"And, there!" Suguha said triumphantly, smacking the bin lid shut, so that the men's broken, damaged-beyond-repair faces were unable to be seen.

"The bin men will pick you up Thursday!" Suguha said, walking out of the alleyway. She sighed upon turning the corner. It had been hard work keeping slow so the men could stay close to her, then luring them into the alleyway. It was easy to overpower them and slam them into the nearby rubbish bins, but it was incredibly hard to keep her patience in check, and run slow enough to make the men not give up and retreat. She wanted them to pay. While they may not have been the ones that actually kidnapped Kazuto, they are still part of the scheme. They are trying to stop her unite with her brother!

Calm down... Suguha thought, taking a deep breath in, as the redness of anger slowly disappeared from her cheeks. She then fully turned the corner, and walked down the street, towards her house.

As she walked into her house, she could easily spot Kazuto's door, wide open, with markings left from the kidnapper. She slowly traced the markings with her fingertip, sighing softly.

Oh Kazuto... When will you come home?

The front door slammed open.

Suguha turned her head towards the door so quickly, she might have flipped her brain upside down.

Kazuto?

She ran to the door.

Kazuto!

"Hey Suguha!"

... Kazuto...?

It wasn't Kazuto.

It was Asuna, followed by Klein, Lisbeth, Sinon and Silica.

They must have followed Asuna, Klein and Lisbeth along the way. Suguha thought, looking at Sinon and Silica.

"Oh... Hi guys..." Suguha said, giving them a fake smile. "I'm glad you made it back safe." She wasn't lying. She was happy, seeing them back, safe and sound. Looking at them all, it seems that everyone except Klein and Asuna bought it. They believed she was actually happy, when just a few seconds ago, she thought they were her big brother.

Asuna looked at Suguha. She was acting strange. She and Klein looked at each other. They both knew something was wrong with Suguha.

"I'll go activate Yui!" Asuna said, darting up the stairs. "Lisbeth, Silica, Sinon, can you help me please?" She gave a small nod to Klein. Asuna wasn't blind, she could see what was happening between them, so it was only natural for Klein to be the one to talk to her.

As Asuna, Lisbeth, Silica and Sinon went upstairs to grab Yui's monitor, Klein grabbed Suguha's hand, and pulled her gently to the sofa, and she sat down next to him, knees touching.

Klein cupped Suguha's hands in his. "Suguha, what's wrong?" He asked. "Are you okay, did you have problems with those men chasing you?"

Suguha laughed softly at that. "No, they were too easy!"

Klein looked at her.

"What day is the bin men coming around, Suguha?"

"Thursday."

"Eh, they can stay there a bit then, I don't have to let them leave for a few days, since I doubt you'll be doing anything to help them."

They laughed together. As it quietened down, Klein noticed how Suguha's smile slowly slumped down into a sad expression, as if it was melting.

"Suguha, what's wrong?"

She cast her face down, allowing it to be hidden by her fringe.

"Please, Suguha."

A tear dripped down her face.

"Please tell me."

She took a deep breath.

"I – It's him. Kazuto. I – um – thought that you guys entering the house was... was..."

"Actually him?" Klein asked softly.

Suguha's hands became small fists. Klein kept his hands around hers.

"We'll save him Suguha. You know we will. Don't you?"

"Of course, I do." She whispered.

"Then you know you have nothing to worry about. We will save him. We will, Suguha. All you need to focus on is that. Then you can remember Kazuto with a smile, as you always have."

Suguha's frown turned into a soft, small smile.

"Uh... Suguha?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you... um..." Klein gulped. "Do you still... Have feelings for him? Kazuto, I mean."

"Why does that matter?" Suguha asked, fringe over her face again.

"Because... I know someone who likes you. As in, likes you, likes you." Klein muttered, face going red. "And I had to find out, to... um... tell them. Whether they had a chance or not."

"Well... um..." Suguha muttered, face still covered, slightly blushing. "I don't have feelings for Kazuto anymore..."

"That's great!" Klein shouted, "I'll just-"

"But." Suguha muttered.

"But?" Klein asked, too afraid of the answer.

"I have feelings for someone else."

With this sentence, Klein felt his heart shatter. He pretends to be someone who wants multiple hot women to like him, but he's had a massive crush on Suguha ever since he laid eyes on her. And they've known each other for a long time. He really thought that she liked him.

