Kirito. Shield bearers cowered behind their defenses, trying to take comfort in the support of their comrades beside them. Kirito simply smiled chillingly, leaping forward and cutting down the central tank, shield and all. Halfway into his stroke, he twisted his sword and swiped sideways, scything through the entire right flank like he was cutting a pastry.

Terrified of Kirito's sweeping blade, the tanks on the remaining flank backpedaled furiously, just in time to meet the blades of their teammates as they rushed forward, oblivious to the fate of their supporting flank. Kirito stepped back, letting his opponents recover and regroup. It was the polite thing to do after all.

Calmly, Kirito watched as his groaning opponents struggled to their feet, squabbling over the ownership of certain weapons and equipment. Seeing the disorganized rabble, Kirito raised an eyebrow. Steadily walking forward, the squabbling died down immediately as they all rallied to face the more immediate threat.

Smoke twirled around the clearing, lazily drawing patterns in the air. Idly, Kirito realized that the sickening stench of burning flesh hung heavily over the clearing. Underlying it, the sharp, stinging smell of superheated plasma caused his nose to twitch.

Kirito smiled, taking a deep breath of air. "Reminds me of home." He said.

Cries of terror rose into the air as he strode straight into the middle of the survivors. Terrified, they retreated from him until he was standing in the middle of a circle, facing a ring of shaking swords.

Everyone froze for an instant, before activity exploded from the ring. Molten metal flew into the air, mixed with the polygons that used to be an unfortunate player. Lazily, Kirito flicked his sword to the side, impaling another player, before kicking out at a third. The force of his kick was so great, that the force of the player impacting a tree was enough to deplete all of the trunk's hitpoints. The would-be avenger died with a health potion in his hands and a stupid expression on his face.

Kirito grinned. "Eleven down, anyone else care for a shot?"

The nine remaining players paled, before turning to run. Kirito laughed, easily crossing the distance in a few bounds, four more players shattered apart. One of the last survivors desperately swung his sword. Kirito grabbed the offending arm and gave it a vicious twist. Ignoring his attacker's cry of pain, he kicked out. The scream was cut off abruptly as the player was disconnected from his arm. The player's body hit one of his allies, sending the other tumbling down onto the ground. Again, Kirito gave chase to his three remaining enemies, stopping only to impale the downed player with his energy sword.

Growing tired of his game, Kirito threw his sword at his retreating enemies and drew his rifle. Taking aim, he casually put the last two players out of their misery with quick shots to the head. Frowning slightly as he inspected his remaining rounds, Kirito idly made a mental note to get more made. He only carried twenty at a time, and he'd used up fifteen in yesterday's boss fight, leaving him with only three left.

Casually plucking his sword from the ground, he turned and approached the terrified Kiabou.

"W-W-What? T-That's impossible! You murderer! You Demon!"

Kirito smiled humorlessly. "Demon? Man, it's been forever since I've heard someone call me that! Today's just one bit of nostalgia after another!"

Reaching down, he bodily lifted Kibaou up. Placing the hilt of his energy sword on Kibaou's stomach, he spoke the last words Kibaou would ever hear.

"Before the first floor boss, you whined about the beta testers having an advantage over you. Then, I thought you were misinformed, terrified, and angry for being trapped against your will in this game. After the boss fight, you took a chance and turned the entire game against me. Then I thought you were a whiny little bitch, waiting for everything to fall into your lap. Now, I know better." He shoved the hilt of the energy sword to give emphasis to his words. "You're not a player, terrified and clinging to straws. You aren't even a spoiled, lazy brat waiting for the sky to fall into his lap. No, you're just a coward. For that, I pity you."

Kibaou didn't even get to scream as the glowing blade of plasma appeared again, impaling him instantly. For a moment he slid down, victim of the game's artificial gravity. Finally, he burst apart, never to appear again.

Asuna, Aincrad: Floor 22. Lumberjack Forest. D+205

For the briefest moment after Kibaou's death, Asuna hesitated, fearful of Kirito's actions. Throughout her entire period of time in Aincrad, she'd never seen Kirito fight in such a terrifyingly cruel manner. It was almost as if he was a completely different person. One who took extraordinary pleasure in listening to his victims' pleas for mercy before murdering them in the most painful way possible.

