AHHHHHHH! I AM ALIVE!

A/N: But seriously, it's wonderful to actually be back on my account again. Life has been more than eventful for me. Dealing with graduation, managing time with friends, trying to contact recruiters and schedule meetings, trying to get a summer job in a jobless area. Life is one of the reasons why this chapter is more than a week or two late. The other reason is my crippling laziness and lack of motivation. I'd been dedicated to this story for the first two chapters. But finally getting down to write it, typing out chapter 4 didn't feel quite right. It's just this unnerving feeling in the back of my head that the story will not be as great as intended. As if it seemed a much better idea in my head. You know what they say though, a little hard work can get you anywhere. So maybe a bit of work and dedication and I can finally get this titan of a planned out story into readable format!

Apologies, again, for the delay. I originally planned to have this released BEFORE the Season 2 premier came out...WHOOPS! I kept kicking myself over and over, screaming that I should dedicate more time to the story than being lazy or playing Borderlands 2. I have an addiction, I swear. So when I finally tried to get the creative juices flowing again, it turned into me having Microsoft Word open and me juggling through Youtube tabs, not working on the story. Long story made short, more summer time will go into this than useless things. You can't make me stop playing Borderlands though...Borderlands is life!

Bleh, bleh, bleh. Sword Art is great. Season 2. Kirisuna 5ever. Fanfiction stuff. OKAY! Enjoy your feature presentation everybody.

Disclaimer:I do not own the idea nor the series. Reki Kawahara is the sole owner of the Sword Art Online series. This is a fan made, non profit property using the ideas presented in the light novels and anime. Please support the official release.

4 – Alfheim 1: Beginning of a Journey

Down the abandoned market streets, our footsteps melted into an uneven beat as one. Originally, I meant to walk both Asuna and Sugar home. But, after the meeting, Sugu insisted she'd be fine walking alone. I got the hint. Now the long trek home consisted of me and her. «Lightning Flash» and «Black Swordsman» together again. Right as we exited the café, my hand found hers almost immediately. The warmth and familiar sensation of her hand felt welcoming even after so long. But when I looked over, Asuna appeared either tired or deep in thought. We haven't even said one word since leaving the café.

I gently squeezed her hand once to get her attention. "Asuna, are you alright?"

Asuna responded without breaking her look of idle concentration. "I'm fine, Kirito-kun."

"Well, we haven't said anything for the past few minutes. And you seem to have something on your mind." Her face didn't change, only her gaze that remained fixed on the road.

"I'm just thinking, about before the meeting, what we planned to do on Alfheim."

"You mean visiting Yui?" With all the chaos Lykos dropped on us, I nearly forgot our promise to visit Yui today.

"Yeah. This feeling that we let her down, I just can't get away from it." Asuna stopped in place as I followed a step after.

"Asuna?" We were still connected by hand, though I noticed her grip wasn't as strong.

"I can't help but worry. Not only did we let Yui down, how are we going to explain this to her?" She wasn't upset. She only stood there with eyes closed. The idea had not shaken just her. I began to worry along with her.

"Asuna. Even if we broke our promise with Yui, we just have to find a way to make it right. This 'Lykos' business will be over before we know it. Our little family had nothing to fear before and it won't after." With my off-hand, I grasped Asuna's free one and held them tightly. Her head rose and our eyes met.

"Maybe we will find a way. Yui is usually quick to forgive." She giggled lightly from her comment before her voice tinged with worry again. "It's just after…'him', I don't want Yui to think our life is just fighting to save each other all the time."

I knew what she referred to when she said 'him'. Yui had been, thankfully, absent during the entire event. Though she gathered a long time ago that «King Oberon» was simply a mask, hiding a heartless man with no regard for human life..

"Yui would never think like that. She's quick to jump to conclusions, but there's one more thing we know about her. She's always believed in us. Every time we faced an enemy, she knew we fought for each other. She believes in the family as much as we do. We have to show her that Lykos isn't an actual problem. Then we can return to living in peace."

Asuna's chestnut eyes showed understanding and gained that certain fire to them again. "If we can find a way to make it up to her, it will be tomorrow."

"That's the spirit!" My right hand shot up to pat her on the head. Asuna started to laugh and shook my hand off, choosing to grab and drag me off by my other hand. Stumbling and laughing, we walked the rest of the way to Asuna's house like the happiest pair of idiots ever.

Kirito and I shared one final kiss before I made a dash for my door. Not having his presence around made me feel as if something was missing every time. Reaching the door, my mind blanked and started to remember how much trouble being out this late could get me.

'My parents! I never told them! It must be past nine at least!'

My breakdown lasted for a few seconds before I took deep breaths and calmed myself. What I needed to do required the utmost amount of concentration. I have to sneak past my parents. Quick and quiet. Steeling my nerves and taking one last deep breath, I pushed against the door gently. As it revolved outward I locked and squared my feet. Taking one slow step forward after another.

The foyer of the house was rather long, leading to two split areas and to the right a spiral staircase, the 'mission' objective. It was elegantly decorated, pearl white tile floor with paintings lining the wall and two cabinets with statues flanking the door. Ahead lied the living room and beyond that the kitchen. To the left, our formal dining room usually reserved for dinner with guests or special occasions. I heard from the living room the sound of the TV. They were watching the news, probably waiting to punish me for curfew. All I had to do sneak to the right and I'd be able to get to my room. But the temptation became too much and I couldn't help unconsciously creep across the foyer.

Pressing against a section of the wall I began sliding closer to the edge, anxious to find my parents waiting for me. My upper body titled forward, the crown of my head passed the lip followed by my eyes. The glow of the TV had been the only thing illuminating the room. The outline of my father's head clashed against the block shadow of the couch. His head remained motionless which got me needlessly curious. Rounding the corner, I deftly approached his back. Any sound now would get me caught for sure. Crouched behind one of his sides, I leaned over as carefully as I could to find him…asleep.

The light from the TV highlighted his shut eyes and mouth slightly open. Whatever sounds came from the TV masked his faint snoring extremely well. He must have recently come home from one of his mandatory 'retired business meetings' with his briefcase cracked open and paperwork spread along the cushions. I almost broke into laughter right there until it hit me. I forgot my mother had to be home as well.

