Okay, here's another side story. This one has actually been inspired by a review from PinkHimeLacus on chapter 22 of The Hollow Instructor, The Hollow Area Issue.

Said review made me realise that the focus on Asuna's POV in this chapter might make it look like Kirito either didn't realise Asuna's worries or didn't care about them. The latter would obviously be a problem, and the former would at least not fit the way Kirito caught on to Asuna's troubles in previous chapters. So - among other things - this chapter is supposed to clear that up.

Also, I said that this would be a bit like a recap episode, but frankly, it turned out much less like one than I had thought, although this might be up to interpretation...

So, what's this story about? After long, dangerous and most of all extremely tiring missions, Kirito and Asuna take a vacation. In the serenity of the 83rd floor, they look back on some of the events that have happened since they arrived on the upper floors.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.

It was a calm day on the 83rd floor. The weather was nice, and the forest was almost tranquil. All in all, it was the perfect day for a vacation, and a certain family of sorts took the opportunity.

It had been only a few days since the Assault Team had cleared the 87th floor. Around the same time, Kirito, Leafa and Philia had cleared the Hollow Area and the dungeon beneath the Administration Area.

On top of that, they had managed to rewrite Philia's player data, and she had finally returned to Aincrad. The others had even thrown a nice little welcome party for her. Apparently, Silica and Lisbeth had organised it, mainly as an apology for their doubts when Hollow PoH had almost killed Kirito.

After all the flurry and hustle and bustle lately, all of them really needed a break, though. Kirito and Asuna had taken a week off from their duties, and they had "retreated" to their log cabin on the 83rd floor with Yui. That had been two days ago.

Right now, Kirito was resting on a bench on the front porch of the house. The sun shining on him from above and the light breeze felt really nice. He actually looked as if he'd doze off at any moment, although that wasn't actually the case.

A clanking noise from the table in front of him startled Kirito, and upon opening his eyes, he saw that Asuna had placed a tray with a teapot and a few teacups on the table. She could've done that more quietly, though…

Kirito calmed down again and took a look at Asuna, who smiled at him teasingly.

Asuna: Oh, did I wake you? That's quite a feat, interrupting your naps so easily!

Kirito [slightly annoyed]: Give me a break…

Asuna took a seat next to Kirito.

Asuna: I'm sorry, it's just that I never know if waking you up is going to be easy or hard.

Kirito: I'll have you know that I wasn't napping, okay?

Kirito poured himself a cup of tea, and when he was about to take a sip, he was a bit taken aback by the anticipation in Asuna's expression.

Was there something about this tea that he should know? For a moment, Kirito wondered if Asuna had put something weird in the tea. He quickly brushed that thought aside, though. It wouldn't be like Asuna to play such a silly prank. He wasn't even sure if he'd expect that from the likes of Lisbeth or Klein, and he certainly could see Asuna doing something like that even less.

Besides, it would be a waste of otherwise good tea…

Kirito took a sip, and he was actually quite surprised by the distinctive flavour. Aside from the usual aroma of tea, there seemed to be a hint of… caramel?

Kirito: That… That's really good. W-what did you put in the tea for it to taste like this?

Asuna [cheerfully]: Hehe, no idea what it could be?

Kirito [slightly exasperatedly]: I don't… [slightly teasingly] I'll leave the mysteries of the kitchen to SAO's master chef!

Asuna [slightly dejectedly]: Hm, you could've at least tried… [slightly cheerfully] Anyway, the secret ingredient happens to be cane sugar.

Kirito [slightly surprised]: Cane sugar? Where did you find it? I'm pretty sure I've never seen it anywhere.

Asuna: Well, it's actually thanks to Max-san and his party. About two weeks ago, they've done a quest on the eighty-fifth floor, and they got some ingredients as a reward. Originally, it was supposed to be used for some kind of… banquet of the KoB, you probably remember it.

He sure did. Not that he had liked it. Kirito had tried to avoid the fancy event, but since he was still a member of the guild on paper, he couldn't really decline Asuna's "invitation". He had felt awkward the entire time, especially since he had never met half of the people there face-to-face before, yet they had treated him like some kind of celebrity.

