Scouting Truth

By: Lord Archive

Sword Art Online belongs to Reki Kawahara and licensed by ASCII Media Works, Madman Entertainment, and Aniplex USA. All rights reserved and used without consent.

Suguha almost groaned upon hearing about the final school event for junior high. A bonfire was going to be held in two weeks, the Friday night before graduation and after the students had finished all the senior high school placements exams. Most of her classmates would already know which school they would be attending. The ones who wouldn't know were either the students who had yet to pick which school that had accepted them or the ones that were waiting on the undecided students to choose a senior high and hope they would get the resulting vacancy from the school those students had turned down.

Having already been accepted to a senior high school for her skills in kendo, Suguha already knew which senior high school she would be attending since January. She did not need to go to the bonfire for her last chance to let classmates know where she would be attending, or deal with the stress relief of having to fight to get into her school of choice. Actually, the bonfire would be a source of stress for her as nearly every third year guy would be lining up to ask her out. She knew very well these boys weren't going to ask her to be their date because they liked her, they wanted to go out with her chest.

Suguha wished she could take Kazuto. While there was technically nothing against the rules for it, it would raise questions why she would take her brother of a cousin. Not to mention she didn't want Kazuto to do something reckless and end up with yet another suitor. He had more than enough girls vying for his attention as it was. Despite the noise of battle, Sakuya had heard her call Kirito 'oniichan,' and was now messaging her for information on him. Alicia Rue would as well if given the chance. Then there was that girl she met while visiting Asuna, while she introduced herself as Shinozaki Rika, Asuna and Kazuto kept calling her Liz. Along with an overly thin appearance, obviously the girl was an SAO survivor and had complained to her that Asuna 'saw Kirito first.'

Most of the guys in her classroom had turned to look at Suguha, one was even dating a girl, yet there thoughts were clear to her. Oddly Nagata wasn't one of those boys as he looked away dejected. She frowned as she still had not told him anything about Kirito or how ALO was 'defeated.' She certainly owed him something for his help. Though while the school bonfire was certainly a time couples could go out, even for the students whose parents felt dating was a distraction or their child was too young to date, it didn't really have to be a situation to go out with someone.

As the homeroom teacher wrapped up the announcements instead of leaving as Suguha planned, she set her hasty plan in motion. "Nagata-kun, want to go with me to the bonfire?"

"EH?!" exploded from the various students, including the boy in question.

Nagata glanced over at her. "Sure you don't want to invite Kirito?"

Suguha folded her arms. "I'm not about to take my own brother to something like this."

Nagata stared at her with unseeing eyes. "Your... brother?"

Suguha nodded. "Kirito is my brother, KIRIgaya kazuTO."

Nagata looked sheepishly at her. "Here I thought... Sorry."

Suguha fought hard not to smirk. The boy wasn't wrong to think that way, more she really shouldn't be thinking of her first cousin in such a manner, especially as he was all but engaged already considering Kazuto didn't even blink when Asuna started talking about having children. If she started mentioning any desire of wanting a family, she'd quickly lose a lot of the boys who failed to look higher than her chest while talking to her. The problem with that sort of tactic would result in the remaining boys being more insistent and none with the intent of staying with her after 'helping start a family.' In truth Nagata had a better chance than any other guy in the room to see her nude, and she had no intention of letting that happen.

Nagata shifted uneasily as the entire class stared at him. "I... Of course I want to go out with Sugu... er... Kirigaya-san."

"What the hell?!" cried out one boy in protest.

Suguha merely smirked as she grabbed her kendo equipment. If not for her responsibilities to the kendo club and needing information concerning graduation, she wouldn't have even bothered to show up. At this point, school was more formality for most of the third year students, where the only tests left were for the lowest of senior high schools that almost anyone could get into.

"Do you have a thing for nerds?"

Suguha let out a groan. This wasn't the first time she was stopped and asked questions by some guy who felt they 'deserved' a date with her more than someone like Nagata. Though he was the first to ask that sort of question. She was about to shoot it down. After all who liked nerds? Yet while Nagata might be the poster child for being a nerd, the truth was that Kazuto was also a card carrying member. "I guess I do prefer the company of guys who actually have some intelligence."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the guy demanded.

Suguha smirked. "Just by asking that, it shows you failed."

The boy took a threatening step forward. "What does the stupid nerd have that I don't?"

"Let's try that he can hold an actual conversation with me." Suguha pushed her wrapped shinai against his chin to make him look her in the eyes. "I'm not about to go out with a moron."

The boy tried to grab her weapon but came up with only with air. "I'm more of a man than he'll ever be!"

"Shall I correct that?" Suguha growled brandishing her weapon.

"You think you can beat a man?" the boy sneered.

