A/N: Hey guys, KiritoIRL is back with another chapter!

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the delay of this chapter. I had a midterm to finish up and I finally found some time to finish this chapter this week! But to compensate for the delay, this chapter is a very long one. It has about 16000 words in it, more than double the length of my previously longest chapter. So, forgive me for that, k?

Also, a big shout of for TheSib! When I was so busy with schoolwork, he offered to help me out writing this chapter and quite a lot of the flashbacks that're in this chapter were written by TheSib! I really appreciate it, man. This chapter was able to be finished much faster thanks to you.

If you haven't already, check out the SAO stories written by TheSib; many of them are long and are quite fun to read.

And lastly, for the OSTs in this chapter that are part of the Fairy Dance Arc, I recommend listening them in the ORIGINAL pitch, not the pitched down versions that you can find on youtube. The fact that I couldn't find the original pitched versions of the Fairy Dance OSTs has always annoyed me. I believe that you can find the original pitched OSTs in the SAO: Music Collection.

Now, without anymore delays, let's get on with the story!

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


Chapter 16 – A Mother's Love – Part 1: Regrets


Sada was doing her work down in the kitchen, trying to be as discreet as possible. With the argument that was clearly audiable coming from the above floor, she was sure that it wasn't something that she wanted to get involved at all. With the young miss and young master gone, she had somewhat expected this, but it was no less uncomfortable being in the house because of that.

A few hours after her employer had left the house, the mistress came down to the kitchen once to grab a wine glass and a bottle of sherry. Even by just looking at her face, she could tell: she did NOT want to cross with her at that moment. Even as the afternoon passed, her mistress had made no further signs to come out of her room. It was only sometime after 5 o'clock that she finally came out of her room. But she didn't come downstairs, but instead it sounded like she was heading to another room. Then not very long after, she heard a loud thud coming from the above floor. It sounded like it was coming from the young miss's room. She deduced that her mistress had gone into it, but what could have caused that noise? Deciding to risk of being scolded at, Sada headed to the room where the noise came from and knocked on the door.

"Mistress? Is everything alright in there…?" Sada asked. When no response came, she knocked again, but again no response was heard.

"Mistress… I'm coming in…" Sada said and opened the door, only to be greeted by a disastrous scene. Her mistress was on the floor of the young miss's room, unconscious. Sada gasped, horrified.

"Mistress! Mistress! Wake up! Please get a hold of yourself! Mistress!" Sada called out to her, shaking Kyouko and pleading her to wake up, but she remained unconscious. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and she was sweating a bit. Her breathing sounded labored as well.

Sada got her phone from her pocket and proceeded to dial '119'.

(A/N: In Japan and Korea, to call either the Firefighters or an ambulance, the dial for it is 119. In Japan only though, the dial for the police is 110.)

"Hello? My employer is unconscious; she has an intense fever and isn't waking up at all! Please send an ambulance here immediately! We're at the Yuuki residence in Setagaya!" Sada spoke urgently to the receiver.


Nearby park of the Setagaya Neighborhood.

Shouzou was currently sitting on the bench in a park that was nearby the neighborhood of their house. Since leaving his house, he had wandered around aimlessly; all the while thinking what could be done to restore their family, but nothing good came into mind. He eventually came back to the Setagaya neighborhood and rested there.

He didn't know how much time had passed. But after some time, his phone gave a ring, indicating that he had received a message. Opening it, he saw that it was from his son. He wasted no time in reading its contents.


Dad, it's Kouichirou.

I have some good news: I found where Asuna's staying at and I got the chance to talk to her. And even better, I was able to convince her partially. Long story short, Asuna agreed to go on a trip away from home, starting tomorrow morning. I think it'll be easier to convince her to come back home if we let her cool her head away from home, although, I had to tell Asuna that you or mother didn't have a hand in this trip.

So please, don't contact me during the trip. The same goes for mother. If Asuna sees that you did, it's likely that she won't trust me. It was hard enough convincing her to take this trip with me as it was. I don't know when, but when I convince Asuna completely, I'll come back with her.

I'll keep you updated when I can.

Kouichirou.


He gave a sign in relief after he finished reading the message.

This was the best news that he had received during the whole day. He did say in his letter that he was going to look for Asuna on his own, and he was able to find her in record time and even better, he had managed to get a chance to convince her.

'Good job, son.' Shouzou mentally complimented Kouichirou, proud.

Now he had to relay this message to his wife. The argument he had with her may have been coming, but still, all of her actions were done with good intentions, even though some of them were dubious from an outsider's view. There were reasons behind her obsessions of seeing Asuna succeed in life; to see her live a happy and regretless life, as any parent should desire for their child. And with everything that had happened throughout Asuna's life, he frankly couldn't entirely blame his wife for some of her choices.

In any case, with this releiving news in hand, he might as well tell her the news in person. He got up from the bench and started heading back to his house.

As he started walking back, he could hear sirens from a distance gradually becoming louder. He didn't think too much of it and just focused on getting back and telling Kyouko about what their son did.

He turned around the corner to the alley where his house was at, only to see a concerning sight. Blaring lights of an ambulance siren came into view. And the ambulance was parked right in front of his house, with some of the neighbors gathered around in front of their house. He stopped dead on track at this, quickly registering what that meant.

"Kyouko…!" Shouzou muttered, breaking off into a sprint towards his house. Did something happen to her?

As he approached the yard, his answer was given as paramedics came from out their yard and towards the ambulance, carrying his wife on the stretcher, followed by Sada, making his heart drop to his stomach.

"Kyouko! What happened to her?!" He asked them, pushing some of the bystanders out of the way, distressed.

"I found her collapsed in the young miss's room." Sada informed him. As she explained the situation, the paramedics had finished preparing to transport Kyouko to the hospital. One of them approached them.

"Excuse me. We're ready to take her to the hospital. You're the patient's husband, am I right?" He asked. Shouzou nodded.

"Then come with us, please." He said. Shouzou and Sada followed suit and got on the ambulance, which soon rang out its sirens and rushed to the hospital.


Hospital, outside the Emergency Section.

Shouzou and Sada sat on the bench just outside the door that separated them from the surgery room. They sat there, both in silence. Although, Sada did try to encourage her employer, which he only responded by nodding.

About 30 minutes after they last saw the doctors go inside the emergency section with his wife (although it honestly felt much longer than that), the door finally opened to reveal the doctors coming outside. The two immediately got up and approached them.

"How is she, doctor?" Shouzou asked the head doctor.

"She'll be alright. The operation was successful and your wife should be waking up in a few hours." The doctor assured him to his relief.

"Thank you." Shouzou said gratefully to him.

"The cause of her condition seemed to be extreme stress. And the amount of alcohol she consumed probably contributed to this as well. But I expect that she'll make a full recovery in a few days. But we'll keep her in the hospital for observation for about a week. If there are no further problems, she'll be released then. And in the process, please make sure that she doesn't face any kind of stress; it could serve to delay her recovery." The doctor advised.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you again." Shouzou repeated.

"Of course. Come with use now, we'll take you to your wife's ward." The doctor said. They nodded and followed suit.

They soon reached the ward with "Yuuki Kyouko-sama" labeled on the door. The doctors left after showing them inside. They entered to see Kyouko lying on the bed in a hospital gown, clearly still asleep. The nurses inside were still finishing on setting up the room for his wife. They left them alone after finishing their tasks.

Shouzou approached his wife's bed, and took her hand into his.

"Don't worry too much, Shouzou-sama. The doctor did say that she will wake up soon." Sada reassured him.

"I know… but the question is, when she does, will she change her mind about what's best for our family… can I convince her…? After everything that's happened…?" Shouzou commented.

"Let's hope so… Oh, and Shouzou-sama, here." Sada handed him a picture; a picture of their family together of approximately 15 years ago.

"Why do you have this?" He asked, slightly surprised.

"Mistress was holding onto that picture when I found her collapsed in the young miss's room." Sada said sadly.

"I see… Thank you." Shouzou said, taking the picture from her hands.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, with neither of them saying anything. After about half an hour later, Sada left, saying that she needed to go back home and prepare dinner for her family, but promised to come back for work the next day. So she bid farewell and left.

Shouzou stayed a while longer with his wife, hoping that she would wake up soon. But as it started to get late, he eventually decided to call it a day and come back the next day. He decided to leave the picture on the small stool beside her, hoping that she would see it when she woke up. With one last look at his wife, he left her ward to go back home.


A few hours later.

She couldn't recall much for the last few hours. During that time, she was constantly slipping in and out of consciousness after her sudden collapse. She could vaguely remember being transported out of her house and to the hospital, and her husband pleading with her to wake up during the trip.

Then, realizing that she was awake, she slowly opened her eyes. Taking a few seconds to observe her surroundings, she realized that she was in a hospital ward. There was no one present in the room, but that hardly mattered.

She didn't bother getting up from her bed. She continued to lie down, remembering how she ended up in the hospital; the argument with her son and husband… but particularly the one with her husband. She had never given it much thought, but after today's events, she started to ask herself a certain question; a question that was brought up during the arguments.

