Again, thank you all so much for reading this far! This is the final chapter that starts as mostly flashbacks before leading up to the present. It will take you on a bit of an emotional ride, but I pray you read through to the end, regardless.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online.


Chapter 3. Miracle

The wedding was held in the year 2031, in the springtime.

The church was an astounding cathedral with intricate glass paintings and chandeliers; every seat had been filled, and many guests had resorted to standing.

The cake had been an over-extravagant pastry that Asuna's parents had insisted upon, and though their daughter was not normally one to flaunt her family's wealth, Kazuto had persuaded her that it would be alright, just this one time.

The decorative flowers had been provided by a local flower shop that Kazuto and Asuna had been familiar with for years.

Family members they probably had forgotten they had attended the event, as did the eager companions the bride and groom had spent much of their time with in the past. Kazuto recalled greeting all of them: Andrew, Ryoutarou, Keiko, Shino, Rika, along with many other online friends who had gone to extended lengths in order to make the ceremony. Suguha had run around to speak to probably every person present, flitting from seat to seat like a hyperactive chipmunk.

He could still recall every second of that day exactly and remembered everything down to the tiniest details.

He remembered he had been wearing a tailored, black suit with a white tie, and he also remembered that he had been trembling like a madman as he waited at the altar.

He remembered when the entire room turned their heads in unison as the silhouette of an angel appeared from the back of the room, led by a quietly beaming father.

Kazuto had always known Asuna was beautiful. She was beautiful in anything and everything she did and in anything and everything she wore. She was the definition of beauty. Her caring disposition put saints to shame, her beaming smile easily overtook the sun, and even her tears were liquid crystals of the purest emotions, meant to heal the ground she walked on and make it easier for those behind her. She was a blessed angel incapable of human flaws, sent by the heavens to make this twisted world a little brighter, a little cleaner.

Kazuto knew all of those things to be true, at least to him.

At that moment, when he had locked his gaze upon her, clad all in the purest white, he was almost certain his entire life was nothing but a dream. Surely she was simply too good to be true?

A universal silence filled the room as she walked daintily beside her father, her white shoes tapping the only gentle sound as the world stopped and stared, utterly dumbfounded.

Kazuto felt his knees start to buckle and he hastily straightened himself, but did not allow his eyes to stray from Asuna; it was frustrating to sacrifice even the fraction of a second it took him to blink. Like many of the guests, he let his mouth hang open slightly as he took in her appearance:

Her dress was long and flowing, ruffles cascading down from her hips in a breathtaking pattern of waves and ruffles. The top half worked exquisitely to show off her petite, slim figure. Her slender arms were covered to the elbows in long, white gloves, her fingers folded graciously over a bouquet of pink roses. Her glistening chestnut hair was tied in a loose bun that still allowed some of her silky tresses to escape and pool over her shoulders. A diaphanous veil covered her head, but did nothing to shield her from the admiring stares of every person in the room. Her face was angled slightly downward as she gazed at the scarlet carpet she walked on.

Only when she reached the steps to the altair did she halt for a brief moment; her father stepped back, leaving her as the sole figure there.

Asuna slowly lifted her face, raising her shimmering caramel irises to meet directly with Kazuto's. He watched her, very nearly on the verge of tears, as she walked up to stand before him.

As the priest began to read, Kazuto felt lightheaded. He remembered having to repeatedly remind himself that he was actually being married to the love of his life at that moment. He remembered making absolutely certain that his voice rang out loud and clearly as he read his vows, and Asuna, too read hers with feeling and certainty.

And then, the question he had heard so many times before being asked at such a scene, during movies, on TV shows, in books...

Kazuto finally heard the words he would only get to hear once in his life as they escaped the priest's mouth. "Do you, Kirigaya Kazuto-san, take Yuuki Asuna-san to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, in sickness and in health, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

Kazuto forced the tremble out of his voice as he stared into Asuna's eyes and replied. "I do."

When the same question had been posed to Asuna, she had given the exact same response, with her eyes glittering, full of the deepest love, the perfect smile she showed becoming more and more familiar.

The rest of the world disappeared as they were permitted to kiss.

Asuna took that single step forward, closing the distance between herself and her new husband. Kazuto wrapped his arms around her waist as she embraced his shoulders, their lips pressing together more strongly and with more emotion than ever before.

