Rehab
A month has passed since the incident involving 300 former SAO players being held hostage in Alfheim Online. The lives of all players who survived the captivity were now getting back on track as they settled back into daily life.
Kirito greeted the receptionist at the hospital check-in with his usual welcome and grabbed his guest pass. He proceeded to the top floor where the other half of his heart waited. After awakening from the ALO incident, Asuna started her rehabilitation to get back into school and was making quick progress. She was placed into a new spacious room, where she started to spend her days regaining her strength and movement back. Her floor was absent of noise, save for the sounds of machines behind closed doors and nurses typing away at their stations. The top floor only held a couple of rooms where patients with wealthier backgrounds were placed and watched under a close eye.
The door slid open and Kirito entered. His eyes trained on the celestial being dressed in her white gown, sitting up in bed. Her chestnut hair flowed down her back with a couple loose strands here and there. Even with bedhead, she was the very image of beauty. Her head slumped over her hands that were folded in her lap, her eyes were downcast and a sadness was hidden behind those brilliant hazel eyes. Kirito was surprised to say the least. Usually Asuna was upbeat and cheerful whenever he visited but the girl before him was far from that.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Kirito asked as he walked over and sat on the side of the bed. His hand found its way to hers and interlaced his fingers with her bony fingers. "What's wrong?" Kirito asked, worried about the silence that hung in the air since he entered.
Asuna continued to look down "I'm just tired today," she responded very quietly. Kirito leaned in and tilted his head to catch her eye but she looked off to the side to avoid his gaze. "I don't feel like doing any of the exercises." Asuna said, sounding defeated and exhausted. Kirito shrugged and smiled, very careful with his next choice of words to not upset her.
"Come on, we can go do some easy practices today and be a step closer to you walking by yourself!" Every day since she awakened, Kirito had been right at her side. He was there to help push her and be the support if he needed be. In the past couple weeks, her diet returned and she was doing small exercises to build up the significant amount of weight and muscle she lost. Today, something was off.
"Kirito I just don't feel like doing any of the work today. Please go." Asuna said again, this time a little more demand in her voice. She slipped her fingers from his and returned them to her lap. She turned and laid on her side with her back towards Kirito.
"Asuna, really what's wrong? Did something happen?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and attempted to turn her towards him but she would not budge. "Asuna come on today will be easy. Only a little hardwor-" he was cut off shortly.
"KIRITO I JUST CAN'T TODAY. IT'S TOO MUCH FOR ME AND I DON'T WANT TO DO IT ANYMORE!" Asuna turned and yelled at him, her eyes starting to water. "I'M SICK OF BEING WEAK AND POWERLESS, I'M SICK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO WALK BY MYSELF, AND I'M SICK OF NOT LIVING IN AINCRAD ANYMORE!"
She couldn't contain herself anymore. Tears started to race down her face. She moved her hands to cover her eyes as she began to tremble and cry. Kirito sat stunned for a second. This was a side of Asuna he has yet to see. The girl in front of him was vulnerable and powerless and he was hesitant on what he should do. But deep down he knew. He knew because he loved and cared her better more than anyone. Wrapping his arms around her, Kirito brought her head to his shoulder as she continued to cry. He embraced her delicate figure and let her continue, holding her close to his heart. She finally responded to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself go. A nurse entered the room to find the source of the yelling and Kirito quickly gave her a quick wave of the hand to indicate he had it under control. She raised an eyebrow but finally retreated out of the room shutting the door behind her. Asuna continued talking in between sobs.
"I miss everything about Aincrad. I miss being on the front line. I miss the towns we visited and the lives we lived. I miss not having any real responsibilities. I miss Yui. I miss our cabin home."
Asuna broke down and told him everything that was troubling her. He continued to hold her and rub her back, trying his best to comfort her. She always tried to stay strong for the both of them, but it was too weight to bear this time. They sat there, embracing each other for several moments when Asuna looked up. Her amber eyes were red and wet as her sobbing died down.
"I'm sorry Kirito, it's just been tough ever since I came back. I just don't feel like I'm enough for you and I want to escape back to Aincrad where we can be together always and have our old lives back."
He reached his hand out and held her chin in his palm as his thumb wiped away the tears falling down her rosy cheeks. Something he has grown accustomed to was reaching out and being there for Asuna when she needed him most. If it was just listening to her or holding her or wiping the tears off her face, he would gladly do it. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes to focus on the warmth his hand shared with her.
"Not enough? Not enough for me? Asuna you are literally everything to me. You are the reason I survived those couple of years." Kirito said while looking into her eyes. For having dark black eyes, they sure showed a level of compassion that shouldn't be possible for a color that dark she thought.
