Sword Art Online
After The Incident
Chapter 19 – The Calm Before The Storm
~About an hour later~
I trudged nervously around the living room, biting nervously at my fingernails. It was and old, and more importantly, a bad habit, I had had ever since I was five. Whenever I was scared, or really, really nervous, I would always find myself biting nervously at my fingers. And today, of course, was not an exception.
I couldn´t keep my breathing in check and I could feel how my heart beat faster and harder the more I panicked. Trying to calm myself down I walked outside and leaned against a wall, taking a couple of deep breaths, to try and calm myself down. Of course it didn´t work, and it only managed to frustrate and panic me even more.
I had called everyone and had made them arrive at Asuna´s house. They were all sitting inside, talking about where to look for Sugou, and what to do next. I just stood out here like an idiot, writhing my brain for any kinds of places Sugou could be hiding. I had even contacted Ichido to see if she had any kind of clue, but she was just as blank as me.
I growled softly from frustration and sighed a little as I stared up at the sky. A cold mid-autumn wind running over the front yard, making me shiver slightly. I sighed softly as I stared up at the sky, the stars slowly beginning to fade as a beautiful mix of orange, purple, and pink. My worries and frustrations faded a bit as I looked up at the beautiful sight.
"And I thought the view from my house was beautiful" I said with a soft smile "I have no reason to panic right now. I contacted the police, and we´re under their protection. As long as we look out for each other, he can´t hurt us…"
I sighed softly as I looked down at the big garden in front of Asuna´s house, every flower neatly placed in row, cared for to the best of Asuna´s parents abilities. At least that´s what I thought, since Asuna had never shown any interest in gardening.
"I´m sure her mother has had a big role in doing this garden," I said with a chuckle "Seeing how strictly everything has been put in place"
I sighed softly and sat down beside a particular flowerbed, a small sea of brightly blue, yellow and purple flowers swaying gently in the wind. In the middle, was a single lonely rose, towering above the rest of the of them. The other flowers was so small in comparison, that they couldn´t even reach the lowest thorn of the rose.
"I wonder why they would plant them like that…" I mumbled silently as I studied the flowers more closely "Why put a rose in the middle of a sea of normal flowers?"
"Because it has a symbolic meaning silly"
Suddenly Asuna was standing behind me, draping her shoulders with a blanket as she put a gentle hand on my shoulder. As she suddenly talked I jumped slightly in place, and I looked up at her with a startled expression.
"Geez, you scared me!" I mumbled as I shook my head slightly, trying to get my breathing back into control.
Asuna giggled a bit and sat down beside me, smiling softly as she took a firm hold of my hand, and leaned her head on my shoulder.
"What´s the meaning of the rose?" I asked as I looked back at her.
"Well, my mom told me," She said with a small blush "That she always thought I was more beautiful than the rest of my classmates when I was younger… But that I always had a sharp tongue. So she said that the rose represented me, in the middle of a sea of other children, blooming and shining more than the rest"
"She´s definitely on point with that" I said with a smirk as I saw Asuna´s blush darken.
"What are you doing out here so late anyway?" She asked silently "It´s too cold out here. You´ll get sick"
"Now you mention it, I am kind of cold" I mumble as I nuzzled closer to her "Sorry, I´m just thinking"
"About what dearest?" She said with a small smile.
"Everything that has happened so far…" I mumbled silently as I looked up at sunrise "About everything we´ve been through… SAO, ALO, and now Sugou again… I didn´t know my life would change so drastically…"
"What do you mean Kazuto?" Asuna asked silently as she dug her face into the drape of my neck.
"I mean.. Before SAO, I was nobody…" I mumbled silently as I sighed "No friends, never outside, no reason to exist more or less…"
"T-That´s not true Kazuto," Asuna mumbled with a sad expression "Everyone has a reason to exist"
"Well, even so," I mumbled with a sigh "I still had nothing to live for.. Sure, I had my family, but we were on bad terms… I barely talked to them after all…"
Asuna looked up at me with a concerned expression as she listened to what I was saying.
"I had no friends, almost no family… I was nobody" I mumbled silently "But then came SAO, and along with it, you. My life took a complete 180. I went from lonesome gamer, to hero. I met you, everything changed. I had one friend after the other… But along with those friends, was enemies"
Asuna nodded silently and sighed softly as she looked up at the sky.
