Hello, everyone, this is ArtLotus. And I'm presenting you with the new chapter of Alfheim Online: The Shinigami. Anyway, I hope that you still support me and will continue to. Also, you can review, favorite and follow my Fanfic. Also, thank you to all the viewers who reviewed, favorite and follow this story. I Thank You for you support. Oh, and sorry for the short chapter, I hope you're not disappointed.

Anyway, presenting Alfheim Online: The Shinigami

Ja'ne! ArtLotus out!

Chapter 12: Yui?

"Then, to the girl I love, would you be my girlfriend, Yuuki Asuna?" Izayoi asked as Asuna leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Izayoi's neck.

"Yes, I love that very much." Asuna answered smiling with closed eyes as Izayoi wrapped his arms around her. The plastic bag and the heart-shaped box lay beside the two of them after both of them put it on the ground after tasting their first bite.

In the midst of the starry night sky and twinkling stars, the both of them sit quietly without a sound and they just relaxed into each other's arms, wanting to remember the moment forever.

"This is the best Valentine's Day ever." Asuna mutters sitting in Izayoi's lap while laying her head on his chest.

"Really? Me too. But do you know what's better than that?" Izayoi asked with a small smirk.

"What?" Asuna asked in curiosity.

"Having you as my girlfriend. I would call it the best day of my life than having the best Valentine's Day." Izayoi explained as Asuna slight blushed but she smiled, touched by his sweet words.

"Izayoi-kun, I love you."

"I love you too, Asuna."

Present

"Yui, can you open this door with this card?" Izayoi asked as Yui held a determine look and nodded. She then flew towards the card and put her hands on it, causing the card to glow orange before dissipating, revealing the card to be black instead of its silver color.

"Transcribing code." Yui said as she flew towards the door and put her hands on it, transferring the card data to the door as the said door slowly opens, while Izayoi and Yui flew away from it to let the door open widely for them.

"It's going to teleport us. Papa, your hand!" Yui said as Izayoi grabbed her tiny hand and the both of them were engulfed in white light.

"Papa." Yui called out as Izayoi open his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Yui in her human form.

"Yui. Where are we?" Izayoi asked as he looked around the white tunnel that he and Yui were in.

"I don't know. There doesn't seem to be any mapping data." Yui explained as Izayoi stand up from the ground and his daito disappear from his right hand.

"Yui, do you know where Asuna is?" Izayoi asked as Yui nodded.

"Hai." She answered as she closed her eyes and a orange glow slightly covered her entire body. "She's... She's very close." Yui said as she suddenly open her eyes, revealing her orange eyes.

"This way!" Yui exclaimed as she immediately stand up and pointed her finger behind Izayoi before she runs towards it, followed by Izayoi.

Yui runs through the white tunnel and she turns right, looking at the wall, before she runs towards it and put her hands on it. When she put her hands on it, she glowed orange for a second, and a hole was immediately made out from where her hands were on the wall. After that, she hastily runs through it, followed closely by Izayoi.

Then, Yui stopped by a big round door as she tried to open it, by pushing the door with her small hands.

"Yui, stand back." Izayoi said as Yui looked back at him and she immediately stand back as Izayoi punched the door, causing cracks to appear on the door before light penetrate from the breaking door.

"So, this is the top of Yggdrasil?" Izayoi asked as he looked up towards the tall tree behind him. The tall tree had a lot of curve branches and twisty branches connecting to the tall tree. "The floating city never did exist in the first place. So, this place was just their base of operation..." Izayoi said as a small frown appeared on his face.

"What 'grand quest'?" Izayoi asked himself as he clench his fist.

"Papa." Yui said as she grabbed the hem of his sleeve, to which caused Izayoi to look at her. "Mama..." Yui mutters with a frown as Izayoi smiled at her.

"Don't worry. We'll save Mama." Izayoi assured as Yui smiled and nodded.

Then, Izayoi spotted a small light from the corner of his eyes as his eyes widen, seeing the familiar sight of the golden bird cage. "Yui, let's go." Izayoi said as he grab a hold of Yui's hand before he runs towards the bird cage, following the twisty and long wooden path leading towards the bird cage.