Scrambling behind one of the couches arm, I huddled against it and stared into the doorway leading to the kitchen. With only one light on in the kitchen, I barely made out the shape of my mother, her head down. Coming out from my hiding place and creeping into the kitchen I realized my parents were one in the same. My mother's head lying on her arms with paperwork scattered everywhere on the kitchen table. Overworked and sleepy. With a big smile on my face I retraced my steps carefully back to the stairs. As I started to climb I couldn't help thinking how lucky I'd been.

'Sweet dreams, Mother, Father.'

Walking to my room, I noticed my room looked exactly how I left it. Lights off and leading into a dark room with the door left slightly open.

'If they haven't checked, I can say I went to bed early. Perfect!'

Slipping between the door space, I started to take my coat off and stare at it. The white and red color design of it seemed way too similar and weird.

'Of course, out of all the coats I own, my hands grabbed this.'

Hanging my coat in the closet left me in my comfortable blue sweater and orange skirt. After everything that happened today, it left me exhausted. Snapping my focus toward my bed, what I saw made me debate going straight to sleep. The NerveGear helmet had been exactly where it had been this afternoon, resting on the bed and still plugged in. Thoughts of Yui-chan raced around against thoughts of sleep.

'Will Yui-chan still be awake? What if she is? Would she be angry? What can I do for her at this time anyway?'

My mind shifted back and forth between helping Yui or helping myself to sleep. I cleared my head and made the choice. Yui-chan always came first regardless.

Heading straight to my bed, I dove for my NerveGear helmet. Surprisingly, after the stress of the SAO incident and events of ALO, my parents had been worn down to the point where they gave in to most of my requests. I had been allowed to keep it as a memento of sorts. But I honestly wouldn't be shocked to find that SAO survivors like Kirito and I still used theirs even after the mandated destruction of the helmets by law. My parents this whole time understood only bits and pieces of what truly happened in both Aincrad and Alfheim. All my parents knew is that Sugou had masterminded the plan which Kirito had a hand in stopping. That and bits of my imprisonment and rescue. That was all they needed, and what I wanted them to know.

Placing the NerveGear on my head, the familiar feeling of it sliding and fitting around my head followed. Switching it on, multiple lights crowded the display at once. The helmet display was never designed to blind the user, but stalking through the dark for half an hour didn't help. My eyes slowly adjusted to the bright lights until I could see again. In the bottom right of the visor display it showed the current time. 10:23. If I was lucky, or unlucky, maybe Yui had stayed up. Even if she didn't need it, Yui found it comforting to set a sleep period for herself. The one overnight session of Alfheim we did have I remember tucking her in around 10:30. I had to see for myself.

The only other two items on display showed the helmet's battery power and the program currently loaded. Alfheim Online. I said the activation phrase my NerveGear needed to take me there.

"Link start."

The feeling of a FullDive always felt weird. Like my brain was being used in a game of catch down a hallway. It didn't take long to go through the login process until my eyes opened to streetlight covered roads. «Yggdrasil City». The Land of Fairies.

At this time, the streets of Yggdrasil were mostly empty. A few players passed by me, already preoccupied with their own business. Looking down made me realize my undine avatar logged in on a bench in a park somewhere near the town center. After the three hundred players, and me, were released from Alfheim the news of the world tree questline being an unbeatable fake surfaced. Inside the tree had been stripped of enemies and traps. The tower I had been caged in for so long left a hollow tree. Eventually, groups of players got curious about what would be done with the empty space. The Ymir company programmers decided to place a new sparkling city atop the barren little tree. It just became player opinion that this city would be labeled the new capital city.

And what a capital city it became. Any new player that leaves their home city to pass through here could tell. The amount of player and NPC run stalls, shops, inns and other services were amazing. Enough to make heads spin. The way Yggdrasil is illuminated at night, here in the very center of the world, attracts all players. Like a torch cutting through the dark, leading everyone with the promise of safety.

My thoughts came back to me after a bit, remembering why I came here in the first place. Logging in one of Yggdrasil's parks left me comfortably close to our rented home. An inn room with cozy lodging and prices that we knew would hold us. At least until we fought our way to the 22nd floor of New Aincrad. Where our real home stood waiting. But, the inn would be enough for now. Sitting up slowly and taking a moment to get reacquainted with my virtual body, I set off for the inn. Turning street corners and cutting through alleyway shortcuts, I found myself in front of «Sanctuary Inn» in less than ten minutes. Home, for now.

The inn's door creaked for almost no reason. Stealth in real life meant keeping footsteps light and being out of sight. Stealth in-game uses algorithms and calculations for everything you do. Which basically means a low stealth skill like mine never succeeds, every single thing makes a noise no matter what. When the door opened wide enough, I decided to peek in. Out of the two beds in the moonlit room, one had someone lying in it. It wasn't hard to figure out who.

Opening the door I walked past the closest bed to the second one with Yui's sleeping figure. I sat down on the edge of her bed and started watching her. Even if she is a program, she'd often do this when we were on long enough or slept overnight. Her body went into a 'sleep mode', turning off unnecessary processes and appearing asleep. She usually does this on a set time from eight to ten hours. During that time Yui becomes harder to wake than a normal human. Sound? If it's loud enough. Heavy motion? Shaking her awake can instantly force Water? Maybe. But if Kirito, or anyone, were to try that they wouldn't have hands to hold a bucket of water anymore.

The thought made me giggle before I went back to watching over Yui. She always seemed so peaceful this way. Her eyes gently shut, relaxed with her mouth slightly open. Peaceful and naïve, like any other child would be. Even after we found the truth in that first floor dungeon in Aincrad, I never thought of her as an A.I. She had always been so small and filled with joy. Childlike wonder that never stopped. So much like a normal little girl. Our little girl.

Stray hair fell in front of her forehead. My hand followed, carefully pushing it back into place. She barely stirred. Always so peaceful. My little angel. Yui distracted me so well that when the guilt caught up my hand froze and pulled away from her. It stayed there, suspended in the air while my regret returned.

'I'm so sorry Yui, I broke our promise.' Remembering that made me feel terrible. The smile I had from watching Yui turned into a frown. Letting Yui down like this is a feeling I never wanted to experience again. A wrenching feeling which made me feel worse about disappointing her. From that feeling, a small thought forced itself to the front. Words began to echo through my mind.

'We'll find a way to make this up to her.'

