[Chapter 26]

The black metal door shuts.

I made it...

I made it in!

Green particles flow across my skin, the sound effect of a healing spell followed the steady increase of my health. The azure streak of light disappeared from my eyes.

The power to disobey the natural law was stripped from me once again. Seiki immediately flew into the confinements of my hair, finally glad he could take his evening nap. The room was dark, the torches were dim. Not pitch black, but it was bright enough to see each other.

"Pff!" Nori started giggling on her own.

"Uhhh..."

"If you don't mind, please get yourself off our guild leader, that will surely help a lot," Jun said to me with a dead expression and a sighing pitch followed.

Huh?- Oh god I accidentally tackled her down, didn't I?

Looking below me, facing the ground, I saw my hands pinning her down. Her face was visibly confused, empty, speechless. The messy violet hair and her shining scarlet eyes were inches from mine.

With this sense of calm and magnifying beauty, I couldn't take my eyes off of her again. What went from pure anxiety turned to a feeling of... great satisfaction, the butterflies in my stomach was still rummaging my insides on a whole nother level...

She's just... wow.

"UeeEeH-hey! HEY!"

"WH-SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

She panicked after fully grasping the situation, her cheeks burning red. Her hand slapped me off faster than I could notice, forcing me back into reality.

"Y-why you little!"

She reached for my collar. Terrified, I backed away as far as I can while scraping my butt on the floor. Dirtying what's left of the saurian guards I have on.

"Yuukiii, Yuuki please!" Not giving up, she jumped me. Getting a firm grip of my collar then shook my brains out ruthlessly.

"You better treat me with a lot of food after all you did today got that! I want the best delicacies you can find and feed them to me! YOU'RE PAYING! Got that!"

"Y-yes ma'am! I'll tell my friend to cook you the best most ambitious meal you can ever ask for! Truce, truce!"

"Deal is it?!"

"YUP! DEAL, please-cough-you're choking me!"

"Yay~!" her face immediately turns into an angel, letting her grip loose and having her arms high up victorious. What I was sure to be the incarnation of evil now blessed with a blinding halo on her head.

"Yaaaay!~" the others joined in- Wait WHAT ARE THEY SO GLAD ABOUT?

"Hey, why is everyone 'yay-ing' all of a sudden?!"

"Oh my dear sir, you're paying for us all!" the spriggan of the guild laughs, cackling with her nose high.

"All for one and one for all, ain't that right Akato~" The red-banded swordswoman elbowed me. Are they serious? Am I being scammed?

Her sharp arms smacked mine, "Ack?! Ahhhahah... geez. Fine, I'll have that friend of mine to cook us her best dish. She's maxed out on cooking, so there's no reason to look anywhere else." I couldn't make myself say no, not at all.

Guess I'll be seeing Asuna soon enough.

"Yesss!" Nori rejoiced with a fist.

Yuuki scanned my scarred, dirty and sweaty appearance, "So, you made a new set of armour, huh?" she grew notice of the damaged, almost shattered obsidian chest plate.

"I was saved today because of it... Thanks to you."

She looked away smiling, closing her eyes with glee.

Blushing.

Oh my god. That was adorable... I hope this second is burnt into my genes so I can remember it for eternity.

"I have yet to name the set, I thought its best if you were given the honour of doing so." I continued.

"I'll come back to you on that one, can't think of catchy names yet. Hehe~" she blushes harder.

Mm. Yes. I'm going to die of a heart attack. My guild leader is adorable.

Everyone seems to be in high spirits. I figured that they would be upset with me, with that thing I pulled off earlier today. It definitely seemed like I was making a run for it and ditched them. Like a massive jerk.

The thought of them being absolutely mad at me never left my mind. Though, looking at them now... I don't feel any sort of disappointment or malice in any of them. Wait there's Jun, right. Except for Jun.

"Aren't you all mad at me? I almost jeopardized the raid for leaving-"

"Oh please," Yuuki lays her finger on my lips, shutting me up and shaking her head. My legs trembled at the suddenness. Lucky I was still sitting on the floor, I would've collapsed right here and now.

"We knew you wouldn't leave us, or me. You're not that kind of guy... We had faith in you!"

I tilted my head, certainly confused. I would ask why but I was too nervous to open my mouth with her finger still pressing gently over them. Calm down, Akashi.

"Somehow, we mustered up the courage to believe you. Sure enough, we were right!" Siune finished with her healing, stepped out to me.

"You broke past our expectations dude! Don't beat yourself over it!" Talken tapped my back with his spear.

"I have to admit, what you did outside was pretty awesome. Hands down." the salamander, who was the last person I expected to hear that from, spoke.

("Not that I can't do that too or anything...") he whispered.

"I heard that."

"You're imagining things."

"A-Alright." I accepted defeat.

"Just make sure you keep your end of the bargain and give us your best dish, alright?" Tecchi thumbs up, winking.

The headache I had throughout the fight earlier disappeared as if they were never there. The hatred and emptiness that brew in me simply turned pure and clear. A sea of calm waters.

I can't express my gratitude to them in words, so I chose to do something about it.

I grabbed Yuuki's hands with both my empty palms, held them in between calmly.

They were cold as ice, her fingertips were like morning spring water...

I relaxed, shallowed my gaze and pressed her hand on my forehead. A practice my mother did for us siblings back in the days.

"Eh-Eeeehh???" she blurted out. "U-Um, you're embarrassing me... What are you-"

"-Thank you," I whispered.

Having her in my grasp, I pulled her whole body towards me, quickly spreading my arms and embraced her. Still sitting on the floor.

"KYA!" she twitched, hugging her now tells me a chill ran down her spine as I tightened.

