Fireworks continued to burst and boom overhead as everyone settled comfortably in the Ruby Palace courtyard to watch, savoring the feeling of victory. Only one seemed utterly uninterested in the dazzling display above.

"Oh man this is so awesome!" said Argo, gleefully writing down everything she could as fast as she could. She had a photographic memory, so it was unlikely she'd forget details, but it was easier to share information that was stored digitally. "I can't wait to sell this on the forums. Later Ki-bou!" she said giving a wave as a white light engulfed her avatar and she logged off, vanishing.

Kirito laughed at that, ever amused by how quickly Argo vanished whenever money was involved. Still, he was grateful she'd come and joined them. No matter how much coin there was in the world, Argo's loyalty was still solid gold.

For his own part though, Kirito just gazed up at the sky in undisguised awe, not having felt sort of naked, unbridled joy since he'd been a little kid. He scarcely even noticed as Asuna drifted over to his side and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. It just felt so perfectly natural for her to be there with him. The fireworks lit up their faces as they basked in the moment. Yui floated over their heads, sprinkling pixie dust down atop of her joyous parents, as the sky above them continued to dance and spark with yet more fireworks.

Everyone else was doing much the same, as many of the fairies took to the sky, dancing in slow circles or arcs overhead, giggling and laughing. Klein seemed inclined to try and shout himself stupid, and most of his oldest friends in the Fuurinkazan were following suit as they cheered for their victory again and again. Some of the players were passing around drinks. General Eugene had brought along a bottle of the finest Salamander blood wine good Yrd could buy, and was sharing it with anyone brave enough to risk it. Since it carried with it a hefty drunken de-buff that only the strongest constitutions could shake it off quickly, not everyone was anxious to try it.

Agil went back for seconds.

The two men laughed as their glasses clinked together in toast, while Klein nearby looked ready to lose his virtual lunch, his display still a little blurry as he stumbled about on wobbly legs. When he finally managed to shake off the effects of the wine, however, and his vision cleared, everything came back into sharp focus.

Including the sight of Leafa giggling, standing up on her tiptoes to reward Recon with a chaste peck on the cheek. The green-haired boy went red as his health bar in seconds, prompting a fresh round of laughter from those around. He didn't hear any of it, scarcely felt anything other than the warmth of his cheek and the rapid-fire beating of his heart.

"When the heck did that happen?" asked Agil, rubbing his head in confusion as he, Klein and Silica observed the young Sylph couple.

Beside him, Silica shrugged and the spiky-haired Salamander sighed as yet another pretty young woman in their ranks was snatched up by someone else. True, Leafa was really Kirito's younger sister, and thus probably off limits twice over by those two facts alone. But still, he couldn't help but be sad everyone time someone else found their special someone. All it did was make him feel more alone.

"Why is life so unfair?" he whined piteously.

Sensing his distress, the Lady Sakuya detached herself from her guards and floated over, gently laying a hand on the younger faerie's shoulder. "Do not despair, young Salamander. Your courage and loyalty have not gone unnoticed. More than that, you have a kind heart. I am sure any number of ladies would count themselves fortunate to hold your affections for themselves."

Klein tilted his head up to gaze at the long-haired Sylph, marveling at her graceful beauty, watching as the light of the fireworks reflected off of her. Lighting up her jade eyes and making her long, silky hair shine like emeralds. "Thanks," he managed to say, after he found his voice again. "I guess I needed to hear that. You're very wise, Lady Sakuya."

She laughed at that, unfurling her fan to hide her face. "Well I am a teacher in real life. I suppose some of it is bound to shine through."

"A teacher?"

"Well... just an assistant teacher," she amended. "For now at least."

"If you're an assistant teacher, that must mean you're not all that... uh-uhm..." he blinked as he realized what he was about to say, the forbidden word you never used around a woman, and his mind quickly hit the brakes and backpedalled hard.

Sakuya quirked an eyebrow, "Yesss?" she asked, playful smile hidden behind her fan as her eyes glinted mischievously. She seemed to peer right inside his mind, following his thought process as easily as if reading a book, but said nothing, just waited for him to reply.

Quickly coming up with something more suitable, he hesitantly said "Uhm... close to... uh, my age... right?"

This only made her laugh even harder. It did not take long to see right through his attempts to be subtle.

She smiled behind her fan. He certainly was a very interesting young man.

A pair of drunken Gnomes were floating overhead in wobbly figure eights, dancing amidst the fireworks, as Silica laughed at everyone's silly behavior. Since it was digital and not harmful to her real-world self, she'd been allowed a chance to partake in the wine as well but decided to decline. She had no interest in drinking a poison just to act silly. Kirito and Asuna had both praised her for her very mature decision.

Alicia floated down to sit beside her on a short stone wall, overlooking the side of Aincrad and the vast space below all the way down to Alfheim. She swayed a little, tipsy, but otherwise looked fairly alert as the cat-like ears atop of her head twitched.

Pina, curled up between the two and sunning like a cat in the moonlight, lifted its head up as the blonde girl shifted too close to her, startling her awake. Pina gave a tiny roar as it yawned, which was as far from ferocious looking as you could get.