"Show me one and I'll give it a try. I've defeated every member of the kendo teams, including the boys, and you wouldn't stand a chance against them. So why would you think you have a chance against *me?* And in case you haven't realized it, you've given me far more reason to *never* go out with you. I don't want someone who is stronger or thinks with his fists or his dick." Suguha whirled around. "And I better not hear about someone attacking Nagata-kun, or you'll be the first to find out how strong I really am."

"How come other guys get the girls but never me?" the guy cried out as if he cursed the sky.

Suguha shook her head as she walked off. With his attitude toward girls he was the one making sure they didn't date him.

Nagata waited for the shoe to drop. So far no one had even talked to him. He could tell the other guys in his class were upset. After all, how did the dateless nerd end up being the only guy that Kirigaya would even bother talking to? And now she had asked HIM out on a date. Such things never happened to geeks like him. He would not be surprised to get ambushed after he left the school. After all, if he was injured he couldn't go on the date. He wished he could use his abilities as Recon to slip some paralyzing poison on them to keep them out of the way long enough to make it home safely.

"Shinichi-kun, can I have a word with you?"

Nagata blinked. That was no guy asking him that but Matsuki Mihoshi. In some ways Matsuki could be considered prettier that Kirigaya having a much slimmer build and easy going way she carried herself. She certainly garnered the attention of the guys that preferred less developed girls. Why would she talk to him? He didn't want to anger the guys any more than he already had. He hoped she wouldn't ask for them to meet in private, he would have to refuse. Kirigaya might beat him up before the guys would have a chance. "I... er... have a minute... I guess."

Mihoshi pouted at him. "I'm pretty sure I'm asking what everyone else wants to know, why is someone like Kirigaya-chan interested in you?"

Nagata shifted uneasily. "I'm not really sure how to answer that. I can't really go into how I've gotten to know her, but if there's one thing I've noticed is that she doesn't like people who wear false faces. I am who I am and knows I won't act differently."

Mihoshi started to giggle. "If you're right, you might be the only boy for her."

Nagata smiled sheepishly. "I can hope."

Mihoshi then tilted her head. "But if she likes honesty, why can't you say how you've gotten to know her?"

Nagata frowned. "Because it relates to a personal matter that I can't go into, mostly as I don't know all the details."

Mihoshi made a cute little sound that some how carried a note of sympathy. "Kirigaya-chan really sounds awful. Expecting you to act one way, and yet acts the opposite way herself. Why put up with someone who doesn't hold the same values for herself." The girl suddenly took a fearful step back at the sheer look of anger the boy suddenly generated.

"Suguha-chan is honest and doesn't lie. She just hasn't explained to me her family issues that related to what she needed help with. And if what I suspect is true, you would hardly be talking about it either!" Nagata spat out venomously.

Mihoshi tried to return the glare, but could not come close to the rage Nagata had shown. "Then how come you didn't know about her brother?"

"Because he was the root of the family issues. She needed my help to help him, but since the problems were his she was not able to tell me," Nagata finished with a huff. He grabbed his book-bag. "I've got somewhere else to be."

That class watched in stunned silence as Shinichi stormed out of the room.

"Shinichi bitched out Matsuki-chan?!" a boy cried out in surprise.

"He's got more balls than I thought," another boy joked.

Suguha was beginning to be irritated with herself. She was spending far too much time getting ready to meet Nagata. She would be leaving soon, but if she left now she would get there early and she hardly wanted the boy to think she was eager to see him. He was just a friend, nothing more. She was rather thankful she was home alone, her mother and Kazuto would be teasing her about this 'date.'

The front door suddenly opened causing Suguha to jump, she them pouted as the black devil of her thoughts lethargically entered her home.

"Oh, today is your big date with Recon, huh?" Kazuto tiredly mentioned.

"It's not a date," Suguha retorted quickly, but then pouted seeing how... vacant her brother appeared. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kazuto replied, seemingly uncertain with his own words.

"How was your meeting with that government guy?" Suguha wondered.

"He said some unpleasant things, as usual," Kazuto groused. "I'll tell you about it later. Don't want to make you late for your date."

Suguha defiantly put her hands on her hips. "I told you it's not a date. He just deserves some answers to what happened with ALO. Besides, you're the one paying for this meeting, not him."

Kazuto lazily waved his hand. "You should've told him everything already. And don't hold anything back on my account. He should know about his soon-to-be big brother."

"Are you asking for another trip to the hospital?!" Suguha cried out with a thick blush.

Kazuto barely managed a laugh as he moved past her.

Suguha scowled darkly at his retreating form. He was intentionally trying to make her upset. Did his meeting with the government official go badly? And why did he look so lost? His vacant stare that failed to focus on anything. A look not unlike he had when he found out Asuna had not awakened after SAO had been defeated. She definitely wanted to know what had made her brother upset, but if she tried to get him to tell her now she would be seriously late on meeting up with Nagata. She would find out what was troubling him today, if she had to beat it out of him.

