A/N: Hey guys, I'm back from my vacation with another chapter of Mother's Reconciliation. Two of my followers wanted me to make this chapter sad enough to make them cry, so here's an idea: Play certain SAO OST's at certain parts of the chapter. I'll tell you when to turn on which OST on this chapter.

This chapter ended up being much longer than I expected; almost 6k words long! But I guess that's a good thing for you guys… With about 1650 views and 20 favorites, I can't thank you enough!

This chapter also has a slight reference to the SAO Progressive arc. I suggest you read the first few pages of chapter 10.5 of the manga version before reading this chapter.

To TangyErmine3: Thanks, and yes, I feel that the Light Novels provide us with the backstories needed for fanfic writers… Hope you like this chapter too!

To joker118: Roger, although this is my very first fanfic, somehow I feel confident that I'll be able to grant that wish of yours. Let me know whether I was successful or not, k?

Disclaimer: I don't own SAO, its characters, or the OST's. They belong to Kawahara Reki-sensei and the composer Kajiura Yuki-san respectively!


Chapter 6 - Looking Back – Part 4


"Kazuto-kun was working on a project for his Mechatronics class. So, I asked him to prepare it for school the next day. And fortunately, with some modifications to the project he was working on, the project was suited just for our needs."

"Asuna. I know that I'm digressing here, but how exactly did Kirigaya-kun's project work?" Shouzou asked with curiosity.

At this question, Kouichirou and Kyouko gave him a slightly disapproving look, when it was only minutes ago when they all were feeling sorry for Yuuki and her family.

Shouzou knew that his daughter was still in the middle of telling her story, but as a former CEO of an electronic company, his curiosity for the future of technology was a big fascination for him. Plus, he felt like he should ask something to lighten the mood a bit.

"Tou-san, I don't think now is the best time to ask something like that…" Kouichirou said hesitantly. But Asuna was actually glad he asked.

"No, it's alright, Nii-san. I'm glad he asked, actually. I don't know the whole detail about it but Kazuto-kun called it an 'Audiovisual Bidirectional Communication Probe'. Its purpose was so that you could interact with the real world while still inside the virtual world using a web camera. The probe is connected to a cellphone to make use of the cellphone's wireless network so that it can connect with the virtual reality where Yuuki was. In other words, the camera and microphone on the probe would be used to collect the visual and audio data, pass it through the internet on my cellphone, and then send it to the Medicuboid and Yuuki. Yuuki could even turn her head to see where she wants to see and the probe's camera would follow her view and show her whatever was in that direction. With Kurahashi-sensei's permission, our little project of bringing Yuuki back to school had begun. When Kazuto-kun got the VR Probe working, he explained that Yuuki should be feeling as though she was 1/10 her original size and that she was sitting on my shoulder, because I had to put the probe on my shoulder to show Yuuki around." Asuna said fondly, not just because of Yuuki, but also because of Yui. When she, Kirito and Yui were relaxing in ALO, Yui, in her pixie form liked to sit on Asuna's shoulder quite a lot as well.

"It took a bit of time to calibrate the probe, but by the end of the lunch period, Kazuto-kun managed to have the probe up and running. You have no idea how thankful Yuuki was when Kazuto-kun managed it." Asuna finished her explanation on Kazuto's VR Probe.

"Hoo… That's impressive… For a kid that should be in about 3rd year of middle school (about grade 8 in North American standard I think…), that's really something." Kouichirou said. His father nodded in agreement.

"I know. Kazuto-kun's aunt told me once that when he was 6 years old, he had managed to build a fully functioning computer using spare parts all by himself, so his skill in technology only seemed to grow with time…" Asuna said proudly, remembering how his keen senses for technology had saved them all multiple times in SAO, ALO, GGO, and even in the real world.

When Asuna thought back to Kazuto's successful project, she was reminded of what she thought about the transfer back then. What it would have meant for her, Kazuto, and Yuuki as well.

(A/N: Play the OST: "A sad quarrel".)

