For as long as he could remember in this game, ever since the true beginning of Sword Art Online, he had always felt like he had a purpose.

Whether it was to become strong enough to survive on his own, or to remain that strong no matter the challenge, he knew the meaning behind all of his actions.

...However, recently-

"Ducker, «switch»."

He watched a blue-haired girl who was dressed and armed like a knight use her small shield to block an attack from a boulder mace wielding monster.

At one point, he remembered when she would've been too afraid to even stand in the presence of an enemy, but now here she was fighting one almost without issue.

After her command, she jumped back as a dagger wielding boy shrouded in a yellow cloak took her place and unleashed a chain of sword skills on the monster.

However, before he could make the final hits, the girl ran forward and using a white sword, struck the monster again with a single-hit sword skill.

Not even a second later, the dagger wielder, easily avoiding the sword, completed his skills and finished off the monster.

"Nice one!" Ducker enthusiastically called out after defeating the enemy. At the same time, he turned towards the girl and put up a hand.

The girl smiled as she hit his hand with her own.

He smiled at the display, proud of his guildmates... although he couldn't help but feel a bit dispirited.

What is my purpose?

Watching the guildmates that once seemed like they were getting in over their heads defeating monster after monster without assistance... Kirito couldn't help but feel a bit redundant.

Today, it was just the three of them exploring the dungeon of the 73rd floor – Currently the highest floor they could reach.

Ordinarily, their entire guild team would have been there for the sake of safety, however, due to the fact that Kirito was there, Ducker – and more surprisingly Sachi – felt as if his presence was enough to even the odds.

The rest of their guildmates were actually in the 73rd floor's fields right now, along with a group of formerly low-level players from the middle floors.

Amazingly, using the knowledge of safer training areas, Keita was able to aid in the levelling up efforts of approximately 6 new players without incurring the ire of the usual frontliners.

Always the type of leader who would lead by example, he was probably currently with them, showing them the ropes.

Too bad for Tetsuo and Sasamaru who had the misfortune of being dragged along this time.

At least they have roles...

Unknown to the rest of his party, Kirito had these thoughts the entire time they explored...

***

"Keep it up!" a supportive voice called out. "Don't worry about a grazing hit! Trust your companions to make up for the damage!"

Crossing his arms and leaning against a tree that looked and felt like it was made up of the same dirt that it was growing from, Kirito watched as the many new players struck at the monsters in front of them.

Despite Keita's words, they didn't seem to hesitate too much, as weapons flew forward and staggered the monsters before making a «switch» to their partymates to finish it off.

The monsters died without resistance, exploding into thousands of polygons as the players cheered at their accomplishment.

The trio who was exploring the dungeon about an hour ago had left it to meet up with the rest of their team.

At their designated meeting spot, they had found the other half of their guild still participating in their activity.

"They're impressive," Sachi marvelled in a whisper.

He couldn't help but smile at her praise. "I guess," he huffed.

As they observed them, several monsters were felled by the other players in quick succession.

Cheers roared out from everyone as they congratulated themselves and each other.

Feeling a bit antsy from watching them learn, Kirito had a thought, Maybe I should be getting in some training for myself instead of just standing around doing nothing.

Quickly deciding that he would do so, he pushed himself off the tree and started walking away.

However, he stopped when he caught sight of his partner silently asking him where he was going.

"I'm going to train," he informed her in a whisper. "Alone." He said that in a tone that let her know what he was practicing specifically.

"I can come with you," she offered neutrally.

He couldn't keep a smile off his face. It would be nice for us to spend some time together...

After all, the constant training that they had to do was certainly getting in the way of their free time...

However a nagging internal voice stopped him.

"...Sorry..." he whispered. He continued in a firmer voice, "I need some time to myself."

The girl's blue eyes widened when he answered. A second later they went back to normal as she smiled with a look of knowingness.

"Don't stay out too long," she instructed. "And make sure to be back before 9. I think we'll be having a guild meeting."

He gave her a thumbs up as he turned.

Just for a little while... let me be the solo Black Swordsman...

***

It was approximately 10 at night by the time they all got back to the guildhouse.

