Hi, back again! So my updates are kind of regular at the moment due to being off university but this will change shortly I'm afraid. The chapters are a bit short at the moment as the initial set up is approached before the actual story arc beings, but I'm hoping you are all enjoying it so far! Hopefully I'll grow the courage to write some more fluff (if that's the right term?) soon.
...
Work on the café had become a quick paced rush for the young couple. In the first day, they'd unpacked everything in their apartment and Asuna had adorned their bed in a lovely duck feather quilt, fairy lights that hung around the headboard and towards a shared desk against the wall. The living area had been littered with comfortable cushions and pillows between the sofa and the floor beside the dining table; pictures had been hung and put out on display of the couple together and some of all their friends. She'd made it quite the home, whilst Kirito had begun to unpack downstairs between moving heavy objects up into the apartment. He was determined to get his workshop set up more or less in the same day, though it was seeming far from it when Asuna had raced downstairs to announce dinner.
By the end of the week it was a completely different story, finally the young technician had found time to set up a mini-pod projector in the apartment upstairs in both the living room despite some development work that was desperate for a look over before the end of the month.
Kirito stood atop a ladder, gingerly screwing in the final mount as Asuna held the legs in place to stop him from toppling over.
''Is it going to work this time?'' Asuna asked, watching the concentration on her Kirito's face.
The man wiped back the black locks from his steely eyes as he turned the mount on, ''it should do, there's plenty of space and there's not enough light to cancel out the projection…''
Climbing down, Kirito was glad to meet the aiding hand of his beloved as she eagerly pulled him across to his laptop that had been abandoned on the dining table. She pushed him down to the floor and toppled over him as he got to work running software and router authorities. As the systems booted up, his hand slowly met the long, auburn locks draped all around him and gently begun to stroke through them in anxiety and excitement. Asuna gleamed, knowing all to well he was getting worked up for nothing. She knew he'd fixed it this time. It would work.
Beep, the mount sounded from across the room. The two craned their heads as a light gradually turned on in the back of the mini projector and gently began to grow. Their hands met, gripping each other as a form began to take shape in the beam that was being projected just at the end of the table.
Slowly, the ray took shape, growing longer, yet slimmer. Colour began to flood into it, a sheer sheet of black growing from the top and almost to the bottom. A nude pink dress turned from the air, taking shape against the body of a child. Gradually, Yui was coming to life as a projection within their home, sitting at the end of the table like any ordinary girl.
''Mammy, daddy!'' She called as she was filtered into the real world.
Asuna burst forward, rushing off of Kirito, ''Yui!'' she called.
When the two brushed, the woman had completely forgotten she was merely a projection, her hand falling straight through the child and distorting the sight. Tears had already rushed to her eyes out of sheer joy, yet heartache filled her face despite her best efforts. Yui wasn't real. Not yet.
''Its okay mammy,'' Yui glowed, her palm 'placed' against her mothers, ''we can pretend. Just like this, see?''
Asuna nodded, squinting hard to relinquish the tears that where breaming at her eyes. Yui raised her arms up and Asuna gently leant into their hug. Even though it wasn't real, she could feel Yui's touch, feel her spirit somewhere in the virtual world.
Kirito smiled warmly, ''is everything working okay Yui?''
The girl nodded, standing up out of her mothers hold and twirling around the room. The projection held up well, the light highlighting all the correct parts, her hair shimmering and the nude pinks in her dress glinting at her dance; her shadow cast onto the floor and her appearance was almost unbelievable.
''It works so well daddy, you're really smart!'' She complimented as she twirled again.
''It'll only get better,'' Kirito grinned in determination, his look very similar to the day they had moved in. Making his two girls happy brought about pride for him, it was what made him pleased and content. If all his work paid off developing VR technology in order to bring Yui into the real world, so they could finally live as a real family - so Asuna would always smile - it would all be worth it.
Yui twirled again and danced around the room for them over and over again until she grew tired and managed to rest herself between her parents.
Kirito smiled to his loved over the girl, and Asuna, still teary, almost chocked back. She was overwhelmed, but joyful. It was the perfect way to end their first week.
...
Come Monday, the delivery of all the furniture for the café began to arrive as workman carried sofas, lounge chairs and tables into the store. Asuna instructed them carefully and even rewarded them with a deli sandwich she'd prepared – having wanted to try a new recipe whilst she waited for their arrival – for all their hard work. It was really beginning to look like a real café by the time they had left. There was only one thing missing.
Kirito almost jumped at the sound of a horn outside of their store. Looking around his workstation in the dark backroom, he slowly got up and put his computer to sleep.
''Asuna?'' He called, popping his head through the ribbons.
The shop floor was empty, but through the front windows the auburn mane of the one he sought called to him.
Outside, Asuna was instructing a crew of two young men on where about she wanted the sign placing. There was already framework above the window and door, so it seemed an easy task and the two got to it, pulling the new, freshly painted sign from the back of their truck.
Whilst ladders were getting set up at either side, Kirito cautiously stepped outside, curious as to what was happening.
''What's going on?'' He asked.
Asuna giggled, ''well, it was meant to be a surprise…''
Kirito placed his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels as he inspected the crew, ''I thought we didn't decide on a sign yet?''
The young woman blushed, ''I kind of made that decision a few months ago…''
The two workmen carried the plank sign up between them on their ladders; at the top they pushed it up against the framework so it could be bolted on. It was a great, colourful sign – much against Kirito's black ethic – with the name: The Ruby Palace.
Kirito scowled at Asuna.
''Hey, because of you mister we never got to go there, and we still haven't made it to the last floor after all these years! So The Ruby Palace can live on, until we finally get there,'' she explained herself, pleased with her decision. Kirito's reaction was cute.
''Fine,'' he sighed. ''The others are going to love this.''
''Oh come on, you don't even like it a little bit?'' She asked, coming up beside him and looping her arm around his, even if his hands were grounded in his pockets. The two looked up to the sign together, their thoughts lost in Aincrad. Neither of them had been online in a while, and the idea of reaching the next level or simply exploring Alfheim was rather tempting at the moment.
''I guess it's kind of unique,'' Kirito finally admitted.
Asuna tugged on his arm, success!