"You know, during the time I met Yuuki and her guild, Kaa-san was planning to have me transfer to another school that a friend of hers owned. I objected to the idea in the first place, but after having Yuuki experience what our school was like, that feeling intensified. The other reason I was against transferring to another school was because of Yuuki. All of the students in SAO Survivor's School were all people that had lived in the virtual world for an extended period of time, so the staff and students alike would have been able to understand Yuuki's predicament better than anyone. Besides, after what Yuuki went through in her previous school before hospitalization, we couldn't take the chance of bringing Yuuki to the school mom was going to have me transfer to. All in all, the SAO Survivor's School was the best shot for Yuuki." Kyouko was surprised when she heard this. Asuna had been speaking not just for her own self when she said that she wanted to stay in her current school; she had been speaking for Yuuki's behalf as well.

(A/N: I don't think this topic of Yuuki going to the transferred school was mentioned even in the light novel. This is something that I came up with. But you have to admit, it's a pretty legitimate one… If I'm wrong on this not being on the light novel, then please let me know.)

"When Yuuki and I went to the staff office and explained her situation to them, things went smoother than we expected. And the teacher even allowed her to come to class anytime she wanted. So, when we went to the classroom, when everyone saw the probe on my shoulder, they were both curious and excited." Asuna reminisced with a small smile.

"The first class Yuuki and I went together was the National Language. And sensei had Yuuki read the book we were reading. At first, I was a little worried for Yuuki, since she hadn't been to school since grade 4, so I wondered if she could read a literature meant to be read for middle and high school students. But surprisingly, Yuuki was able to read the book with no problem. She had been studying on her own while traveling in the virtual world as well. Everyone was impressed with this. So after class, before we knew it, Yuuki had become the main topic for conversations in our class; in a good way of course… Afterwards, I gave her a tour around the school campus, and to our surprise, some of the students wanted show her around as well. They all seemed excited about it too. Yuuki said that she had the time of her life in her first day in school. And I was so glad to hear it too…" Asuna said sentimentally.

"And after school, Yuuki requested me to go to Hodogaya in Yokohama, a place called Tsukimidai. So I had to take the central subway line to the Western Tokyo area. We arrived at Hoshikawa Station at about 5:30 and had to walk for a few minutes. After passing through the marketplace area, we came to a residential area. I could tell, just from the sentimental tone in Yuuki's voice that we were visiting the place she used to call home." Asuna recalled how Yuuki reacted when she saw her home again in what it felt like forever.

"The house had white walls and green roof. While it looked smaller compared to the neighboring houses, it had a wide garden. Although Yuuki and her family only lived in that house for less than a year, Yuuki could remember each day of it so well. Yuuki and Aiko-san would often run about in the garden, have barbecues, and make bookshelves with their father. Even though they were sick, they were happy…" Asuna said. Then she remembered what she had felt during that time.

(A/N: Play the OST: "You are not alone #2".)

"You know, even though she was ill, I was really jealous of Yuuki… of her family life that is… I mean, think about it: we have wealth, a large house that has a garden bigger than Yuuki's house… What was the point of all that, when what I wanted the most was such a rare sight? Laughing together, playing together, or even cry together… We used to do that quite a lot when I was little… You have no idea how much I miss those times, before the pressures of school, and even marriage arrangements began… Most of the time, I would always be alone, playing house or drawing…"

"The Konno family, and even the Kirigaya family, even though they don't have the wealth or social standings we may have, they were happy, because they had each other… When I go to visit Kazuto-kun in his home, I could tell they were happy, just from their interaction together. Even though Kazuto-kun was adopted by his aunt and uncle, they still treated him like a son, and Suguha-chan, her brother. You might wonder why I seem to favor Kazuto-kun so much, but that's because he taught me many things, but most importantly, he taught me the importance of true friends and family. If his family and even Yuuki's family could be happy like that, then why couldn't we? Why can't we go back to those times when we really felt like family…?" Asuna trailed off. She meant every word of what she said. She missed the time her family was actually together to be with each other. Whenever she visited the Kirigaya residence, their interactions always gave her the sense of nostalgia that almost made her cry many times. The same went for the cabin in the forest that she shared with Kirito on floor 22 of New Aincrad, which reminded her so much of her maternal grandparents' house in Miyagi.

