Author's Notes:

I wanted to do a re-write of the Aincrad arc ending because I absolutely loved most of those first 14 episodes and thought that the final battle with Heathcliff would've been an awesome and powerful conclusion, if it had really ended there.

I was very disappointed with the direction the writers decided to take the show (sorry, I've only watched the anime, not read the manga or light novels). I just felt like the Aincrad arc was so compelling and had so much potential that was utterly wasted in favor of a cliché 'rescue the damsel in distress storyline' and harem/slice of life anime, not to mention the show straying far from its roots in season 2.

(Obviously, there is no offense intended if you like those styles. It's just not what I would've done.)

This story features my attempt to correct that. This is the ending I would've liked to see, and I think it's a lot better.

I hope you enjoy. (Fair warning: It's AU, and *very* bittersweet.)

With the last ounce of his strength, Kirito lurched viciously forward, screamed at the top of his lungs, and thrust Asuna's rapier into Heathcliff's chest.

The slim, elegant blade made an exaggerated squelch-crunch sound as he did so. A crisscrossed, grid-like crimson wound instantly materialized on the man's avatar, indicating the fatal blow. An atonal beeping sound that slowly decreased in pitch was also heard, matching the semicircular health meter as it depleted and then disappeared.

Even as Heathcliff died, Kirito saw a grim, sardonic smile appear on the man's face. It was if he was pleased and impressed with Kirito's determination, a will that could apparently bend the rules of the game itself, even though he had lost his own life as a result of it.

Kirito paid his strange expression no mind, though. He had other, more important things to think about in his last few, precious seconds of life.

We did it, didn't we? he thought, glancing painfully down at his in-game wife's rapier, still clutched in an unbreakable death grip.

Perhaps it was merely the work of his grief-stricken and rapidly-fading consciousness, but Kirito could have sworn that he saw a brief, yet brilliant twinkle emanate from the gem that was inlaid in the crossguard of Asuna's rapier. It was like a morbid simulacrum of the gleam that lied in its owner's beautiful orbs every time Kirito gazed upon her; a flash that, in death, ironically embodied the fiery, vivacious spirit of the woman named Asuna whom had so captivated him in life.

Kirito knew it was the last thing he would ever see.

Somehow, he was okay with that. It seemed…fitting.

I'm sorry Asuna. I wasn't strong enough to do it alone, he wept with agonizing regret inside his own mind, lacking the energy to force the words out of his mouth. I love-

Kirito collapsed before he could complete his final thought. Everything seemed to be slipping away, reality peeling itself off the surface of his awareness. He screwed his eyes tight in abject denial, for the little good it did him. Kirito began to feel light, as if his form itself was dissipating.

In truth, it was. His game avatar had turned a pure shade of ivory by this point, with Heathcliff's not far behind. Kirito felt energy building up inside of him, consciousness bleeding into nothingness until even the concept of thinking was an alien one and the only thing that remained was the looming sensation of doom.

Then, with a final, dramatic burst, Kirito shattered into a million tiny shards of glass-like energy. They rained down upon the arena of the battle like obscene snowflakes and were swiftly billowed away by a gentle caress of wind.

Kirito slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the disorientation.

He was alive.

Not only that, but he seemed to be standing, and on a nearly-transparent plane, of all things. The bizarre platform hovered in the midst of an array of soft clouds, lit by the golden rays of a beautiful setting sun. It stretched away from Kirito for about a hundred feet, give or take, in all directions.

What the hell? Kirito thought, utterly confused. Why aren't I dead?

"Where am I?" he asked out loud to no one in particular as he stared at his hands in disbelief.

Seeking an answer, Kirito swiped his hand through the air, repeating the typical gesture that would summon his in-game holographic console. As he did so, the menu appeared. It was different, though. All the commands were locked and the only thing that could be seen was the headline 'initiating final phase'. Below that, a percentage wheel that said '0%' began to slowly count upwards.

The black swordsman closed the meaningless menu and fell to his knees, dizziness overcoming him. At least he knew that he was definitely still inside the game, and therefore not well and truly dead yet. But could it really be that this was simply the place where players who had been killed in SAO went when their avatars dropped to zero HP? If this was the case, then where was everyone else who had died, including his beloved Asuna? She should be here too, then, shouldn't she?

