(A/N: Hello, everyone. This is KiritoIRL- actually, it's Arementi Revnant now… I've changed my penname not too long ago. I hope everyone who's reading this is staying safe in this still ongoing pandemic.

During this past year since finishing Mother's Reconciliation, a lot had happened.

For one, I had to find an actual job IRL, which wasn't easy because of this pandemic, but I finally managed to get one; and so, things have gotten pretty busy for me lately.

What I have for you today is not a direct sequel to Mother's Reconciliation, unfortunately, but it does take place after the events of MR.

So, if you haven't read my first story, Mother's Reconciliation yet, I suggest reading that first to fully understand what is going on – though, it's not a necessity.

This story is meant to be a two-shot, focusing on Eugeo and Alice Zuberg - or rather, what Kirito imagines might have been for them if they had survived... Hopefully, you shed a tear or two after reading this first part...

If you happened to play Alicization Lycoris, free DLC 2 (The Taboo Knight/Knight of Contradictions), a portion of this chapter will sound familiar to you.

And special thanks to Gadget Boy, and TheSib for pre-reading this story. If you haven't, go and check their stories out.

Without further ado, enjoy.

I am open to constructive criticism and adaptable suggestions.

Summary: In the events of Alicization, Eugeo and Alice Zuberg did not survive to become a couple and Kirito can't help but wonder what might have been if that did happen...

Disclaimer: I do not own SAO or its music. They belong to Kawahara Reki and Kajiura Yuki respectively.)

In a Field of Blue Flowers

Underworld, Central Cathedral. (Takes place sometime after the Moon Cradle Arc.)

It was getting late in the evening currently in the Capital city of Centoria.

Many people had gathered to Centoria to celebrate – some people were still currently celebrating while others that were tired had gone to bed already.

As to what the celebrative occasion was, it was the wedding of two Integrity Knights, Renly Synthesis 27, and Tiese Schtrinen, the official 32nd Integrity Knight.

Kirito and Asuna, who were among the VIPs of the ceremony, had withdrawn from the celebration since they were starting to get tired.

Tiese and Ronie had successfully become the newest Integrity Knights since the late Eldrie Synthesis 31.

Shortly after uncovering the Nolangarth Emperor's plot to start another open rebellion against the new Human Unification Council as well as the allies of the former Dark Territory, Tiese and Ronie's role in uncovering the plot was recognized by the current leader of the Integrity Knights, Fanatio Synthesis 2, and eventually led to the two girls officially become low ranked Integrity Knights, with Deusolbert Synthesis 7 acting as their trainer.

Of course, performing the unethical Synthesis Ritual on the newest additions to the Integrity Knights was discontinued after the war. With the death of Quinella and Prime Senator Chudelkin, there simply was no need or reason to perform them on the new recruits.

And Renly had proposed to Tiese shortly before the incident. The two had been getting steadily closer to each other ever since the end of the war. However, Tiese, who still couldn't overcome her feelings for Eugeo, could not give a proper answer to Renly. She was also saddened at the realization that she had been seeing Renly as a replacement for Eugeo.

The fact that Renly resembled Eugeo also did not help ease her grief.

Seeing this, Kirito had gifted Tiese with the Blue Rose Sword that he had kept safe in his possession, hoping that Tiese would one day be strong enough to be able to use it as a proper Integrity Knight.

And as time passed, Tiese's relationship with Renly steadily grew more and more until they became mutual respect and love.

Although Tiese would never be able to completely forget Eugeo, she had still grown to love Renly, thus their future marriage.

But what truly sealed the relationship between the two Integrity Knights, was when one of the Divine Beasts started to awaken and threatened the safety of one of the villages in the Villind Plateau, the furthest western region of the Western Empire called Scloea Village, shortly after Renly's proposal.

Kirito, Asuna, Renly, and Tiese were sent to investigate the disturbance. Tiese in particular was the most anxious to receive this mission, as the village in question was governed by her uncle, Lord Lieulinen.

Upon arriving at the village and getting the details from Lieulinen, the four traveled to the Forbidden Valley, which was said to be the sealing ground for the Divine Beast, titled the Taboo Knight by the residents of the village.

Upon arriving at the heart of the Valley where the Divine Beast was sealed at, to Kirito and Tiese's shock, Humbert had been at the valley, along with the decayed bodies of who they later identified as his own father and his guards – who had apparently been missing for quite a while.

Although at first, Kirito was a bit slow to catch on that the person before him was Humbert because of his change of appearance; his silver hair no longer tidy and short, but longer and messier; his face and clothes covered in dirt and muck. To the point that he no longer looked like a noble. It was clear that Humbert had been in that Valley for quite a long time.

Tiese however, was faster in recognizing the man as Humbert, for obvious reasons.

From their encounter with Humbert, they learned that he had been essentially banished from his home and discreetly kept in the frontier of the Western Empire by his father. The reason being Humbert unable to control his rage at the fact that Kirito – a lowly commoner – had been praised as a hero for his efforts in the War by most of the populace; something Humbert found to be absolutely intolerable, to the point his raging and screaming was deemed uncontrollable by his father.

Humbert had extended his fury and hatred towards his father and his servants for locking him up at the Valley and had been wanting to kill them for a while. And unfortunately for Lord Zizek and his servants, they had no idea why none of the locals of the Scloea Village had dared to approach the Forbidden Valley, or what was rumored to be sealed there – The Divine Beast of the Taboo Knight. And Humbert had discovered the sealing ground and when he approached it, the sealed Taboo Knight's power resonated with the deep and uncontrolled hatred in Humbert's mind, easily possessing Humbert.

With this newfound power, the next time his father and his guards came to check up on him, Humbert went on a murder spree, killing them all.

Hearing this information come from Humbert's mouth, Kirito's party was shocked. Kirito asked Humbert whether he had broken the Seal of the Right Eye, to which Humbert found to be genuinely confused, confirming that he hadn't broken it, yet somehow had voluntarily violated the Taboo Index of committing murder; and no one had known about it up until now.

The Taboo Index was, at the time of their encounter with Humbert, in the process of being replaced with a different law. The members of the Human Unification Council and Integrity Knights had seen for themselves that many high-ranked nobles often abused the flaws in the Taboo Index to torment commoners and lower-ranked nobles. Of course, there were some exceptions as some of the higher-ranked nobles did their duties and properly protected the commoners; the Serlut and Leivantin families being noteworthy examples.

And as soon as Humbert saw that Tiese was there with them, he mocked the death of Eugeo, as well as declared that he would "have fun with the girls later," – much to Kirito and Renly's fury since it was obvious of what he was implying he would do to Asuna and Tiese – seeming to be oblivious to the fact that Tiese was now an Integrity Knight and that she was now far out of his league.

It was also obvious that Humbert had no idea that his rank of nobility was now worthless to him, not knowing that the nobles' powers had been nullified as he had been cut off from the outside world for too long.