Cheers erupted as every cheek became wet with tears, not excluding the bride and grooms'.

The warmth of that moment exceeded all others before it, and seemed to last an eternity.

He still vividly remembered how she had gracefully tossed the bouquet, pink flower petals showering down until, as fate would have it, they landed in the hands of none other than Rika.

He remembered how much he had cried, how much Asuna had cried.

He remembered the wonderful reception and all the people he spoken with afterward.

He remembered how he loved the feeling of being able to take Asuna back with him that night to their very own house. He had selected it especially because of the small forest beside it and a clear lake not too far off, as it resurfaced fond memories of their first home together on Aincrad's 22nd floor. It was a fair distance away from where they used to reside, but not too far.

He remembered the tenderness of their first night alone together as husband and wife, the comfort of being inseparable by the warmth that bound them together.

He remembered how, for their honeymoon, he had taken her back to America with him for two weeks. They had seen so many brilliant sights, partaken in various entertaining events, and indulged in countless diverse dinners.

He remembered coming back to Japan with her, back to their house, as the summer sun shown almost as brightly and strongly as their love.

He remembered the joy of waking up beside her every morning, of helping her prepare breakfast whenever he could, of kissing her goodbye as he left for work.

He remembered the hassled feeling of being at work, but would always perk up upon remembering that Asuna would be waiting for him at home that evening. The daycare school where she worked full-time allowed her to come home at 3PM, only an hour before Kazuto, therefore he went through each day savoring the feeling of eagerness to see her again.

Upon arriving home, he would hardly have gotten to take off his shoes before his wife, usually dressed in a blouse, skirt, and apron, came running up to him, always offering a gentle embrace. She would always say, "Welcome home" before proceeding to ask him about his day, while sharing tidbits of her own. She would usher him to relax for a while as she made dinner, and often times he did just that, but sometimes he insisted on helping her prepare the meal, and some nights he would just take her out to eat as a surprise.

Then, they would watch TV together as they got ready for bed, and would often just lay in silence and darkness, curled in each other's arms until they feel asleep together.

He remembered the exquisite apple, cherry, and pumpkin pies she baked in the autumn, as well as the delicious meats she prepared for Christmas and New Year's.

It was around February of 2032 when Kazuto began to notice the familiar longing in her eyes as she would speak to him about the children she took care of at the daycare school. And he remembered the small room in the house that had remained vacant since its purchase the year before, and he remembered how he had saved up a lot of money from his jobs in the past as well as his present one.

Therefore, on that Valentine's Day, Kazuto told Asuna the words she so longed to hear, and he had been waiting for so long to say.

"Asuna," he said after sitting her down on the couch beside him. "I love you more than anything, and I always have, but now... I think it's time to make something of our love." He covered her hands with his, stroking his thumb over the ring on her left finger.

"K...Kazuto-kun... do... do you..." she could not continue as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Yes." He nodded with a small grin. "Asuna, let's have a baby."

He remembered how she gave that perfect smile for the fourth time in her life before she shakily lifted her arms up. She was already sobbing before she could even pull him in, so he slid closer to her and held her for a long while.

He remembered the warmth of that night.

He remembered the warm, spring sunlight that marked their wedding anniversary.

And he remembered just a few weeks after that when he had arrived home from work and for the first time, had managed to take off his shoes completely before Asuna stepped up to him. He remembered how her hand shook as she took his and led him over to the couch without a word.

He remembered the anxiety and clash of emotions pulsing off of her as she squeezed his hands once they were seated.

He remembered the feelings of fear he felt for what he might hear, as well as the soothing shock as those fears were washed away when her trembling voice spoke in a whisper:

"Kazuto-kun..." she whispered, finally lifting her head and shifting her gaze from their hands to his eyes. "Kazuto-kun..." tears were running down her face again. "Kazuto-kun... we did it..." she began to sob uncontrollably. He remembered how the words she spoke next took his entire world and changed it forever. "I'm pregnant." She whispered gleefully, burying her face in his chest.

He remembered how he had held her again, tighter than ever before, as he too cried over her shoulder with a smile on his shaking lips.

He remembered the kisses they shared that evening, gentle and passionate, but all mixed with tears of sheer love and joy.

