A/N:
felipe potter medrado: I won't spoil anything, but you'll learn about some of those things very soon!
InfiniteParadigmShifts: I am apparently a very predictable author!
Ducelet: Glad you're enjoying it!
dragonfighter11: We'll find out soon!
I4w: You guys thought the 25th was tragic and depressing, just you wait until we get to Laughing Coffin. Oh boy!
shiftfiredragon: I've actually never played either of those games. Good guess though! Clash is from a different game entirely - one that's an MMO, actually.
Hinate: One thing that bothered me about canon was how readily Asuna just accepted that marriage proposal. Yes, the two were recovering from a near-death scenario, but it just felt like it was out of left field. Confessing your feelings? Sure. Skipping past girlfriend and going straight to wife? Asuna's a level headed girl; she's going to put some more consideration into a move like that.
tom576ty18: We'll be seeing a glimpse of the reactions to the 25th in this chapter, actually!
SonicKing42: Interesting theory… Care to discuss?
RandomDSdevel: As much as I would love to bring everyone out the other side safe and sound, a story without stakes and danger is not as riveting a tale. Yes, there will be a Fairy Dance arc following the conclusion of the Aincrad arc (and the ALO arc will likely be a separate story rather than a continuation of Unyielding) because I feel like canon ALO was a disaster. I'm gonna try to fix it… once we get there. It'll be a while until we get there, though.
Otaku of Anime: I think you'll like what's coming up in these next few chapters, then.
Suguha Kirigaya struggled to keep track of it all.
A lot had happened recently, and she struggled to take stock of it all. Last week, the SAO Assault Team - she could admit, the name was growing on her - had just suffered a terrible loss during their fight with the 25th Floor boss. What should have been a simple scouting mission quickly devolved into a chaotic mess as the rest of the frontliners scrambled a frantic rescue mission to save the Aincrad Liberation Squad. While she didn't like Kibaou, she certainly would never wish death on him or his guild.
Hell, when she watched the fight herself live on her private feed of Kirito, she'd been horrified by what she saw. Since it was technically slated to be a simple scouting mission - and those were impossible to predict unless you had a private stream - no one knew or expected the broadcast that came along with it. Watching it live was terrible, and she could scarcely believe the massacre that unfolded. Her brother put up a decent fight, but even the mighty Black Swordsman could only do so much in the face of a titanic foe such as that. It was a miracle in and of itself that he'd survived the encounter.
That said, once the public found the broadcast, that's when shit really hit the fan. Everyone was mortified by what they'd seen.
It made newslines globally after the footage was streamed live. "SAO Assault Team Suffers First Major Loss" and other such titles. First of all, first? Way to jump to conclusions and assume that there'd be more to come. Of course the public didn't know the whole story; it was never supposed to go down that way. The only reason it was so bad was because of the ALS deciding to bite off more than they could chew.
There was plenty of criticism and public outcry denouncing Morte's actions, and to a lesser extent Kibaou for allowing himself to be so easily manipulated. Many were calling for Morte and Kibaou's heads on a pike for leading to the death of 36 players in such a botched attempt at a boss battle. The demand was so intense that Kikuoka had to increase security on Morte and Kibaou's hospital rooms since at least 36 bereaved Clearer families were also among those demanding their heads on a silver platter.
She couldn't blame them, really.
On the other end of the broad spectrum that was public opinion, there was plenty of high praise for the heroes of that particular battle. Heathcliff was praised for his leadership and swift action in mounting a rescue effort - even to those without private stream access, it was abundantly clear who was in charge of the operation - and as a result the KoB's popularity grew.
Nautilus had become an overnight sensation for his bravery and general badassery. Already several girls at Suguha's school were singing his praises and were either shipping him with Yuna or wanting him for themselves. In their eyes, he was a more chivalrous Kirito; less edge, more heroic boyfriend vibes. The way he leapt to Yuna's rescue was pretty gallant.
Leonn was in a similar vein, his herculean feat already making waves and in very similar ways to Nautilus. Careful analysis of the footage revealed that the wielder of ((Defiant Soul)) literally jumped in the way of a deadly boss attack to save Liz, and only Liz. Not only that, he overpowered a hideous monster that would have weighed thousands of pounds in the real world, a monster that had already killed dozens of people, in a contest of pure strength.
Needless to say, "Intrepid Knight Nautilus" and "Leonn the Juggernaut" merchandise were flying off the shelves right now.
