Chapter 8: Behind Every Truth is a Lie

The next few days came slowly yet quickly, if that made any sense. For the majority of the time, Kirito laid in bed, asleep. He had a sneaking suspicion that his narcolepsy was due to something they were giving him, and he was tempted to do something about it (preferably something full of shouting and possibly throwing things), but Sinon's constant presence kept him from doing so. And when he was awake, he was with Sinon, talking, bonding, and trying to forget altogether just where they were and how being there made him want to crawl out of his skin. Being here definitely reminded him too much of a certain place, and it was taking a lot out of him to keep calm.

As the date of his discharge grew nearer, Kirito finally convinced Sinon to go home and get some real rest. She protested at first, saying she needed to stay for him. That made him smile, thankful for her companionship, but he only reminded her that she needed to be rested and ready to care for him at home should he need anything. She still looked a bit hesitant, but once he made a crack about how she was starting to smell and needed to go home to take a shower, she finally relented (although there was some glaring and forehead flicking before that happened).

The next day, she came back just when visiting hours started. She walked right passed the front desk with ease and made it down the hallways without even thinking about it. She had made a point to memorize the layout of the place even before Kirito had been admitted, and she was sure he had done the same.

The thought of her partner-in-crime made her sigh. It was typical of him to get himself thrown into a hospital for a week. Really, any kind of troublemaking was something he excelled at. He was her best friend, and she loved him and everything, but he was a real piece of work.

And that was what she was going to tell him as she turned into his hospital room.

…If he had been there, that is.

For a long moment, Sinon stared at the empty room, gray eyes unblinking. Then, for one earthshattering second, she thought the worst had happened. She thought he had died.

A sharp pang struck through her chest and she had to grip the doorframe to keep herself steady. The idea that he was gone, that he had left her all alone in this world was incomprehensible. Unforgivable. He couldn't just leave her… he promised.

Her fingers tightened on the frame. No. Be logical about this. He probably just left his room.

Straightening, the girl took a deep breath and turned down the hallway. "Excuse me," she called to the nurse's station. A woman wearing white glanced over the counter at her. "Where's Kirito?"

"He left his room about half an hour ago," she answered, making Sinon's apprehension deflate like a balloon. "He went to visit Miss Konno."

"Oh." Well that was typical. She should have expected that. He was free to visit Yuuki practically anytime now that they were in the same hospital.

"Idiot. He could have at least left a note." With that, Sinon turned and stalked down the hallway. She passed familiar passageways, beeping equipment, and sterile instruments she had grown accustomed to over the past week. In no time, she had reached Yuuki's room.

Sugou was standing just outside it, back leaning against the nurse's station counter as he wrote something on a clipboard.

Making sure she stood on the other side of the hallway, Sinon cleared her throat. "Is he in there?"

The man didn't even glance up as he answered. "Yes. Go ahead in."

That was all the invitation she needed. Turning, Sinon walked to the door and opened it.

"Dammit, Yuuki!"

"Hehe! Better luck next time!"

Sinon walked in to an interesting sight. Kirito was in a wheelchair, his left side against the glass so that he faced away from the door. Yuuki was in her quarantined room as usual, grinning widely and sitting up in bed. It was hard to tell exactly what Kirito was feeling as she couldn't see his face, but Sinon could easily tell he was distressed by his voice and posture. Between the two of them, the wall of glass was illuminated with the blue outlines of a chess game.

"I'm assuming black is Kirito and white is Yuuki?"

Kirito turned his chair so that he could see the door, obviously surprised. "Sinon? Uh, hey. You're here earlier than I expected."

"So I gathered."

"Hey, Onee-chan!" Yuuki beamed. "Glad you could join us."

"Hey, Yuuki." Sinon stepped up to the glass, a smile readily pulling at her lips. "You look better today. A lot better."

"Yeah, I know. They say the new treatment is working great. I have high hopes. I might even be able to walk around soon."

"Really? That's great!"

"It would just be around this room though," the younger girl sighed, but her bright expression didn't falter, even as she looked around her virtual prison. "But that's still fine by me. It would be great to stretch my legs."

"Even though you've been stuck in bed, you haven't let yourself lose your edge." Sinon observed as she looked back up at the chess game. "I see you still exceed at chess."

"Ha, yeah, I practice all the time. And now Kirito's got no chance against me!"

"You only won seven out of sixteen times," said boy retorted though he barely glanced at her. He was staring at the board with a hand on his chin, and he had been like that since the girls had started talking.

"Yes but out of the other nine times, you won six and the last three were ties. I'm still winning."

"This one isn't over just yet. You just have me in check, not check mate. I could still win."

"True. But I'm not going down easy."