"Asuna?!" Kirito wailed, turning rapidly to look in all directions.

There was no one there but him. He was totally alone.

"Asuna…" Kirito murmured hopelessly, eyes downcast. She was all he cared about, now, and so her name was the only thing he could bring himself to force past trembling lips.

If he was destined to be killed by his nerve gear, then so be it. Kirito wasn't afraid; he was resolved to face death with dignity. If he was destined to be sent back to the real world, cheating death on the technicality of clearing the game right after his HP had dropped to 0, then he would face that, too.

The only thing that truly disturbed him was the prospect of not seeing Asuna again. Not getting one last chance to say goodbye…especially if turned out that he managed to escape to the real world without her.

It was an idea too painful to consider. Even just thinking about it caused a wellspring of sadness to erupt within him. Hot tears began to slide down his cheeks.

It was right at that moment when Kirito noticed it for the first time: Aincrad. The entire castle was floating in a field of clouds and sunshine, its center approximately level with the plane he kneeled on.

Moreover, the whole thing seemed to be collapsing. Only the lowest levels of the structure were affected at this point, the brown earth that supported the rest of the game world crumbling realistically into flecks of dirt and then shattering into crystalized light like every other destroyed object Kirito had seen in SAO thus far.

It's being destroyed…why? What does this mean? Kirito wondered feverishly, wet eyes flying wide open.

"A stunning view, isn't it?" an inquisitive, yet sad voice suddenly spoke out loud.

Kirito wheeled to his right, the direction from which the voice had come.

It was Akihiko Kayaba. The developer of SAO was calmly standing there, no more than fifteen feet away. He wore a white lab coat and had a rather unassuming presence. At the moment, he was doing nothing but gazing pensively at the disintegrating Aincrad.

"Akihiko Kayaba?" Kirito asked with awe. A moment later, his expression turned to one of pure anger, snarling balefully at the sadistic inventor.

"In the flesh," came the man's stoic answer. He chuckled humorlessly. "Or rather, 'in the pixels', if you prefer. Not that there's much of a difference."

Kirito found himself wanting to vehemently disagree, but could not bring himself to. Kayaba was right: the virtual world was no less real to him, though for vastly different reasons. Where Kirito saw meaning in close attachments that were only made possible by this world, Kayaba saw a digital playground where he could enact his selfish, better-than-life fantasies. Kirito had learned the value of life, evolving into a warrior dead-set on protecting the people trapped in the death game, whereas Kayaba cared nothing for the ruin that he caused. Death, to the genius programmer, was as meaningless in real life as it was in the game.

Speaking of which…

"Asuna," Kirito asked through clenched teeth. "Where is she?"

Akihiko was silent for several long moments. Then, he finally spoke. "Don't worry, black swordsman. She'll be returned to you. You will see her again. That, I promise."

Kirito's eyes shot wide open again, and he sighed deeply with shock. She was alive after all!

"…after I have my word with you, that is. So be patient and indulge me for a moment, Kirito."

The boy didn't like the idea of having to talk to the sick bastard that had caused him and countless others so much misery. He would grin and bear it, though, if it meant that he'd get to see Asuna again. As Kirito had explained to others before, the game of SAO was intrinsically fair. As cruel as he might be, Akihiko was a man of honor, if not one of morals. There was no way he would go back on such a promise, if everything that Kirito had seen thus far was any indication.

Besides, speaking to him might provide some answers as to what was going on. Kirito's mind burned with questions, after all, and not even his unrelenting rage could quell them.

"Fine," Kirito barked spitefully, wiping his tears away with the back of his coat sleeve. "I'll do as you ask. But you had better keep your word."

Kayaba chuckled. "Have I ever let you down in that regard?"

Kirito looked away and didn't answer.

There was another long moment of awkward silence. Both Kirito and Kayaba stared out at the floating image of Aincrad, pondering the events that had led up to this point.

"As we speak, on the fifth basement floor of Argus HQ, the memory banks in the SAO mainframe are being purged of every byte. In another ten minutes, everything in this world will be deleted," Kayaba stated evenly.

