A/N: After binging Sword Art Online, I decided to try my hand at an SAO Fanfic. This concept has probably been done a gajillion times by now, but I thought I'd try my hand at it and see how it went. This particular story is set during Kirito and Asuna's honeymoon, but before they meet Yui. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Night Terrors in the Cottage

Asuna's eyes opened in a flash; the young fencer sitting straight up in bed as she awoke to the what she could only describe as a scream and a sob fused together. Looking to her side, her heart broke as she determined its source; her husband was also sitting up, gasping for breath and whimpering.

"Kirito?"

But Kirito, the dual wielding swordsman who had made his reputation as a solo beater, didn't hear his wife; he continued to stare forward, hands clenching the blankets while his knuckles went white, tears streaming down his cheeks as he gasped for breath. Worried about her husband, Asuna gently touched his cheek with her right hand.

"Kirito? It's me, Asuna. Please come back to me, Kirito."

At this, Kirito's grip relaxed and he stopped gasping for breath. Looking around, he started to regain his awareness of where he was.

"Our cottage? Then, this is…Floor 22."

"Kirito?"

At her third attempt, Kirito finally turned to face his wife, her frazzled chestnut colored hair framing her worried expression.

"Asuna…" Kirito started to sob as he thought with relief, You're alive; you're here!

"Kirito…what happened to you? You really scared me…" Asuna asked as she wiped the tears from his eyes.

Kirito shuddered as he thought of what caused him to wake up screaming and crying in the middle of the night. He threw the blankets off of his side of the bed and turned so that he was sitting on the bed, his bare feet touching the floor as he buried his face in his hands. Frowning with worry, Asuna also got out of bed and walked over to his side to promptly sit down next to him, their shoulders brushing each other. She looked at her husband; donned in a light grey T-Shirt and black boxers, he had worn them to bed every night as a sign of trust and openness since their misunderstanding the night that she saved him from Kuradeel's trap and he proposed to her. She silently waited for his response, returning his trust in her by trusting him to tell her what was wrong when he was ready. At last, Kirito took a deep breath and dropped his hands from his face, grasping her right hand with his left and squeezing it, feeling her squeeze in return.

"I…I had a bad dream. It scared me was all…"

Asuna's eyes softened in understanding as she gently prodded "…Would you like to talk about it? Maybe it'll help if you get it off your chest…"

A second of indecision passed before Kirito nodded, taking his right hand and reaching over to grasp her left. Feeling Asuna squeeze both hands, Kirito asked her a question.

"Do you remember the day I joined the Knights of the Blood Oath and you asked me why I avoided guilds?"

Asuna nodded and replied while stroking his knuckles with her thumbs "Is that what you dreamed about? Your days with the Moonlit Black Cats?"

Kirito nodded and continued "We had all gone into the trap room with the treasure chest, when the alarm went off and the door sealed. Goblins and Stone Warriors surrounded us, picking us off one by one until it was just me and Sachi. But…as Sachi was struck down, she morphed into you, and you disappeared…"

Asuna's eyes widened as she realized what had made him so scared as to produce such an extreme reaction from her husband.

He dreamed that I died? Is he…is he scared of losing me?

Tears continued to flow down Kirito's cheeks as he cried "You're…you're everything to me, Asuna…and I…I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I'm…I'm scared that I won't be able to protect you, like I failed to protect Sachi. I promised her before she died that I wouldn't let her die, but I failed, Asuna. Who's to say that I won't fail you the same way?"

To say Asuna was shocked was an understatement; the Kirito she fell in love with wasn't normally one for long, heartfelt speeches. The Black Swordsman preferred to use his actions to show his feelings.

…Particularly his kisses…

Shaking the thought for the moment, Asuna looked at her almost bawling husband as she reflected in shock at his insecurities about issues that she had thought they resolved before they got married.

Kirito…are you that insecure about yourself? You don't need to feel guilty about what happened!

Asuna couldn't take it anymore; the despair that her husband's insecurities, trauma, and survivor's guilt had thrown him into broke her heart. In a flash, she let go of his hands and cradled his head before burying him against her shoulder, wrapping her left arm around his back while her right hand stroked through his hair. Kirito gasped in surprise for a split second before the remains of his emotional barrier finally shattered; he sobbed against Asuna's shoulder, his cries muffled by her skin as she continued to comfort him.

"Shh…it's okay, Kirito. I'm here, I'm alive, and I'm not going anywhere. Shh…"

She continued to say comforting words in his ear, stroking his raven black hair and rubbing his back to provide the physical comfort that her words could not provide. At last his sobs subsided, their honeymoon cabin completely silent except for the faint rustling sound of Kirito nuzzling his face against her shoulder.

Asuna smiled as she told him while continuing to stroke his hair "Kirito, don't you remember what I told you when you told me about your last guild, and when we saved each other from Kuradeel?" Sensing that this was a rhetorical question, Kirito kept his mouth shut as Asuna continued "I told you that I wouldn't die. I told you that I'd protect you, as you would protect me. Have faith in that, like I have faith in you, and have faith in us."

Kirito sniffled, then lifted his head from her shoulder just enough to be looking his wife in the eyes, forcing her to move her hand away before he croaked "I…I'm sorry. I…I'll try to have more faith in us now. You…you're so strong, Asuna. You've always been able to pick me back up when I fall down. I hope…I hope that I can be that strong for you, someday."

Asuna shook her head and giggled, a wry smile gracing her lips as she flicked his forehead, replying "Dummy…you already are. It's because of you that I had the resolve to live for so long in this world. Now, let's go back to bed, alright? We still have the rest of our honeymoon ahead of us!"

Behind the hand that was clutching his forehead in mock pain, Kirito grinned and immediately plopped himself back on their shared bed, tugging the blankets up until everything below his shoulders was covered. Asuna shook her head and giggled in amusement at her husband.

He's such a little boy sometimes!

Following his lead, she softly slid underneath the blankets until she was as covered as her husband. Both spouses turned on their sides so that they were facing each other, gazing into each other's eyes before Kirito reached out to embrace his wife in his arms, nuzzling his cheek against the front of her neck. Without another word, Kirito fell asleep in his wife's returning embrace. Asuna gazed at her husband lovingly before she leaned toward his ear to whisper.

"I love you, Kirito. I'll protect you forever and ever."

Asuna stroked his hair while she made her declaration of love, causing Kirito to unconsciously smile at the love his wife was giving him. It wasn't long before Asuna yawned, deciding that she needed sleep too. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him softly against her as she rested her head atop his.

"Sweet dreams, Kirito. I'll be right here when you wake up…"

At last, Lightning Flash Asuna fell to slumber, her heart beating with Kirito's as they both dreamed of a carefree life with the other.