Sinon raised an eyebrow. "You guys had time to play sixteen games since visiting hours started twenty minutes ago?"

Yuuki shook her head. "No. We were playing from our rooms, but Kirito got tired of sitting around and having to communicate with a chat box, so he wheeled himself over when they would let him out."

The other girl sighed. "You should be resting… How are you feeling?"

It was a second before Kirito answered. "Fine. They should still be able to discharge me as planned… Knight to E5."

The corresponding chess piece on the board moved at his command, taking out a white bishop.

"Hm. Not bad… Queen to E5."

And just like that, Kirito lost the game.

"Ugh!" He groaned, and Yuuki laughed as he threw up his arms in defeat. "Let's call a break."

"Sure thing." The younger girl grinned. "We've been playing for a while anyway. Besides, I like playing with you, it's a lot more fun than playing against CPUs all the time, so I can deal with a break to get you back on your game."

"True, but CPUs are useful. That's why you've gotten better than me, you don't mind playing them. I've tried playing with Sinon, but she cheats."

"I do not," said girl answered, rolling her eyes. "You just can't beat me."

"I still say it's cheating."

"Hey, why don't we play, Sinonon?" Yuuki asked, eyes bright with excitement. "I haven't gone against you in a long time. Plus it will give Onii-chan time to cool off."

"I don't need time. I'm cool." As if to prove his point, Kirito leaned back in his chair and balanced it on the back wheels, easily rolling them back and forth.

"Yeah right. Put your chair down," Sinon admonished. "You're going to fall backward and it's not going to be my fault."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sinon ignored that, and that fact that he hadn't done what she said, and instead turned back toward Yuuki. "I'd love to play with you. I'll take over for Kirito."

"Yes! You guys should get stuck in the hospital more often."

"Knowing Kirito, we will be."

Crack!

Sinon spun around, heart racing at the sudden, loud noise. Kirito was sitting in the corner, chair on all four wheels now. His hands were at his sides, knuckles white as they gripped the wheels. His head was bent with his bangs hiding his face, but from what Sinon could see, he had turned pale.

"Hey, are you ok?" she instantly took several steps toward him, hands reaching out hesitantly, to help or comfort, she wasn't sure just yet.

"...Yeah," he muttered. "I just got a little dizzy."

A hollow spot settled at the bottom of Sinon's stomach. "Do you need medication?"

"No. It's probably nothing. I'll just go get some water." The chair squeaked slightly as Kirito wheeled it around, and the girls watched as he slowly left the room.

Sinon stared after him long after he had disappeared from the frame. Her stomach still felt unnaturally hollow, and she put a light pressure over it with her hand in an attempt to stifle it.

"He'll be ok," Yuuki assured, smiling at the older girl when she turned around. "You know him, he can tough anything out."

It was a moment before Sinon could bring herself to nod. "Yeah. He'll be fine."

Yuuki's smile turned into a grin, for Sinon's sake as she knew—she knew Yuuki so well. "Now come on, pull up a chair and let's get this game going."

The ebony took a breath. Then she walked to the corner of the room and pulled the chair leaning against the wall towards the glass.

"It was supposed to be once a month."

"Yes, but you recently were extremely injured and lost a lot of blood. Additional therapy is required if you want to live until next month." Sugou ignored the venomous daggers Kirito glared at him as the nurse set up his IV. "And you do want that, don't you?"

Kirito wanted so badly to bite his head off (possibly not metaphorically), but kept his mouth shut at Sinon's hand gently resting on his shoulder. Jaw clenched, he tore his gaze away from Sugou and tried to focus on Sinon's touch and not the cold, latex of the nurse's gloved hand as she sterilized the inside of his arm with an alcohol pad. It was over in seconds, but it felt much longer to Kirito as he remained hyperaware of every single move the nurse made.

"Relax," she ordered him, and he would have snapped at her too if Sinon hadn't given his shoulder a tight squeeze. He opted, instead, to sit there and take deep breaths, looking at the wall until he felt the inevitable prick of the needle.

"There, all done," Sugou stated blandly as the nurse left. "In addition to the ERT, I am prescribing antiretroviral medication. You'll be able to pick it up before you leave."

"Is this still related to his condition?" Sinon asked. She kept her tone calm and level, but Kirito felt her hand tense.

"Yes, the same one. But it should be nothing to worry about. His recent injuries just aggravated it a bit."

"Right. Well, thank you."

"It's my job." With nothing more to say, the man turned and left the room.