"Oh yeah?" Kirito asked suspiciously. "What about all of the players whose minds are trapped in those servers?"

"No need to worry," Akihiko replied, swiping a hand to summon his own interface, which chimed pleasantly as it appeared. The display showed the same progress indication wheel that Kirito had seen on his own interface, though the number now read '7%' instead of '3%'. "Moments ago, all 6,147 surviving players were successfully logged out." As he spoke, Kayaba scrolled languidly through a list that contained the name of every player that had been trapped inside SAO. Then, apparently satisfied, Kayaba closed it abruptly.

"What about the dead? What about the 4,000 players who lost their lives?" Kirito asked his former guild leader. The sentence sound less like a true question, and more like an accusation.

"They will never regain consciousness. No matter what world we are in, the dead do not return," Kayaba stated with indifference.

This answer deeply troubled Kirito. Kayaba was perfectly matter-of-fact; robotic, emotionless. How could anyone be so callous about what they had done?

"Why? Why did you do all this?" Kirito replied intensely, his stare burning into Kayaba's visage.

"Why, you ask?" came the man's monotone answer. He sighed deeply, seeming like the personification of weariness and defeat itself. As he continued, he stared pointedly away and up into the limitless expanse of golden clouds. "For a long time, I'd forgotten. I wonder why. When I began developing the Full Dive Environment System—no, long before that—I lived longing for nothing but to create that castle, a world that surpasses the laws and boundaries of reality. And now, I've borne witness to who's surpassed even my own world's laws.

Kirito narrowed his eyes, refusing to let go of his simmering hatred for the man. Still, he didn't interrupt. He desperately needed to know what it was that could drive a person so such heights of madness and obsession. Besides, it wasn't as if there was anything else he could do but listen attentively.

"I wonder how old I was when I became entranced by that steel castle floating in the sky," Kayaba went on. "I wanted to leave the earth behind and go to that castle. For a long time, that was my only desire. You see, Kirito, I still believe, in some other world, that castle truly exists."

"Yeah, it'd be nice if it did," Kirito found himself saying sadly. Despite all the misery that Aincrad had caused, it was an undeniably beautiful and mystifying place. He could understand the appeal of Kayaba's vision, if not the means he had used to achieve it.

"That reminds me," Kayaba said, turning to look directly into Kirito's midnight-colored irises. "Congratulations on clearing the game, Kirito. Now then, I'll bring Asuna back to you, as promised, and be on my way."

As much as Kirito wanted to see Asuna, there was something bugging him. "Wait!" Kirito blurted as Kayaba started to walk away. "Why me? Why bring me here to listen to your story?"

There was a long pause. Then, Kayaba turned around to face him once more.

"Isn't it obvious, especially for someone of your deductive skill?" came Kayaba's witty, yet totally dry response. "You were the only player in the game who could outsmart and challenge me, as your victory proved. You were the only one who could even unlock the dual-wielding skill, a special ability I designed specifically to be awarded to the most deserving player, much less master it. In short, you conquered my world. You are the ultimate adversary I intended myself to face from the very beginning. You should feel proud. You've more than earned it."

Kirito frowned. "I don't need your admiration or respect."

Kayaba shrugged. "Neither do I need yours, Kirito. In fact, I'm sure that I deserve your ire more than anything."

"Now you're going to play humble?" Kirito growled. "How dare you!"

Kayaba ignored the outburst. Instead, he continued to speak passionlessly. "At first, the only thing that mattered was my vision. My fantasy. Right up until the very end, that is. When you won that duel, you showed me that there was more to Aincrad than even I had understood. Through my dreaming, the real world had come to mean so little to me that death appeared a meaningless occurrence. Why then, should it have mattered that death in my game was tantamount to death in real life? After all, it would only serve to make SAO more realistic and immersive. I believed that this was the only thing which mattered.

"I see now that this belief was wrong. You fought so hard to protect others, risking your own life on behalf of theirs. You lived and loved and laughed and cried in this game, Kirito. At first, I didn't understand it. It was your conviction to beat me, to deny the rules of the game, that put things into perspective. In the instant that rapier pierced my heart, I realized that this world, however magnificent, is a mere reflection of the real one. Your passion gave you power, power to transcend the limits of my game. You won because you fought with meaning derived from this life's connections and consequences that are mirrored in the other reality."

