A/N: Hey guys, I'm finally back with another chapter. This chapter was so far the most difficult to write. I swear, it gets harder and harder to write for some reason!
My exams ended two weeks ago but I had to pack up and get ready for a trip. I'm currently in Korea for family visit and vacation. Plus, it was my birthday on the 9th, so I was celebrating it with my family, so uploading this chapter took a bit longer.
Also, I'm really grateful for your love and patience for this story! I've got about 15500 views now! And during the 5 months of my absence, you've all encouraged me through PM and reviews and showed how much you were willing to wait for this story, so thank you all! I hope that this chapter was worth the wait.
I've kept you waiting long enough, so we'll proceed with this chapter. A bit of warning though, Asuna may seem a bit OOC this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own SAO, its characters or the OSTs! They belong to Kawahara Reki-sensei and Kajiura Yuki-san respectively!
Chapter 12 – Asuna's Hidden Resentment
April 1, 2026, Wednesday. SAO Survivor's School.
Asuna arrived at her school far later than she usually did. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the fact that she wasn't in another person's home, plus, the home being her friend's, who went to a different school, as well as Kirito wanting to see her before class started, she actually would have opted to miss school for the day, as unbelievable as that may be. So, Asuna left for school at the same time as Shino did. Shino, whose school was located in the opposite direction from Asuna's school, had to take a different transportation. Before they parted for their respective schools, Shino had wished her luck. To which Asuna thanked quietly.
As soon as Asuna entered the school building, she observed the reactions of her schoolmates. They didn't react much to her presence, other than giving her a sad look briefly; the similar looks they gave her ever since Yuuki's death. From their reactions, they clearly didn't know yet that she had run away from home. And she hoped that it would stay that way for a while longer… Leaving those thoughts behind her, Asuna started heading to the roof of the school to meet Kazuto.
When she arrived, she saw that not only Kazuto was there, but also Rika and Keiko. When they saw her, they all approached her, looking extremely worried.
"Asuna…" Kazuto said hesitantly, not sure of what to say.
"Kirito-kun… I'm sorry for making you worry…" Asuna apologized.
"No, don't be… you're here with us now, so it's okay…" Kazuto comforted her.
"Look Asuna, Kazuto's already told us what happened to you yesterday. Are you sure you're alright?" Rika asked.
"Well, I've been better… I'm just glad that no one else in school seems to know about this whole ordeal…" Asuna admitted.
"Yeah… The teachers called us all yesterday evening and told us to keep this quiet and not spread it around. The last thing we need is for the whole school to spread nonsense rumors about you." Rika said. Asuna was relieved to hear this.
"But honestly though, how could your parents do such a thing? Have they learned nothing after what almost happened to you during the ALO incident?" Rika asked incredulously.
"And the timing couldn't have been any worse too! If it's really as bad as you made it out to be, then it'd take a miracle to resolve this whole situation!" Keiko added on.
"Well, let's hope that her family can actually come to their senses for once. But who knows how long that would take…" Kazuto said.
"By the way Asuna, how has Sinon been treating you?" Rika asked.
"She's been great. She was really understanding of my situation. Although, she did make me promise to make up with my family at some point… but I really can't see that happening anytime soon." Asuna answered her friend.
"But you can't avoid them forever… you know that, don't you?" Kazuto asked her.
"Umm… wakaru... (Yes… I know…)" Asuna sighed. She just wasn't looking forward to it. At that moment, the school bell rang, signaling that class was about to start.
"Let's meet here again for lunch. Let's go everyone." Rika said. So, everyone decided to go to their respective classes.
Asuna came into the classroom quietly and took her seat. It didn't take very long for the teacher to come to start the class.
As soon as the teacher came in to start the class however, the classroom's announcement speaker rang.
"Yuuki Asuna-san, please make your way to the councilor's office immediately. I repeat, Yuuki Asuna-san, please make your way to the councilor's office immediately."
Asuna froze at her seat, suddenly able to feel that the gazes of the entire class were on her. Most of her classmates seemed to be staring out of concern though, probably thinking that the teachers were calling her to console her about Yuuki's passing. But she knew that it was much more than just that.
