A/N:

I will be attempting to update every 5-7 days, but please don't get mad if I take longer than that.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters :( If I did there would be a lot more Asuna/Kirito fluff in Season 2. All credit goes to the creators of SAO and ALO.

"Hello to all MMORPG players! Make sure to get a copy of our newest featured MMO. It's launch time in stores is officially 15 minutes. Get in line to buy Guardians of Heaven Online before it sells out!"

The advertisement from the video game store was loud enough to hear all the way across the plaza. It made his eyes flit over to the colorful posters on the inside of the shop, before returning back to the menu.

Now, he thought, new MMOs were being made everywhere because of the Seed. It was amazing how much the virtual worlds had had expanded, and how the technology had improved. Now, you could even transfer a character from one game to another. In a way, he has made that possible by beating Kayaba Aikihiko.

"Kirito-kun, what are you going to order?" Asuna asked.

She looked much better than she had after first getting out of ALO. She was more healthy and happy, her face almost glowing with the bright aura she projected. He blinked a couple times, realizing he had not answered her question.

"I don't know, maybe a burger or something," he decided.

Asuna smiled at him before reaching across the table to take his hand. She brushed her fingers across the top of his hand gently.

"What are you going to order?" Kirito asked.

Asuna shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not really hungry."

Her eyes wandered away from his and across to the gaming store. Music was once again blasting from the speakers, but he did not recognize the song. However, he did see the wistful look in Asuna's eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, drawing her attention back to him. "Do you want to go?"

"Go where..." she trailed off.

Kirito nodded with his head. "Over to that store. They one you were looking at."

Asuna blushed a light red color. "N-no it's ok. You wanted to eat."

He smiled, amused by her blushing and stuttering. He understood why she would want to go in the store. Once MMO a player, always a MMO player, after all. Even if they had gotten stuck in a virtual reality for two years.

"Come on, let's go," he said, standing and offering her his hand.

She looked at Kirito with raised eyebrows, a small smile spreading across her face. Then, she took his hand and pulled herself up, taking a couple steps forward in the process.

"Thank you," Asuna mumbled, kissing his cheek.

He gave her a grin in return. "Anything for you, Asuna-san."

They exited the restaurant and walked across the open space holding hands. There was a huge fountain in the middle of the plaza, with children running around and playing in it.

Asuna's face lit up as she watched the little kids running around and laughing.

"I wish that Yui could join us in this world and not just the virtual one."

Kirito nodded. "So do I. And one day, she will. I know she will."

Finally, they were standing in front of the online game store. Asuna hesitated, holding onto Kirito's hand tighter. He reached for the door and opened it before pulling her into the shop after him.

They were immediately surrounded by colors and sounds. There were rows and rows of games, for both the amusphere and for regular consoles. There were also posters spread out over all the walls and windows advertising different games, some old and some new. In the corner, there was a group of kids playing a race car game together on a large monitor with multiple wires hooked up to it.

The wires and monitor reminded him of being in the hospital. Waking up and seeing all the wires attached to him had been terrifying; hearing the beeping of the machines, the whiteness of the walls. It had been even worse when Asuna was still trapped in the game. He looked away.

"Kirito-kun, come over here," Asuna called.

He looked around before finally seeing her on the other side of the store. She was looking at the rows of the virtual online games.

"Wow," Kirito said when he reached her side. "There are so many virtual worlds."

"Do you think some of them have floating castles?" Asuna asked.

He smiled at her. "I'm sure of it."

They spent the next half hour roaming up and down the aisles in different directions. He found out that the store also had movies for sale, not just games. He made a mental note to remember that, so he could check them out later. There were also bean bags and various chairs in the back to sit down on and watch tv. Finally, Kirito walked back to Asuna's side. She was studying the back of a game, reading its summary on the colorful cover.

She was so caught up in the description. that she did not hear him approach. Kirito wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Find anything interesting?"

She smiled, nodding her head slightly and humming in agreement. Then, Asuna handed him the cover of the game.

"Guardians of Heaven : Long ago, the human race was strong and had enough power to do anything they wanted. The humans were honorable and helped the earth and people around them. But, then some humans started misusing their power. They would fight and kill, taint the earth with blood. This angered God, so he took away the human's powers, and made them live ordinary lives. This is your chance to regain that power! Are you ready?"

"Guardians of Heaven Online," he mumbled. "GHO."

"Isn't this the game that was being advertised before? The one that just came out?" Kirito asked Asuna when he saw the featured sticker on the game.

"Mmhm," she nodded. "Do you think it sounds interesting?"

He could see the sparkle in her eyes. It was obvious that she wanted to buy or at least play the game. But he also knew she was too shy to admit it. Truthfully, he was also interested.

"It does sound fun." Kirito hesitated. "How about we buy a couple of copies. That way we can play, and so can our friends. I'm sure Sugu-chan would want to."

Asuna beamed at him. He took six copies; one for him, Asuna, Sugu, Klein, Lizbeth, and Recon. He decided not to buy copies for Agil and Silica because, most likely, they would not leave ALO. Of course everybody else was not going to try out the game, but it was better to be safe than sorry. That had been an important lesson he had learned in Sword Art Online.

He paid quickly, refusing Asuna's offer of money for some of the games.

"It's our date, so I'm paying. Anyways, I've been doing jobs around the neighborhood and saving up cash, so I have more than enough money to pay," he said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

Kirito leaned over and kissed her head gently before slipping his hand into hers as they walked out the door.

"Do you want to head back to my house? We can log in and tell our friends what we found."

"Yes!" Asuna beamed.

They left the mall and started the short walk home. Even though both of them could drive since they had their licenses, they chose not to. Many SAO survivors also did not drive. He guessed getting stuck in a game with no electronics or vehicles for years changed something in them

Soon, they reached his house. Asuna ran forward and pulled open the door before dashing inside. Kirito laughed and followed her up to his room.

She had already put both of their amuspheres on his bed, and was sitting waiting for him. He placed the bag full of games in his desk, then proceeded to lie down next to her.

They both put their head gears on at the same time.

"Are you ready?" Kirito asked.

"Of course," Asuna answered, reaching over to take his counted in sync so they could go at the same time.

1... 2... 3...now

"Link start!"