Fairy Dance Alternate

by Knowledgeseeker66

What if it was Kirito's mind that was trapped by Sugou Nobuyuki rather than Asuna's? How differently would the events of the Fairy Dance arc play out? Will Asuna and Kirito still be able to earn their happy ending or will there be a more tragic outcome?

6. Darkness before the Dawn

Author Notes: If you have not noticed, a cover page for Fairy Dance Alternate has been prepared. The artist of this cover was none other than Princesswanted from deviantArt. Her talents in drawing have provided me with another great work of art. I believe her works should receive more views and comments, and I would highly recommend her to anyone who wishes to have something illustrated. She is someone that is willing to accept any requests. Just make sure you give her precise directions to what you want her to draw as there is somewhat of a language barrier, but it can easily be overcome. If possible, you should provide her with references, such as links to relevant websites and other examples, which could help her illustrate your request.

In my case, I gave her links to a number of character designs, so she would know the coloring for the characters. I also told her to draw a smug face on Sugou that would make you want to punch him really hard. Additionally, as you may notice on the cover, Asuna has green hair because when she does enter Alfheim Online, she will be creating her 'Erika' Sylph account rather than her primary 'Asuna' Undine account. For those of you who do not know, Asuna created two accounts in Alfheim Online, and I decided it would be for the best to have her create the 'Erika' account first for this continuity. I appreciate that a majority of you who noticed this and were in favor of my decision.

I would also like to personally thank blueespeon for recommending my story on the 'Sword Art Online TV Tropes Fanfiction Recommendation' page. I also noticed the mini tag he added to that recommendation which emphasizes how dark this story is after only the first five chapters. From my perspective, I take that as a compliment because even though this story is only a few chapters in, my message that this is a dark story has already been made abundantly clear. I plan on this story getting much darker as time goes on. There will of course be lighter moments every now and then since we all need breather moments. Hopefully, a few of them can make you laugh.

On another note, I have seen the results of the poll regarding the actions Sugou had taken which disgusted you the most, and I was very pleased by the amount of participation. The three most popular choices were: "Sometimes torturing Kirito in front of Yui and enjoying her cries for them to stop," "Telling Kirito that he would have him repeatedly watch a video of him marrying Asuna and consummating their relationship," and "Telling Kirito he would reprogram Yui to be 'his' AI companion and have her call him 'Papa.'" Fourth place goes to "Threatening Asuna and giving her an ultimatum," and fifth place belongs to "Telling Kirito he would either remain his prisoner for the rest of his life or he would alter Kirito's mind to forget Asuna and be his willing subordinate."

I appreciate all of you who took the time to provide me feedback and participated in the poll. I plan to create polls in future chapters, but this chapter will not be one of them. I hope you enjoy this chapter and will leave a review because I enjoy reading your feedback. Additionally, for those of you who wish to have open discussions regarding "Fairy Dance Alternate" feel free to visit the Sword Art Online Fanfiction forum, "SAO Nexus Fandom." As long as you ask questions that do not enter too much into 'spoiler territory,' I will do my best to answer them.

/

Fairy Dance Alternate

Story Arc Two: Return to Reality – Part III (Final)

Chapter Six: Darkness before the Dawn

/

I have no control

Is there nothing I can do?

Besides let you die

/

After I was given that ultimatum by Sugou, I was left speechless. As soon as that bastard left me behind, I lost all the strength in legs and sat on the nearest bench and I began to cry. I didn't know what to do. The only thing I could do was cry. In all my life, I had never felt so useless. Not even before I was trapped in Sword Art Online. The person I hated the most gave me the choice between marrying him and letting Kirito-kun die or worse.

In two weeks, both my life and Kirito-kun's life would be ruined. If I said no or didn't give an answer in two weeks, I would be condemning Kirito-kun to either death or a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, I would soon find out that Kirito-kun was already being subjected to something like that already. However, if I choose to accept the proposal, my future with Kirito-kun would not only be lost forever, but there was still no guarantee that he would wake up. Due to the weight of the choice that was in front of me, I felt as if I was holding Kirito-kun's very life in my hands.

The weight that was binding me could not be seen, but it was there. It felt as if I was being dragged down into a dark abyss. I would be surrounded by perpetual darkness, and I had no way of telling whether I was looking up or down. It was a place where nothing seemed right.

/

Date: Friday, January 24th, 2025

Location: Yuuki Household

I needed to make sure what Sugou said to me was the truth. My father came home at a reasonable hour that night. Unfortunately, he was still busy with handling papers, and he had confined himself to his office. However, I felt this was my best chance to find out the truth from him, so I knocked on his door to ask him personally.

He answered, "It's open. Come in."

Before I opened the door, I took a deep breath in an attempt to mask my nervousness. When I entered, I firmly asked him, "Excuse me father can I talk to you for a moment?"

My father seemed more than happy to speak with me. He responded, "Of course Asuna." After I sat in the chair across from him he cheerfully asked, "What do you need to ask me?"

At first I had trouble figuring out the best way to present the question I needed to ask him. After I was certain of the best wording, I asked, "Father is it true that the life-support systems for Kazuto-kun and the others are due to RECTO's FullDive technology department?"

My father responded to my question with a question of his own in a suspicious tone, "Where did you hear that?"

I had a feeling my father would ask me something like that, so I came up with a believable lie, and I practiced it a few times to make sure I was convincing. I told him in the most convincing voice I could muster, "I was at the hospital earlier today, and I overheard someone mention it in passing."

The last thing I wanted to do at this point was tell my father about my encounter with Sugou earlier that day. If I did tell him, I have no doubt I would then tell him about how Sugou threatened me with Kirito-kun's life. However, without any proof of my encounter or what I was threatened with, it would be my word against 'Sugou's character.' It was a façade my father adored. If my father didn't believe me when I warned him of Sugou's true nature before, I doubt he would believe me now.

Additionally, if I did anything that would appear on Sugou's radar, I had a feeling I would shorten the amount of time Kirito-kun would have, and I knew that every second counted. While I wasn't sure of what exactly I could do at that moment, the only thing I knew for certain was that time was not on my side, and I could not afford to squander it. I did my best to keep my hatred for Sugou in check. It was not easy, but I was able to do a convincing job in front of my father.

My father did not seem completely convinced, but he didn't press for more information. He responded, "I see. As you probably know, that division is run by Sugou Nobuyuki. He is not only responsible for maintaining the life support for the current coma victims, but he aided all of the players during their time in Sword Art Online, including you."

I asked him in a curious tone, "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

He let out a sigh before he responded, "It was information that was meant to be secret until the day all the Sword Art Online victims had reawakened. Although in your case you managed to find out the truth a little earlier than your friends would."

I inquired further, "Why was this information secret?"

My father explained in a stern voice, "We didn't want to take chances of the wrong people knowing who was in charge of the coma victims' life support. That's why only certain people within RECTO Progress, such as Nobuyuki-san and me, as well as the relevant hospital staff. We would only announce who was responsible for it after all the Sword Art Online incident had officially come to a close."

While my father was telling me that, I could not help but think, "The wrong people already did know." Once again, it took a lot for me to stop myself from saying that out loud. I gave a curt response, "I suppose that is why you hold Sugou in such high esteem then?"

He happily responded, "That is not the only reason, but it is one reason. I know you do not share the same sentiment, but I hope you will at least come to respect him in time. When you were trapped in that coma, he was there to help me when I needed it most. Without his help, I doubt I would have been able to keep the operations of the company running, and he helped me keep you and your friends alive. I can understand that you would not care for him in the same way you care for Kazuto-kun, but I hope you will at least give him a chance to be your friend in the future. He truly is a good man."

It took everything I had to stop myself from blurting out, "That son of a bitch just gave me an ultimatum. He is nothing but an asshole that doesn't deserve to eat dog food." Instead I calmly said, "I suppose."

Shortly afterwards, I ended my conversation with my father without arousing any suspicion, and I let him continue his work. I thought to myself, "That bastard really was telling the truth. This means he is capable of cutting off Kirito-kun's life support. This problem is becoming too big for me to handle." I stopped for a moment and corrected myself, "No. This problem might be too big for anyone to handle."

/

Date: Saturday, January 25th, 2025

Location: Lisbeth's Room

After I found out what Sugou told me was true, I didn't know what I could do, and I didn't want to involve my friends in my problems. However, I knew this was too much for me to handle. There was no way I would be able to come up with a solution on my own, and I needed to tell someone. Besides, Kirito-kun was important to not only me but to our entire group. They all had the right to know, but I also felt that I couldn't tell them all at once. Before I told anyone else, I decided the best person I could talk to was Lisbeth.

Lisbeth was always the one I trusted the most. If I could tell anyone about this situation, it would be her. When I told her of my encounter with Sugou and the ultimatum he gave me, I will never forget the look of horror in her eyes. From the look on her face, it seemed like she was barely able to comprehend what I had told her.

After I was finished talking Lisbeth stated in a voice that had a mixture of anger and horror, "That bastard said what?"

I answered her question by reiterating the most important point of my story. I grimly stated, "Sugou told me that Kirito-kun's life was in his hands. He all but threatened that if I don't accept his proposal within in the next thirteen days, he would sabotage Kirito-kun's life support. If that happens, Kirito-kun will either die or become a vegetable."

Lisbeth was attempting to be calm about this, but her voice was becoming hysterical. "You can't let him get away with this. You need to tell your father or the authorities."

As much as I wanted to do that, I knew that would not work. I sadly informed Lisbeth, "My father won't listen to me. He tried to convince me to make that man my fiancé in the first place."

Lisbeth was shocked when I said that. She responded in voice mixed disbelief and disgust, "What?! Are you kidding me?"

I informed Lisbeth with a grim tone, "Unfortunately, I'm not. The Sword Art Online incident allowed Sugou to rise in my father's favor partly because he was the one who was controlling our life support systems while we were trapped in the game. If that wasn't enough, Sugou has been an established family friend for years." As soon as I said that, Lisbeth's face was filled with a mixture of surprise and disgust, but she didn't say anything this time, so I continued what I was saying. "It was about a month ago my father tried to convince me to become Sugou's fiancé. I immediately rejected that proposal, and I tried telling my father that Sugou couldn't be trusted. However, despite what I said, he didn't believe me. My father is convinced that Sugou is an honest man that he can always rely on."

Lisbeth had difficulty asking her next question. "Is . . . is your father still trying to convince you to become that bastard's fiancé? Please tell me that's not the case."

I told her, "No. My father only backed down after I told him I only love Kirito-kun, and I would never love Sugou." Lisbeth was somewhat relieved to hear that, but she knew that was not the end of the story. "Unfortunately, as you know, that does me little good now."

Before this, I didn't tell Lisbeth much about my family life, but she did know that I came from a wealthy family. After telling her this, I could see it in her eyes that she was gaining an understanding of how certain things in my family's life differed from hers.

She said to me in an understanding tone, "That's true. I guess this also means we can't expect to find an easy solution for this mess."

What she said was putting it lightly. "No we can't."

"I take it that we can't rely on help from the authorities either?" Lisbeth may have phrased it as a question, but I could tell she knew the answer was no.

Regardless of whether or not that was the case, I further explained the problems of the situation to Lisbeth. "I can't tell the authorities because I have no evidence or witnesses to back up my claim. Not to mention that my father isn't the only person to hold Sugou in high regard. That bastard always did have that annoying habit of skillfully concealing his true colors in front of authority figures."

After thinking for a few more moments Lisbeth asked, "Is there anything we can do to stop him from sabotaging Kirito-kun's life support?"

I answered in an unsure tone, "I honestly don't know. Even if we could come up with something, I doubt it would be effective. As much as I hate Sugou, I have to admit that he is a talented individual. He didn't become head of the RECTO's FullDive technology department through connections alone. He had the abilities to competently complete the tasks he needed to finish. If he did something to Kirito-kun's life support or had someone else do it, he would be able to make it looks like it was a malfunction or another party was responsible. I keep trying to think about what I can do, but nothing is coming to mind."

Lisbeth was in a state of disbelief, "So there is nothing we can do?"

I was almost at a loss for words. By my own admission, the situation was becoming rather hopeless. "If we can't think of anything soon, I think I might . . . I might have to . . ."

Lisbeth cut me off with a sharp tone. "Hold on there. You're not thinking of accepting that bastard's proposal are you?"

I nervously said, "I don't want to, but what can I . . ."

Lisbeth interrupted me again, and I am glad she did. What I was thinking was crazy. She told me in a stern voice, "Don't even think about it! Not by a long shot!" She explained to me, "Don't you see? That's exactly what he wants! He wants you to feel helpless. That's how he will control you. If you let him do that, it won't end well for either you or Kirito."

