Like I promised! Next chapter is ready for you! Also, thank you to all essential workers! Nurses, fire-fighters, grocery store clerks, and other personnel! I appreciate each and every one of you!

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Alright, spill. Where have you been and why the hell haven't you contacted us to tell us if you were even alive?" A low gravelly voice spoke up from my right. At the end, a small growl punctuated its master's question.

"That… is a long answer. One I really don't wanna talk about here." I slumped my shoulders as Kirito, Stark, and Agil joined Charr at my side. Charr, of course, had his arms crossed in anger. Stark just seemed to be content with having me back in one piece. Kirito, on the other hand, had his head hung in a way that I couldn't see his face. Meaning he was hiding his emotions from me. Agil looked like he was unsure if he wanted to be mad or just give me one of his famous bear hugs, so he just hung back and gave me a relieved smile.

"Oh no. You are not running away from this interrogation. I don't care what the dick said to you. You don't get to run away from your other friends who actually care." Charr practically growled. His red eyes lit up with anger, but I could also see the deep hurt in them.

In that moment, I felt nothing but guilt. Tears formed in my eyes and I quickly brushed them away before they could fall. They didn't deserve that kind of treatment. We are friends and I couldn't be bothered to tell them that I was alright… Some friend I was.

I was suddenly wrapped in a warm embrace, one that I had felt many times in those months when Kirito was with his guild. I buried my face into Charr's broad chest, tucking my head under his chin. Breathing deeply to force the sobs back down my throat, I pulled myself out of Charr's arms. I didn't deserve his comfort, not after ignoring them for almost a month.

"Meet me at the central teleport on floor twenty-two. I promise I will be waiting there for you. But we have to hurry. I have to get home to someone." I spoke to Charr and Stark.

Kirito was still hiding his face with his hair, so I figured I'd ignore him in return. If he couldn't even look at me, then he didn't deserve to be spoken to. It wasn't until I mentioned the 'someone' that he whipped his head up with shock and anger written on his face. My only response was to look away in indifference. I didn't care if he assumed it was a boy that was waiting for me. I hadn't forgiven him for what he said. As far as I was concerned, the moment he called me a cheater was the moment we broke up. I had the right to move on if I had wanted to.

In the end, Agil had decided not to join us as he wanted to meet up with his guild with the news of the new floor to explore. I didn't blame him, who wanted to hang around with a bunch of teenagers anyways? And with the fight that was bound to happen when we got back to my cabin, there was bound to be a headache in the man's future if he had stayed with us. So no hurt feelings for him saving himself from the drama that was about to unfold.

"Well let's go then! I wanna meet this person! A new friend!" Bubbly Stark, here to save the day, jumped up and down on the balls of his feet in excitement. If I hadn't known any better, I'd think the boy was nine and not nineteen. I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath. I had missed his cheerfulness.

"Well follow me then." I turned for the exit. Once we reached the main teleport for floor fifty-three, we immediately used it to move down to floor twenty-two. My home floor.

It was almost dinner-time when we stopped outside of my cabin, my home sweet home. I sighed in relief. The front door burst open and a small figure bolted out and straight into my arms. I'm sure to the others she looked like nothing more than a black and gray blob, but I knew it was no one but my daughter snuggling into my arms.

"Hey kid, miss me much?" I patted her head, a gentle smile on my face.

"Mommy! I'm so glad you came home safe! I was so worried!" Yui cried and nestled further into my armor.

"Did she just call you… 'Mommy'?!" Charr and Kirito both yelled out in shock. Stark laughed so hard he fell to his knees and was holding his stomach.

I sighed and walked into my house, Yui snuggled comfortably under my arm with her hands wrapped around my waist. "Well you comin' or you just gonna stand there catching flies with them mouths?" I hollered back in my best American southern accent.

I heard three pairs of footsteps shuffle behind me and followed mine into the cozy cabin. Luckily, there was enough seating in the small living room for all of us. The place was still sparsely furnished, I hadn't been able to make enough to really make this place a home. But it was still mine, paid for by the Col earned with these two hands.

When everyone was seated, Kirito and Stark on the three person couch while Charr joined me on the loveseat. Yui was sitting on the floor, leaning back against my legs. It seemed that she wanted to be as close to me as possible, comforted to feel my presence and know that I was safe.

"So… a daughter? How'd you manage that?" Charr spoke up to break the awkward silence.

"Mommy is not my real mommy. I don't know who that is. I don't remember anything before Mommy found me!" Yui answered cheerfully for me. I swear she could give Stark a run for his money in the happiness department. I'd have to remember to keep them both out of the sweets to prevent them from bouncing off the walls. I did not want to find out what would happen with the two of them hopped up on sugar.

