It's been years since I've written something, and it's my first time writing for SAO. But anyways I thought even if I'm a bit rusty I can give it a whirl. This idea just popped into my head one day out of the blue and I wrote it down and just ran with it. It's an abstract idea and this story is going to have some twists and turns but I think it's going to be a good on-going fic. So y'all enjoy!
I do not own SAO.
Wednesdays were Kazuto's favorite days. They were the days when neither he nor Asuna ever had plans with anyone but each other. There were days when Asuna would prefer to spend in the company of Rika and Keiko and then there were days where she had to study and do homework because she was just that studious. But Wednesdays were always reserved just for him. Sure they'd see each other in school and all and of course the nights where the whole group got together in ALO, but those days could not compare to Wednesdays. Wednesdays were the days she packed lunch for the two of them and they would venture off to their favorite park and spend quality alone time. Ah, yes, Wednesdays were Kazuto's favorite days.
"Kirito? Is something wrong?" Asuna asked from beside him. He stared at her. God she was gorgeous and he was so smitten by her. He shook his head.
"No, not at all. I was just thinking about how perfect today is. It really is a nice day, isn't it?" he said, leaning back to rest on his elbows.
Asuna chuckled. "The weather is always nice this time of year. It makes me think back to that day in SAO when I found you taking a nap under that tree."
"In my defense, you didn't seem to be arguing when you fell asleep yourself." Kazuto shot back. They both laughed at that.
Kazuto couldn't believe that the whole incident in SAO was almost two years behind them. He was turning eighteen in October. It seemed so far away yet almost like a dream now. GGO was over too, but he had honestly left all of that game behind him. Nothing felt more real than almost losing Asuna, twice. That's why he treasured their time together so much. He still felt the need to protect her whenever she was with him. Yui helped a lot too, of course. Seeing her every day in ALO was really the only reason Asuna was able to recover as quickly as she did. No matter how bad things got, when he was with his little family in ALO, it was like nothing else mattered.
"Hey, Kirito… I was thinking and what is going to happen now that we're not in high school anymore? Entrance exams are coming up soon and I don't want us to go to different schools." Asuna looked down, a small but noticeable blush came to her cheeks. Kazuto smiled, of course she would blush over something so silly.
"Yeah, you're right. Well I guess I'll have to study super hard in order to get into whatever University you want to go to." He grinned.
University was, in fact, a thing on his mind. He'd wanted to study virtual software engineering and while he was smart with computers and gaming, he wasn't always the brightest in his classes. He wanted to make sure that he was good enough to pass the entrance exams to whatever school Asuna wanted to go to. He was going to leave that decision up to her, since he didn't want to be anywhere she wasn't.
"I've been thinking about Tokyo U. It's nearby and it has the commerce program that I want to go into." Asuna combed her fingers through her long chestnut colored hair, looking at Kazuto. He just smiled and pecked her cheek.
"I know you'll do great there. Their software engineering program is top notch. I'll admit it's a school I've looked into as well!"
"Thank you, Kirito. You'll do great in their virtual software engineering program, too."
Kazuto couldn't keep himself from smiling. Everything she did made him happy, from her giggle to her inspiring soliloquies and the way she touches her hair when she gets nervous. Asuna noticed the look he was giving her and blushed. Yes, after two years of being in mutual love with him, she still blushed at the little signs of affection that he showed her. After a moment of relishing in her indescribable beauty, Kazuto tilted her chin up and planted a sweet kiss on her lips.
"I love you, Asuna Yuuki." He whispered breathlessly as he touched their foreheads together.
"I love you too, Kazuto Kirigaya." She whispered back. Her eyes opened slowly, and upon doing so, she noticed a figure in the distance, watching them. She gasped.
"Kirito! There's… someone watching us." At this, Kazuto whipped around, making eye contact with their observer.
It was a man, seeming to be in his thirties, wearing a tan jacket and dark sunglasses. He was standing about twenty meters away from the couple and had not broken eye contact with Kazuto yet. Instead, he seemed to be analyzing him. Kazuto stood up wearily.