Kirito himself was the first to arrive, giving him more time to himself, letting him think about things. Admittedly, he wanted to do nothing more than go to his bedroom and knock out for the night.

However, he knew that he couldn't do so.

Who knew that being in a guild would be so much work? he thought a bit despairingly.

It didn't take them long for the others to arrive. They walked in, nearly all of them in bright spirits as they greeted him and settled in their meeting room – Which was just the main room where they sat on the couches.

Keita began by talking about the newer players and how well they were doing in their fight against the field boss.

Tetsuo and Sasamaru also added to the conversation, claiming that the other players were probably ready to help them with a floor boss if necessary.

It was actually a familiar sight for him. Having been in the guild for such a long time, he was accustomed to seeing these guys interacting.

At the same time, Sachi (who had immediately gone to the kitchen after they returned) was bringing over a tray of mugs and put it on the coffee table before sitting down directly next to him.

Smiling slightly, he leaned a bit in towards her, not enough for the others to comment on but enough for him to feel reassured by her presence.

"Don't worry too much about putting too much effort," he remembered Sasamaru saying as the others nodded in affirmation, "we mainly have Keita doing the work anyways."

That was never true.

For all the time that he knew them, he knew that all of the Black Cats put in their share of effort when it came to contributing to the guild and clearing the game.

Although even he had to admit that Keita still did MOST of the work – fifty percent at least – meanwhile the others would allocate the rest between them.

Somehow it reminded him that not only that they were a guild in this world, but also friends from the real world as well.

So where does that leave me? he considered his place among them.

Having only met them in this world, Kirito had never quite felt like he integrated into the group as much as the others, sometimes leaving him as a bit of an outlier in their team dynamic.

For the most part, he felt as if he only really helped them in their training.

Fully distracted by his thoughts, he barely noticed when Keita called to him.

In fact, he only returned to the world in front of him when he felt a light jab in his side from his partner.

"S-sorry!" Kirito called unintentionally. "What was the question?"

Despite his embarrassment, he noticed that everyone was smirking at him.

"I was asking you," Keita said a bit testily, as if he was urging him to pay attention, "whether it was true that you guys found the boss room?"

He blinked a few times to clear his head before answering.

"Yeah, we did," he said.

Before he could do anything further, he felt a slight nudge and heard Sachi whisper, "We didn't show them yet."

Quickly, he opened his menu and pulled out the map of the dungeon that they were composing.

"It was around here," he pointed out the location where they found the door. "It's not too difficult to get to since while they are a bit on the sturdier side, the monsters around there are pretty slow.

Keita nodded. "And did you check what the boss is like?"

"No. We thought it was better to check it with a bigger party," Ducker answered for today's team.

"I see," Keita nodded. "Good call you guys."

His eyes lingered on Kirito for a bit before turning back to address everyone.

He talked for a while longer, about the information they knew about this floor which seemed to be themed around the earthen element, about the enemies that they encountered and how they may hint at the identity of the boss. Once again, Kirito found himself slightly tuning out his words as he thought of his own purpose.

"Hey, Kirito?" Keita asked him again and this time (thankfully) he was paying more attention. "Do you think it would be right for us to call a meeting with the other frontline guilds, or would that be too presumptuous?"

For a moment, Kirito couldn't help but be taken off guard by his leader's words; It was true. Despite once being one of many mid-level groups, struggling to find their footing, their team, the Moonlit Black Cats was truly a frontline guild now.

"Yes... I mean no," he stumbled over his words. He took a deep breath to steady himself before going on. "Perhaps we can gather a bit more info before calling an actual raid," he recalled his experience with boss raids from before, "but spreading the info we know to the other frontliners would definitely be helpful."

"I see..."

He closed his eyes as if musing to himself for a while. Eventually, he opened his eyes and nodded resolutely.

"Alright. So we'll spread the word tomorrow."

And with that, the meeting was over.

Staying in place, Kirito considered some things that were on his mind. As he was thinking of what they were going to eat (he really hoped that Sachi was cooking tonight) something truly unexpected happened.

"Um, Keita," Sachi got her leader's attention. He turned to her with a surprised look. "I was hoping that we could be excused for the night."

