29th March 2027, Monday, 1.35 PM
Toritsu Central Hospital, Chiyoda Ward
Asuna sat on the hospital bed with her Augma donned on, her fingertips gently caressed Kazuto's worn-out cardigan. She gazed sadly at the bloodstain on the cardigan, obviously anxious about her lover's sudden disappearance. Yui was right beside her in her pixie form with her tiny hand stroking Asuna's pearly white cheek. Yui had returned to Asuna's terminal beforehand to inform her of their discovery. Asuna was crestfallen that they were stuck with no other leads on Kazuto.
"Mommy...I will do my best to find Daddy. Please don't be sad anymore..."Yui pleaded, being able to understand Asuna's pain better than anyone else. Asuna lifted her head at Yui and used both hands to cup the tiny pixie in between them, bringing Yui close to her face.
"I'm sorry, Yui-chan. I've made you worry so much. I know you are just as worried as I am about Daddy." Asuna said to her in-game daughter.
"No, it's fine. I am a mental health counselling program. It is my job to emulate emotions and help them feel better." Yui said with a voice quivering ever so slightly.
"You've been holding it in all this time, haven't you? I know you're hurting just as much too. It's okay to cry, you know? Let it all out. I'm here too, as long as we have each other." Asuna touched her cheek to Yui's tiny head. From the gesture, Yui's tears streamed down her face as the front that she had been putting up came crumbling down. Yui wailed as she nestled into Asuna's cheek. Hearing the cries of her beloved daughter, Asuna also allowed her hot tears to roll down her face.
Standing just outside of the door to Asuna's hospital room, Suguha leaned her forehead on the glass of the door, listening to the cries coming from inside. She was holding in her tears with all her might. Klein banged his fists on the wall, cursing at his lack of ability to do anything about the problem. Agil felt just the same as he leaned his back against the wall with both arms folded against his chest. The other girls sat on the bench unable to utter a single word. All they could do was to let the two inside to have their private moment. After the cries have died down for a while, Suguha took a deep breath and smacked her cheeks before knocking on the door. There was a slight pause before a voice came from inside, signal them to enter.
"Asuna-san, how are doing today?" Suguha spoke softly with a bitter smile. The rest of the gang also followed her lead and entered the room.
"I'm feeling a little better. The doctor said that I'm okay to leave tomorrow morning." Asuna her best smile but her eyes were still puffy from the crying.
"I see. That's good." Suguha replied before rubbing her arm awkwardly.
"I'm sorry for troubling you guys." Asuna spoke apologetically.
"Nah, it's fine. I took a day off from work. Told the boss I had to attend to some important personal matters for a day or two." Klein shrugged with a wink.
"I had my wife take over the shop for a while so it's fine. Besides, he's our friend. We'd do anything to help him." Agil added with a smile.
"And not to mention, it's the middle of spring break so there's no school, right?" Silica said cheerfully and looked over to Suguha, who nodded in agreement.
"You, Liz and I just recently graduated and university intakes doesn't even start until mid-April, so we're practically on a vacation right now. Though, Kirito does seem to often have his vacation forcefully taken from him." Sinon chuckled as she remembered how the boy had complained about losing more than half of his 40-days summer break because of Johnny Black's assault that comatosed him.
"Yeah, that's right. Kirito also graduated too, remember? He was one of the higher-achieving students in his grade and was allowed to skip his final year of high school. Honestly, that guy chose to skip all because he wanted to go to university with you. He even got through the entrance exams with flying colours." Lisbeth giggled at the thought as she reminisced about their graduation day back in early March.
"Yes, he is amazing. When he told me he changed his mind about studying in America and was aiming for Touto University of Electrical and Electronic Engineering to someday be able to work in Rath. I was surprised. He worked so hard every day and night after he came back from Underworld just to achieve his dream. I was so happy when I got to enrol in Touto University with him. It sure was a dream come true." Asuna smiled sadly, missing Kazuto's presence even more.
