Interlude I

Body temperature is such a strange thing, Asuna Yuuki thought.

Beneath the navy sky, its clouds curling with orange after the

end of the rain, they walked along hand in hand. Kazuto Kirigaya

had been lost in thought for the last several minutes, looking

down in silence at the brick tiles on the pedestrian path.

Asuna lived in Setagaya and Kazuto had to get back to Kawagoe, so they normally took their separate trains at Shinjuku Station, but for whatever reason, Kazuto had said he would escort

her closer to home this time. It was almost an entire hour extra

for him to get home from Shibuya, but she sensed something different in his look this time, so she accepted the offer.

After they got off at her stop, Miyanosaka Station on the Setagaya Line, they naturally wound up holding hands.

There was something about the experience she found reminiscent. It was a memory that was as painful and frightening as it

was sweet, so she normally didn't allow it to surface, but every

once in a while she felt it when she was holding his hand.

It wasn't a memory of the real world. It happened in

Grandzam, the city of iron towers on the fifty-fifth floor of old

Aincrad.

At the time, Asuna was the vice commander of the Knights of

the Blood guild and had a greatsword-wielding personal guard

named Kuradeel at her side at all times. Kuradeel held a fanatical

obsession toward her, and when Kirito (Kazuto) prompted her to

consider quitting the guild, he tried to use a paralyzing poison to

kill her friend.

With two fellow guildmates dead and Kirito nearly gone as

well, Asuna drew her rapier with rage. She tore away at Kuradeel's HP bar, but at the point where one more hit would have

finished him, she hesitated. Kuradeel used that moment of weakness to strike back, and he was stopped only when Kirito recovered from his paralysis.

The pair returned to the KoB headquarters on the fifty-fifth

floor, announced their departure from the guild, then walked

through Grandzam without a destination, hand in hand.

She'd played it cool at the time, but underneath, her heart was

swirling with disappointment in herself for hesitating, and guilt

for having forced that burden onto Kirito. Just as she was feeling

that she didn't have the right to be considered a member of the

elite front line or to walk at Kirito's side, she heard his voice

telling her that he would do whatever it took to get her back to

her old world.

In that instant, a powerful drive overtook her. The next time,

she would protect him. Not just that time, but every time. In any

world.

She still vividly remembered how the hand that had been so

cold the entire time she held it suddenly erupted with warmth

like a furnace. Even now, after the flying fortress fell and she escaped from the land of fairies, the memory of that skin temperature came back to her when she held his hand.

Body temperature truly was a strange thing. It was merely the

by-product of the expenditure of energy to keep the body running, but the sharing of that heat through touch also seemed to

impart some kind of information. As evidence of that, Asuna

knew that Kazuto was silent because he was hesitant to tell her

something important.

Kazuto had just said the human soul was photons trapped in

the microtubules of brain cells. Could that light exist not just in

the brain but throughout all the cells in the body? A quantum

field made from fluctuating motes of light in the shape of a

human being, connected through their palms…Perhaps that was

what she was truly feeling when she felt his body temperature.

Asuna closed her eyes and said a silent reassurance.

It will be all right, Kirito. I will always be watching your

back. We're the greatest forward and backup in the world.

Kazuto came to a sudden stop, and so did Asuna at the exact

same moment. When she opened her eyes, the striking of seven

o'clock caused an old-fashioned wrought-iron streetlamp to

flicker to life.

There were no other people to be seen on the residential walkway in the dusk after the day's rain. Kazuto slowly tilted his head

to look at Asuna with those dark eyes of his.

"Asuna…"

He took a step forward to drive away his hesitation.

"…I think I'm going to go."

Asuna knew that he had been weighing a decision about his future path. She asked, "To America?"

"Yeah. I spent a year doing a lot of research, and I think the

brain implant chip they're studying at a university in Santa Clara

is the proper next step in the evolution of full-diving. I think

that's the way that the brain-machine interface is going to go.

And I really, really want to see when the next world is born."

She looked directly back into those eyes and nodded.

"It wasn't all just fun times…There were hard times and sad

times, too. You want to find out why you were called to that castle, and where it's been taking you."