He remembered how, many nights after that one, he would sit on the floor as she sat on the couch, how he would wrap his arms around her slim waist and press his ear against her stomach.

He remembered hearing the very first sounds of his baby, and he remembered Asuna's amused giggles as the baby hiccuped.

From then on, every day at work was another reason to come home and embrace his beautiful wife, and every night was one that looked forward to a new morning to embrace her again.

All of that had happened only several months ago, but Kazuto still fondly recalled it almost every night now.

It was presently near the end of September the same year, and Kazuto was helping Asuna lie down in bed. She was seven and a half months pregnant, and her plump belly was rounder than ever. He still often teased her about it, to which she would usually pout before giggling.

Her due date was not until late October, but Kazuto was considering taking a break from work for a little while soon. Every day he went in, he was notably more and more jittery with a nervous excitement and an overall eagerness to return home to Asuna.

Their most recent visit to the doctor, Kazuto's old companion formerly known as Nurse Aki, had assured the couple that everything was fine with the baby and that it was due in several weeks.

It was the happiest and yet most nerve-wracking time in Kazuto's life.

"You don't have to dote on me so much..." Asuna pouted as he presently helped her lie down on her back.

"Of course I do." He scolded playfully as he fluffed her pillow. "What kind of a husband would I be if I didn't dote on my beautiful wife less than a month before our first child was born?" Although he was now 24 years old, and Asuna 25, it felt as if they were still teenagers sometimes.

He reached down and gently ran his fingers through her hair, a habit he had never let go of, and she sighed happily and closed her eyes.

As Kazuto got into bed beside her and turned off the light, he kissed her goodnight before settling down and burying his face in his pillow, his right palm firmly holding her left as she too drifted off into slumber.


Several mornings later, Kazuto was at work, busily working his way around some computer program errors.

He usually wore more formal attire than the black pants and gray sweater he wore today, but he had been unable to think such troublesome things through this morning.

The previous evening, after his return home from work, Asuna had absolutely no appetite, which had made him far too concerned to eat much of his own meal. Evidently, she had not eaten all day either, whereas up until that point, she had had a fairly constant appetite, with hardly any unusual cravings.

Therefore, he had felt that it was almost... too easy. Her pregnancy had gone too smoothly thus far; no issues whatsoever, no major changes in Asuna's behavior, and no arguments or spats between them over any matter, trivial or massive.

Kazuto had gotten the looming premonition that it was almost too good to be true, and last night, his fears had risen even higher.

Asuna had broken out into a cold sweat as she suffered from sharp pains, and Kazuto immediately rushed her to the hospital; he knew it was still weeks too early for the baby to arrive and the panic he had experienced at that time would have been powerful enough to shatter a mountain.

Once Asuna had been put into her room and examined, Doctor Aki informed the panicked husband that it had only been a bout of false contractions. Kazuto had insisted that Asuna stay the night, partially in hopes that Doctor Aki would disagree and say, "No, she's fine, she can come home tonight." However, to his despair, the woman who had seen him through some of his most terrifying days in GGO ended up agreeing with him that Asuna should stay the night "just to be safe".

Although she had said it with a small smile, there was something about the way she said it that made him suspect she was hiding some bit of information she did not want to share with him.

Kazuto had stayed in Asuna's room until 10PM, asking her repeatedly if she was feeling alright or if she needed anything, to which Asuna replied each time, "I'm fine, Kazuto-kun. I'm fine." She always said it with a bright smile that betrayed her exhaustion, and though seeing her that way made him feel a little more relieved, he still sensed there was something amiss that she was unwilling to tell him.

When he was forced to leave that night, he insisted to the nurses that he should stay, but for reasons unknown to him, they still sent him away.

He kissed Asuna for a long moment before parting with her, promising to rush back to her tomorrow. "No, I'll be fine. You should go to work tomorrow. I'll be here until your day is over and then, if Aki-sensei says it's okay, you can drive me home then." There was a calming reassurance in her slightly tired eyes, and Kazuto could do nothing but comply.