She was right. Ever since I returned to the real world, I could see that Sugou wanted me to be that scared girl I used to be. He was using Kirito-kun's life to make me his scared, obedient wife. Even though I knew that, I honestly couldn't come up with any good ideas that could save Kirito-kun's life. Before I talked to Lisbeth, I must have thought about the situation over a hundred times and every one of them resulted in Kirito-kun's death. That was something I could not bear to happen.

I said in a desperate voice, "I know. I know. But if we can't think of something in less than two weeks what else can I do? If I don't accept that proposal, Kirito-kun may die, and I do not want to be responsible for his death. I love him. How could I possibly condemn him to death?"

I could see it in Lisbeth's eyes that she was doing her best to understand my situation. She knew that there was no clear answer to solve this. Due to the circumstances, almost anything we could think of would result in a bad ending.

However, despite knowing that, Lisbeth stated in a firm voice, "There is no guarantee he will let Kirito-kun keep living indefinitely either." Lisbeth then started asking me some piercing questions. "Besides, do you think Kirito-kun would ever be happy living in a coma while you are married to another person you hate? Do you think you could live with that? If you make this decision, do you think you could look yourself in the mirror and be happy with the life you have chosen?"

It is moments like this that make me glad I have someone like Lisbeth as a friend. After thinking about her questions for a few moments, I could not come up with an answer. In hindsight, I would have to answer 'no' to all of those questions.

At that time, the only response I could think of was, "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't know what I can do. I don't want Kirito-kun to die, but I don't want to betray him or myself and leave him in that coma forever either. Even if he were to wake up in the future after I have made such a decision, I doubt that I would be able to reverse it that easily either. It's a Lose-Lose situation."

Lisbeth was silent for a moment before she tried to steer the conversation into a new direction, "Is there anyone else we can tell?"

I told her in a grim voice, "The only people I can picture that would believe me besides you are Sughua-san and our other friends from Sword Art Online. I was thinking of telling them of this too, but the more I considered the situation, the more uncertain I feel. If I did tell them, not only would it be doubtful that they could help me, but I would be selfishly burdening them with the information that Kirito-kun's life is in danger. I feel bad enough for burdening you with this information."

Lisbeth put her hand on my shoulder and calmly told me, "I'm glad you told me the truth, and I am certain the others would feel the same as well. We are all friends Asuna. None of us would want you to bear the burden of this situation on your own. I believe telling them the truth would be a good idea. If we all work together, at least one of us might come up with an idea that we can use, and we will lighten your load."

As much as I wanted to agree with her, I was still uncertain. I hesitantly asked Lisbeth, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Lisbeth responded, "Well it may not be the best idea, but it's a lot better than having you handle it on your own."

That was reasoning that I could not argue with. I reluctantly said, "Okay. I'll tell them tomorrow."

Before I left Lisbeth told me, "All right, but just so you know. If you don't tell them, I will." I was surprised when I heard her say that. "Kirito is important to all of us. We won't just sit on the sidelines while you deal with this alone."

I told her in a sincere voice, "Thank you Lisbeth."

She assured me, "Don't mention it. As I've told you before, we're friends."

/

After I left Lisbeth's room, I ran into Silica-chan on my way out. She cheerfully greeted me, "Hey Asuna-san. What are you doing here?"

I attempted to mask how troubled I was feeling when I responded, "Hey Keiko-chan. I was talking to Rika-san about something important."

Silica-chan seemed to realize that something was wrong when she said, "Oh."

I think Silica-chan could tell something wasn't right since I referred to both her and Lisbeth by their real names rather than by their in-game names. She knew that generally I would only refer to them by their real names when we were out in public. I suppose her time in Sword Art Online has made her a perceptive person. Based on what the trouble that Kirito-kun saved her from, I guess she probably didn't want to accidentally associate with the wrong people again.

I asked her, "Keiko-chan, are you free tomorrow?"

Silica-chan responded in an unsure tone, "Yes. Do you want to do something?"

I wasn't really sure how to answer that, so I answered her question with, "It's something like that. Can you come to the Dicey Café? There is something I need to talk to you and the others about." I then turned my eyes away from Silica-chan before I added, "It's important."

Silica-chan did not press me for anymore information. Even though she was the youngest in our group, she was grown up enough to see that this wasn't the place to talk about this subject. She responded, "Sure. I'll be there."

I smiled at her response. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow then."

She shook her head, "Okay. Good night."

I happily told her with a fake smile, "Good night." Then I departed from the hostel and went straight home.

/

Date: Saturday, January 25th, 2025

Location: Yuuki Household – Asuna's room

I was about to turn in for the night when I heard a knock on my door. I hesitantly asked, "Who is it?"

The voice responded, "It's me Kouichirou."

I figured it was okay to talk to my brother before going to bed, so I told him, "Come in."

My brother walked in, and he approached me. His face had an expression that was similar to the one he had when I talked to him in private back in the hospital. Kouichirou asked in a concerned voice, "Asuna are you doing okay?"

I was taken aback by being asked such a question out of the blue. I was not prepared to be asked that, so I responded in a less than convincing tone, "I'm okay. Why?"

Kouichirou explained, "I noticed for the past two days that you have been acting strangely. It's like you have something constantly nagging you, but you aren't sure what to do."

When he said that, I thought to myself, "Was I being that obvious or is he just that observant?" I responded, "I have?"

Kouichirou's voice continued to display the concern he had for my well being as he stated, "You have. Does this have anything to do with Kazuto-kun?"

I was silent for a few moments before answering. I responded in a neutral voice, "It is part of the reason, but it is much more than that."

He responded, "I see. It must be hard on you that he is still in a coma while you are back in the real world."

That assessment was accurate. It has been difficult ever since I saw Kirito-kun's sleeping figure in that hospital bed back in November, but barring that and my encounters with Sugou, things have gone well for me these past two and a half months. I responded in a sincere voice, "It has been, but thanks to my friends I have been okay. The person who needs help the most is Kazuto-kun. Unfortunately, in the state he is in, he probably won't get it." I took a deep breath before stating, "I would do anything to help him wake up."

The look in my brother's eyes changed. He told me in a cautious tone, "You may want to be careful about what you say Asuna. There are times when a person's wish comes true, but it may happen in a way that would result in a less than desirable outcome. To add insult to injury, when those times happen, that person may later learn he or she could have achieved their wish that would have resulted in a happier ending. You can say those were the true tragedies of the stories."

When my brother said that, it made think back to what happened in Sword Art Online. Before Kirito-kun opened my eyes and allowed me to begin seeing the value of being in the game world, I had been desperate to escape. There were nights I would stay up late because I would constantly be plagued by the nightmares of being trapped in that world and not being able to achieve my goals. I would keep telling myself, "I want to get out of here. I want to go home. I would do anything to make that happen."

While it may not have been my wish's fault to escape Sword Art Online that resulted in Kirito-kun and the other several hundred players remaining in their comas, it is true in my desperation that I thought that I 'would do anything' to escape the game. Even if the things people say or wish for are not directly responsible for the misfortunes of others, it is amazing how it can come back to bite you later. Regardless of whether or not the guilt is unwarranted, it can fester within you. It was thanks to Agil and Lisbeth that some of my accumulated guilt has subsided over the past few weeks.

I sighed as I responded, "I suppose that could be true. Wishes can end up backfiring on people depending on how they can really be achieved. However, I would still be willing to take that risk. When Kazuto-kun and I were trapped in Sword Art Online, he helped give me a new perspective on things in the virtual world. It was thanks to him that I was finally able to enjoy living in that virtual world rather than thinking that I was wasting my life. Kazuto-kun, Rika-san, and some of my other friends have made me believe that being trapped in Sword Art Online was not entirely a bad thing."

My brother stated in an anxious tone, "I'm not sure if I should feel relieved or concerned to hear you say that."

When I heard him say that, I chuckled a little. For some reason, my brother's presence made me feel somewhat cheerful despite the circumstances. I think it was because talking to him was a 'breath of fresh air.'

I cheerfully responded, "You don't have to be worried. Even though I was able to enjoy my time in the game, I still desired to return to the real world. However, during my time in that world, I learned that in order to obtain your desires you not only have to work for it, but you need to take risks. Kazuto-kun took a number of risks for me when I was in danger and to help me return to the real world. It would only seem right that I should do the same if our roles were reversed."

My brother gave me a worried look. "I don't know what those risks were, but I don't think Kazuto-kun took them so you would owe him one."

I shook my head as I agree with him. "No I don't think so either. However, when it comes to relationships, nothing should ever be one sided. Even if one of them does more for the other, both partners should be equally willing to help the other. That's what I believe."

Kouichirou did not respond for a few moments before his face softened and he said, "I guess it's hard to argue with that reasoning."

I cheerfully responded, "I would hope so."

Kouichirou finally smiled as he told me, "You have changed a lot Asuna. You are much different from the person I knew before she put on that Nerve Gear helmet."

I asked my brother in a curious tone, "Are you disappointed with the change?"

He corrected himself, "Not at all. I'm proud of how much you have changed. I guess I have Kazuto-kun to thank for that."

I responded in a sheepish tone, "That was partly true. Kazuto-kun played a huge role in that, but I also have to thank a number of other people for who I have become as well."

"Well I'm grateful to them too." Kouichirou turned to leave, but before he left he said, "Good night."

I responded as he closed my door, "Good night."

After Kouichirou left, I was alone again. A part of me didn't want him to leave so soon. Having him around was comforting, and despite the ultimatum that Sugou gave me regarding Kirito-kun's life, I felt I could still be cheerful, even if it was for a short time. It felt like Kouichirou was the only real family member I could talk to. If I tried talking to my father again, he would probably remind me of 'Sugou's availability' or how I was 'wrong' about Sugou's character and I should respect him. If I tried speaking to my mother, she would tell me that I should focus on making more friends who are on the 'same level' as me and become engaged to someone who is more 'worthy.' As much as I care for my parents, neither one of them could or would be able to help me.

Kouichirou on the other hand acted how I always believed a brother should. He was not judgmental of my interests or my friends. Similar to my father, he has been supportive of me since my return to the real world. He has never tried pressuring me to join social clicks that were exclusive to our social standing. After I explained to him my relationship with Kirito-kun, he was fine with it even though he did act somewhat 'protective' of me at first. He has come to agree with me that he would probably like Kirito-kun if he ever had the chance to talk to him in person. I am certain the two of them would hit it off.

I contemplated telling Kouichirou about the ultimatum that Sugou was forcing me to take, but I did not want to take that chance. I decided it would be for the best if I did not tell him at this point. After I contemplated the situation, I figured telling him would result in a disastrous outcome regardless of whether he believed me or not.

If he didn't believe me, I could picture him not keeping this conversation to himself, and it would eventually reach Sugou's ears. If he did believe me, I have a feeling he would ignore my reasoning for not telling father or the authorities. As a result, we would end up in an even worse position than before because I would lack any evidence other than my word against Sugou's, who is regarded as a 'man of integrity' by many.

The only thing I could do was tell the others about it at the Dicey Café tomorrow. I could only hope that someone would be able to come up with a solution. It scared me to think of what could happen if we weren't able to think of one. This made it difficult for me to go to sleep, but after about an hour of staying awake, I finally became too tired to think about the future anymore and drifted off.

/

Date – ?

Location – ?

When I woke up, my eyes were blurry. I rose and wiped the sleep from my eyes to regain the use of my senses. After my eyes cleared up, I realized that I could not remember what I was doing the night before.

I looked at my attire, and I noticed I was wearing the sleeping attire I would wear in Sword Art Online. I gazed around the room I was in and asked out loud, "Where am I?"

After looking around the room, I recognized I was inside the cottage that Kirito-kun and I purchased after we married in Sword Art Online. I thought to myself, "What's going on? This can't be. Aren't I?" When I tried to think back of what happened, nothing was coming to me. It was as if something had been wiped from my mind.

However, I stopped thinking about it when I glanced at the person next to me. It was Kirito-kun wearing his normal sleeping clothing. His face had that unmistakable cute and naïve look it always had when he was asleep. It was one of his many attractive features.

Suddenly the door opened, and I heard the most innocent voice I had ever heard, "Mama. You're awake." I looked to the door and it was Yui-chan.

I said in a surprised voice, "Yui-chan. You're here."

Yui-chan looked at me in a confused look. "Of course, I'm here Mama. Where else would I be?"

"Well I . . ." I couldn't remember what I wanted to say next. It was as if the words disappeared from my mind before I could say them. "Never mind Yui-chan."

As if it were on cue, Kirito-kun woke up as well. Similar to me, he was drowsy as well. "Good morning Asuna. Good morning Yui."

Yui-chan cheerily said, "Good morning Papa."

Normally, I would have responded right away, but my instincts were telling me that something was off, so I hesitated. After a few moments, the feeling passed and I greeted him, "Good morning Kirito-kun."

