I do not own SAO, and all credit is due to Reki Kawahara.

Thanks to LiSa and Watanabe Shou for the awesome song.

Thanks for subscribing/faving/reviewing since my last chapter:

drpepperfreak00, , purpleswans, seldombites, Azaru Hiwatari, TheSilentWarden, ShockWavesSweeper, and Dragongirl2406

Whoa, has it really been so long since I've updated? Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ps. sorry about jumping away from what happened last chapter and leaving you hanging. Really felt that a few things need to come first.

pss. I don't like how this chapter turned out and I think it could have been better. I'll make some changes in the next few days and repost it. I just felt that I should post this. If you have any good ideas on how this part could be made better, feel free to mention it.

Rika P.O.V

One step in front of the other. That has been how Rika has lived her life. Whenever something difficult has come along she has kept moving forward on her own two feet. Not even being made to fight for her life could change that. She made her goals; and met them. Sure the end result could change, but ultimately she always did her best to reach the objective. She was not completely single minded however. Along the way she had made many important friends.

But now… How was she going supposed to keep moving forward when she couldn't even walk by herself? Not even 10 feet without crutches. Before, she would go out with her friends from school. They would laugh and have fun. The only thing that had tied her down was their imagination, and her wallet. Now it was different;now she felt stuck.

That's the way her life seems to have been categorized good for her in the present.
Before and After.

Before things were different, she was strong. She could do things by herself. She didn't have to rely on anyone.

After…. Well, she… wasn't. It hurt to admit that she needed the help of others to do what she used to do alone. Walking up the stairs needed someone to make sure she wouldn't fall, the streets and hallways required a bodyguard, someone to push the wheelchair if she couldn't walk anymore. Even during Aincrad, if she needed something there were ways that she could get whatever she needed. She needed to help others. She became a smith. She needed to make money while not on the front lines. She became the BEST smith. She could afford to rely on herself, even when she had the option to rely on others.

She had thought that after she had made it out that everything would be okay. Now, she wasn't so naïve to think that everything would immediately go back to the way things were. But at the very least she hadn't expected that everything would have moved on while she remained the same.
Rehab was hard. She could live with that. The daily torture to be healthy again? All good. But emotionally? Coupled with her shame and inability to take care of herself? Not so good.

I used to be strong. She would often ponder to herself. Maybe not the strongest, like Asuna, or Kirito. But she was strong enough, and in her own way. She had people she could rely on, and people who relied on her in turn. She made the armor and weapons that would save the lives of others. They needed to be the best. She needed to be the best. She fought hard, and she did what she could to minimize the damage to the players.

Now no one needed her. Her friends were two years ahead. Some had even moved away. She hadn't tried to contact them, but she hadn't tried either. While stuck in Aincrad, it was like she was standing still and the rest of the world was still moving forward. They were moving on with their lives; her family while glad to have her returned, couldn't stop what they were doing at the drop of a hat to help her constantly. They had hospital bills to pay off, ones that weren't covered by the insurance or the government. In the time she had been gone, she had a new baby brother. Her mother couldn't afford to spend that much attention on her with an infant in the household. That and her job that she could still work at, just from home.

They were happy (to an extent), and then she came back and things got more difficult. It was like there were two young children in the house instead of one. Her mother would wake up to the wails of her dark haired, beautiful little brother, while she would wake up gasping from sword fights, and battles,and the screams of the dying. From that stupid shimmering 'ting'. But she couldn't begrudge them.
She remembered the day she met him, right after rehab and her ready to tear the heads of the nearest person in her frustration. Lying in bed, breathing hard, arms just about ready to fall off. Her legs were about to detach and fall useless to the floor. Then her mother walked in. She had been told before hand that she had a new member of the family, but had been unable to meet him. But when her mother walked in, little Yuuji in her arms. She hadn't been able to help herself, and fell in love. His cotton candy wisps of hair, and dark staring eyes. He was as he squirmed and cried. She wanted to be able to protect that. Him. For that she would keep going.