'I… I abandoned Asuna…?' She thought, unable to believe it. No… she never did, or at least, never meant to. She had loved her so much eversince she had become a part of their family. So, what went so wrong to give Asuna that horrible idea?

Hopeless thoughts circled around in her head again, asking so many questions of how to restore her family's trust. So many things had happened between them all… some of them not even Asuna or Kouichirou for that matter knew had even happened.

She didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she did, a few tears escaped from her eyes as she drifted off to sleep again.


September 30th, 2007.

She could hear wailing from what it felt like from a distance. She was gasping desperately for air. The past few hours had been painful to say the least. And although it was a pain that she had once experienced, it was still difficult to handle. But now, it had been all worth it.

"Yuuki-sama, congradulations! You have a beautiful little princess!" One of the nurses present told her and her husband who was present. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. After 9 months of waiting, she was finally here with her.

After cleaning her up and wrapping her up in a blanket, the nurse brought her crying newborn over to her mother. She gently took the little bundle into her arms and rocked her to calm her down. Eventually, the baby's wailing gradually declined to that of soft whimpers. She then slowly opened her eyes for the first time. Her eyes were a beautiful caramel color; almost the same color as her hair. Seeing her mother's face for the very first time, the baby just looked at her curiously. She then clumsily tried to move her arms. Shouzou and Kyouko both smiled and offered her their fingers to clutch onto.

"Well, now, we need to properly name her. You still haven't changed your mind about her name, have you?" Her husband asked.

"No… I've had my heart set on her name a long time ago." Kyouko stated.

"Well then, call her. Give her her name." Shouzou encouraged, beaming. She smiled back at this. She then looked at the little girl in her arms.

"Asuna… Yuuki Asuna… our daughter… welcome to our family…" Kyouko said softly to the child in her arms. As if responding, little Asuna gave a small coo. This only made their smile widen.

After feeding her for the first time, they allowed their family members waiting outside to come inside to meet the newest addition to the family. Young Kouichirou and his grandparents were the first to come inside and see baby Asuna. The young boy was delighted to finally see his little sister for the first time. And her parents, as well as her husband's parents gave their congradulations for her daughter's birth. For her, this day could only be described as one of the happiest days of her life. And she sincerely hoped that it would last forever, both for her and her family.


October 2nd, 2007.

It was two days after the birth of her daughter, and Kyouko was dying to see her again. The day before, she had practically spent the whole day in the nursery where all the new borns were kept at, never taking her eyes off her daughter. And she was planning to do the same for today again. She would be released tomorrow with Asuna, but that didn't stop her from wanting to be with her as much as possible. So, she again headed to the nursery to see her daughter again.

When she was just outside the room where the infants were kept, she saw through the window that there were several nurses and doctors gathered around one particular incubator with serious looks. Realizing that the incubator was Asuna's, she narrowed her eyes and went into the room to find out what was going on.

But as soon as she entered the room, she heard the doctor shout words that made her heart stop.

"Get this child to the emergency room immediately; NOW!" She heard him ordering the nurses urgently.

Now Kyouko's eyes widened as she now experienced an emotion that she had never felt so strongly before: Terror; not for herself, but for another.

The nurses got to work immediately following the doctor's order, and as they got to their task, one of them, who had helped her in Asuna's delivery realized that she was there, and had heard what the doctor had ordered. She approached Kyouko, who at this point was clearly terrified for her baby daughter.

"What's going on?! Is there something wrong with my baby?!" She asked the nurse, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Yuuki-sama, we'll do everything we can to save her. So please, calm down…" The nurses tried to calm the terrified mother down, but that had only made it worse. The way she said it, it practically confirmed her fears that Asuna was in some kind of mortal danger. The mere thought scared her so much.

"Please, please save her…! This is the wish of a lifetime, please save her!" Kyouko pleaded, practically screaming.

"We'll do all we can, so please, calm down." The nurse repeated gently. As she said it, the hospital staffs began to transfer her daughter out of the room. She had her eyes closed and was unmoving. Under other circumstances, she would've thought that her daughter was sleeping. But she knew that wasn't the case at all. She could only continue to cry in terror. Even as she was brought outside the room, her crying didn't stop. Then, two more people arrived at the scene. They rushed over to her, seeing her in such distress.

"Kyouko?! Kyouko, what's going on?! Did something happen?!"

"Mom, what's wrong?!" Shouzou and Kouichirou asked, very distressed at seeing the usually calm but recently happy woman in such state of terror.

"Asuna… Asuna, she…" Kyouko cried incoherently. She couldn't believe what was happening. Her baby had been just fine a few days ago… She was only two days old, and her life was in danger. It was too sudden… too much… too cruel.

"The doctors are doing all they can to save your child, Yuuki-sama. All we can do is wait and hope for the best." The nurse who was with Kyouko informed them.

"Asuna…! Asuna…!" Kyouko wept, her terror still out of control. Her husband and son attempted to calm her down as well, even though they were now equally terrified for their newest family member. They had to stay together, especially at a time like this.


None of them knew how much time had passed. But during those times, Kyouko had stopped crying, but she was as terrified as ever. It seemed to be the same for her husband. He too was silent, but fear evident on his expression. Right now, they were waiting in front of the operation room that Asuna was currently in.

Then, their son broke the fear-filled silence.

"Mom… Dad… what's going to happen to her? What's going to happen to my sister?" Their young son asked, who looked like he was about to start crying.

"The… the doctors are doing all they can to help her… She'll be okay… she has to be…" The boy's father tried to convince his son, but he himself was also uncertain.

All they could do was wait for the doctors to come out, to either deliver the most relieaving or the most heartbreaking news the family had heard yet.


Finally, the doctor who went in with Asuna came out. Seeing this, the three Yuuki's approached him. In response, he gave the good news.

"Don't worry. Your daughter should be fine now." He said.

"The cause of this seems to be SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It was very lucky that one of the nurses discovered it just in time, as usually there are no signs until it's too late. We'll keep her in the hospital for a week for observation just in case something else happens to her, but as of now, I don't forsee another incident like this coming." The doctor finished.

"Thank you… Thank you so much…" Kyouko hiccupped, her legs that had been shaking the entire time finally gave away from relief. Shouzou and Kouichirou soon thanked the doctor as well.

"We'll do some further check ups on your daughter before you can see her again. The nurses will notify you when you can see her." The doctor informed. The family thanked him again as he left.


After a few hours, the family was allowed to see baby Asuna again. As soon as the words left the nurse's mouth, she tried to get up to go see her child, but the nurse offered to bring her child to her instead, which they accepted.

A few minutes later, the nurse had brought the small bundle in with her and gave her to her mother. Kyouko took her into her arms gently, as if she was made out of glass. The baby, who was asleep, seemed to wake up as soon as she was passed onto her mother.

When she was fully awake, baby Asuna just looked up at her mother and cooed, trying to reach up to her, oblivious to the mortal peril that she was in just moments ago. Seeing this, Kyouko felt tears welling up again in her eyes. She had almost lost her… her daughter whom she loved so much, who had been the center of her thoughts for the past months.

"Oh, Asuna… Asuna…!" Kyouko moaned as her tears landed on Asuna's cheeks. As if she could read her mother's emotion, baby Asuna started wailing when she saw her mother's face scrunched up in sadness.

As her husband and son comforted them both, she swore to herself: She would see to it that her daughter never gets in harm's way. Never.


Spring, 2012. Tokyo shopping district.

It was a sunny day during the weekend in the city of Tokyo. Kyouko and young Asuna were out shopping to buy some new clothes for the both of them.

Asuna had enrolled into kindergarten not too long ago. And her mother had gotten her a teddy bear as a reward for getting into the kindergarten. Well, she had gone to a toy store to get the specific teddy bear that she wanted, but Asuna had asked her mother to pick one out for her, even though she had said that she could choose whichever one she wanted. So, by her request, Kyouko had selected on that she thought would suit her daughter the most. And Asuna wasn't disappointed in the slightest. And eversince then, whenever they got out, Asuna would bring her bear friend along with her, smiling happily.

And of course, today was no exception. Asuna was practically skipping on her feet right now.

"Are you really that happy about your teddy bear, Asuna?" She asked. In response, Asuna nodded.

"Mm! Because mama got her for me!" She responded happily.

"Oh, you silly girl…" Kyouko said; she wasn't scolding her at all, of course. She gave a small smile back. They continued to walk down the streets, with Asuna skipping every step she took.

After they had finished buying everything they needed, they decided to head home. They were heading to the bus stop that was on the other side of the road they were currently walking on. And when it came to view, she saw that the bus that they needed to get on was approaching the bus station, and the pedestrian traffic light that lead right to that stop was flashing, meaning that they had to run or they would miss the bus.

"Asuna, we have to run; that's the bus we need to get on." Kyouko informed her daughter and they broke off into a run together.

When they got to the crosswalk, the green light was already flashing, indicating that the light would soon turn red. So they both tried to cross it before the light turned red.

However, when she was in the halfpoint of the crosswalk, she barely managed to hear a yelp coming from behind her. It took her a few seconds to realize what the cause of the noise could be, but when she did, she looked back to see Asuna on the ground with her teddy bear lying beside her. She must have tripped when she was running.