Kirito-kun looked at me in an amused face, "What's with the awkward 'good morning.'"

I was still not entirely sure what was going on. I responded, "Well . . . I . . ."

Kirito-kun shrugged it off, "Forget it. I guess after that party we went to yesterday, you wouldn't be feeling like yourself."

I asked in a questioning tone, "Party?"

He responded in a surprised tone, "Don't tell me you forgot. "We had a party with Niishad after I caught that giant fish and you cut him to ribbons. The whole gang came to celebrate, Klein, his guild members, Silica, Lisbeth, Agil, Thinker, and Yuriel. Don't you remember?"

After Kirito-kun said that a flash of memories came racing through my mind, and I saw it all happening. Kirito-kun managed to help Nishida catch this huge fish that turned out to be a monster known as the 'Lungfish.' The monster's ferocity managed to scare everyone to run away, but I made short work of it. After I killed it, the three of us received this massive reward for catching and dispatching this monster. I had enough ingredients to make food for about twenty people people.

Kirito-kun, Nishida, and I talked it over, and we decided to splurge on a big party. As a result, we invited a number of our friends to celebrate with a huge feast at our cottage. Everyone was celebrating, talking, and having a good time. It was moments like this that would make people forget that we were trapped in a virtual world.

Kirito-kun snapped me back to 'reality' with a slight nudge. He jokingly said to me, "Hey Asuna are you in there?"

After I regained focus, I sheepishly answered, "I'm fine Kirito-kun. I was just thinking about what happened."

Kirito-kun chuckled at what I said, "Yeah I guess you would. It was quite a night both during and after the party."

On reflex, I responded in an embarrassed tone, "Huh?"

Kirito-kun gave me a sly smile and asked, "What do you expect? We are on our honeymoon after all, and Yui was sound asleep in the other room, so we took advantage of that opportunity. Don't you remember?"

As if it was on cue, another stream of memories came into my head that I would rather not go into any detail about. It was quite a night of passion in more than one sense. The two of us were like rabbits. It's a good thing we made sure that Yui-chan was fast asleep in the other room, and Kirito-kun and I 'reequipped' our night clothing afterwards. Yui-chan was definitely far from being ready to know about something like this.

Just the other day, I was talking to Kirito-kun about the prospect of eventually getting married in the real world and having a family. I told him that I would like to have three children if possible. While Kirito-kun did want it to happen, he was not as adamant about the future as I was. Yui-chan happened to overhear what we were talking about, and she liked the idea of having a sibling. However, she then asked us the embarrassing question of where exactly babies came from. It took a lot of effort to change that topic, and I know I wouldn't want her finding out the answer if she saw one of our 'ethics-off' episodes last night.

I hesitantly responded in an embarrassed tone, "Ah . . . right."

After I said that, I heard Yui-chan ask in an innocent voice, "What are you talking about?"

While we were talking, the two of us forget that Yui-chan was still standing right there. Luckily, she did not seem to have any clue what we were talking about as she looked at us with a questioning expression. I then heard Yui-chan's stomach indicate that she was hungry.

I took advantage of that opportunity to change the subject and asked her, "Are you hungry Yui-chan?"

She excitedly responded, "Yes."

I happily responded, "I'll go make you two some breakfast then."

I immediately hurried off to the kitchen, and Yui-chan sat in the den as she waited for me to finish preparations. She wanted to know whether she could help me or not, but I told her that everything was fine. Before I was finished cooking, Kirito-kun joined me in the kitchen.

He told me in a bittersweet tone, "It's too bad that we never did find Yui's parents back on the first floor."

I sadly responded, "I know, but Sasha-san said that she had never seen someone who looked like Yui-chan before on the first floor." I then pondered another possibility. "However, it is also true that not all of the children in Sword Art Online are under Sasha-san's care. It's possible that Yui-chan wandered out of the Starting City on her own after the Death Game began, and she was able to make it to the subsequent floors because she traveled the fields after a number of the monsters were killed and had not respawned yet. It's likely that she has been spending these past two years warping to different floors before we found her."

Kirito-kun responded in a troubled voice, "That definitely seems possible. However, that also makes this situation quite unpleasant. This means she is truly on her own, and the only people that can take care of her are the two of us."

Yui-chan's situation troubled me as well, but I knew there was not much we could do about it now. I said in a somewhat frustrated voice, "I know. I was hoping we could have at least found a clue to who Yui-chan really is. I guess there is nothing we can really do until we can clear the game."

Kirito-kun stated in a determine voice, "Exactly. Until that time comes, we should do what we can for her sake."

I agreed with Kirito-kun's statement. I said, "Of course."

While Kirito-kun and I were talking about our search for Yui-chan's identity, I felt something strange in my head. It felt as if two different thoughts were conflicting with each other. It felt as if they were battling inside my mind to gain dominance. My head began to ache.

Kirito-kun noticed this and asked in a concerned voice, "Are you okay Asuna?"

I was massaging my forehead with my left hand as I responded with a less than convincing, "Yes. I'm all right Kirito-kun."

My response only seemed to worry Kirito-kun even more. "Are you sure? It looked like you were in pain."

I tried to assure him. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something, but I don't know how to put my finger on it."

He asked, "What do you mean?"

I was not sure what to say other than, "I feel confused about something."

Kirito-kun asked in a curious voice, "Do you know what it is?"

"Yes." I asked Kirito-kun, "When we were there Yuriel asked us to save Thinker right?"

Kirito-kun said in an uncertain tone, "Yeah. Why?"

I hesitantly asked, "How did that go again?"

Kirito-kun asked in an anxious voice, "Are you having amnesia too?"

I tried to wave off Kirito-kun's concern, "No it's just that I keep thinking about it and something doesn't seem right in my head. I was hoping you could straighten it out for me."

Kirito-kun took a good look into my eyes and he could see that I really needed to hear this answer. He responded, "All right then. When we approached the area that Thinker was trapped in, we were attacked by a boss known as the Reaper. However, it luckily appeared behind us rather than in front of us, and we were able to feel it coming, so it didn't get the drop on us or cut off our escape. We were able to outrun the boss and make it to Thinker's cell and we all teleported to safety.

As Kirito-kun told me this, the memories of what happened were coming into place. It was as if Kirito-kun's words were the key to solving the 'contradictions.'

After Kirito-kun was done explaining the story, he asked me, "Is there anything wrong?"

I answered, "No. That sounds right." For some reason, I then blurted out, "Have you received any messages from Heathcliff recently?"

Kirito-kun was surprised to hear me ask that. He told me, "As a matter of fact I did. I received one from him yesterday after you killed that fish monster."

I asked in a nervous tone, "What did the message state?"

Kirito answered, "The message stated he is going to be giving us a quest to complete, so we can stay on our toes for when we return to the frontlines. Sorry I didn't tell you about it yesterday, but I didn't want to ruin the fun we were going to have."

I was perfectly fine with him not telling me right away. "It's okay. At least you told me now. Do you know when he plans on giving us this mission?"

Kirito-kun didn't seem to have the answer to that question himself. "I'm not really sure about the exact timing, but it should probably happen either later today or tomorrow."

/

The following day, Kirito and I received the message from Heathcliff. It assigned us the 'quest' that he wanted us to complete to help us remain in tip-top shape for future boss battles. The two of us decided it would be best to handle this quest as quickly as possible, so we readily prepared our equipment.

Before we left, I nervously asked Kirito-kun, "Are you sure it is a good idea to leave Yui-chan by herself?"

Kirito-kun seemed to share my uncertainty and responded, "I don't like it either. However, it would be too dangerous to bring her along. Besides, as long as she doesn't open the door for anyone, she will be fine."

I reluctantly agreed. "I guess that's true."

In Sword Art Online, whenever players rented a room at an inn or owned a house or apartment, no one else would be able to enter that space without authorization. The same was true for our cottage. As long as Yui-chan didn't leave the house or let people inside, she would be okay. The mechanics of the house allowed us to prevent people from entering other than ourselves and our guests. It was a feature that was convenient over how things worked in the real world because it would automatically safeguard its occupants.

I turned to Yui-chan and instructed her, "Yui-chan there is food in the container areas, and it shouldn't expire anytime soon. We will be back as soon as we can, but until we get back please don't leave the house and be sure to not let anyone else in besides us okay?"

Yui-chan cheerfully smiled at us and hugged me tightly, "Okay Mama. Good luck on your quest. I'll be waiting."

I smiled at Yui-chan as I told her, "Thank you."

Kirito-kun then playfully patted Yui-chan on the head and confidently said, "You don't have to worry about us. We will be back before you know it. There is no team in Sword Art Online tougher than your Mama and Papa."

Yui-chan cheerfully shook her head in agreement. After we were done with our goodbyes, Kirito-kun and I were off to complete our new quest.

/

As we walked towards our destination, I asked Kirito-kun, "So Kirito-kun, do you know anything about the monster we are suppose to be hunting?"

Kirito-kun pulled up the quest description to see if there were any details he may have missed. "Not really. Your guess is as good as mine. The note stated that if we head into this forest, the boss will eventually appear before us. Additionally, the quest recommended for players to fight in at least a party of two and one of these players needs to be at a minimum of Level 90. Since we meet that criterion, I think we should be able to complete this quest as long as we are careful."

I had a feeling that 'careful' was putting it mildly. "Well that goes without saying. With how powerful the monsters are in the floors above seventy, it probably wouldn't be a good idea for anyone to continue playing solo anymore."

Kirito surprisingly agreed with me, "That's probably true. As I told you before, I felt like I was reaching the limit of what I could do as a solo player after Heathcliff defeated me in that duel."

When Kirito-kun said that, it still didn't feel as if anything was off. He referenced things that the two of us had experienced together. Whenever I thought there were some inconsistencies, he was able to remind me of what happened. It made me happy that things have been able to work out for the two of us and Yui-chan as well as they have over these past few weeks. However, I still didn't feel I could be at ease. Something still did not feel right even for being trapped in a Death Game.

Despite my concerns, I decided I would worry about that later. I nervously asked Kirito-kun, "Do you think it will be an opponent similar to Gleam Eyes?"

Kirito-kun considered the possibility for a moment before responding. "I have a feeling that our opponent will be around the same level as a boss battle somewhere between the sixty-fifth and seventh-fourth floor which is probably why the quest recommended us to have such high levels before accepting the challenge."

As soon as Kirito-kun said that, we were in the middle of a forest area that was filled with old ruins. It reminded me of what I read from Ancient Greek civilization. However, we were not able to gaze upon its beauty because the two of us felt the air within the forest change. We could feel our target was approaching us. Kirito-kun drew both of his swords, Dark Repulser and Elucidator. I drew out my rapier, Lambent Light.

Kirito-kun softly said to me, "Are you ready?"

I confidently told him, "Always."

/

When our boss appeared out of the shadows, it revealed to us that our opponent was a Centaur. Centaurs are part of Greek Mythology as creatures that are part man and part horse. With few exceptions, they have generally been depicted as barely civilized brutes that were fond of drinking wine and being with women. I could see this creature was depicting Centaurs in that fashion based on the lustful gaze it was giving me prior to our fight.

I did not want to imagine what it would attempt to do to me if the Centaur somehow managed to defeat us and killing its targets was not its first priority. The look on its face made me want to stick my rapier right through its eyes. However, I knew better than to charge in a fight without a plan or at least some coordination. I was not going to make the same mistake that I made when we fought Gleam Eyes.

Based on our scans, the Centaur's powers were approximately even with Gleam Eyes give or take being a few levels lower. It was probably slightly weaker due to it not being a boss battle, but the equipment it had seemed like it was going to give us enough problems. The Centaur was equipped with a double edged sword as well as a bow and quiver on its back. After we made our quick observations on the creature's equipment and stats, it wasted no more time to draw out its blade. The Centaur then charged at Kirito-kun and me with great speed.

Both Kirito-kun and I were more than fast enough to dodge the attack without receiving any damage. It was a good thing we moved as fast as we did because when the Centaur attacked the empty space that Kirito-kun and I had occupied. I noticed that the Centaur had sliced the stone wall that was behind us like it was tissue paper and then what was left of the wall shattered into glass fragments. After witnessing that, I wouldn't want to think about how much damage it would inflict if that blade connected.

I said out loud, "This is definitely not going to be easy."

As Kirito-kun prepared to strike the beast, he said in a tone mixed with determination and excitement, "I wouldn't expect it to be."

Kirito-kun then charged at the beast and attacked with his Dark Repulser first that the Centaur was able to easily parry. He then tried to attack with his Elucidator, but the creature was quick to rotate its double edge sword to block Kirito-kun's second attack. Afterwards, it was the creature's turn to take the offensive.

