Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters.

It all started that one fateful encounter.

Keiko Ayano, one of the many innocents trapped in the death game Sword Art Online, was only a few inches away from her demise. As the avatar Silica, she had ventured off herself into dangerous grounds, angry at being treated like a little child. In the midst of her battle against some high-level monsters, her dragon friend Pina had sacrificed himself in order to protect his tamer. Fading away in her arms, the girl could only tremble at the sight.

"Pina… Pina…"

It seemed to be the end for her. She was only 12, and yet all she really wanted was to find out what virtual reality was like. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and it was as though her fate had been decided. The creatures slowly moved towards her, carrying their weapons with menacing glares. There was no place left to go…

And that was when he came in.

The Black Swordsman. Black hair, black cloak, and with a black sword to boot. With no effort at all, he took down all the monsters with ease, leaving young Silica gaping in awe.

His player name was Kirito. In addition to being merciless in battle, he was surprisingly friendly as well. Being knowledgeable in the many mechanics of the game, he accompanied Silica on a small journey to revive Pina. Silica would forever be grateful to him for this particular deed.

But to Silica, she felt that she didn't just want to be friends with Kirito. She eventually found herself getting more and fonder of this seemingly overpowered player, and she and Pina become Kirito's travelling companions.

At first, Kirito was slightly annoyed at the fact that he now had someone following him. Being classified as a "Beater", he was generally frowned upon by other players, and preferred to be alone. Not to mention that he was socially awkward around other people.

In Silica's eyes, she only saw the positive traits in Kirito. She viewed him as a good-hearted man; strong, kind, and willing to help those in need. It was Kirito who motivated Silica to become stronger, and by traveling with him, both she and Pina had increased their levels to the point that they could be considered one of the game's top player units.

Eventually, this two-person and dragon party was sent a formal invitation by the Knights of the Blood, a floor-clearing guild consisting of strong players whose only goal was to complete the game so that everyone could be freed from SAO. Initially, Kirito was hesitant at first, but under Silica's coaxing, they joined and were promoted to high-ranking positions at the get go.

Unfortunately, even the strongest guild wasn't a safe haven for them. An encounter with a player who was covertly part of guild of player killers left Kirito and Silica with the decision to leave the Knights of the Blood, and the realization that they were depending on each other even more than before.

And that was when Kirito proposed to her. He had asked for her to become his in-game wife. Silica couldn't have been any happier. There was only one answer she wanted to provide him.

"Yes Kirito-san! Of course I will!"

And life just seemed to be bliss afterwards. Without a care in the world, 17 year old Kirito and 14 year old Silica spent the remainder of their days in a private cottage, all thoughts on clearing SAO being long forgotten. It didn't seem to be bad at all, living a peaceful life in virtual reality. No one was there to bother them, and the bond between the two had gradually gotten stronger.

Until they were sought out by the Knights of the Blood, reminding the pair that SAO was still a threat to their lives and needed to be cleared. So, Kirito, Silica, and Pina joined up with guild once more for one last battle, and then they could go back to their peaceful abode. And off they went, towards another boss room where it was guaranteed that some players were not going to survive.

However, the one major revelation during that battle was not the number of casualties, but the fact that Kirito was able to deduce that Heathcliff, the leader of the guild, was in fact Akihiko Kayaba, the man responsible for trapping everyone in the game. At this point, it was Kayaba who made the first move, taking Silica as hostage and challenging Kirito to a duel.

Silica could only watch helplessly, restrained by some virtual barrier as Kirito clashed with the enemy. Not being able to help her beloved, Silica was torn between wanting to give up, versus wanting to jump into the fray and have a go against Heathcliff. It was a very one-sided duel, despite Heathcliff removing his "immortal object" status that had rendered himself invincible.

And all Silica could do was watch, as Kirito's HP depleted while Heathcliff effortlessly blocked every strike, countered every attack, and landed every blow. At any rate, Kirito was going to die. Silica didn't want that. She wouldn't know what it would be like without Kirito by her side.

And as if the game's system were listening to her, Silica broke free of her prison and struck out at Heathcliff with her dagger. At first, Heathcliff was shocked as to how someone like Silica could've defied the game's system. Though Silica had rushed in, she was still no match for him.

