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..:Aɪɴᴄʀᴀᴅ Nᴇxᴜs:.. [Cʏᴘʜᴇʀxᴋ2 & Iʀᴏɴɪᴄ]

He found himself clinging to Asuna as they both ended up sitting on the ground. What was going on in his mind? Everything was screwed up and disjointed. It seemed like he couldn't breathe. His lungs felt frozen as he pulled away from her while looking at her.

All of a sudden, his lips were mashed against hers as he pushed her onto her back. His attraction to her was coming out explosively, as he pinned her to the ground. Despite his tears, a surprising aura of dominance was radiating from him that was being suppressed before. It seemed he was had the air of a natural Alpha Male. He didn't act on it as he refused to act on that part of him, which made him more rigid in his bearing.

"Sorry, I can't help it...." He breathed as his hand stroked her cheek while a strange mark appeared on the exposed part of his forearm, "I suffer from severe bouts of hypo and hyperactive sexual desire disorder. It trades of from season to season."
 
Asuna held onto him tightly as she let him sob in her arms, her hands stroking his back gently as she tried to calm her friend. She didn't know what to do or how to comfort him and she hoped that her actions deemed good enough.

There was no warning signs of his next behavior, though, and in a split second she saw him remove himself in their tight hold before latching onto her lips like a leach. Her eyes widened and her hands flailed around as she lost her balance and was pushed onto the ground roughly. If she had known he was going to be doing this to her she would have been more prepared at pushing him away. Her back was on the ground as he hovered over top of her and for a moment she felt intimidated by his new behavior.

Though this alarmed her she couldn't find the power to pull her lips from his own, because little did he know was that she wanted this as much as he wanted it too. Some may find it strange that they've spent only a few days together but you become closer quickly when your life depends on it.

"I don't know what to say, Caliban..." She whispered at him as the palm of her hands pressed down firmly onto his muscular chest, her thighs tightening up and her breathing growing in pace and and strength. "All I can say is... is that I hope you have feelings for me and not just for lust as I do for you..." She admitted shyly, finding it hard to keep her golden hues locked onto his as she revealed her feelings.
 
"Trust me, Flash.... There's lust there.... But I've always had a thing for you, ever since you and that guy you were with saved my ass on floor 75 during the boss raid in SAO. I've wanted to thank you since then, but I never got the chance until now." He whispered back, as the text of last requirment in the quest turned green, "Crazy as it sounds, you and Yui because the reasons I chose to live. In essence, you saved me twice."

Before anything more could happen, Caliban jerked as a glowing red laceration appeared on his left cheek. The bright side of this was it knocked the abrupt need for sex right out of him, the dark side was now he was thoroughly pissed off now as he saw A Skeletal Crossbowman dash into the secret dungeon entrance. Thankfully he had enough grip on himself to stay with Asuna this time. What struck him as off was most undead enemies shambled about and couldn't use projectile weapon very accurately. This one had purposely grazed his cheek and took off like a living human. Something else wrong with this stupid game.

"We'll sort our feelings for each other out later. Right now, We're going after that son of a bitch Crossbower and finding Yui." He said determinedly, helping her up and dusting them both off before drawing his Elucidator.
 
Asuna grew shocked by his confession. She never knew just how much he had felt for her, let alone knowing that she helped him as much as he proclaimed. This brought a smile to her lips as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight and loving hug. "I'm glad myself and Yui could do that for you, Caliban. You're an incredible person." All of this sweet talk along with the romance quickly died out as a Skeletal Crossbowman lashed his arrow at them.

She took his awaiting hand and lifted herself up, following the Archer's tracks. They stood at the entrance of a dungeon, the feeling eerie and causing goosebumps to protrude from her smooth skin. "I got a bad feeling about this." Asuna sighed out before taking a deep and courageous breath of air before kicking the door down into the dungeon.

It was musky and dark, fire torches lighting the way down the rocky-like hallway. The Skeletal being could be notice for a second as he quickly whipped around a corner and ran off. "He went that way!" Asuna pointed out the directed he turned as she ran alongside Caliban.
 