"Kirito, you shouldn't-"
"I'll be fine, Asuna. You stay here, okay? He looks like he wants to talk to me."
Kazuto walked towards the man, being weary of his surroundings. There were a lot of people around, so he doubted the guy would pull something funny in such a crowded area. As he got closer, the man removed his sunglasses and revealed analytical navy eyes. Tied at the nape of his neck was a slick ponytail of raven colored hair, and he looked pretty intimidating. Kazuto gulped as he stood before the stranger.
"Kazuto Kirigaya, I presume?" the man asked, his stance never wavering. Kazuto was taken aback. This guy knew his name? Was he from the government? Did he want more information about SAO?
"Y-yeah. That's me. Do I know you?" The man just smiled.
"No. I'm Kouji Minamoto, a private investigator. Nice to meet you, Kazuto Kirigaya."
A private investigator? But why? And who exactly hired this guy to get a hold of him? Kazuto had so many questions but something told him he wasn't going to get many answers at the present moment. Kouji didn't give him much time to debate.
"I have news to break to you it seems. But since you're still technically a minor I'm going to need you to take me to your parent or legal guardian first before I dispel any information to you." Kouji stated nonchalantly as he made his way towards a sleek black car.
"Well, are you coming? You can bring your little girlfriend if you want. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. If you prefer you could just give me your home address and I will meet you there. Sound good?"
Kazuto only managed a small nod. Kouji needed to tell him something, he was sure of that much. No one had ever cared much about his age though. And he'd wanted to speak to his mom as well. This was certainly new. He supposed he could trust what the man had said, at least for the time being. Kouji handed him a small notepad and paper, and he decided to trust him and wrote down his home address. He would never guess what was going to come next.
Nevertheless, he went back to Asuna and told her word for word what this mysterious man had said and told her that he agreed to meet him back at his house.
"Kirito, this guy is a private investigator! We don't even know who hired him or what he was hired to find out. How can we trust this guy?" Asuna exclaimed. Kazuto nodded, for what she said was true.
"To be honest, I don't have any reason to trust him. But whatever he needs to tell me he needs my mom's permission to do it. So I guess I'll have to find out. Come on, let's get going." He began packing up whatever lunch they had left into the large picnic basket Asuna always brought with them. Asuna only nodded and agreed to accompany him back to his house.
When they arrived at Kazuto's house, the first thing they saw was the familiar sleek black car parked outside his home. He'd gotten there before them, and to Kazuto's best knowledge Kouji was sitting in the living room having tea with his adoptive mother.
"Taidama!" The couple called out simultaneously as they entered the house. Upon taking off their shoes, Kazuto's adoptive mother poked her head out from the living room. Her face was pale and her hands were shaky, obviously nervous about the raven haired man sitting in the living room.
"Kazuto, there is someone here to see you. Kouji is a private investigator and apparently has some information to share." As Kazuto walked into the living space, he noticed Suguha perched on the couch, across from their visitor.
"Auntie, is something wrong?" He asked, his face showing obvious concern.
After finding out that Suguha knew that they were not siblings, he didn't feel the need to call the woman who raised him mom anymore. It never felt right in the first place, so he called her Auntie. He always filled the term with endearment, letting Midori know that she always would be close to him.
Midori sighed, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "No, honey, nothing is wrong. I just never expected to get a visit from someone like him."
Someone like him? Did his Auntie know what was going on, and why Kouji was there? She had a very knowing look on her face, and she seemed very tired and frustrated. Kazuto inwardly worried about the news that was about to be revealed to him.
"Kazuto, over here." Kouji beckoned him to sit in the living room. He had been making polite conversation with Suguha, who also had many questions for him.
Kazuto gulped, but took a seat on the couch next to Suguha, with Asuna on his other side. As if noticing his worry, she held his left hand between both of hers and gave him a reassuring smile. Though Kazuto appreciated the efforts of his girlfriend, he was no less anxious about what Kouji had to say to him.
"So," Kouji started, "I bet you're wondering why I came here, and why I'm asking you to have this chat with me today." Kazuto nodded. "Very well. There is someone who has spent the past year or so in search of you, someone who is close to you."