After it deflected both of Kirito-kun's attacks, it then tried to use its long reach to strike down Kirito-kun where he stood. It made five consecutive attempts to slice Kirito-kun into ribbons. Even though Kirito-kun was not as fast on as me, he had excellent reflexes that allowed him to avoid most of the attacks. He managed to avoid the first four by inches, and on the fifth attack, the blade managed to slightly graze his chin. Other than that, Kirito-kun was unharmed.

Kirito-kun saw that I was ready to fight, and he gave me the signal, "Switch!"

I then jumped up and attacked the Centaur with my raining swords attack. With my attack, it would appear as if I was somehow attacking you with multiple sword strikes even though I was only using one. I managed to injure the Centaur's left shoulder and lower right abdomen, but the creature was fast enough with its double edged sword to block a majority of its attacks.

After my attack was finished, it attempted to slice at me as well, but I was able to dodge its attacks. I then shouted out to Kirito-kun, "All out!"

No more words needed to be spoken. We knew after our two solo attacks that this enemy was not going to go down that easily. Our efforts put together managed to scratch a little bit of its health points, but we would probably need to repeat that at least fifty times if we were going to win, and we knew that was not going to work.

Kirito-kun and I managed to attack the beast from different sides and angles, but it was surprisingly agile despite its huge body. While we were usually able to give it a minor amount of damage each time we attacked, it was not really substantial. We would not be able to keep this up for long. If we did not find a way to do more damage, we would either need to run away or we would be killed.

It was then that I noticed the creature had individual health bars for each of its legs, and they were all covered in armor. I realized that had to be the creature's weak spot. Additionally, I could see that my Lambent Light rapier was stronger than the armor. It would probably take some effort, but I figured that if I had a few seconds, I could shatter the armor of at least one of those legs.

After considering the possibilities, I shouted to Kirito-kun, "Charge him."

As soon as I said that, Kirito-kun did exactly as I said. He attempted to attack the Centaur with his dual blades, but he kept getting blocked. Kirito-kun trusted that I had some kind of plan that would make the risk he was taking worthwhile. While the Centaur's attention was focused on Kirito-kun, I ran around it in preparation for the moment I could put my plan into motion.

The creature tried to swing its blade vertically down on Kirito-kun in hopes of attempting to cut him in half, but Kirito-kun crossed his Dark Repulser and Elucidator together, and used them to catch the Centaur's blade before it could finish its blow. With Kirito-kun's strength, the Centaur's double edged sword was approximately three inches above his head. However, the stubborn Centaur was not about to pull out. It tried pushing Kirito-kun as hard as it could while inching its blade closer and closer to his forehead.

While it was distracted, I decided it was a golden opportunity to go for the creature's legs. I went for its back legs first and I used my raining sword attack on both of them at the same time. As I attacked the creature's leg armor began to shatter and within a few seconds, the armor was destroyed which left its legs defenseless.

After I had managed to destroy the armor on the Centaur's back legs, it's attention became more focused on me than Kirito-kun. Kirito-kun managed to use this opportunity to his advantage.

He shouted at the creature in a voice filled with killing intent, "Where do you think your looking idiot?"

Kirito-kun managed to knock the blade away from his head, and then managed to give the Centaur's torso several direct attacks with his Dark Repulser and Elucidator. With those direct hits, the Centaur's hit points went down quite substantially. They were the most damaging attacks we were able to inflict on the creature so far.

While Kirito-kun was attacking the Centaur's torso, I managed to destroy the armor of its front legs. I suppose I could have attacked its back legs right then, but what I did was completely on reflex. However, I might have subconsciously known that this was probably the best chance to destroy the armor of all its legs and leave its lower body completely vulnerable.

After I destroyed the armor and managed to do some damage to its legs, the creature jumped away from Kirito-kun and I. However, we were not going to let it get away that easily. The two of us continued to attack from different angles and alternated between attacking its upper and lower body. The damage we managed to inflict upon it with our attacks was far more effective, and we could see that we had a chance for victory.

/

Shortly after we managed to reduce its overall health by at least fifty percent and injured its legs to an extent, Kirito-kun was able to destroy creature's double-edge blade by attacking its center. The Centaur was enraged by this, and this caused it to change its strategy by retreating further back and drawing out its bow. It placed an arrow on the bow's string and drew it back. Before it fired, I could see that the arrow was beginning to glow. It appeared as if the creature was 'charging' its arrow. Needless to say, I had a bad feeling for what that light could mean.

I shouted out to Kirito-kun, "Kirito-kun there's something strange about that arrow. Don't let it get close to you."

As soon as I said that, Kirito-kun heeded my warning, and we started moving as quickly as we could. It's a good thing I noticed that strange sensation about the Centaur's arrow because after it shot the arrow at us, the arrow moved at a high level speed that would have been difficult for us to avoid if we were not already moving. When I saw it connect to one of the trees that stood behind us, the tree was destroyed in an instant.

However, even though the two of us moved out the arrow's path, it wasn't enough. Everything that was within a few feet of the arrow's path was pushed back by some kind of 'wind force.' Despite the distance Kirito-kun and I managed to put between ourselves and the arrow's path, we still received a minor amount of whiplash that reduced our health points by five percent. I would hate to think about how much we would lose if the arrow was closer to us, let alone hit us directly.

I said out loud to Kirito-kun, "Did that thing shoot an arrow powered with magic?"

As we attempted to avoid the monster's sight, Kirito responded, "That shouldn't be possible. Sword Art Online isn't supposed to have magical abilities in it. It has to be some kind of strange skill that only bosses can use."

My response to that was, "Yeah well, Sword Art Online wasn't advertised as a 'Death Game,' so who knows what else was changed by Kayaba."

Kirito-kun said in an exasperated tone, "We can worry about that later. For now, let's focus on avoiding those arrows and killing this Centaur."

I figured that Kirito-kun was right about that. "Okay."

Kirito-kun and I continued to run in various directions and we did our best to avoid the Centaur's arrows and take cover to reduce the damage we would receive from the whiplash. After some quick maneuvers, the two of us managed to find a hiding spot and the Centaur lost track of our movements.

Thanks to Kirito-kun's 'hiding ability,' the Centaur had momentarily lost its target. However, with the creature's scanning and tracking abilities, it would only be a matter of time before it would find us. We needed to come up with something quickly. While we were within striking distance of the Centaur, we needed a strategy because the both of us had lost at least forty percent of our health by then.

Kirito quietly told me, "Asuna I have an idea."

I whispered, "What is it?"

Kirito stated in an analytical tone, "Since that Centaur is using a long distance weapon to fight us, I will use my own long range attack as well."

I knew that Kirito-kun did have a long range attack known as, 'throwing blades,' but I was not sure if that would be good enough in this situation since it was more of a mid-range ability. While it was a deadly ability that Kirito-kun wasn't too far away from perfecting, but it was unlikely that skill alone was capable of killing the Centaur. At least not with the amount of health it still had.

I asked in an uncertain tone, "Do you think that will be enough?"

He responded, "No, but that is where you come in."

I took a good look at Kirito-kun's eyes, and I could see what he had in mind. I told him in a confident voice, "All right I got it."

Kirito-kun ran in one direction and I ran in another, so we would be in the optimal positions before we could initiate the plan.

/

When Kirito-kun saw that I was behind the Centaur, he used his blade throwing ability to distract it before it could sense me. While I could see that the blade did some damage to the Centaur, I would estimate that each blade probably only reduced its health by one or two percent at most. Even though this wasn't going to kill it, this ability would serve its purpose in distracting it.

When Kirito-kun attacked the Centaur with his knife throwing ability it appeared anger it similar to when Kirito-kun destroyed its double-edged sword. It must have seen Kirito-kun as a rival in both close range and long distance attacks, and it didn't want to lose to him. Our opponent seemingly forgot my existence because I was able to easily sneak around behind it, and I waited for the best opportunity to strike. My target would be the Centaur's legs.

As I mentioned before, each of the Centaur's legs had their own health points which probably means if we reduced them to zero, then we would immobilize it. Over the course of our battle, two of the legs were close to reaching zero, and the other two were moderately damaged. I figured if I could take those two out, then the Centaur would be a sitting duck, and Kirito-kun and I would be able to finish it off relatively easily. Of course, we also had to take into account that a wounded animal would probably be in its most dangerous state.

I would have attacked the Centaur's body more directly, but its health points were still too high to be killed by a few blows to its upper body. If I attacked that area, there was a good chance it wouldn't be enough to kill him, and I doubt we would have another opportunity to immobilize him. We were just going to need to take our chances.

As soon as I saw my opportunity to strike, I took it. Before the Centaur knew what hit him, I viciously stabbed two of its legs and disabled it. I attacked a third one, and I nearly finished it off before the Centaur changed its attention to me. The creature tried to grab me with its right hand, but I quickly dodged it. It then tried to punch me with its left hand, but managed to dodge it again, and I counterattacked its third leg.

With my final attack on its third leg, it was disabled, and the Centaur had only one usable leg. Unfortunately for it, the Centaur was unable to more with only one leg, and it crashed down to the ground. The creature was completely immobilized.

However, as I suspected, the Centaur became wilder now that it was unable to move freely. Its wild movements made it difficult for Kirito-kun and I to approach it. After we managed to strike it a few times, it seemed to regain its composure and began to fire its arrows at us again. Luckily for us, the creature's aim was far less accurate than it used to be. However, the backlash wind the arrow gave off was still troublesome. It was a good thing the damage it did had become minimal.

After we managed to dodge a few arrows, Kirito-kun and I managed to get around the creature. Since it lacked its legs to freely move around, it found it difficult to keep firing its arrows after we managed to get behind it. This gave us the perfect opportunity to finish it off.

I told Kirito-kun in a confident voice, "Distract it with your throwing blades again."

He did not bother to ask why. He responded, "All right."

Kirito-kun then ran out of the creature's blind spot and threw several blades at it. The creature became enraged once again, and it clearly did not learn anything from our previous strategy. I jumped out of my hiding spot to prepare my strike. I ran up as fast as I could and when I was within striking distance, I leaped up and brought my rapier down onto the back of the Centaur's horse body.

My Lambent Light impaled the Centaur, and the longer I kept it in there, the more its remaining hit points decreased. After being impaled the Centaur cried out in pain and dropped its bow. A part of me was beginning to feel bad for it, but then I saw it try to grab me before I could finish it off. I knew I couldn't afford to give the Centaur pity. This was a matter of life or death. I had managed to decrease the creature's hit points substantially, and I was about to pull out my rapier to retreat until Kirito-kun noticed what was about to happen. He came charging in at full speed.

Kirito-kun said in a determined voice, "Don't even think about it." He then impaled the Centaur's chest with both his Dark Repulser and Elucidator.

With our weapons impaling the Centaur, its remaining hit points decreased to zero in less than thirty seconds. As soon as the Centaur shattered to glass fragments below me, I fell a few feet to the ground exhausted. The two of us breathed a sigh of relief at our victory as the system declared us the winners, and we were given our rightfully earned rewards. Not only were Kirito-kun and I awarded enough experience points to become one level higher, but we received a large amount of monetary compensation for our efforts as well. We definitely did not have to worry about running out of money anytime soon.

I had to admit that fighting that Centaur was not only a dangerous experience but a thrilling one. I think the fact I fought alongside Kirito-kun made this situation all the more special, and it was truly a wonderful joint accomplishment. However, despite defeating this enemy and feeling happy to have fought alongside Kirito-kun, I started to have this lingering feeling that something was not right. It was similar to the feeling that I had back in the house. It was a nagging feeling which was causing some kind of conflict in my mind.

As it continued to build and become more unbearable, I put my right hand to my head to soothe it. Kirito-kun noticed I was troubled by something, and he urgently asked me, "What's wrong Asuna? Did that creature hurt you with some kind of poison?"

I shook my head and responded, "No I'm fine. I think I just need some rest."

He sighed at my response, "Yeah I guess you're right. It was a pretty tense experience after all. I could probably use some rest too."

As we began to leave the area, Kirito-kun and I noticed that the once clear, beautiful sky was becoming dark and cloudy. Based on the weather information, this did not seem normal. It gave more of an ominous feeling that I could not put my finger on.

Kirito-kun casually said, "I guess we should be expecting a storm soon." He then turned to me and said, "Let's get back to the cottage. I wouldn't want to be caught outside in this."

I shook my head in agreement. "You're right." The two of us turned and headed back to the twenty-second floor. We would soon be back home and with Yui-chan again.

/

While we were heading back to our home Kirito-kun and I made some small talk to pass the time. During the course of that, he said something I didn't expect. He said, "I wonder if Kayaba actually got the idea to include that creature in the game from Greek mythology or if it was a reference from that video game series from a decade or two ago."

I asked Kirito-kun in a curious tone, "What video game series are you talking about?"