Caliban, taking the lead while he took Asuna by the hand again, didn't follow the undead enemy, he kept straight as an open air circular chasm opened up ahead of them. He seemed to know exactly where he was going as instead of turning to go around the walkway, he just vaulted over it with Asuna right with him. His face, though determined, showed an openness that revealed how tightly he held himself. He was in his element now. Hunting a target was something that have him a primal sense of freedom and elation he rarely had anywhere else.

"Next stop, The very bottom of Hell." He joked with what could have passed for a murderous clown grin plastered on his face as he stabbed his sword into the wall of the chasm, "This saves us from having to fight through hoards of monsters. Only problem is that the this chasm's bottomless with a instant-zone below the bottom level. There's an invisible platform below you, it'll appear once you land on it."
 
Asuna was confused as to why he didn't want to track down the skeletal being but she knew that he knew best and she would disregard the enemy for now since he deemed it so. Her fingers gripped tightly against his hand that she clutched in response to entering inside of the new and unfamiliar area. No matter where she was at, as long as Caliban was by her side she felt safe and unstoppable. Her heart began to flutter once her mind reminded her of what had just happened between them, her cheeks filling with red as the heat intensified.

Once he explained why he chose to depart it made sense. Dungeons held tons of monsters to slain and killing every single on of them would grow tiring and boring. Their efforts would be exhausted and once they would get to their main goal they would be winded already. He was very smart within this platform but then again he helped design and create it. "I don't think I have ever been in one of these chasms." They continued to walk before she asked another question. "It seems you know a lot more than I do about this dungeon. What are we suppose to even do in here? Fight something?"
 
"Yui's in here somewhere, we gotta find her before something happens to her." Caliban replied, as he suddenly used a Vorpal Strike sword skill to staple a Forsaken swordsman they encountered to the wall of the T intersection they had come to with his Elucidator, "Only problem is we don't know where she is."

The swordsman swung at him, to which he kicked off of it as he pulled his sword out of the wall. Almost on instinct, he flipped clear, giving Asuna a clear shot at the enemy. He couldn't see what she was doing but he trusted her completely. As long as they were together, he could get through this. They could get through anything.

"Switch, now!!" He called, twisting to land facing the enemy swordsman, "Light that thing up!!"
 
The Swordsman took her by surprise as the area they were in was pitch black. Only footsteps and metal clanking were the only thing that helped her get an idea of her surroundings. She could feel an uneasy presence beside her, knowing that it was the Forsaken that Caliban had just dealt with. With a quick hand to grip at her rapier that was placed within its sheath she quickly used a two-hit combo into his chest before it disappeared into pixels.

Kneeling down she looted the remnants of the Swordsman and gratefully scored a torch, quickly lighting it up. She pulled the torch away from her to light the way, showing them both where to go without getting too lost.

"That came in handy." She noted before stepping by his side. "I trust you to continue leading the way. I feel like you got this better than I would. I just hope Yui is okay..." Her tone in voice was saddened, yearning to see Yui and love her like she use to do. She still blames herself for her virtualistic suicide, never meaning to hurt her daughters feelings the way she did before.
 
"If I know Yui, she'll be fine if she stays....." He started to say before he heard Yui's voice cry out to him.

"Kenji, look out!!"

He found himself on his back as the Crossbower prepared to shoot him in the face with it's crossbow. His life gauge was telling him he was paralyzed by something. What he didn't know but he couldn't defend himself. He was completely in the Crossbower's mercy. Vaguely, he hoped Asuna could get away.

"Don't blink, asshole....." He growled with a pained groan as he glared darkly at the Crossbower, "You might miss the lightning strike about to hit you."
 
The pair were walking until an abrupt change in pace was heard as the sound reverberated from the enclosed walls. Asuna whipped around to see Caliban on his back, the skeletal figure hovering over him with his arrow signifying a death threat. There was a small lightening bolt by Caliban's username indicating that he was stunned and couldn't move for thirty seconds, which would be enough time for the archer to slain him.

