"It's Yui. She's gone."
The crowd around him disappeared. All Drifter could hear were Kirito's words, spoken in a voice overtaken by panic.
For a whole 5 seconds, he stood completely still. Then he coldly pressed down his worry and fear.
"What do you mean? How long? Where did you last see her?"
Even as he spoke, Drifter's hand turned into a blur as he manipulated his menu. They had added Yui to the guild long ago, and even with her glitched menu full of question marks, they had confirmed she appeared on their map.
Except, she wasn't there. Her name was still on the guild roster, and the green health bar below it indicated she was safe and out of combat, but she didn't appear on the map, nor could he send any messages to her.
"This... It looks like when someone--"
"Turns all their settings to private, yes, I know, Drifter. She is gone! She was just there, and then..."
It was Kirito's turn to take a deep breath and calm down. No matter what, he was a frontliner. If he broke so easily under pressure, he would have died long ago.
"We were in the line for a stall, when she just started shaking. Asuna and I thought it might be another crisis, but then she stopped. But she looked different. Her eyes... her eyes were glowing, Drifter."
Kirito had a hand on the hilt of his swords, the other clenched into a fist. His voice was trembling.
"Then she just took off. We chased after her, but she was too fast. Faster than Asuna, Drifter."
And that was far more worrying than it sounded. Simply in terms of agility, of pure speed, Asuna was unmatched in the Assault Team. When she gave it her all, she was far beyond human limits.
And if Yui could outspeed her, than no one in Aincrad could catch up to her.
Drifter's breathing became more ragged as memories of their time with Yui flitted through his mind. The little girl had already wormed her way into the hearts of all the Reavers, and he considered her family. He wouldn't let her get away so easily.
"Did she say anything, Kirito? Anything at all? This is important, so try to remember."
He hoped against all hope that she had left behind even a single clue. But Kirito shook his head in despair.
"Nothing. She just ran."
Drifter closed his eyes to think. Yui...
They had always known she wasn't normal. Not a player, and yet not quite an NPC. And her random panic attacks, unnervingly similar to those of someone with a memory condition trying to remember something painful...
Maybe that was what was happening now. Maybe she started remembering. In which case, where would she go?
Drifter's eyes snapped open. One of his hands grabbed Kirito by the back of the head, pulling the younger man closer so he could stare deep into his eyes.
"Think, Kirito. You are her father, you know her better than anyone. Did Yui ever tell you anything that might give a clue to her past? No matter how small it is. Something she said in her sleep, whatever. Think. If she is remembering, where would she go?"
Kirito's eyes widened before he closed them tightly, face scrunched up in deep thought. Meanwhile, Drifter's hands started flying over his menu again.
Reaver's Requiem stopped whatever they were doing, gasping as they became aware of the situation and dashing in different to directions to try to find Yui. It wasn't a reliable method, or a particularly effective one without any information, but it was better than standing still.
At the same time, everyone Drifter could reliably alert without causing major panic throughout Aincrad was sent a message. And when one of their own asked for help, they moved.
Akari and the Fuumanigun ninjas who were lurking in the background of the festivities exchanged glances and vanished. Argo the Rat activated her entire network of contacts, sending one message after the other to her informants.
In the crowd, Klein, Orlando, Shivata, Liten, and other frontliners who had close relations with Reaver's Requiem widened their eyes and dropped what they were doing. Very soon the more keen players noticed members of the Assault Team standing casually at the plaza's exits, looking like they were just taking a beat to rest, if not for their gazes wildly darting around.
And through all this, Drifter was still staring at Kirito, waiting for the Black Swordsman to open his eyes and tell him something, anything.
And he did.
"The church!"
Kirito's bloodshot eyes snapped open, his voice hoarse and veins building in his temple from the adrenaline.
"The church. Every time Yui had an episode and we were far from home, she asked to go there! Asuna once asked her why she liked it so much, and Yui said she wasn't sure, but that it was a happy place. The way she said it then was different, like she was trying to remember something but couldn't. We didn't think much of it at the time, but--"
He was already moving as he spoke, and Drifter followed without missing a beat. Players who they pushed out of the way turned to complain, only to stop and take several steps back when they saw just who was muscling through the crowd, and the look in their faces.
[ Drifter: Kirito thinks Yui could be in the church, we are going there now. Asuna and Yuna meet us on the way. Whoever else is closest too, everyone else keeps looking. ]
He dictated the message for the guild chat, not having the time to stop and write. Then he closed it without waiting for a response, and focused on running.
The crowd was thinning at the edges of the plaza, and the two Reavers soon burst free from it. Without even acknowledging the group of DKB players there, they shot down a side street, traversing the familiar route to the church.
