Suguha wasn't sure how long she cried. It could have been an hour, it could have been days. She laid in bed, her nervegear lying next to her, and balled like she had when Kazuto died. She was beyond conscious thought, unable to piece together any of the information into a solid whole.
Eventually though, reality intruded. A grumbling stomach and a full bladder will motivate anyone out of bed, no matter how they feel. She used the restroom first, and the familiar feel of home started to help bring her down from the ledge she saw. She made herself a sandwich and caught herself before she made one for Kazuto as well, putting that plate back in the cabinet.
Sitting and eating, her thoughts started to try to piece things together. That was Kazuto, or at least looked exactly like him if you ignored the fact that he was only 6 inches tall. Lillith called him Kirito. It had only been a whisper, but Sugu held on to that. Even in her shock, she knew that would be important.
That was all the information she had, but it was enough for her to at least try getting answers.
First, she messaged Lostone, apologizing that she was going to not play that kill quest anymore. He took it with his usual "not a problem, my lady." It should have been corny, but somehow it worked. Maybe she was just getting soft.
Next she pulled out her laptop. She still hadn't put the money into an Augma rig, though her friends often laughed at her about being behind the times. With a few clicks of the keys she did a search for Aincrad survivors, then narrowed the search to only include message boards. With only a little bit of scrolling she found what she wanted, a forum built and used by survivors of SAO.
She was locked out. Only the survivors were let in. She searched the site and reached out to the forum's admin.
"Hi," she said. "I'm not sure if you will believe me. I'm not sure I believe it myself, but I had a brother in SAO. He never told me his name in the game, but I got some information today that says he went by Kirito. I know it's a long shot, but can you put a message in your forum with my contact information? I would really like to meet his friends if they're willing to meet me."
She sent the short message, complete with her contact info. Now she had to wait.
Thankfully, the wait wasn't long. "Greetings. My name is Andrew. Your name wouldn't happen to be Suguha would it? If it is, your information is right on the money. I'll have no problem setting up a meeting. I won't post your request on the boards though. Frankly you don't want to be swamped with the number of people who would reply. I'll get hold of his closest friends though. If you don't mind we can use my bar as a meeting place. It's central in the city, so everyone can get there easy enough."
Her depression was forgotten, replaced by a sudden excitement. She was going to meet his friends! She couldn't exactly put it into words, but it would be nice that she would be connected to him in some way. Having people who knew him and could tell stories of what his life was like in that hated game. Was he happy? Just how many friends did he have that Andrew was worried about her being flooded with contacts?
Then a slight pause, and a piece of the pain struck. How had he died? But even that didn't bring her completely down. Maybe she would get some solid closure?
"That's me! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Give me a time and address, and I'll be there." In all her musings she lost track of what was on her laptop. Andrew had sent her the info she was waiting for. It wasn't too far away. A bikeride would get her there quick enough. Lets see... The meetup was in two hours! Sudden panic. Oh no, his friends were not going to see her like this. She needed to get the red out of her eyes, A small bit of makeup, and a nice dress. She would be presentable.
She was running behind, so she elected to drive there. There was plenty of spaces to park behind the bar. She paused at the door, took one deep breath, then walked through.
The bar was very clean. She felt the ambiance, and it all felt very classy. There was some laughing, and no one had noticed her yet. She couldn't quite make out what was being said, but she had heard Aincrad a couple of times and knew she was at the right place with the right people.
She looked them over. The most prominent was a bald black man behind the bar. He was busy cleaning a glass that was perfectly clean while talking. He had an easygoing demeanor and a smile that was very disarming. She liked him instantly.
Next was a bandana-wearing redhead. What made him stick out was his mouth. He was loud, that's for certain, but it was in excitement, and she really couldn't blame him. They had to be as excited to meet her as she was to meet them.
Lastly, she saw another girl with two braids. She seemed very cheerful, though one joke from the redhead left her blushing. Sugu would be surprised if she didn't bring out the protective nature of anyone around her.
They were close though; that was obvious. Not having an excuse to wait any longer, she approached the group. "Would one of you be Andrew?"