"I could live hundreds of years, and I'd still never see the end

of that road," Kazuto quipped with a grin. However, he soon fell

silent again.

Asuna sensed that he couldn't bring himself to say that they'd

be living far apart. She was going to keep that smile on her face

and tell him her own answer that she'd been incubating within

her for so long—but Kazuto found his voice then, his expression

the exact same one she remembered from when he proposed to

her in Aincrad.

"So, I…I want you to come with me, Asuna. I just—I can't do it

without you. I know this is an impossible request. I'm sure you

have your own ideas for your future. But even still, I…"

He hesitated—Asuna's eyes had bulged, and she snorted.

"Huh…?"

"S-sorry, I shouldn't laugh. But…is that seriously what you've

been worrying about all this time?"

"W-well, of course."

"Oh, sheesh. My answer's been decided for ages before all

this."

She reached over and enfolded Kazuto's hand with both of

hers. She gave him an even bigger bob of the head and said, "Of

course I'm going with you. I'll go anywhere to be with you."

He stared at her, blinked several times, then gave her a dazzling smile of the sort he rarely ever showed. He lifted his other

hand to her shoulder. She let go and circled her arms around his

back.

Their lips were chilly when they first touched, but they soon

melted into warmth. Asuna imagined the light that made up their

souls trading infinite information. She knew for certain that no

matter what world, no matter how long they traveled, their hearts

would never be apart.

In fact, their hearts had been connected long ago. Since the

moment they disappeared in a rainbow aurora above the collapse

of Aincrad, or perhaps even before that—as lonely solo players

who met deep in a dark labyrinth.

"So does that mean," Asuna wondered aloud several minutes later

as they resumed their walk through the neighborhood, "you don't

think the Soul Translator you've been testing is the proper evolution of full-diving? The brain chip is a connection on the cellular

level like the NerveGear, but the STL goes further to interface on

a quantum level, right?"

"Hmm…"

Kazuto tapped the metal end of an umbrella against the bricks.

"Yes, it might be true that the scope is much more advanced

than the brain chip. But it's just…too progressive. It won't just be

a few years until they can downsize that tech for home usage. It'll

take at least ten or twenty. I feel like the STL I've been working

with isn't meant for the purpose of simply allowing a person to

full-dive into a virtual world…"

"Huh? What's it for, then?"

"I think it might be a tool to understanding the fluctlight, the

human consciousness…"

"Hmm…"

So the STL wasn't the goal but the means. Asuna tried to imagine what knowing a person's soul would gain you, but he resumed

talking before she could fathom such a thing.

"Besides, I think the STL is more like…an extension of Heathcliff's ideas. I don't know why he created the NerveGear and SAO,

why he victimized thousands of people, why he fried his own

brain and unleashed the Seed into the world…or if there was even

a reason for those things. But I can't help but feel like the STL

possesses some part of his essence in it. I do want to know what it

was Heathcliff sought, but I don't want that to be my destination.

I don't want to feel like I've been dancing in the palm of his hand

all along."

For a moment, Asuna envisioned the long-gone man's face and

nodded.

"I see…Hey, is the guild leader's mind—or thought-mimicking

program or whatever—still alive on some server somewhere? You

mentioned that before, didn't you?"

"Yeah, just once. The machine he used to commit suicide was a

primitive prototype of the STL. In order to read the fluctlight, it

had to use a high-powered beam that fried all his brain cells. I

think it was probably an hours-long process and far more painful

than when the NerveGear destroys a brain…Whatever reason he

went to those lengths to make a copy of himself, I think there has

to be a connection to what Rath is trying to do with the STL. The

only reason I took Kikuoka's offer…might be due to something in

my heart that still wants to see an end to that…"

He looked up to the sky, where the last vestiges of red were

vanishing. Asuna gazed at his profile for a while, then squeezed

his hand harder and whispered, "Just promise me one thing: that

you won't do anything dangerous."

He turned back to her with a grin. "Of course. I promise. Now

that I know I get to go to America with you next summer."

"Well, you need to study hard and get a good SAT score if you

intend to do that, remember?"

"Ugh," he grunted, then cleared his throat to change the topic.