She didn't say anything but instead reacted on the situation. The torch she once held dropped to the ground, sizzling out to leave the place dark once more. Her eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness as her pupils slowly began to dilate to get use to her surroundings. By the sound of his bones rattling she followed the path. Her outstretched hands landed on the cold bones, immediately flinging him away and out of Caliban's reach.

A punch was thrown her way, feeling the hardened knuckles thrown at her abdomen to knock the wind out of her, a rough puff of air leaving her opened mouth before another toss hit her in the cheek, her head flying in the opposite direction of the punch. Her forearm wiped away the liquid that was flowing from her new wound, knowing it was blood by the smell of iron. She knew that he was readying his crossbow by the sound of rustling and she had to act quick to end the torment.

Her own hands balled up into fists, throwing a direct fist to what felt like his ribs, but all it did was cause him to stumble. The arrow was being fixed against the string, the sound of wood grinding against the string ringing in her ears. It all happened so quickly, the snap of the string was a terrifying sound as she felt the side of her waist being impaled by the arrow, the wooden end protruding from her. She groaned out in agony as the pain struck through her core. It was a damage over time arrow, her health beginning to dwindle by the passing moments. Instead of her new wound slowing her down it actually enraged her.

Without a second thought she violently grasped the wooden end and pulled it out from her flesh robustly as she held her breath due to the lingering pain. She didn't scream though her body did. She took her rapier and charged at the crossbower as he was making his way back to Caliban, the tip lightening fast as she initiated her Mother's Rosario combo, shouting aloud each time her rapier struck the pile of bones. With the final blow to her combo she brought more emphasis to the strike, knowing it would be the last to end the chaos this creature brought.
 
Linked attack- Mother's Rosario and Deadly Sins

Somehow, Caliban once again overcame his paralysis and stunned statuses by sheer force of will to add his own sword skill into the Crossbower's demise. He was a touch late in attacking but his last hit was synchronized with Asuna's, resulting in an explosive finish. The crazy part was that he felt sick to his stomach and felt fresh tears falling as guilt overwhelmed him. He wasn't sure what was wrong but he looked at Asuna with a pained expression. He'd just realized what troubled him about the crossbower and it's damaged armor.

"It's him....." He choked out, recognizing where the blow from the Gleam Eyes had hit in the ruined armor, "Jasper...."

A notification that he'd learned the 'Mother's Rosario' original sword skill through his mimicry sword skill was lost on him as the undead crossbower transformed into their dead team member. He had no way of knowing how Asuna would handle this but it was almost soul-crushing to him. The tentative amount of morale he'd had was shattered as Jasper stood between Asuna and him, skewered by their weapons while smiling gratefully. There were no time for words as he shattered into green pixels, which seemed to enshroud both Reapers. Caliban's Elucidator clanged against the dungeon floor as he collapsed on to his knees in horror.

"Thanks for saving me, you two. Regardless of what happens, I'm with you guys always. You're the best allies and friends I've ever had." Jasper's voice said as a permanent Defense buff appeared beside his and Asuna's names, "The person whom took over your work has done this to other players too, Caliban. You have to free them so they can rest. The young girl you are here for is also 4 levels down. Say hi to her for me."
 
It seemed as if the room had grown colder, the aura shifting and Asuna didn't know why this skeletal's death made everything seem so out of place. That was until the crossbower shifted into the Jasper she had once known. Her quivering hands covered her gaped mouth as tears strolled down her cheeks endlessly. How could she not know it was him? Even though he caused them both harm she would've never killed him. Guilt made its way into the pit of her stomach and it made her want to vomit. Why?!

Her knees buckled inward, causing her to collapse down as her palms planted down on the ground to break her fall. The tears that were falling down her cheek landed on the back of her hands, her breathing nonrhythmic as she sobbed into a mess. "Jasper, I am so sorry..." She wailed out to him regardless of him thanking the two for ending his suffering. She didn't care about any of that anymore. If she knew he was still in the game she would've done more to help him and protect him, possibly bringing him back.