Kirito couldn't help but look at her suspiciously. They hadn't mentioned any plans recently.

And it certainly wasn't like her to make plans right before a boss raid.

What are you planning?

Their leader looked at her with a surprised face before narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"What's this about?"

"It's... personal," she said a bit hesitantly.

Keita continued looking at her for a while longer, his expression turning more suspicious but still playful.

"It's about... us..." she went on nervously. "...Kirito and I."

"Is it really that important?" he went on. "We should really discuss the upcoming boss fight."

Sachi hesitated a bit longer before answering. "Yes."

The two of them stared at each other for a while, neither of them backing down.

Guess it's up to me to-

"You know what?" Ducker interrupted. "You two can just go."

"Yeah, don't worry about it, leader," Tetsuo put in. The rest of us will handle the discussions."

"Let the kids have their fun," Sasamaru added.

Sachi looked at them gratefully, smiling gently.

Keita sighed before answering. "Alright." He put on a smile. "Try to be back by noon tomorrow though. It'll definitely be better if you're both here for the discussions as much as possible."

Sachi smiled and nodded at her leader who also happened to be her best friend.

"Thank you, Ta-kun."

Under the teasing looks of their friends, nervously, she took Kirito's sleeve in her hand and dragged him to the kitchen out of sight.

"Please give me a minute," she requested. "Let me make our dinner before we go."

"...Where are we going...?" he asked numbly. He was still confused about the situation.

"Where we went after we first ran away..." she whispered without turning to him, although from the corner of her face, he saw her smile. "I think we need to head there..."

***

Floor 22

When he heard her suggestion, he knew precisely where they were headed.

―But for what purpose, he couldn't quite know.

He followed after the blue-haired girl as she followed the path. He couldn't help but observe the way she moved; Her steps were slight and small, but they moved with almost no hesitation, as if she knew precisely where she was going.

They walked together in silence for a while, going down the path, passing the familiar trees they eventually came to the shore of the lake.

For a moment he merely stared at the girl in front of him. She was looking across the vast body of water, as if mesmerized by it. At the same time, he looked at her thoughtfully, the way she stood tall, how the light of the moon seemed to gleam off of her figure, illuminating her in the low light.

Suddenly, she turned around with her hands locked together behind her back and a timid smile on her face.

"Sorry," she apologized suddenly.

"It's alright," he answered automatically.

She looked at him with a surprised look on her face. "Why are you apologizing?"

"...Why are you...?" He had no idea what was going on.

She grinned again as she walked up to him. He noticed her hand subtly reach forward before flinching and instead going to her side.

"I didn't tell you why we were coming here."

"Oh... right..." He didn't put too much thought into it. For as timid as she was, Kirito had found out firsthand that Sachi was as prone to doing strange things as the rest of their guildmates – This was just her time.

"I didn't want to say it in front of the others... but I'm sure that they noticed anyway." Once again, she fixed him with that gentle look that he loved so much – A look without judgment. "Unfortunately, I don't think anyone figured it out, so it's better if I just asked. Is something bothering you?"

Kirito couldn't help but blink a few times. He forgot how perceptive she could be.

"Well... Sort of..." he said hesitantly. Unintentionally, he let out a slight chuckle. "It's nothing important. Let's just leave it."

It wasn't his purpose to put this kind of pressure on Sachi; He knew that she had enough to worry about.

However, as soon as he spun around, he felt a gloved hand wrap around his. Like a bolt of lightning, that touch instantly communicated so much to him, making him freeze in place.

"...You know..." she started shyly, "we already promised to stop keeping secrets from each other a while ago... So it's kind of my responsibility to ask."

He knew exactly what she was referring to... He had never regretted that moment.

Letting out a sigh, he turned around and latched on to both of her hands, cradling them gently.

"Right..." he agreed. "We did promise that..." He smiled gently as he shook his head. "It's just... You know me, I don't like bringing people into my problems..."

Sachi smiled at him as she squeezed his hands. "I've noticed... and understand..." With gentle movements, she held his hands. "It's difficult, bringing the people who are closest to you into what you feel like are personal issues."

...It was obvious that she was speaking from experience.

