A/N: Sorry for disappearing for a year! Things got hectic. I started college in August and getting this chapter out was just difficult in general. Hopefully we'll get the next one out sooner.

Warrior1311 A/N: Mwahahahahaaha! You fools! In falling for all my clever cliffhangers, you have inadvertently fed my ego! (Which was too big already, according to Shiori-chan :P)

Chapter 15-GGO Part 4

In hindsight, the double cross was a bad idea. Kirito figured that out soon enough.

He had just teleported back to the waiting area, smirking to himself at a job well done, when a dragon's roar shook through his chest in a threat to bite his head off…

Well, it wasn't exactly a dragon… but everything else was true.

"KIRITO, YOU ASSHOLE!"

The swordsman spun around, blood running cold. The dragon was charging.

"OH SHIT!" He didn't even try to explain himself, he turned and fled in any direction that might offer him sanctuary. But he was supposedly running from a dragon so that would be… a little difficult.

"Kirito, I swear to god I will kill you!"

"Can't we just talk a-?!"

"WE ALREADY TALKED AND THEN YOU STABBED ME IN THE BACK!"

The two of them were causing a scene in the waiting area; everyone else had gone silent and watched in a mix of horror and shock as the chase unfolded in front of them.

Kirito ran toward the outer ring of the area, vaulting over the divider and crouching in an attempt to put a barrier between him and his raging wife. But Sinon had beat him to it, dashing into his lane through a gap in the wall and sprinting toward him full-speed. Seeing her alarmingly close sent Kirito's heart plummeting to somewhere at his toes, and he scrambled up to run pell-mell in the opposite direction. His heart may as well have dropped right through the earth when he saw the familiar, massive rifle she held in her arms.

She skidded to a halt, teeth bared. She was pointing the gun right at him.

"SINON, YOU CAN'T DO THAT IT'S ILLEGAL!" Kirito shouted, voice definitely not an octave above normal. There was a loud BANG and Kirito was somewhat grateful that she was so pissed as the bullet missed him by a mile and embedded in the wall. No way would her bullet circle be at all accurate with her like that.

Sinon glared at Kirito across the room. Kirito slammed his hands on the railing in exasperation, eyes wide.

"You know, if you shoot anyone outside of the tournament, you get disqualified! That includes me!"

Sinon growled loudly, tossing her gun onto a couch and vaulting over the railing into the center ring, running straight across.

"Crap!" Kirito began to sprint along the length of the room, hating the fact that it was all-too-conveniently circular.

He had almost reached the exit. Just a little farther and he would be home free. If he could just reach the door handle-

"Oh, no you don't!"

Before he could actually see the door around the corner, a body slammed into him from behind, sending him sprawling across the obsidian floor with a rabid animal on his back. They tumbled for several meters, sliding rapidly across the floor. When the world finally stopped, Kirito was shoved onto his back. A weight slammed hard on his stomach, making him sure that he would have at least been badly bruised if he was in his real body. His wrists were gripped in irons and slammed into the ground, pinning him down, and he stared up in horror into the maw of the fire-breathing beast.

Sinon's eyes were colder and harder than a glacier in the Arctic, her mouth twisted in an evil smile. "Oh, look, I caught a rat."

Kirito tried for a smile. "H-heeyyyyy, Sinon."

"I can't believe you, Kirito," the woman growled, blatantly ignoring him. "You actually stabbed me in the back! What the hell?!"

"Well we said we'd put on a show."

"THAT WAS NOT A SHOW, THAT WAS A TRAVESTY!"

"STOP SHOUTING I'M RIGHT HERE!"

"Well maybe I need to shout or else you can't hear me."

"Sinon, it was just the finals before the royale it wasn't-"

"That doesn't matter! It only matters that you stabbed me in the back!"

The two continued screaming at each other, bystanders staring with wide eyes as the match played out. Their voices filled practically every inch of the room, leaving no attention to spare for the ongoing finals airing on the tv screens above them. Some people were backing away to a safe distance.

"I wouldn't betray you if it were for real! It was just a throwaway match!"

"A game is never just a game and you know it!"

"And I played it to my advantage! Why is that such a bad thing?!"

"Because you didn't take the match seriously!"

"I did and that's why I stabbed you!"

"Oh my god," Sinon groaned, head tilting back slightly as she rolled her eyes. "You make no sense, you realize that?"

"You're the one that makes no sense!" Kirito's head lifted from the ground, his dark eyes glaring at her. "I played the game, I won! It's as simple as that."

"But there was no sport in that! We made a plan and you just threw it away and stabbed me in the back! Like what the hell were you-?!"

Suddenly it was very quiet. Neither of them moved, still staring at each other yet not saying a word. They seemed to realize the position they were in, how close they were together, Sinon practically laying on top of Kirito. Then their eyes flicked down at each other's lips. And there was silence.

"God, just kiss already. The sexual tension is killing me."

The couple blinked, turning toward the voice and simultaneously scowling.

"Tugger."

The man smirked down at them coyly. "Hello, ladies. Now, are you two going to get a room, or are you just going to do it here? Cuz I personally would not mind watching."