It was too late.

Asuna's health was in orange, almost to yellow. As Jasper placed the defense buff on both of them he also made their health go back to 100%. Her wound shrunk to nothing and all that remained were the remnants of blood soaking in her clothing. "Please, don't know Jasper. We need you!" She shouted out to him before stumbling to her feet to try and reach for him, but as soon as her fingertips managed to graze his hand he disappeared forever this time.

"Why, Caliban... Why..." She screamed in denial as her hands curled into her tresses. "Why does this damn game have to ruin EVERYTHING?!"
 
Despite his tears, he reached up and pulled her hands away from her tresses. There was nothing he could say. He was, as much as he loathed to admit it, just as responsible for this at the person who trapped them in here. That knowledge burned in his chest like a hot vise. His rage boiled up in him until it suddenly burst in an unexpected way.

He kissed her, full on the mouth and in a dominating fashion. As if saying that he was in control, he shoved her backward onto her back as he held her wrists down. Strangely, the tension in him spiked as he tasted her lips. An amused chuckle emanated from him as he recalled something. It seemed as though the wolf in him had surfaced.

"This game has nothing to do with it...." He said firmly as he broke the kiss, "It due to the idiots that decide to play god. Unfortunately, sometimes the so called god turn out to be a devil like me."
 
The sobbing simmered down as she felt Caliban's soft palms take the back of her hands and away from her hair. His eyes twinkled a different tune, her own hues too blurry to see that something had snapped in his internal core. Their eyes stayed stationary as they stared at one another in confusion on what to do next. She was speechless and he was too. As she was about to speak his body roughly dominated her without consent. A groan left her lips as he was torturous in manner with his behavior. That eerie laugh signaled something was wrong with him.

Asuna wasn't having it, contorting her frame to make her knees press up against her chest before the heel of her boots kicked his stomach to harshly push him off from her. Instantly the back of her hand wiped away the saliva he had left on her lips. Her breathing was ragged and inconsistent, her eyes glowering at the sight of him.

"What the fuck?! Do you not realize what we had just witnessed, Kenji?!" Rarely she ever used his real name, glorifying how royally pissed she was towards him. "This is no time to act like a feral animal. What has gotten into you?!" She rose up to her feet to shove her hands on his pectorals, making him shuffle backwards. "You're looking pretty guilty. Are you trying to damned me too like Jasper?!" Another chaotic shove on his chest, this time more robust to get the point across. "Don't you dare touch me as if I am your lover!!!!" her foot slammed down, her heel clicking as her balled up fists unwinded to grab her face in distress.
 
He wasn't sure what happened, but he just blinked to find Asuna shoved against the wall with a crater next to her head. His fist was in the crater as he glared almost murderously at her. Was that how it was gonna be? Fine, he'd play her game. She clearly didn't know what he went through.

"Seriously?! You really think I planned this?! What would I gain by trapping myself in a game with people if I was behind this?!" He snapped, wanting to strangle her as he tried to restrain himself.
 
Asuna let out a whimpered yelp as the rocky surface of the wall dug into her back. The look in his eyes said it all, making her grit her teeth together as her hands coiled in fists, ready to defend herself.

"Didn't you say before we met that you never wanted to leave SAO?! Well, here was your golden opportunity to ruin everyone's lives once again!" Her forehead pressed up against his own as her eyes glared at him, piercing into his soul. "Just look at you. Eyes fueled with murder. I know you want to knock me out cold. Isn't that cute? Treating the girl who would do anything for you like this. Don't you realize the hell I went through for you multiple times? I do it out of love, not because I want anything in return... And this is what I get? A murderous glance? Pft!" Her head whipped around in the opposite direction, biting the side of her cheek as she thought on more to add to her rant.

"You think you had it rough, even after SAO I was still captured and locked up like a slave. I've been raped, I've lost my daughter Yui and the man I fought hard along his side. I lost everything!" If fire could ignite in her irises they would've already. "Might as well just end my life. It's probably for the best anyways."
 
