The Long Road
Asuna opened her eyes to the comforting sight of her family's virtual cottage on the twenty-second floor of New Aincrad. This place had been the real start of her and Kirito's life together and had thus always felt so much more like home to her than anywhere in the real world. She rolled over as she did every morning and reached out her arm.
No one was there.
Surprise filled her for just a moment before she remembered why Kirito wasn't there.
"Right," Asuna said, and slowly pulled herself out of bed. With a few quick taps, she re-applied her cloths and, as always, her trusty rapier, before stretching her weary muscles and letting out a long yawn. She took a deep breath to prepare herself; today had been a long time coming and there was much she wanted to do.
Asuna walked into her living room and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Liz passed out on the sofa. Her old friend had been determined to see her off, but she had so much fun at the party the previous night, she hadn't been able to keep herself awake. Asuna knew that Liz wanted to come with her, but she was determined to do this alone.
Quietly, Asuna slipped past her slumbering friend and out the back door.
The crisp fresh morning air filled Asuna's lungs as she greeted the new day. She smiled at the sounds of the birds in the air and the wind blowing gently through the trees. Today was going to be a good day.
Next to the back deck was a garden of white lilies that Asuna had cultivated herself. Nearly all had been taken and one given to each of the guests at the party the previous night. Now only three remained. Asuna reached down and plucked them from the garden, she stored two in her inventory and kept the third on hand.
Flower held tight, Asuna walked over to the other side of the her property. A little ways from the house, nearly inside the forest itself, was an achingly familiar sight.
"Hello," she said. "It's me again... I mean, obviously." Asuna fidgeted nervously with the flower in her hand as she spoke. "I'm still missing you each and every day, especially every morning."
Before her was a rusted old sword planted in the ground like a cross and behind that was a small headstone. Engraved upon in was a simple message, yet she couldn't help but cry every time she ready it. Here lies Kirito the Black Swordsman, hero of Aincrad. Beloved husband and father. May the burden he helped us bare never be forgotten.
"Everyone had a great time last night, even though we spent much of it thinking about those who couldn't be there... about you."
Gently, with tears running down her face, Asuna placed the white lily atop Kirito's headstone.
"I'd always said that I didn't know what I would do without you; honestly some days I still don't... some days it doesn't feel real. Though I guess reality has always been a little more subjective for us, hasn't it?"
She smiled softly through the tears and placed her hand gently upon her husband's gravestone. "Well I'm off to go on a bit of a sightseeing tour today; last night got me feeling more than a little nostalgic. We can always talk more there; this being a virtual world and all, you're just as likely to hear me there as here aren't you?"
The silence that followed for a few moments was interrupted by the morning cicadas.
"See you soon," Asuna said with a bitter smile.
Without looking back, she turned away from the grave of her lost love and headed out into the forest, towards the nearest town with a portal to the other floors.
Asuna sat alone in the top row of the small stadium as she had so many years ago. On the coliseum floor, she could see the ghosts of the past play out a scene before her. Diavel, tall and proud, stood before a crowd of yet more ghosts, offering inspiring words of courage just as she remembered them.
She looked closer at the crowd of memories gathered around her, so many that would become brothers and sisters in arms for years to come. Agil, tall and stalwart, always ready to help bring people together. Lind, courageous and stern, hanging onto Diavel's every word. Kibaou, the spikey haired punk who always thought he knew what was what. Of course, on practically the other side of the cavea from her was the one she would grow to know best of all; her lost love Kirito, sliding awkwardly towards her to form their party for the first time.
Asuna had always thought that awkward and hesitant side of him had been rather charming, yet as the years and challenges wore away at him, she saw that side of him less and less.
With a quick slide of her finger, she opened up her inventory and withdrew a small loaf of cheap bread. She could afford so much more now, basically anything in Aincrad really, but this meal was special. Asuna clicked a few more buttons and withdrew a small jar a cream that she promptly spread across the bread. Despite all the wonderful food she had over the years, both virtual and real, it was this simple meal, the first one they had ever shared together that always brought warmth to her body and soul.
"So many moments," she said to the empty arena. "So many little things that shaped the course of all our lives."
Slowly, as Asuna finished her bread, tears began to fall from her eyes.
"I was such a reckless fool," she sobbed. "If you hadn't found me in that dungeon, hadn't given me hope, hadn't sat beside me here... the wonderful future I would have just thrown away."
Below her in the crumbling amphitheatre, the ghosts of the past were wrapping up their meeting. Beside her was the silent ghost of her dearest love looking awkwardly at her as he waited for her to accept a party invite.