Those words halted that building emotion from bringing me to tears. I couldn't wake her up no. I didn't know how to face her so soon. Though an idea of how to begin apologizing gave me a place to start. Standing up, my eyes darted to the window outside. Even though it was eleven, in Alfheim time almost never synchronizes with real life, outside it must have been five from the small sunlight over the horizon. Hopefully this gave me enough time.

My eyes wandered over to the other side of the room. A few cabinets and a stove set against the wall. A feature of renting one of the biggest rooms at the inn. Now I'm glad we have it. I'll be using it.

Picking up my feet, I bolted for the door. In the hallway, I turned back to take one last look at Yui still asleep. Then I shut the door and started down the hallway. Rushing through the ground floor of the inn and nearly taking the front door off. Out in the middle of the street, my brain turned auto pilot on as I sped off, rounding street corners to Yggdrasil's marketplace.

Thanks to my AGI stat, speeding through the streets took no time at all. The fact that I knew exactly where to go helped as well. There I stood in front of the bustling marketplace. A huge part of the city that starts at a fountain circle full of stands, leading into a street with side-by-side storefronts and even more stands. Most are player owned, but the NPC run businesses are still left here and there. Setting off again, I ran straight past several stores before skidding on my heels to a stop in front of an NPC grocer stand. Though player owned grocery stands are better and more common, most would be closed at this time anyway.

Approaching the stand, I remembered the only downside of an NPC grocer is the fact the system forces shops to sell lower quality items. With the money I had left buying the better quality stock would be no problem for me. Already, the recipes and ingredients formed a list in my head.

'I know exactly what to make for you, Yui-chan!'

With a nearly full inventory, I sneaked back into our room with Yui still fast asleep. Heading over to the small kitchen area, I stopped in front of the countertop. The countertop being the perfect area to work on Yui's surprise. Swiping the air and opening the menu system, my fingers found the Inventory tab, summoning two bags filled to the brim with food. I started to unpack the bags with all the ingredients I needed. Unfortunately the quality rating of ingredients available from the NPC grocer came to three out of five stars. Which didn't worry me at all. Yui-chan wouldn't mind what the system considered 'average' if it had been homemade. With my mastered cooking skill, maybe I could convince the system to give me a 4-star quality dish.

Laid out in front of me is a collection of vegetables, meats, and essentials. Bread, lettuce, tomato, onion, chicken, ham. Of course, I didn't forget about what I needed for my secret spicy sauce. No matter how many times Kirito made up for it, I'd never forgive him for getting Yui into spicy foods.

From my inventory I pulled a kitchen knife. It was funny to hear how some desperate people used their swords back in Aincrad to cut up food. These knives existed for a reason. Though cooking in VR games wasn't that challenging at all. A single tap and the system mapped it out for you. Everything nice and ready to make one sandwich. Once all the ingredients had been shuffled together the sandwich went into the oven. Twenty seconds later and Yui would have a toasted homemade sandwich by me.

During those twenty seconds, the oven gave off the scent of it baking. The system did it's best to replicate the smell of bread being toasted. The system did a good job, it smelled delicious. I got so lost in it, until I thought about Yui. Can she smell it too? What if that wakes her up?

I spun around in fear that she did. Her body lying in bed like before, quiet and still. My smile came back and I kicked myself. Full sleep mode means full sleep mode, Asuna you dummy!

Going back to the oven, I opened the door. Sliding the sandwich out onto a plate, it had been toasted to perfection. Examining my work, I read the text box that told me just how well I did.

_._._._._._._._._._.

Toasted Sandwich

+Warm: +20% HP

_._._._._._._._._._.

The game gave me my four stars after all. Allowing myself a small moment of pride, I almost forgot that I still needed to add something else. Inside one of the cabinets I left a small glass filled with an orange-red sauce. My own spicy recipe. Thankfully, Aincrad and Alfheim sharing the same mechanics meant an almost identical cooking system. So when it came to the recipes and sauces, I may have gotten slightly carried away…

A few splashes of the sauce on the sandwich later and the text box changed.

_._._._._._._._._._.

Toasted Sandwich

+Warm: +20% HP

+Spicy

_._._._._._._._._._.

The heat bonus from the dish didn't matter since Yui had no need for HP. But a warm meal is always better than a cold one. The final touch, wrapping paper. Players usually buy this so heat bonuses stayed over long journeys. I figured a warm sandwich could be a nice surprise for when she wakes up.

Combining the wrapping paper and sandwich left me with a wrapped plate. Perfectly saved for when Yui would wake soon. I placed it on the table, taking another look at Yui. The sandwich was done, but it needed something. I had an idea. Searching the room, I found note paper and something to write with. When I was done, I propped the message against the dish.

Walking to Yui's bedside, I made sure she was fine one more time before leaving. Leaning over, I softly kissed Yui on the forehead. She stirred slightly before relaxing. Quietly, I snuck back over to the door.

"Sweet dreams, Yui-chan." With that, I shut the door. Eager for the adventure to come for the first time since the café meeting.

(Real Life, May 21st, 2025)

Kazuto awoke to the feeling of heat on his face, His eyes blinked open to the rays of sunlight that streamed into the room.

'I need blinds, heavy black ones.'

He rolled his body over to the left, burying his face into his pillow. Plans of getting back to sleep suddenly interrupted by a wave of memories from last night. Tonight, they promised to dive into Alfheim to test Lykos's game.

Throwing the covers off, he groaned as he pushed himself upright. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Kazuto thought it was too early. Today and tomorrow would be the only two days he would wake up at seven. If they finished Alfheim by then, Sunday gave him plenty of sleep-in time. The aroma of breakfast drifted into the room and gave him a reason to start the day.

"Must…get food."

Kazuto pushed himself up and stood on shaking legs still asleep. He stayed standing for exactly three seconds before he felt his legs become jelly, falling backwards onto the bed again. With eyes shut and letting out a long groan, Kazuto knew today would be a long one.

The lunch bell signaled the end of class. Asuna being the closest to the door gathered her things and waited outside the room. Kazuto waded through crowds of students and followed her out of the room, settling in by her side as they walked down the hallway.

"These classes never seem to end." Kazuto muttered.

"I can tell. You almost fell asleep on your desk a few times. Did you get any sleep last night?" Kazuto noticed Asuna seemed less energetic than usual, but he decided to answer her question.