"Well, I suggest you be on your way, Yuuki-san…" Her teacher said to her. Looking at his expression, it was clear that he knew what had happened to her yesterday.
But regardless, Asuna complied and stood up to head for the councilor's office. During her walk out of the classroom, however, she could feel her classmates not take their eyes off her until she exited to the hallway.
Asuna began slowly to walk towards the councilor's office. She suddenly became aware that she could hear the echoing in the hallway every time she took a step towards her destination; the sound making her feel strangely tense.
She knew that this was coming. It was obvious as to what they were going to talk about. So why did she start feeling so uneasy all of a sudden?
In any case, having no reason to be in any hurry to get there at all, Asuna continued walking to the councilor's office slowly.
Asuna stopped when she arrived at the door. No doubt they were going to ask her about the details of why she decided to run away from home. Well, she had to face this sooner or later, so she braced herself for a bit of lecture from her teachers and opened the door to enter the councilor's office and went in without knocking.
She then took a look at the people present. There were three people present: the female councilor and the principal. But when she realized who the third person present was, her face hardened. It was her father.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Asuna muttered, showing no attempt to hide her frustration. She immediately turned back towards the door to head out.
"Yuuki-san, let's not make this harder than it has to be; come inside and sit down, please." The councilor requested, although a bit sternly.
"Asuna, we need to talk… Please…" Her father said to her gently.
As much as she wanted to get away, Asuna was reminded of the promise she made to Shino. So, she decided to bear with it and listen to what her father had to say. But that didn't keep her from being skeptical.
Asuna sat down on the chair, maintaining her glare at her father.
Shouzou stared at his daughter in slight surprise. Looking at her now, whether she realized it or not, her look of fury looked very similar to that of her mother's. That didn't bode well at all for him. Even before SAO, he had done his best to specifically avoid getting into an argument with Kyouko. Maybe it was because her way of intimidation, but oftentimes, he never found himself winning an argument against her. He hoped that Asuna would at least understand his reasoning, but her glare made that hope waver a bit.
"I'm surprised that you actually even bothered to skip work to come here…" Asuna said cynically. Then she continued sarcastically.
"So? What can this humble delinquent do for a high class business man such as yourself?"
Shouzou's eyebrows furrowed, not enjoying her sarcasm one bit.
The school staffs that were present were also surprised at Asuna's current behavior. They had all known her to be a polite and kind student who respected her seniors. She was pretty much one of the Valedictorians of the entire school. Heck, the other students of the school had long been calling her 'The Princess'. Not just because of her beauty, but also because of her kind and respectful behavior to everyone around her; a far cry from the current girl who was glaring daggers at her father. Her voice was also cold enough to make anyone's blood freeze. If this wasn't an indication that something was terribly wrong, then they didn't know what was.
"Asuna, for goodness' sake… listen to me. I know you're angry with me and your mother; and I don't blame you…" Shouzou started, but Asuna cut him off sharply.
"I thought I told you, that I want nothing to do with this family anymore! And speaking of that witch, where is she, anyway? Didn't she come with you?" The teachers once again looked at each other in shock. They had never seen Asuna openly badmouthing anyone; to her own mother, no less.
"No… she wanted to come, but your brother and I talked her out of it. We thought that her being here would only make you angrier. She's at home with your brother right now. She'll have her chance to speak with you when you come back home with us." Shouzou answered.
"Weren't you listening? That fancily decorated prison of a house is not my home anymore! In fact, I've felt like it hasn't been one for a long time! And I have nothing left to say to her either! Even if I agree to go back, I can already see her shouting at me for disobeying her and that her way is the ONLY way for me to be happy. Just how much more hypocritical could she be? "
"Asuna…" Shouzou sighed. At this point, the teachers decided to step in.
"Enough." The principal said sharply. At this both father and daughter stopped where they were.
"I believe that we're here to talk and come to an agreement of some sort, not argue and make the matter worse than it already is." The principal said. Shouzou sighed at this.
"Yes, you're right. But before we can discuss that together, could you please give us some time alone to talk first?" Shouzou asked.