Kirito was awestruck. "What are you saying, Kayaba?"

The scientist smirked. "I'm saying that I knew I had to speak with you one last time; the boy who showed me what a fool I had been. That's why you're here. That, and because I decided that you deserve a reward for your troubles. It's the least I can do, truly," Kayaba explained dejectedly.

It was hard to believe, but the man seemed deeply sorrowful. Not that it excused his actions or engendered anything more than passing sympathy in Kirito's mind. At least this situation made more sense to him now, though.

"Asuna…" Kirito muttered.

"Yes. I thought you might wish to spend your last moments with her."

"Last moments?" Kirito gasped. "So, I'm not getting out of the game after all…"

"I'm afraid not," Kayaba said, shaking his head sadly. "I made absolutely sure that there was no way to stop the nerve gear from scanning a person's brain, and subsequently killing them, once their HP had dropped to 0. The exception being, of course, a special admin command that surpasses even my own credentials, contained in the 'resurrection stone' item."

"Then how are both of us here, speaking right now? Is this some kind of trick?"

"No, it isn't. That I promise," came the reply. "When it was time to release SAO, I was so deep into my obsession that I knew I could never bring myself to depart the game, especially if it was going to be deleted upon being cleared. I would have rather gone down with the ship, so-to-speak. And so, I used the nerve gear to scan and upload a gestalt of my consciousness to the game servers from the very beginning, killing my physical shell instantly.

"Remember when I said that all surviving players had been logged out? That doesn't include you or I, not because we're the exceptions, but because we aren't SAO survivors. See, after our duel, I knew that I couldn't save you or Asuna. So instead of cancelling the command, I simply enabled upload capabilities. Both of your bodies are clinically dead as we speak. The 'you' that you are now is simply a copy of the original Kazuto Kirigaya's personality. An imperfect solution to the horror of my crimes, I know. But it should at least buy you some time to say your goodbyes until the mainframe is purged."

Kirito didn't know what to say. His heart felt like it was seizing up and his stomach was churning with nausea. He was actually dead? Everything he was seeing right now was through the perspective of an uploaded…what should he call it? An A.I.? And not only that, but he was going to be deleted anyway, it seemed. Truly, the existential despair of it all was nearly unbearable. He began to sob.

"I know this is shocking news, Kirito. All I can say is that I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. Really, I am, though I know it's an underwhelming apology to say the least. Now, please…savor what little time you have left. Goodbye, black swordsman," Kayaba added with one last nod of respect.

With that, the man turned on his heel and strode purposefully away, his brown hair and white coat flapping in the breeze. A moment later, Akihiko vanished into nothing more than a cloud of formless smoke.

Kirito collapsed again. He stared off into the sunset and cried profusely, unsure how to process all of the profound revelations he had just endured. Aincrad was nearly halfway disintegrated by now. There wasn't much time left for him to exist, if Kayaba had been telling the truth. Facing death when had believed it would be instant and painless was one thing, but this…this was something else entirely.

The sound of rapidly approaching, graceful feet interrupted his reverie. "Kirito!" an ecstatic, feminine voice called from right behind him.

Kirito barely had time to stand up and turn around before he found himself with an armful of Asuna. Her slender form practically slammed against his, capturing the black swordsman in a passionate embrace.

For a moment, Kirito completely forgot about the jarring news that he had just received from Akihiko. It was hardly surprising: Asuna was the only person who had ever been able to lull him into such a relaxed state where his problems simply melted away. Not only that, but she excelled at it.

Kirito returned the desperate hug with equal fervor. "Asuna…" he half moaned, half yelped in surprise.

"Kirito…" his beau said once more before burying her gorgeous face in his neck. Asuna sighed contently as she did so, nuzzling needfully against him.

Twin bolts of relief and contentedness passed through the reunited couple. For an indeterminate amount of time, neither moved or even spoke. Kirito merely stroked Asuna's perfectly silky, clean hair, running his fingers through it and down her soft back. The latter continued to press into Kirito's arms, caressing his back and arms with her own hands. Each of them planted firm kisses wherever they could: he on the top of her head, and she against his neck and collarbone.

