(A/N: Hello readers, Here I am, with the final chapter of this story. Drumroll, please!
To those that have reviewed, faved or followed this story, you have my thanks.
And it's very nice to see that people were much more open to the Christian belief than I was expecting. I've seen how toxic people can be about Christianity and I'm glad to see that you readers were more accepting than I had hoped. So, Mkchief34, Gadget boy, Vld and thewookie1, thank you for your comments.
Also, I would like to thank TheSib and jamesbond3w for being the beta readers of this story. TheSib for taking the time to write some of the plot when I was overwhelmed in university, and jamesbond3w for the thorough grammar check for the chapters. You two were the MVPs!
If you haven't already, check out TheSib's fanfics. He's written various fanfics not just for SAO, but others including My Hero Academia – if you're into that. And also, if you've watched/read Rising of the Shield Hero, I recommend checking out the SAO x Rising of the Shield Hero crossover fanfic "The Blue Rose Sword Hero" written by Gadget boy. It's a very good fanfic to read for both the Shield Hero and SAO fans – a fair warning though; it's rated M for a good reason.
And last but not least, to answer beccaslays, Gadget boy, thewookie1 and Vld's comments about wanting a dinner scene with Kirito and Kyouko and revelation about Yui to them, I have an announcement about that at the end of the chapter, so stay tuned.
Disclaimer: I don't own SAO, its characters, or the OSTs. They belong to Kawahara Reki-sensei and Kajiura Yuki-sensei, respectively!)
Final Chapter – Until Next Time
April 12th, 2026, Sunday - ALO, New Aincrad 24th floor, Zekken's Island
Asuna arrived at the memorable island where she now had memories of not just Yuuki but of her mother as well.
She was actually supposed to meet up with the others here for a quest but she had arrived earlier, as per her usual diligent timekeeping self. So, she had a brief time for herself until they arrived.
It had been one week since she had reconciled with her mother, attended Yuuki's funeral and heard the Gospel from Pastor Koyama. Afterwards she had taken a week off from school to go on a trip with her brother and parents, as they had promised. And the trip turned out to be just what they needed: some quality family time together in a long time with no stress whatsoever. And now, she and her family had just returned back home after finishing their family trip and Asuna was feeling very invigorated and ready to get back to school the next day.
To continue her reminiscence of fond memories, she opened her player menu and scrolled to the music section until she found the song she was looking for; a song that Yuuki had said was her favorite.
She turned on the song on her menu and fell silent to listen.
(A/N: Play 'Shirushi' by LiSA. Most of the English translations of the lyrics below were done by "Edu Felipe" on Youtube, with some modifications by me.)
With a soothing piano intro, the singer began to sing.
Machiakari terashita nigiyaka na waraigoe to rojiura no ashiato
(The city lights shone on lively laughing voices and the remaining footprints)
Tsutaetai omoi wa doredake todoitan darou?
(I wonder how far did the feelings I wanted to tell you to reach you?)
Itsumo furimuite tashikameru
(I always look back to verify)
Itsudatte mayowazu kimi wa kitto donna boku mo oikakete kureru kara
(Because you will without a doubt always come after me, whoever I am)
Jitto mitsumeta kimi no hitomi ni utsutta boku ga ikita shirushi
(Looking into your eyes I see the reflections of signs that I have lived)
Nando mo togiresou na kodou tsuyoku tsuyoku narashita
(That faltering palpitation beats stronger and stronger)
kyou wo koete mitainda
(as if it wants to live through today)
As the first verse concluded, Asuna thought back to how she had met Yuuki and the Sleeping Knights and reminisced the fond memories they shared together.
Te ni shita shiawase wo ushinau koto wo osorete tachidomatteiru yori
(Instead of standing still fearing to lose the happiness I've obtained)
Hitotsu hitotsu ooki na dekiru dake ooku no egao sakaseyou to takuramu
(I think of each and every way to make your smile the largest I can)
Omoidasu bokura no tourisugita hibi ga itsumo kagayaite mieru you ni
(When I think back at our usual days, they always seem to glow)
Gyutto nigitta kimi no nukumori de kanjita bokura tsunaida akashi
(This warmth I feel when I embrace you is the proof that we were connected)
Kimi to ima onaji hayasa de ano hi egaita mirai wo aruiteiru
(I'm keeping the same pace as you towards the future that we imagined)
Ikutsu negai kanaetemo kimi to sugoshitai atarashii asu wo sugu ni
(Even if all my prayers were granted, I want to see each new day with you)
Tsugi tsugi ni boku wa kitto mata negatte shimau kara
(Because I'll end up praying for the next one again and again)
As the song transitioned, she thought back to when she, her friends and countless ALO players bid farewell to Yuuki on that very island, how the fight had broken out between her and her mother shortly afterwards and how they had made amends, all thanks to Yuuki.