"At any rate, I ought to at least introduce myself to your parents

once. I've exchanged an occasional e-mail with your father,

Shouzou, but I'm a bit afraid of what your mother thinks…"

"Oh, don't worry, she's become much more understanding.

Oh, right…If you're coming this far, why don't you just stop in?"

"What?! I-I don't know…Maybe I'll visit once the term finals

are over. Yeah."

"Good grief…"

Eventually they reached a small park that was fairly close to

her house. It was customary for them to part here when Kazuto

walked her "home." She came to a hesitant stop and turned to

face him. He looked her in the eyes.

Right when they were only inches apart, heavy footsteps thudded in their direction, and Asuna instantly pulled away.

Trotting toward them from the T-intersection behind her was

a figure, a short man wearing dark clothing. When he spotted

Asuna and Kazuto, he approached, apologizing in a high-pitched

voice.

"Excuse me, which way is the station?" the young man asked,

bowing profusely.

Asuna pointed to the east. "Just go straight down this road,

then turn right at the first ligh…Ah!"

Kazuto had abruptly reached out and pulled her shoulder

back. He stepped forward and moved her behind him.

"Wh-what's…?"

"You. You were outside Dicey Café. Who are you?" he demanded. Asuna sucked in a sharp breath and looked closer at the

man.

He sported long hair with the occasional highlight. His sunken

cheeks were thick with stubble. There were silver earrings in his

ears and a thick silver chain around his neck. He was wearing a

faded black T-shirt and black leather pants with a metal chain

that jangled at his waist. Despite the hot season, he wore heavy

lace-up boots. Weirdly enough, he seemed to be covered in dust.

Narrow, mirthful eyes peered out between shaggy bangs. The

man tilted his head in apparent confusion at Kazuto's accusation,

but that suddenly gave way to a dangerous look, his pupils glinting.

"…No use trying a sneak attack, then," the man lamented,

drawing back one corner of his mouth in what couldn't be distinguished as either snarl or grin.

"Who are you?" Kazuto commanded again. The man shrugged,

shook his head a few times, then sighed theatrically.

"Oh, come on now, Kirito. You forgot my face already…? Well,

I guess I did wear a mask before. But I haven't forgotten yours for

a single day since then."

"You…"

Kazuto twitched. His back went straight. He pulled back his

right leg and dropped his weight.

"You're Johnny Black!" he accused, and his hand shot like

lightning to grab empty space over his shoulder—the exact same

spot where Kirito the Black Swordsman once reached for the hilt

of his beloved Elucidator.

"Bwa-ha! Heh-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You got no sword

there, bud!" The man named Johnny Black cackled, writhing with

high-pitched laughter. Kazuto slowly lowered his hand, though it

wasn't a relaxed gesture.

Asuna knew that name. It belonged to one of the more famous

red players of old Aincrad, the ones who eagerly and intentionally

killed other players. He had formed a partnership with Red-Eyed

Xaxa within the PK guild called Laughing Coffin, and they were

responsible for more than ten deaths between them.

…Xaxa. That name had come up just half a year ago, too. He

was the ringleader of the horrendous Death Gun incident.

Xaxa (Shouichi Shinkawa) and his younger brother had been

arrested, but their companion got away, according to the report

just after the incident. They assumed he had been caught long

ago. But that meant the third man, named Kanamoto, must be

the man before them now…

"You're still on the lam?" Kazuto rasped. Johnny Black, real

name Kanamoto, grinned and pointed his index fingers at them.

"Of course, baby. Xaxa's locked up now, so I gotta do the heavy

lifting, right? The last member of the Coffin. It took me five

months to track down that café, then another month of staking

out the place…They were hateful days, man."

Kanamoto grunted and tilted his head back and forth. "But

Kirito, without your swords…you're just a weak little kid,

ain'tcha? You look the same, but you sure ain't the swordsman

who crushed us all so badly."

"Speaking of which…what can you do without those cheap poisoned weapons?"

"Y'know, only an amateur judges a weapon by what he can

see."

With snakelike quickness, Kanamoto swung his right hand behind his back and grabbed something from his shirt.

