You are my safe zone

'I should've brought an extra layer or two'

Asuna mentally scolded herself as the snowstorm kept bashing her red-hooded cape. She knew that this zone of the 55th Floor of Aincrad was in a pema-freeze state and that she should've gone prepared for extremely cold temperatures, but since she joined the K.O.B. her stubbornness had been increasing to worrying levels, so instead of pay attention to Argo's advice, she bought a red-hooded cape like the one she used to wear on the lower floors (but made with better, sturdier material) and went on a solo adventure to complete a little hunting quest.

It had been a while since she had the freedom to just walk around a labyrinth hunting monsters by herself, completing missions and grinding XP, which made the situation even worse because her lack of preparation was probably gonna cost her to lose her entire day off inside the frozen dungeon.

'I need to find shelter, and I need to find it quickly'

After killing the last of the Ice Golems that had spawned nearby, the fencer quickly spun to the side and started running around like a headless chicken, trying to find one of the many caverns distributed all over the icy mountains, that worked not only as protection from the weather, but also as safe havens from the monsters.

Luckily, just when the storm was reaching its max strength after a two minute jog, she found a small opening on a wall hidden by a big rock which she could use to take a break, drink a potion and maybe even rest for a bit; so without hesitation, Asuna sped up and reached her goal in less than 10 seconds.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The interior of the cave was as small as the entrance indicated. There was a thin corridor about five meters deep that abruptly turned left, where a faint light, probably from a torch, indicated the position of the safe room. Fortunately, between the pale-blue light coming from the outside and the slight orange gleam coming from the end of the aisle, Asuna didn't need an extra source of light to reach her destiny.

*sigh*

"Maybe Argo was right" Asuna said as she walked the five meters with heavy steps, turning left towards the supposed torch "I'm getting as hard-headed as him..."

Almost like mocking her, the grinning face of her ex-partner popped into her mind with extreme detail. His long black bangs reached his same colored eyebrows, almost blocking the view of those fearless onyx eyes. His features were somewhat childish when relaxed, but as soon as he got serious, they showed unmatched determination and strength.

Almost every front-line player thought of him as unapproachable, to the point where some of them even feared him, as some sort of cruel deity.

Almost, because there was at least one player that knew him better than that: Asuna herself. In the end, they had been partners for a long time at the beginning of the game, and during said time, she had learned the true nature of that mysterious boy. Even if he showed himself cold, selfish and unconcerned, he had always put Asuna before himself, even in life and death situations, and was always thinking of the goal greater than himself that was beating the game. He was kind, caring and clumsily sweet, and the display of skill and willpower he showed in battle were in some way attractive...

'Wait, what am I thinking?' Asuna clapped her hands on her flustered cheeks to try and dispel the embarrassment creeping up her face.

Suddenly, a familiar, comforting floral scent started filling the air, luring Asuna to quicken her pace. She had been so immersed in her own thoughts about that boy that she had failed to notice how close she was to the room.