Kirito put his arm around Asuna, who was standing outside on the balcony. She leaned against him. It was their first day at the new house Kirito had bought in a forested section of the twenty-second floor. He looked down at the forest below. The sun was getting progressively lower in the sky, casting a beautiful golden light on the trees ahead of them. Massive storm clouds were also off in the distance. Kirito guessed they would arrive later that night.

There was a small drop-off just beyond the thick foliage, giving the two of them a clear view of the snow-capped mountains off in the distance. There was a light breeze, just enough to rustle some of the smaller branches as well Kirito's hair, who tried to sweep away the bangs falling in front of his eyes. Of course, they were blown right back down in front of his face.

Kirito sighed as he leaned against the railing, muttering, "The hell with it." Asuna giggled at his frustration.

He wondered how she did it. While she certainly seemed a lot less confident than before the events that occurred a week ago, she still largely acted like the Asuna he remembered. Kirito, on the other hand, while joyous to have her back alive, couldn't help but feel increasingly guilty. Yes, they were all sadistic killers, but either way, he had slaughtered tens of them. It was in no way a fair fight, as he vastly out-leveled every single one of them. Was he really so different from them? Some of them likely hadn't even killed their first person, and they died simply because they belonged to the wrong guild.

Kirito pushed the thought aside when he remembered the sight of Asuna, chained to a wall, naked, beaten to near death, and blinded. But when he thought of that, he soon found himself contemplating if it was really worth it to let her come with him. Was the reason she had to endure that simply because he made a bad judgment call? He looked at her for a moment. Her chestnut orange-brown hair naturally flowed in the wind, and her dazzling hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked. Kirito realized he'd been gazing at her for several seconds, and she'd noticed. "Why were you staring at me like that?"

"It-It's nothing." Kirito replied. "I... I was just wondering if it was really worth it to let you come with me. Because... if you had stayed behind, then you may not have had to go through what you did." Asuna seemed taken back by what he just said. "This... this was my fault." His eyes were starting to become wet. "You've almost died twice now because of how stupid I am..."

Asuna placed her hands on his shoulders. "It was more than worth it to me. I would do that a thousand times over, as long as I got to stay with you."

"I don't deserve you. I'm a murderer worse than everyone in Laughing Coffin... almost fifty people died at the end of my blade, and I didn't even know a single one of their names. Now, I don't blame everyone for wanting me dead..."

"How... how could you say something like this? After all we've been through, after all you've done... you're saying that I'm not worth it?" She was about to cry herself. "They were all scumbags!"

"Scumbags with families who loved them." Kirito retorted. "I took that away from them, and I almost took that away from yours... even mine... that's why I don't deserve someone who's... as beautiful as you."

Asuna didn't want to cry again, but she doubted she could help it. "Stop! Do you know what I would do if you left me?!" She brought herself closer to him. "I'd... I would... I would kill myself!" She shouted at him, burying her face in his shirt, staining it with tears. Kirito stood in shock, struggling to think of what to say.

"Asuna, stop." It took her several seconds, but she finally looked up at him. "It was worth it. I'm more than grateful to have someone like you."

"You... you're just saying that. I'm a such a mess..."

"I need you, Asuna. In this world, I feel like you're the only one who actually cares about me." He hugged her tightly. "And if you don't believe me, then I'll prove it to you in any way I can."

She moved to where the tip of her nose was practically his. "I guess you can start by kissing me." He gladly obliged, making sure their kiss was long and deep. Kirito had moved his hands down to her hips, and Asuna had her arms over his shoulders and wrapped around his neck. He gently moved his hands up to her back, savoring every moment of it as she held him even more tightly. Neither of them wanted it to end. But, unfortunately, it had to. Kirito felt her soft, silky lips leave his own as they slowly, tenderly released. He opened his eyes to see hers, still mere inches away.

He took the time to absorb just how beautiful she really was. Wispy bangs covered most of her forehead, although they weren't quite as long as his. Her eyes were still shining radiantly in the sunlight, and her face was stained in dry tears. "Is that all you want me to do?" Kirito whispered, secretly hoping it wasn't.

Asuna gave him a reassuring, heartwarming smile. "Far from it."

Raindrops pelted the balcony outside. There was nothing to light the room except for a small candle resting on the table next to their bed, and the occasional flash of lightning, which was soon followed by a clap of thunder. Each time Asuna jumped a little, squeezing whatever she was holding onto for the next few moments before relaxing again. Lightning once again illuminated the room. However, this time, what followed was a deafening boom of thunder, causing Asuna to quietly yelp and hold onto Kirito as hard as she could. For the moment though, neither of them wanted to mention it.

She rested on top of him, kissing him with nothing held back. She moved her hands down to his waist, grabbing the bottom of his shirt. In a quick motion, she lifted her body up off of his, taking his shirt with her. She tossed it to the side, and once again pressed her lips against his. This time was noticeably shorter, due to Kirito lifting her off.

"What's wrong?" She asked in the sweetest possible tone.

"Nothing. But, I just don't think we should go any further. It just doesn't feel... right. We can keep doing this, if you want to."

"It's fine. I'm getting a little sleepy, anyways. How about you?"

"I'm pretty tired, too." She nodded, and placed her head back down on his bare chest. She lifted it again slightly once an idea hit her.

"Hey, Kirito?"

"Yeah?"

"What's you're real name? I just want to know."

"Kazuto. Kirigaya Kazuto. And yes, that is how I thought of the name Kirito." She grinned.

"Kazuto..." she whispered. "Asuna is also my real name. Yuuki Asuna. Do you have any siblings? What's you're family like?"

"Well... I live with my Aunt Midori and my Uncle Minetaka, even though he isn't around much. My real parents are... gone." Asuna moved to where she could face him easier. "I also have my younger sister, Suguha, but even she is not really my sister. My first cousin, actually. We're like siblings though."

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I wasn't old enough to remember my parents well."

"Okay. Hey, speaking of, how old are you?"

Kirito thought about this for a moment. "I think I turned fifteen a month or two ago."

Asuna smiled. "I turned fifteen a month ago, also. Anyways, I have my mother, Kyouko, and my father, Shouzou." She paused for a moment. "The funniest thing, is that my brother, Kouichirou, bought this NerveGear and copy of Sword Art Online. He wasn't able to play it on launch day, so I decided to try it out. That's how I ended up here, but, in all honesty, I'm glad it happened like this. If it didn't, I would have never met you. You do live in Tokyo, right?"

"Of course."

"Then I look forward to seeing you in real life when this is all over." She snuggled herself up next to him and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Kirito. I love you."

Kirito smiled, knowing that one day, he would get to say this to her in the real world. "I love you, too."