Asuna: Anyway, they also got a lot of cane sugar, but frankly, they didn't really need it. Apparently, Max-san and a lot of the other members of the elite squad don't really like it that much, so they distributed it among the guild. [slightly awkwardly] I've actually been waiting for an opportunity to use it for more than a week now.

Well, it certainly went nicely with the tea, although the topic of the KoB directed Kirito's thoughts to a completely different matter, so he couldn't really appreciate it right now.

Asuna didn't notice that right away as she was pouring herself a cup of tea.

Kirito [seriously]: Asuna, is it… actually okay for you to take time off now? I mean with the guild… and with the Council. I'm pretty sure there'd be a lot to do.

Asuna [slightly upset]: You almost sound as if you don't want me to be here…

Kirito [defensively]: No, that's not it, I swear! It's just… How should I put it? I was wondering if you're putting aside your duties there just for my sake and for Yui's… [slightly dejectedly] and I wouldn't want that if it's going to cause you trouble later down the line.

Asuna: Oh, so that's how it is… [slightly softly] Thank you for your concern, but it is okay. I've discussed it with the Council, and while neither Shivata-san nor Akinym-san were thrilled at first, they were willing to listen, and in the end, Akinym-san even helped me to convince Shivata-san to delay the next meeting by a week. And Max-san agreed to take care of the guild while I'm on vacation. [slightly awkwardly] If anything, he noticed that I seemed a bit tired after the last boss battle, pulling me aside and basically demanding that I take time off.

It had felt quite strange to get lectured by someone who was, in fact, her subordinate. However, she had agreed with Max that she needed a vacation after everything that had happened lately.

Kirito [teasingly]: Heh? So the great vice-commander of the Knights of Blood Oath could be convinced to take it easy?

Asuna [slightly dejectedly and upset]: Meanie! Now you're making it sound as if I'm a workaholic!

Kirito [chuckles]: Sorry, sorry! [seriously] But on a more serious note… Speaking of the boss battle… [slightly worriedly] How did it actually go?

Asuna was a bit surprised by that question. Kirito should have known that they had managed to defeat the boss without major problems. For a moment, she considered asking him if "the Black Swordsman is feeling down because the Assault Team could handle this without him" in the appropriate teasing tone, but she could tell that something else was behind this. It wasn't like Kirito to put himself in the spotlight like that.

Asuna: It… went well. Why do you ask?

Kirito rubbed the back of his head. It was a bit hard to explain… or rather, he had a hard time figuring out how to explain it.

Kirito: W-well, it's just… Normally, I'm there to see for myself what's happening, and I can make sure that everyone's safe. [scratches his cheek] Well, that you are safe, but this time, I was busy somewhere else, and it… bothered me a bit.

There was something else he had to add, but that part weighed particularly heavily on his mind.

Kirito: B-but I guess I'm not the only one to complain about this.

Asuna's eyes widened a bit in surprise when he said that, but after a moment, her expression turned into a small, albeit slightly awkward smile.

Asuna: So you could tell after all, couldn't you?

Kirito: It's actually just that when I was on my mission in the Hollow Area, there was this point when I started to think about the upcoming boss battle in Aincrad, and I wondered if you'd be okay. When I was thinking about it, however, I suddenly remembered what had happened before the boss battle on the seventy-fifth floor. Do you remember? I wanted to go without you, but you've insisted on coming along because you couldn't bear the thought of me putting myself at risk while you were staying behind.

Asuna [slightly dejectedly]: How could I forget that? I still can't believe that you suggested that…

Kirito [slightly apologetically]: Um, sorry… [seriously] Anyway, when I was thinking about it, I think I understood how you must've felt in that moment. However, I also realised that you were probably feeling the same at that moment. I mean, you were in a boss battle while I wasn't there, but I was in the Hollow Area on an even more dangerous mission without you.

Asuna put her teacup down for a moment to think about the way she had felt back then.

Asuna: You are right that I was worried.

Kirito [apologetically]: Asuna… I… I'm sorry for worrying you. I guess the issues in the Hollow Area and with Philia occupied me so much that I didn't even notice...

