I'm stuck in a world of darkness. Is this death? Have I already shattered? What will my family do when they figure out that I'm gone? How can I ask so many questions if I'm dead?

Finally I see a horizontal sliver of light. It's a wood-colored slit, but I can't see much else. Where am I? The slit fades to black and comes back in a split second, and I realize I'm blinking. I try to open my eyes wider and find that I'm on a bed. The mattress leaves a lot to be desired, and the room itself is pretty shabby as well. To my right, a girl sits by my bed. She has short black hair and large brown eyes. She's much shorter than I am, about 150 centimeters compared to my 172. She's also much skinnier.

I sit myself up, seeing that my HP has gone up. It's now halfway through the yellow and still creeping towards green. I look at the girl. "Where am I?" I ask.

The girl shrinks back a little bit. "Y-you're at m-my inn room..." she stutters. "I'm s-sorry it's not n-nicer..."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," I say. "What's your name?"

Those big eyes bore into my soul. "R-Rin... Rin Arie..."

"Hey, Rin," I say, smiling. "I'm Haruko Kurosawa." I pause. "Hey, I've got a question. Why did you help me when you don't even know me?"

Rin giggles. "You do know me, silly." I think about it for a bit. I can't seem to place her. But suddenly it hits me. She's the girl I consoled before I saw Illfang the first time.

Illfang.

The memories come flooding back. Memories of the pink-hooded girl and Kibaou and Egil, who may not even have survived. I relive Diabel's death in Kirito's arms and watch as my brain rewinds the players' deaths over and over. Diabel's kindness is especially prominent, constantly followed by his smile as he died. It's horrible. I want someone to make it stop.

Make it stop.

I must be breathing more frequently and more heavily, and I may even have screamed, because Rin's arms are around my shoulders the next thing I know. My knuckles turn white as I grip the edges of the unsatisfactory mattress. Rin starts to sing an old song in a language I don't recognize, and I don't care to recognize it because all that matters is that their deaths won't be in vain.

I won't run anymore, Kirito-kun.