"Aww, who's a cute little dragon? You are... yes you are...!" Alicia tickled under the feathered dragon's chin, making it almost purr in delight at the attention it was receiving.

Silica laughed so hard she fell on her back and rolled over onto her stomach, lifting her head and planting her palms against her cheeks to keep it up.

"He's the bestest little guy ever," she declared firmly, daring anyone to contradict her.

The Lady of the Cait-Siths certainly couldn't argue, not with the cute little beast nuzzling against her palm, but one thing always had made her curious. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask... why do you still have this tiny little feather dragon? Shouldn't your taming skill be higher by now?"

"It maxed out ages ago," Silica replied, running a hand along Pina's back, making the little thing arch in response to her touch. "I just really like Pina."

"Can I ask why?"

The pigtailed fairy hesitated. It wasn't a story she shared with just anyone. It had taken her ages just to tell Kirito and Asuna. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Cross my heart," the older Cait-Sith replied, hand raised up solemnly.

"I had this cat once," Silica explained. "When I was only seven. An older Siamese we'd adopted when it's owner couldn't take care of it anymore. It got really sick one day. I didn't really understand what had happened when suddenly, out of the blue, he was just gone. I realized later he'd died while I'd been at school. My parents didn't want to burden me with the information so I thought he'd just up and run away. And then, to top it off, just a little while before I joined Sword Art Online they got a new cat. They named this one Munchkin. I didn't like him. I thought he was trying to replace my first cat, so I shunned him. But then the game started, and... I realized I missed him. Even more then my parents, sometimes. How messed up is that?"

"So when I got Pina in Sword Art, which was such a rare find, I guess I got attached because this was a pet that wouldn't ever leave me. And then I got even more attached when players kept leaving me, but Pina never did. There was only one time I thought I'd really lost her... I almost did too, but Kirito helped save her. That was how we met, in fact."

"Really? Guy's sure got a great big heart, doesn't he?" Alicia said with a grin, well remembering her own first encounter with the brave Spriggan who'd almost single-handedly managed to thwart a coup and save an alliance.

"Sure does," said Silica, smiling.

"And Pina's been with you ever since?"

"Mhmm!"

"That's not funny, that's a sweet story," said Alicia. "... think maybe it's time to let go though?"

Silica shivered at the very thought of it. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, for one thing there are much bigger, stronger drakes you can tame..." realizing how weak that excuse sounded, Alicia went for the main reason. "But for another... it's not healthy to always cling to something."

Silica peered down at little Pina, setting her down on the ground in front of her. The tiny little dragon peered up at her with wide eyes, giving a confused mewl, like it sensed her distress. It was probably just how her program worked. The creators of Sword Art Online, Kayaba especially, had done extensive work to make beasts and monsters behave in a way that seemed real. Probably spent a fortune on studies of real world animals and their behaviors. Pets like Pina had personalities, monitored by the myriad programs that made up the game. In a lot of ways, Pina was just like a real pet. And that made what she'd said earlier even more true. A pet that would never abandon her, never old, never die. But also never grow, never change...

But Silica could. And had.

"No," said the pigtailed fairy, picking up the diminutive drake and nuzzling her cheek against its cheek. It responded by playfully nipping at her nose, which tickled. "Pina is my friend, and she's no different from a real pet. Any more than Yui is different from a real daughter to Kirito and Asuna. And if she's always there for me... well, then I've always got to be there for her, right?"

The blonde Cait-Sith smiled, nodding. "You're absolutely right."

Crack, bang and flash went the fireworks high up in the sky as time continued to crawl by slowly.

As the celebration continued, Rosalia excused herself from the main company of revelers to be more alone with her thoughts, settling against a nearby wall of the Ruby Palace and leaning back, staring up at the night sky.

Simply put, she didn't feel good. Oh, she didn't feel terribly bad. She'd been part of something monumental that night, finishing off the final level, but really, she hadn't come here for any sort of personal accomplishment or a small mountain of Yrd (not that she said no to the latter, of course). But she'd come here to settle things with Kirito and Silica. And herself, really.

But in the end, she didn't feel any sort of real forgiveness or acceptance. They were just like the police and her psychiatrist, brushing off her problems like it wasn't her fault. They said they forgave her but they clearly didn't like her any more than they had before. Maybe this had been a mistake...

"Excuse me?"

Rosalia lifted her head as three fairies came her way. A Pooka with auburn hair and tasteful glasses, wearing an outfit of green, an Undine with a silvery-blue ponytail and azure robes, and another Undine with gray-hair in a cerulean colored uniform of some sort. The last two Rosalia didn't recognize immediately, but the first she did. Sasha had been a caretaker in the Town of Beginnings to lost children.

"We saw what you did," Sasha said without preamble.

The Salamander lady winced. "Look, uh..."

"Mind if we take a seat?"

Rosalia shrugged, but hoped they would. "It's a free game."

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm being rude. We haven't had new people in a while. My name's Thinker. This is my wife, Yulier. And this is Sasha."