He couldn't help but think back to a time a little less than a year ago, where the two of them were sitting under a bridge. He remembered her shaking voice as he confided in him – a boy she had only known for a short period of time – rather than any of her older friends.

...That was when we first got to know each other, wasn't it?

At that time, he liked to think that the two of them were already close, almost to the degree that she was close to the others at the time. But it was then she had said something to him that not even her closest friends had been told of.

"But still..." she hesitated as she smiled nervously. "I was hoping..." she brought her head up with resolve and looked him in the eyes, "that you could trust me!"

His eyes widened as he took her in, her usually timid face looking so resolute and her eyes seeming to cloud with trust...

There was no doubt that she wanted to help him as best as she could.

How could he refuse?

"...Okay..." he breathed as he was lost in her eyes. Blinking a few times, he got himself together and fixed her with a more confident gaze. "Okay, you win."

Grabbing one of her hands, he sat down on the grass and gently tugged on it, urging her to join him. With a smile, she did so, taking a place close enough to touch her shoulder with his.

"This may take a while," he warned her with a grin. "So maybe we should pull out some food to pass the time?"

***

"I'm telling you," Kirito sounded fully convinced about what he was saying, "there's no way he isn't here."

"Yeah right," Sasamaru seemed unconvinced, "and what would he gain if he did log in to his own game?"

There was a bit of silence before anyone answered.

"A sense of adventure where he couldn't fail?" Sachi suggested timidly.

"Or maybe so he could be a know-it-all who steals the best stuff before us real players can get their hands on them?" Ducker put in.

About an hour ago, the Moonlit Black Cats, with the exception of their leader, had arrived at the entrance to the floor boss.

It was Sachi's suggestion to go first in order to clear the area of any visible monsters.

"The other players won't be as worried as soon as they arrive," is what she suggested, evidently speaking from experience.

He couldn't help but be proud of how much his once timid partner was growing.

At their extremely high level and skill, it didn't take them very long to rid the area of mobs, giving them this free time.

Now, rather than fret over the upcoming boss fight, they were just sitting around, talking about a subject that randomly came up as if they were just waiting for their last friend to arrive.

"Hang on..." Tetsuo mused and for some reason he fixed his trademark close-eyed look on Kirito. "A player who knows more than they should and seems to know everything..."

All of a sudden, as if everyone got the same message besides him, Kirito felt strong arms reach under his shoulders and grab him in a full nelson.

"Hey! Hey!" Kirito called out as he noticed everyone converging in front of him.

"Guys... what's this about?" he asked in a pseudo-worried voice.

"Oh... nothing..." Ducker uttered slyly as he whipped out his dagger.

"Sachi, why don't you?" Sasamaru suggested in a playful tone.

The girl in question merely looked at him with a flustered expression. Then, without changing her expression, she reached behind her head and slowly began to draw her equipped sword.

He kept staring at her, unconcerned by any potential danger, only waiting to see how far she was going to go before stopping.

"Oh? So is it finally time to kill Kirito?" A new voice asked with an edge of curiosity.

Immediately turning their heads, everyone saw a girl with long chestnut-coloured hair wearing a white and red outfit.

Everyone immediately flinched, embarrassed at being caught doing this.

"Look, if you were going to do that..." she sounded disappointed before pulling out her rapier without wasting a beat, "you should've invited me."

-! Now actually worried, Kirito immediately struggled, trying to loosen Sasamaru's grip on him before Asuna could get any closer.

If there was anyone he was afraid of, it was his former partner!

...Especially considering how he wasn't certain whether she's forgiven him for their time together...

Slowly, a figure in blue stepped in front of him as his guildmate finally let him go.

"Let's not go there just yet," Sachi proclaimed as she threateningly wrapped her hand around her sword's handle.

Asuna merely smiled at her teasingly as she put her rapier back in its sheathe on her waist. At the same time, her gaze lingered on Sachi's sword; At the moment, she didn't have the white «Dark Repulser» equipped, instead it was her usual midnight-coloured sword – The «Blue Shadow».