"Of course… we'll be in the adjacent room." The principal said. He then left the room with the councilor following behind.
Even as the teachers left, Asuna maintained her glare on her father. Shouzou finally decided to break the silence.
"Asuna, I can't deny that we made a horrible mistake by trying to bring you and that man together. The same goes for your mother! She may not have said it out loud, but she knows it's true." Shouzou explained, but Asuna refused to believe it.
"She admits that she was wrong? Ha, say something that I can actually believe in!" Asuna scoffed.
"Can you really not trust me, Asuna?" Shouzou asked.
'Don't trust him… after all, everything he and that woman said to you was a lie all along.' The wretched voice again taunted Asuna.
"Trust you? Why should I? After all, you've lied to me all this time, so why should it be any different now?" Asuna asked, unconvinced.
"Because you don't know the whole story! You don't know what happened while you were inside SAO!" Shouzou tried to explain.
"Oh, I'm well aware of what happened during SAO; more than anyone! Trying to marry me off to a vile sadist whose goal was to literally brainwash me into his obedient little puppet; something that you're trying to do to me, even now!" Asuna said.
"No, you're wrong, Asuna! We're not trying to brainwash you! Your mother and I are just doing what we can to secure a life that you can be happy with!" Shouzou said. He wanted to get that fact across his daughter's mind. But like yesterday, Asuna was unwilling to accept the explanation.
"Well, what you mean by a 'happy life' for me, it's actually all about your career record and pride for the Yuuki family and nothing else! Besides, does she even have the right to decide what's best for me? After how she acted when I was trapped in SAO?" Asuna asked. Shouzou froze at this.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked.
"Don't play dumb. You must have known all about it. Did you really think that I didn't know? That she stopped visiting me and acted like I had already died during SAO?" Shouzou's eyes widened in shock. He had thought that Asuna didn't know about her mother's reaction during SAO.
When Asuna had finally woken up from her prolonged sleep after SAO and ALO, his wife had asked him to not bring up the subject again. He knew that she regretted how she had pretended that their daughter had already died, so in her own way, Kyouko had been trying to make amends for it.
"How do you know about that?" Shouzou asked, his heart becoming heavy. To answer, Asuna decided to be a bit cryptic.
"How did I know, you ask? Oh, you're going to love the answer!" Asuna fumed then continued.
"Let me give you a clue: Who was the closest to the Yuuki's to the point that he visited me in my ward alongside you during my captivity, and at the same time had access to ALO's GM account? There was only one person who fit those criteria at the time!" Asuna said. Shouzou gasped in horror. He started to pray that the answer wouldn't be who he was thinking of.
"No… please don't tell me it was…" Shouzou started, but Asuna cut him off.
"Do you get it now? That's right! The person who told me all about her behavior was none other than Sugou Nobuyuki himself!" Asuna bellowed, confirming Shouzou's worst fear.
"During the two months I was trapped in his bird cage, he would always come during his spare time and try to woo me over, and say all kinds of things to discourage me and give up hope. And do you know what one of the things he said to torment me was? It was telling me about how my own mother had given up on me!" Asuna yelled. Shouzou tried desperately to come up with a counter.
"Asuna… you don't honestly believe his words, do you…?" Shouzou asked in slight panic.
"Do I now…? Believe me; I really wanted to not believe his words. I mean, why would I want to, after everything he did to me? But after Kirito-kun freed me from ALO, and started my rehabilitation, did you really think that I didn't notice how distant she was being during the process?" Asuna asked him.
"Well… she was…" Shouzou stammered, not knowing what to say, but Asuna cut him off.
"That was when I started to realize that something was off about her, so I asked the nurses about it. And do you know what I heard from them? That while you and Nii-san came to visit me on a regular basis, but Kaa-san? They told me that she almost never came to visit me." Asuna said bitterly.
"Asuna, that doesn't mean anything! Your mother was just having a hard time with the fact that you were trapped in the death game! We honestly didn't know if you would even wake up at all! And with the death toll only increasing, she just didn't want to think about the fact that you may not return at all and…" Shouzou tried to explain on his wife's behalf, but Asuna once again beat him to it.