Her father, mother, and brother all looked at each other with guilty expressions. During Asuna's childhood before SAO, as they rose through their respective ranks in society, while they still cared for their family, their busy schedules would have them come home when it got dark. And in some cases, they had to stay overnight for work.

While her mother was an exception to this, as she returned by 6:00 PM at the latest in most cases, her cold demeanor had always discouraged Asuna from voicing her desires for a closer family relationship, fearing that her mother may dismiss it as a childish thought. So up until January, Asuna had kept her desire to herself.

Her father on the other hand, before SAO, he was the CEO of Recto Inc., which meant that he was busy at most times, so Asuna had tried her best to not disturb her father during work. But after he resigned as CEO, she thought that he may use the spare time he now had to spend time with his family. But to her dismay, sometime after the main Recto branch had barely managed to avoid bankruptcy after Sugou's diabolical experiments were brought to light, her father had taken on the work of Recto's shipment management to keep himself busy.

(A/N: As for Kouichirou, well, if you read chapter 3, you'd know what kept him busy…)

"A… Asuna, we're really sorry… it's just… that thought never occurred to us somehow…" Shouzou apologized to his daughter. Kyouko and Kouichirou followed suit in apologizing. Asuna shook her head at this.

"Mmm, don't be. It's my fault for not having the courage to say what I wanted."

"Anyway, going back to my story, unfortunately, the house that Yuuki showed me was going to be torn down. Her relatives were debating over whether they should remake it into a convenience store or sell the land entirely. So she wanted to see that house one more time before that happened. Even if the house disappeared, the memories that Yuuki and her family spent in it would never be forgotten…" She then remembered suggesting Yuuki to marry someone she liked when she became 16, so that that person could continue protecting that house for her. This then lead to her suggesting Yuuki to marry Jun, which Yuuki protested, laughing and saying that he was still a kid. Then she jokingly suggested that they should get married. Of course she knew that Yuuki was joking, but still, Asuna had to sweat-drop at that joke.

(A/N: There are theories on the internet and even on fanfictions that Yuuki is homosexual. For your note, I don't buy that theory one bit. I just think that she's an extra-affectionate girl.)

"It was just like Ojii-chan and Obaa-chan's house in Miyagi. Even though their house no longer exists, I'll always remember every moment I spent there…" Asuna said nostalgically.

Kyouko thought back to her childhood when she was young. For the longest time, she didn't think of her childhood in Miyagi to be a fond one, but that had changed 3 months ago. After her talk with Asuna, Kyouko had grown to appreciate the memory of her late parents. After all, they had always thought of her as their treasure, even though she herself had tried to distance herself from them.

(A/N: Play the OST: "You are not alone #3".)

"Then Yuuki told me… whenever the pain from the medication became too much to bear, her mother would always pray for her and Aiko-san, and always tell them that Kami-sama (God) never gave them suffering that they couldn't endure. Yuuki said that she was dissatisfied with just that, because she wanted to hear her mother's words, not the Bible's… But when she saw her house again, she understood. Her mother was actually trying to talk to them all the time. It wasn't the words themselves, but her mother was trying to convey her feelings through her words… She kept praying for them so that they could live their lives to the fullest until the end… I could just picture the scene… Yuuki, her sister, and their mother praying before the altar in their church…"

"At this point, I decided to tell her what was on my mind… about my relationship with Kaa-san… I've been unable to hear Kaa-san's voice for so long… Even when we're face to face with each other, I couldn't see what was on her mind. It always felt like I was talking to a wall when I talk with her… It felt like she never even bothered to understand my words… So I asked her, what I should do to be like her… She never let what other people think bother her, unlike me. She always seemed so natural at that. What makes her so strong, I asked…"