Kirito had that look in his eyes he usually had whenever, he was interested in explaining something about the video game industry. He told me, "You probably never heard of it. It was a series that proved to be so popular in the West that the related development companies produced at least seven or eight installments within a ten year period. Almost every entry of the series was guaranteed to sell millions. Additionally, the main character of that series really seemed to appeal to the Western gamers for one reason or another."

Kirito-kun was right in that assumption. I had no clue what he was talking about. The only thing I could say was, "Sounds like it was a major hit."

He then told me, "It was in the West. However, the series never really caught on in Japan. As a whole the series sold less than half a million in the country in comparison to the millions upon millions it sold in other regions.

What he said made me wonder why that was the case. "Why is that?"

Kirito-kun explained in a voice that indicated he was not entirely comfortable explaining, but he did anyway. "Apparently, a lot of people in Japan back then didn't really like the main character because he was a brute that did not have too many redeeming qualities. Not to mention, there were probably a number of people in Japan that didn't like how many 'ethics-off' situations he had with multiple women in almost every game of the series.

My eyes opened widely at that explanation. The only verbal response I could come up with that was, "You don't say." What I really thought was, "Whoever that character was, I doubt that I would like him. He sounds downright despicable."

/

After a while Kirito-kun and I were finally within view of our cottage home. In a few minutes the two of us would finally be home. However, while I would generally be happy at the sight of our home, I could not bring myself to feel happy because the dark skies that we saw at the end of our quest were here as well. As we continued to walk back to the cottage, we noticed a change in the air. It did not feel as if it was some minor change of the winds either. The ominous feeling we were experiencing back in that forest area was back again.

I thought to myself, "What is going on?"

Kirito-kun voiced out loud what I was thinking, "This doesn't feel good."

No sooner had Kirito-kun said that, the sky above us began to roar like thunder all around us. It sounded as if we were hearing ten different thunder strikes at once. Then there was a huge gust of wind that nearly blew both Kirito-kun and me off our feet. The wind knocked Kirito-kun off balance, and it managed to push me at least ten feet before I managed to regain my footing. I swear if I was any lighter, that wind would have carried me away. The wind died down a little after that initial gust, but it was much faster than what we were used to in this area.

Kirito-kun turned to my direction and he continued to brace himself against the oncoming wind, he shouted, "Asuna are you okay."

I nodded and responded, "I'm fine."

After a few more seconds of facing that wind, it suddenly died down, and everything seemed to be normal again. Kirito-kun and I looked around to see that the sky above us was still dark and the ominous air still loomed around us. It was as if the atmosphere itself was telling us to anticipate something else.

Kirito-kun said out loud in a voice of disbelief, "What the hell was that?"

The longer we stood in that area, the ominous feeling I had felt kept getting stronger with each passing second. Due to this feeling, I responded, "I don't know, but something tells me that wasn't it."

Suddenly, we started hearing some strange cracking sounds. It sounded as if they were happening all around us, so we had no clue where the source was. I saw that the ground right below Kirito-kun's feet was beginning to crack, and it looked like it would soon give way. It was as if that blast of wind that pushed me indirectly saved me from what was going to happen to Kirito-kun.

As soon as I saw that the ground below him was breaking apart, I ran towards him and shouted, "Kirito-kun! Get away from there!"

Unfortunately, I was too late. By the time Kirito-kun realized that the ground was shattering underneath his feet, it gave way. However, Kirito-kun was able to grab the edge of land that had not yet broken apart, but he was barely holding on.

I kept running as quickly as I could to get to him. I was almost there when the ground he was holding onto was about to give way. The area he was holding onto broke underneath his grip and he began to fall. However, I was not about to let that happen. I dived to the edge of the cliff and reached out with my right hand. Luckily, I was able to grab his right arm before he fell out of my reach. It was a good thing I managed to grab him because below him was nothing more than the bottomless void that players would jump into in order to commit suicide after they were overcome with despair.

I shouted out to him as loud as I could, "Don't worry Kirito-kun I got you."

Even though, I had a firm grip on Kirito-kun's arm, I lacked the strength to hold him for long and I would not be able to pull him up if we didn't do something quickly. If we had more time and worked together, I would be able to get him to safety, but time was not on our side. While I was holding Kirito-kun the two of us heard some more cracking sounds. I then noticed that the ground below me was beginning to crack as well.

If this kept up, it was likely that even if I managed to pull Kirito-kun up with me, the ground might not be able to support both of our weights. It would then give way before we could safely get out of the area, and we would both die. However, I did not want to think like that. I refused to think like that. The idea of dropping Kirito-kun to save myself disgusted me.

Kirito-kun noticed what was happening, and he desperately told me, "Asuna you have to let me go. You need to get out of here."

I was surprised when I heard him say that, and I responded, "What? What are you talking about? I am going to save you! Don't let go!"

He tried to convince me by saying, "There is no time for. You have to get out of here!"

I made it clear to him that I was not going to leave him. "Not without you! I won't leave without you!"

He sadly told me, "You are going to have to. If you don't let me go, nothing will be gained by it. It will be for the better for both of us if you let me go."

I didn't expect Kirito-kun to say something like that to me. Not ever. I shouted in a shocked voice, "What?!"

Kirito-kun answered, "You heard me. I would rather die that cause your own death." After he said that his facial expression became more sad and regretful as he told me, "I'm sorry."

Kirito-kun stopped holding on to my hand, and it caused my grip to become looser. If that kept up, he would fall to that void. As I felt his arm starting to slip from my grasp, I pleaded with him, "Stop messing around Kirito-kun. PLEASE!"

The look on Kirito-kun's face was heartbreaking. He gave me a sad smile as he regretfully told me, "I'm sorry Asuna."

Afterwards, I couldn't hold on any longer, and he fell. I shouted, "NO!"

As he fell he said to me in a calm voice, "Try to remember me in a better light Asuna."

Right before Kirito-kun reached the point of no return, I screamed out his name, "KIRITO-KUN!"

After I screamed his name I saw his body shattered into glass fragments that scattered into the void. Kirito-kun had died before my eyes and I was too weak to save him. All I could do was stare motionlessly into the void that had claimed Kirito-kun's life.

/

Suddenly, there was a huge flash of blinding light. I shielded my eyes as best as I could. When the light faded away, I found myself in a completely different location. I was no longer wearing my Knights of the Blood uniform. I was wearing an outfit I had worn in the real world, and I was standing in some strange location. I am not really sure what happened, but my head was suddenly filled with knowledge that informed me that I had returned to the real world and became friends with several Sword Art Online survivors and Kirito-kun's family. However, these 'memories' did not tell me where I was.

I looked around, and I noticed there were these family graves everywhere. After putting two and two together, I realized I was in a graveyard, but I couldn't remember why I was here. I then noticed several people walking away from me. It appeared that a memorial service had just ended and everyone was leaving. I recognized the people who were leaving. They were my friends Suguha, Lisbeth, Silica, Klein, Agil, and several others who also survived Sword Art Online. Even though I could not see their faces, I could tell they were saddened by something. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but something told me I was about to find out.

As if on cue, I felt a strange sensation behind me. My instincts were giving me contradicting signals. It was telling me that I needed to see what was behind me, but it was also telling me what I saw could not be unseen. I decided to look around, and not surprisingly it was another family grave. However, this family grave received some extra decoration and incense was burning which indicated this was the grave that received the recent memorial service. I felt compelled to know whose family grave this was, but I was not going to like the answer.

As I approached the family grave for a closer inspection, the clouds looked like they were about to begin pouring. I didn't have an umbrella with me, so I knew I would get soaked if it began to rain, but my instincts were telling me that was the least of my worries.

When I looked at the family grave I was shocked to see the inscription of the grave state, "Kirigaya Family." I then noticed right next to it there was a picture of Kirito-kun, and my eyes widened in horror as I read the inscription below the picture. It read:

Here contains the ashes of Kirigaya Kazuto

A Son, Brother, Friend, and Lover

May He Rest Peacefully

After I read that, I was completely shocked. I was overwhelmed by all kinds of emotions. They washed over me all at once and for a few moments I was not sure what I was feeling. There was anger, confusion, self-hatred, sadness, fear but most of all there was despair.

The despair I felt was what ended overwhelming me. Tears began to fall down my cheeks, and I broke down. I fell to my knees and all I could do was cry. As soon as I began to cry, the rain began to come down, but I did not care. I just stayed in that position on my knees and did not move from there. The only thing I could do was cry.

As it continued to pour, I heard the footsteps of someone approaching me. They were soft footsteps, but I could still hear them. I turned around to see who it was, and I was so surprised by who it was I stood up immediately.

It was a girl who had no shoes on. She had long black hair, and she wore a one piece white dress. This girl was the adopted AI daughter of Kirito-kun and me. Under normal circumstances I would be happy to see her, but her presence here confused me. Since she was an AI, she should have no ability to appear in the real world unless some device could be created to make that happen. As a result, the mixture of emotions I was feeling between the grave behind me and my adopted AI daughter in front of me, I didn't know how to react.

Before I could respond, Yui-chan looked down to the ground and spoke to me in a voice that had an undertone filled with rage. "You promised that you would protect him. You promised you would meet him in your world." With each moment her voice was becoming louder, and her rage was making itself more known. "You failed to keep your word. You always fail to keep your word."

Yui-chan then revealed a face I never would have expected to see. It was a face that was filled with anger and hate. There was not a trace of the innocence. Her cheerful smile was replaced with unquenchable wrath. Then she ran at me as quickly as she could. When she was within striking distance, she jumped up and attacked me. She grabbed onto me and kept trying to punch me in the face. I managed to grab her fist before she could. Afterwards, I managed to put her on the ground and restrain her arms with my hands, but I could see the anger in her eyes was still swelling.

I desperately tried to reason with her as tears continued to pour down both our cheeks, "Please stop this Yui-chan. I'm sorry for what happened. I would do it differently if I could. If I could trade places with Kirito-kun I would."

However, Yui-chan refused to listen to me. She angrily told me. "All you do is talk big, but you have nothing to show for it. You promised you would protect your friends. You promised that you would protect Papa, but what have you accomplished? Who have you protected? Who has always protected you?" Yui gritted her teeth before asking, "Do you know what you are Asuna?" When I heard Yui-chan call me Asuna rather than "Mama" I was stunned. I was not able to answer her question, but she had an answer in mind. "You are a weak, worthless, coward who promises a lot but doesn't fulfill them. You never deserved to be with Papa."

I couldn't refute what she had said. The despair I was feeling showed itself in my voice as I told her, "I know I am. If there was something I could do to change that I would, but I can't. As much as I want to, there is nothing I could do."

Yui-chan's anger could not be quelled. "Papa never would have let you die. He would sacrifice himself for your happiness. Can you say that you would do the same for him?" I could see with each sentence she spoke, tears of anger were beginning to form.

I sadly told her, "I would always do that."

She angrily responded, "Then why did you let him die?"

There was no answer I could give other than, "I don't know."

Yui-chan asked in disbelief, "You don't know?"

With despair filling me up, I told her, "That's all I can tell you Yui-chan."

After I told her that, Yui-chan's eyes intensified as her fist broke out of my grip. She then punched me with everything she had. I did not even attempt to block her punch that time. I was

also surprised when I received that punch. I never would have thought I would receive such a strong punch from Yui-chan.

/

When Yui-chan punched me, it caused me to close my eyes. However, shortly after I received the punch, the pain disappeared almost instantly and I no longer felt the rain pouring down anymore. I opened my eyes and say I was on some kind of hilltop. I then looked at my attire, and I was wearing my Knights of the Blood uniform again.

I thought to myself, "What is going on here? This doesn't make any sense." I thought back to everything that happened up until that moment. I felt as if I was going to have a headache from all of these memories, so I used my right hand to rub my forehead. I said out loud, "First I wake up with Kirito-kun and Yui-chan beside me and enjoying a happy family life. Then Kirito-kun and I fought and defeated a monster, but then the world fell apart and Kirito-kun was sucked into the void. Afterwards, I was in front of his family's grave and his ashes were just deposited into the site." I said the last part with an extra bit of sadness. "Finally, Yui-chan attacked me in her hatred for my inability to help Kirito-kun." I then sank to my knees and stated in a mixture of desperation and frustration, "What is happening?"

Then I heard someone's footsteps from behind me. The person spoke in a male voice that tried to assure me that, "You really mustn't blame yourself Asuna."

The voice was familiar, but I realized that it couldn't be possible. I looked around and it was Kirito-kun dressed in his normal Sword Art Online attire as the 'Black Swordsman.'

I said in a surprised voice, "Kirito-kun!"

As soon as he nodded, my eyes lit up and I was about to run towards him to embrace him, but he told me in a firm voice, "Stay back."