"Uuu…" Asuna moaned, some tears forming on her eyes.

At this point the light had already turned red. And Asuna had tripped not too far away from where they had crossed. Slightly annoyed that they would have to wait for another bus, she started to walk to where Asuna was to get her up on her feet and clear the road for the waiting vehicles.

But then, she saw it.

Apparently, some drivers don't pay attention to the road too much, as one of the vehicles hit the pedal as soon as it saw the green light on the road. And it was headed straight at her daughter at an alarming speed.

"ASUNA!" Kyouko screamed.

"Eh?" Asuna looked at her, confused, obviously unaware of what kind of danger was coming towards her.

Only one objective was in Kyouko's mind at this point: Protect Asuna at any cost.

Time seemed to slow down as she rushed towards her daughter to get her out of harm's way as quickly as possible, dropping her shopping bags. All she was aware of was that she was acting on pure reflexes that she never knew she possessed. In what was like a blink of an eye, she reached where Asuna was and quickly grabbed her daughter and at the same time, jumped the both of them out of the way. Next thing she knew was that she was lying on the ground, and a loud screeching and a crash coming from closeby.

The pedestrians who witnessed the whole thing were rushing to where she and her daughter were, asking them if they were alright. Kyouko was fine, other than being a bit shaken from the sudden ordeal and so was Asuna.

Asuna only seemed to realize then of what had just happened.

"Asuna! Are you alright; are you hurt?!" Kyouko asked her frantically.

"Y… yeah…" Asuna responded, looking a bit spaced out.

"Thank goodness…!" Kyouko said.

Then, Asuna started looking around for something.

"Mama? Where's my teddy?" She asked.

Remembering that her daughter's teddy bear was lying beside her on the road, she looked at the crossroad to find the teddy bear; or at least, what was left of it.

Where the teddy bear previously was, there laid torn leg of the toy. And along the path of the car that almost ran over her daughter along with her toy, she saw other bits and pieces of the teddy bear lying on the road.

As she saw the damage that was done to her daughter's bear friend, Asuna had apparently followed her mother's line of sight, for she heard her suck in a pained breath at the sight.

"U… uuuaaa…! My teddy…!" Asuna wailed, devastated at the fact that her favorite bear friend was gone. Kyouko tried to comfort her and tried to tell her that she would get her a new one, but she didn't seem to be listening.

There was also another thing in her mind though… What if she wasn't quick enough to get her daughter out of the way in time? What would've happened then…? If she wasn't able to save her, then what would have been lying on the road would have been more than just the ruined teddy bear. It would've been her daughter, lying there, dead…

Then, taking a look at the crossroad again, she saw something that made her heart stop in absolute horror. Her little daughter lying on the road, her body broken, and blood pooling around beneath her, her eyes open, but seeing nothing…

'NO!' Kyouko screamed in her mind, trying to get the horrible image that her own mind was conjuring up out of her head. She vigorously shook her head and opened her eyes again, to see that the awful illusion had disappeared, and realize again that her daughter was with her in her arms. Although she was crying because of the loss of her toy, it was far better sight than the illusion that haunted her for a brief moment.

Soon, the ambulance and the police arrived at the scene. After the paramedics took care of the minor scratches that she and Asuna received, the police started asking her the details of the incident. And during the whole process, Asuna kept sobbing about the loss of her teddy bear, rather than the fact that she was almost run over by a car. Kyouko really didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing. But one thing was for sure: She would have been killed for sure if it hadn't been for her quick action. She needed to protect her daughter, whatever it takes.


Few days later.

They were inside the toy store where she had gotten the teddy bear for Asuna. She had brought the torn pieces of her daughter's teddy bear with her by her request. But even she could tell that the damage done to it wasn't something that could be fixed. But she went, wanting to be sure of whether it was repairable or not. But expectedly, the clerk shook her head negative. Asuna, who was beside her mother to hear the news herself, started to cry again. Seeing this, Kyouko bent down to her level to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Asuna. But you heard the clerk… your teddy bear can't be fixed." Kyouko said to her sadly. Asuna just kept shedding tear silently at this.

"It's okay, Asuna… we can get you another one, so don't cry, alright?" Kyouko said, putting her hand on her daughter's head and patting her softly, trying to comfort her.

"No… I don't want another one… it has to be her… it has to be her…" Asuna sobbed. Kyouko just held her, letting her cry it out.

She was just glad that they had both made it out of the ordeal alive. The police had informed her that the incident few days ago was indeed accidental. The driver of the car that almost killed her daughter had admitted that he hadn't been paying attention to the road, and hit the pedal as soon as he saw the light turn green. What was more, during that day, he had been caught on camera going over the speed limit several times as well as showing recklessness on the road. Causing such an accident by reckless driving, the police said that his license would be revoked, and she was glad to hear it. Accident or not, it didn't change the fact that her daughter was almost killed. Looking at her crying daughter in front of her, she decided, she would keep a close eye on her; to keep her out of harm's way. She'll protect her and make her future a happy one; she would see to it.


Fall 2016, 5:00 PM, Yuuki residence.

Kyouko paced around her room in a state of unease. Asuna was supposed to have been back about an hour ago. Eversince Asuna became an elementary school student; she had put a curfew, telling her to come back as soon as school was done, no excuses. And for the most part, Asuna, who was now in grade 3, had given no complaints about it and followed her order to the letter. After the accident that almost killed her daughter, Kyouko had become somewhat strict on her. She didn't want her daughter to be outside unless she had to; who knew what kind of danger she may run into if she let her be so carefree.

She had also started to have Asuna focus more on her grades, and so far, Asuna had been at the top of her class. Realizing that her daughter had the potential to be successful like her brother did, she started to put more and more pressure on her to stay on top. As far as she could remember, Asuna hadn't shown any rebellious tendencies throughout her life, so she was certain that it would stay that way. So why was she so late?

When she was 15 minutes late, she decided that she would scold her alittle for being past curfew, but when 15 minutes turned to 30, and then to an hour, she started to get seriously worried. Her husband, who had been watching her, finally decided to break the ice.

"Dear, you might be worrying too much. Maybe Asuna had a weekly duty at school and forgot to tell us?" Shouzou tried to calm her down but it didn't work.

"You can't be serious, dear. You know that Asuna's never forgotten to call us when she would be back late from school." She countered.

"Or maybe she just found some new friends to play with. It's not so unusual for girls her age." Shouzou again attempted to dismiss her worries with little success.

"Look, I always told her to come home immediately after school and not play around. She has better things to do, like studying." She answered, to which Shouzou sighed.

"You know, I know that you're doing what you're doing with Asuna's best interest at heart, but, I think you should consider giving her some space. If you keep pressing her to just do nothing but focus on her academics, she'll be less effective because of that pressure. There's a limit to how much a person can handle at a time, you know, no matter how good they are." Shouzou reasoned.

"Oh, she's doing fine. I wouldn't be pressing her to do something she's incapable of. She has talent, dear. And wasting one's talent is a crime. I'll have to teach her that once she gets back home." Kyouko said, fully believing in her philosophy.

Just then, the phone started to ring. Kyouko decided to answer it, thinking that it may be Asuna.

"Hello?" She answered, half expecting her daughter's voice to answer back. But the voice that answered startled her.

"Is this the Yuuki residence?" The voice definitely wasn't her daughter's. What was more, the caller's voice sounded warped and distorted, as if he was using a voice changer.

"Y… yes. Who is this?" She asked, already getting a bad vibe from the voice.

"Don't you think that your daughter is late; unusually so?" The voice asked in what she could make out to be a slightly mocking tone. She froze in horror. How did this person know that?

"Answer me, who are you?" Kyouko asked, trying to remain calm.

"I have your full attention now, I see. Good. Now, if you want to see your daughter again, do as I say." The caller said.

"What did you do to Asuna?!" Kyouko raised her voice, now starting to panic. Shouzou walked up to where she was, concerned at the fact that his wife mentioned their daughter's name. Seeing her husband beside her, she turned the phone to speaker mode to confirm the situation.

"Calm down, I haven't done anything to the brat, not yet anyway." The now confirmed kidnapper answered.

"Where is she?! Let us speak to her!" Kyouko demanded, now in full panic.

"I don't think you understand the position you're in right now. I'm the one making demands, not you. And she can't say anything right now. She's out cold. Now, if you want to see the brat alive, prepare 10 million yen. I will call back to tell you where to drop the money. And don't even think about calling the cops, or she's dead." The kidnapper threatened.

"Alright, alright, we'll do anything, just please, don't harm our daughter. Please." Shouzou said, trying to reason with the kidnapper.

"Good. Now, wait for further instructions." The kidnapper ordered, and then hung up.

As soon the phone was hung up, Kyouko burst into tears, feeling terrified for her daughter for the third time in her life.

"Dear… it's alright… we just pay the ransom, and I'm sure she'll be released…" Shouzou tried to calm his wife down, but it did little good.

"Why?! Why is this happening to her?!" Kyouko cried.

Shouzou kept trying to calm her down, with little success.


Approximately 30 minutes later.

Shouzu and Kyouko got to work for getting the money the kidnapper had demanded. And while they were at it, Kouichirou, who was now preparing for university, came back home, only to be alerted to the alarming situation that could potentially take Asuna away from them all; again.