The atmosphere in the hospital room then became gloomy as everyone remained silent, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, the sound of someone sprinting could be heard from the corridor outside. It wasn't long until the approaching footsteps halt in front of the room and a golden-haired girl barged into the room.
"Asuna!" The golden-haired girl appeared to be Alice in her realistic humanoid mechanical body with her usual school uniform getup. Alice was immediately at Asuna's side holding her hands in hers. "Are you alright?!" She asked in a frantic tone.
"A-Alice?!" Asuna exclaimed in surprise. "What? Why? How?" She was obviously perplexed by Alice's sudden visit. According to what Kazuto had told her, as Underworld is now running at real-time, Alice had extended her stay in the Underworld and wouldn't have returned to the Real World until next week.
"I've heard from Dr. Koujiro about the situation when I was communicating with her through the console last night. I was worried about both you and Kirito that I came back right away." Alice explained.
"I see. I'm sorry you had to leave Selka-san so soon." Asuna apologized with a bitter smile while Alice shook her head.
"It is fine, she understands the situation. Selka was worried too and wanted me to come to the both of you immediately." Alice smiled back before frowning again. "Have you heard anything from Kirito?" She asked but Asuna only shook her head, tearing up once more.
"No. We tried but we still can't find him anywhere." Asuna replied while wiping away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Anyway, how did you even get here, Alice?" She asked the blonde girl, changing the grim subject. Before Alice could reply another set of footsteps entered the room, answering Asuna's question.
"A-Alice, there you are. You shouldn't run off on your own like that." A short-haired young woman entered panted breathlessly, obviously chasing after Alice. It was the current Rath's supervisor, Dr. Koujiro Rinko. Behind her was a bespectacled man in a formal suit, Kikuoka Seijirou, also trying to catch his breath.
"Rinko-san, Kikuoka-san." Asuna called out to the two. Rinko was the first to greet her.
"Asuna-san, how are you?" Rinko asked as she approached Asuna, to which the latter reassured the former that she has recovered. "I see. I've told Kikuoka-san what happened and he wanted to speak to you." As Rinko said this, Kikuoka stepped forward.
"Hi, Asuna-kun. Dr. Koujiro had informed me of the details. Apparently, the hallucinogenic drug used on Kirito-kun was one of the most potent drugs known as LSD. It is a mood-changing chemical that is manufactured from lysergic acid. When consumed or administered into the body, it brings forth a serious disconnection from reality. People usually refer to this 6 to 15-hour experience as a 'trip' but if things go wrong, it can become a 'bad trip' or you could say a living hell to the consumer." Kikuoka stopped for a moment and looked at Asuna and the others to make sure that they were able to comprehend everything he said. Asuna understood this and grimly nodded for him to continue.
"Please continue, Kikuoka-san." Asuna gripped Kazuto's cardigan tighter as she expected for the worst.
"Well, I've heard from Aki-san that Kirito-kun previously had signs of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder during the GGO incident, didn't he?" He asked, earning a nod from Asuna. Having the affirmation from Asuna, Kikouka sighed and pushed his spectacles. "This is what I'm afraid of. PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by terrifying events and is hard to fully recover from it as the trauma won't just disappear completely, especially not after what Kirito-kun had gone through in Underworld. Due to Kirito-kun having PTSD as an underlying mental health disorder, the LSD drug can be a threat in triggering his trauma. If left untreated, this gradually develops into HPPD, Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, whereby the horrible uncontrollable flashbacks can cause significant distress in him and ultimately cause psychological impairment."
Hearing this, everyone felt as if they had a lump in their throats, unable to bring about any words. Kikouka felt horrible to be telling them all this information but it had to be done and thus, continued talking.
"As the former lieutenant colonel of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force, I've had my connections and managed to get someone I trust to start a search on Kirito-kun. They have notified all of the police departments across Tokyo to keep an eye out for him and to report straight away to headquarters if spotted. However-" Asuna's head lifted up in worry. Kikuoka paused and cleared his throat, feeling nervous to continue further. "Due to Kirito-kun having experience in actual combat in both SAO and Underworld, they proved him to be a huge threat, especially in his current unstable state. Whether it is him who fled on his own accord or being kidnapped by someone, if he were to resist capture or endanger innocent lives, they had no choice but to apprehend him with whatever force means necessary." As Kikuoka finished his last word, a clear sound of a painful slap can be heard throughout the room, leaving everyone in the room dumbstruck.