When he said that, I stopped moving. I was both confused and shocked by what he had said. He could see that I was going to ask for an explanation, and he told me, "I'm not the Kirito you know. I'm nothing more than a dream."

My initial confusion and shock had quickly dissipated, and those feelings were replaced by curiosity about that last statement. I asked, "A dream?"

He stated in an annoyed tone, "Of course I'm a dream. This whole thing has been a dream. Did you really think that you could be transported instantaneously to various places without any memories of it happening? You would need a severe case of blackouts for that to be possible." I had no clue how to respond to what Kirito-kun had said to me. He could see that I was offended by that last remark, so he decided on a better choice of words. "Although, I suppose it would be normal for you to not know this is a dream. Your subconscious made this reality, and it would be easy to confuse you about what is real and not real."

After the words finally began to sink in, I said in a hopeful voice, "So that means you're not real, and the real you should be fine?"

Kirito-kun explained, "No, but I represent the Kirito you remember. After getting to know me for all those months, you can say that I am here to basically tell you what you know I would tell you if I wasn't in that coma."

I was confused by what was going on. I asked, "A coma?"

Kirito-kun was becoming more annoyed with me by the second as he told me, "Yes a coma. Don't you remember now?"

After he said that, another stream of memories came rushing into my head. This time I knew these were my real memories and not memories created for the sake of this dream. I now clearly remembered everything that happened over the past two and a half months after I was freed from Sword Art Online. I remembered both the good and the bad.

I told him in a voice that made it clear that I was no longer confused, "Yeah. I remember now."

Kirito-kun smiled and told me, "That's good. Now I won't need to worry about explaining more things in detail."

That caused me to think about my encounter with Yui-chan a few moments ago. I asked in a nervous voice, "You said that you are a representation of my memories of Kirito-kun right?"

It was his turn to ask me a question. "Yes why?"

I had difficulty asking what I wanted to know. "Well it's just . . . it's just that . . ."

He could see that what I wanted to talk to him about was not easy. He asked me in a concerned voice, "What's wrong Asuna?"

When he asked me that, I was finally able to spit it out. I stated in an anxious tone, "Before you showed up, I saw Yui-chan. When I saw her, the look in her eyes was filled with nothing but anger and hate for me. I still can't get that image out of my head. Does this dream mean she truly hates me?"

Kirito-kun could see the hurt that was in my eyes and reassured me similar to how I know that he would, "You don't have to worry about Yui. The real one loves you. I know it. That Yui was a representation of one of your fears not your memories."

I asked in a mixture of curiosity and nervousness, "My fears?"

Kirito-kun explained in a matter of fact tone, "The Yui you saw was a representation of your fear that your perceived weaknesses have only caused pain in the lives of others. I can assure you that you do not need to blame yourself if that were to ever happen. It is true that you have made mistakes, but you reflect and try to learn from them. I think that by itself is important."

When the dream Kirito-kun said that, I was not really sure what I could say. This sounded similar to something that Lisbeth said to me before. However, something about this felt more eerie, so I remained silent.

Kirito-kun scratched his head and he told me, "I suppose I should explain to you what has been happening. This whole dream has been a representation of you."

I repeated what I heard in an uncertain voice, "A representation of me?"

Kirito-kun reminded me, "Don't you remember when the dream started? You were happy right?"

I agreed with that assessment. "Yes I was. You and Yui-chan were with me. The two of us were still on our honeymoon, and we were in contact with all of our friends."

Kirito-kun responded in a playfully smug tone, "With all that, of course you would be happy. That cottage represented the happiest time of your life. You were finally together with the person you loved. After we found Yui, you decided to temporarily act as her mother until we could find out about her past or secrets. However, you regret that such actions nearly caused Yui to be killed by the cardinal system. That is why you wished that things turned out slightly differently when you helped with that army incident. That was your representation of an ideal outcome prior to your escape from the game."

What Kirito-kun said for the most part was spot on. However, there were one or two things I would want to revise in that answer. "I suppose that is true. Our cottage didn't feel the same after Yui-chan had to be converted into that item to prevent her deletion. However, I truly believe it would be ideal if we could have all that kind of life and be able to freely return to reality and the virtual world."

Kirito-kun chuckled at what I said. "Yes it would be. If that was possible, I think this dream would have depicted that. However, I think your dream made it clear you know that's not going to happen." My heart sank after he said that. "You remember that things started becoming grim after you and I left the cottage right?"

After he said that, I was not smiling anymore. "That would be putting it lightly."

Kirito-kun explained, "It represented your fears of what your reality is and will become."

I responded in a hopeful voice, "Since this is just a dream that means I shouldn't have to worry too much right? I can still change things for the better in reality."

Kirito-kun shook his head at me. "If only things were that simple. Dreams can come from a very real place. There are even philosophies that dreams can give us loose representations of the future. Some say they can give us representations of ourselves. Sometimes dreams can be a mixture of both. I believe this time it is the third option, and I believe you know in your heart that this is the case as well."

I asked in a concerned voice, "What do you mean?"

Kirito-kun's face became sadder as he stated, "Unfortunately, I believe your final fear is about to become a reality."

Seeing Kirito-kun's face and hearing his voice was causing me to become more anxious. I asked him, "What are you talking about?"

Kirito-kun spoke to me in a grim voice, "I'm sorry Asuna, but it appears we are not truly meant to be together after all."

As soon as he said that, I responded in a voice that had a mixture of desperation and determination voice, "That's ridiculous Kirito-kun. Of course we are meant to be together. You are the one that I love. There is no one else for me but you. You, me, and Yui-chan are meant to be together as a family. Besides, I'm not the only one waiting for you to come back. Your sister, your mother, and all our friends from Sword Art Online are by your side. They all want to see you again."

The dream Kirito-kun sadly confessed, "You know as well as I that it is my desire or rather his desire to reunite with you all as well, but there is nothing that can be done. You need to let go of me."

I spoke to him in a mixture of desperation, frustration, and sadness, "Why do you want me to let you go?"

He spoke in firm voice, "Because I would rather die than let you be married to someone like him."

I was taken aback by his statement. "What?"

Kirito-kun made his point perfectly clear. "You know what I'm talking about. My life is being used as a hostage by that bastard Sugou in order to force you into a marriage that you do not wish to have." I wasn't able to respond to what Kirito-kun had said. All I could do was look at him with wide eyes. He continued, "He will bring you nothing but misery. Sugou will hold me over your head until he has either had enough fun or either he, you, or the real me is dead, whichever comes first. You know as well as I do if I could tell you this, I would. You know me very well."

No sooner had Kirito-kun said that, I noticed he seemingly began to cry. For some reason, my eyes focused on the 'tears' that were coming down his cheek. However, I noticed the 'tears' were only coming out of his left eye and not his right. While I knew at this point this was a dream, I could not help but wonder on reflex, "How was that possible?"

I remember seeing Kirito-kun cry before, and the tears came from both of his eyes when that happened. When I walked up closer I realized those weren't tears at all. What was coming out his eyes was dyed in the color red. My eyes widened in horror as I realized that Kirito-kun was bleeding from his left eye.

Kirito-kun was unfazed by what was happening as he said, "As long as I am alive for him to use as a trump card, you will never be free. That is why you need to let me go." Suddenly, blood began to pour from Kirito-kun's right eye as well.

I said in a horrified voice, "What's going on? This can't be real! You said this is only a dream!"

After I said that, I finally realized what was happening. This was my greatest fear coming to me in a manifestation in my dreams. It wasn't just the fear that I couldn't be together with Kirito-kun. It was the fear that I would see the one I love suffering the same fate as the victims of the Sword Art Online death game. I had heard rumors of what some of their corpses looked like after the Nerve Gear destroyed their minds.

The blood continued to pour down his cheeks as he explained to me, "It may not be real in the physical sense Asuna, but you can take it as an interpretation for what will or what needs to happen. Death is the only bright future for me, and it is the key to an even remotely happy future for you as well."

The fact he said something so horrible in an accepting voice frightened me to no end. I desperately told him, "No I refuse to accept that! I will find a way to make things right! I promise you!"

After I said that, Kirito disappeared in front of me and reappeared behind me. He told in a frustrated but sad voice, "You need to accept things Asuna. You need to let go." Suddenly, blood began to come out of Kirito-kun's nose and ears as well. "Please. You need to let go."

Seeing Kirito-kun in this state shook me. Even if it was a dream, I was disturbed to no end. As my voice was losing strength, I stated, "I can never accept doing things by Sugou's terms. He has no right to do this."

Despite the blood coming out of his head, Kirito-kun said in a firm voice, "He may not have the right, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the ability to do so. You have even said so yourself, there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening no matter what you try."

After Kirito said that, he then began to look even more ill than he was already. His body began to twitch similar to how I remember seeing him twitch in the hospital. It seemed as if he was going to explode. At this point I didn't care whether or not this was a dream. I cried out, "Kirito-kun what's wrong?!"

As I approached him he screamed in a horrifying voice, "STAY BACK!"

Right after he screamed out, he began to cough up blood. He quickly brought his hand to his mouth as if he was attempting to stop more blood from oozing out, but it was to no avail for the dream Kirito-kun continued to cough up blood for several moments until he finally stopped. I wanted to help him, but his voice had made me freeze in fear. All I could do was look helplessly at Kirito-kun as his head continued to bleed. A pool of his own blood was beginning to form at his feet.

After he was finished coughing he turned to me and said, "You can think of letting me go as a band-aid Asuna. In one moment, I will be removed, Sugou would not be able to blackmail you, and you can move on with your life. You can use it as a chance to start over."

However, hearing Kirito-kun constantly telling me to let him go and die not only made me feel horrified, but I was starting to become angry. I had finally reached my limit of hearing this dream Kirito-kun say that to me.

I gritted my teeth and curled my fingers into fists, and I said in a tone that was a mixture of anger and fright, "Stop telling me that. It won't solve anything. Even if I let you go, that won't change the fact Sugou will remain a threat in my life. If he can get away with holding you hostage, how do I know he wouldn't be able to get away with holding another one of my friends hostage."

Kirito-kun tried to convince me, "I'm sure that you will have enough time to think of something Asuna. You will at least have more time than the two weeks that he has given you. Be sure to tell them, so they will have chance to prepare. There is nothing you can do for me, but at least you can still save them."

I stubbornly stated, "No. I refuse to give up on you that easily. I won't." Tears were beginning to form as I told him as I glanced away from him. "If I do, I will be losing the most important part of myself. I'll become a puzzle that would have forever lost a vital piece. Letting you go will kill me inside." I then looked into his eyes and told him, "So I'm not going to give up. Not now. Not ever."

After I said that, Kirito gave me a smile despite the blood that was still coming from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. I think he was happy that I refused to let him go no matter what. While he was trying to appear happy, the look on his face was truly one of the most disturbing faces I had ever seen in my life.

Even though it did not seem like it could get any worse, cracks began to form on Kirito-kun's forehead. The light emitted from the outlines of the cracks resembled what the fragments of a players body looked like after he or she was killed in the game. However, despite the cracks and the blood, he continued to smile.

He sadly told me, "I'm sorry that I am putting you in this position Asuna. I'm sure that my true self would say the same thing, but you are going to have to let me go. It will be better for you." The cracks on his forehead began to expand to other places on his body as he said, "I'm sorry we couldn't meet each other in the real world. Goodbye."

Kirito-kun then closed his eyes as his body continued to break apart. Pieces of his cheek began to fall to the ground and a few of his fingers broke off as well. Within a few moments, Kirito-kun's body would completely disintegrate. This dream Kirito-kun told me this was all a dream, but I didn't care anymore. I didn't know what I could do, but I wasn't just going to let him break apart like that.

Even though Kirito-kun had already told me to stay away from him, I ran as quickly as I could to his side. I desperately reached out my hand as I ran to him in hopes that I could touch him before he fell apart. He remained standing in place, but he reached his right hand out to me as well. However, when I was within a few feet of him, his right arm broke off and the rest of his body crumbled to pieces before I could reach him.

Kirito-kun had shattered into glass fragments just like he would if he died in Sword Art Online. My arms could grab nothing but air. I desperately reached out into to grab the fragments, but I couldn't get a hold of a single one. I don't know what I was thinking when I was trying to grab them. I was just desperate to hold onto him. However, in the end, there was nothing I could hold onto.

There was only one thing I could do. Scream. "KIRITO-KUN!" The despair of my voice echoed throughout the entire area. There was not one soul for miles.

After I screamed, I sunk to the ground once again on my knees. The wind kept blowing my hair as I remained on my knees motionlessly. After a few moments, a familiar sensation returned. Tears began to fall down my face once again. I then began to have difficulty breathing, and I was starting to hyperventilate.

I looked at my hands. It felt as if I was looking at the hands of not just a failure but a murderer. I said to myself, "Is this all I am capable of? Am I really this pathetic? How could I let this happen?"