The two simply stared at him for several seconds, a mix of disbelief and incredulousness shown plainly on both their faces. Finally, they turned to look at each other, dark eyes locking in a silent conversation.

Truce.

Sinon turned to look at Tugger, a sickly sweet smile spreading across her face. "Are you jealous, Jack?"

Kirito sent him a smirk. "I understand why you would be." Intimately, he trailed his hands down Sinon's sides, resting them on her waist. "I mean, I get to do this and you don't."

Jack stared down at him, for once struggling for words. Next to him, Kirito could see Sinon looking at him out of the corner of her eye, looking somewhat surprised (and perturbed) herself. He could tell by the way she tensed a little that she was restraining herself from decking him.

But surprisingly, she went along with it.

Leaning down, she laid her head on Kirito's collar bone, curling up almost like a cat. Her palm came to rest on his chest, fingers making slow, senseless patterns. It was Kirito's turn to tense, a pleasant tingling sensation running along his skin and to his spine.

"What's the matter?" she asked, smirking at Jack. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Now you two are just being attention whores," the man said in reply, coy smile having returned. But there was a subtle tension in his voice.

"And you're, what, a saint?" Kirito raised an eyebrow at him, but there was a subtle slyness in it as he lifted his right hand to play with Sinon's hair. "Takes one to know one, bub."

"So you're saying you want my attention? Kiri-chan, I'm flattered."

For a split second, Kirito broke character, staring at Jack and seriously considering whether or not he needed to go throw up somewhere.

"Kiri-chan?!"

Still laying on his chest, Sinon was struggling between laughing, staying in character, and kicking Tugger between the legs because there was no way she was just going to let that slide.

Luckily for them (or not so lucky), the announcements came on.

"Contestants, that concludes the Bullet of Bullets final rounds. Congratulations to those who qualify for the Battle Royale, further instructions have been sent to your inbox."

A few seconds passed when the telltale ring sounded and notifications appeared in front of several players. Kirito and Sinon briefly glanced at theirs, then flicked back up to Jack. An orange light blipped in front of him too. Seeing their gazes, he smirked. He swiped his hand, making a show of opening his menu and accessing his inbox. After taking a second to read it (probably faking it), he looked back to the two in front of him.

"Looks like I'll be seeing you ladies at the Battle Royale." He winked, and Kirito felt a shudder go up his spine as those eyes fell on him. "Hope you'll be prepared."

Without another word, he sauntered away, leaving Sinon and Kirito still on the floor, staring after him.

"Dammit. Almost had him," Sinon muttered, eyes narrowed as their least favorite "associate" left.

"Yep. So close," Kirito replied idly, though he was starting to squirm a bit as he eyed the way Sinon was still laying on him like it was her business. "You know you can get off me now, right?"

The sniper turned to him, indigo eyes meeting his without shame. She smirked, leaning a bit closer. "You want me to get off?" she asked, voice low so only he could hear. "I thought you liked me in these kinds of positions."

Kirito's eyes widened, face turning red almost instantly. "S-Sinon!"

The girl burst into laughter, finally sitting up as her voice filled the room, drawing some attention. But she didn't seem to notice yet, finally moving off of Kirito and offering him a hand. "I was just kidding, calm down."

"Yeah. Well," Kirito muttered, but trailed off with nothing much to say. Sinon pulled him up and continued to smile.

"Oh, lighten up," she said, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Today was a good day, ignoring Tugger. We got through preliminaries and managed to dig under that scumbag's skin a little."

"...True."

Smirking, Sinon took her husband's arm, looping hers around it so that she stuck close to his side. "See? Now come on, Kiri-chan, let's go get ready for tomorrow."

Kirito blanched. "Please don't."

"It was funny and you know it."

"It really wasn't, it made me want to throw up."

"Well, I think it's cute," Sinon stated as she began leading him to the exit. "Maybe I should start using it. It might be a good pet name. Especially for role-playing."

Kirito's head quickly turned to face her, his ears reddening again. He really wished she would stop with all the unexpected innuendos or else she would kill him for sure.

Seeing his face, Sinon laughed, and she nonchalantly walked them out of the building.

The next day.

Asuna sat on the couch in the log cabin, watching the TV screen and waiting for the others to log in and join her. Meanwhile, Yui plopped down on her head.

"Don't worry, Mama! I'm sure Papa will be fine. He and Auntie Sinon are practically unstoppable!"

"I know, Yui, that's not what worries me," she said with a hint of sadness, looking up at her daughter. "I just worry because they had a really heated, rather public argument. I hope they're doing okay…"

She trailed off. Yui simply smiled.

"I GOT THE POPCORN!"

In busted Lisbeth with multiple bags of what passed as popcorn in this world. Leafa walked behind her, closely followed by the rest of their friends.

"Jeez, Liz, keep it down. You probably gave poor Asuna a heart attack," the Sylph chastised, glancing at the Undine, who was arguably currently as pale as the signature Undine attire she had equipped.