Only 30 minutes had passed since the kidnapper called, but it honestly felt like days for all of them. All they could do was to wait for the next call and pray that Asuna wouldn't be harmed even if they did as they were demanded.

Finally, the phone rang again, and Kyouko answered it before it rang the second time.

"Hello?" She answered nervously, expecting the answer to be in the same warped voice.

"Hello, is this the Yuuki's?" The voice clearly wasn't warped, and the speaking pattern was clearly different as well.

"Who… who is this?" Kyouko asked.

"This is police detective Satou. I'm calling you in regards to the recent kidnapping of your daughter. Please don't worry; your daughter is in safe hands now." The detective told her. She collapsed at where she was; her legs had finally given away from the relief.

"Your daughter is being transported to Tokyo General Hospital. She's not injured, but we're bringing her over there for a check up, just incase. We will tell you the exact details there, so please come over to the Tokyo General Hospital." The detective said.

"Thank you… thank you so much…" Kyouko hiccupped, relieved beyond words at the news.

As soon as she hung up, the three of them wasted no time getting to their car to get to the hospital.


Tokyo General Hospital, 6:00 PM.

As soon as the Yuuki's car arrived at the hospital, Kyouko and Kouichirou got out immediately to head inside, having Shouzou to park the car first before following them.

As soon as the mother and son reached the receptionist's desk, Kyouko wasted no time asking where her daughter was at. As soon as the nurse told her the desired info, she bolted towards her daughter's ward. When she and her son endered it, they were greeted by a few men in suites having a discussion with the doctor. But more importantly, her young daughter was lying in the bed, seeming to be asleep.

"Asuna!" Kyouko said, making their presence known to the people inside. They rushed to her bed.

"Is she hurt? What exactly happened to her?!" Kouichirou asked the men in the room.

"Your daughter is fine, so please calm down, the both of you." The doctor informed them. Then one of the suited men approached them, and showed his police badge to them.

"I'm detective Satou; the one that called you. Let me explain what happened." He said.


After Shouzou arrived in the room a few minutes later, Satou began his explanation. The kidnapping had happened a few hours ago. He had drugged Asuna to sleep using chloroform when she was on her way back home. And fortunately, the kidnapper had been quite careless, as there was a witness who had seen a man wearing a mask and sunglasses, covering his face, putting an unconscious girl into his car, which he reported to the police immediately, telling them of what he saw as well as telling them the license plate of the car. So after a while, the police located the vehicle in question, but the kidnapper had discovered that the police were onto him, leading to a dramatic car chase throughout the city. After a while, the police had cornered the culprit by setting up barricades, but the kidnapper had stubbornly refused to give up and tried to turn a quick corner, which resulted in the car unable to handle the momentum and roll on its side several times and capsizing when it came to a stop.

The kidnapper had been killed instantly from the crash, but the little girl was unharmed, minus a few scratches, which was in itself a miracle, considering the extensive damage done to the criminal's car. And during all that fiasco, Asuna had been blissfully unaware of the danger she was in because of being put to sleep.

Judging from the evidence the police found in the kidnapper's car, which included a collection of photos with Asuna in them, meaning that the kidnapper had been gathering information on her and her family with the intention of kidnapping her for money from the very start. So Satou advised to keep a closer eye on the child, to which Kyouko couldn't agree more.

After they were briefed about the situation, and the police and the doctors left to give the family some space, Kyouko heard a sound that was so welcoming that she stopped thinking whatever she was thinking.

"Uuh… Where… where am I…?" A soft voice coming from the hospital bed asked groggily. Hearing her voice, Kyouko got to her side instantly.

"Asuna!" She exclaimed, pulling her into a hug, surprising the young girl. Shouzou and Kouichirou, realizing Asuna was awake, gathered around her bed as well.

"You're awake! Thank goodness!"

"Are you feeling alright, Asuna?"

Shouzou and Kouichirou asked respectively.

"Yes…? What, what's this about…?" Asuna asked, confused by their concern as well as her mother's unusual behavior.

"What do you mean… you… don't you remember what happened?" Kyouko asked.

"Umm… No… I remember walking home, and after that… nothing… Wait, is this the hospital…? Why am I here?" Asuna asked, genuinely clueless.

Kyouko didn't know what to say about this turn of event. Well, the detective did say that she had been drugged to sleep, so it made sense for her to not remember anything. And maybe it was best that she doesn't know.

She saw her husband finish gathering his thoughts to answer his daughter's question. She gave him a look and their eyes met. The eye contact was brief, but her message was clear: 'DON'T. TELL. HER.'

He seemed to have gotten her message, for he said: "You… you were in an accident, Asuna. That's what happened. You've been out for a few hours. We're just glad that you're back safe." Shouzou explained, feeling a bit guilty about lying to his daughter. Kyouko was just glad that he was able to come up with something to keep her daughter from knowing what kind of danger she had been in. Kouichirou on the other hand didn't know what to think about this. But he decided to go along with it for now.

"Please… please don't scare us like this again, dear. You worried us sick." Kyouko said.

"I won't… I promise." Asuna answered, not knowing that this promise would be in vain years later.

"Asuna, listen to me. From now on, I want you to come back home, AS SOON as class ends; no excuses. I'll have someone to come pick you up everyday from now on. Is that clear?" Kyouko asked, further confusing Asuna.

"Eh…? But, why all of a sudden…" She tried to ask, but her mother cut her off.

"Is. That. Clear, Asuna?" Kyouko repeated, a little more sternly.

"Y… yes…" Asuna answered.

"Good…" Kyouko said, embracing her daughter once again.

This was the third time she was taken away from her. This event only solidified her resolve to make have Asuna walk towards a future she would be happy with, out of harm's way, not knowing that the true hardships for them all were yet to come.


November 6, 2022

Kyouko sat at her desk, typing away on her computer. The house was quiet, with her husband being at the office and her son on a business trip. Asuna was in her room, studying based on what Kyouko had been told.

Suddenly, Kyouko heard the phone ring. After a few rings, she heard Sada pick up downstairs. Kyouko disregarded it as nothing, probably some trifle matter that she would have to deal with once Sada called for her. But she began to grow suspicious when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps rushing upstairs. The door to one of the other rooms open and Sada gasped.

"Young mistress! No, this can't be!"

The mention of Asuna had Kyouko spring out of her seat. She came out of her office and saw the door to Asuna's room open with Sada standing on the other side.

"Sada? What's wrong?!" Kyouko asked as she came up to Asuna's room. When she looked inside she gasped.

Asuna was laying on her bed. A device that Kyouko recalled belonging to Kouichirou, the Nerve Gear if she remembered correctly, was strapped to her head.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Kyouko asked in outrage. "Asuna is supposed to be studying!" She walked up to remove the Nerve Gear from her daughter's head, but was stopped as Sada grabbed her arm. "What are you doing, Sada-san?"

"Mistress, that was the young master on the phone just now." Sada explained. "He called saying Asuna was using the Nerve Gear with his permission."

"I don't care about that, I am her mother! Asuna has no time to spend playing these silly games!"

"There's more!" Sada continued. "A call was just recently put out. The game for the Nerve Gear, Sword Art Online, was just revealed to be a death game. If a person dies in it, the Nerve Gear will fry their brain in the real world and kill them." Before Kyouko could react to rip the Nerve Gear off in worry for her daughter, Sada explained further. "And if the Nerve Gear is forcibly removed by someone in the real world, the same thing will happen."

Kyouko's eyes widened as she brought her hands to her mouth to cover her gasp. She stared at her daughter lying helplessly on the bed wearing the device that could very well kill her in an instant. "No… No…" she fell to her knees as tears formed in her eyes. "It can't be… Asuna…"


Later at the hospital

After hearing about Asuna's situation, Kouichirou and Shouzou dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. When Shouzou arrived, he found his wife sitting at Asuna's bedside. Asuna laid on the hospital bed with the Nerve Gear strapped to her head.

"Oh Asuna… Why do things like this keep happening? We do everything we can to keep her safe, and yet she's always in danger!" Kyouko asked herself.

Shouzou sat down next to his wife. "Dear, they have the best people in the world right now trying to think of how to free them I'm sure. Asuna will be back with us before you know it."

"But what will this do to her future?" Kyouko asked. "She'll miss school! She'll fall behind the other kids! She'll-"

"Dear" Shouzou said. "Asuna will be fine. She's our daughter after all."

Kyouko embraced her husband tightly as tears rolled down her eyes. She had said she was worried about Asuna's future, but in the back of her mind her real thoughts were occurring. 'What if I never hold her again? What if I never see her smile again? What if I never get to tell her just how much I love her.'

For that night, and for the next three nights after that, Kyouko barely got any sleep.


April 28th 2023. Approximately half a year into SAO

"Higher! Swing me higher mama!"

Asuna's gleeful laugh was the only thing Kyouko could hear as she pushed Asuna on the swingset. She was filled with innocence, as if nothing could go wrong in the world. It was moments like these that Kyouko found herself genuinely able to smile.

"You really have no end to that boundless energy, do you Asuna?" Kyouko asked.