Nagareteku toki wo youshanaku itsuka bokura wo saratteku kara
(Because the flowing time will mercilessly wash us away someday)
Mabataki shita isshun no suki ni kimi no miseru subete wo miotosanai you ni
(I won't blink an instant so I won't miss what you showed me)
Jitto mitsumeta kimi no hitomi ni utsutta boku ga ikita shirushi, ah~
(Looking into your eyes I see the reflections of signs that I have lived, ah~)
Nando mo togiresou na kodou tsuyoku tsuyoku narashita
(That faltering palpitation beats stronger and stronger)
kyou wo koete ikenakute mo kimi to ikita kyou wo boku wa wasurenai~
(Even if I can't make it through today, I won't forget that I lived with you today~)
As the song reached the end with its tranquil piano outro, Asuna reached her eyes to wipe away a single tear. As she did, a gentle breeze carrying numerous flower petals from the surrounding trees lightly blew towards her, blowing her hair in a soothing manner. And the red bandana tied to Yuuki's sword planted on the ground in front of her also blew in response to the breeze.
The said sword and bandana had been made an immortal object by the developers to make it a permanent memorial for Yuuki alongside the actual memorial statues near the town area of the 24th floor.
Asuna opened her eyes after she finished reminiscing the fond memories she had made with her dear friend.
'Yuuki, before I met you, I was always hesitant - scared even - to voice what I thought to people; even to my own friends and family. But you told me that it's important to voice what you think, even if you have to clash with them.
And thanks to what you've said, I was able to reconcile with my mother; twice for that matter. And I owe it all to you.
I feel like I've received so much from you… even though you've told me in your last moments that you couldn't create anything meaningful or help others. But that's certainly not true… If nothing else, you helped me… And your very existence created a meaning that means so much for us all… That's why I want to do all I can to keep your memory alive; both here and in the real world.
I miss you… and so does everyone else: Kirito-kun, Liz, Sinonon and the rest as well as the Sleeping Knights…
Goodbye, Yuuki… It may be a long time before we'll be able to meet each other again, and if the Lord you and your family believed in allows it, when my time comes, I hope to meet you, Aiko-san and your parents.
But until then, I'll always cherish these memories and gifts you've given me. And when I feel like I'm facing hardships again, I'll always keep you in mind.
So, whenever I feel like I need your strength, I hope you'll forgive me for coming here to bother you.
Until next time, Yuuki.'
After voicing her mind, hoping that Yuuki now in the heaven above had heard them, Asuna flew towards her destination; to her home on floor 22, where her friends and the Sleeping Knights would be waiting for her for an upcoming quest.
After logging out of ALO after successfully completing the quest with everyone else, Asuna got up from her bed and removed the Amusphere from her head.
Unlike before meeting Yuuki, her room didn't feel so cold anymore; in fact, it now really started to feel like an actual home: warm and welcoming.
Looking at the clock, it was almost half past 10. Deciding to get ready for sleep, Asuna sat down in front of her desk and began to write on her diary of all that had happened the past two weeks. She hadn't had the chance to write her diary since she had forgotten to take the diary with her when she had run away.
After finishing writing the diary, she read a chapter from the Bible starting from Genesis, as she had promised to Paster Koyama. And she would start reading the journal that belonged to Yuuki's mother starting tomorrow as well, seeing that it was getting too late to read both for now.
She was also pleased to confirm that the Satanic voice never came back to taunt her after hearing the Gospel from Koyama so far. And she found herself praying since that day that it would stay that way.
She placed the Bible back on her desk after finishing reading the first two chapters, which also had on the journal as well as the cross rosary and lay on her bed to go to sleep.
She took one last look at the picture frame that now contained a new and recent photo with a smile; the one that her family had taken during their week of vacation together. The photo had herself, her brother, mother and father all smiling. It was gratifying to know that even after all the trials they had been through in the past years, they were still able to smile together like that… It was a gift that she now knew shouldn't be taken for granted.
After giving a short prayer as Koyama had told her Asuna quickly fell asleep, looking forward to tomorrow when she would be going back to school with Kirito and the rest of her friends.
That night, Asuna had a dream that was filled with nothing but a pleasant trip down memory lane since going into SAO and all the way up to the time she, Kirito and the rest of their crew played together with Yuuki and the Sleeping Knights, as well as the new fond memories she now had with her brother, mother and father.
