I'm sorry I'm always so late with replying to reviews ;u;
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online.
Chapter 53. Hooky
Milky shades of pale yellow and pink dusted through the windows of Asuna's bedroom, making for a gentle waking-up process that morning.
It had been a month since classes had resumed, and three weeks since the incident with the note-passing. She was quite surprised that she an Kazuto had not been given detention for the massive scene they had caused that day, but even more surprising was the fact that that particular teacher never seemed to take notice of their antics ever again.
She smirked slightly to herself as she lifted her eyelids to glance at her alarm clock.
For some reason, the fact that it was already 10AM and therefore she was incredibly late for school sunk in rather mellowly. Asuna had had several close calls in being late before, but had never actually fallen victim to herself and gone back asleep.
It appeared this morning she was not so lucky.
Several thoughts ran through her mind when everything finally registered. Oh...Oh no. I'm late. Why didn't Mother wake me? Why didn't Kirito-kun text me to wake up? What is this...warmth on my hand...?
Blinking in confusion Asuna pushed herself up slightly to turn her head to the other side of her bed. The realization that she was late for class had ben fairly shocking, but seeing Kazuto sitting beside her nearly caused her to roll right off the mattress.
"K-K-Kirito-kun?!" She squeaked, jumping up into a sitting position. "W-What's going on? Why are you-? Eep!" She realized her nightgown was disheveled and the straps had slid down her shoulders so she quickly pulled the covers to her chest.
"Calm down." Kazuto smiled. He was dressed in his school uniform but something told her he was not particularly urgent to get to class. "It's nothing to freak out about. Everyone sleeps in once or twice and misses school."
"But...But there's still time to go, so we should hurry!" Asuna hastily tried to dash across the room for her closet, but Kazuto had anticipated her reaction and stopped her before she could leave the bed.
"Asuna, it's fine to take a day off, you know." He informed her. "You've been working really hard these past few weeks since you decided to take up tutoring in the evenings. Plus, remember that today is a half day because of school staff meetings, so even if we were to go, we'd only get in about an hour of classes before it was over." He watched as her eyes sparked with clarity as she began to remember everything.
"But even on a half day there are lessons being taught-"
"Also." Kazuto cut her off meaningfully. "There's this."
He handed her a piece of paper. Asuna recognized the confident strokes of the calligraphy as her mother's and read the message to herself: Asuna, a day off every once in a while is a good thing. Just don't make a habit out of it.
Asuna felt her jaw dropping just a bit.
"See? Even your mother says it's okay." Kazuto reassured her. "Plus, I even texted Liz and asked her to take notes for you."
"You asked Liz to take my notes?"
"I know it sounds insane," he defended. "But she said she'd definitely do it, considering how much you help her study."
"This may be the first time she takes notes in her life..." Asuna muttered before getting back to the matter at hand. "But if that's the case, then I guess... it's fine if I miss a day."
"There, see?" He ruffled her hair. "You still look tired, so why don't you rest for a little while longer?"
"I... I guess I can do that..." As a yawn interrupted her, Asuna knew it was for the better; if she was going to play hooky, what better way to begin than sleeping in?
Letting the blankets fall back into her lap, the skin of her collarbones was exposed along with a heart-shaped necklace. Kazuto noticed it instantly and chuckled.
"You wear it to sleep, too?"
"Of course!" She huffed. "I wear it everywhere, especially to sleep." She trailed off, hinting there was more to be desired in her explanation.
"And why is that?" He prompted.
"...Because I like to...open it and read it over and over again before bed..." She blushed.
"...W-Well, I'm glad you like it that much!" Kazuto cleared his throat in an attempt to fight off his own blush. "Now then, lie down for a minute. I'll make you something to eat."
Asuna smiled up at him as she complied, rested her chin back onto her pillow that was now warm from the filtering sunlight. Kazuto pulled the blankets up over her back and exposed arms, fixing her hair into just the perfect position so that it would not tickle her face. A
suna closed her eyes as she felt his warm hand tracing up and down her back, which she had not realized was sore until now. Her eyes closed before very long, and she let everything seep in; the warmth of the sun, the softness of her pillow, the comfort of his presence...
It only took about five minutes for Asuna to fall asleep once more, and Kazuto continued to comb his fingers through her tresses even after her breathing has grown quiet. The way the sunlight came in through the curtains caused her chestnut hair to be illuminated golden, shining and soft.
He tucked the blankets under her stomach to ensure not even a whisk of cool air slipped in to bother her, warming her hands with his own until he was satisfied she could sleep soundly.
Then, Kazuto got up from her bed and made his way downstairs. He had not been to Asuna's house many times, but even fewer of those times were occasions when he had been invited. It was only on rare days like those when he was able to take in the intricacy of every room and piece of decorative furniture.
Although this morning was not as bad as the time he had been forced to sneak out of her house in the middle of the night, he had not exactly been invited over either; just because he was permitted to have a copy of the house key did not call for him to waltz in whenever he pleased. Yet he was certain her parents would not be home this early, and therefore prevented himself from worrying too much.
He was not very skilled in his cooking, but he had picked up enough about it simply from being around Asuna for years that he would go so far as to declare his cooking edible. He struggled a bit with locating the ingredients, but once he had procured the proper elements, he easily put everything together in the form of an omelet.