"Yeah, I know" She mumbled silently as she sighed "Not only Heathcliff or Sugou, but The Laughing Coffin, Titans Hand and Kuradeel has been out to hurt us"
"Yeah," I mumbled as I nuzzled her cheek with a finger "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had decided to never put that Nervegear on that day"
Asuna jolted her head up and looked like she was about to object.
"H-Hey, just stop for a second and let me finish" I mumble as I coughed a little "My life would have been much simpler, without being in danger, but…"
"But?" Asuna mumbled as she looked at me.
"I feel like it all was still worth it" I mumble with a smile as I looked at Asuna "All this pain, agony, fear and stress is all worth it. Because you and the others are what I have gained for it. You guys are the best that´s ever happened to me.. SAO gave me a girlfriend, a daughter, friends… If I could go back and change anything, it would only to change that I got so many people killed.."
"Aww Kazuto.." Asuna smiled and kissed my cheek.
"But now…" I mumbled as my smile faded a little "All of what I have fought for.. Everything I have worked so hard and so long to preserve… Someone is threatening to take it all away from me… And leave me with only painful memories…"
"Then let´s work together," Asuna mumbled as she squeezed my hand "To protect each other, and the people we hold dear, ok? No more going solo"
"I promise Asuna" I said softly as I squeezed back on her hand "We´re the black swordsman and the lightning flash… Together, nothing should be able to stop us.."
"That´s right!" Asuna said with a cheerful smile and a giggle as she kissed my cheek "Come on, let´s go inside. I´ll make you a mug of cocoa"
"With marshmallows?" I said with an excited smile.
"Just like you like them hun" She answered with a smile as we walked back up to her house, leaving her garden behind.
When we arrived inside I really did feel how cold it had been outside. Even with the thick jacket I had been wearing, I could really feel how much hotter it was inside. I sighed happily of satisfaction as I felt my goosebumps disappear, and I collapsed into a nearby comfy chair in the living room, realizing how tired I was.
Klein and Liz was in the middle of a heated conversation about how they would punish Sugou and for how long, when I entered the room.
"Oh! Hey Kazu-kun!" Liz said with a smile as she noticed me enter the room "We were just discussing something!"
"Yeah, it sounded really interesting I admit" I mumbled with a smile, actually wanting to hurt Sugou really bad myself.
"Hey, that´s the first smile I've seen from you all day" Klein said with a smile "Good to see you´re cheering up!"
I could tell by the tone of his voice and his half-hearted attempt at a smile, that something was bothering him. I knew he felt guilty about letting Sugou go, and I wanted to talk to him about it.
"Klein, you don´t have to feel guilty about Sugou´s escape" I mumbled as I stepped up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"W-What!?" He mumbled surprised "I-I-I don´t know what you´re talking about!"
"Yeah you do" I mumbled silently "And you don´t have to be sorry. He surprised you, there´s no shame at that"
"T-Thanks Kazuto" He mumbled with a troubled smile "Though it´s still my fault he is threatening us all…"
"No it´s not" I mumbled as I clapped his shoulder "I should have made sure the police were there before I left. I know how sneaky that snake is"
"I-If you say so Kazuto" He said with a smile, this time being true "Thanks"
"No problem bud" I said with a smirk "Just make sure to beat Sugou up when we find him"
"That´s a promise I can keep!" He said as he hit his fist into the palm of his other hand "I have a thing or two to do to that creep!"
"Hold that thought" I said with a smirk as I did the same as him "Let´s beat him up real good, alright?"
"Sounds like a plan!" he said with a smirk.
I smiled and nodded a bit before walking into the kitchen, where Asuna, her mother and Scilica was in full swing with making cocoa for everyone.
"Hey Asuna!" Liz said with a smirk "make my marshmallows on the double!"
"Alright, just hold on for a moment!" Asuna yelled back as she giggled a bit, running around the kitchen like a madman.
I was surprised how high everyone´s spirits was, even though we had this pressing situation on us. I found it slightly weird, but I was happy that everyone was able to keep up their mood, even when if something might happen anytime.