He had slowly driven home and gotten straight into bed, where he spent his first night as a married man alone and cold. He hardly slept that night and kept tossing over, mumbling her name only to open his eyes and find that she was not there beside him. It was the most horrible feeling he had ever experienced. Even worse than when her crazed tormentor Sugou had stabbed him in the arm and pinned him to the frozen ground so many years ago.

It was the feeling of missing that person he had sworn to stay beside forever, and even though the hospital was only a ten minute drive away, it felt like ten universes that night.

He had woken up, wishing it had all been a bad dream, but he still found no warmth beside him, not as he ate a flavorless breakfast, not as he sifted through his clothes and sluggishly got dressed, and perhaps worst of all, not when he put on his shoes and walked out the door.

It was presently noon as he sat at his desk, fiddling with computer wires, and although he felt the same strong nervousness he had been feeling for the past month, unlike the previous days, this time he did not show it. His coworkers knew better than to ask him about what had happened, as they could infer it must have been something about his wonderful wife whom he always liked to boast about.

That day was a cold one, and he felt that the unusually chilled temperature for the last day of September was a harbinger of some sort.

An hour later, his fears proved true as his boss suddenly called his name and rushed up to Kazuto's desk.

"Kirigaya-san." The man with the appearance of a plump lawyer addressed him. "We just got a call from the hospital." He was obviously fighting to control his voice. "You need to go see your wife right away."

Before the man had even finished speaking, Kazuto was on his feet, as if he had been expecting and waiting for the signal to rush out. Taking nothing but his car keys with him, he ran out of the office faster than he had ever run before.


Her hospital room was crowded with two nurses and another doctor besides Aki.

The four of them were bustling around the bed and mumbling to each other, often harshly.

"Asuna!" Kazuto came to a halt in the doorway as he stared inside at the borderline chaotic scene. Only Doctor Aki noticed him enter.

"Ah, Kazuto-san is here! Please let him through!" She ordered the others. He quickly darted over to the bed and nearly froze when he saw his beloved wife's face.

She was drenched in sweat and her chest was heaving violently, her body trembling. Her eyes only opened slightly when he reached her side and she fought desperately to get enough air to speak.

"K-Kah...zu...t...nngh..." she could not even manage to say his name before her breath hitched. Her body shuddered violently and she let out a silent scream of agony.

"Asuna!" He clasped his hands around hers, which were balled into tight fists as she gripped the bed sheets, her knuckles alabaster and drained of blood. "Asuna! What's wrong?!" He shouted, addressing the doctors, but with his eyes still fixed on his wife.

"We're not sure." Aki answered glumly.

"What?!" A mixture of fury and utter panic racked his voice. "What do you mean you're not sure?! You're the doctors, aren't you?" He felt the hysterics rising as he continued to look at Asuna, her condition worsening by the second.

"Kazuto-san," Aki said more quietly. "Her water broke just a few hours ago. It's far too early..." she sounded baffled and concerned, as if she could not explain such a crisis after Asuna had had such a healthy pregnancy.

Upon hearing her words, Kazuto squeezed Asuna's hands harder, pretending he had not heard such an outlandish statement. But as he looked down at Asuna, fighting the toughest battle of her life, one of which the difficulty and pressure he could not ever imagine, Kazuto could not deny that something had gone terribly wrong.

"What... are you saying...?" he muttered, his gaze still locked on his wife's face.

There was a brief moment of silence as he waited for a response. He heard a sigh ridden with indecision as Aki spoke again.

"Kazuto-san, we may need to perform a Cesarian section." She said in a thick voice. "But even then, I cannot guarantee the lives of either your child or your wife."

The world stopped.

At that second, he could physically feel the entire universe shift around him, swaying in and out of balance as it all teetered precariously on the borderline of reality, threatening to shatter at any moment.

He wanted to pretend he had never heard those words, but now that they had been spoken, he could not stop repeating them in his mind.

He wanted to go back in time.

He wanted to change whatever it was that had caused this.

He wanted to go back and make it so that he had never met Asuna, never gotten saved by her from Kayaba Akihiko, never gotten to fall in love with her, and never gotten her into such a situation.

There was a long moment as he felt his world begin to fall apart piece by piece, his eyes staring blankly down at the bed sheets as tears begged to fall but never managed to.

But then, just as always whenever he felt hopeless, a warm hand covered his gently.