Asuna [slightly reassuringly]: It's okay, really! I know that it was important to do what you did. If you hadn't stopped PoH's update, we would've been in really big trouble. Not to mention that Philia-san needed your help. [slightly dejectedly] And I had to help the Assault Team defeat the floor boss. In the end, I guess we have to accept that we have our own responsibilities every once in a while.

A moment of silence followed. Asuna took a sip of her tea. She had to agree with Kirito: It tasted quite good. On top of that, it felt kind of soothing.

Asuna [slightly softly]: Besides, I knew that Leafa-san was with you. I know that she wants to keep you safe just as much as I do, so I trusted her to watch out for you.

Kirito didn't know how he should feel about being the guy who was supposed to be in his little sister's care…

Kirito: W-well… [slightly happily] I mean, Leafa sure was amazing on that mission. And Philia, too. I doubt I could've done it without the two of them. [slightly annoyed] Especially against this ridiculously powerful guardian boss monster…

Asuna: But you pulled through in the end, and I'm glad you did. [slightly worriedly] I've heard that some really strange stuff happened over there.

Kirito could tell that Asuna was referring to his encounter with "Hollow Kirito". Frankly, he never would've believed that he'd have to fight against a copy of himself one day. Well, at least he had an idea as to how Philia must have felt… It had been surreal.

Thinking about it reminded him of something that had been on his mind a lot lately.

Kirito: Hey, Asuna, if I was just an AI, a Hollow, what would you do?

Asuna [shocked]: Huh?! Where did that come from?! [worriedly] Don't say such scary things!

Kirito [hastily]: Ah, sorry! It's just… [contemplatively] You know, ever since that battle against my Hollow, I keep thinking about Philia and how she had believed that she was the Hollow. It makes me wonder… What if that happened to me? What if I'm not really me, but an AI copy, which made its way back instead of me? What if I never really stopped PoH's plan? I mean, the Hollows all have memories, even feelings… How could I know if I'm the real one or just a copy?

Asuna still looked a bit worried, but she gave it some thought. Frankly, she had doubted that the Kirito in front of her could be a mere copy right away, but she wondered what might be a good way to convince both him and herself.

Asuna [slightly cheerfully]: Well, let's just put it to the test, shall we?

Kirito was a bit confused and wanted to ask what Asuna meant by that, but he didn't get a chance to before she tackled him into a hug seemingly out of nowhere. As a result, Kirito blushed fiercely.

Kirito: A-a-asuna?!

She didn't react, though, at least not right away. Instead, Asuna just buried her face in Kirito's shoulder and stayed like this for a few seconds.

Asuna [happily]: Hm, that settles it! You're definitely the real Kirito, no doubt about it! You're so warm…

Kirito: U-um, I'm pretty sure the system doesn't simulate the body heat of the Hollows differently.

Asuna: That's not what I mean, silly! There is something about this warmth that doesn't just stem from a simulation of body heat. It's also about the feeling that emanates from the person. I don't think that anyone else could make me feel the way I feel at your side, not even if it's a copy of you.

Kirito took it in for a moment, and in the end, he couldn't help but smile. Right, there was more to this feeling than just a numerical simulation of heat and other sensations.

The Hollows weren't perfect copies after all. No matter how sophisticated Cardinal was, it couldn't possibly replicate a complex person to a T. Kirito had experienced it first-hand.

Hollow PoH had had PoH's fighting style, his scheming abilities and his desire to spread chaos, terror and death, but neither his feelings nor his blade had exerted the same pressure as the real one's. They had lacked weight, as if Hollow PoH didn't have real conviction and only did what he had done because the programme couldn't determine any other course of action.

His own Hollow hadn't been different. While the fighting style had been copied perfectly, coming face to face with Hollow Kirito had been like facing an empty husk. There had been no purpose in his sword strikes, and in hindsight, Kirito thought that this might be the reason why he had won. Well, at least one of the reasons.

Feeling Asuna hugging him like that, Kirito doubted that an AI copy could be so sincere. Even comparing this hug with Leafa's, there was a distinctive difference in the feeling, despite the fact that his sister certainly held affection towards him, but it was still different. There was no way that anyone but Asuna – the real Asuna – could make him feel this way.