"Why do I feel like a maid all of a sudden?" Kyouko, Asuna´s mother, asked with a giggle as she put some coffee mugs on a tray.
"Because our house has become a café" Asuna said with a laugh as she filled the mugs with the newly made cocoa.
"Alright guys, let me help you" I said with a smile as I took the tray and began serving my friends.
"Thanks Kazuto" Asuna said with a smile as she kissed my cheek, squeezed my shoulder, and headed for the living room.
"Phew, you guys are demanding, seriously" Asuna said with a laugh.
Liz pouted a bit and playfully hit her best friend on the shoulder.
"Yeah, and you love it!" Liz said with a laugh.
I chuckled softly as I handed the three last mugs to Asuna´s family, and they all three nodded in appreciation, sipping every now and again from the hot drink.
"Ahhh that´s exactly what I needed" Scilica said with a bright smile "It´s been a while since I´ve had a good cup of hot cocoa"
"Yeah, me too" Klein mumbled as he sipped from his mug.
"So, how are you doing at work Klein?" I asked as I took a sip of my own mug.
"Pretty good actually" Klein said with excitement in his voice "Besides helping you with rebuilding SAO, I´m helping some of the top bosses of my company to come up with new ideas for games"
"Oh really?" Scilica exclaimed excitedly. "Have you been part of any recent games?"
"Well," Klein said with a smile "I have been coming up with some design ideas for some weapons in this new FPS game, called Gun Game Online"
"Oh, I´ve actually heard about that game!" liz said with a smile "It´s a game where you compete in shooting tournaments, and more or less just try to survive in the wasteland, right?"
"That´s right" Klein said with a nod "It´s supposed to be pretty rough"
It felt nice how we were talking like this, just like we always did. I kind of felt like it was everyone´s way to stay away from the topic at hand, and to be honest, I was happy that it was going on like this. Honestly I just wanted to forget everything about stress, fear and pain, and just wanted to relax with my family and friends for once.
Now that everyone was gathered at Asuna´s house, and that house was more than big enough to hold everyone, plus the fact that we we´re under police protection, made us feeling slightly more safe and secure. This made us forget everything about Sugou for a while, and just have a bit of fun, talking and hanging out like we used to.
I smiled softly over at Scilica and chuckled softly.
"I´m pretty sure Scilica would hate that game" I say with a laugh, resulting in Scilica´s pouting.
"Hey! What´s that supposed to mean?"
"Aww don´t be mad Scilica!" Liz said with a teaseful undertone "Kazuto is just saying you´re way too cute and cuddly to participate in war!"
"Hey, you calling me a princess!?" Scilica yelled as she stomped her foot "I can take care of myself you know!"
"Your pet in SAO was literally an adorable feathered dragon, barely able to do damage!" Liz laughed loudly, holding her stomach.
"T-That´s not…." Scilica paused for a bit. She wasn´t able to come up with any backfire "Hmph, at least I can take care of myself in SAO"
"Is that so?" I asked with a smirk "I think I can recall a certain time on floor 47 where you could barely walk down a brick road without being attacked by plant monsters!"
"Hey! I thought we were supposed to keep that to ourselves Kirito!" Scilica burst with a blush and a pout.
I couldn´t help but laugh a little and it seemed the laughter was contagious. The laughter quickly spread to all my friends, and even Scilica couldn´t help but giggle a little at the happy atmosphere. At the coffee table sat Asuna´s parents, her brother, and my aunt, with tired but happy smiles, and looked over at the happy scene.
Suguha walked out of the kitchen as she finished cleaning the kitchen table and sighed softly as she sat down beside Scilica on the couch.
"Geez, what a mess" She mumbled silently as she wiped some sweat from her forehead "At least we can have fun while we mess up the kitchen, huh mom?"
She asked this as she looked over at her mother with just as tired a smile as her mothers. My aunt smiled back and nodded.
"Well, I guess it´s worth it," She said with a smile "Seeing how happy it makes everyone, I mean"
"Yeah, I guess that´s rewarding enough" Suguha said with a giggle "A little payment would be nice though"
"What do you think your chores are there for?" My aunt giggled. Another wave of laughter rippled through the room.