"A little, but I feel I should be asking you that."

Asuna thought about whether to tell him about last night. She answered with a cryptic, "Long night, like yours…"

Kazuto gave her a heavy stare with tired eyes. "I'm fine with sleepless nights. I'm used to them from late night gaming sessions. But when you aren't sleeping right, you know I worry." Kazuto's face softened. Asuna felt slightly guilty about this.

"I'm sorry. Last night was just so hectic and tiring." Asuna's stared at her feet in embarrassment. Kazuto decided to stop scolding her over something she couldn't control. Changing the topic to something pleasant. "At least we have lunch."

Asuna almost stopped completely. "Right…about that…" Yui already eat hers by now. She hoped it was good, because making her sandwich left no time to prepare their lunch in the morning.

"We do have lunch…don't we?" Kazuto stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.

Asuna nervously shifted back and forth."Well…"

Kazuto dropped his bag and latched onto Asuna's shoulders. Somewhere between upset and crushed, he shook her hard enough to make her almost lose balance.

"Asuna, why? Tell me it isn't so. Tell me I won't have to go a day without your heavenly cooking!" Her eyebrows twitched slightly at his over-reaction. Anybody left in the hallway stopped to watch and laugh at the couple.

"Kirito-kun, people are staring, come on." Asuna awkward broke away from his death grip and dragged him down the hallway by his right hand. An annoyed frown and blush on her face.

Ignoring the hallway that led to their usual spot outside, marching toward the cafeteria instead.

"We're not even going to our spot. The turn was back there!" The effort of dragging Kazuto left her tired and his whining didn't help.

Asuna scolded, "Well, since I don't have our lunch today, we'll just have to try our luck in here." She pushed through the cafeteria doors while Kazuto stumbled in after.

The cafeteria is never quite full during breaks. Most students choose to eat somewhere else or use it to talk with friends. So when Asuna and Kazuto walked in the room, the cafeteria wasn't exactly bustling with activity.

"Hey!" A loud shout from across the room caught their attention. It wasn't hard finding anybody through the small crowds of students. Rika waved them down as Keiko ate her lunch in the seat to her right.

"She yells louder than Gleam Eyes roars." Asuna smiled at the quip and lightly punched him in the arm. Rika wouldn't give up in trying to get their attention, so they were obligated to sit with her this break.

Walking up, Rika slammed her hands on the table, leaning forward with a grin. "Well, well. Mr. Kirigaya and Ms. Yuuki in the flesh. How nice of you to join us this evening." Kazuto and Asuna claimed the last two seats at the four seating table while Keiko shook her head at her friend's teasing.

"It's not like we left you completely. We have a few lunch spots we like. And Kazuto and I bring lunch…which I happened to forget bringing today." Asuna coughed that last part out and looked away quickly.

"Oh ho ho! Our love birds lost their nest and their food!" Rika's smile grew as she leaned over the table, getting dangerously close to their faces. She settled back down and dropped the jeering act. "It's fine. You've become a fan favorite among some of the students. They started placing bets on thing like when you would eventually buy lunch in here or what cute little things you guys would do together. Maybe hold hands, a quick peck on the cheek, that sort of thing."

An eyebrow shot up on Kazuto's face. "People are betting on us?"

Rika allowed herself a drink of water before answering. "Like I said, fan favorite. Considering one of your spots is right outside the window, it got hard not to look out and see you guys acting lovey-dovey." Kazuto attempted to remain calm at this creepy development while Asuna blushed furiously and sank down into her seat. Trying to hide her eyes behind her hair. She forgot about the cafeteria window view she reminded Kazuto about constantly.

Keiko stopped eating when she noticed how flustered Asuna became from the news. "Don't worry so much Asuna-sempai! Nobody really minds you two. A lot of people think you two look cute together. Including me!" Keiko beamed, hoping it would be enough to convince Asuna. But the red-faced girl groaned over how stupid she had been.

Kazuto glanced at his distressed girlfriend, deciding to change topic for Asuna's sake. "So, we're still on for tonight?"

This got the girls attention. Keiko spoke first. "Of course. We're here to help!"

Rika finished what she was eating before saying, "Why wouldn't we. I mean, after SAO and Alfheim, I'm not really interested in starting any new games. But since we're starting with Alfheim and it's for you guys, I can make an exception."

"Since it's us?"

Her flat look yelled 'Duh!' at him before she even spoke. "Well, we can't let the two of the top idols of Aincrad charge in and almost get themselves killed like every time before."

Kazuto stared at Rika, slightly worried about this new determination of hers. "But…"

"No 'Buts!' No soloing this time. You need us." She sat straight with a smug smile aimed at Kazuto. "Go ahead, Asuna. Tell him how lost he is without us. Lay down the law."

The poor girl mentioned had her head on the table with her face buried in her arms. She didn't respond to Rika so much as she grumbled something to herself.

"I'll take that as a victory!" After a few celebratory bites of her own lunch, she noticed Kazuto and Asuna had no food. "You guys are gonna starve, it's lunch, buy something." Kazuto groaned and Asuna kept her head down.

"I don't bring my money to school." When he said this, the brunette shook her head at him while Keiko stayed quiet and focused on finishing her own lunch. That's when Rika had an idea."

"Tell ya' what. Keiko-chan usually buys something small for lunch, but I usually buy a good amount of food. I'm not feeling very hungry today, so…I guess I'll allow you to split something." Sliding a meat dish over to him, Kazuto reached out to claim it. Until his hand had been slapped away by Rika's free one.

"If…" Rika began, "You and Asuna promise not to do anything stupid tonight. We're a team. We should at least be doing something stupid together." Both girls stared hard at the couple and waited for their answer.

"Do we really-" The chair legs scraped across the floor, Rika stood threatening to throw her lunch away.

"No, no, no!" Kazuto put his hands up in an effort to keep Rika attention before he took a deep breath and said, "I will."

The girls turned to Asuna who picked her head up, giving an exasperated sigh before caving. "We will."

Rika and Keiko's glares turned to smiles. They closed their eyes and nodded in approval. Sending the dish back toward them. His hand hesitantly accepted it. The two ate their food in shame. Their friends looked at each other and exchanged a silent victory celebration.

