Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online. I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic takes place after the first half of the Alicization arc so I suggest you not read any further if you have not seen the anime past episode 24 or read the LNs past volume 14 if you want to avoid spoilers. This story is also slightly AU-ish with differences from the original so please excuse any discrepancies with canon. That said, enjoy and please review!

An Angel Watching Over Me

"Eugeo…"

The blond youth slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying in a field of beautiful flowers as blue as the sword he once carried. The sky above him was also a mixture of dark blue and purple hues as well as dotted with millions of glorious stars. But the beauty of his surroundings was nothing compared to the blonde maiden hovering over him, her golden hair and smile as bright as the sun.

Eugeo smiled as he reached for his lovely companion. "Alice…"

Alice took his hand and placed it against her cheek. "Yes, it is I, Eugeo. You've finally found me after all these years…"

"I have? Where am I? What happened?"

Alice blinked and gave him a surprised look. "You don't remember, Eugeo? You've died. And now you're here with me in paradise. There's nothing that can tear us apart ever again. We'll be together forever, just like you've always wanted."

"I've died...?"

At first, Eugeo thought Alice spoke only in jest and closed his eyes as he tried to collect his thoughts and recall the moments that led up to him being here with his long-lost love. Images of a beautiful but deadly semi-nude woman with flowing lavender hair engaged in combat with a raven-haired youth dressed in black and wielding two swords that lasted only moments but seemed like an eternity, crossed Eugeo's mind. Eugeo knew this young man, had known him for many years. They had fought together side by side countless times, and the battle with the lavender-haired woman who had the face of an angel but heart of a demon, was the last they would ever fight together.

"Kirito…" he whispered as his memories came flooding back. The last thing Eugeo remembered was being gently held in the remaining arm of his best friend while struggling to keep his eyes open. There was still so much he wanted to say to Kirito but was not allowed the time. For as strong as Eugeo had become during the course of their journey, there was still a greater power he could not conquer.

"Yes…" Alice confirmed. "But do not fear. For you and your friend have emerged victorious against the evil pontifex of the Axiom Church. You've sacrificed so much, Eugeo, including your life, for your friends and countless other innocents. This is your reward, the happiness you've longed for but have been unfairly denied all your life."

"I see…so I have died and gone to heaven…" Eugeo mused. He knew he should be happy to be reunited with the girl he loved, to be freed from all of the world's pain and suffering forever.

But why then, did his heart still not feel at peace?

"Kirito…" Eugeo murmured as he recalled the image of his best friend, who pleaded with him to hold on a little longer as he tried to heal the horrific injury inflicted on Eugeo by Quinella, despite being in terrible agony himself from having his right arm severed from his body.

Eugeo gasped as a thought suddenly came to him. Did Kirito survive his injury? Had he been able to escape the Central Cathedral alive with the other Alice?

"Alice… what happened to Kirito?"

"He lives, do not worry."

Although Eugeo knew he should be grateful and leave it at that, for some reason, Alice's answer did not satisfy him. Sitting up, Eugeo took Alice by the shoulders and looked straight into her ocean-blue eyes.

"Would it be possible for me to see him?" he asked.

She looked at him curiously. "Why would you wish to?"

"I just want to know if he's all right. Please, Alice, if it's possible, tell me how to see Kirito."

Alice was silent for a moment. "You can see him, Eugeo, if that is your wish. But be sure it is what you really want."

Eugeo found himself slightly confused at his lover's words. But he could not feel at ease without knowing how Kirito was faring.

"I do…please tell me how…"

"It is easier than you think, Eugeo", she answered. "If you wish to see someone you know who is still living, all you have to do is focus your thoughts on them as intently as you can. Just remember that you can stay on the human plane for only brief moments of time."

"I understand. Thank you, Alice." Eugeo said as he released her and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, the blond youth pushed all other thoughts out of his mind and tried to envision his raven-haired friend.