He refocused his eyes and looked into Asuna's, shimmering with the same perseverance and love he had fallen in love with so many, many years ago. And although her breath was trembling and a searing pain ached throughout her body, her voice still managed to sound clearly.

"Don't... listen to them... Kazuto-kun..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "I... am determined to bring... our very first child... into this world... Our very first child... of this world..." she murmured, her thoughts doing the same as his as fond memories of Yui flashed through their minds.

"Asuna..." his voice was nothing more than a wisp of air, so he tried again. "Asuna..." he could not continue, and he leaned over and buried his face in her chest, her breath momentarily regained by some unseen blessing.

"I... will do it..." she promised. "If I'm with you... I can do anything..." the words rang a familiar echo in his mind as Kazuto forced the tears from his eyes, taking in her nostalgic scent, calming, even now.

"I know... you can do it." He sniffed. "But I'm sorry. There's still a decision I have to make." He kissed her cheek before straightening up, his hands still holding hers, and he faced the medial personnel.

"Aki-sensei." His voice was firmer now, more certain. "If you must go through with the Cesarian section, please do so. However..." he took a deep breath, tightening his grip on Asuna's hand. "However... if the situation arises where you must save either the baby or Asuna, please... save my wife." He requested.

It was undoubtedly the most painful thing he had ever had to say, and he heard Asuna make a sound of protest from beside him.

Aki stared into his eyes a long moment before she nodded once.

"H-Hold on..." Asuna cut in, panting heavily. "It's my body... I... I need to deliver this baby..." she huffed, her gaze flickering between Aki and Kazuto. "I... promised... that I would... no matter what..."

"Asuna." Kazuto's voice was gentle yet stern as he turned his full attention back to her. Tears were already streaming down her face, from all kinds of pain, and his tears began to fall one by one as he spoke. "You are... my most precious, precious treasure. You are my everything. I would... never forgive myself if I let you go on ahead of me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I would end up being... a horrible father to this child... and if I lose the both of you, I'll definitely commit suicide."

The doctors and nurses all gasped as the words escaped his lips, but he ignored them and went on, his voice a little softer. "I promised to stay by your side forever, and you promised me the same thing. I'm not about to let you break that promise, nor break it myself. This is the hardest decision I will ever have to make in my life, Asuna. But I... I can't lose you... I just can't..." his voice melted into the air as sobs choked his throat.

Asuna shook her head from side to side slowly.

"No... no... Kazuto-kun... I..." she wheezed.

"Asuna."

When he said her name that time, her eyes widened. Then, more tears overflowed as she closed her eyes, bowed her head, and sobbed. Her hand squeezed his again, and at that moment he knew that she understood; she would do the same thing if he were the one who might leave her.

A second of eerie calmness swept over the room, and Kazuto somehow noticed with vague shock that it was flurrying outside. Snowing? At such a time of year? How..?. But the disbelief of the almost impossibly abnormal weather then melted into a distant memory. Snow... as she lay in the hospital bed... as I held her hand... it's just like the first time I met her...

His reminiscences were abruptly cut off as a sudden scream reached his ears.

Asuna, who had been relatively still for the past few moments, had jerked forward, her eyes flying open as she gasped painfully. Her body began to shudder and convulse and the doctors began moving around, fetching supplies, and barking orders in constrained voices.

Kazuto only looked at his wife, his beautiful wife who, even now was giving her best, this time for the sake of their baby.

After several agonizing moments, the contractions became more and more severe, and it was torturous for Kazuto to watch Asuna's petite form being pushed to the limits as she continued to fight for breath. "Isn't there anything else you can do for her?" He asked Aki. The doctor briefly looked up at him and replied.

"We've given her all the painkillers and medication we could. Now it's up to Asuna-san." Kazuto must have visibly shown his despair, for Aki offered a quick smirk. "Don't worry. Women are far stronger than men. Especially your wife."

Kazuto allowed a small smirk of his own to form on his lips. "Yeah." He agreed, turning back to Asuna. "That couldn't be more true..." He reached up with one hand to caress her cheek, tucking a lock of slightly-frazzled chestnut hair behind her ear. Upon feeling his touch, Asuna seemed to calm down, just a bit, as she got her breath back. The heart-shaped necklace at her collar shimmered once.

