I watched the latest episode of the new SAO anime yesterday, which is the episode titled Relentless Knight, and found that I really enjoyed it but… I hate how uninvolved Asuna is, she and Kirito have an incredible connection from SAO to ALO and especially through Ordinal Scale so why is she pretty much forgotten in both the books and the anime? Hence why I made this little short story, a small thing dedicated to Asuna in Alicization.


What I Power My Sword With

(Alicization)

Kirito felt someone lightly touched his shoulder and complained, pulling the blankets up to his ears and tighten his hold on what was in his grasp. Or should he say who? "Ten more minutes…"

"You said that ten minutes ago silly," A warm voice teased and Kirito felt a hand gently stroke his black hair, their fingers soft and slender, delicate even. "Come on Kirito, I've got to go to a meeting for the guild."

Kirito refused to open his eyes and instead pulled his young bride closer and pushed his nose into her long hair and breathed a deep content sigh. "Nuh uh," he mumbled childishly, "we're on vacation Asuna…"

"You maybe," Asuna teased and yet didn't move to escape his grasp, "but I still have a few more days before I'm allowed to miss any meetings."

Kirito could see the time in his HUD, and it said seven-thirty in the morning, which was too early when on a mostly nocturnal schedule like him. "I'm sleeping," he stated childishy, half expecting her to push his arms out of the way so she could go. Asuna was very duty driven, it was one of the things he loved about her.

To his surprise she just sighed and rolled her eyes before she rolled over, snuggled closer to him, and summoned her menu to message one of the guild transcribers to take notes for her. "Happy now?" she sighed in exasperation and Kirito cracked open sleepy eyes to catch her faintly relieved smirk.

So he gave the handsomest grin he could muster and pulled her close in a sleep ridden fashion. "Extremely, I have you don't I?"

Eugeo's gaze was locked on the fire ahead of him until he heard Kirito make a quiet noise. At first he brushed it off, but as the night went on, the mumbling continued.

"Asna…" Kirito mumbled more clearly and Eugeo blinked, what was a Asna?" His confusion only deepened as he spoke the word more clearly.

"Asuna… no, Asuna…" Kirito face a jerky motion like he was reaching for something, and his mumbling grew more unintelligible and panicked. "Asna… Asna!"


Ep. 15 The Relentless Knight

"You can't defeat her with hatred Eugeo," Kirito murmured and Eugeo's eyes snapped open to look at his friend who was painfully walking in front of him, the blade of his sword glowing a deep purple. "You didn't come all this way because you hated the Integrity Knights, right?"

"Aren't you here because you want to get Alice back?" Kirito spoke, the constant knife in his heart being jammed further in at the reminder.

A girl with long caramel colored hair spun around to face him on one foot, the lake behind her and the setting Aincrad sun making her even more beautiful. Her amber eyes sparkled joyfully, turning to a gentle fire in the setting sun. Before she clasped her hands behind her back, settled her weight down onto both feet and shut her eyes, laughing. Her sweet bell like laughter ringing softly in Kirito's ears.

"Because you love her?" Kirito continued, fighting to keep the lump in his throat from affecting his voice.

"It's been a long journey," Kirito sighed in a content fashion as he gazed up at the starry sky above him, playing with a long lock of caramel colored hair the head of who's owner was resting on his stomach. Together they were making the English letter 't' and she was twisting the new silver ring on her left hand. "But I finally fulfilled this particular promise."

She giggled lightly and straightened her arm, holding her hand up against the sky where the silver band was bathed in the moonlight. "A lot's happened to us huh?"

Kirito nodded and kept his gaze up at the sky. Till his view was blocked by the amber eyed girl's face and her long hair fell from being tucked behind her ears to tickle his face. "Something wrong?"

She lightly shook her head, amber eyes roaming over her fiance's face. "No, I was just thinking about something. I'm really glad Yuna gave me my memories back," she settled into a comfortable position, snuggled against his side with her head resting on his shoulder. "Aincrad will always be a special place for both of us," she paused, "right?"

Kirito slid one arm around her waist and nestled his nose into her strawberry scented hair and took a deep breath, "always."

"And those feelings aren't in any way inferior to her version of justice." Kirito forced himself to shake off the memories that were bringing tears to his onyx colored eyes and continued to speak to Eugeo. "It's the same for me, I want to protect everyone in this world." And those in my world as well. I have to get back to her...

The amber eyed girl looked delightly at the little pixie sitting on her shoulder using the Augma and back at Kirito. Before with a smile she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him while the pixie hovered in the air and giggled in a childish fashion.

"Ew Mommy!"

"Hush Yui," a brown haired girl sighed and put her hands on her hips, "you two lovebirds haven't changed a bit since SAO now have you?"

