Guns, Swords, and Love 2

Chapter 13

Third P.O.V

                             Getting an email from her was weird enough. But receiving an invitation to an exhibition trip in a mega float in the sea, 250 kilometers away from Tokyo, was something that Asuna did not expect.

                             It's been a few days since she had received the email. Dr.Rinko invited her to the Ocean Turtle about the Medicuboid, something that Asuna wanted to know more about. What intrigued Asuna about the machine was the fact that not only it was used for medicine and not entertainment, for the most part, but it was also using some of the same technology that the NerveGear had used. She didn't know why, but she was interested yet hesitant about the invitation, even though she already sent in her reply with a yes.

                             The night before the trip, she decided to call her close friend Yuuki. They were just talking a few hours prior. Her purple-haired friend was a bit upset that ALfiem Online was unavailable to log in without any reason. Asuna still didn't have the heart to tell her exactly why that was happening.

            "You should go Asuna!!" Yuuki exclaimed after Asuna only briefly explained the email. Rather surprised on her sudden excitement she waited for her to continue.

             "Unless you get seasick, I think it'll be a great experience! Just think about it, the third generation full-dive machine. For medicine on top of that! Didn't you say you were interested in where VR was going after your time in Aincrad?" She asks enthusiastically.

             "Yeah, I guess there shouldn't be anything to worry about. She was the girlfriend of the Commander and our conversations have been welcoming... Hey Yuuki? Do you want to take another flight today?" Asuna asked

              "Asuna, ALO is still unavailable, unfortunately." Yuuki says sadly. Asuna mentally facepalmed at her forgetfulness. She was about to suggest another idea before Yuuki beat her to it.

              " I'm sorry Asuna, but I have to go. My parents want me to go to bed early as we are moving tomorrow." Yuuki said softly. Asuna was caught off guard by that sentence as Asuna looked up to Yuuki for her swordsmanship due to her long hours in the game. But she let her go as for the first time in a while Asuna was about to do something that she wanted to do herself because of her curiosity.

            "Alright, goodnight Yuuki!" She said smiling before hanging up and went to get ready for her helicopter flight to the Ocean Turtle. But before she could hang up Yuuki stopped her again.

            "Oh, Asuna. Before I forget, I need to apologize for something." Yuuki said softly

                         Asuna was now very confused about the weird actions of her friend lately "Apologize? For what?' She asked

            "The next time we talk or meet, it's going to be very different." Yuuki said softly

             "What do you-" Asuna said before being cut short by Yuuki hanging up.

                        What Asuna didn't know was that Yuuki's curfew wasn't for another couple of hours. ALfiem Online was still 15% intact and Yuuki knew that. But Yuuki lied to Asuna because of a mysterious player that requested to meet with her. That player didn't want Asuna to know about him meeting with Yuuki and Yuuki was going to reject the offer. But something about the player made her regretfully lie to Asuna.

                                             *************************

                         Sitting under the single tree on the small island, Kirito was daydreaming about the past. It was all he could do to get his mind off of things.