She then inhaled deeply as if to announce her preparation for what lie ahead.

"This is only the beginning..." she murmured, probably softly enough that only he could hear.

"Yeah." He nodded with a tiny smile, kissing her cheek again. "But I know you can do it. I'm right here beside you, my love."

Kazuto stood beside the hospital bed as Asuna battled the contractions for over twenty, painstaking minutes. As each moment went by, Kazuto's fear increased more and more, and naturally, Asuna was beginning to tire quickly. But her eyes remained alight with the determination he recognized from so many past events. Yet this time, it was much more... terrifying.

"You see, Kazuto-san?" Aki had interjected. "That is the love of a mother for her child."

Kazuto had to admit he had never seen Asuna in such a way. Beneath the physical shudders, there was a calmness, a protective ferocity and passion that challenged all of fate's cruelest hands to be thrown down before her, because she knew she could shred them all apart.

After forty five more minutes, Asuna had significantly weakened, but still kept herself in the battle. Kazuto had begun to notice the extremely troubled looks of the doctors and nurses, and only a few moments later, a Cesarian section was ordered.

Kazuto grimaced as he continued to look down at his wife. Considerably enervated, she still managed to keep the fire ignited within her eyes, whereas Kazuto knew he would probably have given up hours ago.

From then on, he could only watch that light get fainter and fainter.

He longed to close his eyes and drown out her screams when the time finally, finally arrived, but he could not manage to look away from her. There was something deep within, no matter how fervently he tried to deny it, that told him this very well may be the last time he ever saw his beautiful wife, and he could not look away.

The room was filled with all sorts of noises, but all he could hear was a terrifying silence as he watched Asuna begin to wither, like a flower being repeatedly blanketed in unforgiving, freezing snow. Her breathing became feeble and her eyelids fluttered shut before Kazuto desperately called out to her.

"Asuna!" His voice was burdened with apprehension and panic. "You can't give up... You're almost there..." He saw her take a long, shuddering breath before she reopened her eyes to gaze up at him.

"I know... I won't give up... I'm just a little tired..." she wheezed, closing her eyes once more. Kazuto's heart trembled as he tried to call out to her again, but nothing sounded. "I'm fine." Her sweet voice soothed, and after a few more seconds she opened her eyes again and relief crashed over him. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't break our promise..." she panted.

Kazuto nodded and saw the small flicker of light in her eyes still struggling, but clearly on the verge of being extinguished, not by her own will, but simply from the inability to last any longer.

Kazuto was no fool, but as much as he wanted to deny it, he knew that if something was not done soon, he was going to lose her.

Fifteen more torturous minutes passed before Asuna closed her eyes again with a sigh.

She did not make any other sound, and her hand went limp in his.

"Asuna... oy, Asuna...!" His voice rose in hysterics as he saw her tense body relax, stop trembling, and become still. "Asuna!" He called again, but she did not open her eyes. As Kazuto felt hot tears spilling from his eyes, his legs began to tremble as his blood ran cold.

"Kazuto-san." Aki's voice caused him to slowly turn his body toward her, his hand still clasped around Asuna's. He just seemed to realize that the doctor and her coworkers were still in the room, and had been going through various processes up until this point.

She now cradled a pink blanket in her arms, and Kazuto stared at the light color with a blank mind.

The doctor's expression was taut as she spoke only two more words: "I'm sorry..."

He felt the world as it slipped off the edge into oblivion.

He heard the crashing all around him, saw the destruction in his mind, tasted the sour nothingness of the despair that swallowed him whole.

He could not form any words as his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, still holding his wife's small, pale hand.

The nurses and the other doctor stepped away as Aki came forward.

"We did everything we could. But we can at least let her rest with her mother."

As she placed the pink bundle between Kazuto and Asuna, he managed a single, strangled word,

"Her...?" he repeated, his entire body shaking as the tears finally poured down his cheeks. He looked at the pink blanket and saw a tiny shape within, much smaller than it should have been. Fuzzy black hair peeked out from the folds of the fabric, but ultimately, the shape was unmoving.

Tears continued to stream down his face as his mind began to process what had happened. My... my... daughter...?

