Chapter 22 - FNC

An out-of-the-way cafe in the town of Urbus, 2nd floor of Aincrad.

Seven people were gathered around a table, discussing a great many things. Apart from one man who looked to be nineteen or twenty, the others were all teenagers, some as young as fourteen, others nearly seventeen. At the moment, one of the boys was banging his head against the table, while the others stifled their laughter. A girl patted his back trying to comfort him.

"There, there. Everything's gonna be fine, Kirito. At the very least you have us."

"Ugh... Thanks, Yuna. I mean it."

Raising his head, Kirito showed a wry grimace. He didn't complain or try to justify his actions. He knew the latter wasn't necessary, as the whole party understood his reasoning, and that the former was useless. Drifter could also see some of his anti-social traits resurfacing. The young swordsman was still thinking of dealing with all the scorn and hate he would surely receive due to his beater status, all by himself. That mindset needed to change, but it wasn't something that would happen instantly.

"Little rat, when is the guidebook 2.0 coming out?"

"Ain't ya a little eager, Dri-bou? Give a gal some time!"

Shaking his head at Argo's barked laughter, Drifter ruffled her hair the way he knew annoyed her. When she glared at him, he just smirked back.

"Humph! I'm chargin' ya double just for that!"

"We have our own beta-tester now, heh!"

Though he said that, Drifter made sure to smile and squeeze Argo's shoulder, so she knew his insufferable smug expression was just a joke. The info broker did the mature thing, and blew a raspberry at him. Meanwhile, Kirito sheepishly raised his hand.

"Err... I don't know if I can help much, Drifter. During the beta I was kinda focused on clearing the labyrinth. Argo's the one who knows pretty much everything."

"Dammit! Whose side are you on, Kirito? I'm trying to blackmail someone here!"

Nautilus chortled in amusement while Asuna, Sinon, and Yuna giggled. Argo just guffawed without a care in the world. Drifter and Kirito had to try hard to hide their matching grins. The swordsman gave the spearman a grateful nod, knowing Drifter had done all that to take his mind off of the whole beater conundrum.

"Right then. Our dear info broker, when you do complete the guide, make sure to send us a copy, would you? Meanwhile, we will be exploring the 2nd floor."

Sinon tapped on the table to get their attention, and they all nodded. Deciding they had enough excitement for the day, the party found an inn, and rented rooms for each of them. Just as Drifter was about to enter his, Argo pulled his sleeve.

"Can I talk to ya, Yu-chan, and Nau-bou for a minute?"

"Yeah, of course."

Curious, Drifter knocked on Yuna's door first, and then the three made their way to Nautilus' room. Once the boy let them all inside and closed the door, Argo and Yuna sat on the bed while the two boys took the chairs.

"All right, Argo, spill it. What's going on and why couldn't you say it in front of the others?"

For the first time since he met her, Drifter witnessed the info broker appearing visibly uncomfortable. She squirmed on the spot, before focusing on Nautilus.

"This is about you, Naut-bou. Durin' the boss fight, there was a moment when Illfang almost had ya. Ya didn't try to run away or block. Can ya tell us why?"

Drifter frowned. This was something he had noticed too, and hoped to talk to his friends about, just the three of them. As much as he liked the info broker, she was overstepping her bounds here.

"Argo..."

"No, Drifter, let Nautilus answer. This is important."

And Drifter knew it was. If not by the way Argo suddenly started to speak normally, then by how both Yuna and Nautilus tensed. There was no clearer indication that something was wrong than that. Drifter didn't know what to do now.

During the boss raid, his first thought was that Nautilus froze because of fear. It was more than understandable. The blade-user was a sixteen-year-old teenager, who by all rights should be attending school just like any other kid. But there he was, trapped inside a death game, fighting for his life and freedom, and facing a monster that put horror stories to shame. If he didn't feel fear, Drifter would suspect he wasn't human.

But then, when he saw Nautilus' eyes, his unwillingness, the way he struggled to will his body to move, he started thinking that maybe it was something else. There was plenty of fear, no doubt, but Drifter didn't think that was the reason why Nautilus behaved as if petrified. The only problem was, he didn't know what else it could be. And he also didn't know how to broach the subject. Well, now Argo had done it for him.

"I... I don't know. My body just... Froze. I wanted to move, I wanted to get away, to do something, anything. But I simply couldn't move. I-I... I was paralyzed by fear."

"Naut..."

Yuna reached over the gap between them to hold Nautilus' hand. As his oldest friend, she knew how to console him, even if just a little.

"Nau-bou, this next bit is also very important. Did it happen' before? Freezin' when ya were placed in a life-threatening situation?"

"Y-Yes, once. The day SAO started, before Kayaba's announcement. Yuna... She saved me."

With much effort, Nautilus nodded, then looked up from where he had been staring at his clenched fists. Drifter could see the tears flowing freely down his face, and put an arm over his shoulders as a show of support. Opposite to him, Argo perked up.