Kirito: Yeah, you're right! Thanks, Asuna! [slightly awkwardly] I guess I'm just worrying too much here. I better stop before I drive everyone mad. Leafa got really mad at me for worrying so much after she had done everything in her power to help, [slightly annoyed] and Sinon just punched me for worrying, saying that my reaction was too genuine to come from a Hollow…

Asuna let Kirito go and backed away a little bit.

Asuna: There you have it, Kirito-kun: We're all on the same page here! [slightly contemplatively and playfully] I guess I have to send them a message later to thank them.

Kirito [annoyed, slightly taken aback]: You don't have to thank Sinon for punching me, though.

Asuna [teasingly]: Oh, I have to! Someone has to make sure you don't get any crazy ideas, and it's great to have her help!

Kirito [mutters, tiredly]: Give me a break…

Asuna didn't say anything else about it. Instead, she leant on him and rested her head on his shoulder. Kirito gladly let her do that, and he put his arm around her.

They sat in silence for a moment, simply enjoying the moment. Well, and the tea.

Asuna [slightly curiously]: Oh, while we're talking about it... How is Philia-san? I guess she'll still need some time to get accustomed to life in Aincrad again.

Kirito: Well, kind of. [reassuringly] I'm sure she'll come by just fine, though, and for now, she has all of us to help her, especially Leafa. [slightly happily] Apparently, these two get along really well. Leafa shows her the ropes of everything about the upper floors.

For a moment, Kirito thought about the fact that he would've offered Philia to do that if Asuna hadn't brought up the vacation. In hindsight, he was glad that he hadn't. Sure, he wanted to help Philia, and he would in due time, but right now, it was better that he was here with Asuna and Yui while Philia got help from Leafa.

Asuna: Oh, I see… [mutters] I'm actually a bit jealous.

Kirito: Jealous? Why?

Asuna [slightly defensively]: Oh, you heard that?! Um, it's nothing, really. [slightly dejectedly] It's just that Leafa-san usually doesn't seem to feel comfortable around me, and I have the feeling that it's hard to speak with her, although I'd love to be friends with her.

Kirito [reassuringly]: Oh, that? Try not to think too much about it! I guess it's just that Sugu… I mean, that Leafa tends to become a bit awkward when she doesn't know how to approach someone. [slightly worriedly] Although it seems to be a bit worse with you and the others than I remember.

Thinking about it, Kirito realised that Leafa seemed to get along just fine with the others, but sometimes, she tensed up a little around them. She was perfectly fine with Philia, though, and she also seemed to have less problems with Sinon. Maybe it was because they were in a somewhat similar situation, being stuck in a new, dangerous environment all of a sudden.

All of a sudden, huh? Well, Leafa hadn't ended up in SAO suddenly. Kirito still couldn't believe that his sister would willingly enter SAO. And it was all for his sake… Leafa seemed to be extremely determined to fix their relationship. It had been particularly obvious during their quest about the Sun Pendant and the Moon Pendant. She was going to such lengths… It showed Kirito clearly that he also had to work on his relationship with his family.

Asuna [worriedly]: Well, I hope I can get along with her better. [slightly embarrassed] I… I mean, in a sense, she'd become part of my family, too, one day.

Kirito awkwardly averted his eyes after that remark. Both of them blushed at the thought, but at the same time, it made them somewhat happy. Asuna looked at the ring on her finger and smiled.

Asuna: You know, I'm really glad that we could finish the marriage restoration quest. Now we're properly married again in this world. And we even got ourselves a pair of nice rings.

Kirito: True that. [looks at his ring, slightly contemplatively] Although I still think that the stats could be a bit higher, especially here on the upper floors. Hm, maybe there is a quest to upgrade them, or at least a way to enhance them…

Asuna [frustrated, slightly upset]: Mrrhm, Kirito-kun! Why do you always have to focus on that!? I wish you'd see that from a more romantic perspective! Those are wedding rings!

Kirito [defensively, hastily, slightly nervously]: O-of course they are! I totally get that, and I'm grateful for them as they are! I just wanted to say that good stats would be a great bonus. Yeah, that's it: Just a bonus!