Leaving her home, Suguha made her way to the American styled restaurant she promised to meet Nagata at. She disliked the notion of having dinner with him as it would make this seem more like a date. However, he did deserve to know about what was truly going on. Especially after his verbal spat with Matsuki, where he managed to defend how he got to know her and yet not explain what they had been doing. Something she had failed to do when mentioning her brother's name in Virtual Reality games. While she did not spend any real time on forums and other messaging services, even she noticed her brother's fame on ALO was now rather high despite the game currently being offline due to the scandal.

"Su... ah... Kirigaya-san." Nagata waved sheepishly at her approach.

A frowned formed on Suguha's lips. "I want to make something clear... this isn't a real date. We're meeting here so I can explain some things. Oniichan is paying for this to thank us for helping him."

Nagata slouched. "I understand."

Suguha didn't like the feeling she got from his dejected look. She was tempted to give him some hope they might one day go on a real date, but she didn't want him to go too far with such thoughts. "Let's go in."

The restaurant wasn't particularly expensive being one that catered toward a family night out and gave patrons both chopstick and western eating utensils, though the two were hardly the only couple there. Suguha blushed slightly as she asked for a more private seating. After their orders were placed, an uncomfortable silence fell over them.

Suguha had been going over what to say for a while. The problem was, she didn't know where to begin.

"Can I ask you a question?" Nagata nervously put forth.

Suguha could only answer with a nod.

"Was your brother one of the Sword Art Online victims?" Nagata wondered for more reasons than the skills he showed in Alfhiem Online.

Suguha let out a sigh. "Yes. Though for some reason he has been very tight lipped about a lot of what happened within the game. The one thing I do know was that he fell in love with a girl who was also trapped in it."

Nagata nodded slowly. He almost said something, but his dinner date continued.

"However, when the game cleared she had not awakened. Some had wondered if Kayaba had something to do with that as no one knows where he is or what happened to him. The truth was something else. The Grand Quest was more of a lie than we knew. There was no city on top of Yggdrasil, it was a research facility. The three hundred people that didn't wake from SAO had their minds trapped within ALO. The guy in charge of running ALO at Retco was using them to learn how to implant memories, to alter the mind, to learn how to control people. My brother did not know any of that. All he knew was his beloved Asuna was trapped atop Yggdrasil and nothing would stop him from rescuing her," Suguha explained seriously.

"And so a survivor from SAO manages to complete in under a week something tens of thousands of players failed to do in over a year." Nagata shook his head. "I can see why ALO has been shut down for over a month now."

"It'll be back up soon. Asuna's father is the CEO of Retco and my brother is pushing for him to reinstate the game. They're just trying to figure out how to handle the public relations mess resulting from the inhuman experiments the former executive carried out," Suguha informed.

"Is there some reason you're not naming the executive?" Nagata wondered.

Suguha looked away. "The man was supposed to be Asuna's fiance, the next heir to Retco. He had everything my brother or you could've ever wanted. Yet he wanted more. Now the creep is sitting in jail for assaulting my brother and prosecutors are putting a case together for three hundred counts of kidnapping among other charges. He wanted to be God-King Oberon, hopefully he's already someone's bitch. And it's because of that creep that Asuna's father will likely have to retire much earlier than planned."

Nagata nodded slowly. It wasn't that Suguha didn't know the name, it was that she didn't want to know it and was intentionally not giving it in hopes she would forget it and the person associated with those crimes. He was certainly thankful of the information in regards to ALO, but there was something lacking in her words in regards to her brother. "For the crimes against your brother, he deserves no less... Now has your brother told you anything about what happened within SAO?"

Suguha shook her head. "He hasn't really said much of anything. And I doubt it's because of the agreement with the government."

Nagata blinked. "Agreement?"

Suguha tried to smile. "Apparently since my brother was one of the beta testers, he knew more about what really was going on and he was able to submit testimonies against Kayaba for a trial if they ever catch him alive."

"I see." Nagata shifted uneasily. "I think I've found out a few things about him. After the fight with Eugene, talk exploded on the ALO forums. A dual-wielding swordsman in black defeated the strongest player of ALO. At first there was outrage about the Spriggan-Undine Union talking trade with Sylph and Cait Sith being a bold lie. Then came comments about the dual-wielding swordsman in black of SAO. The player who figured out Kayaba had been hiding in the game, challenged him and defeated him at the seventy-fifth level."

Suguha looked at the boy strangely. "That doesn't mean that was my brother."