(Interesting idea, lets have it where they used to play with each other as little kids until his family left unexpectedly. That would give weight to Asuna doing what she did for Caliban out of love. They basically loved each other the years they were separated and can't remember.)

"Fuuuunny.... I went through the same thing OUTSIDE and BEFORE SAO!!! Only I wasn't raped, I was beaten and burned!!! Funny thing was, I grew to enjoy being hurt!!!" Caliban retorted, that darken side that POH had seen beneath his exterior coming out as he took Asuna by the shouders and slammed her against the wall again, "If you really lost Yui, she wouldn't be calling out for you when she was with me!! Every night, she would have night terrors where she'd BEGGED YOU not to leave her daddy!!! When I tried to comfort her, She'd kick and scream for you because she wanted you and Daddy to be happy together again!!! Every time that happened, my heart broke more and more because I'd come to love her like my own daughter!!!"

His rage could almost be felt. True, he hadn't wanted to leave SAO. What made him leave was a promise he made to a player named Silica to meet IRL. It was a promise he hadn't kept yet, but he intended to. She didn't need to know that though.

"I'd only want to ruin one life, mine!!! Most people I meet can ROT FOR ALL I CARE!!! My family!!! My home!!! This fucking game!!! IT COULD ALL BURN AND I WOULDN'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT IT!!! YOU, UNFORTUNATELY, I'D GIVE MY FUCKING LIFE FOR!!! SINCE, FOR REASONS ONLY THE HEAVENS CAN KNOW, I FEEL AS THOUGH I'VE LOVED YOU ALL OF MY FUCKING LIFE!!!!"
 
Those golden hues broke away from their stare at him, tears starting to skate down her cheek. The impact of his slam hurt but it didn't make her cry, it was the way he was acting towards her that hurt her feelings. "Why are you hurting me?" She sobbed as she couldn't understand why he used so much force on her if he proclaimed to care so much.

Guilt riddled her to the core when he revealed how Yui truly felt about the situation between her and Kirito. "I had to leave the relationship, it was growing toxic and I didn't want Yui to be around that! I explained to her countless of times that it wasn't her fault. Do you think I meant for her to do what she did?!" She choked up more as she talked about her daughters suicide, a flashback of that awful day relaying back in her mind.

The way he bellowed at her caused a light bulb to switch on. Yes, it was starting to piece back together now. Asuna always knew there was something familiar about Kenji. He looked familiar but he didn't act familiar, if that makes any sense. "I feel as though I've loved you all of my fucking life!" rang in her ears, the tone of his voice bringing back a flood of memories. She seemed to forget about their flustered argument, pushing the topic out of the way to shed some light into his eyes.

"Kenji... KENJI!" She shouted before gripping his shoulders to immobilize him. Her sudden action may cause him to act reflexive on it but he persisted. "That's right!! Do you remember?!" She asked before shaking his shoulders to make it sink in. "We lived by each other for a year and a half as kids until you had to move away. It's call coming back!"
 
He recoiled, clutching his head as he lost his balance. He crashed to the floor as his brain suddenly felt like it was imploding. The pain he was feeling caused him to curl into a ball as something fought to surface in his memory but couldn't solidify. His jaw was clenched to prevent him from screaming as he was wracked with violent tremors.

What Asuna had said had triggered something. It was clawing at him, ravaging his psyche as something struggled to be recognized. Whatever it was, he involuntarily reached out for something to hold on to. He couldn't help it, it was as if someone was running a chainsaw in his mind. Things were surfacing and desolving before they could be made sense of. All of it seemed to center on Asuna though.
 
She was left speechlesss as he acted the way he did. It wasn't obvious how much this took a toll onto him until he started to curl into a fetal position, unknowing on what to do with this new set of information.

As he reached out to grab onto something she held his hand as her thumb circled around the back of his hand to try and bring comfort to him during this difficult time. She would allow him to take the time he needed to get things straightened out.
 
