Hey there buds! Kitten here with another chapter of "Sword Art Online: The After Story" I want to apologize for the bunch of time it took to finish this chapter, but I have a valid couple of valid excuses: My schoolwork is killing me + I want to find time to read (it's my hobby) + I want to draw animals + I've been really sleepy lately, so now I fall asleep earlier + homework + Practicing piano... This are the most important reasons yet. I wanna dedicate this chapter to L'Fleur Noir. And if you excuse me, I got a couple of things to say to her, in Spanish:

Ingrata! Y eso que no me has mandado ni un solo review? Eso es maldad...Nah mentira, estoy jugando. Disfruta!

Now, disclaimer...I don't need to repeat it, do I? If I owned SAO and it's content, I wouldn't be here, but making the third season. ( ^^) _旦~~ Sit back and enjoy!


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01/04/2030

20 weeks since procedure

14:00

Asuna was playing with Haruto in the couch while Hanako was napping. Then, the doorbell rang. Kazuto raised from the rocking chair and opened the door, only to be surprised by finding Misako in there, fully healthy once again and carrying a plump baby blue bag.

"Ah, Misako-chan. Great to see you're feeling better" Kazuto nicely told the blue-haired teenager in front of him.

"I wish I could say the same thing about you, Kazu-nii" Misako signaled sadly, and Kazuto's smile drooped "You look like you haven't slept in a week, and you've only taken care of the twins for two days! Just imagine the other three. Ugh" Misako said disapprovingly "Anyways, I came here for two reasons 1) To let Onee-chan and Satoru-nii take proper care of mom and 2) To help the both of you with my little nieces. So I'll be staying here for the next three days" She explained.

"Okay, make yourself comforta-" He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Asuna's voice from behind him.

"K-Kazuto-kun I'm feeling dizzy" She said in a pained voice while clutching her head "M-my head hurts!"

"A-are you alright, Asuna?" He asked her unsure, once he got to her side. She closed her eyes and turned to him.

"N-no, I feel awful" She said, one of her eyes still half-open.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to the room" He said, carrying her in his arms. "Misako-chan, can you take care of the twins 'till then?"

"Roger that, Kazu-san!"

The next two days we're significantly easier with the help of Misako. While Asuna rested, she would take care of the twins and Kazuto would work for a while before going to rest with his fianceé, and in the afternoon she would put the twins to sleep (with herself napping too, of course), while Kazuto and Asuna would get more plans for the wedding done. That was a peaceful time for the couple, until the last day of the babysitting.

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01/07/2030

20 weeks, three days after the procedure.

14:00

Kazuto was out with Misako buying the groceries when he received a call from one of his neighbors.

"Moshi Moshi, Kirigaya-san?" The voice of the elderly lady that lived next door resounded muffled through his terminal.

"Yeah, what do you need, Kohawara-san?" He asked tenderly.

"I was wondering if you knew why the sound of crying and yelling can be heard from your apartment. I hope it's not Yuuki-san there"

"How long has it been sounding?"

"Its been like that for the last 20 minutes. That's why I'm calling"

"Okay, I'll be right there" He closed his phone and looked towards the confused Misako.

"Whats wrong, Kazu-san? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"The twins have been crying and yelling for the last twenty minutes. And Asuna hasn't calmed they down"

The both of them paid for the groceries and sprinted towards the apartment complex. They ran as fast as they could, and a couple of minutes later they could hear the obvious sound of the twins weeping. They sped up and quickly opened the door.

What lay there was a disaster, Asuna was lying on the floor panting and unconscious while the twins cried as loud as they we're allowed to, and their stuff and toys were laying around. Misako hurriedly calmed them down while Kazuto took Asuna back inside of the room. He quickly dialed the number of her doctor and waited. He made sure to cool the room off a bit, which did seem to help slightly the lady. The flush on her cheeks didn't seem to dissapear in the slightest, so he took her temperature. It was of 37°, so she should be fine at home. Or that was what he thought until she woke up. He put an ice pack to her forehead as she asked him to, and gave her cold water to avoid posible dehydration, because she was sweating slightly.

"K-Kazuto, can you lie here with me?" She asked weakly. Even if her light fever wasn't such a big deal, she seemed to be truly in pain.

"As you wish" He stated and lied next to her, with her cuddling up to him once he was comfortable.

"Your skin feels so cool..." She said trailing off. When he looked down, he discovered she was already deep asleep, so he let her be. He also fell asleep a while later, unconscious of what was happening outside of the room.

Misako and her older sister Rio came in a couple of minutes later, smiling and chorusing a silent 'Daww~' in unison. They took a picture of the sleeping couple and left the house, taking the twins and all their stuff with them.

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01/30/2030

23 weeks, five days since the procedure.

13:09

There was a knock on the door, and a high-pitched voice asking something.

"Asuna-nee-san?" The voice asked through the door before going back to knocking. Kazuto opened the door to be surprised with the appearance of a brown-haired girl that looked around five years younger that Asuna or himself.