Feeling a stinging pain on his cheek, Kikuoka slowly turned to face his attacker. Breathing heavily and tears streaming down her eyes, Asuna shot death glares at the man before her. Hearing Kikuoka's words angered Asuna to the point that she immediately jumped out of the bed and assaulted him.
"Kirito-kun...Kirito-kun...Don't you think he has suffered enough?! It's not like he wanted to become like this in the first place! All he wanted was to protect the people and the world he loves! And to treat him like some murderer...How could you?!" Asuna lunged at Kikuoka once again but was held down by both Alice and Rinko as they tried to calm her down. Asuna then dropped to the cold floor and sobbed into her hands and Rinko hugged her close to comfort her. Klein was pissed as well but had Agil and Lizbeth stopping him from acting rashly. Alice saw how shaken up Asuna was, turned towards Kikuoka with a stern expression. The man saw this and gulped nervously.
"Kikuoka-san. Though I do not fully understand what you have said, but I can tell that Kirito is in some kind of deep trouble that might cost him his life. Those people you mentioned that would help us find Kirito, are they truly on our side? Kirito and Asuna risked their lives for me. They wanted me to see the Real World with my own eyes and decide for myself. If those people you claimed, who are supposed to be protecting the people of this world with their lives, are unable to protect a single person, then I could only see this world as nothing but an ugly and dirty place. This was not what I had sacrificed to cooperate for!" Alice said as her sapphire blue eyes shined with resolute, even Kikuoka was at a loss of words with what this true AI had said to him.
"Asuna-kun, Alice. Forgive me, but I do not mean to startle you with what I've said. With all due respect, I have no intention of letting the Defense Force bring any harm to Kirito-kun. I am greatly indebted to him and I swear I will do everything in my power to get him out of this situation. So please, believe in me." Kikuoka said and ended with a deep bow to show his sincerity.
Seeing this, Asuna calmed down and softly apologized to the man. "I-I'm sorry, Kikuoka-san. I didn't mean to lose myself just now. I know you were just doing what you can."
"It's fine. That sure was a good slap. I was being out of line anyway." Kikuoka gave the girl a bitter smile. After things had calmed down, Rinko and Kikuoka left the hospital to continue their investigation, mentioning that the culprit they caught this morning didn't sit right with the whole situation. Asuna, Alice and the rest of the gang were left to devise another plan on finding Kazuto, desperately search for any slight clues that would give them a lead on his disappearance.
Nighttime, 10 PM
Kazuto's POV
'How long has it been?' I asked myself inwardly as I stared at the ceiling with weary eyes. Another wave of hallucination had just passed and was probably the final wave of the dose that Watanabe had administered in me as my foggy mind was starting to clear up by a little. The hallucinations had come and gone multiple times until I'm already losing my sense of time. Despite my tired body screaming for rest, I placed my tied limbs against the rough edge of the wall and began to move them in a saw-like motion. 'I've got to find a way to escape before that bastard comes back with another dose of the drug or take me away.' I thought as faces of the people I love appeared on my mind, motivating me to not give up. I want to go back to them and apologized for all of the hurt that I've caused.
Without slowing down my movements, I felt the ropes on my limbs began to thin out, giving me a bit of hope. I stopped and wriggled my arms slightly and noticed that the loose rope would easily tear apart if I pull hard enough. However, I stopped myself from doing so as I need to stay calm and determine the best way to escape. With my current strength, it would be impossible for me to directly brawl with an adult and I was locked in a small dark room with no other means of escaping but a single door. Judging from the interior, I suspected that I was locked away in some kind of basement of an old house, so I came to the conclusion that the only way to escape was when Watanabe comes and take me out of this building. It was definitely risky but I had no other choice. I would have to look for an opening when Watanabe lets down his guard the most and escape. Not to mention, I have to somehow snatch the pen-like device from him. Everything about the Underworld is at stake if he were to leave Japan with all of those data. I dreaded at the thought of the destruction of Underworld, Alice, Selka and every single fluctlight living inside of it. It was then the sound of the door unlocking brought me back from my deep thoughts and I quickly positioned myself, lying on the floor as if I was still under the effects of the drug.