Classes ended for the day as Kazuto met Asuna at the entrance to walk her home. Though today had been silent compared to every other day. Anxiety slowly ate at them. As the afternoon rolled around, the thought of Lykos's challenge occupied their head. Every time they wanted to start a conversation, their fear killed it. They stopped just shy of Asuna's house and stood there for a few minutes. Kazuto finally convinced himself to break the silence.

"Do you…do you think Yui will be mad with us?"

Asuna got caught off guard, not exactly expecting him to ask a question like that. Swallowing once, she forced out the only word that came to her.

"D-depends."

Her response made him curious. "Depends? What do you mean?"

Asuna realized the implications behind that and scrambled for an answer. "I meant…it depended on h-how we m-make it up to her. We promised."

He couldn't help but notice how shaken she seemed. It sounded like she was hiding something. Instead he attributed it to nerves. Asuna wanted to change the discussion, she still didn't want him to know what she did for Yui. Whether she was saving it as a surprised or because she didn't want him to worry, she had forgot.

"Kirito-kun." Her voice shook slightly but managed to sound calmer than before.

"Hm?" Her hands shifted nervously.

"Are you…scared of tonight?" Kazuto's sympathetic face turned thoughtful as he stared off into space.

"I'm not scared so much as I am nervous. I just thought, after the last time, Alfheim would be it. No more running, no more fighting for our lives. To finally have control of our lives again." His eyes dropped to the ground. "Now we're playing this hacker's stupid game. I can't help but feel I made the wrong decision. That something bad might happen. Every step closer, there's this growing anxiety.

Asuna relaxed further, they felt nearly the same about their situation. "I feel that too. It's just, I hope Lykos's game is nothing. I'd hate to think what could happen to our friends, or Yui, or…you." His hand reached out and took hold of hers firmly. Her eyes went from her hand to the deep onyx of his eyes.

"Tonight." He trailed off before starting again. "We're overthinking this. His game can't be difficult or real. Tonight we'll log onto Alfheim and deal with this. One night is all we need."

Asuna gave him a nod, turned back to look at her home. "I'm going to go. I'll be on to see you soon." She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Before pulling away completely, she whispered, "I know I don't usually do this, but you deserved that one." Their hands broke apart as she sprinted to her front door. She opened it and stepped inside, turned around to wave at her boyfriend once more. Kazuto waved slowly in a confused trance. When her door closed he dropped his arm. Finally, his thoughts caught up and he decided he needed to go home. Breaking into a light sprint, he left the Yuuki residence behind and made his way back home.

Arriving home, Kazuto stopped to kick his shoes off and drop his bag at the door.

"Suguha!" A few seconds later he heard a call from further in.

"Here!" He walked into the kitchen to find his sister seated at the dining table. A plate half full of salad in front of her. Finishing what she was chewing, she cut off her brother before he could ask.

"Made a quick salad for tonight. Still enough left for probably three plates. Take it or leave it." She went back in for another fork full of salad. He really only had those two choices. Head dropped in disappointment, expecting actual food, he dragged himself past Suguha and spooned some onto a plate. Sitting next to Suguha, he stared at his plate for a few seconds, turning to his sister.

"Itadakimasu?" Suguha nodded once at his flat question, Kazuto turned back to his own plate.

'Well, food is food.' With that, he decided to dig in.

In minutes he tore through his salad and charged upstairs to his own room. Suguha saw how excited he was when eating, downing his food, then giving her, "See you on Alfheim!" before dashing off.

Kazuto wanted nothing more than to get this hacker's game out of his way. Hopefully the Lykos's situation would all be a cruel joke of someone's imagination. That feeling of anxiousness rose again. But Kazuto had been able to suppress it long enough to cross the room and check his NerveGear was ready.

'Power. Check. Alfheim loaded. Check. Plugged in? Good.' Walking over to his computer, he checked his messaging program and noticed Agil was online. He created a new message to send.

Sub: ALO Tonight?

-Just got home. Everything's prepped for tonight. Is everyone else ready? (Sent by 'Kirito' - 4:48 p.m)

He didn't have to wait long before getting a response back.

Re: 'Sub: ALO Tonight?'

-We're about ready. Klein was able to get off work early and wouldn't stop bugging me if that says anything. (Sent by 'Andrew(Agil)' 4:49 p.m)

Kazuto cracked a smile. That sounded like him.

Re: 'Sub: ALO Tonight?'

-Alright, I'll see you guys there. Don't take too long. (Sent by 'Kirito' - 4:49 p.m)

Turning the monitor off, he went back to the NerveGear on his bed. Lifting it up and feeling the familiar weight in his hands.

'Lykos, your 'game' better be quick and painless.'

Kazuto raised the helmet above his head, placing the device he wore for almost two and a half years back on. At this point, he felt completely comfortable wearing it. His display showed the synced clock, battery life and in the middle, '«Alfheim Online» ready to launch.'

Lying down on the bed, Kazuto made absolutely sure he was in a good position to boot the game before activating the FullDive system.

"Link start!"

Suguha followed not too far behind her brother, reaching the second floor hallway as Kazuto's bedroom door closed. Continuing ahead to her own bedroom, she slipped in and closed the door.

Letting out a deep breath, she lightly stretched while pacing back and forth. Eventually walking up to her bed, eyeing the Amusphere lying next to the stuffed animals lining her bed. Her hand reached out and picked it up, raising it to eye level.

'You've come this far with him. Don't want to let him down or let him get in more trouble, do you?'

Suguha reassured herself, settling back on the bed in the usual position for her gaming sessions. Setting the Amusphere in place she was ready.

'You've been through worse. Diving into ALO again is nothing. You're worrying about nothing.'

One more deep breath gave her the courage to activate the startup procedure.

"Link…start!"

"Narumi, I know how you feel about VR gaming, but that incident is in the past. It's not going to happen again." Andrew responded to his wife who approached him with a question. The argument started when she asked why he decided to close the café early for the night. She knew the reason why before their argument even began.

"Well, I still can't help this apprehension that comes from you still using it. For two years I lost you to that despicable helmet. It may be a nice distraction for you, but there's no changing the past." Narumi crossed her arms and stood her ground.

Narumi had been one of Andrew's regulars from the opening of the bar. The more she came back, the more she learned about him and closer she got. Andrew's friendly attitude usually made the regulars more talkative and friendly themselves. Though the moments he had with Narumi felt different to him, he felt drawn to her. It didn't take long for them to try dating. After a while, the only thing left was to take the last step.