"Not as long as mama is with me." Asuna smiled.

Kyouko thought back to her days as a child. She would love playing at the local park in Miyagi. Her parents would spend all day with her and simply play. Such simpler times those were.

Asuna jumped off the swingset. As she landed, she turned to her mother. "Mama, let's go to the slide next."

"Alright Asuna. Just wait up." Kyouko said as she walked after her daughter.

Kyouko followed her daughter as Asuna ran happily towards the slide. "Asuna dear, wake up for your mother."

Asuna turned back towards Kyouko. "What was that mama? Did you say wake up? Am I sleeping?"

Kyouko's eyes widened as she realized what she had said. Suddenly, Asuna began to get fuzzy and the distance between her and Kyouko grew. Kyouko quickly took off running towards her daughter. "Asuna!" she called out. "Asuna!"

The distance between mother and daughter didn't lessen. Instead, it seemed to grow the faster Kyouko ran. "Mama… mama… mama…"

"Kyouko! Kyouko!"

She suddenly felt as if someone was shaking her body. In that instant, Kyouko's eyes shot open. She was no longer at the park. Asuna wasn't with her. Instead, she found herself right outside her house, near the edge of the street and wearing her nightgown. Her husband was standing right in front of her, looking very sad and worried. She breathed heavily as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

'What happened to me?' She thought, still a bit disoriented from being shaken awake.

"Shouzou…?" Kyouko questioned, slowly regaining her bearings. "What was I doing?"

"You were sleepwalking." Shouzou explained. "When I woke up, you weren't there. I looked outside the window, and saw you walking out towards the street."

"I see…" Kyouko realized. Before she knew it, tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

(A/N: Play the OST: "In Your Past")

"Dear?" Shouzou asked, seeing the tears in his wife's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Asuna… she…" Kyouko couldn't hold it in anymore and fell to her knees crying. "Asuna! Oh, Asuna!"

Realizing that she must have dreamt about Asuna, Shouzou kneeled down next to his wife and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kyouko, I know you've been saying that you're doing alright despite Asuna's condition. Perhaps you're not as ok as you think." He rubbed her back gently. "It's ok to cry dear. I'm right here."

Kyouko turned her head to her husband and began embracing him tightly as she cried. "Shouzou… what if Asuna… what if I never get to see her again… I can't…"

"Shhh, it's alright." Shouzou said soothingly. "Asuna's a strong girl. She'll come back to us. I know it."

"Please… please… Kami-sama (God), if she has to be taken away… please… take me in her place…!" She pleaded, followed by a gut-wrenching cry. That wish was probably the wish of the entire surviving SAO victim's family. But no one would know if their prayers of their loved ones coming back alive would be answered or not. The currently unfolding scene was definite proof of that.

Kyouko didn't know how long she stayed outside with her husband as she cried. All she knew was that she couldn't deny her worry for Asuna any longer.


September 30, 2023. About one year into SAO.

Kyouko had known that her husband was mostly giving her false hope when he said Asuna would be free in a couple of days when Sword Art Online started. But the past year had been definite proof. Asuna, nor any of the ten thousand players for that matter, had been freed from the horrid death game. Unless she counted the three thousand unfortunate people that had died so far to it as being 'freed'.

What was more, despite the authorities 'doing their best', the perpetrator of this whole nightmare, Kayaba Akihiko, was still eluding capture. The man had practically become a ghost. Even the people at Argus, the company Kayaba worked for to develop SAO, couldn't find him.

And speaking of Argus, it was not too long ago that they went bankrupt. With one of their best workers being the cause of this catastrophic event, their reputation had dropped as quickly as snow melting away in springtime. With the massive lawsuits they faced, as well as the damages they had to pay for put an irrepairable damage on the company.

But that hardly mattered to Kyouko. Nothing mattered without her daughter beside her…

Nearly a year so far had passed since the death game had begun. And in that one year, Kyouko had found her hope diminishing more and more at ever seeing Asuna again. There was no way to tell just how close the players inside were to beating it and freeing everyone. But then again, there was no absolute guarantee that the players would be freed even if the game was beaten.

Kyouko wanted to think her daughter would do the smart thing and stay safe while letting the others risk their lives and clear the game. But in the back of her mind, Kyouko knew that Asuna had always had a hidden adventurous side to her. She shuddered at the thought of Asuna foolishly risking her life and getting killed as a result.

The day was September 30th, Asuna's birthday. Though needless to say, no one was in a celebratory mood with the guest of honor still being comatose.

Kouichirou had taken the day off from work to go visit Asuna at the hospital. Kyouko could hear her son coming downstairs for the planned visit. Kyouko knew what would happen if they went though. Kouichirou would be forced to look at his sister and cry, just as she did on the inside every time she saw Asuna lying on that hospital bed.

The door to the dining room opened and Kouichirou poked his head in. "Mother, it's time to get going."

Kyouko stayed seated at the table. She kept her gaze on the article she was reading, unable to look her son in the eye. "Kouichirou… perhaps we shouldn't go today."

The Yuuki son widened his eyes as he heard this. "What do you mean?"

"I see little point in celebrating the birthday of someone who won't be mentally present." Kyouko lied.

"Mentally present?" Kouichirou asked, his voice rising slightly in anger. "So are you saying we should just forget about Asuna because her mind is trapped in some other world?!"

Kyouko shook her head. "No, I'm just saying that Asuna wouldn't want us to waste our time going to visit her when-"

"Waste our time?!" Kouichirou yelled, no longer able to hide the anger in his voice.

"How could you say that? She's your daughter and my sister! Going to visit her is anything but a waste, especially since we barely get to do it at all!"

"Kouichirou if you would just understand. We don't even know if Asuna will…" as the words Kyouko uttered exited her mouth, she immediately regretted it. But it was too late, for her son had already heard it.

"You don't even have faith that she'll come back to us, do you?" he asked coldly. Kyouko could give no response, staying silent. "I should have known. No wonder you've stopped going to visit her. All you see her as now is a dead corpse."

Kyouko gasped at her son.

"No, of course not. Kouichirou, I-."

"Spare me." Kouichirou snapped. "I'm going to visit my sister, who's currently fighting for her life! A little something her heartless mother seems to have forgotten!"

Kyouko didn't get another word in as Kouichirou walked out of the room and slammed the front door of the house shut. Tears began to roll down the woman's eyes.

It was only natural for Kouichirou to act this way, since he had no idea of just how much this incident was taking its toll on her.

After she had started sleepwalking, and during the treatment for it, Kyouko had pleaded with her husband not to tell anyone about it, especially Kouichirou. He had enough on his mind already, and she really didn't want to add to his grief. Her husband had argued against this for some time, but had ultimately given in.

'If only you knew the real reason, son. I already have to accept my daughter could be taken from me at any moment. I can't bear to see the look in your eyes when you look at Asuna now.' Kyouko tired to wipe the tears in her eyes, but new ones kept coming to replace them.

'Asuna, please. Whatever you're doing right now just make it back to us alive. Your brother needs you. Your father needs you. I need you. Please… come back to us.' The heartbroken mother prayed hopelessly.


November 7, 2024

Kyouko sat in her office and typed away at her laptop. A cup of coffee was placed right at her side. It was just any ordinary day for her. Another day of work. Another day at the office. Another day… another day that Asuna was stuck in that cursed death game.

'It'll be nearly two years soon.' Kyouko thought to herself. 'Asuna… what are you doing right now? Are you safe?'

When Asuna's birthday had rolled around this year, things had been somewhat tense. Kouichirou still hadn't forgotten his mother's words from the year before, and she could still feel the resentment he held towards her for it. Kyouko had gone to visit Asuna this year, but Kouichirou had only seen it as a hollow gesture.

'If only you knew the real reason, Kouichirou. If only you and Asuna knew how much I love you both. How much I-'

"Kyouko!" one of her colleagues called out. "The hospital just called!"

Kyouko's blood ran cold at hearing those words. Those were the words she had dreaded hearing for the past two years. 'No… please no… This can't be happening.'

"They're waking up!" The colleague said.

Kyouko's eyes widened as she looked at her colleague. She had heard the words, but she they had yet to fully register. She wasn't entirely sure she had heard correctly. "What… What did you say?"

"Everyone is waking up!" she told her. "Apparently Sword Art Online has been cleared!"

"You should go Kyouko. We can-" another one of her co-workers said.

Kyouko didn't even need permission from them to get up and rush out the door. She ran out of the building and went straight into her car. The vehicle zoomed down the road as Kyouko made her way to the hospital.

'They're awake…' Kyouko thought to herself.

'Asuna's awake…'

(Play the OST: "She's Still Sleeping")

As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she rushed up to her daughter's room. There were already several families at the hospital. Happy reunions were taking place all around her. She would soon join those families in their joys of having their loved ones come back to them… She couldn't waste one second. She ran to her daughter's room, tears of anticipation welling up in her eyes.

'Asuna's awake…'

She finally reached her daughter's room. The thoughts of seeing her daughter's face and hearing her voice were the only things driving her.

'Asuna's awake…'

She opened the door to her daughter's room, fully anticipating that she would be awake by now.