"At this, Yuuki answered that she wasn't strong at all… When she was in the real world, she often felt that she was acting someone she wasn't. She knew her parents always felt sorry for having them be born under such terrible circumstances, so she felt like she had to act energetic and cheerful, to pretend that everything was fine with her… Maybe it was because of that that she could only express herself once she entered the Medicuboid. Maybe she was someone that hated everything around her, screaming and crying about it all day long…"

"But then, later she thought that it was alright to act… even if she pretended to be strong, it was alright… If it means that she could spend more time smiling, it would be just fine… She knew that she didn't have much time left, so she felt that when she interacted with others, it would be a waste of time trying to figure out the people's feelings all the time. She might as well just present her real self to them and say exactly what she's feeling. Even if they don't like her for it, it was alright, because it wouldn't change the fact that she was close to their hearts…"

"And she also said that the reason we became so close in a matter of days wasn't because of her, but me. Even when she tried to run away from me, I was persistent and tried to find her. When I found her in the hospital the day before, she could understand my feelings completely… When she found out that I had no intention of abandoning her just because she was ill, she was so happy that she cried…"

"So, she told me to try and use that feeling to talk with Kaa-san. She said that if I can share how I feel, she'd definitely be able to understand. To ignore everything else and just focus on understanding her feelings and let her understand mine… She said that I hit her with everything I had, so she decided to trust me with everything… that's what Yuuki told me to… So, that night, when I went home after saying goodbye to Yuuki, I did exactly as she told me. I asked Kaa-san to come see my world in ALO so that we could talk… and… you should know what happened next…"

Kyouko thought back to that day she heard her daughter's heart in what felt like forever. She was right… Yuuki had something, or rather, everything to do with Asuna's newfound tenacity back then. Thanks to that, her relationship with her daughter had become noticeably smoother, for which she was internally thankful for.

"And after I convinced Kaa-san to not have me transferred to another school, for the next few months, me and my friends, along with the Sleeping Knights met together quite often and did all kinds of things together, both in ALO and the real world. Those times seemed to go by so quickly and before I knew it, it was already the end of March. And during those times, Yuuki had been telling me that her condition was getting notably better. So I thought that Yuuki just might be able to survive the illness after all… But… earlier today, I got a message from Kurahashi-sensei saying that Yuuki's health had deteriorated... So I quickly got ready and left for the hospital after messaging my friends about this…" Her family exchanged worried looks at each other once more. Asuna had already said that Yuuki had passed away earlier today. So now they would hear how she passed on…

"When I did arrive at the hospital, most of the machines that were used to moniter Yuuki had been moved into the hallway. When I came into Yuuki's room, the door to the sterile room was open and sensei and a few nurses were inside. With just that, I got the message… there was nothing else that could be done. Sensei told me that Yuuki's heart had stopped 40 minutes ago, but they barely managed to get her pulse back with defibrillator and medication. But if it happened again, then they couldn't do anything about it… I knew that her case was terminal, but after all the improvements she had made, after all she suffered through, I thought that she just might be recovering after all… But sensei told me that ever since my first visit in January, Yuuki was already in a state where a sudden relapse could have happened at any time…"

"But for the past 3 months, Yuuki surprised the doctors by winning an impossible battle everyday… she really gave it her all… For Yuuki, her short 15 years of life had been one long battle… and it wasn't just against the HIV… for so long, she had been fighting against a harsh reality and against herself. And the Medicuboid clinical trials had likely caused her unbelievable amount of pain… but Yuuki still persisted and fought anyway… So, sensei told me that we should let her rest now…"

(A/N: Play the OST: "At our parting.")

"I couldn't believe it… the Absolute Sword, Zekken… I kept praying that it wasn't so… for her to lose to the illness she fought for 15 years…"

"Then, at that moment… Yuuki opened her eyes and tried to move her hands. Her eyes that should have been grey from losing their light were still shining weakly as they looked at me… Sensei asked me to hold her hand, so I did… Her hands were so thin and unbelievably cold… But when she clasped onto my hands tightly, I suddenly felt like I had an epiphany or something… I could understand what she wanted: To go back to the virtual world once more. So I asked sensei to do just that. In the meantime, I used the Amusphere next door to log in to ALO to… to say goodbye…" Asuna trailed off. Her family could do nothing but listen on as her story was about to reach a heart-breaking conclusion.