However, it was clear that Tiese hadn't completely recovered from her trauma of that awful night at the Academy – as she started shaking uncontrollably. And Asuna, who understood Tiese's trauma very well, comforted her.

Having had enough of Humbert's insults, Kirito and Renly engaged Humbert. And at the time, Renly was wearing an uncharacteristically furious expression on his face. It was clear that seeing Humbert mock and threaten Tiese had riled him up.

Humbert, using the power of the Taboo Knight, attacked the group; and with his boost in power by the Taboo Knight possessing him, he thought he had the upper hand. However, with some effort, the boys managed to bring Humbert to his knees but were surprised that Humbert had taken much more hits than he should be able to withstand.

But then, Humbert began to lose control of the Taboo Knight's power and resonating with Humbert's madness and hatred, the Taboo Knight fully unsealed itself and completely possessed Humbert's body.

The fully unleashed power of the Taboo Knight was… extreme to say the least. It was no wonder that the people of Scloea feared its legends. It was to the point that Asuna and Tiese had to join the fight and use her Stacia account's power to make the fight more even – after Tiese managed to recover somewhat.

It took quite a bit of time, but eventually, the four managed to defeat the Taboo Knight.

After the defeat of the Divine Beast, they were surprised that Humbert had survived the possession. In desperate fury, Humbert charged at Tiese. But Tiese, who had a determined look on her face, drew the Blue Rose Sword she had been gifted by Kirito to counter him.

Then, to everyone's surprise, she casted the Enhance Armament of the weapon and used it to freeze Humbert in the eternal ice, who had an expression of utmost shock on his face as he was frozen. And he would remain frozen until Tiese chose to release him.

When the group returned to Scloea Village to rest, they were given thanks by Lord Lieulinen and the people of his land. That night was a very festive one, with a feast being held for the group of four by Lord Lieulinen's insistence.

After the group rested in Scloea Village thanks to Lord Lieulinen, they returned to Centoria with the frozen Humbert.

They had to give a full report of the incident to Fanatio and the rest of the Integrity Knights. And to have them fully understand the incident, Kirito and Tiese had to explain how Humbert and Raios had been involved in the exact circumstances of Kirito and Eugeo breaking the Taboo Index to save Ronie and Tiese on that awful night at the Academy, as well as what Humbert had done to his own page Franica.

When Kirito, Asuna, Renly, and Tiese finished their reports, the Integrity Knights and the others present commended the four for preventing a catastrophe from happening, and expressed their fury towards Humbert, for nearly unleashing the Taboo Knight on the Western Empire, the murder of his own father and servants, his involvement in Kirito and Eugeo's breaking of the Taboo Index, and last but not least, his threats to humiliate Asuna and Tiese after he dealt with Kirito and Renly.

When Humbert was released from the eternal ice of the Blue Rose Sword so that the Integrity Knights could personally interrogate him, he seemed confused and scared as to what was going on.

It was only then he was told that Renly was an Integrity Knight and that Tiese and Ronie recently became Integrity Knights too, and the importance of Kirito and Asuna to the Integrity Knights and the Human Unification Council – only then did he realize the dire situation he was in – the moment he had attacked Kirito and Asuna, the war hero and the woman many believed to be the incarnation of the goddess Stacia (despite Asuna's repeated rebuttal of that fact), as well as Renly and Tiese, the Integrity Knights, he had sealed his own fate. And with the threat he had made to have fun with the women after he had dealt with the men, he may as well have dug his own grave.

Sortilliena and Volo Levantein who were also present in the interrogation made no attempt to hide their disgust at Humbert and declared that what he had done to Kirito, Eugeo, and their pages, as well as nearly unleashing a Divine Beast to the nearby populace, and his vile intentions for Asuna and Tiese was an act that brought utter shame to the names of nobility. The Integrity Knights unanimously agreed.

Sheyta, Linel, and Fizel even asked permission if they could cut Humbert down; even Deusolbert, Edith, and Nergius Synthesis' 10 and 16, and Renly expressed desires to personally punish Humbert but was unfortunately met with a 'no' from Fanatio.

To some of the witness' surprise (except for Kirito), Fanatio and Asuna had been the one who was the most furious with Humbert. Having experienced discrimination because of her gender, Fanatio was firm in delivering Humbert's punishment for the crimes he and Raios had committed. They may not have broken the Taboo Index at the time but hearing the details of the incidents from Kirito and Renly, no one could deny that their actions were utterly disgraceful.

For his long list of crimes, starting from his involvement in the Raios incident, and all the way up to the murder of his father and servants, and his assault on Kirito's team in Wesdarath, as well as almost unleashing the Divine Beast that would have destroyed Scloea Village, the Integrity Knights unanimously agreed that Humbert had to be punished somehow, nobility or not.

It was then that Asuna stepped in and proposed that Humbert be stripped of his nobility, to many's surprise; to see the usually merciful and compassionate Asuna propose such a heavy punishment… And at that moment, she had the expression of righteous fury of an angry goddess that even Kirito recoiled at seeing her like that.

Having had the unpleasant experience of being imprisoned by Sugou Nobuyuki, she understood very well that Humbert had committed the crimes he had under the arrogance that he could get away with what he did because of his nobility. So, having that title take away from him would be a fitting punishment for him, she believed – because even if the nobility's power was now gone, the title still held a lot of significance in the high society.

Most of those present voiced their agreement to the sentence, except for Ronie and Tiese, who had been silent for the entire exchange.

Of course, Humbert pleaded with them to at least let him retain his nobility and defended himself that he was following Raios's order at the time and that he had not broken the Taboo Index.

Humbert, in desperation and all dignity forgotten, groveled before Asuna the girls he had humiliated and begged them to show him mercy.

However, Asuna firmly declared that no amount of pleading would excuse him for his crimes, and even if Ronie and Tiese decided to forgive him, she, Kirito, and the Integrity Knights would not. To add to that, Fanatio stated that they would have punished Raios as well with a similar sentence had he still been alive.

With that, Humbert's sentence was made official; Humbert was now no longer a noble.

After Humbert's sentence was delivered, he was dragged away ungracefully by the guards to prison, where he would most likely stay there for a while.

But as he was being dragged away, he rambled on incomprehensive words – confused and terrified – but among that drivel, Kirito caught onto something Humbert said; 'how could that commoner have become an Integrity Knight, and how could he have been defeated by him,' he had said.

Piecing Humbert's reaction to seeing Tiese using the Blue Rose Sword's Enhance Armament, as well as what he had said as he was being dragged away, Kirito deduced that a remaining fragment of Eugeo's conscience that remained in the Blue Rose Sword had appeared in front of Humbert during the Enhance Armament, clad in his Integrity Knight Armor – a sight that would have no doubt spooked Humbert to the core.

He told his deduction to Tiese, Asuna, and Renly, and Tiese confirmed his suspicion.

According to her, just before Humbert charged at them, Eugeo wearing an Integrity Knight armor had appeared before her and gave her words of encouragement. She also told him that he had helped her cast the Enhance Armament spell at Humbert and disappeared after the deed was done.