It shouldn't be too suspicious. The two of them had agreed that she would use the newer sword as they explored the floors while she would use the one that she was more familiar with (and dare Kirito say, skilled with) for boss fights. Meanwhile the other sword was always somewhere they could access it at a moment's notice. It was something they discussed in front of Asuna when she occasionally joined in on their guild's escapades.

"Alright, fine. You get to live for today, Kirito," Asuna joked. Before speaking further, she went to the nearby wall and leaned against it with one foot pressed flat against it.

"But really," she sounded almost disappointed. "I thought we were friends, guys. United in our desire to finish this game. ...I can't believe you didn't invite me for this."

"..."

"...True..." Sasamaru mused.

"...And it wouldn't hurt to have a little help with something like this..." Ducker put in quickly.

"Next time we plan to kill Kirito we'll be sure to message you, ok?" Tetsuo assured her.

"Not cool," Kirito complained despite being unable to keep himself from grinning.

Sachi merely giggled at the exchange.

"So," Asuna intoned, "what made you decide to kill him today, anyways?"

The Black Cats looked between each other, asking themselves whether they should share.

"Well it's a weird question," Kirito began to ask.

"I'm used to those from you," Asuna quipped quickly.

"–BUT," he went on a bit annoyed but used to her sass. "Do you think Kayaba could possibly be in this game, playing with us?"

His former partner's eyes widened at the question before her face quickly calmed down and her expression became more neutral.

"You know... that's actually not a farfetched idea..."

***

As the six of them spoke for a short time, several players started to arrive.

First to arrive was the «Divine Dragon Alliance» who merely looked at the Black Cats and Asuna with dismissive looks.

Next was the rest of the «Knights of the Blood». Walking forward with absolute confidence, the large group was led by a man in red armour, wearing a white cape with the symbol of his guild adorned on it.

"I swear," Asuna whispered to them, her voice betraying a tinge of annoyance, "boss fights are the only times where he actually acts as a leader."

Unlike his subordinates, the leader took some time to look at them. A slight chill ran down Kirito's spine as their gazes crossed for a second.

There was something about him that always made him nervous. Perhaps it was his power or the knowledge he held... No, it's something more than that...

As he looked away, he felt Sachi flinch next to him before slightly moving behind him. Glaring at Heathcliff again, he noticed that his gaze had slightly shifted and he was now fully looking at Sachi.

With a grim expression, he gently pushed Sachi behind him as he began to glare at the man.

I won't let you take someone else that I care for...

As he thought that, he couldn't help but make a slight glance at Asuna who was getting up to join her guild.

Despite the circumstances of their separation, Kirito couldn't help but regret that they parted ways at all... no matter what it led to.

His partner's hand around his returned him to his current reality, immediately calming down he looked away.

Everything happened for a reason.

Asuna smiled at them one last time before leaving.

Before he could potentially anger the man further, the final group of players arrived.

They were 7 people. The 6 in the back were dressed in mismatched but what looked like strong equipment. At the front of them was the Black Cats' leader who looked far more confident than the rest of the people in his group.

Keita beamed a bright smile at them which Kirito (and he felt like the rest of his friends) couldn't help but return.

Or maybe not.

"Look at him," Ducker whispered to them only. "Soooooo smug."

They couldn't help but snicker a bit.

It was a joke of course... even if they do tend to wonder whether his successes will go to Keita's head... especially considering that he recently got a moniker of his own.

He walked over to them with the other players following behind him.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Keita said to his usual teammates.

Their response was assorted shrugs.

"Like we had a choice," Sasamaru snarked.

"We're your guildmates," Tetsuo added playfully.

"We're already stuck with you," Ducker put in.

"...and we always go together," Sachi added shyly.

Kirito merely smirked and nodded, not that he didn't feel the same way as the rest of them.

"Still..." Keita went on confidently. "It never hurts to say it out loud."

Putting aside their playful squabbling, they all got together and began approaching the main group.

However, as the other players moved forward, Kirito noticed that Sachi was similarly nervous.

Gently, he brought up his hand... and lightly hit her back under her sword's sheathe.

Jumping a bit, she turned to him with an accusing look. Then she smiled at him as if reassured of something.

He smiled back.

How strange was it that they could communicate so much with such simple movements?