"Yeah, I definitely lost a few HP, as well as about a month off my actual life span," Asuna managed once her heart resumed its normal pace. Leafa simply gave her a pitying look.

"Sorry," Liz apologized, sounding sincere, "but I'm just so excited to see how the newlyweds do!"

"They're not newlyweds anymore," Agil cut in. "They've been married for nearly seven months now."

"Yeah, but Shino sure acts like they're newlyweds at work," Mizumi interjected. "Every time I try to get her to talk about their life together, she just blushes and clams up. Of course, it might have something to do with the questions. 'Does he screw your brains out nightly, or is it more of a weekly thing? What kind of kinky stuff do you get up to? How big is his-?'" It was at this point that Klein deigned to place his hand over the woman's mouth before she said too much, though judging by the shocked, disgusted, and some curious looks on everyone else's faces, she already had. Asuna looked especially uncomfortable.

"I think that's enough of- ugh!" he said right before withdrawing his hand from Mizumi's mouth. "Did you just lick my hand?!" he waved it vigorously as if trying to get slime off of it, to which she just pouted.

"And here I thought men enjoyed having their girlfriends drool all over them." She then winked flirtatiously, causing Klein to freeze up and simply blush, and everyone else to laugh at his expense.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," he commented. "At least I HAVE a committed relationship." That caused them all to shut up. Asuna, sensing the awkwardness that had suddenly arisen, turned her attention to the TV, which was showing the roster for the battle royale, as well as the two commentators.

"Well, Zach, today promises to be a rather eventful battle royale. I mean, look at this roster." The image zoomed in on several names and highlighted them. "We have some MAJOR heavy hitters today. There's Sajiro, the hi-tech samurai who was the runner-up in the 8th BoB." When they said the name, the camera cut to a live feed, showing the contestant in question. Sajiro was seen meditating inside one of the locker rooms.

"Indeed, Saika, and we also have the current crowd favorite, Jack Tugger."

Asuna's stomach tightened. Sinon and Kirito had told the others about Tugger's remarks. Needless to say, none of them were pleased. The feed cut to Jack hitting on some woman that seemed to be falling for his bull. Liz snorted.

"Look at that asshat."

Asuna covered Yui's ears. "Liz! Language!"

"Well, we were all thinking it," she lamely tried to justify. She was met with only a glare.

"And of course we have the powerhouse couple," Saika continued. "Sinon and Kirito, the only two players to have not only won three BoBs, but won them consecutively." The feed cut to the two standing side-by-side in the bar, looking at the betting board, smiling.

"Well they certainly seem to have gotten over their rather heated argument yesterday," remarked Zach. "For those of you that missed it, here is some footage of the couple that took place immediately after the preliminaries." The feed then cut to clips of Sinon and Kirito's fight, as well as Kirito's betrayal that led up to it, all recorded by security cameras. Asuna had, of course, seen it that evening on MMO Stream, but the others hadn't. They all gasped.

"What the hell?"

"What was he thinking?"

"How could he do that?"

"Sinon may have overreacted a little bit." Klein tried to defend his buddy among the many protests of the girls.

"She literally got stabbed in the back by her own husband," Mizumi argued. "If anything, she under-reacted."

Ironically, Asuna agreed with all of them. She hoped they were okay...

While walking to the governor's office, Sinon and Kirito noticed there weren't any cameras around them anymore.

"So," Sinon said, filling their companionable silence for the moment. "You never did tell me how you and Asuna broke up. Why is that?"

Kirito blinked, turning to face her after a beat of silence. "Why are you suddenly asking?"

She shrugged, not looking at him. "Well I didn't at first because I didn't want to nose around where I wasn't wanted. But now you two have made up and, well, I'm curious, to be honest. Plus, coming back to the BoB made me start reminiscing about our relationship over the years… And Asuna's actually an important influence in that. I guess I want the full story."

"...That's fair," the swordsman admitted. "Well… it was kinda bad. Like, really bad." He sighed. "She… didn't take it too well at first…"

"I… I don't understand." Asuna was blinking at him, chestnut eyes shining unusually in the light from the window. "What-what do you mean 'it's not working'?"

Kazuto swallowed, steeling himself for what needed to be done and glanced away. "It's just… we're not working anymore, Asuna. I'm sorry."

"...I don't understand," she whispered again, voice quiet and wavering. She inched closer to him on the couch, and Kazuto was careful to keep in his little bubble. "We've been so happy, w-we've been together for so long… Why are you suddenly saying these things?"

Her voice was tight, threatening to break as it rose in pitch.

In Kazuto's lap, his hands tightened together. "I'm sorry."

"Don't just say that! Use words!" Suddenly Asuna was standing up, anger and panic flaring across her face. "Did, did I do something wrong?! Just tell me what it is and I'll fix it!"

Kazuto stared up at her, eyes wide. He could feel the cold anxiety and dread flood through him, locking up his joints and leaving him paralyzed. This was the part he was most terrified to face. Social confrontation was never something he handled well and he hated that.