He eventually stilled, breathing heavily as he uncoiled. His expression looked traumatized, like something had happened that he hadn't gotten over. However, it didn't last as he stood and led Asuna to a nearby safe zone. What had happened to him had broken something in him. The will he had to fight was gone. Nothing felt right to him as everything he remembered felt like a lie.

"Why can't I remember?" He asked rhetorically, looking at Asuna as a phantom pain in side of his head kicked up, "If you're right and we did live near each other, Why can't I remember you at all before SAO?"
 
"Where are we going? What about Yui?" Asuna mentioned as he began to take her to the safe zone, her eyes filled with confusion just as much as he was. Everything was happening so fast and so out of pace. It made her heart ache.

"I don't know why you can't remember, Kenji." She responded sympathetically, wanting to know the right words to say to comfort his traumatized mind. "I don't remember much myself but I do know we use to play in my backyard all of the time. One day, though, I overheard your parents saying they had to move and I couldn't understand why." Some details were coming back to her as she began to explain what had happened.

"You were such a happy boy, filled with life and glee. Oh, Kenji, I wish I knew what had happened to you to make you turn so dark." Her eyes looked away, biting her quivering lip to try and hold back the tears.
 
"Car crash....." He breathed, wincing as something finally clicked, "I was in a car crash the day I moved away. The SUV I was in rolled as a tire blew for some reason..... Landed in a canal...... I was ejected due to a faulty seat belt......"

The memory hit him in full the moment he recalled it. The calmness he felt when the crash started. The thoughts of Asuna he'd had during it. The reflection of his eyes when he felt himself be ejected from the vehicle. The glint of light from the top of a building at the end of the bridge adjacent to the one they were on.

"It was a hit!!" He suddenly exclaimed, "A sniper shot out the tire of the SUV, killing the people I was with!! My parents moved us because they made bad choices that resulted in them being hunted by hitmen!!"

"Way to go, Kenji!!" Yui cried, catching him by surprise by glomping him, "That's why I came to you. I secretly wanted to help you remember your past."

"Wha?! Yui?! How did you find us?!" He asked, startled.
 
Asuna listened to Caliban, placing her palms over her mouth as it opened up wide in shock of what he had endured. He must've had a concussion for not being able to remember something so traumatic happening in his life. She wanted to hug and comfort him furthermore, let him know that she was there for him and cared for him. Just as she was about to wrap her arms around him someone interfered, beating her to it. A look of shock painted over her features until that long grey hair sent an instant realization into her core... Was that... Yui?

Without thinking she gripped Yui from the backside, her arms wrapping around her stomach as she drew her in closer to her own hold, not taking her away from holding onto Caliban.

"Yui, my daughter, I've missed you so much!!!!" She managed to say through tears and sobs, burying her face into her back as she finally felt her daughter for the first time in months. "I thought I lost you, I didn't know what to do..."

Yui stopped her hold from Kenji before glomping Asuna next, their cheeks brushing up against each other. "Hi, mommy! I've missed you so much too." Her cheery voice radiated, turning anyone's frown the opposite way.

"Please, don't do anything like that ever again. Nothing was your fault. Never think that way anymore my precious one." She spoke softly before brushing a stray hair from Yui's face, kissing her on the cheek warmly.
 
(I'm gonna alter things up from our original plans. For some reason I keep wanting to throw a monkey wrench into things.)

Caliban moved away from the two, suddenly feeling like a third wheel. It wasn't his place to be there. Granted he was happy to see Yui so happy, but his heart broke as he realized his ultimate goal regarding was accomplished. In the end, Yui was back where she belonged. Maybe it was time to head back before he really broke down.

As he left the safe zone, he was alerted to a solo player in a muted black outfit nearby that was easily fighting off Death Knights despite being underleveled by what he saw as a suicidal margin. With a momentary look at Asuna and Yui, he sighed and went to help the player. Little did he know he would be helping Asuna's ex. A player whom he'd had several interupted deathmatches with in ALO.

"Sorry, Asuna......" He whispered, wiping his eyes as fresh tears had begun to form, "I don't think I fit in your family."
 
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