"Is everyone ready?" A loud authoritative voice boomed from the boss door.

It was Heathcliff giving his traditional pre-boss battle speech.

It was succinct, direct and lacked any fear or hesitation in his voice...

Somehow, that didn't help his unease that he felt at the man.

As he spoke, Kirito couldn't help but look at his own leader.

Keita was staring at Heathcliff with the same interest as most of the newer players as if it was his first time listening to him.

He must have given a pre-battle speech of his own to the players who followed him today – probably one even more inspiring than the one they were listening to – however, he was sure to give one to his guildmates personally.

"Make sure to protect everyone. This is their first big battle, so they may be nervous." He paused as he gave a pointed look towards Sachi. "However... avoid intervening unless it's vital... everyone who fights should know what they're getting themselves into, so avoid letting them think that they can coast through boss fights."

Kirito actually agreed with him.

We have our orders.

Kirito watched as their group let the KoB and the DDA march into the room first.

There was a small part of him that felt envious of them being allowed to fight as the vanguard, but right now that wasn't important.

"We've got this," Keita said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"...Yeah..." Kirito whispered as he took a proud look at his guildmates. "We do."

And with that, they all entered the room.

In front of the crowd of people who entered the room first, the figure of the boss loomed. It was tall in spite of the fact that the curve of its back made it look like it was hunched over. Covered with a mixture of earthen brown and mossy green fur that seemed far thicker and grainier than what was natural, it almost looked like it was its own ecosystem. Slowly raising over the heads of the frontliners, he could see that on its forearms were disproportionately huge obsidian-black claws, slightly larger than the sword he carried which his friends often teased him about being far too large for someone of his size.

«The Mega Claws» – That was its name.

However, despite its imposing appearance, that was not the target of his guild or team.

With assorted yells, the primary frontline groups – mainly the Knights of the Blood Oath and the Divine Dragon Alliance – ran forward, weapons at the ready.

The boss merely stayed in place. Information from the scout teams determined that the primate-like boss was a slow and sturdy type of boss.

At the same time, from what seemed like stone bushes from behind it, a cacophony of colours emerged from the boss. They flew into the air high above the heads of the main attackers and swarmed in the direction of the players in the back.

These minions of the boss which seemed to be based on moths were programmed with the intention of blocking off the exit of the room, allowing for the slow-moving boss to attack them at its leisure.

It was their objective to keep their numbers under control so that an escape route was available if the situation came to it and to keep them from going after the main attackers.

As always, Kirito was the first one to strike. Using his black sword, he raised it high and struck one of the crystalline insects on the wing with a downward slash, immediately bringing it down to the ground.

Quickly following up, he stepped on the enemy's body and sprung off of it, jumping into the air and striking down another insect.

In an instant, several other players swarmed over the bodies and followed up with various sword skills.

Still airborne, he continued laming the enemies until he could no longer down the higher up ones. Once he stabbed one more in the main body, he let himself fall with it to the ground, making a three-point landing on his feet and left hand which probably wouldn't have been good for his knees IRL.

We'll just have to be ready for them when they strike.

Barely stopping to catch his breath (not that anyone truly needed to in SAO), he joined in attacking the eclipse of colourful enemies, taking a place around the edges, away from the ones that he downed as the other players were already striking them.

As he methodically mowed down the surrounding moths as they flew into him, he couldn't help but try to catch a glimpse of the crowd, hoping to see his guildmates.

Within the mob of colourful monsters, he caught more familiarly distinctive shades in it: Brown, purple, green and yellow.

A slight worry made him flinch when he didn't see the distinctive shades of blue.

*crunch*

The sound came from behind him.

Quickly turning, he saw the girl he was looking for leaning forward in a cooldown pose.

They caught each other's eyes.

Hers told him to pay attention.

His were more playful as he grinned at her.

She returned the grin with a more nervous smile. Some things never change.

Without another thought, he launched forward and attacked a moth that was approaching her. At the same time, he could hear her begin to move again.

Here is the girl who could barely fight at one point...

***

The night before, he had confided in her a lot of his insecurities – How he had recently felt as if he had lost his purpose as he continued to clear the game, how his goal had become to feel hazier.