"I've got lots more to see today," she said to Kirito's memory. "I'll see you again soon."
With that, Asuna slowly got up and headed back to the first floor gate.
With more focus and concentration than Asuna had used in quite some time, she carefully guided the Tilnel into a small dock at Yofel castle. Kirito had almost always helmed their boat in the past while Asuna navigated. It felt more than a little odd, and was more than a little challenging, taking his place.
The boat bumped gently against the dock and Asuna quickly leaped out onto dry land before mooring her precious vehicle to dry land. The original Tilnel had sadly been lost when the first Aincrad was erased, but she had Kirito had painstakingly rebuilt their their dear boat in New Aincrad at the first opportunity. Riding it alone made Asuna feel all the more hollow without him, yet it was the only way to get to Yofel castle, and there was the ghost of another dear friend that lingered here.
Asuna turned from the lake and beheld the fortress that she hadn't seen in so many years. The massive structure was built from white stone with four towers each varying in their heights. The first time she had been here, a think layer of snow had covered everything, but now the grey slate tiles that covered the sharply angled roofs of the castle were clearly visible and gave off a slightly more drab vibe than she recalled.
Asuna strode forth and marched right through the open main gate. Once upon a time she had to prove her allegiance to the Dark Elves to enter this castle, but now all of the NPC's were absent. The only beings Asuna could see were the ghosts of her own past.
Memory served her better than she had expected and within ten minutes Asuna found herself at her destination. She considered this the most relaxing getaway in all of Aincrad; the Yofel castle Infinity Edge pool. The ivory tiles, the golden faucets, even the steam rolling out of the giant hot tub, they were all just as she remembered.
Asuna tapped her un-equip all button and gently submerged herself in the steamy water. Baths had always been something she adored, but this one had a special place in her heart, not just to take her cares away, but to remind her of a friend long gone. Slowly, Asuna drifted towards the far edge of the bath, where only two glass walls separated her from the castle's exterior. Below was the lake she had come across to reach this place, and from her angle it seemed like her bath and the lake melted into one. She let out a long overdue sigh of relaxation, and waited for the ghosts of her past to arrive once more.
It didn't take long for the swirling steam to form another pair of familiar shapes that settled next to her, looking out over the expansive view of the fourth floor of Aincrad. The first was, as always, Kirito; though now he donned those dopey, but admittedly cute, red bull swim trunks he had somehow pulled from General Baran on the second floor. He wore the same old nervous, uncertain expression he had for most of their early travels together, but especially so whenever things got a little too suggestive. If only that version of him could see how far their relationship had come.
On her other side, also marveling at the beauty of the view, was the misty ghost of the Dark Elf NPC Kizmel. Her dark skin and lilac hair had always stunned Asuna with their surprising beauty, but it was both the fierceness and kindness behind her onyx eyes that had made Asuna determined to cement their friendship all those years ago. She sported a two piece lilac bathing suit that Asuna had made her to match her hair and radiated the same calm surety of purpose that Asuna remembered from their travels together so long ago.
Kizmel's data had been lost with the erasure of Aincrad and New Aincrad had failed to reproduce her like again. She was truly unique, the first virtual soul they had ever encountered. Asuna moved her hand to rest atop that of Kizmel's ghostly counterpart; though her fingers went straight through the memory, she still felt connected to her long lost friend even more so than she had a moment before.
"Hey Kizmel, it's been a long time," she said. "I'm sorry that I haven't come back to visit, haven't remembered you the way I perhaps should have, it's just... so hard. We lost so many friends in Aincrad, but you were more dear to Kirito and I that we ever had the words to tell you, we've missed you so much over these long years."
Kizmel's ghost turned to regards Asuna with the warm loving smile she had reserved for their long awaited reunions on new floors.
"We named our first daughter after you, you know... well, our first biological daughter at least. Our parents, especially my mom, weren't exactly happy with such a... unique name choice, but we insisted that there could be no other."
The steam of the hot bath covered Asuna's tears this time, but they still streaked from her face straight and true as she spoke.
"And most of all, I should thank you just for being here and being our friend. If we hadn't met you, hadn't learned from you that an AI could have a soul long before it was common knowledge, we may never have had the right mindset to take care of and adopt our first daughter Yui. You did so much for us without ever having realized it."
Asuna instinctively brought her arm up to rub the tears from her eyes, but she only succeeded in covering her face with bath water and making it even more wet.
When she removed her arm from her face, the ghostly hands of Kirito and Kizmel rested upon her shoulders. They both wore warm encouraging smiles that reminded her of the best of times that she had spent with them both. Slowly though, they began to fade back into the mist.
