Heart Stitches ([SAO] Alice x [Female] Reader]

Chapter 17: 'Commando'

"Why would the commander call for (Y/N)?"

Eugeo asks Asuna, taking one step upwards on the staircase that ahead laid (Y/N) at the most front view of them along with Kirito and Alice. He walked at Asuna's side, turning his head towards her as he spoke with pure curiosity that even made her crook up her eyebrow to consider.

She hums with a finger now under her chin, looking down to their automatically moving feet that are now halfway up the small castle that was the Knights of the Blood Oath's home base and headquarters.

Her vague humming though turned into silence, her eyes half of the time closed to signify her deep thought of Eugeo's question that even she doesn't have a proper answer to, considering she's the vice-commander of the guild she has joined at what felt like years ago.

"I don't know, if I'm being honest, but don't you think it's a bit out of the blue ever since they first met?"

Eugeo inhales deeply with the memory coming into mind, remembering how awkward it was when all they could exchange was their names they seemed to have known for a long time already, but the way they said it was a bit cold in his perspective.

"(Y/N)"

"Heathcliff"

He shivers at that remembrance he really wishes he would just forget the feeling of being around of, the atmosphere seemingly icy for a boss battle that was filled with nothing but fire around the corners, and itself at most.

Eugeo nods as he tries to shake off the awkward feeling, wanting to hurry up and make way to the main office of Heathcliff then leave both this place and the awkwardness. But, they have a long way to go, specifically, about 18 steps till they finally reach the office's floor.

He shrugs off the air's sudden weight on his chest, looking back at Asuna after closing his eyes for a fair amount of the journey towards the upstair area.

"Agreed, I just wish it wasn't with the atmosphere of 2 family members meeting for the first ever time of their lives after committing what felt like a crime together many years ago"

Asuna awkwardly groaned at Eugeo's choice of words, but then again that was the most accurate presentation of how their greeting went.

As soon as the steps disappear with Eugeo learning it the hard way by going to take another step only to step on nothing but the same floor he was then standing on and almost falling on top of Kirito from behind, they stood a few feet behind (Y/N).

She stood quietly near the center, looking forward at the large windows that let in the beaming digital sunlight, the light itself lighting up the front side (Y/N) was facing that was away from where they were looking from.

"(Y/N)?"

Alice steps forward as she calls out to the unusually silent (Y/N) that would answer her within 3 seconds, but 4 has passed, and it shows that she's either spacing out, or something is terribly wrong.

So she takes a few more steps forward, but Asuna holds her shoulder to back as she too senses something off, but is unsure enough to not do anything just yet.

Then laughter echoed off the walls, coming from who was in front of them. She turns to her side that made her face them in a weirdly slack-ish way.

"Gome'nasai Alice.. it's just that..!"

She continues to laugh as hard as Alice could recall from a long time ago, but now is the time where it started to scare them just a bit. She continues to laugh, and soon another voice joined in in a low chuckle.