Flashback: Earlier that day, ALO, New Aincrad, 24th floor, Island of Panareze.

Asuna flew to the little island where she knew Yuuki was waiting her. She knew that this meeting would probably be the last in this world and she was all torn up inside… but she couldn't show that weakness to Yuuki… After all, during her 15 years of hardship, Yuuki had never given up or shown weakness, no matter how bad things got. So when she landed on the island and made Yuuki be aware of her presence, Asuna forced a small smile.

"Arigatou, Asuna… I forgot something important. There's something that I have to give you…" Yuuki said, returning the smile. Her voice was as cheery as before, but it was noticeably weaker and trembling ever so slightly. It was as if Yuuki was using all of her strength just trying to talk.

"Nani? (What is it?) What did you want to give me?" Asuna asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"Etto ne… (Hang on…) I'm making it right now, wait a moment…" Yuuki said as she operated her window. When it disappeared, she drew her sword, facing away from Asuna and towards the giant tree.

She paused for a moment before she reacted. Her sword glowed a reddish purple, indicating that she was about to unleash her legendary 11-combo skill. With a loud yell, Yuuki gave 5 consecutive thrusts, then another 5, and then finally delivered a last powerful strike, resulting in a loud explosion. After the explosion settled down, a small scroll appeared. Yuuki reached out to grab it.

But once she grabbed the scroll, Yuuki collapsed, as if all of her strength had left her.

"Yuuki?!" Asuna shouted in concern and ran to catch her friend. As she did, Yuuki's sword fell beside them with a clatter. Yuuki soon opened her eyes slowly, and gave a calm smile.

"Hendana… (It's strange…) It doesn't hurt, but… I feel so weak for some reason…" Yuuki murmured.

"Daijyobuu… (It's alright…) You're just tired, that's all. Just rest a little. You'll be fine when you do…" Asuna told her, but she was just trying to convince herself that Yuuki would be fine.

"Unn… Asuna, take this… it's my Original Sword Skill…" Yuuki said weakly, holding out the little scroll.

"You're giving it to me?" Asuna asked.

"Mmm… I want you to have it… Saa, open your window…" Yuuki requested. Asuna did as she asked. Yuuki inserted the OSS scroll into Asuna's window.

"The name of that skill… is… 'Mother's Rosario'… I hope that it'll help protect you, Asuna…" When Asuna heard this, her tears finally landed on Yuuki's chest.

"Arigatou, Yuuki… I promise, when my time comes to leave this world someday, I'll pass this skill over to someone else… Your sword… will live on forever…" Asuna said, trying to keep her voice clear.

"Unn… Arigatou…" Yuuki nodded.

Then, they both heard several fluttering of wings. They looked up to see the remainder of the Sleeping Knights running over to them after landing on the island. They kneeled down and formed a semi-circle around them.

"Nandayo, minna… (What's with you guys…) we promised that we wouldn't say goodbye to each other when our time came…" Yuuki said, looking slightly troubled.

"We're not here to say goodbye. We're here to cheer you on! It'll do us no good if you're lonely up there, in heaven… You won't have to wait too long. We'll join you soon enough…" Jun said has he reached out to hold Yuuki's right hand.

"What are you talking about…? If you come too early, I'll get mad…" Yuuki told Jun. At this, Nori clicked her tongue as if she was about to give her a lecture.

"Tsk. Tsk. Dame, dame (No, no)… You can't do anything without us, Yuuki… So just shut it… and… and… uu, ugh…"

(A/N: Play the OST: "Looking back on those days".)

Nori started out cheerfully, but in the middle of her sentence, Nori's voice suddenly cracked horribly, unable to contain her grief as her tears started falling.