"N-no. Asuna, that's not-"

"Is it sex?!" The girl screamed abruptly, making Kazuto's eyes blow out wider. "If that's what it is then I'll do it, okay?!"

"No!" Kazuto shot up, looking horrified. "Asuna, that's not-that's never been the problem, I swear!"

But she wasn't listening, her hands were desperately, shakily, unbuttoning her shirt. "If-if that's it, that's fine! Let's just do it right now!"

"Asuna!"

Kazuto finally found it in himself to raise his voice. He caught her hands, pulling them away from her chest. She merely stared at him, doe-eyed, a tear gently rolling down her cheek. It only made him feel guilty, like a horrible person because he had driven her to this and he was such fucking scum. If only he was better at this then he wouldn't be making her cry, making her panic and feel desperate enough to do something like this.

"Asuna," he started again, voice firm. "It's never been about sex and it's never been about something you did. I just… I'm not… in love with you. Anymore."

For a long moment, Asuna merely stared at him. Her makeup was starting to run.

"What… what do you mean?"

Slowly, Kazuto pulled his hands away from hers, and her arms fell limply at her sides. It took him a while, because the words were stuck in his throat, but he finally managed to shove them out:

"I don't feel the same way about you anymore… I'm sorry."

There was a soft thud as Asuna fell to the floor, sitting back on her knees in a harsh silence. Her eyes were glassy, her expression lost as she stared at nothing. It broke Kazuto's heart to see her that way when he had always known her as that strong, independent fighter from the old days. It just showed how much she loved him, how invested she was, and it made him feel like utter crap for doing this to her but he needed it and it would be worse to make her live a lie.

For a split second, he considered kneeling next to her on the floor and pulling her to his chest to soothe the pain away, apologize for everything he said and tell her he had been lying, that it was a joke. But he instantly pushed that all away. He still cared for her, regardless of what was happening, and still wanted her to be happy… but things were better this way.

Slowly, he backed out of the room, eyes glued to the girl whose heart he was breaking.

"I'm sorry."

Then he ripped his gaze away and fled, tearing his jacket down from the coat rack and shoving his feet into his converse before speeding out the door. He made a beeline for his motorcycle, clumsily slipping his jacket on one arm as he sat down and kickstarted the engine. He wiped hastily at his eyes before he started driving.

He had to stop three blocks down because he couldn't see past the tears.

Sinon looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh god… I had no idea…" She looked down, watching their feet as they walked slowly toward the city.

"Yeah… she was devastated." Kirito was quiet as he spoke, obviously still affected by that memory. "After all we had been through together, we both assumed that we were going to be together forever, like it was destiny… that's why it was really hard… I didn't want to hurt her, but I guess that was inevitable, I had to do it... If only I was good at actually talking, things would have gone better. She wouldn't have blamed herself for something that had never been her fault."

With sympathy, Sinon glanced over at her companion. No, her husband. A dark anger swirled in his eyes as he glared at his feet. Self-hatred.

"While I agree you're not the best at that sort of thing, you did your best considering the circumstances." The sniper tried to send him a small smile. "That breakup was hard, and it hurt both of you, but you did what was best and it led to a happier life."

Kirito smiled slightly. "Sometimes I worry."

Sinon stopped short. "About what?" she prompted, her voice steady to hide her uncertainty. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

"If I really did 'what was best'. As in, did I do it in the right way," he answered, stopping a little bit ahead of her, and instantly Sinon let out the breath clawing at her lungs. "Why would he be having second thoughts?" she asked herself scoldingly. "He's told me multiple times he's totally committed to me."

"Well… I don't think there really is a 'right way'." She drew even with him again as she spoke. "There's just 'the best way' and you did that."

Kirito let out a long sigh. He took Sinon's hand, raising it to his lips to kiss before letting their joined hands dangle comfortably between them. "You always know what to say. You're so wise."

"Well I am a woman and I am your wife. By definition, I'm always right."

"That's sexist."

"Well this is a sexist world, Kiri-chan. The only way to survive is fighting fire with fire."

"I told you not to call me that!"

Sinon chuckled. "It cheered you up, didn't it?"

Kirito groaned, making the sniper laugh again, and then they returned to their companionable silence once again, hands still entwined.

They saw the building before the rest of the city and immediately knew to head for it. Having been on several missions in this game together, Kirito knew his wife preferred the high ground. On the way there, they talked strategy.

"So, you stay in the skyscraper and pick them off from up high and I stay on the ground floor to finish off any stragglers you might miss?" Kirito reiterated.

"Exactly. I'll try to let some through, though. I can't have all the fun after all." Sinon winked at him, and Kirito rolled his eyes.

"Just remember, Tugger is mine," he said darkly.

"Oh no he's not. He's harassed me WAY more than you."

"He SHOT me! That has to count as harassment!"

"Not in this game it doesn't. Besides, I already avenged your death," she replied nonchalantly.

"By defiling his corpse?"

"Yes." Sinon blushed, appreciating how he left out WHY she defiled Tugger's corpse. And her momentary weakness afterwards.