It was beginning to become early morning. Time had began taking it´s toll on everyone, and it was seeable. Everyone was yawning or seeming tired in some way. I guess Asuna and her parent´s cocoa has that effect on people, and even I, who had been so worried all night, was even beginning to feel how exhausting it had been to stay up all night.
Funny, since you would think a gamer was used to being up late.
I sighed softly and rubbed my eyes silently as I laid out the last futon madress, and smiled a little as the girls, Liz, Scilica and Asuna crammed inside our bathroom to change and brush their teeth on the ground floor. Me, Agil and Klein, stood on the second floor, and brushed our own teeth.
"I can´t believe…" I mumbled silently "How good our lives are right now…"
"That´s a wonder coming from you Kazuto" Agil said with a chuckle "Seeing how you´re being death threatened"
"Yeah, I´m surprised you´re looking so positively on things" Klein mumbled as he spit out the remaining toothpaste "How are you doing with your nightmares?"
"It´s gotten a little worse since Sugou returns, but" I mumbled as I spit out my toothpaste as well "I have a feeling as soon as I have handed Sugou´s ass to him, they´re going to disappear again"
"Yeah, I´d guess" Klein said with a chuckle "See you guys tomorrow"
He smiled softly as he passed Asuna on the way out.
"Kazuto are you coming?"
She smiled at me silently as she huddled a duvet to her chest, her sleepy but happy smile inviting me out even more than her words.
"I´m coming, just need to finish up" I said as I put my toothbrush away.
"You better go with your girlfriend Kazuto" Agil said with a smile "I´m just going to finish up"
I nodded at him silently and smiled.
"Alright. Good night Agil" I said with a smile.
"Goodnight guys"
I yawned softly as I walked down the hall with my girlfriend. I blushed a little as I realized she led me to her room, but shook it off since I had already slept in the same room as her before, back in the Himalayas. She smiled back at me as she played with my fingers silently, pulling me by the hand into her room.
She smirked a bit and wiggled her finger in a motion for me to turn around. I realized that she was about to change, and immediately turned around, blushing dark red as I let her get some privacy. I heard some shuffling from the bed and the bedcovers, and a sugarsweet voice.
"It´s ok to turn around by now you know"
I gulped a little and turned around. Asuna was laying on the bed, under the bedcovers. She watched me silently, but smirked.
"What are you waiting for?" She said softly "Get changed already"
"This reminds me a lot about that time in SAO" I mumbled silently "I almost expect to see a menu pop up in front of me"
Asuna giggled a bit and nodded silently as I began pulling my shirt over my head, along with pulling my jeans off, leaving me in underwear and a t-shirt. I blushed dark red as I was not used to this kind of thing, but it still excited me.
I smiled softly as I climbed into bed beside Asuna, and she smiled softly as she looked into my eyes.
"You´re so cute when you´re blushing you know" She mumbled softly as she nuzzled her head into my neck.
I blushed a little at our closeness but smiled softly and kissed her cheek, feeling my own cheeks burn.
"You´re one to talk" I mumbled silently as I took a couple of deep breaths "Today was stressful"
"Yeah, but I know we´ll pull through" Asuna mumbled silently "As long as we have each other, our friends, and our family, nothing can stop us"
"Damn straight" I said with a smile.
I pulled her in and kissed her lips softly, letting our presences melt together for a moment before pulling away slightly and resting my head on my pillow, still nuzzled close up to my significant other.
"Good night Asuna" I mumbled silently.
"Good night Kazuto" She whispered back.
And with this, we both slowly, but surely, drifted into slumber.
A/N
What is up dear readers!? Hope you enjoyed this fluffy, happy, ball of mess!
I have some news for you guys.
Now that Halloween is coming up, I am going to upload a special Halloween themed chapter for both Corpse Party – Memory Loss and Blood Spill, and Sword Art Online – After The Incident.
Hope you like what I´m enjoying here, since it´s the first time I´m doing this kind of stuff.
Though know that the theme does not affect the genre. Both chapters are just going to be a break from the original timeline of the stories, and be two big balls of fluffy, romantic and silly mess. So look forward to it!
Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter, and see you next week, for the Super Awesome Halloween Special! It´s going to be Super Awesome :P