Andrew had a hard time pressing the issue. Narumi is normally a very outgoing and social person, but she can also be very stubborn and determined when mad. Right now, the slender brunette had her best pout on as she stood there. He silently cursed himself for marrying someone who could be cute while mad. Her short wispy ponytail shifting as she did with her dark brown eyes fixed on him.

He eventually found the words to respond with, preparing for the worst. "Honey, these VR games are completely safe now. There are plenty of companies out there making sure of it. The past is in the past." Agil gave his wife a sympathetic expression, trying to calm her fears rather than attack them.

"'Safe' isn't a guarantee. Anything could happen. Once that helmet goes on, it's like walking to your own death sentence."

"I'm not. VR games are safe now. Kayaba Akihiko was the only reason why thousands of others like me were imprisoned. He's gone now and responsible companies are managing the industry. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm here now and I'll stay here." Extending his arm, he rested his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

Sighing softly, Narumi asked one more question. "Just give me one reason why you decided closing the bar for the night is more important than a game."

Agil thought about how to answer. Lykos and the problem they faced was strictly a secret. Narumi didn't need additional stress of running the bar and the fact her husband was now a walking target. Dodging the question could work for now, but if Narumi had more questions, he'd have to come up with convincing excuses.

"I promised a friend. A favor. It sounds stupid, I know. But I can't leave him hanging, this favor is something important to him." He stared at his wife, hoping the answer would be convincing enough.

Narumi shook her head and shrugged. "Honestly, I can't begin to understand why games like these become so important. But we aren't closing the bar down because of it. I'll handle the night shift."

"You sure?" This caught him by surprise while she nodded. "I don't want you to be concerned that I might be a while."

Cracking a wide grin, Narumi replied. "Andrew, honey. I've managed the bar for two years without you. Day and night. If I didn't break then, what's more overtime to me?" Narumi gave him a peck on the cheek and sauntered toward the door leading to the bar front.

"You're the best." Andrew gave her a smile while Narumi turned around halfway through the door. She gave him a quick nod and slipped out, leaving Andrew alone in the store-room with his thoughts. The door to his back led to the household part of the café. He thought about how lucky he was, heading off to get his NerveGear ready for the night.

Ryoutarou burst through the front door of his house. Kicking off his shoes and leaving his messenger bag at the door.

'I swear, those slave drivers didn't want me to take off. Miracle they even gave me the damn early out.'

Klein made a hard right for his kitchen and stormed to the fridge, tearing open the door. Choirs of angels sounded off when he saw what he still had. On the top two shelves were a beer and a few slices of pizza on a plate.

'Jackpot!'

Drink in one hand and plate in the other, he stomped straight through the living room and into his bedroom. Next to his computer he placed his leftovers. Klein's bedroom is classified as a safety hazard for many reasons. The floor being a scattered mess of clothes, pens, food crumbs, bottles and video game boxes. Klein forgot what his bedroom floor looked like after a while.

Loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, he let out a long sigh. "Home at last!" Klein brought the beer to his lips, taking great sips of it. Halfway through the bottle, he glanced at the clock on the computer desk next to his bed.

'4:57'

"Hrg-!"

Klein nearly choked and spilled the bottle everywhere. Slamming the drink back down, he checked his computer. Furiously shaking the mouse until the monitor woke. The display lit up, a flashing notification in the taskbar. Clicking on it opened his chat log with one new message available.

-Kirito is in. Might want to think about jumping on soon.

"Ahh! How did I let the time get away from me? Where's my gear?"

Klein whipped his head around fast enough for his bandana to slap him in the face. He started to tear his room apart in search for it. Eventually finding it underneath a stack of pillows on his bed.

"Found you!"

His smile turned devious as he lunged for the helmet. Clutching the piece of tech in his hands hard enough to break it. He shoved it on and hopped into his bed with a loud creak. The helmet powered up, displaying confirmation that Klein's copy of Alfheim was ready to boot.

"Alright! I'm not too late. Link start!"

Rika sprinted through the streets in a rush. She would stop for absolutely no one.

"Rika-chan! Please…slow down…you're carrying less than I am."

Except for her friend. Skidding to a halt, she watched the protesting girl who had fallen behind having difficulty matching her speed.

Rika shouted to her friend, "Sorry! But we've got to hurry if we want to get the game and our work done in the same night!"

The girl in question held her noticeably larger bag in both hands as she half sprinted, half stumbled trying to follow the feisty blacksmith. When she caught up, Rika picked her pace up again. Slowing it down slightly to keep her struggling friend in her sights. The two girls made it to Rika's house in great time. Rika flew through the locks and opened the door, stepping inside and immediately kicking her shoes off. Keiko followed suit, making their way to their usual study spot afterschool, Rika's bedroom. Being invited in, she dropped the heavy bag on her friend's bed, letting out a sigh of relief while trying to catch her breath. Inside the bag contained her NerveGear with all the school work from today. This would be the last time Rika planned a simultaneous gaming and study session.

Rika walked past her and took one glance at her clock before speaking up. "Ehhh, Keiko-chan."

The girl let out a few more breaths and shot a sideways glare at her. "What now?"

"I think we may have rushed ourselves too heavily…"

"Hm?" The twin-tailed girl lifted her head and gave the clock a curious look.

'3:58'

"We…we're almost an hour early…"

Rika looked away from her dashed friend, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"Well…I thought we would be late, and I neglected to check the time on the clocks back at school and…you know what? I'll go get us some drinks and we can quickly get started on your work!" Rika made a hasty exit which took the confused girl a couple of seconds to notice.

"Wha-hey! Get back here!" The usually cheery girl stormed after her, ready to get revenge for her friend's excessive need to hurry.

Sounds of clinking dishes filled the Yuuki residence. Asuna came home to an early dinner. Which doesn't normally sound problematic, until Asuna quickly learned the kind of dinner it would be. Despite stepping down from his position in the company after the ALO scandal, Asuna's father was still heavily involved in RECTO proceedings. It explained his occasional disappearances, like now. Asuna's mother, Kyouko, filled a seat at the dining room table and invited her daughter to sit with her. Since taking the seat opposite to her the dinner had been nothing but eating in silence. Asuna, nearly finished her meal, planned to make a break for her room and log straight onto Alfheim Online. Her mother's sudden interest in conversation ruined that plan.