"I'm afraid it does." Nagata sighed. "There was only one dual-wielder in all of SAO, and that was the player Kirito, in-game husband to Asuna the Flash. Once word got out the Kirito of ALO was desperately trying to find someone, that three hundred people from SAO had been trapped in ALO. Two posters in particularly stood out as they didn't just mention Kirito, but mentioned Asuna by name. They figured out Kirito had to have been looking for Asuna and were upset at him for not tracking them down to help. One of them commented that once he knew SAO stats transferred he should've contacted her to at least smith a weapon for him."

Suguha blinked. "What? You knew everything already!?"

Nagata nodded shyly. "None of this was confirmed until you told me. And you told me more than I could find out from the forums and other sources. There was certainly no mention of Sugou-san being Asuna-san's fiance."

Suguha leaned back in her chair. Confusion dancing in her head. "Why didn't he tell me HE was the one to clear the game?"

Nagata bit his lip. "I suspect your brother might be of the same thought as the other poster..."

"What do you mean?" Suguha pressed.

"The poster said he was at the final battle. He didn't think Kayaba could've been behind the three hundred sleepers..." Nagata trailed off weakly.

"Why not?" Suguha demanded but suspected the answer wasn't something she'd like.

"The poster believes when Kayaba died in the game... he had died for real. That he had put himself at the same level as all the other players." Nagata looked at the girl weakly. "From what I learned about Kayaba, I think he was right. That to finish the game, your brother killed Kayaba."

Suguha eyes were completely unfocused. Her brother, the boy she had grown up with, thought she knew so well, had killed someone. With it being a full battle, that would've been the intent. The victor lives, the loser dies. Either the game continued with the death of her brother, or it ended with Kayaba's corpse rotting in some hidden location all in a reckless winner takes all gambit. She got to see what her brother was like as Kirito, and believed he would be capable of such a thing. She seemed to deflate as those thoughts sank in. The possibility was too great to ignore.

"I'm sorry... Perhaps I shouldn't have been the one to tell you..." Nagata apologized weakly.

Suguha shook her head. "I should be thanking you. I knew some of this information had to be out there. That some of the survivors would be talking. I just wasn't sure I wanted to know. If it was important, certainly my brother would tell me."

"Maybe he was waiting for when Kayaba was found," Nagata offered. "After all we still can't be sure that he died with the game or not. If they discover Kayaba is still alive, your brother didn't kill him."

Suguha closed her eyes which forced out a few tears. "I believe I'm in for a talk when I get home. My brother had a meeting with a government official this morning. When he came home he seemed... off. I really don't know how to explain what he was like. But with what you told me... I... I think they may have found Kayaba's body."

Nagata frowned as he looked away. "I would understand if you don't want to go to the bonfire now..."

"If this is the case, my brother will need some time. Besides, this may be the last time I get to see some of our classmates. We're not all going to the same senior high schools," Suguha rationalized, but the truth was she didn't want to see her brother yet. She had to come to terms that she may not have known him as well as she had thought.

Nagata nodded sadly. While he would not miss many of his classmates, he feared that this might be the last school outing he would get to share with Suguha. Even if they were going to the same senior high school, he was bound toward sciences while Suguha likely would take a path towards social services. With such focuses, it was unlikely they would share a classroom again.

Suguha tried to lose herself to her food, yet thoughts still went back to her other world. "How did Eugene take losing to my brother?"

Nagata smirked. "He was initially rather upset that he had been lied too. Though when he found out that he was likely defeated by the savior of SAO, he seemed proud to have had the chance to fight him. And if not for Eugene's defeat and the suspicion that Kirito was the one to clear SAO, there might not have been as much of a rush to come to his aid. Once Sakuya and Alicia Rue learned that the Kirito who saved them from the Salamanders may have been the same person to have saved over six thousand people from SAO, they felt even more indebted to him."

"And to think my geek of a brother would be able to motivate so many people. That he may very well be a hero that saved thousands," Suguha muttered, afraid at what the cost of that was.

Nagata fidgeted in the moment of silence that followed. He wanted to get off talking about VRMMOs as the subject would lead back to her brother. "So... um... What are you going to miss about junior high?"

"The kendo team," Suguha replied with little thought. Poking at her food, she continued, "I'm starting to see what sensei meant when he said I was developing peculiar habits."

Nagata looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"When I joined the kendo team I already knew all the standard forms from my family's school and could perform them in my sleep. I even got to teach some of guys how to do some of the more complicated attacks. And while I could adapt to opponents not falling in line with kendo forms I'm used to, I had still remained rigidly using those styles of attacks." Suguha almost sighed as the boy still didn't look like he understood. "I had practiced textbook kendo. Kazuto had also been trained in my family's style of kendo, but his style of fighting is completely different. It is an art he developed on his own fighting in SAO. While I have been practicing kendo, it's always been to the core of the school. I had not made it my own. My time fighting in ALO has caused me to learn different ways of fighting and that has bled into my kendo matches. I'm no longer using the Kirigaya school of kendo, but developing Suguha's style of fighting."

