Magicus Ensis Art Online
Magic Sword Art Online
HP/SAO x-over
Kirito/Asuna HP/Argo

XXXVI: Enter Alice

(Somewhere, RATH HQ)

"At least Kirigaya is stable at least." Said one member of RATH. Around them the high-end sophisticated, hospital bay of the Floating Turtle base.

"Have we managed to throw off anyone who might be interested in finding him?" Asked Kikuoka, Chrysheight, with a hint of nerves. Whilst dressed in a dressing gown, pyjama bottoms and feeling right at home, he was no fool. He knew that with Kirigaya Kazuto's vanishing from the grid; several people would be looking for him.

"As much as we can, sir. As much as we can." Announced his gifted subordinate; Higa Takeru "Who are we hiding him from?"

"Potter Harry, RECT and a few others." Came the idle reply. "I fully expect that they're tracking us down through unique means."

(Harry et al.)

The board was out, the beer was flowing as Kazuto's friends and Harry's work colleagues all piled around Harry and Akio's house. Near the back, Neville and Hermione watched with grins on there faces; no matter what happened Harry always seemed to be the person everyone ran to in a crisis.

"What do we know? Means, Motive and Opportunity." Harry asked.

"For what? RATH…" Snapped Asuna, her face red with tears.

"Before; we go kicking in RATH…believe me, we will kick RATH in and you'll have VIP tickets for the door kicking and any charges we, I can get to stick…" Harry rumbled "But first, Asuna…This is going to sound fucking dickish and insensitive but I need to know everything that happened from an hour or two before Kirigaya got himself stabbed."

"Are you saying you'd survive being stabbed?" Asuna growled.

"…Maybe…Depends on the weapon and where he got me. However, I doubt poison will kill me…Shot, stabbed, beaten, strangled anything that involves physical effort should kill me…I'm not exactly interested in investigating that anymore than I need to."

Asuna gritted her teeth, somehow the blunt sincerity that Harry gave it made her feel better. She knew that to tell Harry everything, well it would be poetry in motion. "Can I have a beer?"

Shouzou made eye contact with his daughter and nodded. "Sip it, Asuna, don't do what I do." Harry commented as he drank deeply from a stein.

"It's…fruity and bitter. It's nice." With that Asuna began to summarise hers and Kazuto's date. She explained how Kazuto had taken her for a drink at the Dicey Café, then they went to the pictures and on their way back from the restaurant they had been attacked. She detailed that Kanamoto Atsushi, Johnny Black, had stabbed Kazuto with a lethal amount of Succinylcholine.

"Succinylcholine?" Asked Kouichirou curiously "Isn't that a muscle relaxant?"

"It is…It was also the weapon of choice for the Death Gun scare and scandal…The murderer's were members of the Red Guild, Laughing Coffin."

"The same group you…"

"Yup…Same group I went all murder hobo on…Not my proudest moment, but I'll hold my hands up to it."

Kyouko wanted to admonish Asuna for her drinking from the can, instead of from a glass. She surveyed the group; she had to reassess the value of Potter Harry and the slovenly dressed group who affectionately called Shouzou-kun 'boss'. She watched as Harry's controlled facial expression give nothing away, aside from his eyes darkening. "Asuna-chan, thanks…Now we have a timeline…" Everyone watched as Harry quickly worked out the local hospital that Kirigaya Kazuto was purportedly being kept.

"If he's not." Shouzou asked curiously. Harry turned and Shouzou found himself looking at something akin to a Devil.

"I'll find him…I'll rip apart Japan, the high class, the low class and the underworld. Whoever's taken him…they'll pay."

"Kyofu, your Murder-Lord is showing." Harry turned to find his Godson walking into the room and soon enough said Godson was being hugged hard.

"Sorry, about that."

"No probs…" The five year old murmured. Harry snorted 'You're Grandmother would kill me…'

"She won't…She likes the fact we're bonding and I like it here. Anyway, you're playing big hero?"

"No, because of a little thing called responsibility. One of those things is you, my big hero days are done. Won't stop me from sticking my nose in and help from the shadows…"

Teddy nodded "But you're going to kick these people in?"

Harry stopped "Do you want me to?"

"Not in person. But I want you to help people. You're my hero."

Harry stopped as did the majority of the conversation "Wow…I'll do my best."

Soon enough Harry began to organise web-scouring searches. "I'll let you know when we get something." Shouzou-san, Kyouko-san, I'll let you know if we find anything. Asuna-chan, you're welcome to stay or you can go."

"I'll go. Contact me…"

"We will."

(RATH)

"He's stable, however his Fluctlight have been slightly damaged. But we've got him in stable and have transferred him to the Soul Translator."

"Very good."

(Harry)

It was getting on for three am and the Game Developers were all sprawled out, on the floor, in arm-chairs, on sofa's. They were running themselves ragged, however it wasn't until 3:30 that Nozomi kicked his door open."

"Harry, you're a genius also bloody stupid. Why didn't you tell us that you knew where Kazuto was all along and his condition? We could get RECT in deep trouble."

Harry groaned, twisted and rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with a thud. With tracksuit bottoms on inside out, t-shirt inside out and on the wrong-way round a hot coffee in his hands, he trudged down to the living room.

"Having knowledge about who has him, especially ones that are working for JSDF, needs proof. I'm an outsider, persona non-grata in some aspects of the government, thus requiring this information. Furthermore, with all of this information we can add the charges of intention to abduct, abduction and kidnapping as confirmed charges. Then if we play our cards right we might be able to insinuate other crimes, Nozomi."

Nozomi flushed, Harry, she would later find wouldn't have her doing anything that wasn't needed. Soon enough they had a feasible location of RATH. "All of you get some sleep, I'm going back to bed and we'll sort everything out in a few hours."

Eventually, six am rolled around. Harry was out of the shower and headed down to an early opening café. As Harry loaded up on the unhealthiest breakfasts he could arrange; whilst Akio dug out several towels and spare toothbrushes and spare toothpaste for the unintended guests.

"Yuuki-sans, I've found him. Sending the appropriate forces, whilst acquiring the information."

(TO BE CONTINUED MAGIC KNIGHT: ALICIZATION