It was a moment of pure, electric happiness.

Asuna broke it first.

"Kirito…" she said for the third time. "Did you…I guess this means you died too, huh?" Tears brimmed in her eyes as she said this, threatening to spill over.

Now that Kirito noticed it, he could feel moisture in his own. It was partly from the joy of seeing Asuna again, he knew, and partly due to…something else he didn't want to think about yet.

"Yeah…" the boy said, rubbing the back of his neck non-challantly, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice and failing miserably. "I guess I did. Pretty stupid of me, huh?"

Asuna laugh-sobbed. "Yeah, you big dumb idiot. I should kill you for that," she whispered faintly, punching him playfully on the shoulder. "It's okay, though, Kirito. I don't know what's going on, but we're here, now, together…and that's all that matters."

Tears re-appeared in Asuna's eyes, actually falling down her face this time. She lunged in for kiss at the same moment, gently taking the back of Kirito's head to leverage both of them deeper into the gesture of love.

Kirito willingly followed her lead, smashing his lips against Asuna's incredibly soft and velvety ones. He even deepened the kiss without hesitation, leaning more deeply into it as he latched on to her lithe form once again.

It was like his veins were filled with liquid pleasure. Kissing Asuna was…amazing. It was the best feeling he'd ever felt in his entire life by far.

Kirito wanted nothing more than to continue feeling this.

Forever.

A nagging thought itched at the back of his mind, though, spoiling the moment for him. He could no longer ward it away with his willpower.

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked when Kirito stopped writhing against her and returning the kiss.

Kirito opened his eyes slowly, afraid of the tears that he knew would surely come.

Through a sheen of blurriness, Kirito saw Asuna's concern. Her eyes bore a haunted look and her body nearly trembled with worry.

She cares about me so deeply, Kirito realized, in a way that no one ever has before. And I feel the same for her. That's what makes all of this so hard.

"Asuna," Kirito said, staring intently into her beautiful orbs.

My god…she truly is amazing.

"Kirito?" Asuna whispered, her expression and tone of voice practically pleading with him for answers.

"I…I know what's going on. Why we're here, I mean."

Asuna blinked. Then she began to peer around the area as if taking stock of the situation. Her gaze alighted on the collapsing image of Aincrad, nearly one-quarter destroyed by now. She saw the clouds around them and the vast expanse of serene, sunlight nothingness.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "We should be dead, shouldn't we? That's what that scum Heath…I mean, Kayaba, told us all those years ago, didn't he?"

Kirito nodded solemnly, doing an admirable job of banishing (for the moment, at least) the tears he so desperately wanted to release. "That's what I thought, too. But then Kayaba appeared and started talking to me…"

"What?!" Asuna questioned breathlessly. "He did? He was here?"

Kirito nodded once more.

And he began to tell her the tale of what had just transpired minutes earlier during he and Akihiko's conversation. Before long, he had revealed the truth about their situation to Asuna…save for the part about them really being dead, that is.

Asuna was shaking her head at the conclusion of Kirito's tale. "Kayaba…I hated him all this time for what he did. I still do, I suppose," she stated evenly. There was a simmering anger there, but also a strange, calm acceptance. "And in the end, I don't think he really redeemed himself…not even close. But I can't help but feeling bad for him, anyways. The way you told that story, it sounds like he finally became aware of what he'd done and was truly regretful about it. I hope the guilt torments him for all eternity."

"My feelings exactly," Kirito replied. "But that's…not…it's not all there is to the story," he managed to choke out between sudden, unstoppable sobs.

An instant later, he was on his knees, head sunken and eyes gloomily downcast. It was like all the energy had been ejected from his body.

Asuna's concern returned instantly. "Kirito…what do you mean?" she asked, kneeling as well so that she could face him directly. "Are you ok? Is there more?"

Kirito nodded weakly from his position.

Asuna came even closer and wiped his tears away with a thumb.

"Don't cry. It will all be okay…Kayaba said that he brought us back to be together until this world is over, didn't he?" Asuna asked. "After that, we can be together in the real world. I won't give up on you, Kirito. We'll find each other again. This is not goodbye. I promise you that much."