April 13th, 2026, Monday – SAO Survivor's School
Underneath the warm sun shining down on everyone, Asuna approached the school yard feeling better than she had before.
As she left the house along with her brother, both of her parents had said goodbye to them, much to her surprise.
Her brother, who was also on his way back to work (earlier than their parents), also looked ready to face anything. The siblings bid each other farewell to get to their respective transportations to get to their destinations.
As she got into the school building to get to her classroom, she looked around to find Kazuto, Rika and Keiko, whom she hadn't seen for a week since she didn't bring her Amusphere with her to the trip of course.
"Hey, Asuna!" A familiar voice called out to her.
Turning around to see the three friendly faces, Asuna rushed over to greet them.
"You're looking much better than before. So, does that mean you had a good time?" Kazuto asked, looking happier at seeing her cheerful expression.
"Yup! It turns out that trip was just what we needed; some family time together" Asuna answered, smiling.
"So where did you and your family go for your trip?" Rika asked.
"To South Korea actually… I always wanted to go there…" Asuna answered. Rika's reaction was almost immediate.
"What, really?! You went to Korea?! Lucky!" Rika asked, her eyes sparkling. Keiko wore a similar expression of envy on her face.
"Yes. My parents were the one to decide the destination. My brother and I had no reason to say 'no'" Asuna said.
"Why would anyone say no to going there? Besides right-wing ultranationalists, that is?" Rika answered. Everyone gave a small snicker at this.
Korea and Japan had a long history of ill-fated relationship, which was presently still on-going. Particularly with the Japanese politicians as well as right-wing ultranationalists denying many of Japan's wrongdoings before and during the Second World War to their East Asian neighbors including Korea, it was no surprise that the political relationship between the two countries were tense to put it lightly. The same thing could probably be said to the China-Japan relationship. There were so many factors that made the relationship between Japan and most of the East Asian countries not-so-friendly; so many that one could probably write a book about it. But Japan's political relationship with Korea and China were especially bad. She knew this because she had heard her mother speaking about it from time to time in the past, her mother being rather critical of the Japanese government.
But despite the bad blood in the political aspect between the two countries, pop-culture wise it didn't stop the younger generations of both sides from exchanging cultures with each other and unlike the older generations, the younger generations were much more open-minded and welcoming to the other's culture. Listening to the dialogue between her two friends as well as going and seeing Korea for herself, she wanted to believe that both countries could one day resolve the current political and historical problems and get along openly. Like how Siune - a Korean - could get along with the rest of the Sleeping Knights who were Japanese.
If Yuuki was still here, Asuna knew it was what she would have wanted as well; for everyone to get along, regardless of their races. She finished her thoughts as she held onto the cross on her neck; one of Yuuki's family relic that she now wears everywhere she went.
But getting back to her friends' conversation…
"Liz-san… you just want to go there for the food…" Keiko pointed out. Kazuto and Asuna gave another snicker at her comment.
Rika protested at this.
"H-hey! Don't make it sound like I'm some glutton! I do love Korean food but it's not just for the food; it's for their products too! I heard that their cosmetics and beauty products are fantastic. Not to mention their K-Pop artists and their contents…"
"Like, the BTSND? Or Pink Black?" Keiko had perked up at hearing the word 'K-Pop'. She loved singing the translated versions of their songs when they were at a karaoke.
(A/N: I think the references to the K-Pop artists are obvious here… especially to the ARMY.)
"Yes! That too! Remember the last time we went to the Koreatown in Shinjuku with Leafa, Sinon and Lux for a girl's day out? You kept singing their songs during karaoke!" Rika remembered.
"You did, and you were pretty good too. Yuuki said the same thing" Asuna said. Yuuki had been included in the girl's day out via Kazuto's VR Probe.
Keiko fidgetted bashfully at the complement.
"Though your voice did squeak from time to time" Rika commented jokingly, to which Keiko's eyebrows twitched a bit in annoyance.
(A/N: Play the OST: "With my Friend")
"At least I wasn't the one to press her face against every food store windows we passed by there!" Keiko retaliated.
"Urk… Hey…! I can't help it! The food there is great! I get a little excited when I see them on display, is all…" Rika defended herself.
Kazuto – who for obvious reasons wasn't included in the girl's day out – could actually picture the scene, making him chuckle.
"Too bad you can't eat them to your heart's content without having to worry about getting fat unlike in VR" He added.
"Exactly, I love how I can keep eating and – ah! No, that's not it!" Rika quickly corrected herself when she processed what Kazuto said. Everyone else shared a laugh at her expense.