"No, Nori-san… We promised that… we wouldn't cry…" Siune said. She was in no position to say this however, as she too had tears falling down her cheeks as Nori sobbed.

Talken and Tecchi could do nothing but reach out to hold her hand with theirs, their attempts to suppress their sobbing becoming weaker by the moment.

"I guess it can't be helped… I'll be waiting, so take as much time as you need… alright?" Yuuki said weakly, smiling tearfully as the rest of her friends followed Talken and Tecchi's actions, all of them nodding their heads.

At this moment, they all heard multiple fluttering of wings again. Looking up, the Sleeping Knights saw familiar faces that had accompanied them throughout their final adventures during the last few months. Kirito and company had all shown up. Knowing the gravity of the situation, they all took turns in paying their respects to Yuuki. Klein started, then Sinon, and all the way up to Leafa, Kirito and Yui.

After Kirito and Yui finished their farewells, they all felt a soft breeze blowing at them, along with the sound of more wings; and not just one or two either. When they turned to the direction the breeze was coming from, they saw the unthinkable: Fairies of all 9 races in ALfheim were heading their way to Panareze, with each of the fairy race leaders leading the way. There were so many of them that they were almost covering the entire sky. There must be more than 1000 people present on Panareze. It was as if every player logged onto ALO had come for them. Even the members of the guild that had used them as guinea pigs for the boss raids had shown up.

"Aah… sugoi… (amazing…) there are so many fairies…" Yuuki almost whispered in amazement.

"Gomenne… (I'm sorry…) I thought you might get upset with this, but I had Lisbeth call them all over for this…" Asuna said as the players that were the first to arrive landed on the island, gathered around Yuuki and Kirito's group and knelt down as a sign of respect. The rival guild also did the same. There were so many players present that the island was filled with kneeling players within seconds and many others resorted to floating around the island.

"No, I'm not upset at all… But… why, though…? Why are they all here…? Am I dreaming…?" Yuuki asked.

"Datte… datte… (Because… because…)"

(A/N: Play the OST: "You are not alone".)

"Yuuki… You're the strongest swordswoman in this world… There never will be someone that will be as good as you. We can't let you have… such a lonely goodbye… Everyone here is praying for you, that your next journey would be as wonderful as this…" Asuna said as another tear dropped.

"Urushii… Boku, urushiiyo… (I'm happy… I'm, so happy…)" Yuuki said as she smiled weakly. She took a deep breath and started a soliloquy.

"I always, always wondered… I was born to die, so what was the reason for me to exist in this world? I couldn't create anything meaningful or help others. I could only waste so much medicines and machinery, causing the people around me and myself nothing but trouble, all the while suffering and worrying… and if I'm just going to end up dying in the end, it'd be better that I die now… I thought that so, so many times…" Yuuki said, her voice becoming weaker and cracking more and more. Some of the girls present were already starting to cry.

"Why am I alive… I always wondered… But… but, you know… I feel like I've finally found the answer: Even if there is no meaning… it's alright to be alive… because my final moments is so… so fulfilling…" Yuuki wheezed. She took another breath to finish her last words.

"Because I can end my journey surrounded by so many people, and in the arms of the person I love…" Yuuki closed her eyes as she finished her soliloquy. Asuna finally let her tears fall.

"I… I'll see you again… In some other place, in some other world… we'll definitely see each other again… And when we do, promise me you'll tell me what you found in that world, alright?" Asuna said, as another tear fell onto Yuuki's closed eye.

Yuuki opened her eyes in which she knew would be her last time doing so. She then saw her beloved sister Aiko smiling down at her. Happy that she would meet her again very soon, Yuuki let her tears fall.

Asuna then she heard Yuuki's voice in her mind.

'Boku… boku gambatte ikita… Kokode… ikitayo! (I… I did my best to live… I… really lived here!)' Yuuki thought. She then slowly let her eyes close, then flew higher than her wings could take her to rejoin her family and friends, all the while remembering the fond memories she made with Asuna and the rest of her friends.