"Asuna, you are the reason we escaped that game, you are the reason we progressed so fast. Yes, it's going to take some time for your body to build itself back up, but that is just fine. It doesn't matter how long, you just have keep going. You have an entire group of people waiting for you to recover, so it never hurts to reach out to us. We care for you and want to help." He wasn't one for speeches or advice, yet he knew what words to find at this moment for the person he cared for most. "If anyone can come out of this stronger than before, I know it's you." She continued to gaze into his eyes and soak in the words he showered her with. "If I tell you something promise not to tell anyone?" She nodded her head and smiled. "When I was going through rehab, I wanted to give up so bad. I wanted to lay there and sleep but I thought about how I wouldn't be able to visit you if I couldn't walk. You were the reason I pushed through the tough days." It never occurred to Asuna that Kirito probably went through the exact same situation, but he was alone when it happened. "And you want to know the worst part? I cried like a baby most of the days you were gone!" He said as he began to laugh. Asuna couldn't contain her laugh as she joined in and wiped some of the remaining tears from her eyes.
"I just feel like I need a break for one day. We haven't had a day just for each other in a long time" she remarked.
Kirito glanced out the window and what happened next surprised her. His gentle, loving smile turned into a mischievous smirk as he rose to his feet.
"That gives me an idea. Give me two minutes, I'll be right back." He said as he kissed her forehead and ran out the door.
A couple of moments later he walked in the room trying his best to conceal a smile. Kirito brought a wheelchair to the edge of the bed and patted the seat. Asuna looked down at the chair, puzzled what was going through this boy's head. "Come on, we're going on a small adventure." Kirito said as he helped raise Asuna out of her bed and into the chair. He handled her very cautiously but let her do most of the moving on her own. When she was settled in with a blanket across her lap, he took off towards the end of the hallway. A nurse in the hallway smiled and greeted the two. Asuna smiled and greeted her back. She couldn't help but notice that the nurse winked at Kirito as he strode past her and towards the elevator.
Kirito pushed the wheelchair into the elevator and slipped a key out of his pocket and into the "Employee Only" slot and turned it to "On". By doing so, he had access to any floor in the hospital but had his mind set on one certain location. He chose the button at the very top and watched the doors close as the elevator begin to rise to its destination. Asuna begin to question where their destination was set but he placed a hand on her shoulder and told her to wait and find out. The bell chimed and the doors opened to an empty gray room with a ramp and staircase leading to a door. He pushed her up the ramp and turned her wheelchair around at the door.
"Alright close your eyes for me real quick." He said through a loving smile.
"Haha okay, okay, fine." she responded and covered her eyes, going along with his game.
Asuna heard the doorknob turn and click as she was rolled back into a room much warmer and brighter. A couple of seconds later her wheelchair stopped and Kirito whispered into her ear.
"Okay you can open them now." Asuna slowly lifted her eyes to the sight before her and gasped. They were now on the roof of the hospital and she was turned facing the city. The night lights of buildings and neighborhoods were beginning to spring to life and the town was dazzling with color. She was in awe and looked up to Kirito for the reason of this trip, but his eyes were off in the distance. She followed his line of sight and that's when she noticed why he really brought her up there. The sun was setting and the sky was filled with gold rays and silk clouds concealing the colors of the last light. Only missing the floating castle in the distance, it resembled the last sunset her and Kirito witnessed in Aincrad. A very bittersweet memory for her, she couldn't help but feel the tears start to swell up in her eyes again. Kirito moved his hands from the chair and placed them on Asuna's shoulder as he also took in the sight. The last time the two were together during a sunset was when the world that they inhabited for two years collapsed in front of their eyes and they said their final goodbyes to each other, thinking it was the end. They sat in peace for a minute until Kirito came to the front and kneeled down, grabbing Asuna's hands.
"I love you Asuna, but it's hard for me to see you hurt. I don't want to ever hear about how something is too tough for you and you give up. You are the strongest person I know and you can do anything if you give it your all." Kirito interlaced his fingers with hers as he continued. "I longed for the day I could be with you again. It was so hard some days to know you were still trapped while I was set free."
Every night, Kirito prayed. He offered up a single prayer that never changed, Please save her for me. He did so through a heart that was split in two while he awaited the other half to return.
"But we're both finally back and it's going to take time to adjust I know. But even if things get a little tough, you have me, Lisbeth, Silica, Suguha, and... okay maybe not Klein, to help you out." He said jokingly. He gazed into those eyes he grew to love. "No matter what happens, you have to try and give it your all. Can you promise me that?" He asked with a reassuring smile. She shook her head as tears gathered again. Asuna grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into her embrace. She wrapped her arms around him as if she never wanted to let him go. Just like back Aincrad, during that last sunset they spent together, she felt the tears drip down her cheeks as she whispered into his ear while holding him tight,
"I love you. So very much."
The End.