I guess I was wrong... He muttered. He stood up, placing Suguha's hands on her lap, all redness in his face now gone.

"I guess I'll... um... let him know... how you feel." Klein said, before walking upstairs to everyone else, leaving Suguha to think.

Suguha stared at Klein as he walked up the stairs. She was confused, why did he seem so upset about her not liking that other person he talked about?

The person I really like... She said, as she saw Klein reach the top of the staircase and move across the upstairs corridor, disappearing from view.

Is you, Klein.

___________________________________________________________________________

"Come on out Yui!" Asuna said, as Yui appeared. Yui immediately flew over to Asuna, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, Mummy." Yui said to Asuna, as she kissed her.

"Hi, Yui." Asuna said back. "We've got some leads on where Kiri – Kazuto is being held."

"Really? That's great Mummy!" Yui said, smiling.

"Wait – you got leads?" Lisbeth asked.

"Yeah, didn't you?" Lisbeth shook her head. Asuna frowned. "Maybe no one else got leads... That's bad..."

She went deep into her thoughts, wondering if they could work out where Kazuto is with just her leads.

"I've got leads too!" Klein said. "Well, not a lead. The location!"

Asuna turned to him in disbelief.

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. Right here." His hand darted to his pocket and whipped out a scribbled down note of an address.

"Shall we head there now?" He asked.

"No!" Asuna said quickly. "Let's make sure it matches up with my lead. A much more reliable lead."

"How do you know it's reliable?"

"I'll tell you all later. Just search up your place on Google Maps already!"

Lisbeth reached into her pocked, and chucked her pink phone at him, already on Google Maps. He looked at her, confusion in his eyes.

"I used it to get here – until I ran into you guys. I was lost."

"How did you get lost?"

"Remember when Asuna let go of me? Yeah, no idea where I ended up. Luckily, I had my phone, so I could find my way back safely."

"No kidding." Asuna said, as Klein finished typing up the address onto Google Maps.

"There!" He said, pointing to it.

"Okay, let me see what's around it." Asuna said, snatching the phone off Klein.

"Why?" Sinon asked.

"Because my lead was from Kazuto. It was what he saw before he got put in the game."

"From Kazuto?" Suguha said, walking into the room. "How did you know what he saw, since he's already in the game?"

"I... uh..." Asuna muttered. "I... saw him... as I looked around in the factory."

Suguha looked at Asuna. Tears were already beginning to form on Asuna's face, just by mentioning the memory.

"Is this why you looked so sad and angry when we were captured by Sugou?" She asked.

"CAPTURED BY SUGOU?!" The others yelled.

"Yeah... I had just saw him and had a conversation with him, before Sugou entered and dragged us into the basement."

She quickly explained what happened and what Kazuto said to her, Suguha helping out when it came to point where she entered.

"Wait, is this why you left after me, instead of going with me?" Suguha asked.

"Yeah, I had to let Kazuto know we were fine. He heard us both get taken. He was in the room you fell into."

"And I wasn't told? That my brother was right next to me?!" Suguha asked. Everyone else in the room visibly flinched at the dark, scary aura that surrounded her. Asuna gulped.

"I thought that you wouldn't be able to focus if you saw him. I was just barely able to contain myself, and I've only known him for a few years. You've known him for practically your entire life!"

Suguha paused.

"Fine. I guess I understand. But don't do that again! I would do anything to see Kazuto, whether in reality, or behind a screen!"

Everyone sighed in relief. Asuna went back to searching on Lisbeth's phone.

"It looks like the address is correct! There's the factory!" Asuna said, pointing to it.

"But why is the factory import... Right! What Kazuto said!" Silica whispered to Sinon, remembering what Asuna told them about what Kazuto told her.

"I saw... A factory! It said Sugou Industries on it."

"Sugou Industries is right here." Asuna said, pointing to a red dot on the phone. "And where Kazuto supposedly is, is right here." She then pointed to a building adjacent from Sugou Industries.

Everyone cheered. They had done it! They found where Kazuto is being held!

"Wait." Sinon interrupted them. "They probably know that we know, since you let the guard escape, Klein. They probably have traps set up for us. How would we safely evade the traps, let alone be able to find where Kazuto is?"

