Disclaimer: I do not own SAO. Lots of things would be different if I did.
Also, the song "Strong Enough" was sung by Stacie Orrico.
Note: Contains spoilers for the LN Mother's Rosario. You have been warned.
KingofBeasts Productions Present:
"Strong Enough"
Konno Yuuki. Also known as the [Absolute Sword].
That is one name Yuuki Asuna won't forget anytime soon. She met her in the world of Alfheim Online over a street duel. Despite giving her all, the girl once known as [The Flash] had lost. Still, Yuuki saw something in her and invited her to hang with her guild, [The Sleeping Knights], who wanted to do something extraordinary before disbanding in the spring.
What followed next was what one would call an adventure of epic proportions. They tackled the boss in the 27th Floor of New Aincrad by themselves (of course, Kirito and Klein had to keep other guilds at bay) and won after hard fought battle. When Asuna asked if she could join the guild, they all looked...sad. Things became weirder when she asked Yuuki why she called her "onee-chan" earlier, to which she responded by abruptly logging out.
Asuna would later discover that Yuuki and the [Sleeping Knights] were actually patients with terminal illnesses and had planned to disband should one more member pass on. Yuuki's particular illness was HIV. They would use the Medicuboid, a FullDive device similar to both the Nerve Gear and the Amusphere, for treatment as well as entertainment.
Once she had found this out, Asuna resolved to allow Yuuki to experience the real world. Thanks to a probe developed by Kirigaya Kazuto (a.k.a Kirito), Yuuki was able to go to school, visit her old home, and do all kinds of things she would not have been normally been able to do. New adventures that she could embark on. And it was all thanks to her new friend Asuna.
Alas, this bliss was not meant to last. By late March, Asuna received a call from Doctor Kurahashi that Yuuki's condition got worse. She ran to the girl's side as soon as she could, maybe hoping that she can will Yuuki into fighting the disease. Sadly, after fifteen years of fighting the disease, her moment was finally at hand.
Upon that realization, Asuna's heart broke. This was Yuuki, the [Absolute Sword]! How could she, who had defeated monsters and players alike (among them Kirito and herself), lose to this disease? With a heavy heart, Asuna used the Amusphere next to Yuuki's room and dived in. They met at the large tree just outside of Panareze, where Yuuki met Asuna for the first time.
There Yuuki had passed on her 11-Hit OSS, Mother's Rosario, to Asuna as part of their promise. Soon, they were joined by the rest of the [Sleeping Knights] in addition to Kirito, Lisbeth, Leafa, Silica and Yui. Later on, countless others had come to pay their respects to one of the greatest swordsmen in Alfheim Online's history.
"Wow...that's amazing...So many elves." Yuuki had said upon seeing this magnificent sight. They all had come, from the farthest reaches of the game, to see Yuuki off- no, that wasn't right. As one member of the [Sleeping Knights] put it they were here to "cheer her on".
As death crept ever closer, Yuuki gazed her deep purple eyes at Asuna, the person she had come to think of as a dear friend. The petite Imp related her final thoughts, how she once wondered why she was born to die and now had finally found her answer.
"I'll meet you again." Asuna sobbed, her tears flowing freely as they landed on Yuuki's chest, each drop dissolving into light. "Even if it's in another world, I'll meet you again...And when I do, you must tell me what you found there..."
Yuuki smiled and spoke in a small voice only Asuna could hear: "I tried my best to live...Here, I really lived."
With those final words, Konno Yuuki had passed away, soaring to greater heights than her wings could take her.
~0~
The first Saturday of April.
It has already been a week since Yuuki had died, yet Asuna could not believe it. The funeral was being held in a Christian Church somewhere in the Yokohama district, where petals from the Sakura trees fell as if in response to Yuuki's death. Like they were sending her off.
If you could only see this now, Yuuki. Asuna thought as she smiled sadly. There were so many things she wanted to show her, so many wonders this world held for her. She wanted her to fully experience everything around her. She could no longer do that now; Death's cruel embrace saw to that.
It was intended to be a small ceremony; just Asuna and a few relatives were supposed to be the only ones present.
"Oi, Asuna." The girl with the long, flowing chestnut brown hair jumped to see her boyfriend, Kirigaya Kazuto, right behind her.
"K-Kazuto-kun!" She stammered, obviously surprised by his presence "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kazuto grinned at her slyly "We've come to pay our last respects."
"You got that right!" Shinozaki Rika, a.k.a Lisbeth the blacksmith, piped up from behind them. With her were the players known as Agil, Silica, Klein, Leafa and even Sinon, who had met the girl once or twice in her visits to ALO, all dressed in black.