Asuna huffed, but she seemed to accept Kirito's "explanation".

Asuna: You better are! We have worked really hard to restore our marriage data. [looks at the ring happily] These rings will always remind me of these memories.

Kirito [happily]: Yeah, you're right. There was a lot to do, but I think I'll always be glad to look back at doing this quest with you.

Asuna nodded. Her gaze was still fixated on the ring.

Asuna [chuckles]: You know, it just occurred to me that this quest felt like a real wedding. We had to work for the preparations, and we even had an actual ceremony. [slightly upset] When we first got married, it seemed so lackluster. All we had to do was to press a few buttons.

Kirito [chuckles]: Yeah, it was simple, but I guess not very romantic. The ceremony in that chapel was something special. [slightly playfully] Although fighting a knight doesn't really fit the picture of a "regular" wedding ceremony.

They remembered said battle. As a final quest boss, a knight in full armour had spawned. The battle had been tricky because the knight had had an almost perfect defense and strong counterattacks.

Its parries had always been almost perfect. In the end, Asuna had kept the boss busy with a flurry of attacks, giving Kirito a chance to hit it with strong Sword Skills.

While the boss' attacks had been overall not that strong, it had a special attack which it had used to counter severe hits, but after a while, Kirito and Asuna had figured out that combined parries were quite effective against it.

In hindsight, this boss had probably been designed as a test for a couple's teamwork. In the end, they had passed with flying colours.

Kirito [slightly exasperatedly]: To be honest, some parts of the quest were a bit strange. I mean, they were okay for a quest in a VRMMO, but I wouldn't expect these… "tasks" as a part of planning an actual wedding. Like that time when we went to the lake on the eighty-second floor and had to…

Asuna [interrupting, cheerfully]: Kirito-kun?

Kirito tensed up when Asuna said that. He looked at her nervously.

Neither her happy voice nor her smile could deceive him. He knew that there was murderous intent behind them. For starters, he knew her well enough by now, and he could also feel her body becoming a bit tense when she said that.

Asuna: Are you, by any chance, remembering something that you should rather forget?

Kirito: W-whatever do you mean, Asuna? B-but now that you mention it, my memory of that time is a bit hazy! What did happen there again?

Frankly, it was hard to forget the image of her standing right behind him in her birthday suit… or to get it out of his head right now, but he knew better than to bring that up when Asuna's rapier was just a few clicks away.

At least Asuna calmed down again and took another sip from her teacup. She let out a content sigh.

Asuna: This is really good. Oh, that reminds me, Yui-chan will probably like it as well. [looks around] Actually, where is she?

Kirito also took a look around, searching for Yui. He could've sworn that she had been taking a look around the area just a moment ago.

Kirito [slightly contemplatively]: Hm, I guess she's walking around the house a bit…

Asuna [slightly upset]: Seriously, how can you be so lax about this?! I thought you wouldn't let her out of your sight! [worriedly] This area isn't a safe zone, and we still don't know how the system treats her now! Without her Immortality status, she's basically defenseless.

Asuna immediately remembered a recent incident. Yui had left town in the middle of the night for some reason, searching for something. They had searched her with the help of their friends, and when they had found her, she had been chased by monsters.

Back then, they had saved her in time, but Asuna would rather not risk something like that happening again. Losing Yui once had been bad enough already.

Kirito [reassuringly]: Asuna, keep calm, okay? We could confirm that no monsters would spawn right around the house, remember? I've told Yui to stay nearby, and you know her: She wouldn't disobey just like that! When I went through the Hollow Area with her, she always stayed right behind me, just as I told her.

Asuna [slightly worriedly]: I guess you're right, but still…

Kirito: Hey, I don't want Yui to get into danger either. [slightly exasperatedly] Although her desire to help in her own way somehow causes a lot of dangerous situations. Like with that system console on the seventy-sixth floor. I get that she wanted to restore some of her functions, but we had to deal with the guardian boss after all…

Asuna [shocked]: You did WHAT?!