"I've noticed you and Kirigaya-san seem to accompany each other to school and back every day."

This caught Asuna off-guard, stalling her from her partly finished meal. She said it in a neutral tone, but Asuna thought better. Her family and Kazuto's knew the details of their relationship in-game. While the Kirigaya's had been understanding, her family, more so her mother, held their doubts. In the beginning the joy of finally seeing their daughter awake after close to three years overwhelmed them. Their strict attitudes melted away and both dedicated as much time as possible to visiting her during recovery. One thing they saw day-in and day-out being Kazuto.

Her old parents would have various problems with the boy standing at her bedside. Before SAO, their expectations for Asuna's future were high. Though her father had usually been the more lenient one, her mother set everything Asuna rushed to accomplish. Maintain grades. Do well on exams. Any co-curriculars? Who do you talk to? You sure you have the time to socialize? Life became the cycle of sleep, school, homework, dinner, studying and repeating. Her studies left no time for socializing which worked fine. She wasn't exactly popular at her old school anyway.

When her mother had planned for finding suitors and arranging marriage, the stress became too much. She needed an escape. Sword Art Online had been her ticket. The day her brother announce his business trip, the time she asked to play his copy of SAO would be one unforgettable moment. Those years of being trapped changed her, gave her a voice. A voice she used against her mother as she slowly returned to normal. Any mention of Kazuto meant she had something to say about him.

"Yes, we have. Kir-Kazuto-kun has been helpful and respectful since school resumed." Asuna collected herself on Kazuto's name. She had almost called him Kirito in front of her mother.

"Hmm. I've also noticed your work ethic when it comes to your studies recently." The steel laced gaze didn't feel like a mother simply asking their son or daughter a question, when her mother questioned her it felt like an interrogation or interview.

"I like getting my school work done first. It leaves me with more free time for the night." Her mother looked somewhat satisfied with the answer, allowing Asuna to finish the last parts of her food. Her mother sat half in thought, turning back to Asuna right as she planned to excuse herself.

"Is that why, last night, your room lights were off and your door had been closed?"

Asuna stared in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"Last night. When me and your father came back, most of the lights in the house and hallways were off. Your door was almost closed and the lights were off. We thought you were in bed early, so we tried not to disturb you. Asuna, your school work is important, but try not to overwork yourself. It's not healthy so soon out of the hospital."

"Oh. O-of course." She was right. Her parents thought she was really asleep that night. They didn't notice she was gone at the Dicey Café instead.

"Keep that in mind, please. Stress is a terrible thing. In your condition, you have the potential to get sick." Asuna sat in silence, stunned and proud of what she got away with. Remembering her plans for the night, Asuna rose from her chair.

"May I be excused?" Her mother glanced over and nodded once, dismissing her from the table. Clearing the dining room, Asuna broke into a pace worthy of the nickname «Flash», rushing up the stairs and through her bedroom door. She read the current time off the clock.

'4:49'

'Kirito-kun is probably on right now!'

In no time, Asuna grabbed the NerveGear next to her bed and put it on. Scrambling to lay down comfortably in preparation to launch the game. Settling down, she watched the display give her the message that Alfheim was loaded.

"Link start."

A full dive never lost its novelty. The weightless experience of your mind being accelerated forward at high velocity, like some kind of roller coaster. Your body completely still, yet the feeling of it seems real. It almost feels like the brain becomes completely detached from the body, as weird as it sounds. The whole thing doesn't last long before you're transported to a different world.

Taking a look around, I recognized that my avatar spawned at the base of the World Tree. My eyes traveled upward to the very top where the new capital of Yggdrasil had been built. In the real world it had only been the afternoon. But here in Alfheim, the sun shined magnificently bright, highlighting the city and causing me to cover my eyes. Diverting my eyes from the tree and turning around, I saw the landscapes of forests, rivers and lakes. I'm still thankful to VRMMO's in many ways. You just couldn't experience a view so beautiful in real life.

While I admired the view, I didn't even noticed the sound of someone teleporting in behind me.

"Eek!"

"Huh?" Quickly turning around, all I heard was the shriek. Looking up into the sky, I witnessed a flash of blue. And then…

Thud.

"Ah, that smarts…who?" Trying to tilt my head up, I got a view of something I shouldn't have.

"Mmm…K-Kirito-kun?" Knowing the position we were in caused me to stutter and mince my words. Asuna was in a daze and trying to recover, unaware of how exactly she fell on me.

"A-A-Asuna! You…you're…y-you s-s-should…" Another player spawn sounded off to our right. Of all the times…

"Hey, anybody else-" That voice was familiar. It belonged to Leafa. Suguha's avatar stood there in shock while a blush creeped across her face. She turned her head to the right and covered her eyes with her free hand, exclaiming in a rush, "If you were going to do such things, find somewhere appropriate!"

"Huh?" Asuna snapped out of her daze and glanced down to see what or who she landed on. She found me cowering in fear with eyes shut and hands to the side, away from her body so as to not give her any ideas.

"Eh…Kiri-to? AHHH!" Her arms shot out, pushing her body up and off mine, stumbling backwards on the ground before stopping and sitting cross-legged on the grass. A huge blush covered her cheeks and a scowl on her lips. "It was an accident. The game logged me in wrong! That's all…" I opened my eyes, she sat there flustered, responding to Leafa's comment. Leafa uncovered her eyes and shook her head in disapproval, expecting a response from me now.

I scrambled to my feet, wiping the dust off my coat. "T-that's what happened. A log-in glitch…"

"Honestly…" Leafa shook her head once more, walking off to the side away from us. Turning back to Asuna, I found her eyes firmly glued to the ground, tightly gripping her crossed knees. Out of all the ways this new adventure could start, that had to happen.

I wanted to go comfort Asuna, but in her current state I wasn't sure if I could approach her without being torn apart. While I stood there trying to arrange a plan, a familiar voice surprised us with a loud, "Hey!"

The voice had been distorted because of the distance, but I still picked up on it. Asuna perked up immediately after hearing the voice and began looking for the source of the voice. Our eyes scanned the area, seeing nothing but the nature set before us. The voice called out again, closer and more recognizable this time. "Mama! Papa!"