"Yeah. I was heading towards the mid-level boss, Shandra the Phoenix Queen, when I stumbled across Yui. You know that rumor of the ghost on this floor? Turns out it was her, lost and alone. I still haven't figured out why she doesn't have an icon above her head. She's not an NPC, but I don't think she's a player either…" I trailed off, lost in thought.

"No one has come forward to claim her? No one came to look for her? She must have been so lonely in those woods." Stark looked to Yui, tears in his eyes. I could feel his sorrow for my daughter all the way across the room. I shook my head in answer.

Charr and Stark recounted many of their adventures since we had split up. One of which included them providing backup to Kirito and Asuna in order to solve a "murder" case in the safe zone. But that had ended up being a very well done acting job in order to catch a guy who had murdered his wife for some messed up reason. Something about her becoming a different person since this world started. The guy must have been messed up in the head to kill his wife just because she wasn't submissive to him anymore. Disgusting human being...

Kirito had yet to say a word since he entered my home. He was once again hiding behind his hair, though I could see him glancing up at Yui every once in a while. It made me wonder what was going through that head of his, but I was still too angry at him to even bother asking.

"Hey, seeing as how it's nearly dinner time, would you mind Stark and I going to Triney Village to grab some food for all of us? I hear the fish on this floor is actually palatable." Charr looked to Stark, trying to communicate something without words.

Stark must have gotten the message because he immediately jumped to his feet. "Oh! Can we take Yui with us? I wanna know more about her!" He held a hand out to the small girl.

"It's alright with me, if it's okay with Yui." Her eyes lit up with excitement, but I could tell she was also nervous about being alone with two strange men. "It's alright kid, I trust these two with my life. They even helped me defeat the boss today. You can trust them to take care of you, just like they took care of me." I brushed her bangs away from her face.

"Okay Mommy. We will bring back yummy food for dinner!" Yui stood up and threw her small arms around my neck in a fierce hug. I couldn't help but chuckle and hug the tiny girl. With another pat to her head, she joined the two men at the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something Yui?" I called before she could step past the threshold.

With a cry of "oh yeah!" Yui bolted for our bedroom to retrieve her sword and strap on her armor. I trust Stark and Charr to keep her safe, but I didn't want to take any chances. Besides, if I knew my daughter she would convince the men to let her show off her sword skills.

When the door closed and I couldn't hear their footsteps on the porch anymore, I turned to the silent swordsman sitting across from me. I honestly didn't know what to say, so I stayed quiet. After what felt like an eternity, I finally broke the silence, "why are you here, Kirito?"

He finally raised his head and I saw the suffering in his black orbs. I don't know what he had to be in pain about, but I knew that I hated the look on his face. I had seen it too many times. First right after the Illfang boss fight, and then when he finally came to me about the death of his guild. But this time, he was the cause of his own suffering.

"What happened to 'Kazuto?' Are you still that mad at me that you won't use my real name anymore, Sarah?" He asked, tears shining in his eyes.

"You no longer get to call me that. Not after what you said. You lost that right." Anger blazed through my veins. How dare he! Was the only thought running through my mind. I crossed my arms and leaned against the back of the loveseat. I clenched my hands, keeping them hidden with my arms so he couldn't see how much he affected me.

"Look, I'm sorry! I was stupid and jealous and said things I shouldn't have. I know you would never cheat! I was just being insecure, and I took that out on you." Kirito threw his hands in the air before standing up and starting to pace.

"I accept your apology," Kirito immediately relaxed his shoulders with a sigh before I continued, "but I can't forgive you. Not yet, and maybe not for a while. You called me a cheater. You thought so low of me that you'd think that I would ever cheat on you. How can you have a relationship where your partner doesn't trust you?" I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop the tears, but I had failed. Damn this guy made me so emotional.

I wasn't expecting warm gloved hands to cup my cheeks, brushing the tears away. "I'm always making you cry, aren't I?" His broken voice asked. When I opened my eyes, I saw tears falling down his own cheeks. He rarely ever cried, so it was disconcerting.

I didn't know whether to bat his hands away or to nuzzle into his hands. So I just stared into his black eyes, the same eyes as my daughter. Kirito started to lean forward, as if to kiss me, but I turned my head away before his nose could even brush mine. I knew if I allowed him to kiss me, I would forgive him with little resistance. But I couldn't give in, not so easily. He hurt me too much.

