Alphard crouched in the corner of a room adjoining Fitch’s, clad only in chainmail. She gripped the rim of her tower shield tightly with both hands and silently trying to quell her rage. With eyes screwed shut, she quietly sought an inner calm to bring peace to her troubled mind. The roiling storm inside Alphard was slowly hollowing her out. At this rate, she would be completely devoid of any emotion by the time they all escaped the world of Aincrad. That was [i]if[/i] anyone made it out alive. Alphand sighed and leaned her forehead against the cool metal of her shield and felt a single tear slide down her face. Kenshin stormed into the room and slammed the door behind him, causing Alphard to look up in surprise. 

“How could this have happened? Why Yari?” he stomped over to the sole table in the room and kicked it over. “Of everyone in the team, Yari’s the one person who holds us together the most!” Kenshin drew his old one-handed sword from before he got his katana and began brandishing it wildly about. “This just isn’t OK!” Kenshin then began to randomly strike various objects around himself with the blade. A multitude of <<Invincible Object>> indicators popped up with each attack. Suddenly, as Kenshin slashed blindly at the wall, his sword snapped in half. He stared at the damaged weapon blankly as it slowly dissolved into shining crystals. He gave a wry smile and sighed. “Figures, don’t it? That’s what I get for losing my temper. Hey Ayano, there’s something I wanted to do earlier, but after the whole business with Yari, it didn’t seem right. I’ve changed my mind. Yari’s death has showed me that each of us may not live to see tomorrow, and I just wanted to make sure that it actually happened before anything else happens.”

Kenshin opened up his inventory and brought out a simple iron ring. There were no jewels adorning it’s surface, no special engravings. Yet it was more than adequate in showing Kenshin’s love. He knelt and offered the ring out to Alphard. “I know it’s not much, but I hope it expresses what I feel. I love you Ayano Nobunaga and I hope that you will take me to be your husband.” Kenshin then opened up his menu again and sent Alphard a <<Marriage>> proposal. Closing his eyes, he waited and hoped against hope to hear the soft tone of an incoming alert. After what seemed an eternity, the ping sounded and Kenshin looked up to see Alphard standing over him, tears shining in her eyes as she repeated the same word over and over again.

[i]“Yes”[/i]

Some time later, the couple heard a commotion from Fitch’s room. After a quick glance, they both armored up and grabbed their weapons to see what was going on. They arrived just in time to hear the voice of Suto say, "Do you want something? Because if you didn't notice we're kind of trying to be alone right now, if that's okay with you." Kenshin strode forward and saw a young woman standing in the doorway with arms crossed. He noticed a rapier on her hip and thought that, if it came to a fight, he would be hard pressed to defeat her. He forged onward nevertheless, and clamped a hand down on the girl’s shoulder. Alphard appeared at his side and spoke in a low, terrifying voice. “I think it’s about time you took your leave, Lady.”