"Mitomete ita okubyou~"

Pulled from her musings, Rika heard her phone, the ringtone "Crossing Fields" hammering out of the speakers loudly. A frown pulled its way onto her face, now she had to get the it was all the way across the room.

"Why did I leave it over there?" she whined exasperatedly. Grabbing her crutches that were leaning against the side of the chair, grumbling she rose to her feet. Leaving her lovely, comfy seat. To stagger over to her flip phone –It took forever. Just as she flipped open the silvery phone, she heard the doorbell chime downstairs. There was no way she would be able to get that when it took her forever to go to the other side of the room! Therefore she did what most teenagers did best.

"Kaa-san! Door!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, voice reverberating throughout the living room before returning her attention to the couldn't hold back the grin at her mothers acerbic confirmation echoed in her ears.

"Fine!"
Huh. Whoever it was left a message.

She didn't recognize the number. Calling her voicemail she listened, eyes growing impossibly wider as seconds passed. "Hi, Lisbeth..." could be barely heard from the speakers.

She couldn't believe it. How did she find her? Not that she wasn't glad, but God. It was good to hear from her. A weight was lifted off her shoulders.
So they were alive. They made it out.
She was still staring at her phone when her mom called,

"Rika! Friends from school are here to see you!"Rika smiled. Or more accurately, she full out grinned. Wiping away the tears that she hadn't even noticed had been pouring from her eyes she straightened herself out.Hair was in place, no tears, and her clothes werent wrinkled.Snapping the phone shut at with an audible 'click' she moved to the doorway,crutches in hand yelling,

"Hey Kaa-san! Do you know a place called the Dicey Café?!"

Screw Before and After. She had more in her life than ever.

Asuna P.O.V.

Standing outside the Dicey Café, Asuna found it easy to doubt the reputation of the establishment. Before even calling Agil, she had managed to find a review website so she could see how it was. Though she trusted him, her mother wouldn't, especially someone she had never met and she had to get proof to be allowed to be dropped off nearby. The reviews generally said something like "It looks sketchy on the outside, but it's actually very nice."

The exterior was kind of intimidating. She had gotten express permission from Agil to contact their friends from S.A.O. to meet up, but... to the left and right of the restaurant were walls covered in graffiti. The outside of the shop itself was home to several posters extolling the virtues of different events. She struggled forward, her body guard (her mother wouldn't let her go, as weak as she still was, without some kind of supervision) l staying quietly by her shoulder as she struggled to open the door.

Is this reinforced or something?! With steel?!

It was made of a light wood, but it felt so heavy, and she had so much trouble. It infuriated her. With one last go, she managed to throw the door wide open and stumble over the entryway (unknown to her, the bodyguard had helped a bit.) And her eyes went wide.

There was something whole-hearted about the interior. It existed in almost complete opposite of what she had expected based on what she had already seen. Warm wood lined the walls. The bar was fully stocked, glass bottles in a range of glittering colors littered the back wall, liqueur and various alcohols put up for display. Comfortable red leather barstools were leisurely spaced along the bar. A small blonde woman stood behind it, delicate features visible, calmly polishing a glasses. Smooth, dark tables were spattered across the room.

What first drew her attention though was the two people sitting at the bar. One was a large man, thin but lightly muscled. He was tall, with dark skin, a slight beard and a shaved head. In her opinion he resembled a bear. The other seated next to him, was laughing jovially to whatever it was he said, with spiked light brown hair and a fierce face. He looked like a thug. His eyes though, were the opposite, and on his head rested his trademark bandanna. The red and pale yellow cloth streaking across his forehead. She stood there for a few minutes silently gawking, before she left her bodyguard behind and stepped forward. Gathering her courage she called "Agil-san! Klein-san!"

Startled they turned around eyes widening before a wide grin broke across each of their faces. Though she knew their actual names, (Andrew Gilbert Mills and Tsuboi Ryoutarou respectively) it was just easier to call them by their player ids.