It was a strange item. A toylike grip jutted out of a smooth

plastic cylinder. Asuna thought it was just a water pistol at first,

but the way Kazuto tensed caused her to hold her breath. Her

confusion turned to fear when she heard his voice.

"That's…the Death Gun…!"

He pushed out backward with his right arm to further distance

Asuna from the man, meanwhile pointing the end of his folded

umbrella toward Kanamoto.

Even as she unconsciously took a few steps back, Asuna's eyes

were glued to the plastic "gun" the whole while. She knew that

was not a simple plastic gun but an injector using a high-pressure

gas, loaded with a terrifying chemical that would stop a human

heart.

"As it happens, I do have a poison weapon. Too bad it's not a

good old knife, though."

Kanamoto hissed with laughter as he waved around the tip of

the injector, the only metal part on the tool. Kazuto kept the umbrella pointed carefully at him and shouted, "Asuna, run! Go and

get someone!"

After a moment's hesitation, she spun and raced away. As she

ran, she heard Kanamoto say, "Hey, Flash! You'd better tell

everyone you know…that it was Johnny Black who finally took

down the Black Swordsman!"

It was about a hundred feet on a straight line to the intercom

of the nearest house.

"Someone…somebody help!!" she shrieked at maximum volume as she ran. She wondered if it was a mistake to run and leave

Kazuto behind, if it would have been better for them both to leap

on him and subdue the weapon. She was halfway to her destination when she heard the sound.

It was the short, sharp sound of depressurization, like the bottle cap of a carbonated drink or a blast of hair spray. But the

knowledge of what it meant in this context was so terrifying that

Asuna's legs faltered, and she slipped and put a hand to the wet

bricks.

She turned slowly to look over her shoulder.

It was a ghastly scene.

The prod of Kazuto's umbrella was jammed all the way into

Kanamoto's right thigh.

And Kanamoto's injector was pressed against Kazuto's left

shoulder.

They both lurched over and toppled onto the street.

The next several minutes were as surreal as a black-and-white

movie.

Asuna worked her disobedient legs until they took her to

Kazuto's side. She pulled him away from the agonized Kanamoto,

who was clutching his leg, and urged her boyfriend to hang in

there as she pulled out her cell phone.

Her fingers were as cold as ice. She fumbled across the touchscreen, and her voice quavered as she called the emergency center, relating to the operator their location and status.

Belatedly, onlookers appeared. Someone had called it in, because a police officer soon shoved his way through the crowd.

Asuna answered his questions briefly and merely clung to

Kazuto's body after that.

His breathing was short and shallow. He could say only two

words through the pain: "Asuna, sorry."

After an eternity of several minutes, two ambulances arrived.

They loaded Kazuto into one, and Asuna rode in it with him.

The paramedic examined Kazuto, who was lying unconscious

on the stretcher, making certain that his airway was clear, then

promptly turned to his assistant and shouted, "He's in respiratory

failure—get me the ambo bag!"

They produced a breathing device, a clear mask that went over

Kazuto's nose and mouth. Asuna nearly screamed in terror, but

through a near-miracle brought about by the severity of the situation, she was able to tell the paramedic the name of the drug.

"Um, he was hit with a drug called…succinylcholine! In the left

shoulder."

The paramedic looked briefly stunned, then barked out new

orders.

"He needs epinephrine…no, atropine! I've got the vein!"

They removed Kazuto's shirt, stuck an IV needle in his left

arm, and plastered heart-rate electrodes on his chest. Voices

shouted back and forth. Sirens rent the air.

"Pulse is dropping!"

"Prepare the CPR machine!"

Under the LED light of the ambulance interior, Kazuto's face

was alarmingly pale. It took quite a long time for Asuna to realize

that the voice saying, "No, no, Kirito, you can't," was coming from

her own lips.

"Flatline!"

"Continue the massage!"

This can't be real, Kirito. You're not going to leave me behind

and go somewhere else. You said…we'd always be together.

She glanced down, and her eyes caught the screen of the

phone clutched in her hands.

The pink heart on the screen shuddered once, then fell still.

The digits on the readout dropped to zero with cruel precision,

then stayed there.