As I cried I put my hands on my face and kept mournfully saying out loud, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me Kirito-kun." I would continue to cry until everything faded away.

/

The next thing I knew I woke up and jolted upwards raising my hand to seemingly grab something that wasn't there. I shouted in a crying desperate manner, "Kirito-kun!"

However, I saw that there was nothing there. I was not in a cottage in the forest. I was not standing in the middle of a virtual world field. I was not in front of a family grave. I was certainly not standing on a hill watching someone bleed and disintegrate before me. I looked around, and I realized I was in my bed back in my room of the Yuuki household. That is where I was. This was reality.

Unfortunately, I could not get what happened in my dream out of my mind. They say when you have a dream; you will likely forget nearly all the details within a few minutes unless you write it down. However, I appeared to be the exception. I could remember every single moment of that dream. I can remember it as if it really happened.

I remember Kirito-kun and Yui-chan being by my side in our cottage home on the 22nd floor of Aincrad. I remember how Kirito-kun and I worked together to fight that monster on the 'quest.' Then the two of us saw the entire world crumble before us, and Kirito-kun was sucked into that void due to my inability to save him. Afterwards, I somehow ended up at the Kirigaya family grave, and Yui-chan blamed me for it. Finally, there was no way I could forget witnessing Kirito-kun with a face full of blood telling me to let him die. That image of him was imprinted in my mind. If that was not a nightmare, I don't know what is.

That dream still made me think, "How could something that started off making me feel so happy end up making me feel so pathetic?" I would keep asking myself this over and over again. I would eventually come to the realization that the dream truly was a reflection of my past, my present, and what could eventually be the future. Unfortunately, I did not have a sound enough mind at that point to come to that conclusion.

The last time I ever had a dream that was even remotely that bad was prior to when Kirito and I finally came to terms with each other after we solved that murder mystery last April. Even then my nightmares were nothing compared to what I had experienced. Back when I had those nightmares, I always used to think of my only future and how being trapped in Sword Art Online was resulting in my body being deteriorated. However, I have changed from that. Now I think for more than only my future.

As I have come to see, caring for others and being less selfish works both ways. While it can result in a wonderful feeling that makes us stronger and life more worth living, it also makes the thought of losing those people more unbearable. It's even worse when you know something bad will happen, but you are unable to do anything about it.

After the initial shock of the dream wore off, I brought my knees up to my face, and I held them tightly. All I could do for the moment was ask myself, "Was it really all just a dream? Was it really a reflection of the reality that will be coming? If that's the case, can it not be changed or am I really that helpless?"

I desperately asked myself, "What can I do? What can I do? Can someone please tell me what I can do?"

For the moment the only thing I could do was cry. However, the more I did that, the more I thought that was all I was good for. It truly was one of the most pathetic moments of my life. Luckily for me, that moment would soon reach its end, but there would be more than one of these moments awaiting me in the future.

/

Date: Sunday, January 26th, 2025

Location: Agil's Home

Agil woke up earlier that morning, and he was going through his normal routine. He opened up his emails prior to opening his business to see if the supplies he ordered would be arriving on schedule. However, when he opened his email, he noticed a peculiar one that stood out. It was from a stranger, and there was no listed username. Agil also noticed there was an attachment to this email as well.

Under normal circumstances, Agil would have deleted the email because it could have been a virus. However, he could tell this was not the case. He knew that if he deleted it, he would regret it. The subject of the email was, "Sword Art Online Victim: For the Sake of Your Comatose Friend Kirigaya Kazuto – 'Kirito.'"

That subject alone was enough to catch Agil's attention. There were not too many people who could have possibility known that he was friends with Kirito during their time in Sword Art Online. Not only that, fewer people would know that Agil knew Kirito's true identity was Kazuto. Although the email was suspicious, his instincts told him that he needed to open it. Agil followed his instincts, and he was grateful that he listened to them.

When he gazed upon the contents he said to himself in disbelief, "Oh my God!"

He stared at the picture he saw for a few moments. After Agil recovered from his initial shock, he then forwarded the contents of the email to the person he knew needed to see it the most.

/

Date: Sunday, January 26th, 2025

Location: Yuuki Household

After I had tried getting my head together from the aftermath of my nightmare, I heard my phone ring. The ring indicated that I had received an email. I decided to see what it was since it was better than just sitting around doing nothing. I noticed the sender was someone I was familiar with.

I said out lout, "It's from Agil. What could this be about?"

Little did I know the contents of this e-mail would be more than what I could have expected. I read in the message, "You need to look at this! Come to my café as quickly as possible and bring your Nerve Gear if you still have it!"

When I scrolled down, I saw the picture that was attached. It was a picture of a person who looked like a human but had strange pointy ears. However, when I looked over it closely, I realized something. The person who was the focus of this picture was wearing dark clothing and was wielding a sword. This person looked a lot like Kirito-kun, and he appeared to be participating in something that looked like a duel back in Sword Art Online. It appeared to be in some kind of stadium or a coliseum because there were numerous onlookers in the background.

What I saw on that picture attachment left me speechless. I thought to myself, "Why was someone who had Kirito-kun's appearance in this photograph?"

I didn't know what I was seeing, but I could tell this must be some sort of virtual reality game. As soon as I processed what I saw, I figured I would worry about the details later. Before I left, I decided that I needed to call Lisbeth right away.

Lisbeth picked up the phone, but I could tell from the way she answered, I must have woken her because she sounded sleepy. She greeted me in a groggy fashion, "Good morning Asuna. You ready to tell the others yet?"

I stated in an urgent voice, "There is no time for that Lisbeth. I just received an important message from Agil. I need you to meet me the Dicey Café as quickly as possible."

Hearing that was enough to catch Lisbeth's attention, "How important is it?"

I stated in a voice that was cautiously optimistic, "I think we may have a clue as to why Kazuto-kun hasn't awakened yet."

As soon as I said that, Lisbeth seemed to shake off any sleepiness she once had and gave me her full attention. "Really?! What is it?!"

I honestly responded, "I can't say, but I'm sure Agil will explain when we get there. Are you coming or not?"

Lisbeth said with a firm voice, "Definitely!"

"Good." Before I hung up, I remembered one last thing to tell her. "By the way, do you still have your Nerve Gear helmet?"

Lisbeth was not sure where I was going with this as she hesitantly answered, "Yes why?"

I told her, "Bring it!"

Lisbeth asked in a confused voice, "What?"

While I had a feeling I knew what the answer to her question was, I did not think there was enough time to explain. I gave her a short explanation, "Agil mentioned to bring it in his message. I'll see you at his café."

Lisbeth was willing to accept that answer as she responded, "Okay. I'll see you there."

/

Date: Sunday, January 26, 2025

Location: Outside Silica's Room

The first instinct that came to Lisbeth's mind after following Asuna's instructions was to recruit additional help. She thought to herself, "I have a feeling it will be easy to get her help."

Lisbeth headed straight to Silica's room on her way out. Lisbeth knocked on the door in a rushed manner and Silica answered it while still in her pajamas.

Silica sleepily asked, "What is it Rika-san? Is something wrong?" Silica then noticed that Lisbeth was carrying a bag with her and asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

Lisbeth answered, "Yeah. I'm heading over to the Dicey Café. Do you have plans Keiko-chan?"

Silica scratched her head as she responded, "I was actually going to the Dicey Café myself. Asuna-san said she had something she needed to talk to me about."

Lisbeth excitedly stated, "That's perfect then. I need you to get ready quickly"

Silica was fine with going to the café with Lisbeth, but something still seemed off to her. "Okay, but what's in the bag?"

Lisbeth told her, "It's my Nerve Gear helmet?"

Silica said in a surprised tone, "What?"

Lisbeth asked, "You still have your Nerve Gear with you right?"

Silica said in an uncertain tone which indicated that similar to Lisbeth she was not sure that she liked where this was going, "Yes."

Lisbeth stated in a firm voice, "Bring it with you."

Silica seemed to catch on to what Lisbeth was getting at. "Does this have anything to do with what Asuna wants to talk about?"

Lisbeth excitedly answered, "In a way yes. However, I think the topic has changed quite a bit."

Silica asked in a curious voice, "What do you mean?"

Lisbeth stated in a hopeful voice, "We may have been given a clue to help Kirito."

When Silica heard that, it was her turn to become excited. She said, "Really?! What is it?"

Lisbeth honestly answered, "I'm not entirely sure myself, but Asuna and Agil will be able to fill us in when we get there. Are you up for this?"

Silica responded with a determined voice, "Count on it."

Silica quickly went back into her room and in less than ten minutes the two girls were on their way to the Dicey Café to learn more about this development.

/

Date: Sunday, January 26, 2025

Location: Dicey Cafe

No sooner had Agil sent that message to Asuna, he said to himself, "I have a feeling that Asuna will not be the only one that would be interested in seeing this."

He opened his cell phone and browsed through his contacts and made a quick phone call. When he heard a response he said, "Hey it's me. I just received an interesting screenshot from a game known as Alfheim Online. I'm sending it to you right now."

After he sent it, the voice on the other line indicated his surprise to what he was seeing. Agil responded, "Yes I was just as surprised myself. I'm pretty certain it is the real deal. I already sent the message to Asuna, and I received a reply from her. She will be here in about an hour, and I have a feeling she will not be the only one here based on her message. Can you come here as well?"

What the voice on the other line stated, made Agil smile, "I knew that I could count on you. See you soon."

After Agil hung up the phone, he took another look at the screenshot that he printed out. He thought to himself, "What happened to you Kirito?" He then looked at a copy of the game Alfheim Online that was on his counter. "Are you and the others trapped inside this game? I know that message stated this picture was taken from there, but still." He let out a breath before continuing his thoughts, "If that's true, I suppose this means our mission to finally put an end to the Sword Art Online incident has only begun."

Agil then heard the door behind him open, and it was his wife Kathy. She asked him, "Andrew, are you okay? You have been acting strangely since you checked your emails earlier."

He knew that he should not keep this from her. He sighed and confessed to her, "All right. The contents of the email I received had an attachment of a screenshot from this game Alfheim Online." Agil held up his copy of the game to show his wife. "What was in that screenshot was someone I didn't expect see."

Kathy asked in a curious voice, "Who was in it?"

Agil had already told his wife a lot about his adventures in Sword Art Online as well as his friends in the game, such as Kirito. She had already met most of his friends whenever they came to visit the Dicey Café, and she was on good terms with them. However, there were a few details he still had not told her yet. Agil told her everything he could while they waited for the others to arrive. She continued to listen intently, and she did not have any trouble believing his words.

/

Date: Sunday, January 26, 2025

Location: Kirigaya Household

Suguha had woken up early to continue her Kendo training. However, she would be receiving a call that would change her plans. When she heard the phone ring she went to answer it because she knew that her mother was out on business today even though it was Sunday. It was a good thing she did not put the ringer on silent this time because she would have regretted it if she did.

As soon as she heard the phone, she put down her Kendo sword and immediately ran to the phone. When she picked it up, she saw the ID was 'Asuna.' She greeted her friend, "Good morning Asuna-san."

Asuna said in a borderline hyperactive voice, "Suguha can you meet up at the Dicey Café today. We really need to talk in person."

Suguha was shocked by Asuna's voice. Ordinarily, they would exchange pleasantries, but Suguha could tell that this was no ordinary call, and Asuna would not be making such a request unless she thought it was important. She responded, "Yes. I can make it."

"Good." The next word Asuna wanted to say slipped her mind, so she said, "Could you please bring your virtual reality equipment with you?"

Suguha asked in a confused voice, "You mean my AmuSphere?"

Asuna confirmed, "Yeah that's it. It's important that you bring it with you."

Suguha was still confused about why it was important. She asked, "What for?"

Asuna briefly explained in a rushed voice, "I just received a message from Andrew. I think he found out something about Kazuto-kun."

Suguha was pleasantly shocked when she heard that news. She hesitantly said, "Big Brother? Andrew-san may know something about Big Brother? What did he find out?"

Asuna quickly answered, "It's too difficult to explain right now. Andrew might be able to provide more details for us when we get there."

It was in that moment that Suguha made her decision to drop her practice for the day and head straight to the Dicey Café. Hearing that had given her hope for her brother's return for the first time since the game was cleared back in November.

She stated in a voice that reflected her renewed hope, "Okay. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Before Asuna hung up she quickly stated, "Thank you. I'll see you there."

Suguha ran to her room and changed into her street clothing. She packed her AmuSphere, and she luckily packed her Alfheim Online game with her as well. Since her mother was not going to be home until nighttime, she did not have to worry about any potential problem on that end. She ran straight to the train station, and hoped that the key to helping her brother would wait for her at the Dicey Café.