Rosalia tipped her head politely to the Undine couple as they sat down to her left, while Sasha leaned against the wall to her right. Whether or not she'd intended such, she loomed over Rosalia in a very uncomfortable manner. Idly she plucked at the strings of her lyre, possibly in an attempt to tune it. Whatever the case, it was emitting a low-level hum every time a string was plucked, which helped settle Rosalia's nerves.

"We were hoping to talk to you," said Thinker. "We saw you save the little Cait-Sith's life at the risk of your own."

She shrugged. "It's not important," Rosalia dismissed it. "It's not like she was in any real danger. Or I was. It's just a game."

Sasha shook her head at that, and Thinker didn't seem to agree either.

"I don't think any of us who lived through Sword Art can really think of this as just a game anymore," she said.

"We know for ourselves the value a single good act can have," Yulier explained, speaking up for the first time. "There's no doubt in our minds what you did was a good thing. And, well, what with the Titan's Hand trouble and all..."

"How do you know about that?" Rosalia asked, eyes wide and fearful all of a sudden.

Thinker gave a sympathetic smile, laced with guilt. "We overheard. I'm sorry."

"I... I guess it's alright," Rosalia said morosely. "I mean, not like it's a secret. Everybody will probably know by now."

The older man nodded. "And we just wanted to let you know that, if you decide... or they decide... you can't stay with Kirito and company... well, maybe you can adventure with us sometimes."

"T-thank you," she said, truly touched.

Another crackle of light burst overhead, blue and red lights in the sky arranged like a roses and lilies. Thinker laughed aloud at the sight as he took a seat.

"Well then, enough of that. This is a party, we can afford to let our hair down here."

Yulier rolled her eyes but reached up and undid the clasp in her hair, letting the silvery-blue strands to cascade around her neck and shoulders. It instantly made her look much more relaxed.

"Still a little of the wine left," she noted, examining the bottle in hand.

"Oh well then, don't spare me dear, go right ahead," Thinker replied, holding out his cup.

She dutifully poured it, as well as refilled Sasha's cup and produced another for Rosalia, who accepted it, but did not yet drink. Thinker, however, chugged it back in almost one gulp.

"Mmmm, it's..." Hiccup. "Delishiouss..."

The red-head rolled her eyes as she glanced over at him. "You know you're not really getting drunk, right?"

His slur vanished instantly. "I'm a role-player at heart, Rosie," he replied with a playful grin, the slur back in seconds as his wife rolled her eyes and tenderly punched him in the arm.

Rosalia rolled her eyes as well, but was still smiling. Despite the silly antics of her fellow players, she actually felt more relaxed now. There was a warm, heartfelt camaraderie to be found here, not like the bullying and money grubbing and back-stabbing Titan's Hand had gone through. Nor was it anything like the cold emptiness that had followed her when she'd been on her own.

As she watched the fireworks erupt in the air, she felt a sense of peace wash over her soul like a refreshing river washed over hot embers, soothing her turbulent emotions and bringing her a measure of peace she hadn't felt since the day Kirito had outmatched her. Yes, she'd done wrong. She made her share of mistakes. But no longer would those mistakes be shackles weighing her down for the rest of her life. Instead, she imagined them falling from her, tumbling right over the side of Aincrad and drifting off in the breeze. She was moving forward now, towards a better life.

Finishing off the Final Boss and his apocalyptic Horsemen had taken long enough, but the partying still continued long into the evening as the fireworks seemed to go on for hours and hours. The fireworks had grown more elaborate as time had gone on, forming great shapes in the night sky like glittering emerald trees and huge golden dragons. Some of the players finally, reluctantly, bid their farewells and logged out. Many still had jobs or school in the morning, or family, or any number of other obligations in the real world.

In the end, only a handful remained, too caught up in the moment to even think about the time.

Asuna floated over to Kirito's side, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and drawing him into her embrace. Her lips brushed feather-light against his cheek, soft as a dove's wing.

"Well done, Kirito," she congratulated him.

Yui floated down to join them as well, engulfed in a bright light of her own before assuming her full-sized form and sitting down with them in Asuna's lap. Those who remained knew the truth of her existence, and barely batted an eye at her transformation. Like Kirito and Asuna, it seemed perfectly natural that their daughter would want to join them in enjoying the fireworks. The sky was still bursting with them as they rained down colored lights over everyone, touching every heart and soul, filling them with light and joy. In the distance, Kirito could see the sun rising on the horizon, signaling a new dawn for Alfheim. They must've been playing all night without realizing it.

Kirito didn't even feel tired, just exhilarated. If there had been just one more floor, he would've been heading there now. Idly he wondered if he flew high enough he could touch the stars, or if the game would prevent him from reaching that sort of height.

The timing of the rising sun was appropriate though, he mused, because it was also in many ways a new age for all of them. One game had ended, as Kirito had promised. But there were more games to play, more challenges to face, worlds to create, explore, and learn from. And more importantly, a journey to undertake still not over. Without a word shared between them, it became obvious that they were all going to keep playing together. For a very long time.

Kirito led them as they followed the sunlight and onwards to another adventure.

Authors Notes:
One chapter left, and a new adventure awaiting.