Satisfied with his results, Kazuto allowed himself to smirk as he picked up the plate and placed it onto a tray with napkins and a glass of water. Carefully, he carried it up the stairs to her bedroom before slowly pushing Asuna's door open with his shoulder. She was still sleeping soundly so he decided to place the tray on her dresser before sliding over to wake her.
"Oy, sleeping beauty." He sang as he petted through her silky hair. "Breakfast is ready. Or... I guess it's lunch now."
Asuna made a small mumbling sound from the back of her throat as she shifted slightly. Then, she blinked her eyes open as she stretched her arms out before her and let lose a long yawn.
Kazuto patted her shoulder a few more times before she managed to get herself up again, and he leaned her pillow back against the headboard so that she may sit up. She gave a little mumbled of appreciation as he placed the warm tray of food in her lap.
"Did you eat yet?" She wondered.
"Yeah. Hours ago, while you were still sleeping."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Thank you for the food." She clapped her hands together before cutting into the omelet, steam still rising up from the mushy yellow substance as she brought it to her lips.
"Is it okay?" He wondered.
"Mmmm! It's so good, Kirito-kun!"
"I'm glad!" He grinned. "But just so you know this is pretty much the only thing I can make."
"Waking up to you in my room as you try to get me out of bed so you can feed me breakfast... I could get used to this." She mused.
"Well..." Kazuto grunted. "You know, you're gonna have to, because someday..." He stopped.
Asuna stopped eating and looked up at him.
"Someday...?" She whispered softly.
"Well... you know..." He cleared his throat before he gathered the courage to say it. "Someday... we'll be able to do this every morning."
A beaming smile spread across Asuna's lips as he finally said it, and she finished off the rest of her meal with a chipper aura wafting about her.
Kazuto sat on the edge of the bed fighting his blush until she had finished. He then brought her tray downstairs as she changed clothes, deciding it better to do something fun today rather than laze about around the house. She felt that the thrill of playing hooky would be intensified if she were to wear her uniform, so she did just that, descending the stairs to find Kazuto cleaning the dishes.
"Sooo..." She hummed as she came up beside him. "Do we have any plans for what we'll be doing today when we're...not in school?" The rebellious thought sent an shiver of anticipation up her spine.
"Hm, I did have something in mind, actually." He dried his hands off on a towel before he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Classes are probably just letting out now, so we won't look suspicious walking around town in our uniforms now, at least."
"Let's go, then!" Asuna slipped her hand into his as they headed for the door.
She followed his lead as he took her down a fairly familiar path, the opposite direction of her house. When she saw the outskirts of town ahead, she had a good guess as to where they were headed.
Sure enough, her assumptions were confirmed when she spotted hanging flower pots. "What are we going to do here?" She wondered.
"You'll see." Kazuto winked.
Once they entered the store and greeted the shopkeeper, Kazuto leaned in to ask her something that Asuna did not catch. The woman nodded with a smile before Kazuto gave a small bow to her. "Thanks." He turned back to Asuna. "Follow me."
Perplexed, she did as he said, and Kazuto led her into the back of the flower shop. "I found this the last time I was here, and apparently it's open to customers!"
Kazuto brought her to an indent in the corner which was actually a stair case. The walls to the top were lined with small, colorful flower pots, but Asuna was too curious as to what was at the top to stop and admire them for too long.
At last, they reached the top step, which led to a short tiled breezeway and then a door. When Kazuto held it open, a gust of cool air flowed in, pulling Asuna's hair back.
"Wow..." She gasped. "I didn't know this place had roof like this!"
They stepped outside to behold the almost magical sights of a large garden. This section of the roof was hidden from the streets, so they had never seen it before from below, but from the balcony there was a heavenly breeze and view of the setting sun.
The golden rays highlighted the colors of every petal that filled the pots surrounding them, some hanging on vines, some climbing the brick walls, others resting in soiled areas on the ground.
Asuna's eyes were sparkling as she followed Kazuto about the rooftop, observing every plant painted by the sunlight.
Once they had lapped the entirety of the balcony, Kazuto led her to the edge of the roof, barred by a white rail, before sitting down on the ground. Asuna knelt down beside him, leaning against his shoulder as she gazed out over the town below, several loose petals straying into her vision.
"It's so beautiful." She sighed. "How do you always manage to find places like this?"
"I guess it's a gift." He shrugged, gazing out to the sky. "It really is lovely." He agreed. "But not as lovely as you." Turning back to face her, he kissed her lightly.
"I had a lot of fun today, Kirito-kun. Thank you." She nestled closer, sharing her warmth.
"Me, too." He smiled. "We should do this more often."
"Well..." He looked down at her when she spoke in a slightly strange tone. "W-Well, l-l-like you said before..." Asuna mumbled, her cheeks pink. "One day... one day, it'll be a reality, you know. One day, we'll be able to be together like this... all the time."
"I... I guess you're right."
"You know I'm right!" She corrected him, blushing furiously now.
"R...Right." Kazuto pulled her in and kissed her again. "Right. Of course I know that..."
"But until then," Asuna rested her head on his shoulder. "Staying like this is fine. Just..." her voice softened a bit, but he could still hear every word. "Just... don't make me wait too long..."
He smiled again, leaning into her. "Of course not."
A/N: Ah I'm doing my best to start wrapping things up and have them lead into my other story. I'll have to change a few things here and there, but overall it should flow in quite nicely!
Please review!