"Ah!" Nagata chirped, believing he understood. "So rather than rely on the tried and practiced attacks passed down from your family's school, you're learning what works best for Suguha-chan."

Suguha pointed her butter-knife at the boy. "I'll let that slide this time."

Nagata laughed sheepishly, knowing she meant how he had referred to her.

"So, what will you be missing the most from junior high?" Suguha sent back, though he may find the knife pointed at him again if he said he'd miss her the most. She bit her lip as she saw him squirm, fear of his answer began to fill her.

"Well, for the past year... being able to talk to you in person," Nagata admitted.

Suguha frowned. "Why wouldn't we continue to talk?"

"As Recon and Leafa, certainly, but not necessarily as Kirigaya and Shinichi. At least not nearly as often," Nagata pointed out. "What sorts of careers are you looking at having?"

Suguha shrugged weakly. "Not real sure myself. Only thing I've really considered so far is teaching kendo."

Nagata nodded. "As I suspected of Kirigaya-san. I'm likely to focus on graphic designs. Creating virtual images whether in games or movies. As such we are unlikely to be in the same classroom, even if I decide to go to your school."

"You haven't decided yet?" Suguha asked with no small amount of surprise.

"While it is tempting to at least go to the same school as Kirigaya-san, it may not be the best fit for me. Two other high schools have better science programs," Nagata explained shyly.

"And here I thought you'd still follow me like a lost puppy," Suguha joked with a weak laugh.

"I may not be able to do so as Shinichi, but as Recon I'll forever be your loyal dog!" Nagata proclaimed.

Suguha waved her hands. "There's no need to take it that far."

Nagata grabbed her right hand. "I mean it Suguha-chan! I'm yours for eternity! If you ever need anything, I'll be there for you!" He then squeaked and let go as her free hand was now pointing the butter-knife threateningly at him.

"I'll tell you when... *IF* you can call me with that name," Suguha shot at him with a huff.

"Sorry," Nagata squeaked out. "But I do mean it."

Suguha let out a sigh, knowing he really did. To be honest his devotion to her was a bit scary. At least he was not a full fledged stalker. He certainly wasn't as bad as Asuna apparently was in trying to get her brother's attention, repeatedly going out of her way to come up with some excuse to see him. While Asuna was recovering in the hospital from functionally being in a comma for over two years, her brother's girlfriend was rather talkative during her visits. At least in telling her about the romantic experiences with Kazuto, or to be more percise: the failed attempts to get his attention. It seemed odd now that Asuna didn't mention much about her adventures in the game.

The setting sun was a clear sign that the bonfire would begin soon. While neither of them were particularly wanted to go, they still made their way from the restaurant to their school. They were not surprised that a number of their classmates were already in attendance.

"Well, if it isn't the least likely couple ever!" one of the guys called out.

"Don't let it bother you," Suguha almost growled. "He's just jealous."

"Damn straight!" the guy retorted.

Nagata was rather confused at that. The only times anyone wanted to be 'him' was when it was time to take home school report cards. Seeing as he was consistently in the top ten students of the school, his parents certainly had nothing to complain about. Course if he hadn't kept good grades he wouldn't have been allowed to play ALO. Though he knew well if he devoted the time he played VRMMOs to school instead, the top two students would instead be in a three-way battle. There was hardly any point in studying until you dropped. If he didn't have some fun, what was the point of living? And he certainly got to experience fun and adventure thanks to the girl next to him, if only she would've let him truly complete the experience with romance.

"Well if it isn't Kirigaya-kun and Shinichi-chan," one of the girls from their class said in a teasing tone. "Honestly, Kirigaya, if you're going to try to convince us you like guys, you really should've picked one that can't pass for a ten-year-old girl."

"Wha?!" Nagata cried out.

"Want to come over here and say that, Watanabe?" Suguha spat.

"Sensei! Kirigaya is threatening me with manly strength," Watanabe venomously joked.

Nagata blinked. Suguha was being teased? Why would anyone do that? Course she probably never had to deal with actual physical attacks, considering that was functionally suicidal. So the girl resorted to words to hurt her, but why?

"Does Watanabe-chan like, Kirigaya-chan?" Mihoshi chirped in, announcing her presence.

"Wha?!" Watanabe jumped staring at the girl. Her face turned several shades of red. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why would it matter if Kirigaya-chan liked boys or girls? It's not like she'd sit there and watch us while we changed for gym. If anything you looked around more than she did." Mihoshi tilted her head. "The only reason I can think of is if Watanabe-chan liked girls and wanted to know if Kirigaya-chan likes them too so you could have her."