"I just feel... lost now..."

She looked at him with a gentle look before she timidly placed her fingers on the fist he didn't realize that he was making.

"I don't think anyone knows their true purpose..." she began in a quiet voice. "In fact... I don't think it's possible for anyone to have an answer to that..."

At the time he wouldn't say it, but at that moment he began to feel even more lost.

"Maybe that's a difficult thing to answer... but... instead of looking for such an abstract thing... why not look at what you have accomplished?"

"...What do you mean...?"

***

As he cut the abdomen of another insect, it shattered into polygons as he turned to face another.

And as he turned he saw Keita swinging his staff at an enemy several metres away.

It flew backwards before Tetsuo used his mace to spike it to the ground before it would hit him.

A few metres away from them, he noted Ducker weaving around a ruby-covered insect with a flurry of precision strikes aiming for its fuzzy body.

Meanwhile, Sasamaru stabbed at an upwards angle and stabbed one of the moths that was still in the air.

"Everyone!" he heard Keita yell in a way that wouldn't reach the main party but would be heard by the players attacking the minions. "Get into duos and strike!"

The players immediately did as he said.

As they did so, Kirito couldn't help but grin.

You were always meant to be an incredible leader, Keita.

***

"Kirito... you have gone through so much during your time in SAO. More than most players and certainly far more than any of us." She was definitely referring to their guild.

She shifted nervously as her eyes flitted around, as if searching for the words she wanted to speak.

"When you first joined the Moonlit Black Cats... we were just another guild who thought that they could make a difference in clearing SAO."

That sounds right. As much as he liked them, Kirito couldn't deny that they were hardly anything special.

"We were primarily struggling, desperate to find our purpose in this death game... throwing ourselves into situations that we weren't sure whether we would come back from."

"But it's thanks to you... we were able to become something more..."

***

He tried to stab into the thorax of a downed moth, however a stray grazed him, making him stab it in its pyrite wing instead.

As the enemy dissipated, a plume of yellow powder flew into his face.

Crap! He would be paralyzed if he didn't heal himself immediately.

However, before he could even try to reach for his pouch, he felt something press against him.

"«Cure»." He heard his partner.

And that would be the end of the paralysis.

Still, as he continued to fight, he knew that Sachi would have had to put down one of her armaments in order to give him that crystal.

***

"It's thanks to you... that we were able to find our footing!"

As if energized she got up.

"It's thanks to you, we are able to make a difference like you have from the beginning of the game!"

"We used to hear rumours of a black dressed swordsman fighting on the frontlines... and at the time, we could hardly believe that he would join our little guild..."

At that time, the idea of joining a guild was unbelievable to him as well.

"You inspired players like us to make something of ourselves rather than wait for others to fight for us."

"You gave us our purpose! And solidified our reasoning to contribute!"

"And maybe that's the real reason we're still by your side..."

"In fact... Maybe we could say that your purpose is to inspire the people around you as you fight alongside them."

After speaking so passionately, she turned her head downwards trying to hide her face which was turning bright red, not that he would tease her about that right now.

"After all, you have saved us so many times," she whispered.

"So even if you feel lost right now... even if you feel like your goal is unclear... Just like you gave us our purpose... let us support you as you always have."

She took her place right next to him as she sat back down and smiled warmly.

"After all... you're not alone anymore, Kirito."

***

Within his vision, he caught all five of his guildmates, getting into duos as they finished off more of the minions.

You're right, Sachi... Retrieving his black blade from the last enemy, he got up and looked around, searching for anything else to face. I'm not alone anymore!

The others easily defeated a minion between them. At the same time, he watched Sachi defeat a bright blue one herself by quickly hitting it with a «Sharp Nail» sword skill immediately after it bounced off of her shield. Immediately attacking by getting her sword ready as she blocked: It was a technique that they had practiced together.

He immediately followed with a simple hit that made it shatter on the ground. None of us are alone!

Something inside felt like it broke free. His speed and power seemed to rise as he continued to attack members of the swarm, finishing some of them off or leaving them weakened enough before another player took his place to finish it off.