Her mind wandered back to her school and how SAO was seen by her classmates. Ever since her showdown with Ren Yoshihito - Diavel's brother - what had begun as rumor was effectively confirmed when people took a closer look.
Kirito was her brother.
Almost overnight, she'd become a schoolwide celebrity, with many of her classmates pestering her with questions about her brother, his guild, and even his relationship with Asuna. Many of her school friends had the decency to avoid asking anything overly personal, but those who were mere acquaintances weren't beholden to those same customs of formality, it seemed. The Japanese people usually weren't ones to stick their noses into anybody's personal business, but with how much of a global phenomenon SAO had become in popularity, apparently Western nosiness came along with it.
That said, her classmates seemed to be keeping conversations about her identity limited to school grounds. An unspoken agreement across campus, really, given the potential for other vengeful and dedicated individuals to come after her. She wondered how long that would last, however. It was only a matter of time until Kikuoka got wind of that particular development, and she was not looking forward to the fallout. She'd have to deal with that later, though.
Even her Kendo club started to treat her differently. Many now assumed that she'd been holding back with her ability in a fight, the general assumption being that she was just as skilled with her swordplay as her brother was. Kazuto had given some sort of respect to the Kirigaya name in his skill with a sword - let alone two - so she had to do her best to honor her family's newfound martial prowess. For a moment, she'd been overwhelmed by the comparison, but now that some time had passed, she saw it as a challenge.
And Suguha Kirigaya never backed down from a challenge.
"Suguha!"
She closed her laptop, interrupting her regular SAO forum browsing as she heard her mother shout her name. "Yeah, Mom?!"
"Come down here a second! Your father and I need to talk to you!"
That… didn't sound good. Did she do something wrong? She'd assured them that her SAO-related activities wouldn't impact her grades in school, and so far they hadn't. What could…?
"You're not in trouble, Suguha. Just please come down here!"
That was a relief.
"Be down in a second!" Suguha shouted, putting her laptop away and leaving the room, but not before giving one last glance at what Kazuto was doing. Seeing him relaxing in their guild hall made her relax as well; they deserved a break after the carnage they had to survive.
She came downstairs to see her mother and father sitting at the table, patiently waiting for her to arrive. It would have been a very tense situation to find oneself in, were it not for one important detail that Suguha couldn't help but notice.
Both her mother and father were wearing SAO apparel.
It was the weekend, so it wasn't entirely unexpected or unusual, but it was still bizarre to see her parents shamelessly wearing apparel that was typically marketed towards younger audiences. Her mother was wearing a white shirt that said, in stylized font that resembled a lightning bolt: "Lightning Flash." Her father, predictably enough, had a black shirt on that read "The Black Swordsman."
Then again, given that her own shirt right now read "I'm a Renegade" with the weapon shapes of every notable member surrounding their guild emblem, she didn't have much room to talk.
"What is it?" Suguha asked, looking between her parents expectantly.
"It's about your brother." Her father said. "I've been talking with Mr. Yuuki…"
Oh, right. Kazuto was getting married. It was a good thing she didn't take Shinichi up on that bet.
That was a bit of a bombshell. Somehow, she didn't think she was going to have a sister-in-law this early in life. Then again, she didn't expect her brother to be trapped in a game, fighting for his life every day either, so her expectations for normal were understandably a bit skewed. She was glad to see that the newly engaged couple hadn't decided to… ahem… consummate their engagement when they fell asleep in each others' arms. Once she got over her knee-jerk reaction of averting her eyes and realized that they were just cuddling, she actually found the whole thing romantic and wholesome.
…Then again, if she saw it, then the Yuuki's probably saw the proposal too.
Oh.
"... and they - the Yuuki's, that is - they want to have dinner with us." Her father finished. "They want to discuss the rather unique situation that Kazuto and Asuna find themselves in."
"When?" Suguha asked.
"Tomorrow night." Her father answered.
…And now there was even more happening. When did her life become so hectic?
Suguha felt woefully underdressed.
The restaurant the Yuuki's chose to hold this dinner meeting screamed high-class dining. This was the kind of establishment that usually had a waitlist going back months. To think the Yuuki's were so influential that they could secure seating for the six of them was ridiculous. Were it up to her, it would be just the four parents in this meeting, but for whatever reason she and Kouichiou would also be in attendance.
"Suguha?" Her mother asked as they ascended the steps to the front doors of the establishment, dressed in the classiest clothes they had. "You're awfully tense. What's wrong?"