Kyouko had faced all kinds of disappointments throughout her lifetime, but this one definitely had to be the worst, as well the most heartbreaking one.

'She's still sleeping…'

Her whole family had arrived at Asuna's room, expecting her to be waking up just like the others had. But as seconds became minutes, and minutes became hours, it was clear that Asuna wasn't waking up. None of them could understand what was going on.

'She's still not back…'

"What is going on here; why isn't she waking up?!" Kyouko bellowed, frustrated.

"Ma'am, I understand you're angry. But we have no idea why this is happening. Your daughter isn't the only one. Based on the reports we've gotten, nearly three hundred still have yet to wake up."

"But SAO was cleared wasn't it?! Can't we just take the Nerve Gear off?!" Her husband asked, equally disappointed, but the doctor shook his head.

"The function of the Nerve Gear that would kill someone if forcibly removed was built into the hardware. It'll happen as long as it's on. There's nothing we can do I'm afraid. I'm sorry."

"Dammit…" Kouichirou lamented.

'She's still gone…'

"No… No…" Kyouko broke down into tears as she kneeled down at Asuna's bedside. She cried as she begged for her daughter to come back to her.

'Asuna… wake up. Please. I need you to wake up. Come back to me.' Kyouko didn't know how long she stayed like that. She had never felt more heartbroken in her entire life.


January 22, 2025, early morning.

Kyouko tossed around lazily in her bed, trying to fall back asleep after being woken up by the ringing of the phone. But the phone still rang, and she was unable to be drowned out. She had hoped her husband would get it, but he was still fast asleep and unaware based on what she could tell. Finally she picked up the phone at her bedside and answered the call.

"Hello. Who is this, and do you have any idea what time it is?" Kyouko answered, annoyed.

"Hello, this is Tokyo General Hospital. Sorry to bother you Mrs. Yuuki, but there's something we believe you'd like to know." The mention of the hospital where Asuna was roused her awake.

"Yes, what is it?" Kyouko asked.

"Your daughter is awake." the person from the other line said. "She just woke up about thirty minutes ago."

Kyouko's eyes widened as she brought her free hand to cover her gasp. After taking a few seconds to recover from her shock, she spoke back into the phone.

"You're sure of this? She's really awake?" Kyouko couldn't bear to get her hopes up again only to have them trampled upon like the last time she had heard this news.

"We're positive. If you want, you can speak to her right now." Kyouko heard the phone move from one person to another. The next voice that spoke into was one she had thought she might never hear again.

"Mom…" The weak, yet familiar voice was like music to her ears.

"Asuna…" Kyouko gasped. "Is… Is that really you?"

"It's me mom." Asuna said, Kyouko could practically hear the tears forming in her daughter's eyes. "I'm back."

"Asuna…" Kyouko tried to dry her eyes, but new ones kept forming.

"We're on our way right now. Just stay there, sweetheart."

"I don't really have much of a choice, mom. I can barely move right now." Asuna said as she let out a weak chuckle.

Kyouko let out a small chuckle of her own before hanging up the phone. The conversation had stirred her husband awake as he sat up and rubbed his groggy eyes.

"What is it dear? Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Asuna's awake." Kyouko said, barely able to believe the words herself.

Shouzou's eyes widened as he heard the news. He and Kyouko quickly got out of bed and got dressed. Shouzou called Kouichirou, who was supposed to be staying in a hotel at the next city over. The Yuuki son was ecstatic to hear the good news and said he would be on his way shortly.


Her husband had always been a professional and safe driver. But for this one car ride, he threw professionalism out the window, nearly running a red light on his way to the hospital, and frankly, she couldn't be upset with him, for he must be feeling the same thing as she was.

When Kyouko and Shouzou arrived at the hospital, Kyouko rushed to the front desk. "Hello, I'm here to see my daughter. I just received a call saying that she had woken up from her coma."

"Ah you must be the Yuuki's." the receptionist said. "I apologize, but you'll have to wait for a little. We're currently running some tests on your daughter to make sure she's alright."

"Please! Just a little bit of time is all I'm asking!"

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. The tests shouldn't take very long. While you're waiting, there is someone that would like to talk with you."

Kyouko looked over as the person the receptionist was talking to walked up to them. He had raven black hair and there was a bandage on his arm and cheek. "Hello, Yuuki-san."

"Kirigaya-kun." Shouzou said with his eyes widened in surprise. "I wasn't aware that you knew Asuna was awake."

"About that…" Kazuto said. "There're a few things I believe you should know."

While waiting for Asuna's tests to be completed, Kyouko and Shouzou sat down with Kazuto in the lobby. Kyouko had never seen this Kazuto, but her husband introduced him as Kirito the hero who cleared SAO, as well as a close friend of Asuna's during the death game. She still didn't fully trust this Kazuto person, but she decided to take her husband's word for it.

Kazuto explained about how the person keeping Asuna and the other three hundred SAO Survivors trapped in their comas was Sugou Noboyuki. He then went on to talk about the things Sugou had been doing in secret, as well as what he had done to Asuna when Kazuto had come to rescue her in ALO. At first Shouzou didn't want to believe that the man he had trusted for so long was responsible for so many inhumane acts, but the more the story went on the more things made sense.

Kouichirou had shown up halfway through the story, and hearing the things Sugou had done didn't surprise him one bit, though he seriously wanted to take a swing at him after hearing what he had done to Asuna.

"Where is that son of a bitch?" Kouichirou asked with clenched fists. "I swear, I'm going to make him regret the day he was born for what he did."

"He's currently in police custody." Kazuto explained. "When I arrived at the hospital, he attacked and tried to kill me." He pointed to the bandages on his cheek and arm to further prove his story. "I managed to subdue him, and the police took him away after they arrived."

Shouzou buried his hands into his face. "My own company is responsible for such a horrific nightmare. I can hardly believe this. I don't know if I can even show my face in front of Asuna for what I did."

"It's not your fault sir. The blame rests entirely on Sugou and the others working with him." Kazuto said with a shake of his head. "And I know Asuna doesn't blame you either. If you have any doubt about that, you can ask her yourself."

Shouzou wasn't completely sure if he even had the right to see Asuna right now, but after a bit of persuading on his son and wife's part, the three of them went to see their daughter, along with Kazuto.

As Kyouko stood in front of the door to Asuna's room, she mentally prepared herself. After taking a deep breath, she and her family walked in. They walked around the curtain and saw her sitting there. A smile coming from the chestnut haired girl as she looked at them.

(A/N: Play the OST: "A Tender Feeling")

Kyouko hadn't seen her daughter awake in over two years. There was so much she wanted to say. So much she wanted to do. But all of those thoughts escaped her memory as she did the only thing she could think of. She ran up to her daughter and hugged her tightly, tears falling profusely. At least this time, they weren't tears of anguish, sadness, or disappointment, but genuine happy tears. "Asuna! Oh my baby Asuna! You're really back!"

A tear fell from Asuna's eyes as she hugged her mother back, the mother and daughter both trapped in each other's warm embrace. "I missed you so much, mom."

"I missed you too Asuna."

When Shouzou walked up to Asuna, he had so much he wanted to apologize for. Asuna quickly silenced him, and told him she didn't blame him for any of it. She confirmed to her family the truth behind everything Kazuto had said. Shouzou also got a call from Recto's office, telling him that Sugou's fellow conspirators had all been arrested after trying to delete the evidence of their actions from ALO's main database. There was no possible way for them to deny Kazuto's claims now.

The long and heartwarming family reunion lasted into the morning when the sun was beginning to rise. Kazuto had left after a few hours, and told Asuna that he would be sure to come visit again soon. When it was finally time for the Yuuki family to leave though, they all had one thing that had been at the back of their minds.

They needed to talk about Sugou.


Later at the Yuuki mansion

(A/N: Play the OST: "Crooked Mind")

"I told you that Sugou wasn't to be trusted!" Kouichirou yelled. "Time and time again I told you that Asuna never liked him! But you didn't listen to me! Well look at where we are now!"

"Kouichirou, calm down." Shouzou told his son. "Sugou did some very terrible things, there is no denying that. But you have to believe me, I had no idea the things he was doing."

"That's what happens when you put so much trust in a disgusting rat like him!" Kouichirou argued. "And the two of you were even planning to marry Asuna off to him while she was still in a coma?! How could you even think of such a thing!"

"Now hold on, Kouichirou." Kyouko argued. "I did not make any plans whatsoever for Asuna to marry that… that criminal!" Man wasn't a word that befitted someone of Sugou's worthless actions. "Your father was the one that-"

"Oh don't even try blaming this entire thing on him!" Kouichirou shouted, cutting off his mother. "How DARE you act like you haven't been planning to marry Asuna off for the past few years! Even before SAO, you were setting up suitors for her to marry!"

"And if this event shows anything it is that I was right to do so! I cannot allow Asuna to risk her bright future after it came so close to being destroyed!"

Kouichirou couldn't believe the words coming out of his mother's mouth. "Maybe you haven't been paying attention mother, because the last I checked one of these suitors you had prepared for Asuna without her consent-"Kouichirou put a large amount of emphasis on those last few words "-is also the one responsible for imprisoning her for two months, and committing crimes that are sure to throw RECT's reputation into the mud! You have no right to choose anything for Asuna's future! You know who she deserves to be with?! Someone that makes HER happy!"