"Stop making me sound like all I care about is food! And you…" Rika pointedly added the last part towards Kazuto.
"Don't you know it's rude to comment a girl about her weight?" Kazuto flinched at Rika's glower.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry" He said hastily, his hands up in the air in surrender.
Asuna just chuckled at the exchange. Rika had been pretty conscious about her weight and her diet lately. She fondly remembered that Yuuki had said something similar to what Rika had said about food in VR.
Their chatter was cut off by teachers gesturing the students to get to their respective classes. So, waving each other goodbye for now, they all headed to their homerooms.
Asuna got to her class just as the bell rang signaling the start of the first class.
When Asuna entered her classroom, the first thing that she noticed was that someone other than the teacher was up in front of the classroom while the teacher sat on the side, obviously waiting for the the unknown speaker to speak up.
The second thing was that on every desk in the classroom, there was a headset with a mic coming out of the left-ear side. Most of the seated students were looking at their headsets with great curiosity.
The speaker was a well-dressed man who seemed to be in his 30s. He was obviously a representative for the company that made the said headset.
The teacher gestured Asuna to take a seat and she quickly complied, curiously looking at the device on her desk. She had an educated guess as to what exactly the device was, seeing that her brother had talked about it with her on a few occasions during the past week.
As soon as she sat down, the speaker began to speak.
"Good morning, everyone. Today I am happy to present to you something that I daresay will be a competitor to the now well-known FullDive technologies like the Amusphere" This got everyone's attention.
"Please put on the headset in front of you and see for yourself what this is all about" The spokesman requested. The students hadn't put the devices on beforehand as the spokesman had requested not to do so until he said otherwise.
They all complied and put the device on. And as soon as they did, they were all surprised to see that HUDs like the one you would expect to see in a VRMMO game appear in front of them; despite the fact that they were still in their classroom and still awake in the real world. The students including Asuna gave a surprised gasp as they processed the changes they were seeing. Then, one of the students exclaimed.
"Hey, look! Is that…?" He said as he pointed to the front of the classroom.
The rest of the students followed his line of sight and gasped as a pretty young girl with long braided white hair and sparkling red eyes appeared in front of the classroom in a halo of light. Many students gave cheers of excitement as some of them recognized the girl.
With a wink, the said girl started talking.
"Hi, everyone! My name is Yuna! And I'd like to welcome you all – to Augma! Music, start!"
(A/N: And that's it; the end of the story. Thank you for reading to the end. With this, SAO: Mother's Reconciliation is officially complete!
Now for the announcement I mentioned earlier:
I know that you may be disappointed that I didn't include Kazuto meeting with Kyouko and having the talk, or Asuna telling her mother about Yui in this story. But seeing how many people have asked for it in the reviews, I've already started brainstorming how I'm going to write them. That's right, I'm working on a sequel to Mother's Reconciliation, as well as brainstorming for a few other SAO stories. The sequel to MR will be more like a bunch of short one-shots bounded together instead of a full-blown story with a complex plot like MR. And some of them will take place after the Alicization WoU section, so I'm waiting on the anime season of WoU part 2 to finish.
As to what the other stories are, I'll give the details later, and maybe make a poll on which one you want me to work on first.
But right now, I'm waiting for my official graduation certificate and have to focus on finding an actual work and start earning for myself – and with COVID-19, it won't be easy to find a decent work. So unfortunately, until I find one and start earning a decent wage, I'm afraid that story writing will have to take a backseat on my priority list for now. But when I do come back and start posting again, I promise that I won't abandon the story, like how I didn't abandon this story during university. I'll also try to be more responsive to your reviews in my future works.
If you've read this fanfic from beginning to the end, I would appreciate if you comment or PM me with a rating out of 10 (1 being very bad and 10 being excellent) as well as why you gave your ratings.
If Kawahara Reki happened to read this fanfic, that would be a dream-come-true…
Also, I have a question: do you guys think that this fanfic is contest-worthy? I'm asking this because a while ago someone PM'ed me suggesting that I put this fanfic into a contest. But at the time this fic was far from finished. So I've actually been looking to submit this fanfic into a fanfic contest recently. I've tried to find one on Google, but I can't seem to find any. If you think it is contest-worthy, and you happen to know an ongoing fanfic contest, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know.
I think that's all I have left to say.
The past 5 years has been a surreal one while I was writing this fanfiction, and I hope that I was successful in delivering an emotional, fun and compelling story for you to read – as well as make future stories just as compelling. And thank you all so much for your love and patience.
So, until I come back with my next story, stay healthy and safe in this troubling time.
Until next time.
Yours truly, KiritoIRL.)