By the time they reached the tower, it was time for the satellite to go overhead, so they pulled up the map to see where everyone was. Several people had already been eliminated, though that still left them with quite a few contestants, including themselves, Tugger, and Sajiro, though Sajiro seemed to be locking blades with someone who liked to call themselves (quite presumptuously, Kirito thought) Shiroyama. Sinon spoke his thoughts.

"Isn't Shiroyama the name of a major samurai?" Kirito snorted a little.

"Yeah, he was THE samurai. When the way of the samurai was in decline and the imperial army was trying to wipe them out, he led about 500 other samurai on a 'last stand' of sorts. It's said he was the very last to fall, and even then it took nearly a dozen men to bring him down." Kirito recounted the legend that he had been obsessed with in childhood.

"Meanwhile, this joker just got his ass handed to him by Sajiro." They watched as the name "Shiroyama" suddenly became crossed out.

"Hmph. Serves him right. It's considered bad luck to take on the name of a deadman," Kirito chuckled derisively. "Probably made a rookie mistake and let the enemy get the high ground."

"I can think of several people who would argue that makes no difference," Sinon added sarcastically as they made their way through the lobby of the building and slowly began the ascent to the top floor.

"Like who?"

"Anakin Skywalker."

"Yeah and THAT turned out SO well…" came the sarcastic reply. They both shared a laugh.

"All right, I might as well head back down." Kirito leaned in and gave Sinon a light peck on the cheek. "Try to leave some for me, okay dear?" He winked.

Sinon huffed in faux-annoyance.

"If I must." She smiled. "If I see Sajiro, he's all yours."

And so it went for the next 30 minutes or so. Sinon would snipe anyone stupid enough to enter her sights, and Kirito would take care of anyone who thought they were smart to sneak around her. You'd think the rather large amount of bodies spread throughout the lobby would tip them off.

Finally, the time came. It was down to the four, and Sinon joined Kirito in the lobby, but not before almost tripping over the body next to the stairs.

"Dammit Kirito, can't you keep ANY space you have to yourself clean?"

The swordsman in question seemed rather relaxed behind the reception desk, reclined with his feet propped on the counter. He cracked an eyelid and smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I remember the state of your room before I got my hands on it. I found crusty underwear for godsakes. That you forgot existed. By your own admission."

Kirito grimaced as he let his feet down. "I was kinda hoping you forgot that little tidbit…"

"How could I possibly forget that stench?!" Kirito swore he saw her eye twitch slightly.

"So you two really do know each other irl," came a calm voice.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Sinon reacted quickly, trying to pump the supposed location of the voice full of lead from her glock.

No such luck.

"Hey, Sajiro. Nice STH (stealth) stat you got there. I almost didn't notice you," Kirito said nonchalantly, absently pulling on his gloves from his seat.

Said samurai chuckled.

"Well, Sun Tzu did say to be formless, to the point where you and the shadows become as one."

"Oh god, not another battle-obsessed idiot," Sinon whined. "I'm already married to one…"

Sajiro chuckled again. "Well, irl, I'm a war strategist. So I guess you could say I'm a bit battle-obsessed."

Sinon just walked over to Kirito and slumped sideways into his lap as she had many a time when she was exhausted, arms circling his neck.

"Nooooo…" was all she managed before Sajiro delivered the bad news.

"Tugger will be here soon, and he looked smug as ever."

Sinon huffed. "Great, just what I need right now: sexual harassment." She sighed. "Let's get this bullshit over with."

She stood up and stretched. Kirito enjoyed the very nice view of her… hips.

"So what's the plan?" he asked, trying desperately not to sound as distracted as he was.

"Assuming Tugger doesn't shoot first, we talk to him. THEN blow his brains out."

"With bullets," Sajiro added.

"Dear god, I would hope so," Kirito muttered.

"Well, here's hoping," came an unwelcome voice. All heads turned toward the entrance, Kirito standing from his chair.

There, stood confident as ever, was the man all three of them hated, and two loathed.

"What, no hug?" Tugger looked them over, smirking slightly, eyebrows raised. "I'm hurt."

"Cut the bullshit." Sinon was the first to acknowledge him, meeting him with a hard glare.

"Hey babe, figured you missed me." Tugger winked and shot a finger gun at Sinon, the reply to which was an eye roll and a disgusted sound. "And I'm sure YOU missed me too, Kiri-chan." He walked over to Kirito and slung his arm around "her" shoulders. It took everything in Sinon's body not to kill him right then and there. Kirito, meanwhile, cut his eyes at him in a side glare, hand twitching by the sword on his belt. Then Tugger noticed Sajiro. "Who's the rube?" He asked derisively.

"A far better man than you." Kirito replied flatly.

Tugger opened his mouth to respond, likely with a coy statement, before Kirito stopped him. With his thumb and forefinger, Kirito pulled Tugger's arm from around his shoulder by the sleeve, grimacing as he moved out of reach and dropped it. Then, using his girliest falsetto yet as he faced him, he said "And before you try to hit on me again, I want you to know one thing." He dropped as many registers as possible, and said in as manly a voice as he could muster, "I'm a guy."