"Andrew Gilbert Mills at your service," chimed the bald man, "and you must be Suguha then?" Sugu gave a slightly timid nod. "This gentleman to my left is Tsuboi Ryoutarou, probably Kirit- er, Kazuto's best friend in the game. And the lovely lady on my right is Ayano Keiko. Those two were tight as well."
Ryoutarou gave a salute with his brandy glass and a good-natured smile. Keiko couldn't stop blushing since Andrew had called her a lovely lady. It was just too adorable.
"Um, Hi. I'm Kirigaya Suguha," She said awkwardly, "but please just call me Sugu." There were so many questions boiling up that she was a bit overwhelmed. "Do you mind if I ask some questions about my brother? Was he happy in SAO?"
Ryoutarou spoke up, "How could the guy not be happy? Surrounded by hot girls all the time? Call me Ryo by the way."
Andrew smoothly added, "You know it wasn't like that. You're going to make Sugu think he was some sort of pervert."
A slightly sour expression was on Keiko's face. "He's not wrong though. It was sickening, but he only had eyes for Asuna." Was that jealousy she sensed? Women all around him indeed. Picturing Keiko four years younger, as she would have been in SAO, Sugu didn't think she had a chance. Her brother would just go into white-knight mode and be super protective of her, but never have romantic feelings.
"To answer your question though, yeah, he was very happy," Andrew said, that smile never leaving his face. "He was also one of the people most responsible for us getting out of there."
"He fought?"
"Like the devil himself," Ryo said, his face taking on a solemn cast.
The thought of him fighting brought back the question she didn't want to ask, but now she had to. "How did he die, do you know?"
"Me and Andrew was there. He figured out Heathcliff was really Kayaba and challenged him right there. They fought," Ryo said, his face full of pain, "and he lost."
Sugu couldn't stop the tears. "It was quick?"
Ryo had become the one to tell the tale. "It was a hell of a fight, and honestly, he seemed to be enjoying it. I think that cocky bastard fully believed he was going to win."
"Language, geeze," Keiko reprimanded.
Shrugging off the comment, Ryo continued. "When he died, it was quick and painless."
Reaching onto the bar, Sugu grabbed a napkin and wiped the tears. "Thank you."
From there the conversation turned to happier subjects. Talking about how they all met and laughing at the antics they had gotten into with him. In turn she told stories of the Kazuto she knew. The one subject that wasn't touched on was this Asuna that Kirito had eyes for.
Finally, she forced the issue. "So who is Asuna?"
"Lightning-flash Asuna," Andrew chimed in smoothly. "Guild leader of the Knights of the Broken Oath. Top fighter in SAO, second to only Kirito himself, and that was debatable."
"Those two were inseparable, once they found common ground at least. It was a bit rough at first. Still, it was almost the perfect love story, except in those stories they'd have had a happily ever after." Ryo shook his head sadly. "The woman went through hell when she lost Kirito. I wouldn't be surprised if she had truly gone suicidal when Kirito died, but for her at least, suicide wasn't an option. So she pulled herself up by her proverbial bootstraps and became the hero the game needed. No one was there at their final battle, but we all know she's the one who took down Kayaba. It couldn't have ended any other way."
Andrew retook the narrative. "But that wasn't the end of the story. I tracked her down after we left the game. It turns out her and fifty other SAO players didn't wake up when the game ended. The doctors don't know why. They're too scared to remove the nerve gear for fear that it'll still kill them. None of us know."
Ticking off the information in her head, she already knew the answer to her next question. "Was she a redhead with two braids, pale skin, and hazel eyes?"
"Yeah," Ryo said in surprise. "How did you know though?"
"I met her! I met Asuna!" Excited about the discovery, she didn't give any thought to the implications at first. "She's in ALO. Only something's weird. She's going by Titania, and the admins have put a bounty on her like some sort of weird kill quest. That's how I met her. I was trying to collect on that bounty not knowing she was real. It all makes sense, but..."
"But why is she stuck there?" Keiko asked.
Ryo chimed in, "we need to find out."
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