It must have been at that moment that Humbert saw the Integrity Knight Eugeo's vision, striking fear and confusion in his heart.

Asuna backed Tiese's claims of Eugeo's incarnation supporting Tiese. Although she herself couldn't see Eugeo, she had first-hand experience of the incarnation of her late friend giving her the encouragement to fight against PoH; when she needed it the most. If Yuuki was able to give her the strength she needed even in death while in Underworld, what was preventing Eugeo from doing the same?

After the delivery of Humbert's sentence, the rumors of what had happened to him, as well as Kirito, Asuna, Tiese, and Renly's deeds in Wesdarath's Forbidden Valley began to spread rapidly – both among the commoners and the high society.

The populace, the majority of them the commoners, praised the four for their efforts and condemned Humbert and Raios – with the full information of what happened during the Raios incident now being circulated among them.

Ironically enough, the teachers of the Swordcraft Academy that had defended Raios and Humbert's case only because of their nobility, as well as attempt to expel the victims instead, were among of the first to publicly denounce Raios and Humbert – as they swiftly announced Humbert's official expulsion from the Academy and erased his and Raios' names from their student lists.

With Humbert now stripped of his nobility and imprisoned, victims that couldn't speak out against him or Raios because of their nobility began to surface in quite a large number. Starting from other students at the Academy, to the servants that served the Zizek and Antinous family. And to no one's surprise, many of the out-speaking victims were girls, having suffered molestation from them in one way or another.

The heat soon descended upon the Zizek and Antinous families as well. When the truth behind Raios and Humbert's attempted sexual assault on Ronie and Tiese – with the fact that the two girls were now Integrity Knights being emphasized – was spread throughout Centoria, the commoners and no small number of nobles (many of them females) were disgusted at the two young men's crimes and no one – commoners or nobles – made any attempt to hide their contempt from them, as the Integrity Knights directly sentencing a noble to be stripped of their nobility was something that was unheard of until now.

And now that the status of nobility no longer had any real power or the emperor's protection to back them up, they were openly scorned by both commoners and their fellow nobles alike. With the fact that their firstborn sons attempted to do such a disgraceful act against girls that were now Integrity Knights, their reputation as a noble family was completely shattered.

And the fact that the proposal of Humbert's sentence came from Asuna, the supposed incarnation of Stacia, it carried a great amount of weight in the seriousness of Raios and Humbert's actions that night at the Academy.

The Antinous and Zizek families were already in an ambiguous position in the four Empires' high society thanks to the Raios incident and the emergence of Kirito as a hero. But with the Taboo Knight incident, their standings in the high society took a turn for the worst; as no one wanted to help a family whose firstborn sons attempted to sexually assault Integrity Knights.

The rest of the Zizek family were quick to disown Humbert, and the Antinous family did the same with Raios, and their names were erased from their family records as well. But unfortunately for them, disowning the two young men did little in terms of controlling the damage inflicted on their family's reputation as none of their fellow noble families raised a finger to help them. Instead, their so-called 'friends' of the high society joined the crowd in mocking and scorning them.

And if that wasn't bad enough for the two families, upon searching through the bodies of the victims killed by Humbert for investigation, in the body of Humbert's father, a series of letters were discovered, hidden away in a secret pocket of his coat, detailing a conspiracy to kill Kirito, Tiese, and Ronie and disguise it as an 'accident'.

Apparently, the Zizek, Antinous, and several other nobles who resented Kirito and his allies for their roles in purging the nobility's power had been waiting for a chance to exact their revenge on them, planning on using the loopholes in the Taboo Index to carry it out.

With this evidence in hand and plotting the assassination of a hero who played a significant role in ending the war and bringing peace to not just the four empires, but the Dark Territories as well, and the two of the newly appointed Integrity Knights, the Integrity Knights and the Human Unification Council could not overlook it. After the recent discovery of the dethroned Nolangarth emperor's plot to overthrow the Council by starting another rebellion, it was not a chance they could take by ignoring it.

So, all the noble families mentioned on the letters found on Lord Zizek, including the Zizek, Antinous, and several others; were called in for questioning. But, having covered their tracks well, as well as lacking evidence other than the incriminating letter, the suspected nobles except for the Zizek's had to be set free for the moment; as the letters had been found on their head of family's body, they had no way of denying their involvement for the plotted assassination.

The investigation was at an impasse because whatever evidence against the guilty nobles that existed was probably already gone; and despite the insistence of the Integrity Knights, Kirito and Asuna were reluctant to use their power to make their investigation easier. Kirito didn't want to abuse the power as the nobles did – and he had a feeling that Alice herself would not have liked using their powers on a whim like that either.

But thankfully for the investigation's cause, Kirito, Asuna, the Integrity Knights, and the Council were approached by a girl named Medina Orthinanos, offering her help in gathering evidence against the suspected noble families.

She was actually a classmate of Kirito and Eugeo during their days in the Swordcraft Academy, but because of the Pontifex branding her family as 'defects' long ago for some reason, she and her family had suffered scorn from the other nobles and even from the Nolangarth's emperor for generations – their wealth and influence squandered by them in the process and banished to an infertile region in the Northern Empire called Uetra Valley, forcing them to live more or less like commoners despite their 2nd ranked nobility status.

Kirito and Eugeo had seen for themselves the tricks the nobles – both from the student and teacher side – did to torment her in the Academy and they did what they could to help her, confronting those guilty nobles as well.

But despite having suffered those unjust humiliations for a long time, she and the other Orthinanos never took their anger out on the commoners as Humbert had done. They even stood in the frontlines during the war with the Dark Territories with the armies of the Axiom Church. And when the four emperors started a rebellion against the new Human Unification Council, the Orthinanos clan wasted no time siding with the Council, having no love for the emperor and the other corrupt nobles that had persecuted them for generations. They also were among the nobles that showed no resistance in the Council's abolishment of the nobles' powers.

Kirito and Asuna were glad that someone was offering help in bringing the nobles' plot to light but were curious as for her reasons. When they asked, she answered them that her father, the head of the Orthinanos family before her had apparently been killed in a horseback riding race by accident. But she knew that it was no accident. She knew that her father had been set up by some of the noble families just to spite him. And it just so happened that some of those families suspected of being involved in Kirito's assassination plot were also involved in the plot that had been set up to have her father killed.

So, her reasons were deeply personal.

Kirito and Asuna decided to accept her offer to help on the condition that she not become obsessed with vengeance during their investigation; namely, find genuine evidence against the nobles, not fabricate them. And she agreed to the condition. So, the Integrity Knights agreed to give her support in gathering those evidence as long as Kirito was there to oversee the process.

It was a good thing too – since Medina had suffered from the nobles' dirty tricks for a long time, she knew their tactics for circumventing the Taboo Index much better than they did.

And it turned out that she herself had been investigating the guilty nobles herself and had discovered some of the places those nobles hid away things they didn't want to be found. But now that she had the backing of the Council, she, Kirito, and Asuna were free to investigate deeper into them – though Kirito insisted that they should be discreet about it.