"If you are suggesting I entrust Asuna's future to that boy, I can assure you that is not happening until I can guarantee he will be able to support Asuna financially."

Kouichirou grew enraged at Kyouko's stubborness. "That boy happens to be the one Asuna owes her freedom to! Not to mention that Asuna clearly loves him! Are you seriously about to deny Asuna the chance at a happy future AGAIN?!"

"Enough! I will not discuss this matter any further!" Kyouko declared. She turned around and stormed upstairs to her room, slamming the door shut in the process.

She had nearly lost her daughter far too many times. And Asuna had gone through so much suffering over the past two years. Kyouko vowed to herself that she would not let Asuna's future be up to fate. She would make sure she had the stable future she would need to become a successful member of society.


March 31st, 2026, Yuuki Manor, Immediately after Asuna's departure.

"How could you?!"

Kyouko stood in the living room of the Yuuki manor, along with Shouzou as Kouichirou yelled angrily at both of them. He had run out of the house in an attempt to chase after Asuna, but it was clear that it had ended in failure. And now he had spent the past few minutes yelling at both of them.

"Kouichirou please understand." Shouzou said. "We were only trying to-"

"To ruin Asuna's future and throw away any trust she had left in this family?! Well you sure did a hell of a job at it!" Kouichirou yelled. "This is what you get for forcing your ideas for Asuna's life onto her."

"We were trying to give Asuna a bright future!" Kyouko declared. "She's still too young to make such important decisions about her life!"

"And you think YOU of all people are qualified to do it?!" Kouichirou asked. "You're the most heartless, thoughtless woman I've ever known!"

"Watch the way you speak to your mother!" Shouzou said. "I know you're angry about what happened with Asuna, but-"

"Angry isn't even the word for it." Kouichirou stated. He glared at his mother. "And you had the nerve to try comparing the two of us! Did you think for even a second how that would make her feel?" The anger in his voice couldn't be hidden any longer as he was practically screaming at this point. "You know, when Asuna started to act happy again I thought you were actually starting to change. That maybe you had begun to realize what's truly best for Asuna. But I was wrong. You still don't give a damn about anyone other than yourself."

"How can you say that?" Kyouko gasped. "Everything I did, every moment, it was to give you and your sister a better future. And look at where you stand now thanks to my guidance."

"And you know what, I hated every minute of it." Kouichirou told her. "I may be successful, and maybe that is due to your help, but there're more important things in life than money and social status. Asuna's realized that, but I can't say the same for you." He shook his head.

"And another thing, did you think I liked the way you planned out everything for me. It was always, study this, do that. I didn't get to have fun at all because of that. And you did the exact same thing to Asuna, forcing everything onto her."

"I was just-"

"You were just being a horrible excuse of a mother, that's what." Kouichirou said. He walked upstairs, leaving both of his parents on the first floor. "You still don't understand it. What's truly important in life. And until you do, there's no chance that Asuna will ever come home."

Kyouko stayed seated as she thought to herself. Everything she had done up until this point. She had always told herself it was in Asuna's best interest. That was what she had always said. But today, it had all come crashing down on top of her.

'Is it really true? Am I… am I a horrible mother?'


Was she really a horrible mother…? She had the best intentions for her children… she wanted them to have a happy and secure future. Her intentions were noble; there was no doubt about that. And she had done everything in her power to make that a reality.

But now, looking at the reality of things, everything had started to spiral out of control since who knew when.

There was another thing that had constantly bothered her: the series of misfortune that kept happening around her daughter. From birth, she had to face death so many times, some she didn't even know she had to face. Kouichirou has had no life-threatening incidents happen around him throughout his life, but for some reason, trouble and danger always seemed to gravitate towards Asuna like a nail being attracted to a magnet. Although none of the incidents had clamed her life, each and every one of them had been no less harrowing. Maybe that was one of the reasons that she had become so paranoid in ensuring to give her future she had envisioned; to put her out of reach of trouble and danger.

But that had eventually led to engaging Asuna with Sugou; which then led to catastrophic results, which could still be felt by her family today. It was most likely, no, definitely because of that that Asuna rejected her ideals. Actually… reject may not even be the word for it. She had hated the idea so much that she had wished death…

Was she really a bad mother…? She wanted her children to be happy… she had wanted that eversince she had started this family, but they didn't want anything to do with her because of that…

"You want to know what's really wrong? I'm sick of being treated like I'm not even here! Asuna, do nothing but study; Asuna, don't have fun, especially with those lower class children; Asuna, you better choose some pompous rich boy we've chosen for you to marry because that's the only way we can define your life as a success!"

"Since the day I can remember, you've done nothing but discourage us. And on the rare occasions you actually tried to help, you've only made things worse that it would've been better for you to have done nothing at all!"

"I thought it would be different with you two, I mean, you are my parents; but it turns out that you're no better than that Sugou Nobuyuki!"

"Kayaba Akihiko may have been the one to initiate this whole series of tragedy, but Sugou Nobuyuki was no less a monster, and everything that bastard did, he did under YOUR ignorance!"

"I hate you! I hate you all, and I never want to see your faces again!"

"Asuna was right. You really are no better than Sugou!"

Those hateful words were thrown at her from the mouths of her own children… the people she loved so much… What could she do now…? If only things had gone the way she had planned AND wanted…


She opened her eyes to find herself in a whole crowd of people. Taking a look around her, it looked like she was in the middle of some kind of reception. And the people around her all seemed to be focused on the stage. Then, the crowd started cheering. Even though she wasn't looking, she could tell that the key people of the reception had entered the scene. She turned around to see just who the center of attention for everyone. However, as soon as she registered just who were on the stage of the reception, she could have sworn that her whole body had frozen. Her eyes opened wide in horror at seeing the two people before them all. The mere sight alone was undescribably horrifying.

The two people were none other than Sugou Nobuyuki, but what was truly horrendous was the fact that he had someone in his arms; the person in question seemed to be unconscious, most likely because of that wretched grey helmet that was strapped to her head… An unconscious Asuna was at the hand of that monster, wearing a wedding gown…

(Play the OST: "False King" – Loop the soundtrack until further notice.)

"I've waited for this moment for so long, my beautiful princess." He said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Her hands automatically covered her mouth as she gave a horrified scream at the terrible sight, but it was drowned out by the loud cheering of the people around her. Why were they cheering? Didn't any of them know just what kind of disaster was happening before them? But they kept on cheering, and Kyouko could clearly hear some of the people say things like: 'Congradulations.', 'They look so perfect together.', and other complements along those lines. Each of those words petrified her more and more.

When she finally managed to recover from her horror, she started heading to the stage, as quickly as her unstable legs allowed her. And as she did, the people around her just kept on cheering.

Then, one of the people, a woman, who were cheering for Sugou and Asuna turned and faced her.

"Congradulations, Yuuki-san! You must be happy for your daughter right now!" Kyouko couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why were they all cheering for them?! Didn't they know what kind of monster Sugou really was?

"Wh… what are you talking about?! I have to stop this; I have to stop them, RIGHT NOW!" Kyouko screamed. At this, one of her companions asked.

"Stop…? But, why?" She asked, in what sounded like a mocking tone.

"Why…?! What do you mean, why?! I can't let Asuna fall into the hands of that vermin! She'll be miserable for the rest of her life if she does!" She shouted, trying to get to where her daughter was. But the woman continued.

"I'm sorry? Why stop now when you've already put so much effort into making this happen?"

"And besides, wasn't it you that pushed her into this marriage in the first place? You were the one always going on about marrying her off to a man with good reputation and high social status. And now, you got your wish!" They replied, now in a fully mocking way. Kyouko stood frozen at her words, horrified even further. She was the one that did all this…?!

"No…! No no no no no no no!" Kyouko hyper-vented. She continued heading to the front, where she by passed others giving her unnecessary and unwanted congratulations.

"Get out of the way! Move!"

She started pushing them out of her way, throwing all her civics out the window. She had to save her daughter… if she really was the one that did this, she had to be the one to stop it; no matter what.

As she made her way to where Asuna was, a familiar voice stopped her.

"This was your idea of a 'bright' future for us?" She turned to the direction the voice came from to see her son glaring at her menacingly.

"You've always said that everything that you did, you did for both my and Asuna's well being. But just how in hell does this look like a happy life for her?! What's next, let her be treated like his slave and ignore it because of his 'social status'?!"

"Kouichirou, no, listen! I didn't mean…" Kyouko started, but her son didn't give her a chance to finish.

"Save it. I'm sick of your excuses. When things don't go your way, you always blame others and avoid responsibility, just like Sugou. You've condemned Asuna to a life that's worse than death. That's something that I'll never forgive." He then gave a frustrated sigh. "It's over between us. Don't even say to anyone that we're related. It's disgraceful." He said. Kyouko tried to stop him, but he turned his back on her and disappeared.

"Kouichirou! No, wait!" Kyouko shouted, but he didn't come back. She stayed where she was, shocked.

Then, she heard another familiar voice. "I trusted you! I thought you knew what you were doing! Now look at this! What have you gotten our daughter into?!"