"You guys..." Asuna smiled gratefully at her friends, then looked on in shock to what was behind them: hundreds of people beginning to gather. "Who are they?" asked bewildered Asuna
"Oh, you mean them?" Sinon smiled coolly, giggling a little "They followed us here."
"They've come to pay their respects to Yuuki-san, much like us." Klein explained, chuckling slightly.
Deciding that no words needed to be said, Asuna smiled as she led the others inside the church, much to the receptionist's chagrin.
~0~
It had been already half-way through the service, and much had happened over the past few hours. In addition to her relatives, many of the ALO players got to say something nice about Yuuki. Among those who spoke were Kazuto, who described Yuuki as one of the strongest people he had ever met, to Asuna herself.
"There will never be another person as radiant, full of life and joyful as Yuuki Konno." She told the assembled players with a smile "I'll miss her a lot."
After Asuna went down from the stage, the pastor who was presiding over the ceremony (an old man around his late 60s) went up the stage.
"Before we end the ceremony, I'd like you all to listen to a song." He gave a nod towards a girl, the church's pianist, as she went up the stage "According to one of her relatives, this was her favorite song and she often listened to it with her sister. My hope is that this song will encourage you to seek strength the way she did." He gave another nod, and the girl started playing.
Asuna closed her eyes and listened to the music: It was a soft, peaceful melody. The kind that can ease one's soul. At that moment, the pianist began to sing while Asuna listened to the lyrics carefully:
As I rest against this cold hard wall,
Will you pass me by?
Will you criticize me
As I sit and cry?
I have fought so hard
And thought that all
my battles have been won
Only to find the war had begun
Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out
and start again?
Is He not brave enough
To take one chance on me?
Please can I have one chance
to start again?
As the song continued to play, Asuna kept her eyes closed as memories of her time with Yuuki flooded her vision. Precious moments like the day they met, their victory over the floor boss, the first day they went to school together via Kazuto's probe, all those important memories suddenly burst forth.
She still could not understand why Yuuki loved this song, but she continued listen, hoping that Yuuki was telling her something.
Will my weakness for an hour
Make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there anyway to be
made whole again?
If I'm healed, renewed
and found forgiveness
by the strength I've never had
Will my scars forever ruin God's plans?
Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out
and start again?
Is He not brave enough
To take one chance on me?
Please can I have one chance
to start again?
He took my life into His hands
And turned it all around
In my most desperate circumstance,
It's there I've finally found
That You are strong enough
That You are pure enough
To break me, pour me out
and start again
That You are brave enough
To take one chance on me
Lord, thank You for this chance
To start again
As the song ended, Asuna remembered Yuuki, the radiant, vibrant swordsman who seemed full of life, and started to see why she loved this song so much. She remembered what Yuuki told her that one time they were at her house: "Mama said that the Lord Jesus wouldn't give us pain which we couldn't endure."
For Yuuki, this song was an affirmation of her mother's promise, that God does not give us things we couldn't bear. This why she kept going for fifteen years, battling her disease to the very last. Why she was always so positive, so upbeat and determined. She believed in what her mother told her about God, even up to her dying breath.
"Oh Yuuki..." Asuna broke down in tears, crying silently while Kazuto put an arm around her for comfort. Meanwhile Rika, Keiko, Sugu and even the cool-headed Shino had tears on their eyes after hearing such a beautiful song.
"It's okay." Kazuto gave her a warm smile "We'll miss her too. She was indeed the best of us."
Asuna looked up at the boy she calls her beloved. A small, gentle smile was on her face as she nodded in affirmation. She looked up at the church ceiling, her head filled with many fond memories.
Hearing the song that her dearly departed friend loved so much filled Asuna with both joy and sadness: While she was sad that Yuuki was gone, she now understands why Yuuki always seemed happy, despite her circumstances. She was now determined to honor her memory; she will make sure that her sword will live on forever, and should the day she'll have children come, she will tell them the story about how a young girl who released such a warm glow.
"Thank you Yuuki." Asuna smiled as she looked up at the clear blue sky "I'll never forget you."
End.
A/N: Man, that was both fun and sad to write! Mother's Rosario was one of my favorite arcs, and I genuinely enjoyed Yuuki as a character. I was sad to see her go.
Now, why have I written this? Well, it's simple really: First, I wanted a Yuuki-centric fic, but there was only one, so I decided to make this one-shot about her. Secondly, I can personally say that her character inspired me. Here is this girl, who was cursed from birth with HIV, battle with it for fifteen years before succumbing. Yet all through out, she remained joyful no matter what.
The song featured in this fic fit her well, in my opinion. If you want to listen to it, here's a link: watch?v=aShGbSMgO28
Anyway, that's all from me, so I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
P.S: If you like crossovers, be sure to check out my K-On x SAO fic, K-Online!