Flashback end


When Asuna finished her tale on how Yuuki had passed on, her family was once again at a loss for words. Asuna at this point was shaking in tears uncontrollably, her most recent pain of losing a precious friend only hours ago coming back in full force once more. Even they could feel the pain just by looking at Asuna's current state. All in all, it was heartbreaking to see.

(A/N: Play the OST: "Tears for you". Such a fitting title for this scene…)

"Oh, Asuna… I'm so sorry…" Kyouko said as she put her hand on her back to try and stop her from crying, but of course, to no avail. Asuna threw herself into her mother's arms and started pouring her pain out.

"Why?! Why did she have to go like this…?! She'd become someone like a little sister to me…! She was just 15 years old…! She still had a whole life ahead of her…! Both Yuuki and her sister…! Why did she and her family have to suffer like they did…?! What was the point…?! Why did Kami-sama (God) have to be so cruel…?! Why is she gone… when I'm still here, alive and well…?! Doushite…?! (Why…?!)" Asuna went on, her voice crescendo-ing to a heart-breaking wail.

There were several times Kyouko could remember Asuna crying, but two occasions in particular, she could remember vividly. One was during her childhood where Asuna had lost her teddy bear that she had asked Kyouko to choose for her, and the other, during her parent's funeral, as she loved going to their home in Miyagi.

Just hearing the news of someone precious to you dying was painful enough, but to actually witness that person dying right in front of you, in your arms no less… the pain must have been unfathomable. Even Kyouko could understand that…

"Shh… It's okay… it's okay, Asuna… But, if it's like you said, then at least now, she's not suffering anymore… She's with her family now… She must be happy now… so don't cry…" Kyouko said in her attempts to comfort her daughter in her arms, all the while patting her back soothingly, which was how she had comforted her when she was younger. When she remembered the last time she had done so, it was to comfort her after losing her favorite teddy bear that was more than just a toy to Asuna at the time. Even she could understand that the pain of losing a childhood toy would be miniscule when compared with the pain of a friend she cared for dying in her arms.

"Yuuki…! Yuuki…!" Asuna sobbed in her mother's arms. At this, Kouichirou and Shouzou also embraced her, wanting to do anything to dull Asuna's emotional pain. As this went on, Kyouko felt a single tear dropping down her face as she remembered her own sadness when her parents had passed and how her husband had understood her pain and stayed by her side. Fellow sufferers have pity for each other… now she felt like she could understand Asuna's pain; even more so than before. So now, it was her turn to stay by her daughter's side when she was in pain, as any family would have done.

As Asuna continued crying, and her family mourning for her friend with her, the rain continued to pour down outside their house; with no thunder or lightning, just the noise of raindrops. It was as if heaven itself was mourning silently with them for losing such a radiant soul.


A/N: That's that… I'm sure you guys wanted a sad one this chapter, and 2 readers in particular asked me to make them cry this chapter. If you read through this chapter, then tell me whether or not I was able to do as you requested.

If you guys haven't notice already, the arrangements of the OSTs should be pretty similar to that of the anime version.

For me, when I first saw Yuuki's death scene, I was able to hold it in for the most part, but at the end when Yuuki saw her sister smiling down at her and the OST timing the scene perfectly; that was when I lost it… In essence, seeing a sad scene alone isn't enough to make me cry, it's the scene together with a fitting OST that makes me lose control, and Yuuki's death together with the OST "You are not alone" was no exception. Let me know what you guys thought about this chapter and tell me when you first saw ep 24 of SAO season 2 you lost control of your emotions… :').

Also, tell me if playing the OST while reading this chapter had the effect that I desired in the reviews. If you liked me doing it, then I'll continue to do the OST part in the future chapters as well.

Lastly, University resumes on the 14th for me, so expect considerable delays in the future updates, as I need to focus on my course loads. I'll try to post the 7th chapter before school resumes, but no promises, though… Once again, thank you for reading my story and see you in the next chapter.

Yours truly, KiritoIRL.