"Why... I..." Watanabe let out a scream of frustration as she stormed away.

"She would be a lot happier if she was honest with herself." Mihoshi smirked at Suguha and Nagata. "Course the two of you should be honest with each other and yourselves as well."

"Actually, she has told me everything now," Nagata replied sheepishly.

Mihoshi clapped her hands together. "Did she tell you how she feels about you? Does she really like you?"

Nagata opened his mouth, but nothing could come out.

Suguha looked away. "I can hardly be 'honest' with myself if I don't even know how I feel. Nagata-kun is a friend, certainly, but beyond that, if there is anything beyond that, I don't know."

Mihoshi sighed wistfully. "I suppose I can understand that. I just thought it could be a beautiful thing to see love blossom in the most unlikely of places."

"I got to see that with my brother and his girlfriend. Kazuto isn't much different than him, yet his girlfriend is prettier than both of us combined, was a top student, and her family is stupidly rich. How my computer nerd of an older brother managed to get her will be something I'll never understand," Suguha retorted.

"And was that what you needed his help with? Setting your brother up with this girl?" Mihoshi wondered.

Suguha frowned. She was backing herself into a corner. She didn't want to let too much out. If Kazuto really did clear Sword Art Online by killing Kayaba, it certainly wasn't something she was ready for people to know about.

Nagata shared Suguha's frown, but he was not at a loss of words. "In a sense, yes. Though there was a lot more going on than just that. But being of personal matters that don't directly involve us, you can hardly expect us to explain it to you. I was there to help her aid her brother, but I didn't know for certain much of the details until today."

Mihoshi pouted. "Oh, poo. I love hearing about the latest gossip. Especially when it comes to you two. I still have to know what truly brought you two together!"

"I've told you before, it's because of her brother. She needed my help, so I helped her," Nagata insisted. "The why and how it happened is unimportant. It was something she knew I could assist her with, and I was glad to help. Even if we end up only being friends, I will cherish the time I got to spend with her."

The bonfire started after a speech from the principal and some of the teachers. They let a couple of the teenagers from the student council to ceremoniously toss a few old textbooks into the fire. It was a chance to talk to the entire grade level. The next time they would all meet together would be at graduation and most would not get to do much socializing with the other students then with their families in tow. For Suguha and Nagata, they remained together finding very little reason to talk to their soon-to-be former classmates. Nagata did exchange some pleasantries with the virtual reality club he was a part of, and Suguha expressed some remorse to the kendo club members that the next time she would see some of them, it would be on opposing teams.

Then came the part that Nagata both looked forward too and dreaded. He would be the first to dance with Suguha, but he would not be the only one to dance with her. Still he mustered up the courage to grab her by the hand and guide her to the circle of dancing students. They followed the steps gym class had instilled in them, though Suguha was far more sure footed. It seemed like time had stopped, yet the moment passed too quickly. On cue it was time to switch dancing partners. Suguha advanced to the boy who had danced in front of them while he got to dance with a girl he didn't know from another class.

Suguha hated the expectations that were forced upon her. She actually didn't mind dancing with Nagata. Once ALO was reinstated she might try to get him to dance with her there. She could've done without the swapping of dance partners. To be stuck with a guy who cared more about her body than who she was.

"You know, I will miss seeing you at school. Your kendo skills has done our school proud," the boy told her.

"Thanks," Suguha muttered quietly.

The boy missed a step from his nervousness. "Will you miss me?"

Suguha pouted. "To be honest, I don't remember your name right now."

The boy paled and looked away hurt. "I see... And yet you'll always remember Shinichi."

"With Nagata-kun it doesn't matter what I look like. He knows who I really am and likes me for that," Suguha explained.

"Oh, really..." the boy responded in a disbelieving tone.

"Nagata-kun wasn't truly interested in me when I first approached him. I wasn't someone he felt he had a chance with so he didn't bother trying. To him I was just another girl. If he got any where if a girl, it probably would've been with... ah, Bookworm-chan."

The boy laughed. "At least I'm not the only one you can't remember."

Suguha smiled sheepishly. "Well, I've had a lot of stuff going on. And getting to know my classmates wouldn't have helped with that."

The boy nodded. "You've been rather talkative to me."

"I need to figure out where I stand with Nagata-kun, and talking with you helped. Thanks." Suguha then let go of her current dance partner's hand and advanced to the next guy in the circle.

Nagata frowned as Suguha moved further away from him. As it was a circle dance, eventually she would meet back up to him, but chances are the dancing would end before that. He then blinked at his next dance partner. "Ah, Mitsuki-san..."