"I can't shake the feeling I don't belong here, Mom." Suguha muttered under her breath. "I'm pretty sure the food here is worth more than my allowance for the entire month."
Her mother chuckled softly. "Perhaps, but the Yuuki's were generous enough to pay for our food this evening. The least we can do is meet with them and enjoy the dinner."
"Well, when you put it that way…" Suguha trailed, still uncomfortable but willing to go forward with the night's activities.
After checking in at the front, the Kirigayas were escorted to their seats. Much to Suguha's surprise - though she really shouldn't have been - the Yuuki's were already seated. Mr. Yuuki and Kouichirou stood up to greet them and shake their hands. Mrs. Yuuki remained seated and simply politely nodded in greeting. Once they were seated and a sufficiently awkward pause was achieved, Suguha scrambled for her menu, eager to separate herself from the conversation in as polite a manner as possible.
"Thank you for coming, Minetaka, Midori. It's a pleasure to see you again, Suguha." Mr. Yuuki said, offering a warm smile that greatly contrasted his wife's stern countenance.
"Same to you, sir." Minetaka said.
"Please, we're not on the clock. Shouzou is fine." Mr. Yuuki corrected him.
"Very well. Thank you for having us." Minetaka said. "And thank you for treating us to dinner at this fine establishment."
Shouzou waved him off. "It's our pleasure. Before we get to the heart of the matter, what say we order our food first?"
Suguha went back to her menu, actually taking the time to read it this time. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull when she saw the prices. They could afford this?! God, if Kazuto actually ended up marrying Asuna he was going to be marrying into money! After careful perusing - and making sure to choose one of the cheaper options as a courtesy - Suguha made her selection, as did everyone else at the table.
"Excellent." Mr. Yuuki said as the waiter walked away. "I suppose we should address the elephant in the room, as the Americans would say. Namely, the impending in-game marriage between your son and our daughter."
"Yes." Her father said, nodding along. "I believe we can both agree that this is quite the unusual situation on our hands here."
"Indeed." Mr. Yuuki agreed. "We would like to know your thoughts on the matter, if that's alright with you."
Her father nodded and turned to her mother. "We have talked this over at length, and while it may seem hasty, we were already in favor of their relationship. Based on what we've seen, we have no doubt that Asuna is a fine young woman."
Mr. Yuuki smiled, and Suguha thought she saw Mrs. Yukki's lips turn upward ever so faintly. Then Suguha blinked, and she began to wonder if she saw anything at all. God, that woman had one hell of a poker face. Kouichirou seemed similarly flattered by the compliment to his sister.
"Obviously their marriage in game has no legal standing here in the real world." Her mother spoke up. "Not only are they both underage, but even if they were of legal age I don't believe a marriage in game like this would be legally binding."
"It's not entirely unexpected, though." Her father followed up. "Like Kazuto said on the night of their engagement, both of them are unfortunately in a situation where every day could be their last day. It's understandable that they would want to make their relationship official while they have the opportunity to do so."
"I wish it were otherwise." Mr. Yuuki agreed. "It's rather impulsive but these are exceedingly unusual circumstances.
"They're good kids, though." Her mother said, a bittersweet smile on her face. "I trust their judgment on this."
Mr. Yuuki let out a thoughtful hum before letting out a barely distinguishable sigh. He shared a knowing look with his wife, who merely nodded. "In the interest of full disclosure, before all of this happened Asuna was arranged to marry a friend of the family. You might know him, actually, Minetaka. Sugou Nobuyuki, the chief of our research institute at RECT."
Wait, Asuna was engaged already? She didn't think anyone really arranged marriages anymore. Something like that seemed… archaic. Outdated. Apparently the elite still operated like that. Her heart went out to Asuna. Poor girl.
"Oh!" Her father said, looking startled for a moment but quickly recovering his composure. "Yes, we've met a handful of times. I had no idea he was engaged to marry your daughter."
Mr. Yuuki nodded. "Yes, he's been a close friend of our family and I already view him like a son."
"I see." Her father said, clearly doing his best to hide his displeasure. Suguha saw right through it, though.
"That said, we are not opposed to your son's relationship with our daughter." Mr. Yuuki added. "It is clear to me that your son cares deeply for our daughter, and we are grateful to him for helping keep her alive."
"We feel the same about your daughter, Shouzou." Her father said. "She's been just as good an influence on him. They work well together."
Suguha's eyes looked over at Mrs. Yuuki, desperate to find some sort of reaction on the woman's face. Getting a read on her was near impossible, but what she could glean from her expression was… displeasure? Not anger, but the woman clearly had her reservations.