Kirito instinctively backed away a bit when he realised his slip of the tongue. He and Yui actually wanted to keep this a secret from Asuna for the time being since she probably wouldn't be happy about what they had done. Well, they had been right…

Asuna [upset]: Kirito-kun, you of all people should've known how dangerous this is! The Council even issued a warning about the console! We told everyone not to try getting near it, and now you went and did that!

Kirito [defensively]: Calm down, Asuna, okay? I didn't actually try to fight the boss guarding the console or anything! I just distracted it while Yui was working at the console, and we ran away as soon as she was done. You know I wouldn't put her or myself at risk like this.

Asuna [slightly huffily]: I guess you're right… I still wish you wouldn't take every chance to put yourself in danger like that.

Kirito smiled awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to say in response.

The smile faded when he remembered something he had wanted to ask Asuna, and mentioning the Council had been his cue.

Kirito [seriously]: Keeping that aside for a moment… Speaking of the Council, how is working with them, actually? Especially with… you know, him.

Asuna narrowed her eyes at Kirito in slight annoyance for a moment.

Asuna: You know, it's a bit rude to phrase it that way. [slightly contemplatively] Although I get where you're coming from to some extent. For the most part, I'm not really sure what to expect from Akinym-san now.

They recalled their previous experiences with Akinym. When they had first met on the seventy-sixth floor, they certainly hadn't expected it to become such a wild ride.

At first, it had started as a simple request to help a bunch of underleveled players to get ready to fight on the upper floors. Judging from everything they had heard, Akinym's methods had been effective, but also somewhat strange and sometimes even questionable. What he had done with Sinon on the 81st floor still didn't sit right with them.

Then, there was the incident with Arboreal Fear, and everything had gone out of control after that for a while. Their conflict with Akinym had fuelled the dormant conflicts within the Assault Team, and for a while, they had been seriously worried that the alliance of the clearing players would fall apart.

They had managed to fix the issue, and admittedly, Akinym had helped with that. It had involved a near-death experience in the battle against Kligon on the 79th floor, though, and frankly, they would've rather avoided that, especially Asuna.

However, the whole ordeal had also led to establishing the Assault Team Council, and everyone honestly believed and hoped that this system would lead to better leadership for the Assault Team, so it hadn't been so bad after all.

Asuna: I have to say, though, that Akinym-san seems to try to work well with the other council members, and I think I should respect that. Apparently, he had even taken down a group of orange players with Klein-san and a few others while we were on our respective missions.

Kirito: Oh, yeah, I heard about that, too. What are we actually gonna do with them? I mean, we can't send them to the Blackiron Palace anymore.

Asuna: Well, there's a dungeon in the basement of the castle in Arc Sophia that we can use as a jail. To be honest, we never thought we'd use it one day, but now… Akinym-san had suggested this, and the Council had approved it. Now, a group of Assault Team members is guarding the place. [slightly confused] The only odd thing is how Akinym-san emphasised that the whole Assault Team would have their eyes on them, and it seemed to be directed at Shivata-san.

Well, that sounded a bit odd, at least to Kirito. Frankly, Akinym was still a bit of an enigma to him sometimes, but as long as he didn't cause any more trouble and Asuna was okay with working with him, it was okay.

Asuna [slightly excitedly]: Oh, that reminds me, Sinonon was also helping. Apparently, they were doing a quest to get her a new Sword Skill when they set up the trap to catch these orange players.

Kirito [slightly interested]: A new Sword Skill, huh? Sounds good. [slightly taken aback] But Asuna, now that you mention it, I… have wanted to ask you this for a while now. What's… up with that nickname?!

Asuna [slightly huffily]: What?! It's a good nickname! I think it suits her just fine!

Kirito [slightly exasperatedly]: I don't know… She usually seems to be a little too grumpy for it.

Asuna [slightly annoyed]: Well, that's only around you. You could try to avoid walking in on her when she's almost naked if you want to change that!

Kirito [defensively, panicking]: That story again?! I told you that it was a misunderstanding!

Frankly, the incident in question just reinforced Kirito's doubts about the nickname. "Sinonon" sounded way too cute for someone who could – and would – pierce holes through him with arrows or glares...