The silence throughout almost every game world was deafening.

Then a chuckle. A giggle and then full blown laughter, all supplied by Sajiro.

"Oh man, I knew it! There's no way a girl moves like you do!" He wiped the traces of tears from his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sinon asked, sounding offended.

"He protects his 'bits' too much. Most swordswomen I encounter don't protect their legs so fervently. They're willing to take a few licks on their legs if it means an opening for them."

Sinon sighed. "You swordsman and your uncanny ability to pick up stuff like that…"

Tugger however looked mortified.

"There's no way. You're just screwing with me… I hit on you…"

"You did a bit more than that, you practically propositioned me," Kirito added a bit loudly, noticing a camera on them out of the corner of his eye.

Tugger took a step towards the trio, looking absolutely furious, only to find himself looking down the barrel of Hecate II and two laser swords.

"Not one step closer," Sinon growled.

"I just wanted a word with your… husband," Jack said smoothly. Far too smoothly for an angry man.

"Not happening," Sajiro replied.

Tugger snapped. He grabbed the barrel of Hecate and pushed it hard to the side, throwing the sniper off-balance. He withdrew a knife from somewhere. Several thoughts went through everyone's heads.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT!" was Sinon's only thought.

"Where the hell did he get that knife?!" Kirito screamed inside his own head.

"A stiletto dagger. The knife of an assassin. Perfect for a man without honor," was the surprisingly calm thought of Sajiro, remembering how a knife from behind just after a rather intense battle cost him the top spot in the 8th BoB.

"DIE YOU BASTARD!" Tugger screamed as the dagger headed straight for Kirito's ribs, who didn't have time to react.

Luckily he didn't need to.

Sajiro quickly pushed Kirito away, bringing his own laser katana down on the idiot's hand, cleanly separating it at the wrist.

"Behold, the fate that befalls thieves," he spat bitterly.

"Yeah! Go Sajiro!" Shouted Klein from his spot on the couch, breaking everyone from the trance the TV had on them, to the point where they actually jumped at his exclamation. This earned him a light glare from everyone, including his girlfriend. "What?"

"We're supposed to be rooting for my partner and her husband." Mizumi slapped him upside the head before crossing her arms sternly. "Not having a boner over someone we don't even know."

"I can't help it. As a fellow samurai, I gotta support my bushido bro."

Liz facepalmed. "You did not just refer to him as your 'bushido bro'." She sounded like she was physically restraining herself from hitting him.

"Um…" he desperately tried to backpedal. "Recon, help me out here, dude!"

Said fairy looked surprised at being included in this conversation, but before he could even get anything out, one look from Leafa silenced him. He shook his head quickly. Mizumi laughed.

"Just give it up," Liz called. "'Bushido bros' will not become a thing."

Klein groaned.

"Shhhh, something's happening!" Asuna hissed.

"AUGH! You asshole!" Tugger clutched at his stump, which was now spilling red pixels into the air.

Sajiro simply kicked him to his back and pointed his sword at him, looking at the man as though he were shit to be scraped from his boot.

"Stay there," he commanded darkly. The tone sent shivers down the backs of all who heard it.

"So," said Sinon, the one person brave enough to approach. "What did you mean by thief? I mean, granted, I doubt he's above it, but how? This game has massive penalties for stealing anything, let alone from another player."

"He didn't steal directly, no," came the angry reply, Sajiro refusing to look away from the subject of his ire. "But he did steal the top spot in the 8th BoB by using underhanded tactics. He would find people engaged in a firefight and wait for them finish the other off. Then, before they even have a chance to catch their breath, he would strike. For me, he used that same stiletto. But for others, he would use any means necessary: sniping, running them over with one of the mounts, dropping a ton of rocks on them. It didn't matter to the man how, he killed them all unfairly. If he hadn't resorted to such bullshit tactics, I doubt he would have broken the top ten."

Both looked at Sajiro with horror as he recounted his tale, then Tugger with nothing but fury. Both held the sanctity of the BoB to determine the best in high regard. To have it besmirched like this angered them both.

"There are no rules against what I did!" Tugger shouted indignantly. "Why can't you people understand that?!"

"IT'S ABOUT THE SPORTSMANSHIP!" Sajiro shouted, moving his sword closer to Tugger's throat, causing his scruff to singe slightly.

"Sajiro…" Kirito approached the samurai. "Let him up."

Sajiro looked furious, but relented after seeing the hard look in Kirito's eyes. He sheathed his sword, and Tugger slowly climbed to his feet, glaring at everyone.

"I didn't break any rules," he repeated.

"No, you violated the spirit of this competition," Kirito said, somewhat sadly.

"FUCK YOU! YOU DON'T GET TO TALK DOWN TO ME! I'M THE REIGNING CHAMPION! NOT YOU!"

At his last word, Tugger pulled out a .22 caliber pistol, only to find himself looking at his own feet.

Kirito deactivated his sword, looking at the headless corpse of Jack Tugger with a mixture of anger and pity. It dropped to its knees, then to its stomach unceremoniously.