Fully energized, he didn't waver as he fought for what may have been a short amount of time as it didn't take him long before there was nothing more for him to do.

«CONGRATULATIONS», came a familiar voice, making a familiar statement in English with a familiar native accent.

The words barely had time to process in his head before he felt a light push on his shoulder. Turning expectantly, he saw Sachi's face in front of him. She had a slightly nervous look, but she seemed to mask it with a slight smile.

Without a word, she brought up her hand around chest height and stuck it out to him.

Slightly grinning, it took him a moment to recover and he brought up his hand and grabbed hers.

It was odd. In the past, Kirito would have thought of slinking out of the boss room before anyone could notice... but right now, he couldn't think of any other place that he'd rather be.

Without fully considering his actions, he was going to pull her closer and... do something in front of everyone that the others probably wouldn't let him live down...

Thankfully, "Bring it in, guys!" he heard the raucous voice of Ducker yell excitedly, breaking him out of his slight trance.

"-!" Unconsciously, he pulled on Sachi's arm and quickly enveloped her with his other arm. He barely registered her surprise before he felt the fast movements of the group's dagger-wielder embrace the both of them.

"Hey! Make room for the rest of us!" he heard Sasamaru yell before he joined in on the group hug.

A second later – and without warning – another person joined in: Tetsuo.

"Hehe," Kirito couldn't help but laugh.

Barely able to look up, he saw Keita a few metres away from him. For a moment, the Black Cats' leader had an odd look on his face, however it was quickly replaced with a proud smile.

Unlike the rest of their guildmates, he didn't join in the group hug (although something told him that he wanted to). As he turned to speak to the players who came with him, Kirito couldn't help but feel satisfied by everything.

Much farther away, he could see the KoB group. Unlike them, they seemed more poised and stoic, as if celebrating such a victory was beneath them. Some of them looked over to their group with what may have been disdain, however he could see Asuna who looked at them without shame. The girl blinked a few times before smiling with what seemed like pride in him directly.

Maybe they weren't a duo anymore... but he could tell what she was thinking.

Thank you, Asuna... I know my place now...

***

"Hey, Sachi?"

The girl looked at him curiously as she moved the cookie that she was eating away from her mouth.

"I know that you think that I have time to find my purpose. But what about you?"

He thought about the words from the message he wasn't supposed to hear.

"Have you found your meaning for being here? For making it to the higher floors? For staying by my side?"

Sachi smiled nervously as she shyly looked down.

"...I'm still not sure..." she admitted. "But I'm sure that as long as I stay with you... and the others, I'll find it eventually."

"Sounds like you're being lazy," he teased.

"Hey!" That got him a weak push on the shoulder which didn't even make him wobble.

"Still... I'm glad that we'll stay together." He paused to touch the hand that she left on the ground. "So let's find our meaning that way."

***

Maybe I'm lost for now... Maybe I don't know my true purpose... Feeling a familiar pair of arms hug him a bit tighter, he returned his thoughts to the pile of the Black Cats and hugged her tighter. For once in so long, he felt truly at ease. But right now... this guild... these people... this girl... I think these are enough...

***

Sorry that this story has been on hiatus for so long. I wasn't originally planning on covering this floor, but as I was writing what was supposed to be the next chapter, I kept thinking whether I should cover Floor 73 before heading to Floor 74 and then I kept writing, and here we are. Based on what is being planned I decided that some more time like this is needed to establish somethings. Also, the hiatus helped me consider the way this story should be continued.

I have no information on Floor 73, so nearly everything here has been made up. The only info I could find was in "The Fourteenth Autumn" where it was said that the boss was the «Giant and Solid type» and that it had minions (and that Kirito was only fighting the minions instead of the boss itself). So I went through my miscellaneous knowledge of animals to figure something out.

«The Mega Claws» is based on a combination of the extinct giant ground sloths (Genus: Megatherium) in terms of size, general body structure and location and modern-day arboreal sloths in terms of speed, colouration and symbiotic relationship with certain moths which are its minions for the boss fight. The theme of the floor was earth because the chosen boss is a «GROUND» sloth. Fun fact, a group of moths is called an «eclipse».

Until next time!