"Thank you for believing me... I promise, whatever I do. I will make your wish come true..."

"!!?..." she stopped twitching, her cold skin warmed up, hot. It felt like she bathed under the sun all her life. Her breath was heavy, grasping for words. Her lavender smell was at its peak, strains of her hair pressed on my cheeks... I was dumbfounded and was mesmerized...

Odd... the aura I always had of her was cheerful and bright, from what I'm feeling right now, she's... a bit in sorrow and gloomy...

I can hear her sobbing next to my ear.

Sooner or later, she braced me as well and the sobbing grew ever so slightly louder. She's pouring her bottled up emotions down and releasing them slowly with each second of our hug.

She must've been so eager to get their names on that monument. They made so many memories together, haven't they?

Yuuki... She acts like it doesn't bother her as much, holding herself in tough times as the leader to The Sleeping Knights and all. Out of everyone, she has to be the strongest, but as the youngest member as well, she must've felt the most out of this. She didn't have to tell me, her grace speaks for itself.

There's something precious that comes with beating this boss, and all of them are aware of it. I want to protect that, I will protect it.

Once this is over, I will be sure to find the answer as to what it could be.

As for me, now that I remember what has happened all those years back. I have to face my past and fears. I was almost, or dare I say, was exactly like Yuuki during those first times in Aincrad. Happy, cheerful, crazy and hot-headed.

Armen was like a brother to me back in those days, and he will always be ahead of me in everything... even when I tricked or cheated, he always finds a way to topple me.

Kirito... he cemented himself as the Beater, for the sole purpose of directing all the discrimination towards himself.

I was a soloist and a beta tester too and could've suffered a worse fate. But he took one for the team and made him the most hated player.

We couldn't be close as we were before because of that. I was bummed out about it and decided to let him have his space, so Armen was the only person I have in those harsh and long days.

He was so weird, calm, awkward and collected. It's sometimes a joke when he kept looking at the ceilings of each floor and had his mouth wide open, taking hours and hours of his time. I ended up getting that same habit, I suppose. Despite not remembering much, I still incorporate his habits into my daily life. When I tried to remember where I learnt them, I was greeted with a headache.

Losing him was... horrible. Earlier, when I was suffocating in thought, I remembered the night he died... but Kirito pulled me out before I got any lower than I should have been. I need to treat him something for that too...

In this boss room, I recognize every aspect of it. Floor 27 Boss, The Four-Armed Giant was the one I chose to take my anger out after his passing. I lost all sense of rationality, levelling up as much as I can, using any armour combinations I had to defeat it in one solid go. No turning back. I didn't prepare any teleport crystals. If I was going to die there, I would be content if I died for real...

I didn't want to stay in that game anymore...

The first-ever person to have ever soloed a boss in the death game of Sword Art Online...

... was me.

This is where I had my very first mental breakdown to the point I lost my memories. Acting as the brain's last line of defence to cope with traumatic incidents.

I behaved normally after that. All recollection of Armen was wiped from my life.

I woke up on the 28th Floor, realizing I passed out at one point. Now that I look back, I must've done so after beating the boss.

The sun was setting, and for a moment, just a moment. I felt like he was there. No, he was there when I woke up.

Kirito,

I don't know how he found me and carried me to the next floor. I don't know what he was doing there. I don't know why he left without saying anything.

All of the sudden, I found myself with more questions.

But the reason I felt the need to help this guild take down this boss might be because... of how it would be a way for me to say "Goodbye" to the past persona I have created in those early days. To come into terms with Armen's death. To tell my anger-driven, bloodlust self, "You can rest now. It's been done, you can go back home. You don't have to work so hard anymore. You're free from those black castle walls. You're alive. Aincrad is gone..."

"So go, live."

It bore an emotional sensitivity into me, the only way I can emit my feelings out is by hugging Yuuki in my arms... It's the biggest relief I could have ever asked for. It's amazing.

Reminiscing on the past and expressing it made me shed tears, but it's not over yet, we have one more thing to settle. Once the next floor has been taken, only then would I achieve that...

We departed from our long and heart-felt exchange and I got to see her face once more. Her smile never faded, tears of joy and sadness melted down dripping from her chin.

Her shut eyes slowly opened, looking at me. Her cheeks were beautiful in reddening shades.

We both are tortured souls. Aren't we, Yuuki?

"Hey, Yuuki?"

"Hm?"

"If you don't mind, after all of this. I would love to hear everything about you, your friends, your adventures. Everything. I want to know the story behind your smile, I want to know every last bit of detail."

"What? But Akato... you did so much for us. You fought against all those people, that can't be the only thing you would ask for... Those friends of yours, Kirito, their all fighting out there... just for us? And yet, we-"

I replied with a radiant look, confidence shined in me as I spoke: "They are the best nutbags of a party I have ever met, they fight for things so trivial and give it their all. It's insane. But I know for sure, they aren't the type to ask for payment or recognition. They believe the memories players make together are worth fighting for. That's what drives them. It's what drives me. So by helping you, all of you. It's like sharing that experience with others. And to them, that is all the payment they will ever ask for."

Happiness filled their hearts, they all illuminate the same energy as their guild leader. Overwhelmed and glad. A satisfying answer to ease their hearts and burn their might.

[The End of Chapter 26]

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Author's Notes

I was in a tough place once. No, I didn't lose anyone close to me, rest assured. But I do know what it felt like to be trapped in your own head. I've done many things at school, that feeling of regret loomed over me every day. It basically changed everything I stood for, I wasn't me anymore. I think these events where one has to go through battles within their selves is what makes a proper character, it's relatable. It's real. If you can overcome that iron wall in your mind, be it with the help of friends or family, then you are undoubtedly what one would constitute as a strong person.

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