Pina was also freed, and went ahead to heal Kirito. Now at full strength, he too began to ignite with such determination that even the game system couldn't keep up with. With their combined efforts, Kirito and Silica were able to beat Heathcliff, overpowering him with the sheer force of willpower. As he lay there dying, Kayaba kept his promise he made upon having someone beat the game, thus he released all players, he himself disappearing from existence.

Arriving back into the real world, Silica, now as Keiko Ayano, awoke in a hospital bed. Weak and exhausted, the only things on her mind at that moment were the precious memories she shared with Kirito. Saddened by the possibility that she may never see him again, she wanted to cry, but no tears came out. What if he was someone from the other side of the country? What if he wasn't what she thought he was, and was a totally different person in real life?

And that was when he came in. Dragging along a life support device with him, a man with sunken eyes and long black hair walked in slowly, as if he were unsure of where he was. Upon looking at the occupant in the hospital bed, he felt a sense of immediate recognition, despite her grim appearance and messy light-brown hair.

"I finally found you, Silica…"

"Pleased to meet you Kirito-san, my name is Keiko Ayano."

"And I'm Kazuto Kirigaya. This must be the first time we met huh?"

"Though it feels as though we've known each other forever…"

And the two pulled in close for their first kiss. Despite being physically weak, they both had the energy to do so, putting all the passion they brought from SAO into the real world. And their relationship was to continue for another few years…

Into the world of Alfheim Online, another VRMMO based on fairies and Norse mythology. Introduced by Kazuto's younger sister Suguha, the couple shared many great adventures with their ragtag group of friends.

Keiko chose for her avatar Silica to be a member of the Cait Sith tribe, while Kazuto chose to be a Spriggan, simply because that race was represented by the colour black.

"Isn't there anything you like besides black clothing?"

"Ah, don't judge me. You know how I'm like…"

And thus, upon entering this new virtual reality, they realized that player data for the avatars Kirito and Silica had been transferred to ALO. One of the good things about this was that their physical stats were carried over, and that Pina was once again with them.

The problem was, it brought back memories back from when they were both trapped in SAO.

Sure, it was a nostalgic experience, having once again being able to do things that they could never accomplish in the real world. However, what came along with the good memories were the bad ones.

Having shared each others personal info, Keiko would often seek out Kazuto for support, and sure enough, he would always be there, waiting for her. He provided her the comfort she needed whenever she recalled those traumatic events in the past.

And surprisingly enough, both of their parents were supportive of their relationship, having come to understand what their children had gone through for 2 long years. With their approval, Kazuto and Keiko began dating, both in-game and in real life.

Despite their newfound freedom and enjoyment, there were also some perks in the real world such as school to deal with. Having lost several years of education, the need for it suddenly arose, and the SAO Survivors School was established. Keiko, having come from a family of scientists, was smart enough to be allowed to skip a few grades, proving through mock exams that she was capable. Thus, she ended up being in the same grade and class as Kazuto.

Even though the normal graduating age was 18, Kazuto and most people around his age were advised to stay in school a bit longer due to the time they had lost. Thus, Keiko and Kazuto still had a few more years to spend with each other.

And then came the moment when they had to decide on their future careers.

Keiko had always taking a liking to animals, and was considering pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Kazuto, given his liking and attachment to virtual reality, applied to go study abroad in the field of computer science.

Upon hearing about this, Keiko became slightly distraught. That would mean that she would be separated from her beloved Kazuto. To make matters worse, it seemed as though Kazuto wasn't feeling the same way.

Keiko decided to confront him the day of their high school graduation. She wanted him to clarify a few things, though she didn't know how to go about it without sounding too mean. After all, they were still lovers, right?

"Kazuto-san?" Keiko timidly approached him as he came out from the computer club room. "We need to talk…"

Kazuto, slightly taken by surprise, recovered his wits and replied, "Hey Keiko, what's up?"

Though Keiko knew what Kazuto's plans were, she felt that she needed to voice her opinion on the matter. Without much thought, she mumbled, "Idonwannauleave…."

"Huh? Come again?"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE!" Keiko shouted, and then realized that she shouldn't have put it that way. Well, it was Kazuto's decision to go, and who was she to prevent her boyfriend from pursuing his dreams?

Kazuto finally got the situation after a few seconds of silence. He was put in an even more troublesome position when Keiko started to cry. He felt really bad, as it was her whom he shared his memories with. It was her who gave him to motivation to carry on with life, to cherish what limited gifts that were laid in front of his path.