"May I know if Asuna-nee-san lives here?" The girl asked nicely.

"Um...Who do I have the pleasure with?" He asked back, visibly confused.

"My name is Hayowasa Ririna, but you may recognize me as 'Mina', Kirito-nii-san!" The younger girl said. These words triggered a part of Kazuto's memories that he hadn't reminsced of since around five years before; The day he met Sasha and the children from the church while looking for Yui's friends/parents/acquaintances.

-Flashback-

"Gin!, Kain!, Mina! Are you there!?"

When Sasha called out towards the men, a frightened girlish voice soon rang out in response.

"Sensei! Sensei..! Help us!"

"Don't worry about the money, just hand it all over!"

"Sensei... we can't just...!" This time, it was a strained boyish voice.

Then, the men sluttered a laugh.

...

-End of Flashback-

That time... the rage he felt inside for that behaviour still boiled deep within him; How could they, a group of grown men, ask a group of young children to take all of their clothing off? It was just plainly sick. He still remembered the way his in-game wife made easy work of a whole tax collecting squadron of The Aincrad Liberation Army . Their faces at the moment where just priceless...but that wasn't the issue right then there. While thinking deeply he rembered that the group of oldest children that where being 'boxed' by the squadron was conformed by three young teenagers; A grey-haired boy, another boy (this one red-haired), and a girl, a brunette girl with purple eyes, just like the one in front of him 'Mina' that was the girl's name. Putting two and two together, he widened his eyes and shook the girl's hand.

"Ah, Mina-chan. Its nice seeing you again..."

"It seems you remembered" After saying so, Ririna giggled. "So, Onii-san what's your real name?"

"Kazuto, Kirigaya Kazuto" He smiled and proceed "Nice to meet you, Ririna-san"

"Kazuto-kun! Is someone there?" Asuna's voice asked from the hallway, where she was looking at invite patterns to choose for the wedding with Shino, who was significantly calmer than the last time she was there.

"That voice...Is that Nee-san?"

"Yeah, wanna come in?"

"Yes, thank you" She replied politely "Excuse me..." She muttered and got inside the apartment, taking in her new surroundings. She walked quietly next to him and they got inside of the living room of the apartment.

"Um...Are you a friend of Kazuto?" Shino asked, taking in the appearance of the girl.

"I guess you could say that, but I am actually an acquaintance of both Kazuto-san and Asuna-nee" Ririna replied confidently.

"...?" Asuna tilted her head to the right "Asuna-nee...?" She repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, It's me, Mina!" Ririna told Asuna, who was still confused. Then, it seemed like something clicked inside of her memories and she made a small sound ('Ah').

"Mina-chan! It's been so long!" She said, getting up and hugging the younger girl, very careful not to hurt her belly.

"Yeah, right?"

Shino looked in between the three of them in confusion, and after a long explanation, she gave a silent nod and introduced herself to the girl that couldn't have been older than twenty by then. A couple of minutes later, they told the girl the good news (Marriage), and after telling her how he proposed and all, she happily congratulated them and playfully told her elders.

"And I hope you remember sending me a wedding invite too!"

"We'll make sure to send you one" Asuna replied sweetly, much to the girl's joy.

"Really!? Thank you!" The girl almost jumped on Asuna, the latter getting back a little in fear for her growing child. "Huh?"

"Sorry, it's just Asuna can't hold onto too much weight right now, I hope you understand that" Kazuto told her.

Ririna took a couple of seconds to realize what the sentence meant, and then she took in Asuna's full appearance, taking emphasis on her inflated abdomen. Her eyes widened.

"Y-you are p-p-...!?" She couldn't finish, so Asuna smiled understandingly and nodded.

"Yes, I am effectively pregnant" She answered sweetly, more confidently than she really felt.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The four occupants of the room stayed silent for the next little while, until Ririna emitted a squeal, breaking the tense atmosphere and almost began jumping up and down in happiness, excitement or joy, they didn't know.

"That's great news! Good luck!"

The four of them talked amicably among themselves for another while, until the bell rang for the third time that day (the first time being Shino), and Kazuto got up once again and opened the door to the sight of all of his female acquaintances, including his mother and sister, but obviously missing Shino, who was already sitting inside. Surprisingly so, Kyouko was there too, smiling nicely (not too much of a grin, but it looked like a happy smile), and she bowed slightly before reminding Kazuto that they were there to help Asuna with the selection of a fitting (very important), and perfect wedding dress, though a couple of them would go with Ashley to get the Bridesmaids' outfits.

He was really surprised to hear that among the list of them, Shino was included too, given the circumstances from months before. But the past was the past, and Asuna had probably already forgiven her. He still had a bit of a defensive state around her though. But that wasn't the point right then (He was seriously getting sidetracked lately...). He let the crowd of women inside, and noticed that Asuna had already guessed their intentions by just seeing them (as if it wasn't obvious enough already). She excused herself into the bedroom, while Sasha greeted the younger girl happily. While Kazuto lost himself to his own thoughts, background sounds were heard like "Sasha-sensei! I missed you so much!", replies to that and other stuff of the sorts, until Asuna came out of the hallway.