"I... don't know..." Asuna said. Everyone went into their thoughts. Then Suguha gasped, and put her hand in her pocket, drawing out her Alfheim memory card.

"This could help! I got it when I escaped the factory. Hopefully it should hold some information."

"Why would it hold information? They were supposed to fix it, not add to it." Lisbeth asked.

"Well, everyone working there assumed I wouldn't use it anymore, since I was being held captive. That, adding with the fact the memory card wasn't in the place I left it, and the fact that the receptionist looked scared as I went to leave with the card in my hand even though she knew that there was some men ready to stop me from leaving makes me think that they programmed some information on here that we shouldn't know about, and that is really important."

"That would explain the receptionist being scared, as she would be afraid you would destroy it!" Sinon said, getting excited. "Put it in your Nervegear!"

"I don't have it... It got destroyed." Suguha said, looking at the ground. Asuna sighed, then walked out of the room, returning a few seconds later.

"Use this, I'm sure he'll be fine with it." She said, holding Kazuto's Nervegear in her hands. Suguha looked at it as if it was possessed.

"That's... Kazuto's!" She said, shaking.

"Would you rather I did it, or you?" Asuna asked. Suguha glared at her.

"Fine." She muttered, snatching it out of Asuna's hands. She took out Kazuto's GGO card (he brought it back from his GGO tournament, and keeps playing it), and put her Alfheim card in. She placed it on her head, saying: "Link... Start!"

As Suguha got transported to her destination, she wondered what she would find. Maybe information on traps?

Landing on a white floor, all Suguha could see was... Brown files. Massive brown files, that she could easily walk through, although maybe not as easy to search through.

"How will I ever be able to sift through all these files to get to the good ones?" She asked herself.

A loud beeping noise followed her thoughts, and she looked away from the folders to see... Her Alfheim avatar?

"Is that... me?"

"Hello Hana, welcome back." Leefa spoke in a jingly voice.

Are they trying to mock me? Suguha thought. By putting my avatar as the guide of my memory card? Especially since at that point they had tried to kidnap me!

"Whose Hana?" Suguha asked.

"Oh! Do you have a new account name?"

"Uh, yeah! My name is... Suguha. What should I call you?"

"Great! My name is... I believe I'm called... Leefa. So, Suguha, do you need a guide?"

I knew it! They stole my account, then used my account name, just for spite! "Yeah, please."

"Sure! Here are the categories." As Leefa said these words a bunch of categories popped up, in alphabetical order.

Alchemy

Celestial Magic

Death

Exorcism

First Phase

Fire Power

Illness

Isolation

Kills

Love

Luck

Mysteries

Planning

Radioactivity

Rations

Second Phase

Sugou

Traps

Triggers

Victory

Wins

Youth Potions

Suguha looked at the options. Immediately she spotted the words 'Traps', 'Triggers' and 'Sugou'.

She first opened up 'Traps'. Inside the folder, all the handwriting was illegible to Suguha, and she had to ask Leefa to read it for her. As Leefa explained the traps in the area where Kazuto was (pits, arrows, lasers, poison), Suguha took notice of the folder called 'First Phase'. It seemed Sugou had some sort of plan?

Satisfied with 'Traps', Suguha opened up 'Triggers', and once again got Leefa to read off what the folder said. As Leefa explained the details of pressure plates, puzzles and riddles, Suguha became bored, and skipped over to 'Sugou'. Inside there was a bunch of information she already knew, as well as a couple of creepy drawings of Sugou... Without clothes on. It seems Hana had a thing for him.

Rubbing her eyes, praying after a good night's sleep those drawings would be erased from her memory, she flicked her wrist upwards, and a menu appeared. She raised her finger to the Log Out button – when all of a sudden, her eyes got drawn back to the 'First Phase' section. She lowered her finger.

"Leefa, open 'First Phase'."

Leefa willingly obeyed, then started reading off what was written there.

"First we record Asuna's voice. We then use this to lure Kazuto away from his stupid 'friends', and we kidnap him. Second, we force him into the game The Fallen Hero, and tell him that he must defeat the final boss to win, and escape. Third, he either dies trying, or he defeats the boss and is let out of VR. If this happens, move on to the Second Phase."

As Leefa took a breath, Suguha told her to stop, while she processed what she just heard. All of this was planned! They had wanted to kidnap her brother for a long time! She didn't know how long, but since all of this was transferred from a computer, she had no idea what to think.