"Nice to see you'll at least notice me. You completely ignored your last partner, though I think she preferred it that way," Mihoshi joked.

"Most girls probably think I'm some sort of creep," Nagata muttered.

"There is certainly more to you than it appears," Mihoshi returned. "Able to be friends first with a girl. Too many guys only care about how a girl looks."

"Not going to lie that I don't care about such things. There was a time I thought you were more beautiful, but that was before I got to know Kirigaya's heart," Nagata admitted.

"Somehow I suspect if you got to know me now you'd still find Kirigaya more beautiful," Mihoshi commented wistfully.

"I'm sure Mitsuki-san has a beautiful soul as well!" Nagata insisted.

Mihoshi let out a forced giggle. "If Kirigaya ever makes it clear that you are not the one for her, give me a call."

"Certainly Mitsuki-san will have a boyfriend," Nagata tried to encourage.

"Or three, maybe a girlfriend or two as well," Mihoshi told him with odd seriousness. "I'm really a bit of a hypocrite. I press others to be honest with themselves about love when I don't know what true love is like myself."

Nagata made a strangled noise. He certainly knew the girl had been on dates with a few boys in class, but the idea she'd date multiple people, including girls, at the same time seemed a bit much. He tried to think of something to say, to let her know that while Suguha may not have truly dated anyone, she was much the same in not understanding love. He could not mention his suspicion that when Leafa first met Kirito, they did not know they were siblings. That Suguha really did have thoughts about the black Spriggan one should not have for a brother. Which of course made Suguha's feelings for him even more confusing.

Nagata's eyes followed as Suguha progressed through the dancing circle. While there were one-hundred and twenty-four third year students. Around thirty of them failed to show up at the bonfire. Of the ones that attended, less than half were dancing. The circle could've been large enough to include the sixty potential pairs of boys and girls, yet only fourteen pairs were involved in this dance. Though there was a couple cases where a student tagged out of the dance to be replaced by someone who did not have a partner to start. It came to be a bit of joy as Suguha passed the half-way point and was now moving closer to him.

Suguha didn't seem to enjoy most of her dance partners, though she did share a laugh with one of the guys from the kendo team. While more than a couple of the girls Nagata danced with had said nothing to him and even seemed uncomfortable in his presence, most did not seem put off by him. One girl even thanked him for giving her courage, if he could date someone like Kirigaya, then she could find someone as well. Another two classmates also exchanged pleasantries with him and mentioned they were glad that he was able to help their class stand out for all the right reasons.

Nagata's heart fluttered when once again Suguha was dancing with him. Oddly he could find nothing to say to her, nor did she say anything to him. Sharing a smile, they finished the dance and the repetitive music came to an end.

The students soon went their separate ways. The bonfire's flames dwindling away. As Suguha gave a final good-bye and left for home, Nagata hoped that this really was their first date, and more would come.

Arriving home, Suguha wasn't sure if she wanted to see her brother yet. He would undoubtedly tease her about the 'date.' She wasn't entirely sure what to call the evening. It had been more enjoyable than she expected and it served well to say goodbye to some classmates she might never see again. She then froze as she entered the kitchen and found her brother raiding the refrigerator.

"So... how was your date?" Kazuto asked with a forced smirk.

"I'll let you know when I have one for real," Suguha retorted.

"You'll keep hurting Recon's feelings if you keep that up," Kazuto shot back.

"Yeah, well, I'd rather not get his hopes up if I figure out he's only ever going to be just a friend," Suguha told him flatly.

"Ouch. Friend zoned. Poor fellow. And after all the help he's done for you," Kazuto teased.

Suguha huffed. "And how long are you going to do this?"

"Do what?" Kazuto questioned.

"Push me away." Suguha folded her arms. "It's not going to work."

Kazuto looked away, words dying on his lips.

"Oniichan... you know what Nagata's specialty is as Recon, right?" Suguha questioned.

Kazuto shrugged without making a comment.

"He choose the name 'Recon' as an American term for a scout. What he does best is find and gather information. He was the one that uncovered the plot to have both Sakuya and Alicia Rue killed by Salamanders," Suguha pointed out.

Kazuto's frown deepened. "I guess, but why bring that up now?"

"Nagata-kun already knew almost everything about what happened with Alfhiem. And your battle with Eugene garnered a lot of attention. Particularly from survivors of Sword Art who talked about the dual blade yielder who defeated Kayaba and ended the game," Suguha spoke in an accusing tone. "Why didn't you tell me YOU were the one to beat the game?"

Kazuto's eyes would not leave the floor, nor could he say anything.

"Is it because Kayaba is dead and you were the one to trigger his suicide?" Suguha demanded.

"Suicide?" Kazuto questioned.