Everyone was left stunned by the chestnut-haired lady who went down the hallway in an absolutely beautiful yellow dress that fit her perfectly, even with the protruding bump.

Everyone was silent for a couple of minutes just watching her. She seemed to notice the attention and blushed. Then, she noticed the silent atmosphere and so, she decided to ask them.

"U-Um...Is something the matter, everyone?" Every single person inside of the room seemed to have recovered their ability to speak, but not really coherently.

"W-what? No!"

"I don't know, Is something the matter?"

"You look nicely in that dress, that's all..."

Several replies resembling the ones above were said by the stunned crowd of female guests. Once the sound of nervous replies died down, Kazuto walked over to her, and whispered in her ear:

"You look stunningly beautiful, in case you hadn't realized that" Her cheeks flushed a darker shade of crimson almost instantly as she processed the words inside of her brain, trying to look for a proper response and only getting dizzy (as if the backache wasn't enough), but she managed to stutter the best response that came into mind.

"T-Thank y-" She began, but she was briefly interrupted at Rika's comment.

"There's no time to get all lovey-dovey about each other!" She said.

"We're not getting lovey-dovey!" They chorused in unison, to look at each other and then laughed briefly. Rika's looked at them as if they were crazy.

"We don't have time for this! We have a wedding gown to choose!" She cried out, receiving a loud agreement from the other females who occupied the room.

Asuna leaned into Kazuto and kissed sweetly his cheek with an inaudible whisper.

"Thank you, I think you deserved it" No one seemed to notice the small exchange between the two as they talked among themselves about dresses they'd seen before. That chatting was (also), interrupted by someone who hadn't talked since her arrival.

"So, have you bunch forgotteN?" She asked in characteristic her nasal voice, raising one eyebrow sharply at the group who turned to look at her. "Are we leaving or are we noT?"

The group left (every single person, of course including Ririna that was the second youngest person of the group, right after Hiwasawa Misako who was extremely excited to assist at the second wedding she's ever gone to)

"Ugh, you're right. Let's get our shoes, shall we?" Asuna proposed the crowd, receiving agreement and heading over to the door. However, before she got completely out of the door, she turned around and spoke:

"Ah, I talked to Ryou-san last night. He agreed to go with you to a tailor. Y'know, to get your suit...And put at least some effort in not choosing so much black, 'kay?" His smile drooped in a hilarious expression, making the group of girls laugh.

After they left the house, Kazuto was left alone with his own thoughts, and of course Ryoutarou and Andrew who were stopping by later that afternoon, so he again wondered what did he do to deserve so much happiness...

At the end, Asuna's dress had to be tailor-made, so they sent it to an acquaintance of Ashley. Kazuto's suit was significantly easier to find, but after thinking for so long, he decided that he would wear a black suit (nobody is surprised), a white long-sleeved formal T-shirt and a dark blue tie, together with Dark blue dressing shoes. They were beat when they returned home, but they knew that the things were going perfectly for their wedding day... If only they knew what was in store for them...

The next night...

As the couple lied down on the bed and relaxed after the stressful day, Asuna closed her eyes and-

"Asuna, are you okay?"

"Yeah"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really"

"You do know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do"

"And-"

"Yes I love you too" Then she opened her eyes "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yes,... Another one in which I lost you"

"I'll have to make sure it doesn't happen that way, then. You won't get rid of me that easily"

He shook his head, but he was smiling "Of course I won't, Fukushō-sama" She pouted, but she smiled too.

"G'nights"

"Nights"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo Sneak peak of the next episodes! (In order: 10, 11, 10 again)

"K-Kazuto-kun!" Asuna cried out, holding onto the chair of her beloved husband.

"What is it, Hun?" He asked her calmly.

"I-I think it's time!" He looked at her puzzled, so she added "For that!"

"N-Now!? It's still too early!"

"Well, I guess Yui doesn't agree with you at all!"

/\

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a pleasurable surprise? Don't you agree, Yuuki Asuna? Or may I call you Kirigaya Asuna now? You know, you could have waited for me to be freed before you married that brat! Not even an invitation card you sent me, and you're already holding his child!"

/\

"Isn't she just absolutely beautiful?"

"She reminds me of you"

"Enough with the lovey-dovey atmosphere! I'm getting sick right here. Now, can I please see my niece?"

"You mean your self-proclaimed niece?"

"What was that!?" She asked in a dangerously sweet tone.

"Nothing!"


Well my dears, that was all! I want to ask the lot of you: Who do you think the man from the second peak is? I'm not giving clues, except that he is thirty something (almost fourty), and he is not an OC!

And the last in the third (the one who interrupts the fluff) is 23 and brown-haired she isn't an OC either! The ones who guess first get a special one-shot of their liking and favorite OTP/Characters! And the others who get the most creative answers get a birthday one-shot (will come out on the day of their birthday)

As always Read&Review, Follow and Favorite if you like, and read you next time!

-Kitten.