Kirito growled lowly, but otherwise stayed tame in response to Sugou's terseness. He was surprised to find his heart racing after he finally settled down enough to think clearly. Hands gripping the arms of his wheelchair tightly, he glanced up at the IV bag the nurse had hung above him, the label reading "ERT-B14." Truthfully, he hated that bag almost more than Sugou. His only consolation had been he would see it just once a month, but it was twice this time…

"Hey, it's over now," Yuuki soothed from her side of the glass. "Just ignore it and it's like it's not even there."

"Yeah, I know. But it's not easy."

"We know," Sinon said. "But you need it. Just bear with us."

The boy blew out a long sigh, trying to hide the fact that his heart still hadn't calmed down. He may have to bear with it, but that didn't mean he liked it. He swore, when he found the bastards in Laughing Coffin that gave him AIDS, he was going to kill them.

"Right."

"Well, Yuuki and I are almost done with this game," Sinon said, glancing over at the pane of glass separating them. "When we're finished, you can play winner."

"Then he might as well play you right now, Onee-chan," Yuuki laughed. "I don't think I'm gonna win this one."

"But what's the point in giving up? I believe that playing until the end, even when you know you're going to lose, is worth it. You never know when things may turn around."

"Yeah but you're too in control to let that happen."

Just before Sinon returned to the game, she gave Kirito's shoulder another squeeze, smiled at him softly, and proceeded to give the computer a command that made Yuuki groan loudly.

As Kirito watched her go, he was reminded of his recent promise to her, and how the partnership between them would truly be a partnership now. They would be on truly equal terms, holding nothing back and sharing every burden. Thinking on it, he had to admit the idea appealed to him, even if he thought it may put Sinon in danger. She was his best friend, and it was so hard to hide things from your best friend that this arrangement was a relief.

I just never want to be a burden to you.

That was true, he felt guilty for causing her so much trouble while they had been held in those cages, which was why he always did his best to go above and beyond for her: he practically owed her everything. But he remembered why he had told her that. She had asked why he wouldn't let her help—specifically, why he wouldn't let her help when he had faced Asuna on the roof of that building a week ago. His explanation had been true, but it wasn't the real reason.

Are you only acting this way because you think we're in league with Laughing Coffin? If your main goal is to take them out, then come to our side.

That was the reason: he had wanted information and paid the price. And he wanted to tell Sinon about it, not just because of their pact but because she deserved to know.

Still in thought, Kirito's onyx eyes set upon the girls, watching as Yuuki made an exclamation as a banner reading "Winner: Black" rolled across the screen and Sinon smirked. Yuuki deserved to know too, but he couldn't exactly tell her for the same reason he had given Sinon a roundabout answer. It was also the other reason he didn't like hospitals, specifically this one: there were prying eyes everywhere. Sugou and his nurses were around every corner and could hear just about everything. Not to mention they were all in affiliation with RCT Progress; Kayaba would have eyes and ears everywhere and if he found out what Kirito had heard… well that would not be good. He was glad he had had enough wits about himself to remember that at the time.

"Ok, Kirito. You're turn."

"Yeah. To lose again."

The male was momentarily rendered speechless as they had interrupted his train of thoughts, but he quickly recovered as he glanced over at the board with a reluctant expression. "Fine, but as long as I'm black."

"Of course," Sinon relented, her eyes rolling. "Just get over here."

He gave a tired sigh before wheeling himself over. "Coming."

As he and Sinon played, Kirito was once again sucked in to his own thoughts. He would have to tell her soon, but when and how he wasn't sure of. He obviously couldn't tell her now, they were too exposed. And he couldn't tell Yuuki for that same reason, and sadly she may never know. She was stuck in here indefinitely, so she would have to remain out of the loop indefinitely. But maybe her ignorance was for the best as she wasn't in a good position to do anything about it anyway. Maybe he could tell Sinon on the way home or maybe even at home… Wait, no. For all he knew, they had been bugged or something. Their apartment could be full of cameras and mics and their clothes could be lined with miniscule wires or something. Hell, maybe even their weapons were rigged, so talking about it on a mission was out. So that left nowhere.

No. No, he had to tell her.

He thought about it longer, and that cost him his Queen, but he didn't much care for that at the moment. His only chance was on the way home from the hospital. It was either that or keep this to himself, and that was something that wouldn't sit well on his conscience. He had to tell her for both of their sakes.

The next morning, Sinon woke Kirito for their departure. They went over to Yuuki's room to say goodbye first, then headed down to the lobby where they were, surprisingly, met by a car waiting for them. Sinon wasn't sure what she had been expecting, seeing as how they couldn't exactly get Kirito home on his motorcycle. She wasn't sure what he had been expecting either, because now he was looking at the driver like he had kicked his cat.