/

As soon as I was finished 'recruiting' Suguha's help, I got dressed, packed my old Nerve Gear helmet into my backpack, and ran out the door before anyone could tell me 'Good Morning.' On my way to the Dicey Café, my head could not stop thinking about that picture Agil sent me. So many thoughts were coming into my head at once. I asked myself, "Was Kirito-kun transferred to another virtual reality after he cleared Sword Art Online? What could have happened? Was his ability to log out of the game blocked like it was in Sword Art Online? If that's the case, it would explain a lot."

However, I realized such thoughts were not important, and they could wait until after things have settled. For the past two and a half months, I have been hoping for some kind of answer to Kirito-kun's coma and whether or not there was something I could do. Thanks to Agil, the answer I have been hoping for was within my grasp. The screenshot he has sent me might be the key to awakening Kirito-kun, and I was not going to waste it.

Even though the train was moving as fast as it normally would, it felt as if it was taking forever. I would normally consider myself a patient person, but I could hardly stand to wait another moment. It was the anticipation of what awaited me at the end of the line that made me so anxious. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to dive into wherever Kirito-kun was and save him, my instincts were telling me that this was only the first step in a long adventure that was awaiting me.

As the train drew closer to my destination, I thought to myself with renewed determination, "Kirito-kun I don't know where you are, but I will find you, and I swear I will save you. I won't rest until we can finally meet in the real world, and I gaze into your real eyes. I can promise you that."

Less than an hour later, I arrived at Dicey Café. When I opened the door, I could see that I was the last to arrive. Everyone else, Lisbeth, Suguha-san, Silica-chan, Klein, and Agil were all waiting. The atmosphere in the room was different from how it would be whenever we would normally meet each other here. The aura the six of us gave was different from how it usually was. It was filled with seriousness and determination. This was because we were all here for the same reason. Kirito-kun was the one that linked us all, and his condition would be our driving force.

The six of us all wished for Kirito-kun to awaken, but we also wished to put an end to the Sword Art Online incident for good. In the adventure that would await us, we would not only be fighting for Kirito-kun's freedom, but we would be fighting to ensure the freedom of all the players who remained trapped. It would be our belief that if we could save Kirito-kun, we would probably be able to save everyone else as well. We would fight to put an end to their virtual prison once and for all.

Klein stated in a voice that was serious, but also contained a mixture of his trademark playfulness, "We have been waiting for you Asuna. Although, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. The cliché is that the hero is the one that arrives last. Since Kazuto isn't around, it looks like the role falls onto you."

No one seemed to disagree with Klein's statement. In fact, it seemed to lighten the mood. Based on Lisbeth's face, I could tell she agreed with Klein's assessment the most.

Agil stated in a serious voice, "It's good to see we're all here now. I suppose now would be a good time to get started with the subject at hand."

Everyone including myself nodded in agreement, and I stated in a determined voice, "Sounds good to me."

With those words, the first step in our journey was about to begin.

/

Omake:

Kirito: Wow that was a long dream sequence, and I mean a really long one.

Asuna: Should you really be that surprised? Dream sequences are not uncommon in storylines like this. In fact, you had one in the beginning of the canon version of the Fairy Dance arc. Now it was my turn to have one in this fanfiction story.

Kirito: It true that my canon version had one, but not to this extent. That dream only lasted for about a minute or so in the anime, and this dream sequence was about fifty percent of the chapter's content. I bet the author was surprised at the final result of its length.

Asuna: Come on Kirito-kun. There are plenty of Western shows, anime, and manga that have dream sequences that take up an entire episode. The same has also been used for movies as well where the entire move is either a dream or could be interpreted to have been dream such as the Cowboy Bebop movie or the ending to Inception. At least we knew there was no way that sequence couldn't be a dream. Besides, the nightmare sequence more or less lived up to the chapter's title since that was one of the darker things that could happen to me at this point in the story.

Kirito: (reluctantly agrees with Asuna's assessment) I suppose that's true. This dream did have its uses, such as providing character reflections, continuity references, alternate scenarios, and foreshadowing. Plus the author provided an action scene as well.

Asuna: Yeah that's true. I find it hard to believe that after six chapters, we finally have a fight scene, which took place in a dream.

Kirito: Didn't we have action scenes in the retelling of Sword Art Online?

Asuna: Sort of. However, the author only described certain actions that took place, such as me hurting Kuradeel as retaliation for nearly killing you, but I don't think that was enough to really qualify as a full blown fight scene.

Kirito: Well you can't really blame the author for not having more fight scenes earlier. Mostly because they weren't entirely necessary in the beginning, and they are extremely hard to pull off.

Asuna: Well I guess that's true.

Kirito: Did you know the action scene in this chapter was written in increments and it was one of the final scenes to actually be ironed out while most of the scenes before and after the scene were drafted?

Asuna: No. Why is that?

Kirito: Asuna you of all people know that action scenes are some of the hardest scenes to properly execute in stories.

Asuna: Yeah I guess that's true.

Kirito: The same was true for Chapter 3 of the author's other work, "Of Science and Magics: The Side Stories." Those fight scenes were literally the last scenes to be complete while the scenes taking place before and after them were done.

Asuna: Do you know how long it took to complete them?

Kirito: I'm not sure, but they were extremely time consuming. Even the relatively short fight scenes apparently took at least an hour or two to satisfactorily complete.

Asuna: I guess I can understand why. First the author would need to visualize the fight and find the best words to express it and then go over it to see if it even remotely fits the visualization. I wouldn't be surprised if the author had to sometimes rewrite certain scenes because of that.

Kirito: Exactly. However, despite how tough they are to write, the author does have fun with them and has numerous fight scenes planned for Fairy Dance Alternate.

Asuna: I can't wait to participate in them. On that note, I guess I will be heading into Alfheim Online in the next chapter right?

Kirito: I'm sorry to tell you this Asuna, but that's not going to be happening next chapter.

Asuna: What? Why? I saw the picture of you and I know there is something wrong. Why wouldn't I be going into the game next chapter?

Kirito: Well it's true you will be heading into the game in the next chapter that takes place in the present, but that's not the case for the following chapter.

Asuna: What do you mean?

Kirito: I have an announcement to make before we leave.

Asuna: What is it?

Kirito: Starting from the next chapter we are starting a story arc with me taking the spotlight during my two and a half months trapped in Alfheim Online prior to you seeing that photo. It will chronicle the good, the bad, and (takes a gulp on this last one) the ugly of my imprisonment in that virtual world.

Asuna: (stating in a pissed off voice) Are you kidding?

Kirito: Nope. Now the audience will see what happened to me during that strenuous time.

Asuna: So we are going to delay me entering the game in favor of seeing what happened to you?

Kirito: You make that sound like a bad thing.

Asuna: (She thinks about it for a few moments before cooling off) Well I guess it really isn't. I'm just frustrated by the delay.

Kirito: I'm sure you won't be the only one. The readers will probably be annoyed by this too, but it will work out for narrative purposes. Trust me. There will also be a few plotlines that will happen concurrently in the real world as well that will help go further into several aspects and possibly foreshadow future events.

Asuna: Hasn't a lot of foreshadowing been done already in the earlier chapters.

Kirito: Yes and some of that will be addressed in the next few chapters, but it is always good to add some additionally foreshadowing here and there or at the very least establish certain facts, so the audience will not think certain plot twists come out of nowhere. The author wants to avoid 'ass pulls' as much as possible.

Asuna: That is true. If those things happen too much in a series, it can really ruin the value of it. (Sighs before continuing) Okay. I'll trust you and the author. Hopefully, everyone else will be as trusting.

Kirito: Well it's not like they have much of a choice. A few things in the future probably won't make sense if they don't read it, and they will probably enjoy the chapters as long as they have an open mind.

Asuna: What do you think the chances of that are?

Kirito: I guess we will just have to find out.

(Kirito and Asuna laugh at that last part)

Kirito: Seriously, it will be for the better in the end.

/

Author Notes: Well that was quite a dream sequence. I personally had a lot of fun creating it because of how it went from a bright, sunny, and happy atmosphere and having it eventually decay into something where the words grim and freaky would be putting it mildly. I also saw it as a good opportunity to increase the nightmare fuel for this story. While I was writing this story arc, I figured that I wanted to have a nightmare sequence for Asuna similar to what Kirito had in the beginning of Episode 15 of the Anime and Light Novel Volume 3 except expand upon it greatly.

In Kirito's nightmare, it had Asuna disappear right in front of him and everything fell apart around him. I thought while those were good elements, it would be great to make the sequence more emotional and personal, so you can further understand what Asuna is going through in this ordeal. In this sequence, I wanted it to further showcase Asuna's character traits, fears, and insecurities. For this sequence, I received further inspiration for this dream sequence from of an earlier dream sequence I wrote in Chapter 4 for "Of Science and Magics: The Side Stories." Both Touma and Asuna's nightmares were partly triggered by the guilt of their 'failures' even if they were not really in control of the situation.

On a personal note, I do believe that dreams can cause us to see glimpses of a representation for the future, and we can realize we are in a dream in the first place. I can speak from personal experience when I figured out that I was in the middle of dream of an event I knew was going to happen in the near future. Afterwards, I was able to remember a decent amount of the detail even though you would normally forget what happened within a few minutes.

Regarding the dream Kirito at the end of the nightmare sequence, I will confirm here and now that he was merely a manifestation of what Asuna knows about Kirito. Kirito's actual consciousness that is trapped in Alfheim Online did not somehow transport himself into Asuna's dreams to tell Asuna to let him go. Everything that this dream Kirito said was due to Asuna knowing what kind of person Kirito is. She knows full well that he would gladly risk his life and die for her sake rather than let her be miserable. Additionally, Asuna knows in her heart that unless something is done, Kirito will meet a bloody end regardless of her decisions similar to what happened in her dream.

In case you were wondering, the conversation that Kirito and Asuna had was a reference to the God of War series. Despite what I had them say, I am a fan of that series, and I hope those of you who have a PS3 will support God of War Ascension, especially that awesome and touching live action trailer. My tastes in video games is rather diverse which includes but definitely not limited to Zelda, Mario, Tales, Fire Emblem, Persona, Assassin's Creed, Professor Layton, the Operation Rainfall trilogy, The Walking Dead, and Kingdom Hearts. My diversity of interests can be said for anime as well.

Anyway, it is true that the God of War series is unpopular in Japan, and the sales numbers have apparently been low. Regardless of that fact, if the various video game series we know and love exist in the Sword Art Online universe, I could picture Kirito possibly knowing about such a series due to his love for computers and video games. I would think it would not be much different to how a number of us are aware of a number of video games that have never been released outside of Japan by looking up such information on the internet.

On another note, I have recently been thinking of some theme songs that would go for certain scenes that have happened during this story. For Kirito's torture scene, I think the song "Get Up" by Korn is perfect. After all, I did play that song a few times while coming up with ideas for that scene. I think a theme for the hell that Sugou puts Kirito and Yui through could also be summed up in the opening theme song for Deadman Wonderland. I guess it helps that both situations have a bespectacled 'complete monster' antagonist who enjoy torturing their prisoners.

Additionally, I think the theme "Memories" from the video game Arc Rise Fantasia would be perfect for a few of Lisbeth's scenes in Chapter Five. For this chapter, I believe the Arc Rise Fantasia themes, "Unexpected Fight" would be fitting for the monster battle and "Fulheim" would work for a few of the final scenes of this chapter. During certain portions of the nightmare sequence, I think Final Fantasy XIII-2's "The Goddess is Dead" and Bleach's "Soundscape To Ardor" are fitting themes as well. I also want to say that I think Ellie Goulding's song, "Hanging On" could work in certain situations too, but I think it probably works more for "Of Science and Magics: The Side Stories." What are your thoughts for music themes for these scenes as well as others?

Finally, with the conclusion of this chapter it makes me proud to state that not only does this mark the end of the second story arc for Fairy Dance Alternate, but it included the first real action scene for the story. As my omake stated, I find action scenes to be relatively difficult to write, but they can also be a lot of fun. You can think of it as a puzzle to find the right words to allow your vision to be realized. Although in retrospect, I believe pretty much any scene is difficult when you feel like you need to get a point across, but it goes double for scenes that involve fighting, and to a lesser extent torture. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this fighting scene and look forward to the ones that will happen in the future.

Please be sure to leave a review about your thoughts. I look forward to reading your feedback.

/

Fanfiction Promo:

"Understand the past, so you will know why they fight for the future."

After being on hiatus for months, Knowledgeseeker66 will fulfill the promise. Chapter twelve for "Of Science and Magics: The Sides Stories" is currently being written and slated for an early spring release. The "Devil of Academy City" will reign supreme.

Be sure to read the first eleven chapters to catch up.

Feedback would be appreciated.