Kirito's breath hitched in disappointment before he resumed his earlier seat. "Did you really find Yui in the forest? If I didn't know any better, I would swear she was our child. But not only is that impossible, firstly because we are in a video game and secondly because… we never… um… yeah…" Kirito sputtered, his ears and cheeks burned a bright red. I'm sure mine were of a similar color.

I cleared my throat in embarrassment. "Yes I did. I had just bought this place and was looking forward to the Col beating Shandra would give me to furnish it. My first buy was a couple beds for us to sleep on. I let her use my sleeping bag until I bought beds." I laughed at the memory. How Yui liked to sprawl out in her sleep until she resembled a starfish.

"She's got your face." Kirito's eyes widened as if he hadn't meant to say that.

"She has your eyes and hair." I couldn't help but smile sadly. This must be what a divorced couple went through when there were children involved.

"Could you ever forgive me for what I said?" He asked after a silent moment.

"I don't know, Kirito. It's gonna take a while for me to be able to trust you again. And now I have Yui to take care of."

"Have you taken her to Tolbana to see if anyone recognizes her?"

"Actually, I hadn't even thought of it. I figured whoever was looking for her would come here, as I'm sure this is where they got separated. It doesn't explain the memory loss though. Nor the lack of an icon." I responded, deep in thought.

"If you would allow it, I'd like to help you find her friends or family." He looked at his hands, sheepishly.

It made sense to take her to Tolbana. Not only was the orphanage there, but it tended to be where people met up when they became separated. I couldn't believe I had never thought of it. I guess I was so focused on taking care of Yui while also preparing for the boss fight that it must have slipped my mind to even look there.

I nodded my head as an answer to Kirito. We soon got discussing plans of starting the search the next morning when the door burst open. As always, Yui immediately dashed into my arms for a hug.

I let out an oof as her armor dug into my face. Luckily I still hadn't taken my own armor off, so my chest and shoulders survived the impact. I heard twin snickers from the two people just coming through the door after Hurricane Yui.

"You taught her well Sarasheem! I wouldn't be surprised if she could take Illfang on by herself." Stark bounced into the room, not unlike the little girl in my arms.

"Yeah. She's my little swordswoman. She begged me to teach her in the hopes that she could come to the boss fights. But you got a long way to go until then, kid." I ran my fingers through her hair affectionately. Yui lifted her head to grin at me before resuming her earlier seat on the floor in front of me.

"But who is gonna protect you if I don't get stronger?" She raised her fist in the air in determination.

"That's our job, kid. We are her friends, and that's what friends do." Charr looked from Yui to turn his red gaze to me. I blushed and slouched slightly at his non-verbal reprimand. "Here." He said as he handed me a skewered grilled fish and a bread roll. After I handed those to Yui, Charr handed me another set before getting his own food out. I looked over to see Stark handing Kirito a similar meal.

Light chatter was shared as we ate our meal. Yui told the boys about many of our adventures, including the time we had attempted to learn how to fish. The giant fish at the local lake was a much higher level than my fishing skill and I ended up taking an unexpected dip. There was much laughter at my expense.

"It's getting late…" I murmured after watching Yui almost nod off for the second time. "You guys are more than welcome to stay the night. Unfortunately, I only have the one bedroom. You can share one of the beds and Yui and I can share the other. But it is going to be cramped with how tall you guys are. Someone can take the couch, the three seater should be long enough for someone. Whatever you decide, just let me know when I am done putting Yui to bed." I lifted the small, still armored, girl into my arms before heading for the bedroom.

After ridding Yui of her armor and her short sword, I changed her into a nightgown for more comfort. Returning to the living room I noticed that Kirito's ears were red, most likely from embarrassment, and their discussion abruptly halted.

"So we've got an idea on sleeping arrangements, but don't get mad." Charr started off. I immediately stopped and tensed, knowing I really wasn't going to like where this conversation was going.

I crossed my arms defensively and waited for what the boys had come up with.

Charr sighed in exasperation before he continued. "Stark and I can sleep on the floor out here. Let Yui keep her own bed. If she's anything like you, I know she is already sprawled out and taking up every available spot. Only one of us is used to sleeping with a person like that." He jerked his thumb at an even more red faced Kirito.

"You did not just suggest what I think you are suggesting." I narrowed my eyes at the tall dragon tamer.

"You heard me right. It's one night, and dumbass here is the only one who can sleep comfortably like that." Charr shot back.

I looked at Kirito, but he refused to meet my gaze. I tried Stark next, but he just shrugged and smiled mischievously. When I realized I wasn't going to win this battle, I groaned.

"Fine." I muttered in defeat. This was going to be a long night.