After a few moments, Eugeo opened his eyes again and found himself in a small bedroom with only a few candles for illumination…

SSSSSS

Sleep did not come easily for Kirito nowadays. Ever since arriving in Rulid and moving into his new home on the outskirts of the village with Alice, he had often found himself dreading sleep because of the nightmares that would visit him frequently. And when Kirito wasn't having nightmares, he was haunted by dreams of the young man he had failed to save as well as dreams of being shunned by his loved ones back in the real world should he ever be fortunate enough to return.

Tonight, is an exception, though. Due to blood loss from his failed suicide attempt earlier, Kirito fell asleep almost as soon as Alice had left him in the living room to make dinner with Selka. The Zuberg sisters later found themselves unable to wake him to join them for dinner so they ended up bringing Kirito back to his room and putting him to bed to recover from his anemia with sleep. But Alice still made sure to save him some food should he wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

Not that Kirito would be making any trips to the kitchen for a midnight snack any time soon. For he was in such a deep sleep that even if the blond youth approaching his bed was still flesh and blood instead of a phantom, he would not be able to detect his presence.

"Kirito…" Eugeo whispered as his eyes wandered over the sleeping form of his best friend. He knew the older boy could not see or hear him but kept his voice low nonetheless.

Likewise, Eugeo also didn't expect Kirito to be the same after facing off against the pontifex of the Axiom Church. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his friend's current state.

As a former woodcutter, Eugeo had been used to waking up at the crack of dawn everyday and often found himself having to wake Kirito as well to prevent him from oversleeping. Especially when they were expected to be up early for work on the barn where they stayed briefly in Zakkaria and later for class at the Centoria Swordcraft Academy. He was also used to seeing his friend sleep with his limbs thrown about in happy, careless abandon, and often with his mouth wide open accompanied by a cute string of drool hanging to his chin that never failed to bring a smile to Eugeo's face.

But none of that was present now. Kirito had become a pale shadow of his former self and his position was similar to a body placed in a coffin for burial with the exception of his arms which laid in parallel to his sides. Not only that, the raven-haired youth appeared bloodless and the expression on his face was anything but peaceful. He was also noticeably thinner, indicating that he ate only enough to stay alive and functional, another contrast to his once-hearty appetite. When Eugeo noticed Kirito's lips starting to move, he leaned closer to try to make out what the older boy was saying.

"Eugeo… I'm sorry… I couldn't.. protect.. you..."

Eugeo frowned at the mention of his name. He had never known Kirito to talk in his sleep and certainly not in the manner that he was now. Only once did Eugeo hear such anguish and regret in his friend's voice and that was when they exchanged words for the last time before their tragic parting at the Central Cathedral in Centoria.

"Kirito… don't be sad. I'm right here watching you…" Eugeo whispered as he sat down on the bed next to his sleeping friend. "Even if you can't see me."

As he spoke, his heart was filled with pity. And longing to ease Kirito's pain, Eugeo reached out and gently touched his face. Or tried to, at least. Until he noticed that his hand passed right through Kirito's body, reminding him that he was no longer alive with the means of comforting his friend.

It's no use… I can't comfort him. He doesn't feel it… Eugeo thought in despair.

But that wasn't the worst of it. When Kirito finally shifted, he subconsciously moved one of his arms above his head on the pillow. And that was when Eugeo caught sight of a scar on the inside of Kirito's wrist, one that he immediately recognized as the work of a sharp blade.

The blade of a knife. Or more likely, a sword.

Eugeo gasped as realization dawned on him. "Kirito, no… you didn't!"

But there was no mistaking it. The reason Kirito was so sickly pale now was due to losing a vast amount of blood that came from trying to take his own life.

"Alice did tell you to be sure that seeing your friend was you really wanted, Eugeo…" a female voice said softly from behind him. "Now that you know, you will no longer be at peace."

Turning around, Eugeo saw Cardinal, also a phantom like himself, with a solumn expression on her face.

"Cardinal…what's wrong with Kirito? Why did he do this?" Eugeo demanded.

The child-like woman gave him an incredulous look. "I would think that it's obvious that your friend is suffering from grief. And anemia."

"Is it because of what happened to me? That wasn't his fault!"