He knew the consequences of travelling abroad, and the greatest sacrifice was leaving his incredibly caring girlfriend behind. However, the plans have all been set, and there was no way he could turn back now.

However, Kazuto have something to offer, as he pulled Keiko into heartwarming hug. "I promise, after I have finished my studies, that I'll come back for you."

"Kazuto-san?"

"You're too precious for me to leave behind, but I have a mission. Well, more of a self-centred desire, that is…"

The pair broke away from each other as Kazuto cleared his throat. "I can't just sit back and leave the VR gaming industry going through its own merits. I want to help out, to prevent something like SAO from happening again. Only then, I can prove to myself that I am capable of being by your side."

At first, Keiko was surprised. She totally did not expect this kind of answer. Nevertheless, she learned to be accepting of Kazuto's decision. She would wait patiently here in Japan, for Kazuto to better himself in his own way.

"Alright, Kazuto-san, I understand."

And as Kazuto waved goodbye, Keiko whispered softly…

"I love you."

...

A few years later, Keiko Ayano became a well-to-do veterinarian. Running a clinic right smack in the middle of the city, she was regularly busy with clients, yet she never faltered, and she enjoyed her work.

It wasn't as though she was alone. Every now and then, her friends have often dropped by to check up on her and say hello. From the stories she had heard, Asuna Yuuki took over her father's business and is now a public figure in the world of entrepreneurs. Rika Shinozaki had just completed her degree in engineering and was now running multiple construction projects at once.

Suguha Kirigaya became a kendo instructor, and was busy preparing her students for the upcoming tournament to be held in the city. Shino Asada was now a member of the police force, and can be regularly seen patrolling the streets.

However, the only person whom she hadn't heard from was her ex-boyfriend, Kazuto Kirigaya. Yes, she wasn't dating him anymore, so wouldn't it be reasonable to call him that? Plus, no one had heard from him ever since he left to study abroad. Even Suguha was clueless as to her brother's whereabouts.

Just where was he? Was he finished with his studies? Even if that were so, why hadn't he been in contact with anyone? Despite all that, Keiko believed that Kazuto was out there somewhere, and even though he had labelled him as her ex, she didn't want to give up on him.

So she did something she didn't do for a while now. Keiko put on the Amusphere, turned it on, and logged into Alfheim Online.

Coming back into the vast sea of green was a refreshing experience. Now as Silica, with the dragon Pina by her side, she was free to do whatever she wanted.

The first thing she did was to test out the weapons system. She took out her dagger from her inventory and tried out a few sword skills. Yes, they were still intact.

Next thing was magic. It seemed as though throughout time, spells were forgotten and wiped clean from an avatar's memory. Well, that's a shame.

Finally, Silica wanted to fly. Having been a long time, she wasn't sure how much this mechanic had changed since ALO's frequent content updates. Nevertheless, she stretched out her wings and took off…

Only to come plummeting down from the floating island she was on.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Silica was scared. Pina had tried to recover her, but it seemed like his stats had decreased over the time he had been inactive.

Sure, if you die of in ALO, it wasn't that big of a deal, considering that you'd just go into a stasis and be given a choice to respawn after a certain time. But that didn't erase the fear Silica felt as she fell. It was as though she was back in SAO again, surrounded by a hoard of high-level monsters, with no way of escape. If only someone, just someone…

And that someone had caught her just before she hit solid ground.

"Kirito-san?"

"Hey Silica, long time no see."

And just being in his arms wiped away all the fears she had earlier. It also wiped away her doubts on Kirito abandoning her, on why he hadn't been in contact with anyone. Without a second thought, Silica had forgiven him, because just being in his presence was enough to fill her heart with warmth.

"Hey Silica, let's get married."

"But aren't we already?" Silica pulled out the holographic menu screen to show her status. Married. Husband: Kirito.

"No, I meant in real life. I said I was coming back for you right?"

"Yes, of course…"

"So is that a yes?" Kirito eagerly waited for her response.

"My answer had been clear since SAO, and it hasn't changed since."

"Yes Kirito-san, of course I will."

And the two lovers broke into a kiss again, having finally been reunited.

A/N: Well, this didn't really turn out what I hoped it would. Seems more like a rush job than a well planned out story. Anyways, please review and let me know what you guys think!