And soon enough, they were able to gather the necessary evidence against those nobles with not much trouble at all.

So, with proper evidence of their guilt in their hands, Fanatio and the other Human Unification Council members authorized the arrest of the heads of the noble clans and so they were promptly taken into custody.

Because of the clear evidence in the hands of the Integrity Knights and the Council, the Antinous and the other proven-to-be guilty noble clans had nowhere to run.

They tried to blame Medina and her family for fabricating the evidence once they discovered that she had been involved in gathering the evidence against them, but there was just too much evidence for that argument to be plausible.

And by a stroke of luck, with a slip of tongue, they had inadvertently confessed that they had plotted against Medina's father in the horserace that resulted in his death, giving more reason for them to be arrested.

Many properties of the nobles in question were seized and confiscated, striking a heavy blow to their influences.

With the truth now brought to light, Medina was satisfied and thanked Kirito and Asuna for their efforts and promised to be of support should they need it in the future.

After learning the full extent of the unjust mistreatment Medina's family suffered, the Council and the Integrity Knights decided that the Orthinanos family deserved compensation. Their banishment from Centoria to the outskirts of Uetra Valley was officially nullified and so they could settle in the capital city once again if they chose to do so. And a part of the wealth that was confiscated from the nobles that murdered Medina's father was given to them. And even when they had their wealth and reputation back, the Medina continued to act with honor to the commoners.

The news of the arrest of the heads of the Antinous and other noble families and their plot to kill Kirito and their role in the death of Medina's father spread like wildfire along with Humbert and his father's fate.

It went without saying that they were the center of criticism for both the commoners and other opportunistic nobles alike. Though some of them continued to mock the Orthinanos clan.

However, those abusive nobles would later find out that they would be in no position to criticize the Zizek and Antinous families or mock Medina's family.

And because of the grave crime Raios and Humbert committed as they abused the flaw in the Taboo Index, during the process of making new laws to replace the Taboo Index, the Integrity Knights and the Human Unification Council members started investigating all the noble families and see whether they had committed crimes like Raios and Humbert had by circumventing the Taboo Index, much to the alarm of the guilty nobles. The exposure of the crime of the two young men had started a chain reaction of exposing the other nobles' crimes to the public.

And now that their absolute power over the commoners was no more, they couldn't run far.

And thus began the mass arrest of the nobles found guilty of circumventing the Taboo Index to commit crimes towards the commoners. And a few of those nobles faced imprisonment as well or even shared Humbert's sentence of losing their social status.

Of course, as mentioned before, there were still nobles who had done their jobs properly and justly protected the commoners in their domains. So, Liena, Volo, Ronie, Tiese, and Medina's families were among the ones that were spared from the power purge, and they more or less maintained their positions or were even promoted. Some who had gone above and beyond to protect the Empires' citizens, even with the hindrance of the corrupt nobles were rewarded or compensated as well.

Naturally, the corrupt but now powerless nobles that were spared from imprisonment cursed Raios, Humbert, and their families to no end; so much that the names Antinous and Zizek became a badge of shame to both the high society and the common folks. It was to the point that Humbert may prefer the safety of his prison cell to the scorn of the commoners that he had looked so much down upon, and the wrath of all the corrupt nobilities that were facing scrutiny from the populace and the Council.

It took a while, but the incidents eventually settled down; and above all else, Tiese and Ronie seemed to be much happier, overcoming their trauma of the Raios incident as well as Tiese's relationship with Renly taking its next step afterward.

She was also able to move on with her life; move on from Eugeo specifically, all the while keeping the fond memories she shared with Eugeo deep in her heart.

As unpleasant as this mission had been, now that Tiese was able to find closure to the Raios incident and Eugeo's death, there was nothing in the way between Renly and Tiese's relationship. And their relationship only continued to blossom further afterward.

And thus, their now recently finished wedding ceremony.

The wedding ceremony had taken place at the spacious yard of the Swordcraft Academy, as per the bride's request. Most of the teachers were ecstatic at this, as it would help promote their Academy even more.

Of course, it went without saying that all the members of the Integrity Knights, Tiese's close relatives, and friends from the Academy were present at the wedding ceremony; Fanatio, little Berche, Deusolbert, Edith, Sheyta, her husband Iskhan, and their daughter Leazetta, Linel, Fizel, Ronie, Franica, Sortiliena, Ayuha, Sadore, and Kirito and Asuna themselves all attended.

The wedding was open to all who wished to attend, regardless of their status; so many commoners and some nobles also attended the ceremony. Of course, Tiese and Ronie were already popular among the common folks for their kindness towards them despite their nobility, and when they officially became Integrity Knights, their popularity among the commoners skyrocketed.

And now that Tiese officially married an Integrity Knight, even the nobles that once looked down on Tiese's family for being sixth-ranked nobles wouldn't dare taunt them anymore. The fate of the Antinous and Zizek families was set as an example in their minds of what would happen to them should they dare to torment Tiese, Ronie, and their families and friends; not that Tiese and Renly cared what those nobles said about them anyway.

Not only that, quite a few residents of the Dark Territory came to watch the wedding and celebrate for the new Integrity Knight couples.

And after stating their oath to each other and were declared formally wedded, it was time for Tiese to throw the bouquet – to the surprise of Kirito and Asuna, at the fact that Underworld's marriage traditions were basically no different than that of the traditional Western-style wedding in the real world – with some Underworld twists, of course.

As for who received the bouquet, was her best friend Ronie.

"That really was a nice ceremony, wasn't it? Kirito-kun?" Asuna asked, now in her nightgown.

"Yes… yes, it was…" Kirito said absentmindedly to Asuna's concern.

Even during the wedding ceremony, she had caught Kirito spacing out at times – sometimes almost shedding tears even. But she had a feeling that the tears were not of happiness for Renly and Tiese, but that of grief. And knowing what had happened to Kirito before she was able to dive into Underworld to help him, she had a good idea as to what the source was.

"Kirito-kun…"

"I… I'm alright, Asuna…" Asuna had started, but Kirito cut her off before she could say anything.

"I'm… I'm just happy for Renly and Tiese, is all…" Kirito gave his explanation. But Asuna could tell that Kirito was doing all he could to keep his voice from shaking.

Having had firsthand experience in losing a friend, she knew what Kirito was feeling all too well…

It had been the same for her shortly after Yuuki had passed, and her family had listened to her when she needed them to. But unfortunately, a wet blanket had been thrown into that mood when she later discovered that her parents had been looking for suitors behind her back. And after an escalating argument, she had run away from home, but ultimately was able to reconcile with her family thanks to the efforts of her friends and her brother.

And seeing Tiese, Eugeo's protégé that had feelings for Eugeo getting married after moving on; it had most likely triggered his best friend's memory again.

"Kirito-kun… If you need someone to talk to, you know that I'm here to listen," Asuna said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Kirito took a few seconds before responding.