"You… Alice…" Kirito swallowed the lump in his throat, All of them, and most of all… He could almost feel her slender fingers enveloping his and standing beside him, her power and speed backing him up and protecting him, just like always. She was always there in the back of his mind, appearing in his dreams of the world he vaguely remembered except those moments with her. He could recall every memory of the girl with amber eyes and caramel colored long hair with ease. Asuna… He thought the beautiful girl's name and his heart wrenched painfully, aching to be back with her, his everything. I promise I'll make it back… Some day I'll make it back to you, His sword glowed a little more, and he pointed it at the Integrity Knight, "I even want to protect her." But unknown to Eugeo he meant a different her alongside the knight.

Kirito meant the beautiful girl who in some distant world he knew was waiting for him, with their little AI daughter. Arms open lovingly to give him a hug, kiss, and an 'I love you,' when he returned. Tears stung at Kirito's eyes yet he looked back at his companion with a confident smile, "so right now, we can't lose to her no matter what."

"Isn't that right, Eugeo?" As Eugeo's look of timid confidence, Kirito faced forward and closed his eyes feeling his sword, and his bond with the weapon mixing together to release it's strongest attack.

Kirito could've sworn he felt Asuna's arms around him, one hand grasping the his hand around the sword hilt and her other wrapping around his body as his sword glowed further and the tears began to fall.

"I'm always with you… no matter what world you are in Kirito… I'm always there."

"Enhance Armament!" The words came out of his mouth in a calm yell, yet tears stained his cheeks as the sword skill, the strongest ability of his sword, activated. Leaving Kirito warm and comforted that Asuna, the Lightning Flash, Aincrad's Princess, Asuna Yuuki, and his fiance, was there in spirit, guiding him.


Other SAO Stories

I'll wait for as long as it takes Kirito ~ Kirito has decided after being in a party with her for a year, that Asuna's potential is limitless. So she needs to be with a guild, the new third guild called the KoB. But to get her there he may have to push her away to get her to leave him and join the guild. However, one sentence stops him in his tracks 'Because I love you! I love you much to leave...' (Kirisuna) (COMPLETED) (Sequel Completed) |I'll Wait Forever Series|

New Memories And Resolve ~ Numbed by rejection and heartbreak, Asuna is at a loss of what to do. So she makes the hard decision to follow Kirito's wishes and join the KoB, purely for his sake. However, Kirito wants one more day with her, a last day of making new memories and and giving her the strength to go on. "I care for you more than you'll ever know Asuna…" (Sequel to 'I'll wait as long as it Takes Kirito) (Kirisuna) (Completed) |I'll Wait Forever Series|

Stolen Kisses, Iron Resolve ~ After seeing Asuna change drastically to the point where he sometimes fears for her life, Kirito wavers in his decision. What it really a good idea to seperate when Asuna was so torn up by it? They both falter, and for a few moments it's like it's gone back to normal. Something happens and Kirito's resolve is strengthened to iron. But is it really for the best? To push her away only to be drawn back to her and have to push her away again? (Sequel to 'New Memories and Resolve') (Kirisuna) (In progress) |I'll Wait Forever Series|

Butter Knives and Togas ~ Argo needs info, Asuna and Kirito volunteer, they find out there's a reason no player escaped the dungeon, and it's a miracle Kirito can take his eyes off of Asuna at all. Plus the next boss fight is in two days, their inventories have been snatched, Kirito's wearing armor he can barely stand in, Asuna looks like an angel, and their armed with butter knives. Seriously Kyaba? (To be Uploaded) |I'll Wait Forever Series|

Please… Don't Do this ~ Asuna's had enough. The lonely and tired girl gazed below at the water from where she was sitting, was it worth it? And if so, what could change her mind? A boy from her past who's been looking for her since she beat him in a tournament two and a half years ago. 'I will NOT lose you! Never again!' Heavy AU (Completed)

The Hacker's Role ~ I unknowingly helped make the game unhackable from the outside, and now I'm going to make up for my mistakes. I wasn't originally trapped in the game, but now? Now I'm the mystery that keeps players alive. I was a Beta Tester alongside my childhood friend 'the Rat,' and now I'm nicknamed "the Hacker" or "AI." Why? Because in other players eyes, I can't be killed, so I will beat this game. (Collection centered around Caylee's involvement in SAO.) (In Progress)

Little Moments ~ "I belong in our little cabin in the woods with you and Yui, Kirito." Little moments in the world of SAO, ALO, and in real life with Kirito and Asuna as the main characters. Asuna and Kirito have gone through so much, but behind the scenes, they've gone through even more than what meets the eye. (In Progress)