Seeing Asuna's bright, cheery smile almost raised Kirito's spirits and made him believe that everything would be alright.

Almost.

The truth was inescapable. He could no longer deny it and keeping telling lies of omission straight to Asuna's face. The burning, terrifying secret that dwelled within him was clamoring for release. If he didn't acquiesce, then he felt as if he might throw up. Or have a heart attack.

It was about time that Asuna knew. It was only fair. After all, it would allow her to savor her last moments with him to a greater extent, wouldn't it? Surely that had to be worth knowing about the doom that awaited them in less than…probably ten or so minutes, now.

Her happiness is my primary goal, Kirito decided.

He briefly toyed with the idea of not telling her, but ultimately, that option felt far too cruel. Ignorance might be bliss, but it seemed like a hollow one at that moment.

Asuna frowned, noticing Kirito's pensive and tortured look. "Don't believe me?" she asked, sounding hurt. "I lo-"

"No, that's not it. I don't doubt you, Asuna. I could never doubt you," Kirito said, cutting her off abruptly. His voice was deadly serious, more intense than at any other point in his life so far.

He hung his head even lower in shame, though, unable to look at her.

"Then what is it?" Asuna asked, shivers flowing down her spine. She cupped his chin with one of her small hands. "Why so sad, Kirito?"

Kirito slowly raised his head with her assistance. His tears cascaded like twin rivers down his face, soaking into Asuna's smooth, flawless skin and pooling inside her palm.

It's best to get it all out at once and not drag this on any longer, he thought wryly. There's so little time. And I'm sorry, Asuna. I wish I could've been stronger, could've spared you the burden. I hope you can forgive me.

"Asuna…" Kirito wailed, sounding impossibly pained. He ploughed ahead anyway, though, fighting through the sadness every step of the way.

"We're not going back to the real world. We're dead. Kayaba uploaded our brains into the Argus HQ servers. And when this world is deleted, we will be, too."

Nearly 80% of the floating castle had crumbled away.

Kirito and Asuna continued to watch it, even though they were keenly aware that doing so was like watching a timer that tracked the seconds until their deaths. They would have cried some more at sight, but their tears were basically all dried up by now. There was nothing left that their poor, puffy eyes could give in order to express their sorrow.

Besides, the couple was more concerned with expressing something else for their moment.

Asuna squirmed a little in Kirito's grasp, maneuvering herself so that she could turn around to face him without breaking the protective, yet loving grip he had on her.

"You know," she said, voice cracking with emotion, "We never exchanged our real names and ages."

Kirito sighed. "That doesn't matter," he stated resolutely.

Asuna gave him a peck on the cheek. "Why do you say that?"

"This world is the one that matters," Kirito said, shrugging, "not our 'real' names or lives. Aincrad is where we met and fell in love. I don't care who you were before all…this. To me, you're Asuna, the beautiful, amazing, awesome-chef, badass lightning flash. That's the woman I love." He stroked her cheek to punctuate his words and tucked a few stray locks of hair behind her ear.

Asuna nodded. "You're right," she replied after a moment of deliberation. "And you're Kirito, the sweet, fun-loving, caring, selfless black swordsman who saves everyone."

The couple chuckled a bit. There was genuine laughter in it, despite their grim circumstances. Though it did sound a bit forced. It was obvious they were on the verge of breaking down, and needed something to smile about.

Asuna twisted around more fully from her position leaning backwards against Kirito. They were now completely face-to-face, sitting slightly up with their legs folded under them.

"There's…not much time left," Asuna said, swiping her hand to summon the progress indicator menu. It read 86%.

"I know," Kirito said, eyes burning painfully. He ignored them, the discomfort barely registering.

Asuna was in much the same boat.

"There's so much more I wanted to do…" Asuna lamented with a weak tone of voice. She sounded utterly defeated and broken.

"I know," Kirito said, cupping her face again. To his pleasant surprise, Asuna mirrored him.

Things like this…kissing, touching, holding hands, being close together…it was obvious that this wasn't the 'more' each of them wanted. They'd had plenty of that (though it could not possibly be enough, of course) during the past fifteen minutes or so. After Kirito had dropped the bomb about what was going to happen, the couple had done their utmost to comfort each other, to express as much admiration through physical contact and words as humanly possible. It had been a profound and indescribably pleasant experience, if a bit strained.