"Yeah… Thanks, Asuna…" Kirito murmured before lying down on his bed.

"I… I think I'll go to sleep early… Good night, Asuna."

"… Okay, good night, Kirito-kun…" Asuna said, still very much concerned for his emotional state.

Feeling his heart ache despite witnessing such a happy event earlier that day, Kirito slowly fell asleep.

Kirito blinked his eyes open to find himself standing at the yard of the Swordcraft Academy, almost exactly like how it had been a few hours ago during Renly and Tiese's wedding.

Only this time, beside the altar where Renly had stood waiting for Tiese to come to him, much to his surprise, was Eugeo wearing the blue and silver Integrity Knight armor. A blue rose was decorated at the breastplate of the armor. But contrary to his currently regal look, he was fidgeting nervously.

As for the attendants, everyone who had attended Renly and Tiese's wedding was present, but there were also people who shouldn't – or rather, couldn't be there were also there…

In addition, many of the villagers he knew from Rulid village were present in the front row seats. Notably, Lady Sadina Zuberg, Chief Zuberg's wife, and Alice and Selka's mother were among them, smiling happily.

Among the seats of the residents of the Dark Territory, two Dark Knights drew Kirito's attention. Upon closely inspecting the Dark Knight couple, Kirito recognized them as the Dark Knights Shasta and Lipia, that had helped him defeat Gabriel Miller during the final fight in the War of Underworld.

As for the Integrity Knights, all the Knights – even the ones who had fallen in the War – were standing on the right and left sides of the aisle acting as the path of the bride, all of them holding ceremonial swords in their hands and wearing white and silver armor instead of their usual respective colors, most likely for ceremonial purposes.

Not only the Integrity Knights, but his friends from real life were there.

The bridesmaids were Asuna, Leafa, Lisbeth, Silica, Sinon, Yuuki, Medina, and Edith Synthesis 10.

As for the ring bearer, it was Selka with a case containing the ring in her hands.

And the maid of honor, Alice Synthesis 30 herself with her hair in her usual French braid and in a more elegant dress rather than her armor.

And finally, Kirito saw himself standing on the spot of the groom's best man, wearing a black suit and a white glove. He was whispering encouraging words to Eugeo, clearly attempting to calm his agitated friend down. And beside them were Klein and Agil.

To be more specific, he was just an observer; a third party; an invisible ghost… seeing his own 'duplicate' interact with his best friend in a knightly armor.

"Alright… I… I can do this… I can do this…" He heard his best friend mutter to himself.

"Come on, Eugeo. You've been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Nothing is going to go wrong… Or is the mighty Integrity Knight, Eugeo-sama getting cold feet?" His duplicate said to his friend in encouragement.

"What?! No, of course not! I'm not backing out of this… I can't…! How could I…?" Eugeo sputtered, much to the other males' amusement.

"If it makes you feel any better, Asuna and Alice – the Integrity Knight Alice, I mean – told me that your soon-to-be wife was just as nerve wrecked as you are right now," dream Kirito said teasingly, pausing in between to specify which Alice he was talking about, to avoid confusion. Eugeo stared at him in slight disbelief.

And as if to help, the other two men said to Eugeo in encouragement.

"Come on, Eugeo, man up! You're the lucky man for getting married to your childhood friend! I'm really jealous of you, you know?!" Klein said, almost looking like he was about to wipe away a tear and sniffle.

"Ah, hahaha…" both the dream Kirito and Eugeo gave a small laugh in the new awkward atmosphere.

But fortunately for Eugeo, there was a man among them with more life experience than anyone present.

"It's okay to be nervous, Eugeo. It's not uncommon for even the toughest looking man to be reduced to a jittery mess on his wedding day," Agil said, wearing the most convincing and encouraging smile.

"R- really, Mr. Agil?" Eugeo asked the bigger man.

"Yes. Believe it or not, you remind me a bit of myself when I was getting married to my missus. I was pretty nerve wrecked too at the time." Agil said, much to the incredulity of the three younger men present.

"You? Nervous…? It's kind of hard to imagine that…" Klein said, recovering from his disbelief. To this, Agil put on a slightly mocking smirk.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see if you can still say that when it's your turn to be in Eugeo's place as the groom; after you find a girl that'll like you enough, that is."

"Urk…" Klein became tongue-tied as Agil had hit Klein's well-known weak spot.

The other boys quickly covered their mouths to hide the snicker that tried to escape. Because – let's be honest – it really was pitiful to see Klein be the only man among them without a date.

But thankfully for Eugeo, this small sacrifice on Klein's dignity seemed to make him less nerve wrecked than he had been just now.

"But jokes aside, you heard what Kirito told you. Your bride is just as nerve wrecked as you are… but he didn't say anything about her looking sad, now did he? It means that her feelings are the same as yours. You're both nervous because you feel like you'll make fool of yourselves somehow during the wedding, isn't it?" Agil asked.

Eugeo stopped to think for just a second.

"Well… yes… This is a big day for the both of us, and I don't want to mess it up by doing something foolish…" he confirmed.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, kid. Because in the end, you love her very much, don't you? To not give up on finding her and bringing her back; to the point of risking your life to be reunited with her?" Agil questioned.

Eugeo wasted no time in answering that question.

"Yes… I do love her… so much," Eugeo said, his eyes now brimming with newfound assurance.

"And I'm sure your bride feels the same for you… You're literally her knight in shining armor that rescued her from captivity, after all," Agil smiled. The dream Kirito and Klein nodded.

Eugeo's smile became more and more genuine.

"And I was there to see it happen! Even Asuna was jealous of your soon-to-be wife when I told her how you rescued her like a princess," the dream Kirito said, in an obviously teasing manner. Eugeo's cheeks flared up again.

Though Kirito felt something was out of place when he heard his dream self proclaim for his best friend.

Before Eugeo could chide his friend in black suit for his continued teasing however, Cardinal, who was standing on the altar acting as the officiant of the ceremony, made the announcement.

"Everyone, please quiet down and stand up. This wedding ceremony will now begin."

And they all did as they were requested.

Eugeo, with a gentle nudge from his friends, placed himself before the altar where Cardinal stood at.

Looking at the altar, Kirito caught sight of something small and black scamper on the top of the altar, getting out of sight of everyone else. But Kirito and Cardinal quickly flashed Charlotte the spider a smile where she now hid.

Then, from the other side of the yard – where the bride would be walking down towards her groom shortly – Linel, Fizel, and Yui appeared, acting as the flower girls for the bride. They showered the path of the bride with various flowers, although they were careful not to get the flowers on the Integrity Knights that stood on the edges of the path.

Many of the pairs of Integrity Knights standing on the path smiled as the girls did their duty as the flower girls while some maintained their composure.

Shortly after the girls finished decorating their path with their flowers and took their places before the altar, putting themselves not too far from the bridesmaids and the groomsmen.

