Chapter Twenty

"Hey, rookie!" I teased him as he approached us in his new uniform.

He glared at me, holding out his uniform, "Don't you guys have uniforms that aren't so flashy?"

"Actually, that's one of our less flashy ones. You look great!" Asuna informed him.

"I'm in a guild..." He muttered as if in shock.

To be honest, the rest of us were a bit surprised too. Kirito had always been a solo player. Times were changing.

"Anyway, what are you two doing here? What about the boss?" Kirito asked, turning to face Rikimaru and I.

"Yeah, what were you talking about earlier?" Asuna spoke up.

"Harumi took on the boss alone."

"Snitch." I hissed, glaring at Rikimaru.

"You what?!"

"She fought it by herself." Rikimaru repeated.

Asuna closed her eyes, as if feeling a headache come on. Kirito gaped at me, shocked at my stupidity.

"I don't see the problem! It happened, I won, get over it!" I exclaimed, looking down at my feet.

They frowned, but thankfully dropped the subject. I reached down, checking to make sure my wolves were okay after the battle. Kuro was still slow, and Gurē was still limping, but they seemed a lot better.

We talked for a bit longer, but soon a player, Godfree, came up to us, wanting to get Kirito to train.

"I gotta train?" Kirito asked, frowning. He seemed to find the idea of it ridiculous.

"That's right. You, me and one other guy are gonna form a party. Then, we're all gonna go clear the dungeon on this floor."

"But why?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"If he's gonna be joining us, then it's my job, as commander of the front lines, to take the kid out and evaluate his skills." Godfree explained.

"But that's ridiculous! He doesn't need evaluation. He's stronger than you!" Asuna snapped.

Godfree ignored her, turning to face Kirito, "Kid, in thirty minutes, I wanna see you at the western gate."

"Wait! Can I come?" I asked, holding up a hand to stop him.

Everyone turned to me, shocked.

"Really?"

"Yes! I need to explore my options as a player, and what better way than to see how the other players win?"

Godfree was the only one who bought my pathetic excuse.

"Well, okay. Thirty minutes, alright?"

I nodded, and he walked off. As soon as he was out of earshot, I was cornered.

"What do you really have planned?" Rikimaru asked, narrowing his eyes.

I didn't really have anything planned. I was tired, and my shoulder throbbed as it tried to heal itself, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to sit still for awhile.

"Pssht, me?" I asked with mock innocence, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

With a wink, I turned, heading for the western gate. I heard Asuna and Kirito say goodbye, before I heard him walking after me. When we arrived at the western where Godfree and another player was waiting.

"Hey, Kid! We were waiting for ya!" Godfree called, waving his hand.

"Are you serious?" Kirito asked, glaring at the second player. There seemed to be some tension between the two.

"Yup!" Godfree exclaimed, "Look at it this way, we're all in the same guild, so I figured now's a good time as any for you guys to bury the hatchet."

"About the other day, I apologize for my behavior. I was rude to you and I... I promise it won't happen again." The other player said, watching Kirito closely.

"All right, Ladies. Time to focus." Godfree interupted, "Today, I'll be checking out how you react to dangerous situations. So, I'm gonna need you to hand over all the crystals in your storage."

"Even my teleport crystals?" Kirito asked, frowning.

Godfree nodded. Once the crystals were all handed over, he turned to look at me, unsure of what to say.

"I won't get in the way, I'll just follow behind a couple of feet. I won't interact with anything." I promised, stepping back.

"Awesome! Now, let's go clear a dungeon!"

*****

"This looks like a good place to take a break." Godfree said, a couple of hours later.

As the boys settled down, I still felt restless, so I wandered off. The dungeon was actually quite beautiful in an odd way.

I sighed, listening to my lone footsteps. I had left the wolves with Rikimaru. They clearly had needed some rest. But I couldn't help but feel sad without them by my side.

I turned back, heading back to join the others. I had just about joined them, when I heard the conversation.

"You know, I just killed an innocent bystander because of you. How am I gonna live with myself?"

I frowned, jumping to stand where I wouldn't be seen. I slowed my breathing, making sure I wouldn't be caught eavesdropping.

"From over here, you look like you're having a blast doing it. Why the hell would a guy like you join the Knights of the Blood Oath. You'd be more at home with one of the criminal guilds." Kirito spat. From my spot, I could see that he had been paralyzed.

"What an interesting observation. You have sharp eyes."

"You're with Laughing Coffin, the murder guild." Kirito realized.

I felt my eyes widen. Without thinking, I pulled up my menu and sent a quick message to Asuna telling her to get here quickly. I looked up, my head feeling fuzzy.

"How's it feel? Come on! I wanna know how it feels, knowing you're about to die like a dog." Kuradeel paused, "What? Is your tongue paralyzed too?"

My body felt heavy, my jaw going slack. With some panic, I realized what was happening. I had been up all night, and all of today, most of which I spent in battle. I was exhausted and it was catching up to me.

"Come on, now! It's your last chance to say something. You really are going to die!" Kuradeel sneered, "Why do you keep struggling? Are you afraid of dying after all?"

I didn't hear Kirito's response, because my legs buckled and I fell to the ground. My head slammed against the hard ground, but I was able to see Asuna race by me, just in time to save Kirito.

I smiled, closing my eyes. Everything was okay now...

"Harumi!"

Arms jostled me, jolting me into a semi-awake state. The scent of sandalwood surrounded me, as I was lifted into the air. Strong arms steadied me.

"Harumi, I need you to open your eyes."

With that being easier said than done, I drug my eyes open. Rikimaru was carrying me, looking down at me worried. He gave a small smile when he saw my eyes.

"That's my girl." He murmured, letting out a small sigh of relief.

"Kirito?" I asked, my voice sounding groggy.

"He's okay, Asuna arrived just in time." Rikimaru looked away from me, glancing over in the direction of Kirito. His eyes widened, before he sharply turned away, walking in a completely opposite direction.

"Hmmn?" I mumbled, blinking slowly.

"They are doing okay. I'd say more than okay, seeing as they were just kissing."

Even this, however, didn't rouse me. I snuggled in deeper in his arms, mumbling.

Rikimaru laughed, his chest vibrating. "Go to sleep, angel. I'll protect you."

That was the last thing I heard before I fell into a deep sleep.