"So, what you're going to say is that just because you didn't know if I would live or die, she just completely gave up on me, trying to forget that I existed?" Asuna asked coldly.
"Wha… no! Never! She just didn't want to be hurt if you really did end up dying and..." Shouzou said hastily, but realized too late that what he said would imply the wrong thing.
"Ahh… so you mean that when SAO did happen, she just up and assumed the worst; that I wouldn't return to you alive?!" Asuna questioned, her voice rising.
"Asuna, don't twist my words! That's not what I'm trying to say!" Shouzou said, starting to get a bit irritated.
"Then what is?! Nothing changes the fact that she DID give up on me! I bet she practically acted like that I never existed in the first place! Did I really mean so little to her, that she tried to forget about me?! What kind of mother does that, anyway…? I mean, I get that it was painful to see me in the state I was in, not knowing if I would ever wake up or not, but did she really have to go as far as trying to forget me? Actually, I shouldn't be surprised… thinking back, even before SAO, that's how she's been all along! Ever since I was little, all she did was to try and shape me and my life into how SHE wanted it, not how I want, so that I could be just another part of her excellent career record! She may have looked like she cared at the time but when I got trapped in SAO, she was so quick to disregard me just because of the mere fact that I got stuck in it made a dent in her otherwise perfect career record. And when I came back, she had another sudden change of heart, tried to act like nothing happened and again tried to twist my life into what she wants it to be! Did you really think that I'd be grateful, to receive such false and inconsistent affection?! So tell me, Tou-san, how is it, that I find Sugou Nobuyuki's words far more believable than yours or Kaa-san's, huh?!" Asuna asked, her anger rising uncontrollably.
"Asuna… you're jumping to conclusions! Your mother never abandoned you and she never would! She loves you like any mother would! If you only knew what she's been through you'd know that…" Shouzou trailed off sadly, but Asuna disregarded this.
"There he goes again, trying to defend her after everything that she made you go through… don't listen to their lies. She thinks that she's the one who suffered the worst from SAO. How selfish." The voice jeered her again.
"What she's been through? Please, what's she's been through is nothing compared to what the people who lost their friends or families during SAO went through! Does she really think that the one who suffered the most from the incident was her and her alone?! Why is she always so self-centered?! But then again, what else should I expect from the person who has the nerve to call the SAO survivors as people who spent two years killing each other; someone so narrow-minded that she calls the victims criminals just because of the actions of a few?" Asuna questioned.
"Wait, your mother said what?" Shouzou asked, surprised.
"Oh, you mean you don't know yet? Yes, you heard me! She called the students of SAO survivors as kids who spent two years killing each other. She categorizes them with murderers! You don't believe me? Go ask her yourself!" Asuna bellowed her face now red with fury.
"Asuna, for goodness's sake, listen! I disagree with your mother on that one, and no, your friends are certainly not criminals. She's just concerned about your future. You may not agree with her methods, and I don't either from time to time, but she wants what's best for you and is doing everything in her power to give you a better future!" Shouzou defended his wife, but Asuna was still unconvinced.
(A/N: Play the OST: "Her Cruel Past")
"Like I said, what right does she have to try and decide my future for me, after yesterday and Sugou?! Getting back to the point, if she assumed that I wouldn't make it back, then why does she care about me NOW?!" Asuna asked again. Shouzou's face scrunched deeper into sadness.
"When I heard about Kaa-san from the nurses, I tried to forget all about it… tried to think positively… to try to understand her… think that she went through a lot during SAO, but now… I just can't understand her anymore! I just can't trust anything that you two say anymore!" Asuna shouted.
"Asuna…" Her father said.
"And… it's just… I was so happy when Kaa-san told me that I could stay in this school. I was happy that she was finally respecting my decisions… I thought that she was finally giving me a chance to live my life the way I want… that's what I really thought…" Asuna trailed off weakly, tears finally falling again. Shouzou still stayed silent, unable to think of anything to comfort or convince his daughter.