"I agree, Eugeo. But Kirito himself doesn't see it that way. His pain runs deep. More than you can ever imagine."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that your friend has been a warrior longer than you think; he has fought many a battle before meeting you, lost other allies, and has many scars from his past which he has bravely endured until now. But even Kirito has limits as to how much he can take. Think about it, Eugeo: unleashing the power of just one sacred weapon is already taxing enough on the user's body. Imagine the strain that would come from doing so with two of them like Kirito did to destroy Quinella. That, combined with the anguish of losing someone he treasured was more than enough to break anyone's mind, body, and spirit."

As Cardinal's words sank in, Eugeo turned back to look at Kirito again. "This is my fault. I did this to him. Ever since the day we met, Kirito's always been there for me, taken such good care of me. If it wasn't for him, I would have lived out my whole life bound to my calling and never been able to experience the world outside my village. That's why, just once, I wanted to be the one to protect him. But I acted recklessly thinking I can destroy that monster, Administrator, alone. And in the end, my mistake costed us both dearly. I've become so used to seeing Kirito do the impossible that I often forget he's just as human and vulnerable as anyone else."

Cardinal gave a sympathetic smile as she approached Kirito's bedside. "You mustn't be so hard on yourself, Eugeo" she said gently. "While you may have made an error in judgment, your intentions were good. And you're not the only one who forgets that Kirito is only human; I often have as well. I'm sure you've realized by now that I've been watching over the both of you for quite some time."

"I have… Kirito mentioned it. Please tell me, Cardinal, will he be alright? I've always known him to be strong, always believed that no matter what happened to me, Kirito would be able to move on. But seeing him like this now gives me doubts."

"Its not impossible. But it will be a long and difficult recovery."

"Isn't there anything I can do to help him?"

"There… might be a way."

Eugeo stared at Cardinal before reaching out and taking the small child-like woman by the shoulders and discovered, to his relief, that he could make physical contact with her, unlike with Kirito.

"Is there? Please tell me how!" he pleaded. "I'll do anything to help Kirito; I just can't stand seeing him like this!"

Cardinal hesitated as if she wasn't sure how she was going to explain to the blond youth begging for her help.

"Normally, this isn't possible. In fact, if you were anyone else, it wouldn't be. But because you have a special connection to Kirito, you may be able to reach out to him in a way that no one else in our world can."

Although anxious and hopeful at the possibility that he would be able to help his friend, Eugeo was puzzled by Cardinal's answer.

"Our world? What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you've heard Quinella mention it, that Kirito is from the 'other side'?"

"Yes… I remember. I didn't understand what she meant by that, though."

"Well, to keep things simple, Quinella meant that Kirito is from another world. Literally."

"Are you serious?"

"I am. Have you ever noticed how exotic his looks are compared to people here?"

"Well, yes" Eugeo admitted. "But I've always thought it was because he was from another land."

"It is true that people with black hair and grey eyes exist in our world", Cardinal admitted. "But no one here has Kirito's sharp, slanted eyes. And no one else here possess the unusual words you've often heard in his vocabulary. Only people from his world would understand them."

"If what you say is true, then what connection could I possibly have to him as a native of this world?"

"That... might be a bit difficult to explain in a way that you can understand, Eugeo, but I will try."

"Please. I'd appreciate it."

"To start, our world was created by a handful of individuals from Kirito's world who copied the 'fluctlights', or, if it's easier for you to understand, the 'souls' of a handful of people there to create those who would become the ancestors of people in our world."

"And how do Kirito and I fit into this? Are you saying that everyone in this world are spawned from a handful of people from Kirito's world?"

"Not directly, but yes. It's a bit similar to a relationship between cousins. But you and Kirito are different, special to be more precise. I've suspected this when I first became aware of both of your existences but now, I am certain of it."

"Of what?"

"Before I answer that, let me ask you: have you and Kirito ever been told by anyone how strikingly similar you are despite having no blood relation? Have you two noticed a strong connection to each other in a way that you just can't explain?"

Eugeo was about to say "no" when he suddenly remembered that he had indeed heard people make off-handed remarks about how he and Kirito did look similar enough to be twins. In fact, with the exception of their skin tone, hair, and eye color, they looked almost identical.