Asuna [sighs]: I know. You're lucky that Sinonon isn't too resentful, though. Well, I guess a good aromatherapy has also helped to lift her mood again.

Asuna finished her tea, trying to remember what she had actually wanted to say.

Asuna: Ah, right! What I wanted to tell you is that Sinonon has apparently formed a party with Akinym-san after that.

Kirito [surprised]: Really?! These two? After everything that has happened?!

Asuna [slightly doubtfully]: I mean, they had their differences, but it's not like they couldn't get along at all, you know.

Kirito [slightly contemplatively]: Well, I guess you're right. Now that I think about it, I'd say they are actually a good match.

For some reason, Asuna became a bit bashful after that.

Asuna: Y-you think so? W-well, I guess I don't know Akinym-san well enough to judge that, and I haven't known Sinonon for a long time, either. I… I suppose they're both the calm, reserved type, so maybe…

Kirito: Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess that also plays a role. They need to plan their quests and whatnot, and I guess they can work together better on that and their other preparations if they approach them similarly. Now that I think about it, the fact that Sinon has learnt how to deal with SAO's system from Akinym might also help. I was actually referring to their fighting styles, though.

Asuna: O-oh, so you were talking about their ingame partnership… [awkwardly] I mean, of course you were! What else would you mean, right?

Kirito raised an eyebrow, being somewhat bewildered by Asuna's behaviour. A part of him wanted to go deeper into that, but another part of him thought that doing so would probably cause more problems than it would solve, so it might be better to drop the subject.

Asuna [slightly happily]: I think I just want to say that our situation looks a lot better these days. We've learnt a lot about the Hollow Area, and Philia-san has joined us here in Aincrad. Sinonon, Liz and the others – many others – can help us now, too. And with the Council, I think the Assault Team is on the right course again as well. Sure, there are still some troublemakers, and we don't know what challenges we have yet to face, but I'm… actually positive that we can make it all the way to the end.

Kirito thought about it himself. Asuna was right, they had overcome countless obstacles during the last few months.

There was still a lot left to do. More than ten floors remained until they would reach the Ruby Palace, and who knew what Kayaba had prepared for them before they'd reach the finish line.

On top of that, there were still a lot of mysteries to solve. Alberich, Strea, even Heathcliff… Not to mention that the instability of the system could cause them troubles again. It had thrown them for a loop, but thankfully, things had settled again.

In the end, it had even reunited them with Yui, so Kirito was even a little bit glad that the system error had occurred, although it was also one of the remaining mysteries… Why had the item Kirito had transformed Yui into turned back? It also raised the question if he had to do something again to secure Yui's programme when they'd clear the game.

Regardless, Kirito was actually willing to agree with Asuna's optimism.

Kirito [slightly determinedly]: You can count on it! We will make it to the hundredth floor and back to the real world, all of us!

Kirito took Asuna's hand, and she was a bit startled by the action for a second. However, she quickly put on a soft smile and wrapped her fingers around his.

Kirito: Sure, we don't know what we'll run into next, but I'm glad to have you and everyone else at my side when facing it. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Asuna [nods]: You can count on me, and I'll count on you, okay? Together, we can do it, I'm sure of it!

At that moment, Yui came running around the house.

Yui [excitedly]: Papa, there's a…

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Kirito and Asuna sitting next to each other. Given the way they were looking at her now, Yui had the feeling that she had caught them red-handed. At the very least, she had walked in on them having a moment.

Yui [apologetically, slightly dejectedly]: I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your baby-making practice again?

Kirito and Asuna [very embarrassed]: YUI!

...and I'll let this end on a somewhat awkward note. Remember how I said that I had a scene with Yui in mind in the second side story? Well, here it is!

In case you're wondering, the idea of Leafa and Philia's friendship was inspired by their joint character events from Hollow Realization.

Speaking of Leafa, the issue she seems to have with Asuna and some of the others is something that will be addressed in the main story, but it's still going to be a while until I'll get there. In fact, the story will almost be over at that point (although that's mostly coincidence).

As usual, the obligatory imaginary cookie goes to anyone who gets all the references to HF events in this chapter.