"If Kayaba died because you defeated him, it was Kayaba that caused it to happen. He could've held himself above the game, beyond his sick and twisted rules. But he didn't, did he?" Suguha was nearly in tears.

Kazuto gave a shallow nod. "They recently found his body. They're not ready to release that information to the public. I doubt it's to protect players, like me, who killed in the game."

"You didn't kill Kayaba. He killed himself!" Suguha protested.

Kazuto looked at his sister with soulless eyes. "What most people don't realize is that player killing was a part of Sword Art Online. Of the nearly four-thousand people who died, a couple hundred of them were not at the hands of monsters in the game, but other players. If people find out Kayaba died from losing a fight, they may realize that some of those who died were murdered. It would cast light on the survivors as potentially having killed someone for real. Asuna had every reason to kill a man, but she stayed her hand. Liz spent more time in the safe areas of cities than fighting, only going out for materials she needed to smith weapons. Most players avoided fighting each other."

"You can hardly count yourself among those killers just because of Kayaba," Suguha defended.

"I killed three other people, including the one Asuna decided to spare. They were members of a guild responsible for most of the murders. I could've subdued them, captured them, but I treated them as monsters and drove their hit points to zero with my own hands," Kazuto laid his sin bare.

Suguha's heart froze, but then frowned. "What happened to the ones who killed when the game ended?"

Kazuto grimaced. "The only thing the government could tell from the information was that they were orange players, rule breakers. We may have called them 'red players' but their icons were no different from someone who stole or committed some other rules infraction. They were forced to go into counseling, but it's an easy manner to lie about why they broke the rules."

Suguha made an annoyed sound. "So it fell to you to make sure they were properly punished. They certainly shouldn't have gotten away with murder."

Kazuto shook his head. "If only they weren't the followers. The ones behind the guild, the true leaders, survived."

Suguha clenched her fists. "They shouldn't be able to get away with murder. They're liable to kill someone else."

"What about me? I killed people who had no chance against me. I could've lopped their limbs off and let others bound them. Their arms and legs would reform, but not once their hit points were gone," Kazuto countered.

"You did what you had to do. They wouldn't have thought twice about killing you." Suguha walked up to her brother and hugged him. "You're still my beloved brother." Her frowned deepened. "You're not going to push Asuna-san away, are you?"

Kazuto gave a weak laugh. "It'd hardly work. She was there each time I killed."

Suguha held him tighter. "Probably to protect her."

"The third time... sort of. I... I killed more out of vengeance. When we tried to capture the guild, we were the ones that got ambushed. Some of us died. The one Asuna almost killed later had nearly killed me. Even in her rage, she found the strength to hold her blade from sinking the final strike. He then went to attack her and I finished him off. I wanted to save everyone from Sword Art, wanted to put an end to the death game. Asuna took an attack that should have killed me. Her hit points went to zero, Kayaba then granted my wish to join her, but I was not going to end let it end. I killed him as well. Kayaba let us live. He could've let himself survive the end of Aincrad, but he let himself fall with it," Kazuto explained somberly.

"Finally."

Suguha jumped away from her brother and stared at her mother at the doorway.

Kazuto shifted uneasily, wondering how his mother had gotten so close without him noticing. "How long have you been there?"

"Since Suguha commented about Kayaba's suicide," Midori informed with a sad smile. "I've been waiting for you to talk about what happened in the game. I knew it had to be something like this. The government wouldn't be interested in a mere player."

"Sorry I didn't say anything..." Kazuto trailed off.

"You didn't know what to say," Midori offered. "What you've gone through is a heavy burden for anyone. You were forced to become an adult in that world. I'm sure you made mistakes, but you've learned from them."

Kazuto sighed. "I don't feel like an adult."

Midori smirked. "Trust me. You're more of an adult just thinking that than a lot of the supposed 'adults' I work with." She went over and gave the boy she raised a strong hug. "You're still my son, and nothing will ever change that. You've made me proud even if your final blow on Kayaba was not to save six-thousand people, but to avenge your love."

Kazuto fidgeted. "Thanks..."

Midori let go of him and then turned toward her daughter. "Now how did your date go?"

Suguha groaned.

Author's Notes:

I wanted this story to fit into canon as best it could, hence letting Suguha have the option of calling this a date or not. If at some future point in Sword Art Online she refers to her dating life, if she says she never went on a date or that she had dated Nagata- it works either way.

I may yet write other one-shots or even a mini-series for Sword Art Online. They would largely be like the side-stories Reki Kawahara has written. However, the only story I have plotted is something the Alicization Arc could easily render impossible to occur. A story to bring together the two most love hungry characters in the series: Klien and Liz. Writing them with the start point of them being friends only, no cliche crap of them being in love since they first met, when their interactions in novels has them failing to notice the other is the opposite gender and single.