She swallowed. "Continue, Leefa."

Leefa obeyed. "Progress Report: We snuck into his house to kidnap him, instead of luring him away with Asuna's voice. Once we took him, we used Asuna's voice to force him into the game. It appears that he will defeat the boss and will move on to the Second Phase." Leefa stopped talking.

"Leefa, go to 'Second Phase'."

"Once Kazuto is released, he will be held down and implanted with a memory chip. As he loses his memory, we will store it and implement his fighting actions and moves into all our future boss characters, so no one is able to defeat them. We will make a final boss as Kazuto's in game avatar Kirito, and whoever kills Kirito, will kill the real Kazuto, although Sugou wishes it could be himself, so we will also program his avatar with immense skills stolen from Kazuto's memory, and plant them into Sugou's avatar – Oberon."

Leefa was about to continue, but Suguha took over, seeing it clearly for the first time.

"Progress Check: It appears that we will be using the Second Phase, but instead of doing it straight away, Sugou wants to have a bit of 'Quality Time' with Kazuto first, so we start the day after he returns to reality. Sugou has also decided to tell Asuna all about this after Kazuto has lost his memory, to make her beg for his memories. He will enact Project Love, and she will be his forever." Suguha trailed off.

"L – Leefa, go to... to 'Love'."

"Project Love: Sugou will tell Asuna that he has Kazuto's memories locked away, and that the only way he'll return them is if Asuna marries him. Once she agrees, we'll tie her up when her back is turned, and we'll delete her memories too. We'll make her avatars in game – Titania and Asuna. Asuna will only remember her will to be with Kirito, her fighting skills and her hatred for Sugou (which we will break down into hatred for humans). She and Kirito will be a tag team final boss, and if someone kills Asuna, the real Asuna will die. Titania will remember all her love for Kazuto, but we will replace Kazuto for Sugou. She will live in his games as his own NPC girlfriend, and they will get married and live peacefully together, forever, just as Sugou wants – Oberon and Titania."

Suguha felt sick. Sugou wanted to erase both Asuna and Kazuto's memories, and put them into an inverted SAO, where they are bosses, and if someone kills them, they die? That's crazy! She has to tell everyone else.

"Leefa."

"Yes?"

"Place everything that you have shown me today into another NPC, an NPC called Yui."

"I need the NPC to appear."

How can I do that? Only Kazuto's Nervegear can – oh, wait! I'm using his Nervegear!

"Yui, I need you!" Suguha yelled, looking in her inventory. Or rather, Kazuto's inventory. Along with his power wands, healing crystals and teleportation gems, she spotted what Kazuto always used to bring Yui into a new game. She clicked it, and slowly Yui materialised.

"Yui!"

"Suguha! Why have you brought me here?"

"I need to allow this NPC to transfer what I've learned today to you, because I'll forget otherwise."

"Okay, ready whenever you are!"

"Leefa, begin transaction."

Slowly golden strands started to come out from Leefa, and move to Yui, going inside her body. Yui begins to cry as she adapts and reads what she's learning.

Once the transaction finishes, Suguha logs out.

As she slowly takes off Kazuto's Nervegear, she sees everyone crying, especially Asuna. Even Klein was crying.

"Klein! Asuna! Everyone! I'm assuming Yui already told you what I found out?"

They all nodded slowly.

"It would've worked as well." Asuna muttered. "I would have married him to save Kazuto. I would've done anything."

"We need to find him before the Second Phase begins." Sinon said.

"Well, we know where to go." Klein replied. "To the building next to Sugou Industries!"

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered, excited about finally rescuing Kazuto.

Okay! Finally done with the majority of Asuna, Suguha and the others' part in the fanfic. The next chapter will feature Kirito going up against the boss, will he win? Will the other's rescue him before he escapes and gets his memory wiped? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out!

Even though this fanfic is almost over, that doesn't mean I'll stop writing! If you have any ideas, or any cartoons or anime you want me to write a fanfic about, let me know in the comments. As long as I've seen it, of course. If I've seen the anime/cartoon/book series you want me to write about, I'll include it in the comment poll I will make at the end of the fanfiction. But you'll hear about that on the final chapter.

But for now...

Peachy out! 😊