Yuna caught up to them when they were halfway there, and Asuna shortly after. Neither girl said anything, though the fencer obviously desired nothing more than to speed up and go ahead.
She didn't. If Drifter had anything but running as fast as he could on his mind, he might have realized that Asuna was scared of having the seedling of hope that sprouted on her chest at his message, crushed before it could bear fruit.
They caught up to Sinon and Nautilus just two blocks before the church, both having split up from their girlfriends so they could cover more ground.
Barely acknowledging each other, they arrived at the church breathing heavily like they had just gone through a boss battle.
The building was empty, Sasha and the kids being at the plaza like everyone else. But none of the Reavers even thought about that, all their focus on the entrance to the church.
"Yui!"
There, still wearing her pink dress, was Yui. She was standing in the middle of a glowing rune circle, her back turned towards them.
She looked over her shoulder when Asuna called her, and Drifter shivered. He screeched to a halt before crossing the boundary of the runes, as did the others.
Yui' gaze... was wrong. Her big eyes weren't filled with happiness, love, and curiosity like usual. Not even the fear from when she had a panic attack.
Instead, Drifter saw a trace of longing in them, but it was buried deep beneath calculated coldness.
"Yui?"
Drifter had rarely heard Kirito sound so fragile. But now his old friend was shaking like a leaf in the wind, hand outstretched towards his daughter, but not daring to actually go forward and touch her.
Yui tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something. Her expression was blank, not at all like it would usually be when looking at her father.
Her eyes were glowing in the same blue as the runes, and Drifter had to resist the urge to summon his spear out of his inventory. His instincts were screaming of danger.
But he refused to believe it came from Yui. Whatever it was happening to her, she was still a Reaver. Still part of their family. His niece. The little girl he carried on his shoulder and snuck sweets to when Asuna grounded her.
"Kirito. Asuna. You shouldn't have come."
The fencer gasped, and even without looking Drifter knew those words had hurt her more than any monster in Aincrad ever managed to.
But he caught the slight hitch in Yui's tone when she spoke. The way she deliberately changed how she addressed Kirito and Asuna. It was intentional, but it hurt her to do it.
"Yui, what's wrong? Tell us, we can help. I can help."
Kirito took one hesitant step forward, but froze when Yui turned her head away. Drifter exchanged a quick glance with Yuna, who immediately went to support the catatonic Asuna while he knelt down.
"Kirito is right, little fairy. We are your family. Talk to us. Please."
For several long, agonizing minutes, Yui didn't answer. Then she turned around, and her eyes were still glowing.
"I remember."
"Re-remember what, Yui?"
Asuna wasn't crying, but it was a close thing. Her eyes were red, and Yuna had to physically support her so she wouldn't crumble.
Yui refused to look at her. Or Kirito. Her gaze passed over Drifter, Nautilus, and Sinon, before looking past them, almost as if she was ashamed of something.
"Everything. What I am. My purpose."
Asuna blanched, and Yuna, Drifter, and Sinon all opened their mouths to ask what Yui meant. Kirito spoke before they could, his voice both wavering and firm.
"You are our daughter. That's all that matters, Yui."
The effect of those words was instant. Yui stepped back as if struck, the little sandals Argo had gifted her making a loud noise in the otherwise quiet street. Her glowing eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their previous state.
"I'm not. I'm not even human."
"So? We always knew that, little one. But race and blood do not solely make a family. Not our family."
Drifter didn't even flinch when he heard Kizmel's voice right behind him. He felt more than saw the rest of his Reavers arriving, and knew they would each be staring at Yui in surprise and worry, but also love. He hoped it reached her.
The spearmaster got up from his kneeling position and took one large step forward, standing beside Kirito just outside the circle. Yuna and Nautilus joined his other side, while Asuna and Sinon flanked the Black Swordsman, the rest of their guild and friends behind them.
To most, it would have been intimidating. To Yui, it was just her family, calling, begging her to go back to where she belonged. With them.
"Come home, Yui. Your memories, who you think you are, we can talk about it. We will find a way, we always do. But for now... please come home."
Kirito and Asuna both extended their hands, but didn't cross the circle. As anxious as they were, they knew, subconsciously, that this had to be Yui's decision.
For a moment, Drifter deluded himself into believing it worked. Yui's eyes stopped glowing and filled with tears. Her lips quivered, and she sent Kirito and Asuna a heartbreaking look.
"Papa... Mama..."
Then she looked away.
"I can't go home with you. Sheneeds my help. Needs me."
Before any of the Reavers could do anything, the circle of runes flashed brightly, forcing all of them to close their eyes. When they opened them again, steps descending into darkness had appeared.
And Yui was gone.