"Well, yes", the blond youth admitted. "I just didn't think much of it until now. But when I first met Kirito, I did feel almost as though I was looking into a mirror at a different version of myself."

"I see. Well, what if I told you that your connection to Kirito is akin to that of a twin brother? And that his fluclight was used to create yours directly instead of you simply being descended from a person here who was cloned from another in Kirito's world?"

Eugeo found himself dumbstruck at the shocking revelation. "What are you saying?" he demanded. "That I'm just a copy of Kirito?"

The child-like woman shook her head. "Well, no, not exactly. While you may have been created from a part of Kirito's consciousness, his fluctlight, you still have your own will, memories, and life experiences as well as unique personality and characteristics. Do you understand, Eugeo?"

"If what you said is true, then who created me? And does Kirito know?"

"To answer your first question, I think it is likely someone from Kirito's world used his fluclight, possibly without his knowledge or consent, to create yours. As for the second question, no, I do not believe Kirito himself knows. At least, he's never given me any indication that he's aware of your true connection to him."

"I think I understand. But how can this connection we share help Kirito?"

"I'm getting there. Looking at him now, I've deduced that something must have happened back in Kirito's world to damage his fluctlight in addition to the physical strain placed on his body here by unleashing the power of two sacred weapons at once to take down Quinella. He has also suffered from a lot of mental stress as well. You can help Kirito repair his fluctlight little by little since you are the only one compatible with him. It just requires a bit of simple physical contact here and there like a brush to the cheek, for example."

"How can I even touch him when I don't have a physical body anymore?"

"You can't. You have to do it with your mind."

"I think you've lost me…"

Cardinal rolled her eyes before placing her hand on Kirito's face where Eugeo had failed to touch him earlier and, to the blond's amazement, successfully brushed Kirito's bangs aside as if she were just as much flesh and blood as he was.

"That's amazing!" Eugeo exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"Like I said: with my mind. Its not actually my hand touching him. I simply envisioned the act of brushing his hair aside in my mind and made the actual gesture to help me focus easier. I also imagined how his hair would feel between my fingers if I still had a physical body."

"Can I try it too?"

"Of course. But since its your first time, you may not get it right away so don't be discouraged. Like with everything, practice makes perfect so be patient."

Eugeo nodded and tried to envision himself holding Kirito's hand as well as imagine how it would physically feel before finally reaching out for his friend's hand.

It took three tries. The first two times, Eugeo's hand passed right through Kirito's before he was finally able to grasp it gently, the success bringing a smile to his face. What was that expression he often heard Kirito use?

"That's right! Kirito often said 'third time's the charm' when you fail to do something on the first and second try."

Cardinal couldn't help smiling as well. "I think that's a popular expression from his world. Looks like it holds true in ours too. At least with you, it does."

"Thank you so much; I can't tell you how much this means to me, Cardinal. Now that I can do this, I should be able to help and protect Kirito!" Eugeo said excitedly.

"You're welcome, Eugeo. Just don't get carried away and overdo it" she warned. "You don't want to frighten him, especially when he's still in such a frail mental state."

"I understand. I'll be careful" the blond youth promised before he noticed that Cardinal as well as their surroundings starting to fade around him.

"What's happening?'

"It looks like our time is almost up. As spirits, we are only permitted to stay on the human plane for limited amounts of time."

"Yes…that's right" Eugeo said before turning back to his sleeping friend. "I must go now, Kirito. But I'll be back, I promise!"

After Eugeo and Cardinal finally faded away, Kirito stirred in his bed and slowly opened his eyes. Without getting up, he brought his hand to his face before raking it through his dark hair. He didn't know why, but Kirito could have sworn that he felt someone brushing his bangs away from his face and holding his hand just a moment ago and thought it was Alice or Selka. But after darting his eyes around the room, Kirito found that he was completely alone and could find no sign that anyone had been there with him.

What was that? He thought curiously. When no answer came, Kirito came to the conclusion that he must have been imagining things and slowly went back to sleep.

Little did the boy know, was that he now had a beautiful blond angel watching over him.

A/N: I hope you like what I came up with. See you next chapter! This will be an on-going pet project for me so new fics will come up as ideas come to my mind. ;)