"Then, I know what your problem is, Nau-bou!"

"Yeah, I do too. I'm a coward."

With a self-deprecating snort and a dry laugh, Nautilus mumbled. Drifter was about to argue when Yuna suddenly got up and glared at their friend.

"Eiji, you are not a coward! Don't ever say that again!"

Ignoring the use of Nautilus' real name, Drifter tightened his hold around his shoulder.

"Yun' is right, Naut. You are the farthest from a coward I've ever seen. Remember the labyrinth? You stood your ground for Yuna and me even when you were almost dead. And today, when everyone else was panicking, you rushed to stop the boss from rampaging. A coward wouldn't do that. No, a coward wouldn't even be on the raid-party or the labyrinth to start with."

"You can feel fear, Naut. Everyone does. But we will get through this together."

Yuna and Drifter tag-teamed their ash-haired friend to try and snap him out of his guilt. They were still at it when Argo, whose presence had been somewhat forgotten, cleared her throat to catch their attention.

"As touchin' as this is, I think y'all are missin' the point."

"What are you talking about, Argo?"

The info broker shrugged. While she had started this conversation all serious, now she had reclined on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows, and seemed to be having fun watching them. Drifter glared at her, but her grin didn't falter.

"Think, Dri-bou, think. Nau-bou said the first time he froze was before Kayaba even announced the whole thing, didn't he? That bein' the case, then why would Nau-bou be paralyzed by fear when he didn't know death was for reals yet?"

Drifter stopped. Yuna stopped. Nautilus stopped too. All of them stared at Argo, and none could come up with an answer. So they just looked at the info broker, shocked.

"While it's not good news, it's better news than the other option. Ya, Nau-bou, have an FNC."

The trio was too stunned to speak for a while. Finally, Yuna very slowly posed the question.

"What is a... FNC, Argo?"

"FullDive Non-conformity. Before ya ask again, it's when there's a... Connection problem between the brain and the NerveGear. 'Cause the helmets are mass-produced, they can't be fine-tuned to everyone, so 1 in 'bout 250 people have FNCs."

Argo paused to see if they were following, and, anticipating the next question, continued.

"Mind ya, I saw quite a few FNCs during the beta, so the real ratio is above 1 to every 250. And they come in many forms. Some were players who couldn't even properly walk 'cause while their brain was tellin' their left leg to step forward, the NerveGear misunderstood they wanted to flex their right elbow or something like that. Others feel nausea and/or dizziness. And a whole lot more. Basically, everyone's FNC, if they have it, manifests differently."

Giving them some time to absorb what she said, Argo opened her menu and took out a piece of sweet bread she had bought in the cafe earlier.

"Then... Nautilus' problem is because he and the NerveGear don't fit well together? And not because he becomes paralyzed in fear? No offense, Naut."

The boy quietly shook his head to show that none was taken. Meanwhile, Argo nodded in acknowledgment of Drifter's question.

"Basically, yeah. Or at least I think that's it. Can't see any other reason why, really. When ya are in a tense situation and adrenaline's pumpin' through your veins, your brain and the NerveGear are sendin' certain signals to each other. In some occasions, some kinda miscommunication happen' and ya simply freeze. That's what happened today."

Due to her behavior, Drifter sometimes forgot how smart Argo actually was. But the fact a teenager like her could keep an information network as large as the one she had was a testament to her capabilities. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he sighed.

"I think... That is enough for today. Nautilus, we will find a way through this, understand? You are not allowed to feel down because of it, not when you have people who care about you as much as we do. And Argo, thank you. Though you could use a little more tact next time."

The info broker stuck her tongue at him, and Drifter grinned. Then, he turned to Nautilus, who did his best to mask his sadness by putting on a wry smile. He patted his shoulder, and got up.

The blade-user was decidedly - and understandably - depressed by the news. He was the tank of the party, the one who was supposed to protect the others from harm. How was he supposed to do that if he could, at any moment, become paralyzed? Not to mention, of course, the danger to his life. Drifter knew that at the moment, Nautilus had to be going through an assortment of feelings. Fear, dread, shame. And there was little they could do to help him.

After some more hugs and whispered consolation, Yuna followed the other two out of Nautilus' room. As soon as the door was closed, the songstress broke down crying. Argo instantly drew the taller girl into a hug.

"Shush, shush Yu-chan. Nau-bou is strong, much more than he believes he is. Now ya have to be strong for him too."

Yuna sniffled, and nodded. Hesitantly, Drifter approached them, and put his arm around Yuna's back, holding her tightly. Then, he guided her to her room. After the songstress opened the door, he turned to the info broker.

"Argo, think you could stay with her a little? Just to make sure?"

"Ya can count on it, Dri-bou. Come on, Yu-chan."

After hugging Yuna once more, Drifter went to his own room. Unequipping his armor and weapon, he laid belly-down on the bed, with his face pressed against the pillow.

"Fuck."