"I want to…I want to…" Asuna stumbled.

"Please don't say it," Kirito pleaded. "It'll only make this harder."

"I know, but I don't care!" Asuna blurted. "This is the end, and if I'm going to die, I want to die expressing myself. I want…no…need to tell you, Kirito. I can't let it all end with anything left unspoken."

Kirito nodded. "Okay," he barely managed to say.

Asuna sniffed. "I want to go out on dates with you, Kirito. To be together, girlfriend and boyfriend. Maybe even get married and have kids someday. I don't know what the future would've held for us, but I want more than anything to have a chance to find out. I want to share a life of adventure with you. No one else. You're my one and only! Oh, Kirito…there's so much…just so much, and I…you can't understand…"

"I can understand" Kirito whispered in her ear, "because I want the same thing. Very much so. I don't know how to possibly describe it, Asuna…but I do. So much that it…hurts like fire."

"It's not fair!" she protested angrily after some delay.

"No. No it isn't," Kirito said, pulling Asuna to him for another embrace.

Her menu was still open. Kirito glanced at it from over her shoulder.

It read 92%.

He squeezed even tighter, if that was possible. Every moment was precious.

A long time passed this way.

Then, for once, it was Kirito who broke the embrace.

"Asuna…" he began shakily. "Are you…ready…for," he tried to say, throat seizing up to block words that shouldn't be said.

The vibrant girl nodded, unable to vocalize a response to such a cruel question. "How do you want to…" she asked cautiously, her eyes finding a hidden reserve of moisture to convert to tears.

"Like this," Kirito answered, gently tugging Asuna to the ground with him.

The duo settled into a position on their sides, facing one another. They each curled instinctively into the other's body, molding together like two lonely halves of a complete whole. Legs intertwined, palm met palm as fingers interlocked, and foreheads were nearly pressed together.

All that either of them could see was the other's face. All they could feel was the tantalizing touch of the other's skin and warmth. All they could hear was heartbeats and gentle breathing.

In short, Kirito's world had become Asuna.

Just as hers had become him.

"I love you, Asuna," Kirito pledged. "Now and forever, no matter what."

"And I love you too, Kirito," Asuna said. "Now and forever, no matter what."

Neither had been able to speak the words with perfect clarity. It was just too sad, too hard.

But they knew it was necessary, regardless.

All too soon, they became aware of the end.

The setting sunlight began to slowly fade and vanish, only the illuminating sparkle of unraveling clouds and sky bestowing any light upon the couple. The grinding sound in the distance faded, signaling the Aincrad was completely gone. Even the air seemed to be coming apart, replacing itself with a white void of nothingness.

Clearly, the two remaining intelligences in the game would be the last to go.

Kirito felt a strange peace settle over him, like the merciful eye of some tornado. His tears stopped, sheer focus replacing the fear and sadness.

He redoubled his efforts of scrutinizing Asuna, knowing that her face was the last thing he'd ever see.

Somehow, Kirito was okay with that. From the look on her face, Asuna was content with her last image as well.

All of these thoughts he processed in the blink of an eye. Mercifully, time seemed to slow even further, granting him a chance to commit his beloved's face to memory.

And commit he did. It was ironic; now, of all times, Asuna seemed to be the most majestic and special, all her perfections and flaws arranged before him in a tapestry he would trade for no other in the entire universe.

It was sublime.

"Thank you, Kirito…" he heard her voice say, music that tingled his soul.

Then it trailed off into a distant echo.

Asuna began to fade, her digital atoms fraying into a sparkly burst of scattered data. First her feet, then her legs, chest, arms, neck…

It was all too rapid. All too horrifying.

But then he caught a glimpse of her face yet again, smiling with unadulterated love for him and only him, just before it, too, was obliterated. A shred of iris persisted a moment longer, a strange sparkle like the one he had seen in the sword glittering briefly at him.

And just like that, it was all okay again. He'd expected to feel pain, rage, hatred, existential terror…but none of that happened. Perhaps it was the 'Asuna sparkle' which had always captivated him so, or perhaps this what simply what dying felt like.