Izayoi then saw a silhouette of a certain girl as a smile spreads across his face and he increased his speed to reach the bird cage. But before he could sped up, he instantly carry the surprised Yui in his arms, and he immediately runs towards the bird cage, wanting to meet the one that he was supposed to save.

Top of the World Tree

The sun sets as an orange atmosphere engulfed the bird cage and inside the cage, was Asuna, who was laying her head on the bed without making any sounds.

"Mama!" A voice called out as Asuna immediately hold up her head and she instantly turns around towards the cage door, spotting both Izayoi and Yui by the door.

"Mama!" Yui exclaimed with a smile as Asuna stand up and a few tears come out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she look at her smiling daughter and husband at the other side of the cage.

"Mama!" Yui shouted as she destroyed the cage with a swipe of her hand and she instantly runs towards Asuna.

"Yui-chan!" Asuna called out as Yui launched herself in Asuna's arms and tears begin to shed from her eyes and stream down her cheeks. Asuna wrapped her arms around Yui, her right hand on her head while the other was on her back.

"Yui-chan!" Asuna said as she looked down at Yui and put her head down onto her her head, closing her eyes to relished the happy moment with her daughter.

"Mama! Mama!" Yui said with a smile, happy that she was reunited with her mother again.

Asuna then lift her head to look at Izayoi, who was standing by the door with a smile on his face. "Izayoi-kun." Asuna called as Izayoi walked towards her and stopped to stand in front of her.

"Sorry it took so long. The game is harder than I thought." Izayoi said as he wrapped his hands around Asuna and Yui. Asuna let her head down on Izayoi's chest as she shake her head.

"Don't worry, I knew you would come." Asuna said with a smile.

After a while, Izayoi pulled back as he look down at Yui. "Yui, can you log Mama out?" Izayoi asked as Yui shake her head.

"Mama's status is being restricted by some complex code. We need a system console to remove it." Yui explained as Asuna's eyes widen in realization.

"I saw something that looked like one in the laboratory-" Asuna was cut off as Izayoi turn around, sensing something, with his daito immediately appearing in his hand.

Then, the space of the cage begun to distort out of the ordinary as Asuna wrap her hands safely around Yui before she step back in surprise of the strange occurrence happening in the cage.

"You thought this would end well for you, huh, Sugou?" Izayoi asked as he stabbed his daito into the ground. "I got news for you. I'm not gonna end it like this. Yui, stay with Asuna." Izayoi said as Asuna look at him in surprise.

"Izayoi-kun, what are you doing?" Asuna asked with a worried look, looking at Izayoi's back as Izayoi let out a smirk.

"Don't worry." Izayoi said as he pulled back his fist and punched the ground, causing a burst of wind to blew back from the force of the punch. Suddenly, a voice appeared out of nowhere as Izayoi look up to the voice, followed by Asuna and Yui.

"Attention! All players will exited the game! I repeat the players will be exited from the game! The game will be unavailable for a short while. I repeat the game will be unavailable for a short while." The voice announced before it disappeared.

"This isn't what you're expecting, huh, Sugou?" Izayoi asked with a smirk before a bright light started to engulfed him.

"Asuna, take care of Yui. Oh, and Asuna... I'll promise to get you out from this game for real. So just wait for me, okay?" Izayoi said looking at her halfway with a smile on the corner of his lips, before he disappear from his spot, followed by his daito.

"Yui, what happen? What did Izayoi-kun do?" Asuna asked with wide eyes as she look down at Yui.

"Papa has somehow damaged some parts of the game. And the system has taken an action to fix the damage by deciding to be unavailable for a few hours." Yui explained with the orange glow around her.

"Really?" Asuna asked as she look at where Izayoi disappear before she tighten her hold around Yui.

"I hope Papa is alright..." Yui said with a frown as Asuna look at her with a small smile.

"Don't worry, Papa will be back for us, okay, Yui-chan?" Asuna assured as Yui curled up in Asuna's arms and she lay her head on her chest. "Let's wait for him together, ne?" Asuna asked as Yui nodded in her chest.

Real World

"Ugh..." Izayoi groaned as he sit up on his bed and pulled out his NerveGear from his head. He shake his head causing his spiky hair to sway back and forth before Izayoi stopped and he look at the NerveGear.