DEAD.

A long pause ensued, the remaining three players staring down at the corpse apathetically. Then Sajiro spoke up.

"So, if you two are so against underhanded tactics, then why..?" He trailed off, not quite sure how to finish. But the two knew what he was referring to.

"It was an act," they both replied simultaneously. Sajiro stared.

"What?"

"Yeah, we wanted to rattle Tugger's cage some so we decided to put on a play. Guess it worked, judging by how much MMO Stream talked it up." Sinon chuckled. "There's no way Kirito has it in him to betray anyone, let alone me."

"Hey!" said husband protested.

"You were too scared to kill the spider in the shower this morning. I was the one who had to put it outside," she reminded him. He simply pouted. Sajiro watched the back-and-forth between the couple when he burst out laughing. The two turned from their "quarrel" and looked at him like he'd lost his marbles. He finally calmed enough to explain.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just really easy to see you two love each other."

The couple in question blushed.

"So anyway, how do you want to finish off this Battle Royale?"

"Well…" Kirito started, looking pensive. "The three of us should try for a 3-2-1 victory, that way Tugger gets nothing. It's the least he deserves." His face took on a dark look before nearly instantly cheering up. "How about a duel to end all duels Sajiro? Swordmaster vs swordmaster? Winner fights Sinon," he proposed. Sinon nodded her head, silently showing her approval of the plan. Sajiro looked at the two of them again, and smiled.

"Good idea. After all, there's no way I could fight both of you together. Though can we maybe go somewhere else? This place is getting a little…" he looked around at the multiple dead bodies, including the headless Tugger. "Too corpse-y."

The couple nodded as well, looking around at the devastation Kirito's laser sword had wrought. All three then headed outside.

Everyone was literally on the edge of their seats in the cabin. Well, except Liz, who was in the kitchen making more popcorn, but was mesmerized by the spectacle on the tv nonetheless. In the middle of the screen were the MMO Stream commentators, talking about this latest development. In one corner, they were running the old footage of the 8th BoB, with a specific focus on Tugger. And boy was he really playing dirty. Sniping a victor just after winning a fight, causing a landslide to engulf a small town full of contestants, the list went on and on. And every single one of his tricks was running in a "highlight reel" in the upper left of the screen. The commentators were actually discussing whether to strip Tugger of his winner status, and if so, who to give it to. Meanwhile, in the upper right corner of the screen, the current BoB was going, though it just showed the three talking. But now they were walking out of the building and looking around.

"Looking for the proper battlefield," Asuna thought to herself.

Apparently they found it, because Kirito and Sajiro talked to each other and then shook hands, moving to opposite ends of their makeshift arena.

"Liz, hurry up you're gonna miss it!" came the call from Leafa. The Leprechaun promptly vaulted over the back of the couch and landed in her spot… spilling half her bowl of popcorn in the process.

"Ah! Dammit, Liz, that popcorn is hot!" Klein cried out, brushing the unwelcome debris from himself before receiving a glare from Asuna, who indicated the little girl who was currently glued to the screen.

"Sorry, it's just not everyday you get to see a battle between two men with such amazing control of their swords." Lisbeth smirked impishly. "If you know what I mean."

Asuna looked agape. "Liz!" She actually smacked the girl on the back of her head. "Stop trying to corrupt my daughter!"

The Leprechaun had the decency to look a little ashamed.

"Shh! They're starting!" Klein hushed them as he leaned forward, looking as though he were focused entirely on the match.

Kirito and Sajiro started at opposite ends of their battleground, Kirito standing next to his wife, who held a single .55 cal bullet in her hand. Both had a determined look in their eye. The wasteland was silent, still even, as though it too was fixated with this battle. Sinon let the bullet drop. It hit the ground with a small tink!

And then a storm let loose.

Both swordsman were so fast the human eye couldn't see them. The only indication that any sort of battle was happening was the occasional sight and sound of the swords crossing as sparks flew in anger and the thunderous reply that screamed with the fury and giddiness at finding a worthy opponent. Then the two met in a bind in the middle.

"You upped your AGI stat," Kirito observed.

"Aww, you noticed! So you do care!" Sajiro joked.

Both men pushed from the bind, but neither took more than a step away as each took to trying close-quarter strikes.

The resulting tussle was, once again, a blur of arms and swords as each swordsman tried to strike, was blocked, and defended themselves in a seemingly endless loop. The amount of sparks that flew from their swords would have set at least one of them alight were they in the real world.

Then both reared back for one final, last-ditch effort blow, which ended in yet another bind.

"Damn… you… really are… one of the best… swordsmen out there." Sajiro spoke in between rather heavy pants.

"Yeah… you're not… so bad… yourself," Kirito replied, equally out of breath. The hi-tech samurai smiled kindly at him.

"Sorry about this," he apologized sincerely.

Kirito blinked, but before he could ask what Sajiro was sorry for, he felt himself lose balance, his sword leaving his hand, and a sharp slash through his torso.

DEAD.