Asuna pulled up her inventory screen and selected one of the two remaining roses she had plucked. Gently she set in on the side of the bath against the large glass window, as if the flower itself was capable of looking out over the lake.
"Thank you, so much," she said before their images had fully disappeared.
Slowly, Asuna pulled herself away from the beautiful view, and even more beautiful memories, and got out of the bath. She took a moment to silently dry herself off before re-equipping her gear and setting back out on her memory filled journey.
Asuna spent the rest of her day touring all over Aincrad, seeing all the places she hadn't visited in so many years. The puzzle filled sixth floor where it had become apparent for the first time how much Aincrad was evolving on its own, the massive city of Algade on the fiftieth floor, the old guild hall of the Knights of the Blood Oath in Granzam where she had spent so much of her time.
Now she neared the end of her trip down memory lane as two massive double doors swung wide before her, revealing a large disk like platform amidst a dark abyss. Despite painful memories, Asuna knew that there was nothing to fear from this room anymore. With determination akin to that which she harnessed the first time she had stepped into this room, she proceeded onto the platform of the floor boss of the seventy-fifth floor of Aincrad. The Skull Reaper was nowhere to be found, now all that was before here was the empty platform over the dark abyss and the stairway leading up to the next floor.
As Asuna approached the stairway, the ghosts of the past swirled around her once more. She could see the afterimages of the front line group she had fought with for so long spread around the round room in anticipation of a boss they could not yet see. The ghost of the most terrifying enemy she had faced in Aincrad dropped in the middle of them with a massive roar and cleaved a pair of the ghosts in twain.
Even as just a memory, the battle was hard to watch... perhaps even more so since it was a memory. So many lives had been extinguished in the last moments before they cleared the game, so many just inches from a freedom they would never see. They had all fought with the ferocity that came with the knowledge that their lives were balanced on the edge of a knife, the ghosts of herself and Kirito were in the thick of it as always, pushing each other harder and harder to best the world that had trapped them.
Eventually the massive boss fell as it had so many years ago, and the ragtag disheartened survivors tried to collect themselves the best they could. Then came the moment that had changed everything, Kirito's sudden strike at their leader Heathcliff and the flashing purple Immortal Object icon.
The spectral duel between Kirito and Heathcliff played out just as it had long ago as well. Blades clashed at lightning speeds and Asuna couldn't help but wince when her own ghost leaped in front of Kirito to shield him from the killing blow.
"We were such fools at the start weren't we?" she asked the empty room. "So crazy about each other that we couldn't wait to fall on our swords for the sake of love." She chuckled a bit to herself over their youthful naivete. "At least we turned out better than Romeo and Juliet."
As she looked around the floor, dozens of faces of fallen comrades started back at her. Even after all these years the ghosts of the dead retained their accusing eyes.
"So many that never got the chance we did," she murmured.
It had been so long, she could barely remember the names or faces of those who had fought so hard for so long just to die in the final confrontation. Yet another terrible tragedy of this world. Asuna simply stood there for a long time, lost in the fog of the past before she finally made her way towards the staircase that lead up.
As she took her first few steps, a terrible pain shot through her body, and brought the once great warrior to her knees. Her head felt like it was spilling in two, and she grabbed at her chest over a pain she couldn't reach. Desperately trying to catch her breath from the sudden shock, she stared defiantly at the stairs before her.
"Not... yet..." she demanded of the universe. "I've still got... one last place to see."
Struggling back to her feet, Asuna made her wait up the spiral staircase and towards the teleport gate on the seventy-sixth floor.
Asuna walked slowly across a small land-bridge that led to a tiny island. In its center was a massive tree that sheltered much of the nearby area. The walk felt more arduous with every step, but eventually she made it to a headstone in front of the tree that faced out to a beautiful view of the surrounding crystalline lake. Gently, Asuna placed the last flower upon the headstone.
"Hey Yuuki," she said. "I told you I'd come back one more time."
Asuna's headache had now progressed from a solid constant throb with occasional extra painful spikes to a full on raging cacophony. She took a few awkward steps and reached out to steady herself against the mighty tree.
"I'm just going to sit here with you for a while if you don't mind." she said, sliding down the trunk and setting into a comfortable spot amidst the roots.
"It's been a long time," Asuna said. "Longer than I would have liked to go without a visit, but it looks like I'll finally get the chance to fill you in properly on everything you've missed."
Asuna smiled softly at that thought and slowly closed her weary eyes.
"I thought I'd find you here."
A familiar voice cut through Asuna's tranquil rest. Slowly, she opened her eyes and beheld a form most familiar, though one that didn't quite reconcile with her walk down memory lane; at least not in her current form.