Then, the other star of the ceremony finally made her appearance. The bride had long, unbraided golden hair and gorgeous sapphire eyes that even the white veil covering her face couldn't conceal. The veil also couldn't conceal the bright smile she had on her face. If she really had been nervous before, she was doing an excellent job of convincing everyone otherwise.

Along with that, she also wore a white wedding dress decorated with flowers that seemed to have been picked from Fragrant Olive trees. The golden color of the flowers on her dress also matched her long, unbraided hair that was spilling behind her veil like a golden waterfall. When she saw Eugeo waiting for her beside the altar, her smile brightened even more.

And Eugeo, despite his obvious nervousness, smiled back at her. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him; and he knew that their love was mutual.

Accompanied by an older man beside her who held her right hand, Alice Zuberg began to walk slowly toward the altar where her groom was, with her left hand holding a bouquet of blue Myosotis and Centaurea flowers.

(A/N: Play "Unlasting" by LiSA, instead of the Bridal March music)

At the sight of the bride Alice Zuberg and her father Gasupht Zuberg, all attendants who were standing fell silent. Their gazes were all on the bride as she walked onto her future.

As she and her father had made their appearance, the musicians began playing their instruments. To accompany them, a songstress with lavender hair began to sing a song, putting together a joyful melody.

Hi- to- ri- kiri demo hei- ki- to- koboreochita tsuyogari.

(I'm fine even if I am alone; I pretend to be strong, an overflowing bluff.)

Alice the bride slowly walked with her father; their steps unfaltering as they approached the first pair of knights standing on both sides of their path.

Futa- ri- no- mabushi sugita- hi- ga- konna ni kanashii

(To think those bright days that we had together could be this heartbreaking)

As they first passed by Bercouli and Fanatio, the two Integrity Knights simultaneously raised their swords, positioning the hilts close to their chests and pointing their swords upwards, in salutation.

Hitori de ikirareru nara,

(If I could live on alone,)

Deusolbert and Sheyta did the same as the bride and her father passed by them next.

dareka wo aishitari shinai kara

(I would not have loved anyone else)

Then Nergius and Entokia Synthesis's 16 and 18,

Anata no kaori,

(Your scent,)

Then Dakira and Jeis Synthesis's 22 and 23,

anata no hanashi kata

(your very way of speaking.)

Giro and Hobren Synthesis's 24 and 26,

Ima mo karadajuu ni

(Even now, I can feel the pieces)

Renly and Eldrie,

ai no kakera ga nokotteru yo

(of your fragmented love inside my body.)

And finally, Tiese and Ronie.

Watashi no negai,

(My wish,)

Gasupht let go of his daughter's hand when they reached the end of the path at the altar where Eugeo and the others all stood. And she gave her father a hug as soon as he released her hand.

watashi no negai wa tada,

(my only wish,)

After that, the girls all exchanged their hugs with Alice Zuberg to congratulate her on her big day. Asuna, Alice Synthesis 30, Selka, and Edith in particular, gave especially tight hugs to the bride, each of them complimenting her beauty.

dou ka anata mo dokoka de,

(is that wherever you may be,)

And Alice the Integrity Knight; as she gave her hug to her 'twin', looked like she would start crying at any time moment.

Although it WAS a bit awkward for the two Alices to hug each other due to their twin-like nature. The Knight Alice still managed to compose herself for the other's sake; Selka was basically no different.

naite imasu you ni.

(you are crying too.)

After the hug, the maid of honor removed the veil covering the bride's face to put on her head what was in her hands beforehand: a flower crown made of golden Fragrant Olive flowers with a single blue rose decorating the center.

After the crown was placed on her head, Alice's eyes fell onto Eugeo once again; in his blue and silver armor with the blue rose decoration on his armor. To her, he was the most handsome knight that she had ever laid eyes on. And today, he would become hers, and she would become his.

I- tsu- mo- atarashii ip- po- wa omokute sabishii.

(Every new step I take is always heavy and lonely.)

As the bride and groom stood beside each other at the altar with all eyes now on them. Although, they both seemed oblivious to that fact now. Looking at the two of them, they might as well have been in their own little world as they stared at each other in awe.

Moshi umare kawattemo,

(If I am yet to be reborn,)

Especially so for Eugeo, who was now able to see Alice's bare face in all its glory without the veil covering her face. She had makeup and pinkish-red lipstick on, making her skin look a beautiful shade of white; not that she needed makeup for her already flawless-looking skin. And the lipstick she had on made her look very feminine; so that no one outside of Rulid village would believe the fact that Alice had acted like a tomboy in her youth. She was truly an indescribable, beautiful sight, indeed.

mou ichido anata ni deaitai.

(I want to meet you all over again.)

"You… you look absolutely beautiful, Alice…"

"And you are quite the dashing knight, Eugeo-sama…"

The couple complimented each other with Alice adding the endearing suffix at the end and blushed together as they received each others' compliments.

Manatsu no hizashi,

(Midsummer's sunshine,)

"Ahem," a sound of clearing one's throat was heard by the couple to snap them out of their little world and remind them of the fact that they were still in the middle of getting married. Cardinal was still standing on top of the altar as the officiant to marry them.

mafuyu no shiroi yuki.

(midwinter's white snow.)

The bride and groom's faces grew redder in embarrassment for their blunder together; they quickly turned to face the altar together.

Meguru kisetsujuu ni,

(Between the changing seasons,)

Many on both the groomsmen and bridesmaid's sides covered their mouths to suppress the snicker of amusement, and so did a few of their other audiences as well.

ai no kakera go maiochite.

(fragments of love are falling down.)

Cardinal smiled as she now had the attention of the two main figures of this ceremony.

Shiawase nanoni, dokoka de sabishii no wa,

(I am happy, yet I am somehow also lonely,)

"With that, we shall now begin. Everyone, please take your seats," she said, and the audience all complied.

anata yori mo ookina watashi no ai no sei.

(it's because my love is bigger than you.)

"Dearly beloved, we are all gathered here today to witness and bless the joining together of the Integrity Knight Eugeo Synthesis 32, and Alice Zuberg in a Holy Matrimony. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace," Cardinal said solemnly to the audience.

And as expected, no one dared to make an objection towards the union of the two childhood friends.

Cardinal then addressed the bride and groom.

"I charge you both, here in the presence of the Lord and the witness of this company, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be married lawfully, do now confess it."

Of course, Eugeo and Alice had no reason to say anything to this, so they remained silent. So, Cardinal proceeded.

Kagi wa anata ga motta mama,

(With the key now in your hands,)

"Then let me ask: Alice Zuberg, do you swear to take Eugeo Synthesis 32 as your lawfully wedded husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love and cherish him, comfort him in times of need, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and to be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Alice said.

utau imi wo nakushita canaria.

(a canary that lost its reasons to sing.)

"Eugeo Synthesis 32, do you swear to take Alice Zuberg as your lawfully wedded wife; to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love and cherish her, comfort her in her times of need, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and to be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Eugeo said, his tone in utmost confidence, all traces of nervousness gone.