"So, how was your trip? Good?" Watanabe stepped in with a smirk. Naturally, I acted as if I was in a trance and did not respond to him. He walked over to me and grabbed tufts of my hair, pulling me upwards to face him. My eyes twitched at the pain and but I had to endure all of it to fool him. He used his free hand and tapped my face as if trying to get my attention. I slowly moved my eyes and shot him a weak glare. "Hoh. You sure are a gutsy one. Those eyes of hate even in a mentally weakened state. It just pleased me even more, seeing how much you struggle even though it's completely hopeless." Watanabe teased me as he brought out the pen-like device in front of my face. "You're so weak that you can't even take this away from me when it's just right in front of your face!" He chuckled evilly before throwing me back to the floor. He turned his back on me while inserting the device back into his left pocket, not noticing me peeking at his movements through my half-lidded eyes. Bending this back downwards to grab something, he came back to me with a vial in his hand.
"You must be pretty thirsty for not drinking for more than 24 hours." He said as he used his leg to flip my limp body onto my back and sat on top of my abdomen, his hand swirling the liquid inside the vial. Panic rose inside of me as I fear for what he was about to do next. "Aren't I a nice guy, offering you a drink to quench that awful thirst? Don't worry, this will definitely make you feel a lot better. He said sinisterly as he popped the vial open, bringing it close to my face.
Even an idiot would have figured it out that the liquid was drugged. Immediately struggle with all my might to push him away but my strength was not enough. "Woah there! Don't move or you'll spill the bottle." Watanabe teased as he used his free hand to forcefully restrict my movements by holding my jaws, forcing my mouth open despite my best effort to close it. "Relax. It won't hurt a bit. This is just a precaution, just in case you try something funny." Finishing his sentence, he agonizingly poured the substance into my mouth. I struggled to purge the liquid but it was too much to handle as I was losing my breath. Watanabe just laughed hysterically at my suffering and continued to pour a second bottle once the first bottle had finished. He was making sure that I had consumed enough dosage to weaken me. I was fighting a losing battle at this stage and had unwillingly drunk most of the liquid from the second bottle. Once I emptied the bottle, I felt Watanabe's weight leaving me and I turned to my side coughing for air. Both my face and the upper part of my clothes were wet from the water cure torture.
Before I could regain normal breathing, I was dragged out of the room and thrown into the backseat of Watanabe's car. My vision began blurring once more but I desperately resist the urge and focused on Watanabe's every movement. He got into the driver seat and eyed me through the rearview mirror. "Well now, say your goodbyes because it's going to be your last time in Tokyo." He chuckled darkly before driving out of the garage.
On the way, I was drifting in and out of consciousness. 'Asuna, Asuna, Asuna...' I chanted the name of my beloved in my mind, she was my strength, my reason to stand up once more and fight. Willing myself to fight the effects of the drug, I forcefully ripped apart the loose ropes that were binding my limbs and jumped on Watanabe from behind. This took the man by surprised as the car swayed from the unstable driving. Fortunately, it was late at night and the street was empty at the moment. I used this opportunity to search for the device in his clothes.
"Why you little-" Watanabe used one hand to try and stabilize the car while using the other hand to push me away from him, his fist colliding with my head once in a while. To his dismay, I managed to grab the object I was looking for and retreated to the backseat. Without hesitation, I immediately unlocked the back door and jumped out of the car, using my arms to protect my head, bracing for the impact.
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Sorry for the slight delay in update, was kinda busy with work and had to do a lot of researching on the drugs and its effects. Hopefully, I will be able to get another chapter up in about 3 to 4 days! Stay tuned and stay safe!