She turned to the sound to see her husband just as upset and angry as their son was.

"No, I never wanted, or planned for this to happen! You have to help me, help me stop this from happening!" Kyouko shouted, but the response she got wasn't what she wanted, or expected.

"I'm sorry, Kyouko… but it's over for us. I trusted you to give both Kouichirou and Asuna a life they can be happy with. But if you can't do something as simple as that, then we really have no business calling each other family!" With those words, he too disappeared from her sight.

"Anata (Dear)! Come back!" But her pleading went unanswered.

But then, remembering of what kind of situation Asuna was in, she judged that reasoning with her son and husband had to wait. Saving Asuna was the top priority. She would crawl her way there if she had to.

As she started to head towards where the evil man held her daughter, she started hearing words that made her wish that she'd rather hear the congradulations again. She heard the conversation of two female voices discussing together.

"Hmph. Look at her. That stuck up and arrogant woman."

"Does she have any idea of what she's done to her own daughter?"

"You tell me… She was always going on about marrying her off to someone she thought was good enough for her. Just how blind is she to choose someone like him to give her own daughter to?"

"And I just feel so sorry for that girl… She's the one who has to pay for her mother's foolishness."

"Do you think she even knows just what she's sentenced her own daughter into?"

"I wonder if she even cares… I wonder if she ever cared… Hmph!"

Hearing those harsh words felt just like being stabbed in the heart ten thousand times.

Then, the cheering around her all died down, and in its place, jeering and all kinds of profanity started being directed at her. Everyone in the crowd was now looking at her with disgust and reproach.

She passed by so many people, each of them giving her insults.

"You married your own daughter to that demon?!"

"And you call yourself a mother?!"

The insults went on. But despite that, Kyouko kept pushing forward; the only thing on her mind being to pull her daughter away from the grasp of the monster.

"Asuna was much happier with me! I was WILLING to make her happy! Why couldn't you see that and just let her be happy with me like she wanted?!" From the crowd, she barely made out Kirigaya Kazuto bellowing at her.

"Just what did Asuna do to deserve this?! She deserved better than this!" She made out another one of Asuna's friend, Shinozaki, shout at her as well.

She tried desperately to stop listening to the harsh words of everyone around her, but they only seemed to be growing louder.

Then, a slap came from out of nowhere. It was strong enough to knock her off her feet and make her collapse to the ground. Disoriented, she tried to get up from where she was, until she saw the faces of two people who she thought she would never see again as long as she lived. In front of her, her long deceased mother and father stood, looking down at her with mournful expressions.

"M… mother… father…" She croaked, shocked.

They continued to look down at her. Then, they eventually shook their heads, slowly. That action conveyed their message clearly: "We're so disappointed in you."

That was it… The image of the disappointment of her parents… It was so much more than what she could stand… She felt like she had let them down… That was something that she couldn't forgive herself with. She had to stop this here and now, no matter the cost.

She rose again to her shaky legs to finally reach where the two were.

"Get your… filthy hands… off my child!" She hit Sugou with all the possible strengths she could gather and pulled Asuna away from his grasp. Then, surprisingly, his body crumbled away as if it had been made out of dust. But she hardly noticed. She was too busy trying to wake her daughter up.

"Asuna…! Asuna…! Please, wake up! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything I did…!" She begged, but her daughter didn't move.

"Please wake up! I can't smile without you!" She continued, with no response again. Instead, like Sugou had, her daughter's body crumbled away into dust in her arms.

Before she even had time to register her grief, the scenery changed again.

(A/N: OST "False King" – end)


She was no longer in the reception. Instead, she seemed to be outdoors. And again, so many people were gathered all around her. But this time, there were no cheering this time around. In fact, most of the people gathered were crying, and a few others had solumn expression on their faces. She looked around to see her son, her husband, and the rest of their relatives crying as well. She also spotted the Kirigaya's and the rest of Asuna's friends among the gathered, all of them crying as well.

But, where was Asuna? She looked around her again to see where Asuna was, but she couldn't find her anywhere. But then, something else caught her attention. In the distance, she could see a large stone with some writings on them. She couldn't really make out the most of the writings because of the distance between her and the stone, but then, when she saw what was written on the very top of the stone, which was written big enough so that even she could read it, she could've sworn that her heart had stopped. It read: "In the memory of the victims of the Sword Art Online incident. May their names and memories not be forgotten."

She finally realized where she was at. She was at the SAO victim's memorial; specifically, the ones who never returned from the virtual world.

It was then that everything clicked in her head. Her eyes widened in horror as her head put the pieces together: They were all gathered at the SAO memorial, with all of Asuna's family and friends gathered around, mourning, and Asuna herself wasn't around… which could only mean…

She started to head towards the memorial stone, and as she closed the distance, she was able to make out the writings that she couldn't see before. They were all names of people… the ones who had passed away in SAO.

'Please… please don't let it be what I think it is… I don't care if it makes sense; just please, don't let her name be on there…!'

She stopped right in front of the memorial stone where she could see all the names that were carved onto the stone, hoping that her daughter's name wasn't on it. But after a few painful minutes, her worst fear was confirmed. There… among the countless names carved onto the stone, she saw the name that she had desperately hoped wouldn't be on there.

There was her daughter's name; the very name that she had given her, written clearly on the stone.

Yuuki Asuna.

"No… No…!" She collapsed on her knees and started crying again, which was again, drowned out by the other weepings of the people around her.

She didn't know how long she wept for, but when she finally looked up again, everyone around her had disappeared without a single trace. All except for her and one more person, directly in front of her. She looked up to see who it was.

Shockingly, it was Asuna. And she couldn't be any gladder to see her. But from the expression on her face, Asuna didn't seem to be sharing that feeling.

But before she could say anything, Asuna spoke words that made her feel hundreds of times worse than she already did.

"I hate you…! I HATE YOU!" Then, she slowly vanished, as if she were a ghost.

Those words, they may as well have been her death sentence.

'This is a nightmare…! This can't be real!' She thought, now feeling like she was on the edge of her sanity.

"No, Asuna, come back! Please! I'm sorry! Let me make it up to you!" She pleaded. She had never felt so desperate before. But Asuna didn't come back. She was still alone in the memorial site.

"No…! Asuna! ASUNA!" She screamed.

(End of nightmare)


"NO!" She screamed as she jolted up from where she was lying down. Her whole body was soaked with cold sweat. She panted heavily; the nightmare she had experienced still had her shaken up to her very core.

However, she didn't have a chance to gather any thoughts, as her stomach clenched and she felt bile rise to her throat. Her hands quickly shot up to her mouth, barely managing to stop herself from throwing up all over the hospital bed. She quickly got to her feet to the sink in the room and threw up in it just in time. Even after she had finished, her stomach kept clenching.

As she kept on throwing up, the nurses entered the room and ran over to where she was, helping her stop her vomiting. Apparently, they had come running to her room because of her skyrocketing heart-rate.

When she was able to calm down, the nurses brought her a new set of hospital gown to change into. After she finished changing from her sweat-drenched gown, she stayed still at her bed as the nurses did further checkups on her. When they finally finished and left her, she thanked them in a hollow voice.

She sat up on her bed; her heart still racing from the horrific nightmare she had just dreamed. Was what she saw in her nightmare what would have happened had she never found out about Sugou's true nature? Was Asuna and Kouichirou's hate towards her plans really justified? Was she really the true barrier to their happiness…?

Again, she couldn't give a proper answer to this question.

She looked to the side of her bed to gather her thoughts, but then stopped when she saw what was there.

The picture that she had held onto desperately was lying there. She took it into her hands to take another look at it, but as she did, she saw something that was written on the back. She hadn't noticed that writing there before, so she flipped the picture to its back to see what was written there.

At the back of the picture, words were written in a childish scribble.

"Mama, Papa, Onii-chan, I love you!"

(A/N: Play the OST: "Looking Back on Those Days")

She felt tears fall down from her eyes and drop onto the picture. They were words written by Asuna when she was a child… Their family bond seemed to be so strong back then… but, where was that bond now? She had meant well… she had thought that her family would understand that… but even if they did, they still despised her for it. How could she bring Asuna and Kouichirou back, the way she was…? When she had driven them away because of what was supposed to be a flawless plan for them. That plan would most certainly have made them both miserable, had it really had gone into fruition.

"I really am a horrible mother…" She grieved, finally realizing her mistakes and faced the hard and painful truth.

She regretted everything. She could only keep crying and praying for a miracle once more.

As she continued to cry for her family, the sun started to rise and started to brighten the dark night sky, as if to symbolize that there was still hope for them all.


A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. This chapter's goal was to make you guys feel sorry for Kyouko, after the revelations of her sad past with Asuna. Did you, or did you not feel even a bit bad for her? Let me know what you think.

Also, I hope that someone has caught onto the reference to one of the chapters in SAO Progressive in this chapter. If you did, then please leave a review of what you thought about it.

Hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll try to upload the next chapter when I'm able to.

Again, don't forget to review and follow. I'll see you guys with the next chapter.

Next chapter: A Mother's Love – Part 2: Realizations.

Yours truly, KiritoIRL.