"But now… if this is how it was going to be, then I wish that I never came back from SAO…! If I did…, I never would've been held captive by that monster… and I wouldn't have to be feel so grieved because of meeting Yuuki… and I wouldn't have had to know that the man that I hated the most was right all along; that all this time, my own mother never concerned herself to believe in me but tried to give up on me instead!" Asuna bellowed. Her voice had started small and sorrowfully, but it soon crescendo-ed to an angry cry.
"I… no, we're so sorry… Asuna… you had such a terrible burden on your mind… and we didn't have a clue of it… " Shouzou said, voice full of regret and self-loathing.
Asuna stayed where she was for a few minutes, tears continuing to fall down. But soon, Asuna stood up and headed to the door.
"If they're really sorry, then they'll never come looking for you again… tell him that." The voice ordered.
"If you're truly sorry, then do me this one last favor, father." Asuna emphasized the word 'father' with bitterness.
"I'm going to live my life the way I want from now on… without anyone, especially her telling me what to do… So, please… never… come looking for me again…" Asuna requested, her voice empty. She then opened the door and proceeded to run, heading to the exit of the school building.
"Asuna! Asuna!" Shouzou tried to stop his daughter, but she had already left the room.
On her way out, she came across the two teachers who were present with her father in the counseling room earlier. They briefly gave a surprised look, but quickly recovered.
"Yuuki-san, where are you going?" The councilor asked, but Asuna ignored her and continued to run.
"Yuuki-san, this is not a request; get back here!" The councilor demanded, but Asuna again ignored her and headed straight to the exit of the school. She didn't even bother to go back to class and get her stuff. All that was on her mind was to get out of the building, away from her former family.
When she felt that she had gotten a fair distance away from the school, Asuna suddenly became aware of where she ended up. It was a playground that was in the more rural area of the city. Thankfully, no one was in the park or anywhere near it, so far as she could tell.
She took a seat on one of the swings, but didn't bother to swing on it. She wasn't in the mood, nor did she have the energy for it. It wasn't even noon and yet Asuna felt extremely exhausted.
With the commotion that she made, it was likely that by now, the whole school knew what had happened, so going back to it was out of the option. She hadn't brought much to school anyway because the majority of her belongings were back at the Yuuki manor. Plus, with the mess she'd added up, she didn't know how she was going to face Kazuto and the rest of her friends.
She had let it happen again. She had let her anger get the best of her again.
'What is the matter with me?! Why did I blow up like that again?! What am I going to do now?' Asuna shouted to herself in her mind.
She couldn't take it anymore.
She broke down on the swing and started crying again. No one would hear her cry right now, and for the time being, Asuna wanted it to stay that way; at least the half of her mind did. The other half of her was pleading desperately.
'Someone… Anyone… Please… help me…' She wept in her mind. She wanted to something… anything to make the pain and regret go away. Yuuki would have definitely known what to do in this situation. But she was well aware that nothing could bring her back.
Right now, Asuna felt sadness and loneliness like she'd never felt before. She felt like she'd been thrown into a dark pit with the way out nowhere to be seen.
It felt like nothing would be able to resolve the problem between her and her family. The one person who understood her situation the best was gone forever, leaving her alone to face the growing problem alone. It all felt hopeless.
She didn't know how much time passed. But Asuna kept crying like she never had before, seeking for even a small glimmer of light to show her the way through her currently dark and unknown path.
A/N: There we go. Things seem to be going from bad to worse every chapter for both Asuna the Yuuki's. So the question is; how will things ever get better for them? You'll have to wait and see.
Were you able to understand why Asuna was so angry with her family? Were my explanations clear? This chapter has been the hardest to write for me because of a persistent writer's block. So, I need you readers to tell me how I did. If the explanation wasn't clear enough, if you tell me by PM or review of which part was unclear, I'll revise this chapter along with the next chapter update.
As of right now, I have the rest of the month off but have another intern term coming up. So, I think that I'll be able to write more frequently this time, so you probably won't have to wait too long for the next update. I'll keep you guys posted if there're any changes on my schedule.
Once again, thank you all so much for your love. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me.
Yours truly, KiritoIRL.