The woman looked to be in her mid twenties with long auburn hair, much like Asuna's. The strong and determined features of her face though, they were unmistakably much more akin to that if Kirito. She wore a long flowing black dress that complemented her lithe form without being overly provocative. Her face was such a melting pot of complex emotions as she looked down at Asuna, it was impossible to tell exactly what she was thinking; though Asuna did have a general idea.
"A black dress; you're in mourning already Yui?"
"It seemed appropriate under the circumstances mom." Yui said as she softly took a seat next to her adopted mother.
As the years had gone by Yui had decided to modify her avatar to a form more befitting to how she actually felt, though if she had matched it to her actual age, she'd be well into her sixties. Yui had grown very comfortable with her third avatar and had decided not to change it any further.
"You know I didn't want a long goodbye." Asuna said.
"I know mom, but I need your advise on something one last time." Yui smiled ruefully as she spoke, "It's not like I'll ever get another chance to ask you."
Asuna gently rested her head on her daughter's shoulder. "Ask away."
Yui was silent for a few moments before she finally admitted "I'm afraid. I didn't want to tell you, I don't want to make you worry... but I'm afraid."
"Oh Yui, my sweet girl." Asuna said, gently taking her daughters hand. "I know you'll miss me, and I'll miss you, but you still have your brother and sisters, nieces and nephews."
"But for how long?!" Yui demanded. "First Dad and Uncle Klein, now you, next will be Auntie Liz and Auntie Sinon. How long before my brothers and sisters are as old as you, then my nieces and nephews, my great nieces and nephews? How many times will I have to go through this... how long until I'm all alone?"
"Yui, I-"
"You talk about going to see Dad again, but even if that's true... I'll never get to go. I'll still be here, without any of you."
Asuna's head hurt so badly that she could barely focus on her daughter's words. Her link to Aincrad was fading. She was fading.
"No one knows for sure what's really out there." Asuna struggled to find the words, refusing to leave her eldest daughter in this state. "I may be going to see Kirito and Yuuki again... or I may not. What I do know is that you will never be alone. We will always be in your heart and in your memories for as long as you live."
"It's not enough," Yui sobbed. "I can't reach out and hug a memory, I can't tell a memory how my day went, or laugh with one over a new joke. You'll still be gone, and I'll still be here... alone."
"There is something... I wanted you to have." Asuna revealed, her weary limbs straining against the effort of accessing her menu. "It was going to be automatically sent to you upon my death, but it feels more fitting that I give this to you here and now."
Asuna withdrew and old piece of rolled up parchment and passed in to Yui. "Here, I promised to pass this along to someone at this very spot so long ago. Deep down, I'd always felt that one day you would be the one to inherit it."
Yui looked at the item that transferred to her inventory and a small notification popped up. New Skill Acquired: Mother's Rosario.
"This... it's..." Yui stammered.
"It's proof... that we never truly fade away from this world." Asuna struggled as hard as she could against the tides of pain and crippling fatigue to get her words out. "It was never easy... saying goodbye to so many... in Aincrad and after... it was even harder... with your father and Klein, but this is proof... that we can leave something tangible behind... Please use this... remember me, and... remember Yuuki... There is always... more out there... Another adventure to have... another friend to make..."
Asuna and Yui held each other tight, both trembling as Asuna fought to say the last piece of advise she would ever impart to her daughter.
"The pain... of loss... will never... go away... but neither... will... the... joys... of... life..."
Yui hugged her mother even tighter, more that she could ever remember doing, as if somehow she could hold her here in this moment forever. "I promise I will," she sobbed. "I'll use it always and remember you both; and if somehow I cease to exist, I will make sure that someone else carries on this legacy."
Asuna's grip on Yui slackened, then her arm fell to her side.
"Mom?"
Yui pulled back and looked at her mothers face. Asuna's eyes were closed, but a soft, tranquil, and loving smile radiated from her still face.
"Mom!" Yui screamed as tears streamed down her face; but Asuna Kirigaya had already passed away.
Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoyed this little short story I put together. Basically it came about as an idea of how Yui would confront the mortality of her parents and the story just built itself around that with Asuna shifting to the lead role instead of Yui as I'd originally intended.
I've been toying with the idea of writing and epilogue/part 2 to this story from Yui's POV after Asuna's death, but I'm not sure if that story actually needs that or if it feels more complete as is. What do you all think?
Anyhow, thank you all for reading, and if you really like this story feel free to check our my SAO novel Fractured Code. I put it on hold for a little bit to get this piece done, but it will be back up and running soon.
Thanks again,
Tawnis