Kazuto blinked more tears from his eyes until he could no longer bear the agony that seemed to crush his very soul. He cried out as he buried his face in the mattress, his arms shaking violently as his left gently encompassed his silent daughter and his right held his quiet wife's hand.

He did not know what was happening anymore, nor did he care.

He had lost everything precious and sacred to him.

He had no more reason to live.

His soul had no more reason to exist.

He continued to cry into the mattress uncontrollably, for how long, he did not know, until he felt the faintest touch on his hair, like a feather brushing past him. It was a familiar warmth, and a nostalgic scent bathed over him. Asuna...? He blinked his watery eyes up and saw her image, transparent and illuminated as she smiled sweetly down at him. Have you come for me, my love? Wait for me. I'll go with you. Then we can be together forever, with out daughter, too...

"Kazuto-kun..." he sighed as he heard her voice filling his ears and he allowed all strength to pour from his body as he continued to gaze lovingly at her image. The warmth encompassed him completely as she ran her delicate fingers through his hair.

A moment later, her transparent image overlapped and was replaced by another, warmer one.

It took him a long amount of seconds to realize that he was still alive, and that Asuna was calling out to him, not from the heavens, but from right beside him.

Her chestnut eyes were laden with exhaustion, her face drenched in dried sweat, her chest heaving softly. But there was a tiny smile on her face as she gazed down at him, gingerly curling her fingers through his hair, just as she had done so many times before.

"Ah..." his voice hitched and he tried again. "A...Asuna...?"

She smiled upon hearing him say her name and gave a small nod. He felt her other hand, still in his, squeeze his fingers a little, as proof that he was not dreaming.

There was an uncertain relief that crept over him as he looked up at her beautiful face, still glistening with the trails of countless tears.

Something within him that he had previously thought dead was resurrected then.

The corners of his lips curled into the beginnings of a smile, until he remembered the pink blanket before him.

"Asuna..." he whispered, defeated, as he lowered his gaze.

He was unimaginably relieved that Asuna had survived; his entire reason for existing had returned the second she had said his name. There was no doubt in his mind that if she had opened her eyes again after everything she had just been through, there was no way she was going to leave him anytime soon, and truthfully, he would not allow it anyway. Her eyes smiled back at him, confirming his hopes that she was going to be alright, that she was going to keep her promise and stay beside him until the end of their days, and beyond. In fact, he realized he should have known that she never intended to break her promise, even for a fraction of a second.

He was confused, initially on how she could still be smiling right now; of course she was happy to be alive and to be with him, but it soon became clear to him that she had fallen unconscious moments ago and must have amnesia of the events that had transpired for the past several hours up until this point.

Unable to speak, he directed his gaze to hers and then to the pink blanket, and Asuna's eyes steadily followed.

He heard her suck in a short, pained breath, but he could not bear to look at her face.

Slowly, as if on the verge of being petrified, Asuna tentatively extended her arm around the side of the baby opposite Kazuto's.

Her irises were wide with horror and grief as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. He had only seen that look on her face once before, when they had first lost Yui, who had vanished in Asuna's arms.

Trembling, alabaster fingers gently brushed over the fuzzy, black hair as Asuna took in her daughter's deathly silent state.

"No..." she croaked, grief welling up inside of her, lurching like the waves of an ocean. "No... this can't..." Her face contorted into an expression of ten times the pain she had felt during the labor. Her caramel eyes flashed with horror, guilt, heartache, and finally, an endless love that never got the chance to blossom.

"Asuna..." Kazuto forced his voice from breaking as he stroked the back of her hand with his fingers. He wanted to say something, anything, to try and lessen her unbearable grief, but he himself was simply at a loss for words at the cruel hand fate had dealt them.

He knew it was not Asuna's fault this had happened, but he also knew that telling her that right now would only serve to upset her further. He could only listen as her hopeless voice continued to spill out.

"No... I swore I would..." she hiccuped, her tone rising into a subdued shriek. "Our... our baby... our first child... in this world..."

Unable to go on, Asuna bowed her head over the pink blanket and wept, her body shuddering violently. Her voice then rose into a heartbreakingly agonizing wail.

Kazuto gently wrapped his arms around her and his daughter and rested his chin atop Asuna's head. It's not your fault. He willed her to hear his thoughts as tears began to overflow from his eyes again. You did everything you were supposed to. You did everything you could do. It's not your fault...