Nobody else called us that besides…

"Yui-chan!" Asuna shouted at the horizon. Following her gaze, I found Yui in her pixie form flying straight for us.

"Mama!" Yui crashed into Asuna's cheek, pressing and cuddling against her. With Yui's appearance, Asuna seemed to completely forget about her embarrassment from moments ago.

"Yui, how's my precious little girl today." Yui detached herself from Asuna with a tiny flourish, hovering right before her eyes. She was more energetic and lively today, I wonder why?

"Great! I got to fly around and meet some new players today. Then I went exploring in Aincrad. I found so many amazing things today. I can't wait to show you and Papa." It always seemed amazing how Yui found joy and wonder in Aincrad even after being a part of the system's programming. Always positive. Yui gasped and continued with, "I also really liked your surprise this morning Mama!"

"Eh? Surprise?" When Yui said that, I immediately wondered what surprise she was talking about. We haven't seen her at all yesterday. I didn't have much time for my thoughts, with the sound of more players already logging in behind me.

"Hey there!" With a turn, I saw Lisbeth and Silica with Pina perched on her right shoulder. They must have logged in together, or had frighteningly good timing and synchronization. The arrival of more people attracted Leafa back to the group. The girls greeted Leafa as well. Asuna and Yui were busy catching up, so I let them talk for now. Our conversation stopped when we heard the World Tree's elevator system for Yggdrasil drop a passenger off.

"Sorry. I didn't think I'd be late everyone." Agil stepped out of the elevator which looked like a hamster cage in comparison to his huge build.

"No need to apologize, if anything you're early." I assured him. Agil walked forward and stood next to Lisbeth. Lisbeth decided to get Agil's attention to ask him something.

"You're using the elevator system? What's the point of that thing if people can just fly up now anyway?"

Agil closed his eyes and began explaining himself, "Well, I didn't feel like flying all the way down to the ground. It's not like the elevator system takes more time than flying. It's about the same speed anyway." The way he said it made him appear unusually tired. We didn't think too much of it before hearing another player teleporting in next to us.

"Heyo! What's up guys?" We knew that laid back tone from anywhere. I didn't even need a glimpse of his trademark red bandana to know who it was.

"Klein!" All of us exclaimed at once, adding in our own greetings.

"I'm not…late, am I?" Klein chuckled nervously. The loveable goof had the biggest smile on his face as he scratched the back of his head.

Lisbeth stepped forward, placing her arm on Klein's shoulder. "Of course not. You're right on time." Klein let out a huff. "But…since you were the last one of the party to login, you'll be sharing your potions and items with the rest of the party first." Klein froze on the spot with a strangled sound.

"Ach-come on! Those potions and herbs cost a lot of money at the item vendors. I'll never get the Col back fast enough."

Lisbeth stepped back, taunting Klein in her best sing-song voice. "Well maybe it'll help you remember to come early next time~"

Everybody erupted into laughter at Klein slowly grumbling about money with Lisbeth feigning complete innocence. While the gang was distracted, a menu pop-up grabbed my attention.

-New message from 'Lykos'

The fact that he had access and use of the messaging system became a hard thought to stomach. He's not even on my friends list and somehow he's sending messages. I quickly closed out the prompt, acting like nothing happened and continued joking around with my friends.

Asuna joined the group with Yui sitting on her left shoulder, swinging her dangling legs. Giving her time to settle down with Yui made a huge difference. She seemed to be in a much livelier mood now.

"Do we have everyone?" Asuna asked.

"Present!" Silica raised her hand while Pina let out a small shriek.

"Here." Lisbeth struck what she thought looked like a cool pose.

Agil smiled and gave us both a nod.

"Here…I guess." Klein grumbled out. Clearly mourning his soon to be depleted inventory.

"Don't forget me." Leafa chimed in. The gang had finally been assembled. Everyone being ready and willing-minus Klein still mourning his items-to face any challenge that lied ahead. Now was the time to arrange the search parties.

Clapping my hands together, I got the attention of everyone before beginning the strategy brief. "Alright. Now that we're all here. We can officially start this game. Now, the riddle he gave us mentioned something about sacred grounds. Does anyone know a location in ALO that's related to that?"

Around the circle, everybody who thought they could remember off the top of their heads kept thinking. Silica and Klein brought the map system up, scanning over it a few times in the hopes they could find something. The group eventually drew a blank, allowing me to continue with the plan.

"I was afraid of this. If there's no player or map data about a «Sacred Grounds» location, it must not be discovered yet. We'll have to form search parties. Klein and Agil, you'll be the first party searching the northern quadrants.

Klein shot me a cocky grin while Agil nodded.

"Lisbeth and Silica. You'll be the second party searching in the east and southeast quadrants."

"Okay." Lisbeth said. Silica didn't seem to mind and neither did Pina who let out another happy shriek at the mentioned group.

"Me, Asuna and Leafa will be the third party searching around the western quadrants. Each party should scout their section of the map. Party members should stay in contact at all times and help each other, especially if a situation arises. If anybody finds the location of Lykos's riddle, message a member of the other parties immediately. Everyone okay with the plan?"

The group made a final round of glances before giving me their nods and approval.

"Alright then. Let's not waste any time."

I made my way to an open part of field to summon and unfurl my wings, turning back to the group.

"Let's move out!"

That signaled everyone to split into their parties, summoning their wings and saying their goodbyes as the group separated. Asuna with Yui on her shoulder and Leafa approached me and gave me smiles and nods saying they were ready to explore. The start to a brand new adventure.

A/N: And with that, the game finally begins. Couldn't wait, could you. Sorry for the possibly 30k word start-up. But I just feel like a Sword Art story is incomplete without them interacting in real life along with the game. I just genuine like writing these characters interacting. But I promise, game stuff will come soon. More heartwarming stuff too. (At least, I hope that scene with Asuna making food for Yui could be considered heartwarming.) More story. More action. Whole lot of more.

Also, the first episode of SAO II is a great setup. I can't wait to experience this whole season as it releases, something I've never done with anime before. If you haven't, go see it now.

In the future, I'll definitely try limiting chapter length. 10k words for one chapter is ridiculous for both me and probably you. Other than chapter length, I'm always willing to take critiques on my writing. By all means, R&R to your heart's content. Until then...

Next Chapter - Alfheim: Scouting