Kazuto wasn't surprised. With all that happened in SAO, ALO and GGO, it wasn't uncommon for people to have questions or requests for him. He was constantly being sought out by video game companies who wanted to use him for their VRMMO promos. He was well known in the video game community and to the companies, that made him somewhat of a celebrity. Even so, he thought complicatedly, none of them had ever gone through the trouble of hiring a private investigator. The thought of the government passed briefly through his mind, but he dismissed it quickly. If the government needed to get a hold of him, they already knew how.
"So who is it then? I know them?" He asked, genuine curiosity flashing in his eyes. He didn't notice his aunt's alarmed expression when Kouji mentioned this person.
"No, you don't, and that is precisely the problem here." Kouji pulled a thick file from his briefcase and from that he pulled out a thick stack of papers, with a picture on the top. He turned the photo for Kazuto to see. "Tell me, Kazuto, do you recognize this man?"
The man in the photo looked strangely intimidating, but also strangely familiar. Black hair that reached the nape of his neck, and piercing hazel eyes glared up at him from the photo. The photo was taken at an amusement park and a petite blonde was perched on a fence next to the man. Kazuto looked at the picture for a few moments, trying to think of where he might have seen the man before. Realization hit Kazuto like a brick. The man in the photo was a near carbon copy of himself. The man was maybe three or four years older than him and had a more muscular, filled out build in contrast to his own skinny frame, but all the facial features and bone structure were the same. Kazuto gaped up at Kouji.
He heard a soft gasp from behind him. He almost forgot Asuna and Suguha were there with him. Both girls looked to him with open mouths and wide eyes.
"Kirito…" Asuna began, "this man looks just like you. Do you know him?" Kazuto shook his head, he had never seen the man before in his life.
Kouji sat back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. "I see. Well it's not like I expected much more from you, yet I still find myself disappointed."
Kouji thought about the consequences of telling Kazuto about the true identity of the man in the picture. How would he react? Would he feel betrayed? Kouji suddenly felt the need to abandon his mission as a private investigator, but alas he owed a favor to his friend and he promised he would find the boy. He wondered how he would go about telling the boy, and after a moment of thinking, he decided that a slow, yet direct approach was the best way to go.
"Kazuto, you are aware that your grandfather passed away around four years ago?" Kazuto shook his head yes, and Kouji took that as a sign to continue. "Your grandfather was a wealthy man who owned property in the Okijama* district, extensive property might I add. He was quite the kendo champion back in the day, wasn't he? Well when he died many would have assumed the property was left to a successor, and the most plausible heir would be your aunt Midori here." At this, Kazuto looked to his aunt to see that she didn't look to be surprised at all. So she did know something. "Alas, that was not the case. Even though Midori is the most direct heir of your grandfather, there was yet another heir who your grandfather felt closer to, having raised him since his childhood. His eldest grandson, Kaito Kazami, received almost all of your grandfather's inheritance and property."
Kazuto's eyes widened. Asuna let out a soft gasp and Suguha looked completely astounded. Grandfather had another grandson? Suguha looked towards her mother in shock.
"Mom… do I have a brother?" She whispered, unconsciously reaching for Kazuto's arm.
Midori glared at Kouji, whose gaze was cold and unapologetic. How dare he, she thought, wishing the most unpleasant events upon his very existence. He had no right to tell them about Kaito. She had been sworn to secrecy when she received Kazuto at infancy. Her father did not want anyone to know of Kaito's existence, thinking that if Kazuto found out, he'd feel as if his grandfather chose his brother over hnim. Midori turned her frustrated gaze to the floor, instantly regretting letting Kouji into her household. She sighed.
"No, Suguha, you don't have a brother." She turned to look at her nephew, "But Kazuto does."
And done! For now at least. I left it at a bit of a cliffhanger but I don't think the next chapter is going to take too long so you all wont have much of a wait! Thanks for the read, reviews are welcome!
*This is a made-up district, a wealthy side of Japan. Think Beverly Hills style.