The cabin was completely silent as everyone watched their friend fall to the ground, the DEAD indicator appearing above his corpse as it spewed red pixels from his gaping chest-wound. The camera turned to Sinon, who looked just as dumbfounded as they felt.

What Kirito didn't see, but everyone else did, was that during their last bind, Sajiro had planted his foot in between Kirito's and was able to shove with his shoulder just enough to knock him off balance. He then used his forward momentum to knock Kirito's sword out if his hand, and finally deliver the finishing blow.

"...Holy shit."

Lisbeth was the first to speak, but Asuna didn't bother scolding her for her language as she continued to stare at the screen in shock.

"That...that's amazing. The only other person I know who could beat Kirito was Yuuki."

"Woo! That's what you get for underestimating a samurai! Go, Sajiro!"

Mizumi proceeded to raise her eyebrow at her boyfriend. She wasn't as familiar with the legend of "The Black Swordsman" as the rest of them, so she couldn't be as upset, but she was still impressed. "Are you seriously cheering for this Sajiro guy right now? I thought you and Kirito were friends?"

"Well, of course we are. Kirito's my best friend, but I mean, come on. Samurai aren't really taken as seriously in games anymore. I need this representation."

"So you would choose a win from someone you barely know over the win of your best friend?"

"Well…"

"While Klein's loyalties are questionable," Agil began, eyes fixated on the screen, "We have yet to see Sajiro and Sinon's battle."

"Ooo, Sajiro better watch out." Lisbeth bounced in her seat with a grin. "Sinon's bound to be pissed at him now."

Sinon stared down at Kirito's body for a solid minute, eyes wide, before finally glancing up at Sajiro, who was smiling at his triumph, sword held down at his side.

"That was a tough battle. Almost thought I wouldn't beat him. He really is good, I'll give him that."

"Yeah... I haven't seen many people beat him in swordplay. I have to say… I'm impressed."

Sajiro smiled at her. "Coming from a three-time BoB champion, that means a lot."

In spite of being in the presence of her husband's corpse, Sinon smiled a little. After… well, after his last death, she had grown more accustomed to seeing it, the idea that it wasn't real more solidified in her mind.

"So," Sajiro began, one hand propped on his hip. "How should we do this? Are you going to snipe at me from there?"

Sinon pursed her lips, thinking. "Hmm. No, that's been done."

"Fair enough. Have anything in mind?"

"Well, considering you just killed my husband, I have a right to decide how this goes."

"Also fair."

She smiled. "I'm glad you think so. And I think I want this battle to be different. A surprise."

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan of surprises. But I'll let this one slide."

"Great." Hand reaching into a pouch on her belt, Sinon pulled out a gray sphere, smile resembling more of a smirk. "Because I want to start with this."

Without any warning, she pressed the button on top and tossed it, turning and sprinting back toward the nearest building. Seconds later, a thunderous BOOM sounded behind her, but she didn't bother to stop and look back. She highly doubted throwing a grenade at somebody in plain sight would kill them. They'd have to be extremely stupid.

Sinon felt the shockwave of the blast graze her, heat prickling at her back as it shoved her forward. She stumbled a bit, steps falling faster in a struggle to keep her footing. A bit of her HP was shaved off, but it didn't faze her as she bolted through shattered, glass double doors and dropped to slide behind a reception desk. This building was actually pretty similar to the one they had fought in earlier, but the layout was different with the desk opposite the front doors. Battling through it would be like running blind through a maze. But it wasn't impossible.

Immediately, Sinon pulled Hecate II from her back and propped it on the desk, crouching for cover as she put her eye to the scope.

The landscape was empty. The only thing the sniper could see was sand and buildings and a small cloud of dust from the explosion. She could have almost been fooled into thinking her opponent was dead, but there was no body and no notification. Besides, she had been exposed to Sajiro's skill level enough to be confident that he was still alive.

She took a slow breath. Just aim at the dust.

For several long seconds, everything was quiet, the atmosphere practically solid with intensity. But Sinon remained calm, finger lightly resting on the trigger. She scanned as much of the landscape as she could through her scope, but no cyber-samurai appeared. That only served to set her nerves on edge, her teeth biting her inner lip.

Where the hell did he go?

"Good effort!" she heard directly behind and to her right. Sinon quickly drew her bowie knife and tried to slash where she thought she heard the voice. No luck.

"Close," came the reply from seemingly everywhere in the room. Sinon looked around, her sniper's eyes searching for anything, a shape out of place, a shade of color that didn't quite fit. Like an artist, but with higher stakes. She smirked.

"Kirito wasn't lying. Your STH stat is really high. I thought samurai where all about face-to-face confrontation?" she said to the seemingly empty air.

"True. But I just so happen to dual-class as a ninja." Sinon heard him drop down behind her, and swung the knife, which was caught by the wrist. "Sorry," he whispered almost inaudibly before Sinon felt the laser katana pierce her abdomen.

DEAD.

A/N: And that's the end of this arc. Finally. Next chapter will have to do with what happens after the BoB and we can move on to other things.