Kurai torikago no naka de.

(Inside a dark birdcage.)

"Then, by the authority vested in me, you are now proclaimed husband and wife. Eugeo, you may now kiss the bride," Cardinal said.

Anata no kaori,

(Your scent,)

With permission from Cardinal, they once again turned to face each other to be captured in each other's gaze.

anata no hanashi kata.

(your very way of speaking.)

With that, Selka went beside Eugeo to hand him the ring – which the gemstone embedded on the ring had the appearance of a blue rose (no doubt work of Sadore's fine craftsmanship) – and Eugeo gently took the ring from the case it was resting in with his silver gauntleted hand.

Ima mo karadajuu ni,

(Even now, I can feel the pieces,)

Then, taking his new wife's left hand, he gently put the ring on her ring finger.

ai no kakera ga nokotteru yo.

(of your fragmented love inside my body.)

Alice took a moment to admire the ring now on her finger, basking in its azure beauty.

Watashi no negai,

(My wish,)

After that, Alice put her two arms around her new husband's neck, both of them smiling brightly at each other.

watashi no negai wa tada,

(my only wish,)

and the two slowly closed their distances together,

dou ka anata ga shiawase de

(is that wherever you may be,)

and sealed their lips together.

arimasu you ni~

(you find happiness~)

As they did, all who watched gave a thunderous cry and applause. Some even whistled to express their applause.

In cue with their kiss, Ayuha and her Sacred Arts casters discharged their prepared spells to show their blessings for the couple. First, the Cryogenic arts were used to create small dust-like ice, much like a snowflake, then the Aerial arts were used to scatter the ice as well as various flower petals towards the newlywed couple, showering them with those petals and snowflakes, finishing off with the Luminous arts, brightening the academy yard and the new husband and wife directly below.

The light also making the cryogenic dust glitter marvelously, making the couple shine even more.

The two lovers were only focused on their kiss however, ignoring the shower of light, ice, flower petals, and the applause of all those who witnessed their marriage.

Kirito himself was applauding vigorously, but at the same time was feeling a deeply rooted sorrow for some reason…

As the kiss went on, the observing Kirito's view flashed forwarded from the joyous wedding scene to another scene in the future.

He saw Alice tell something to Eugeo at their home, with Eugeo breaking into a tearful smile, then embracing Alice and lifting her in the air, spinning them both around, laughing the entire time. He then set her down as carefully as he could, as if she were made of delicate glass – and then only to embrace her again.

The scene changed again to the inside of the couple's home; Alice resting on a rocking chair, wearing a light blue maternity dress. Her hands were resting on her stomach, which was rounded and protruding heavily.

She lovingly rubbed her belly, where her and Eugeo's child was growing within.

Then the door opened, and in came Eugeo in his Integrity Knight armor and Selka. Selka gently hugged her sister, being mindful of her belly. Alice welcomed Eugeo home. And as she did, the baby seemed to kick, prompting Alice to have Eugeo and Selka lean on her belly to listen and break into a smile as the baby kicked again.

Unlasting Love,

The scene changed again to another scene, where Alice was lying on a bed, drenched in sweat, and looking exhausted yet overjoyed. Eugeo was also beside her, holding her hand. And Selka, who was there as the midwife, approached the new parents with her wailing baby nephew wrapped in a blanket in her arms.

She gave the baby to her sister, who gently accepted him; her tears threatening to spill. Eugeo and Alice offered their fingers for their newborn son to clutch onto, and the baby seemed to calm down and gradually fall asleep.

The scene changed yet again to Eugeo holding his toddler son by both his hands to help him walk towards his mother, who was sitting on a grassy field and had her arms stretched out in front of her to embrace him as soon as he could walk into her reach.

Slowly, with the help of his father, the boy reached his mother with unsteady steps. And Alice gladly embraced him to let him know that she was proud of him for making progress on learning how to walk.

The Course of Love,

Then, the scene flashed forward again to the yard of the Central Cathedral with Eugeo in his Integrity Knight armor along with Alice Synthesis 30, looking to be training a young boy who had a striking resemblance to Bercouli together in the art of swordsmanship.

Then Alice, his wife, appeared along with her and Eugeo's four-year-old son.

The guards present gave them a respectable bow when they approached the yard. As soon as they were granted access, the little boy (who looked just like Eugeo as a child, except that he had Alice's sapphire eyes) ran up to his father, who quickly lifted him up in his arms. Berche also gave the younger boy a friendly greeting. Both Alices smiling at the interaction between the boys.

Bercouli and Fanatio soon joined the interaction and the Integrity Knights present seemed to start a friendly sparring match for the young boys to see.

Again, the scene changed to show Alice, pregnant and in her maternity dress again, with her curious five-year-old son having his ear close to her round stomach to listen to his younger sibling's movement.

Forever, Thinking of You.

Finally, the scene changed again to have Eugeo, Alice, Asuna, and himself all sitting together on a picnic mat near the giant stump of the Gigas Cedar, where a field of various blue flowers was growing around them; Myosotis, Centaurea, and Iris flowers were among them.

They were all smiling as they watched the Underworld couple's five-year-old daughter Iris (who was the exact inverse of their son; she looked like the childhood Alice with Eugeo's eyes) asking her older brother Euric to let her try using the wooden sword he had brought for practice, while he had been practicing together with Yui.

Kirito continued to watch the flashes of what might have been for Eugeo and Alice Zuberg's future, had they survived the final battle with the Administrator, and Alice managed to regain her physical body and co-exist with Alice the Integrity Knight as separate entities, and returned home together with Eugeo, and the two of them confessed their feelings for each other…

It was then that Kirito fully remembered why he had been feeling so sad while he had been watching all those happy visions…

Because he remembered… Eugeo had not survived the fight against the Administrator…

"Stay cool… Kirito…"

He could now remember the moment his best friend had drawn his last breath…

Everything that he had seen up till now…

These were just visions… that was it…

Even if they were visions of a future, it was a future that was denied from them.

If he had been just a bit quicker in their final fight against the Administrator; if he had just succeeded in grabbing the sword that Eugeo and Alice Zuberg's memory crystal had transformed into in time before it flew towards the witch, only to cost them both their lives…

What he had seen up till now with Eugeo and Alice Zuberg finally becoming a couple didn't have to be just a vision; it could have been a reality if he had only been a bit quicker in stopping his best friends in their suicidal charge.

Eugeo had loved Alice – so much that the desire to bring her back home was his driving force throughout his life since she had been taken from him – that much had been clear since he had met Eugeo again when they grew up.

And he had wished so much to see Eugeo and Alice Zuberg be reunited together again; but because of his mistakes, that was impossible now…

No; in a way, they were reunited together; but not in the way the three of them would have desired.

He had already made a mistake that cost people close to him their lives; namely Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats…

And he had made another one that cost his two childhood friends of Underworld that ultimately cost them their lives…

This happy vision that he had seen of Eugeo and Alice… they would never become reality…

That was the cold, harsh truth.