"Asuna" Agil said in way of greeting, while Klein leaned forward as much as possible, shouting "Ah! It's Asuna-chan ~ 3, how are you?"

She smiled demurely at his forwardness, hand waving in no general direction. "As much as can be expected, I would think? Has anyone else gotten here yet?" glancing around to see if maybe someone was hiding in the shadows of the bar. Suddenly jolting her out of her inspection a voice came-from right behind her.

"Aa-chan, it's good to see you-de arou."

Startled, she spun around only to be faced with a pretty woman. Her hair was cut close to her face and her eyes were a startling emerald. Her hair was a dark honey color, and she was wearing a tight fitting suit, that showed off her ample…assets.

It seems that Argo wasn't exactly what they were expecting either, so Asuna wasn't the only one thrown off kilter. It seems that SAO Argo was completely different than R.L. Argo. Klein upon noticing the beautiful busty woman before him, was quick to flirt. "Hey, Agil, get this pretty lady a drink. It's on me." He said with a grin in her direction. Argo did nothing but shoot an amused glance in his direction, before collecting the drink thrust in her direction, not by Agil, but the small blonde woman at the counter. Leaning back luxuriously in a chair situated nearby the already existing group, she blinked slowly and out of her mouth came "Aa-chan, Klein, Agil," and with a knowing smile thrown in the direction of the blonde woman "Agil's wife."

The blonde woman finished cleaning another glass and glanced in her direction, Asuna wasn't surprised, and she knew that Agils wife was in charge of the bar in his absence. Klein however, was incensed. "Agil! How did you get such a pretty lady like her, when you look like that?!" He jabbed his finger, alternating between the wife and Agil. Agil looked at him, as if he was talking to a simpleton, and then with a warm smile directed towards his wife "It must have been through the will of the gods that I was blessed with such a beautiful wife." And with that cheesy, yet romantic line he leaned forward and placed a dainty peck on his wife's cheek. Her face remained stoic but for the slight tint to her cheeks.

The door tinged open, drawing the attention to the newest guests, a young girl with pig tails and bright innocent eyes, and an older girl with short brown hair and warm chocolate eyes. The girl with a single glance recognized the faces before, but the one that made her the most excited was of "The Flash"

"ASUNA!" she screamed and managed a leap that threw her into the arms of her best friend for the last two years. "Lisbeth" Asuna whispered back, tears beading in her eyes.

"I thought that I would never see you again" came muttered then, louder "I was worried that you didn't make it out." came as a half just reminded her of another person important to her that she hadn't gotten to meet yet. She could be patient though. He wouldn't not show up. He couldn't.

Asuna swallowed back the growing lump in her throat and just held her friend as tight as she could, hoping that this hug could last forever. But it ended soon enough, (the silence was actually getting a bit awkward) and Lisbeth stepped back, taking a seat in the group. Asuna joined her, sitting close arms hooked together in companionship.

Klein stood in front of the group, clearing his throat "Ahhmmm- Okay then! We seem to be waiting on one more person, but since I bet we have to take into account how far he might live from here, we'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt, as that idiot would rather never not come." A few snickers came at that part, mostly from around Argos seat, but he ignored it, other than a quick half-hearted glare. "Now, I'd like to thank Asuna-chan, as she was the one who was responsible for bringing us all back together for this little gathering of ours. I don't know how she got the information, but I'm glad she did." he smiled at everyone in the group "Now, let's get this SAO. RELEASE. PARTY. STAR-"

And then the door opened the bell resounding, and inside came a woman, about middle age, long black hair tied up in loose twist, and a simple dress and jacket on walked in. She held her arms loosely against her chest, but it didnt seem to be out of any feeling of insecurity, but more likely due to the chilly temperatures outside. "Ano, is the party for the SAO players?"

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading, tell me what you think. 3

Edited