Secret of SAO

Allies and Enemies

The next few days went by and Asuna and her friends heard nothing from Kirito. It nearly broke her heart, but she knew it was in his best interest.

Asuna and Vari went out on a quest to distract themselves.

Vari's brother, she discovered, has a girlfriend. Vari didn't like this girl either. She was so mad, that she didn't even want to see her brother, right now. Since no one else was available, Asuna offered to join up with her on a quest.

"Do you think we are getting any closer?" They trudged through a dense jungle.

"I don't know... It was supposed to be in the eastern sector." Asuna looked at her map, but like a compass on iron, it went all screwy.

"We have been walking for ages. How can you do this?" Vari wasn't accustomed to this.

"Is this your first time diving since SAO?"

"Yeah."

"Truth is, the more games you play, the easier it is to adapt."

"OKAY! I KNOW I SAW THAT TREE BEFORE! ASUNA! WE ARE GOING IN CIRCLES!"

"That can't be right. I have kept my eye on the map, the whole time."

"We should have brought Nikko. She would have found it for us, I'll bet."

"Nikko only listens to Kirito, so I doubt it."

"Arghhh.... Can't he train it to listen to others?"

"How should I know. In other games, NPCs didn't have much structure. They just tell you their one liner or their quest." Asuna paused for a moment and studied her face. "You don't seem all that interested in games, so why play?"

"SAO? My brother raved about it so much, it was play that or go to a fancy boarding school. Mother died, so my brother was all I had back then."

"If you don't mind me asking, why play UW? You're so mad at him and yet here you are."

"Because I'm going to beat him!"

"Is that the only reason?"

"Do I need another reason?"

"Let's forget about this quest. There is something I want to show you." Asuna smiled and took her hand. Asuna used a teleport crystal and called out the location. They disappeared from floor 23.

_______________________________________

After making a stop at the gate, Asuna and Vari appeared in floor 9. It was covered in a nice thick powder of snow and the forest looked so serene. It reminded Asuna briefly of the cabin she and Kirito had bought in ALO.

Vari looked around. "It's so pretty." She held out her hand and snowflakes landed on them. "Snow is never this magical IRL!"

"I know. Think fast!" Asuna hurled a snowball at Vari and hit her in the face.

"Oh, you're on!" Vari picked up a snowball and chucked it at Asuna, who skillfully dodged it by ducking behind a tree.

The next thing they knew, they were having a snowball war. They had built snow forts and barriers.

After keeping up this charade for a while, the two girls giggled themselves to the ground and lay in the snow, watching as the snowflakes filled the sky.

"I didn't know that the virtual world could hold so much beauty. This is actually kind of fun."

Asuna rolled over to face Vari. "Imagine what else you can come across on other floors. Beaches, treasure hunting, labyrinths, amazing views, new friends... there are so many things to offer. I can see someone living here forever."