I regret nothing, Kirito thought calmly to himself.

He smiled, his heart fluttering with joy as he pondered the finite, precious few times he'd been granted with her. Each and every single one of them flashed instantly before his eyes; a slideshow dedicated to better times.

But now the world was peeling away again, just like it had previously in the boss room: that bizarre, incomprehensible sensation. Only this time it was much more intense. It was as if reality itself was warping in new ways, the whiteness of the void that was all that was left of the world distorting into…

…less than nothing.

…

Asuna…

The time immediately following the conclusion of "the SAO event", as the authorities called it, was extremely chaotic, to say the least. This was especially true for the survivors of the so-called "death game", who endured long years of painful therapy, both physical and mental. Some couldn't handle the real world after being locked inside that fantasy land for so long. Most of these unfortunate souls ended up going insane and/or committing suicide.

As bad as the aftermath was for the victims, it was just as bad, if not worse, for the VR industry. To say that public outcries and widespread distrust made VRMMORPG games economically inviable would be a grand understatement. For many years, no company could even get permission to start working on designing safer VR technology. It was only after endless legal battles that these games were made legal again, albeit with heavy governmental regulation and oversight.

This being the case, many SAO survivors found that it was helpful to revisit the world of VR gaming in order to cope with the traumatic events of the past. The MMORPG that arose from the ashes of Sword Art: Online, as well as its spiritual successor, was a fairy-lore themed game called Alfheim Online. Almost all of the SAO survivors, especially the hardcore gamers, were eventually playing it.

This included people like Klein, Agil, Silica, and Lisbeth. Their shared experiences in Aincrad, as well as the deaths of the heroes and dear friends who had saved them, Asuna and Kirito, forged a strong bond between the group.

After logging into Alfheim online, the four of them had quickly decided to hold a virtual funeral for the black swordsman and the lightning flash (being unable to attend their actual funerals themselves, due to the fact that they had no idea who these people had been in real life).

Almost all of the former assault team members, as well as other random players who had been helped by Kirito and Asuna, showed up to the funeral. It had been a truly massive event, even breaking as worldwide news. This had attracted other SAO survivors who were grateful to Kirito and Asuna for releasing them from the death game. In total, over 3,000 people had eventually shown up.

It was a tearful gathering, to be sure. Klein, Agil, Silica, and Lisbeth had all taken their turns speaking before the crowds (though most of their speeches had ended in tears).

Perhaps most noteworthy of all, though, was the monument that they decided to erect in honor of Kirito and Asuna. Lisbeth, also playing a blacksmith-type character in Alfhiem, was able to re-create elucidator and Asuna's rapier via custom-made replicas. Crossing the two blades firmly in the ground, the group had declared them both the tombstone and tribute to these amazing lovers.

In a twist of fate, the developers of Alfheim online had found out about this and decided to support it. They removed the durability stat of the two blades, rendered them immortal objects, and made it so that no one could move or take them.

Thus, Kirito and Asuna were immortalized in the form of their digital swords within the virtual world for all time. They became a symbol for love and the endurance of the human spirit, a banner depicting the good that could be found in VRMMORPG games. As the image of these blades proliferated, people began to see the bright side of the genre rather than merely the potential tragedy of it. It would be accurate, therefore, to say that Kirito and Asuna had not only vanquished Kayaba and freed 6,000 people from their virtual prisons, but had also contributed to a new renaissance of gaming that would change the world forever.

Interestingly enough, as the realm of VR exploded once more, rumors soon began to circulate in online forums and virtual taverns that strange sightings of two people had occurred inside various games. Many people claimed to have briefly glimpsed or been aided by two strange, silent, young NPC's: one, a male with a black coat, hair, and sword, and the other, a long-haired beautiful woman in white wielding a rapier. A small fairy resembling a little girl, it was also said, seemed to accompany these virtual ghosts at all times.

Everyone knew that these superstitious legends were simple coincidences turned-wild-fantasy by paranoia, though. As such, they were typically dismissed as crackpot theories dreamt up by internet nerds and trolls with too much time on their hands.

After all, they had to be. What other explanation was there?

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