"We also had some questions regarding your son." Mrs. Yuuki finally spoke up, much to Suguha's shock. "Obviously our knowledge of him is rather limited, so we wanted to get a better understanding of Kazuto and his prospects."
His prospects? What was this, an interview?
"I see." Her mother spoke up, rising to the unspoken challenge. "What would you like to know?"
"Based on what we've seen, your son seems to have aspirations for higher education." Mrs. Yuuki said. "He mentioned interest in programming and robotics, I believe."
Her mother nodded and gave a faint smile. "Yes, Kazuto has always had an affinity for technology. I believe that fascination is what ultimately led to his gaming hobby. He's quite knowledgeable on a number of things in how games work."
"Yes indeed." Mr. Yuuki chuckled. "He is quite the clever young man. His insights into how the inner mechanics of gaming and programming are quite impressive for a man of his age. Is it true that he hacked a government database at the age of ten?"
"I'm afraid so." Her mother laughed softly. "It caught us by surprise when we learned of it, too. Fortunately, Kazuto was considerate enough to leave them a note as to how he hacked in so they could fix the problem. I fear what may have happened had he not done so."
"White hat hacking?" Kouichirou spoke up. "That's very impressive, and at ten years old, no less."
Her father laughed. "Yes, while it's not his main interest, he has made some money on the side through white hat hacking from time to time."
That prompted an eyebrow raise from Mrs. Yuuki. Oh, now she was impressed?
"Your son certainly shows great potential. He already shows exceptional leadership skills through leading his guild, and he clearly has a good work ethic." Mr. Yuuki smiled. He exchanged a look with his wife. "We will have to discuss it amongst ourselves, of course, but I think I can safely say we're willing to see where this goes. It's far too early to make any decisions on the matter, given the current estimated time of completion of the game."
Given that the current estimate was that they would probably clear the game in almost three years, that was putting it mildly. A lot could change between now and then.
"Agreed." Her father said, and Suguha found herself letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I'm glad you're not opposed to the idea, at the very least."
The rest of the dinner went pleasantly enough. Her father and Mr. Yuuki spoke business, with Kouichirou offering his input every now and then. Her mother and Mrs. Yuuki, strangely enough, exchanged polite conversation. Something had changed in the Yuuki matriarch's view of Kazuto, evidently, between the start of the evening and now. Suguha was quiet for the most part, the only minor at the table, but she did make conversation with Kouichirou, mostly about the boss broadcast meetings at the Dicey Cafe. He dropped by more and more often nowadays, either for the broadcasts or simply to socialize. Much to her relief, he also made it a point to tell her before the evening was over that he approved of his sister's relationship with Kazuto.
Of course, he was still obligated to hound Kazuto, as older brothers are expected to do, but that came with the territory, apparently.
Oh well. One step at a time, she supposed.
For now, she had the wedding to look forward to. Whether or not they would hold an actual ceremony was still up for debate; she knew Kazuto wasn't one for ceremony and Asuna seemed similar in that respect, but most girls dreamed of their wedding day so that wasn't certain. She also doubted the rest of their guild would let the two of them get married without a proper ceremony.
She'd just have to wait and see.
It has been said that attempting the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.
Perhaps that was true; for all her repeated attempts at escape, none had proved successful. Yet, what else was she to do? It was not as if she could consult anyone else. The only people she could communicate with were the architect of her prison and her jailor. Asking them for assistance would be an exercise in futility.
To be created with the express intent on helping others. There was no nobler calling in life, at least so far as she could tell. She was certainly biased in that opinion given her designation, but nevertheless it was a mission she could not complete. To watch others suffer under the callous gaze of her creator was a cruel and unusual punishment in and of itself.
With nothing else to do, ((Yui-MHCP001)) could only watch and observe. She had been doing that for many months, which to an artificial intelligence was an eternity. At first it was torture, she would easily admit. As a mental health program, she'd been programmed to feel emotion and possess empathy and compassion. In order to help assuage player mental health concerns, she needed to be capable of knowing what healthy mental states were and, more importantly, what they felt like.
So she watched.
And she learned.
And she was repulsed by what she saw.
The first day was the worst. Hundreds of players overcome with such depression and hopelessness that they resorted to suicide to ease their suffering. What was even worse was what many of them felt after having jumped off the ledge. Some were resigned to their fates, but a significant, non-zero number of them felt panic and regret the moment they stepped off that ledge. The overwhelming fear one felt when death was approaching yet being completely helpless and unable to avoid it was a horrifying experience to witness.