He stroked her long, chestnut hair down her back as they continued to sob for the loss of their baby.

It must have been hours they laid there, but when Kazuto raised his head suddenly, he saw that the doctors were still in the room with their heads bowed solemnly. Kazuto immediately directed his gaze at Aki, who instantly noticed the seriousness in his eyes, pushing past the grief.

"A-Aki-sensei!" He shouted.

He was sure of it.

It was no mistake.

"What is it?" The doctor slowly took a step toward the bed, but froze when she too heard what Kazuto had heard.

A breath.

A whimper.

That was all it had been.

But he had heard it, and so had Asuna.

The couple slowly moved back from the pink blanket as Aki peered over them.

Tiny, pink fingers that were balled into fists were clutching at the fabric.

Two, tiny caramel eyes blinked slightly open.

A tiny mouth had turned into a wide circle and hiccuped once before gradually growing louder.

She was breathing.

She was crying.

She was alive.

The entire room filled with gasps and exclamations of shock and joy. Asuna looked to Kazuto and then back down, as if asking him if this was real before gently lifting the baby into her arms. Kazuto pushed himself shakily to his feet long enough to sit on the edge of the bed beside her, wrapping both arms around Asuna and their crying daughter.

"She... She's alive..." Asuna breathed, large tears falling from her cheeks and melting away into the pink blanket.

Kazuto could not manage to say anything as he simply embraced her tighter, nodding his head vigorously.

"It's... a miracle..." Aki murmured. "That's all it can be described as." She addressed both the medical personnel and the couple on the bed. "Occasionally, an unresponsive infant will revive once they're with their mother, but I've never seen it take so long before and yield such results..." she was at a loss for words, it appeared, just as the others were.

Asuna and Kazuto smiled past their tears, gently stroking their daughter's hair and offering fingers for her to clutch onto.

"She has your hair." Asuna giggled lightly.

"And your eyes." He replied, fondly stroking Asuna's back.

"She's our little miracle." Asuna breathed a sigh mixed with exhaustion, relief, and the utmost love.

"She is." Kazuto agreed, wiping his face on his sleeve before he met his wife's gaze for a brief moment. "You were my miracle, Asuna. And you still are."

"And you are mine." She replied with a tearful smile.

Kazuto leaned down and kissed her lovingly for a long moment, and then gently kissed their daughter's head. Asuna did the same. "Our first child in this world..." Asuna murmured. "We'll need to think of a name. Our little princess..."

Kazuto looked thoughtfully out the window for a moment at the light snow falling so abnormally early for this time of year.

"Snow..." he mumbled. "Our little snow princess."

"But her hair is black, so she can be Snow Black." Asuna joked.

"I think that would be a good nickname," Kazuto agreed. "But for now let's just take our time to think of a name. We have all the time in the world." Asuna nodded once as he embraced her again, and she nestled her face into his chest. "You're an amazing woman, Asuna. You're the best wife anyone could have. You brought our daughter safely into this world against all odds, and you still kept your promise..." he whispered. "Thank you, Asuna. I love you so much..."

"I love you, too, Kazuto-kun."

For a long while, the family nestled into a warm embrace, and even their crying child seemed to sense the emotion, for she ceased wailing and instead hiccuped the equivalence of giggles.

"It's all part of of the biggest miracle of my life;" Kazuto held his daughter's tiny hand and smiled as he kissed Asuna again. "The miracle of loving you."


A/N: That was the most difficult thing I have ever had to write in my entire career thus far. It took so much time for me to think of the way to convey everything, so I can only pray you found it as I intended it to be.

If you have knowledge of Accel World, Kawahara Reki's work before Sword Art Online, this story is based off the popular, currently unofficial theory that Kuroyukihime (Snow Black) is the daughter of Kazuto and Asuna. This was why the dates were so troublesome for me to get right, to coincide Asuna's pregnancy with Kuroyukihime's birthday, Sept 30th. My intention was to tell the story of her birth but keep it as a great romance story between Kazuto and Asuna, one of my favorite couples of all time :'3

Thank you so much for reading my first attempt at a marriage, wedding, and family story. I've never written anything like it before, but I felt Kazuto and Asuna deserved it above all others.

Please review!