However, Asuna rushed forward, doubts forgotten as soon as she saw Kirito collapse onto his knees, visibly trembling. Placing her hands on his shoulder, Asuna remained silent. What could she say after witnessing such a terrifying display of violence?

"Of all the generations of Spartans, many considered my birth generation, the threes to be failures." Kirito's voice was just above a whisper.

"The Twos were created to be the perfect soldier, indoctrinated and trained for war at incredibly young ages. However, the Twos were incredibly expensive to manufacture. A single soldier's armor alone cost about the same as an entire capital ship. The Fours and Fives on the other hand, were created with economical costs in mind, taken from a body of volunteers and given genetic augmentations far more reliable than those given to the Twos, and only slightly less effective. However, the Threes were an entirely different story."

Kirito laughed bitterly, "My birth generation was specifically directed towards the creation of cheap, effective soldiers. In other words, it was riddled with defects which were considered acceptable due to our temporary designs. The first company of Threes was Alpha Company. They were only in service for nine months before almost all of the 497 candidates were killed. Beta Company lasted even shorter, at a mere three months before they too were sent on a suicide mission. Gamma Company survived slightly longer, but their new augmentations created bouts of chronic psychopathy which had to be continuously suppressed with a monthly drug."

His smile twisted sarcastically. "To give you an idea of how long they lasted on average, the UNSC only produced enough of the counteracting drug to last a single year. There's still a surplus in their stockpiles. As the only member of Delta, I received the same augmentations. The shift to this time period might've physically erased all my augmentations, but my mind is a completely different matter. Every once in a while, when I'm pushed past my mental threshold, this happens."

He gestured at the clearing with a trembling hand. "If you want me to stay away after this, I understand. I'll leave and keep an eye on you from the shadows."

Kirito knew he was rambling, but even he was too shaken by his own actions to care. It terrified him how easily the psychotic killer madness had overtaken him the moment he let his anger get the better of him. He was in a new body damn it! The augmentations should've been erased! However, he clearly realized that the augmentations had left some residual effects. His incredible reaction times attested to that.

Kirito stiffened when Asuna wrapped her arms around him for the second time in three days.

"Didn't I tell you that I'm staying? I've already told you how unwilling I am to lose you again."

Kirito hesitated, "And the random bouts of psychopathy?"

Asuna smiled, "I'll deal with that when it comes up again, but I have the feeling that it won't."

They stayed together for several minutes, motionless, before Asuna raised her head to asked a question.

"Hey, Kirito, do you know who the other Fujikawa's other ancestor is?"

Kirito shifted, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading. "I-I don't understand what you're asking.

Asuna laughed slightly, "The person I'm going to marry in the future, do you know his name?"

"Y-yes, why?" Alarm bells were ringing in Kirito's head, telling him to change the subject. However, he just couldn't come up with one fast enough.

"Can you tell me who it is?"

Kirito froze. If it had been at SAO's start, he'd have told her in a heartbeat. The fate of the universe was much more important after all. He still should, given the importance of the universe's fate. However, he simply couldn't. By telling her that he was the one she was asking about, he'd basically be forcing her into a relationship by playing on her sense of duty. At that moment, Kirito realized that somewhere since SAO's launch, he'd started to place Asuna's happiness over his mission.

"Damn the Universe, damn it to hell." He whispered.

"Hmm? What was that?" Kirito could feel Asuna's eyes on him, and the teasing note was obvious.

Kirito took a deep breath, "No, I can't tell you who it is. You're going to have to decide that on your own."

"Huh, that's disappointing," Asuna muttered, before standing up.

Kirito released a breath. Somehow, he had the feeling that he'd just passed a very critical test.

"Well, I suppose it's time to get back to the Black Cats, they must be going nuts by now." Asuna spun around, taking care to hide her smile from Kirito.

Silently, Asuna congratulated herself. She never needed Kirito to tell her who she would grow to love. Why would she need him to? Her feelings were already clear to herself, and Kirito's own actions confirmed it. Why else would he allow her so close to him, when she was destined to be with another?

Internally, Asuna did a small dance of joy. Kirito's answer had done nothing to hide the truth. It only served to tell Asuna about Kirito's own feelings. And she was quite happy with what it told her.

A/N: Yay! one of the first chapters to show a measurable change in Kirito and Asuna's team dynamic! *sniffle* Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!