As soon as he finished this realization, the scenery around him cracked like glass. The cracks extended all over the scenery until they made the scenery collapse and crumble, like how the floating castle had crumbled down when SAO was cleared.

And as it did, he fell down along with the fragments of the vision into the abyss, as well as with the tears he had shed.

Kirito startled awake, not knowing that Asuna had been watching him worriedly for some time in his sleep.

Kirito slowly rose himself from the bed, his mind still occupied by the dream of his two childhood friends of Underworld, and the visions of the life they could have had together…

The more he recalled his dream, the more his heart squeezed painfully.

"Kirito-kun…" Asuna gently whispered; her tone containing a great deal of sadness.

"I… I'm fine, Asuna…" Kirito lamely croaked.

"No, you're not… You've been crying in your sleep, Kirito-kun…" Asuna said to him. She also closed her distance from him.

"And you've been muttering 'Eugeo' and 'Alice' too… You had a dream about them, didn't you?" She asked.

Kirito gave no response, but Asuna didn't need one to know that she was correct.

Wiping the tears off Kirito's face. She then turned his face so that his eyes were looking directly into hers.

"Kirito-kun, I've told you before, and I'll say it as many times as I have to… It's okay to miss Eugeo-kun… Believe me, I know what it feels like… I felt the same after Yuuki died…" Asuna said.

Before Kirito could even respond, Asuna embraced him.

"My mother said to me… when I was crying after Yuuki died: Don't hold it in, let it all out… That it's okay to cry… I won't think any less of you, Kirito-kun…"

At Asuna's words, the dam collapsed.

(Play the Alicization OST: "Eugeo")

Asuna held onto her lover as he continued to cry for his late friends. As she had told him, she knew what he was feeling all too well – even after she had reconciled with her family and accepted that Yuuki was gone, she still found herself crying from time to time when she remembered her.

She comforted him as she had during their two weeks off in their home on the 22nd floor of Aincrad in SAO – during the few times when he woke up from an old wound haunting his sleep.

"That's it... that's it," Asuna cooed as she continued to caress and pat her lover's back, "just let it all out."

This went on for a good 5 minutes as Kirito slowly but surely began to recover his mental faculties, his uncontrollable weeping now reduced to mere sniffles and teary eyes. Seeing her chance, Asuna decided to share with him a few more words of comfort.

Then she asked him to tell her what he had dreamed that made him cry as such.

And so, he explained what he had seen in his dream…

The wedding ceremony based on Renly and Tiese's wedding earlier that day with Eugeo and Alice Zuberg being the newly wedded couple, and the happy visions of their future with their family for the couple that would never come to be…

When he finished explaining what he had seen in his dream, Asuna comforted him once more.

"I can't help but wonder… if what I… I saw in that dream… if they could have been real… Would Eugeo and Alice have… gotten together… and… and start a family too…?" Kirito sobbed.

"Oh, Kirito-kun… You're blaming yourself again… Eugeo-kun and Alice-san may be gone, but they won't be forgotten…" Asuna said in her attempt to be of comfort to her man.

"No… It is my fault… If… if only I'd been a little quicker… I could have stopped them… I could have stopped them…"

Then, an idea of what would be of consolation for Kirito's wounds flashed in Asuna's mind.

"Kirito-kun… I know this may sound cheesy... and some might even say that it was impossible, but I want to believe – that just as Yuuki never truly left my side, the same thing holds true for Eugeo-kun."

"Yuuki?" this definitely caught Kirito's attention as he finally raised his head and met his beloved Asuna's gaze.

"Mmhm," Asuna replied with an affirmative nod before continuing.

"It first happened during the Ordinal Scale Incident. When we were fighting against SAO's final boss, although it was only for a moment, I briefly saw a vestige of Yuuki fighting by my side. Then she appeared again during my stand against PoH – I've told you about that before, remember? I was already overexerting the limits of what my mind can take when Yuuki came. She gave me the strength to fight on and deal one more devastating blow on PoH, giving you some precious few minutes to wake up from your slumber."

Kirito's eyes widened upon this reminder.

"And you told me that the same thing happened to you during your fight with PoH – that Eugeo-kun appeared before you, remember?"

Kirito could do nothing but nod in confirmation.

"Being able to see Yuuki and Eugeo-kun even after their deaths… based on what we know about the STL and Underworld, since our memories about them were particularly powerful, they were able to manifest themselves when we needed them the most.

"And even if she was a manifestation of my memories of Yuuki, I still want to believe that somehow, the real Yuuki was able to come and help me – help us all overcome that hardship. You can say it was God's doing, or it was thanks to the STL… But either way, Yuuki appeared that day to help us both… I know it; and even now, I want to believe that she's still here with me," Asuna finished, her hands clasped together on her chest.

"So you see Kirito..." Asuna's eyes began to water as she kissed her man's forehead before resting his head on her shoulder, "Just as a part of Yuuki still lives on in me, the same may hold true for Eugeo-kun living on in you. And, Alice Zuberg too…"

At her words, Kirito cried once more, this time not just out of grief, but in joy of having his wife by his side during his lowest point as well as in comfort in the thought that Eugeo continued to watch over him.

Eugeo and Alice of his Underworld childhood were gone…

It still pained him to think about what life his two Underworld childhood friends might have had together if they had survived.

If they had survived, could Eugeo and Alice have become an inseparable couple like he and Asuna were? After getting past their initial bashfulness, could they have become a dependable partner for each other?

He would never know…

But even in death...

those who we loved...

and who loved us in return...

Never truly left us.

And wherever Eugeo and Alice were now, he hoped that they were still with each other, and somehow found happiness together.

(A/N: There, the first part is finished… I hope I was able to make you cry again in this chapter.

In flower language, Myosotis (forget-me-not) means Remembrance, True and Undying Love.

Centaurea (cornflower) means Devotion, Remembrance, and Love.

Blue Iris means Hope, Faith, Deep Trust, and Love.

The color Blue can represent Loyalty but also Sadness.

Given Eugeo's personality, I judged that these three blue flowers – besides the Blue Rose – represented Eugeo the best: for his love and devotion to Alice Zuberg.

It's so sad to think that Eugeo & Alice never survived and got together… I would've loved to see it happen… Hopefully it will – at least in the game verse; in SAO: Alicization Lycoris's upcoming DLC.

I'll get started on the second part of this two-shot soon, so hopefully, you won't have to wait too long.

Oh, and here's a voting poll for you:

Q: Do you want the summary of my take on the Cannon version of Alicization Lycoris's free DLC 2 (The Taboo Knight) mentioned in this chapter to actually happen in a separate story?

1. Yes.

2. No.

Please leave your votes on the review or PM them to me – along with your thoughts about this chapter.

And do let me know if you have any adaptable suggestions – I'd be happy to listen and this time, I'll try to respond to every one of the comments.

I will be back with the second half of this story in the future.

Until next time.

Yours truly, Arementi Revnant.)