In the car, they rode in silence. Even though Sinon knew she wasn't much of a social butterfly, and neither was Kirito, she still thought it odd that it was so quiet. For a while, she just watched Kirito watch the scenery as it passed by, and she eventually just concluded he was exhausted after spending so long in a hospital, which in any other case would be ironic. So, she left him alone, looking out her own window and taking note of the puddles of snowy sludge that remained on the streets.

When they finally arrived, Kirito stepped out of the car, careful of his still bandaged leg and the crutch he had been burdened with as Sinon stood by in case he needed help.

As the car drove off, the ebony let out a small sigh of relief. Now that they were home and away from that place, they could finally have some time to themselves and some relaxation. But just as she was about to begin her walk to the building, a hand gripped her shoulder. Curious, she turned around, only to find Kirito looking at her with an unusually blank expression. She was about to ask what was going on when he placed a finger to his lips, warning her to be quiet. Then, he jerked his head to the side, signaling that she follow him that way, then hobbled his way down the sidewalk.

She didn't know what was going on, but she went with him anyway. It didn't help that he led them a block down to the park and left his crutch at the gate. She almost asked what he was doing, but he gave her a look and she remained silent, and she instead went to his side to bring his arm over her shoulders and help him over to the swing set. It remained peculiar from there when he didn't even take the opportunity to sit down. Instead, he turned to face her and placed his hands behind his head, staring.

He wants me to search him? she thought, raising an eyebrow. But Kirito didn't move, still making the gesture. She knew he was weird, but this was a different weird, so she played along, patting him down and searching for anything suspicious. After a pause and an insistent nod from the boy, she even checked his leg, patting the bandages carefully to check for any bulges.

Then, at a jut of the chin from Kirito, she put her hands behind her head and allowed him to do the same. When he was done and he let out a sigh of what sounded like relief, Kirito sat down and Sinon put her hands on her hips.

"Ok, what was that about?"

"I had to be sure no one was listening to us."

"Why…" Sinon asked slowly. "What's going on?"

Her companion remained quiet for some time, sitting on the swing with his elbows resting on his knees while he stared at the ground. "…There's something I need to tell you, and I need you to promise not to immediately blow up on me."

Well that didn't sound good. "Alright. What is it?"

Another pause. "Remember when you asked me why I didn't let you take the shot? Well there was more to it than what I said."

Sinon raised an eyebrow, tempted to threaten whatever this was out of him. But he had taken the time to make sure they weren't bugged or overheard, and that said this was serious. Instead, she crossed her arms. "Ok."

"That night, I didn't let you shoot because Asuna said something to me. I didn't really believe it at first, but the way she said it… there wasn't any malice. Of course, I considered if she was a really good bluffer, but she doesn't strike me as the type."

It was then that Kirito glanced up at Sinon, his onyx eyes locking with hers. "She offered for us to join the Union so that we could all take out Laughing Coffin together."

That wasn't what Sinon was expecting. She had been all prepared to scold Kirito for stopping to listen to anything their enemies had to say, but this.

"Wh-what does she mean?" the ebony finally managed. "Why the hell is she offering for us to join the people we want revenge on?"

"I don't know. It could be just an angle she was trying to play to get me to put my guard down, but all I have is speculation."

"Wh—you can't even trust her. You know that! Are you really taking this seriously?!"

Despite Sinon's blood starting to boil, Kirito remained calm, which was very backward for them. "I might be. Why would she have made that offer anyway? She knows something."

"How? This isn't smart, Kirito! You can't let this get in your head; that would lead us away from what we've been working toward this whole time."

His expression only darkened. "I know, which is why I didn't give her the satisfaction of taking up her offer."

Sinon cooled down somewhat. "So you don't believe her."

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I have no reason to, at least not completely."

The girl took a breath in and let it out, feeling Kirito watching her expectantly. "But you want to find out for sure. I expect nothing less from you."

Her companion relaxed somewhat. "That's all I ask of you, that you understand. I just needed you to know."

A small smile twitched at Sinon's lips. "Well I'm glad you told me. But I hope she was lying."

He returned with a grimace. "Yeah. Me too."

Because if she was telling the truth, everything they had built their lives on up until now was a lie.

A/N: I'm really sorry this is a year late... This is the anniversary chapter but I got it done a day early so here it is. I hope this can sort of make up for me being MIA. But don't worry, I will never abandon this story even if it takes me ten years to finish it (which I really hope doesn't happen and I will do my best to finish it a lot sooner than that). Good news is, I pretty much have the next chapter planned out in my head, so it may come out sooner than you think.

And yep, I switched it up on you guys; Kirito is the one with AIDS. And I will get more into that stuff later so look forward to it.

Sorry again for the lateness and I will see you next chapter. Please review!