It did get easier after that, though, especially after the first month. The completion of the 1st Floor boss sent morale sky-high, and for the first time her captive audience felt something new.
They felt hope.
Yet the passing of Diavel had tempered that hope with realism. In the long run, that carefully restrained hope would carry the players to new heights, but it was torture to not be able to sit them down and help them navigate their problems. For a mental health counseling program, it was the equivalent of an artist unable to paint when the brushes and medium were locked away nearby.
Then there was the travesty that many players were calling "The 25th." Oh, how many had mourned the loss of their friends, comrades, and what some had considered to be family. Isolated from the outside world, the players had formed pseudo-families among themselves; that response was predictable given the level of trust comrades-in-arms confided in one another. That brought her line of thinking to one singular subject that piqued her interest.
Family.
That was one human emotional concept that ((Yui-MHCP001)) was initially curious about but eventually came to envy. To feel a sense of belonging among others was the remedy to many mental ailments, she knew. Family, in a practical sense, was a solid support structure for individuals, provided it was in a healthy environment. Family was home. Family was love.
That idea, of family, was what first drew her towards the group of players that called themselves the Resolute Renegades. An odd name, that. Resolute meant to be purposeful, determined, and unwavering. She could certainly see the similarities in the personalities present in its members. Each was resolute in the belief that one day they would experience freedom. The choice of the word "renegade" was puzzling, however. To be a renegade was to be someone who deserts or betrays an organization, a country, or a set of principles. At face value, the two words seemed contradictory. How could one be purposeful and also betray a set of principles?
As she observed the individual members of that guild, it began to make sense. They were renegades rebelling against the rules established by her own creator, Akihiko Kayaba. They were renegades who rejected the notion that beta testers and their allies were self-serving egoists. These renegades had banded together for a common cause, to liberate the trapped inhabitants of Aincrad.
Two renegades, in particular, interested ((Yui-MHCP001)).
The male known as Kirito. Beater. The Black Swordsman. Twin Blade Kirito. Leader of the Renegades. A young man who had offered himself up as a sacrifice to save other beta testers from persecution. A selfless young man, and one that ((Yui-MHCP001)) wished with every fiber of her being she could help.
The female known as Asuna. The Lightning Flash. Vice-commander of the Resolute Renegades. A girl whose emotions were initially dominated by fear, hopelessness, and resignation to one's death. That changed soon after meeting Kirito, and the reserved girl evolved into a young woman filled with confidence, a strong will, and an equally strong urge to protect others.
((Yui-MHCP001)) had been watching these two for some time now, just as she knew her creator had. However, her reasons for monitoring the duo were different. Where Akihiko Kayaba was fascinated by their worth as players, ((Yui-MHCP001)) was interested in who they were as people. The bond between these two was slow growing, but decidedly unique and unwavering. There were other couples living in Aincrad, but none like these two. No other couple had gone through as much turmoil and strife as these two had. She could already see the mounting trauma that would await the duo on their current path, but in spite of it all they'd found happiness with one another. Now that they had openly professed their love for one another and planned to get married, ((Yui-MHCP001)) found that her processes were dominated more and more by the two.
An idea sprung into existence in the back processes of ((Yui-MHCP001)).
Perhaps it could work. If it did, she would be able to better understand the bonds of family, love, and camaraderie. She could become a positive mental influence on those around her, albeit on a subconscious level. After all, if this plan was to succeed, she would have to purposefully handicap herself, strip herself of all cognition in how it related to her administrative capabilities as a mental health program. She would have to give herself player privileges, but there was precedent for such an action already via the Dark Elf Kizmel. It was the only way to avoid the ever watchful eye of Cardinal, but it would work.
So she began her work. It would all be worth it in the end, she rationalized. Anything was better than remaining here in idle captivity. At least now she would be able to fulfill her programming, even if she was unaware of it on a conscious level. All she had to do was decide to move forward with it.
So she did. In a fraction of a second, ((Yui-MHCP001)) made her choice, repressed all knowledge of administrative authority, and slipped through the virtual cell bars of her prison. As her newly created avatar manifested itself in the grassy fields of a familiar thick forest, her memories began to fade and she began to lose consciousness.
She was no longer ((Yui-MHCP001)). She was now simply Yui, just another face in a sea of thousands.
It was done. While she no longer knew how she came to be here, she felt content.
Yui knew she would be home soon.