Kazuto Kirigaya was an easygoing young man, of about eighteen. After surviving two years in Sword Art Online, and that brief but terrible stretch in Alfheim Online, he now could call the love of his life, Asuna Yuuki, his girlfriend.

There was only one little catch, a catch that Kazuto was now hoping to relieve himself of. As he approached the Yuuki's large house, he knocked on the door.

And Asuna's mother, Kyouko, answered.

"Oh, Kirigaya." she said. "Asuna and her father are currently out running errands. Was there something you needed?"

"Actually, yes." Kazuto said. "I needed to speak to you. About me and Asuna, you know, clear some things up."

Kyouko's face showed slight astonishment. She had been preparing to undertake this conversation herself, but it seems Kazuto was as motivated as Asuna said he was.

"Come in, then."

Kazuto entered the house, removed his shoes, and followed Kyouko upstairs to her office. As they sat down, Kyouko looked at him.

"I will say one thing, Kirigaya. You've impressed me right out of the gate. I was going to ask you for such a meeting myself."

"I figured it was now or never." Kazuto replied.

"Fair. I go through the same procedure with all I have met with. Tell me who you are, or simply your life story. I know a few things, but do your best to alleviate my fears."

XXX

Kazuto started out with his early days, and the death of his biological parents in a car accident. He was taken in by his aunt and uncle, and raised with his cousin Suguha. For a while he practiced Kendo, but was soon taken in by MMO gaming, and was eventually trapped in Sword Art Online.

"How did you meet my daughter there?" Kyouko asked.

"We partnered up for the first floor boss." Kazuto replied. "Everyone else was doing the same. Though we lost our party leader, Asuna and I defeated the boss and cleared the floor. We went our separate ways for a while."

"Oh?"

"I ended up journeying on my own for a bit, a solo player in game terms…" Kazuto said. "And Asuna became the Vice-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the largest Guild in Aincrad. She and I bickered a few times, but that changed one day."

"I was taking a nap under a tree, since the weather settings in Aincrad were at their nicest." he continued. "Asuna chewed me out a bit, I convinced her to take a nap as well. We woke up a little while later, and she was kind of embarrassed. So she said I owed her a lunch, and I obliged."

"A lunch?" Kyouko asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure why she asked me for that, but we bonded over that meal. It might have to do with the fact I may have watched over her for a bit." Kazuto said. "We also ended up tangled in a little investigation with some people who were trying to catch a few criminals. Later, after an altercation with Asuna's bodyguard from the KOB, we had dinner together."

Kyouko nodded, telling him to continue.

"After we cleared Floor 74, I had to duel the leader of the KOB, Heathcliff, so Asuna could party up with me. A duel that I ended up losing."

"You don't seem bothered by that." Kyouko said.

"Heathcliff sort of cheated." Kazuto continued. "After I told her about some friends I lost on an earlier floor, I headed out on an expedition with a player named Godfree and Kuradeel, Asuna's old bodyguard. The thing is, Kuradeel was a criminal. He paralyzed me and killed Godfree, before almost killing me. Asuna intervened, but at one point he tricked her into letting her guard down. That was when I managed to get up and stop him. Unfortunately, I had to kill Kuradeel in self-defense."

Kyouko watched Kazuto suck in a deep breath. She could sense that he was honest about the attack, but something was still unclear. With a nod, she composed herself.

"What happened after that?" she asked.

"Well, Asuna said we should stay away from each other, but that was when I kissed her for the first time." Kazuto admitted. "I asked if I could stay with her that night, and she said yes. The thing is, I didn't want to do...that sort of thing. Asuna, on the other hand, thought I did."

"Did you?" Kyouko asked, eyebrow perked.

"After I admitted that I just wanted to keep her company, she punched me." Kazuto said. "Things just...went from there, if you get my meaning."

"I do...Was it...consensual?" Kyouko asked.

"Yes." Kazuto said, blushing slightly at the memory. "I was gentle as possible. After that, in the morning, I proposed. Before you react to that particular thing, it didn't count in the real world, only in SAO. She said yes, and we bought a small cabin on Floor 22. For two months, we had our vacation-slash-honeymoon from the Guild and the front lines. It was the best part of our time there."

Kyouko nodded, acknowledging his words.

"Then, Floor 75, and I exposed Heathcliff as Akihiko Kayaba." he said. "I, with Asuna's help, ended him and cleared the game. After that, I rescued Asuna from old ALO…I'm sure you know about what happened there, right?"

"I do." Kyouko said. "Kirigaya, may I ask you about your...finances?"

"Sure." Kazuto said. "My family isn't exactly wealthy, but I did do some government work with a friend of mine, Seijirou Kikuoka. He works in the VR Division, and he needed my help with something. He paid me a lot of money for my time. I used some of it for myself, but the rest ended up in my bank account, for college."

"I see." Kyouko said. "Tokyo University?"

"Yes." he replied. "Virtual Engineering, Computer Science."

Kyouko nodded, and sighed.

"Kazuto, I will admit I did misjudge you. I'll allow you to stay with my daughter. However, I do have a few conditions."

"What are they?" Kazuto asked.

"One, do your best to get a car." Kyouko said. "I understand the thrill of a motorcycle, but I would prefer the safety of a car in Asuna's case."

"Two, if you decide to...commit to each other in the real world….I expect you to have proper safeguards in place should you make that decision."

"Finally, keep my daughter happy above all else." Kyouko finished. "Am I understood?"

"Yes." Kazuto said. "Is that everything?"

"I believe it is." Kyouko said. "Shouzou and Asuna should be back soon, seeing as we've been talking for over an hour…"

"We have." Kazuto said, looking at the clock and standing up. "Fascinating how time flies, doesn't it?"

"Indeed."

As the two of them headed downstairs, Kazuto saw a four-person sedan pull into the driveway. As the door opened, Asuna's father Shouzou came in, followed by Asuna herself.

"Hey." Kazuto waved from the couch. "Mr. Yuuki, Asuna."

Asuna smiled and sat next to him, smiling at his presence though unsure as to why he was in her house.

"Hello, Kazuto." Shouzou said. "Would you mind telling me why you're here?"

"I needed to speak with Asuna's mom." Kazuto said. "She said we can stay together."

Asuna turned to face Kazuto, and gave him the perfect smile that Kazuto had only seen a few times in his life.

"That's wonderful." she said, almost crying. "So wonderful."

As they embraced, Kazuto smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"It is." he said quietly. "I do have to abide by a few rules, but they're not that bad."

"Like what?" Asuna asked, confused. Kazuto whispered into her ear, and she blushed.

"Well, okay." she said. "I guess I should've expected that sort of thing to come up."

"It's fine." Kazuto said, Asuna leaning on his shoulder. "We'll handle it, we always do."

"If you two are finished…" Kyouko said from the kitchen. "Would you mind something to eat, Kazuto?"

"Sure." Kazuto said as he pecked Asuna on the cheek before standing up alongside her. "And thank you, Mrs. Yuuki."

As they entered the kitchen, Asuna felt a large set of worries be taken off her shoulders.