Before he could thought to put it on, a ringing sound can be heard from his desk as Izayoi stood up from his bed and sit on his chair under the desk. He then picked up his cellphone and press the Answer button before he put the phone over his right ear.

"Hello?" Izayoi asked over the line.

"Izayoi-sama, why didn't you pick up my calls? It's already been an hour since I first called you." Leticia explained as Izayoi leaned his back against the chair.

"Really? Well, I was busy. Anyway, why did call me in the first place? I know this isn't a planned meeting because I already checked the date and I know that there isn't any meeting today." Izayoi explained.

"The Board is holding an unexpected meeting and you have to arrive in exactly 20 minutes. I will meet you at the meeting, Izayoi-sama." Leticia said as Izayoi sighed in frustration.

"Okay, I'll meet you there." Izayoi replied before hanging up on the line. Izayoi then closed his eyes and sigh, "Someday, this meetings will have to be destroyed. Annoying old farts, never knowing how to give up." Izayoi said to himself as he put his phone back onto the desk.

"Asuna... Yui..." Izayoi mutters as he stare at the NerveGear that stood on the desk in front of him. He then stand up from the chair and turn around to leave the room, but before he could walk out of the room, he looked back at his NerveGear. He clench his fist and he slightly grit his teeth at the thought of leaving Asuna and Yui for a stupid meeting that was called upon from the Sport's Association Board.

"Just wait a little longer, will you...?" Izayoi asked under his breath before he turn his head and walk away from his room, leaving the door to his room open.

Izayoi climb down the stairs and he walked inside the living room, opening the TV with a press of a button from the TV remote.

"It is quite an strange occurrence for all the players of Alfheim Online. One of the people who played the game has told us that the game itself had immediately shut itself out, and immediately warned the players to log out." A reporter said as she speak loudly with her microphone.

"Hm..." Izayoi watches the news displayed in the television.

"It seems that the maker of the game has been frustrated by his own creation as to why it shut itself down and warn the maker himself to log out? This event has become quite a mysterious cause to the maker and his team. Not a single one of them had a single thing as to what cause this to happen. Fortunately, there is no one that had been hurt in this cause, which we were thankful of, considering SAO that killed thousands of lives in the past." The reporter explained through her microphone.

"Huh, looks like you'll be swarming with questions non-stop today, Sugou." Izayoi said with a smirk, seeing the sweating Sugou being questioned by a lot of reporters at his workplace. He tried to stop them from asking but the reporters were remorseful to get the news from him.

"I will not comment on this cause. Me and my team will begin operating on the game as I ordered them to. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to check in with my team." Sugou explained through several microphones, as he tried to walk through the group of reporters that swarm outside his workplace.

"I suggest you answer their questions, Sugou. Or they'll stick to you like glue." Izayoi said smirking at Sugou, who was desperately trying to escape from the reporters. Even his personal guards couldn't control the vast quantity of reporters that were swarming like bees to get an answer out of Sugou's mouth.

"Fortunately, the game will be available in the evening or so. So, we hope all the players can play it again and have fun. This is from the daily news." The reporter ended her report as Izayoi look at the reporter.

Izayoi then sighed, recalling that he had a meeting with the Sport's Association Board. "Those old politicians..." Izayoi commented pulling his hands from the couch before he got himself ready for the meeting.

Time Skip

"Should I take the car for a spin?" Izayoi asked himself looking at his sports car. He is wearing a black hoodie with matching black pants and shoes. "Yeah, I should. I'm not in the mood to walk right now." Izayoi said to himself as he open the gates before he step inside the driver's seat and start the engine to the car.

A roaring sound could be heard from under the car as Izayoi glance at the sive-view mirror and slowly move the car backwards towards the open gates. When he get the car out through the gates, he drove off towards the meeting place.

Time Skip

"Hah..." Izayoi yawns as he walked towards inside the building to which held the meeting that he was personally involved.

"Welcome, Izayoi-sama!" The receptionist exclaimed with a bow of her head as Izayoi nodded at her and then he continued his way towards the elevator. When he step inside the elevator, he turns around to face the opened elevator gates.

"This is going to be a long and annoying day..." Izayoi commented before the door closes up and the elevator sent Izayoi up towards the floor, where the meeting was being held.

After a while, the elevator stopped at a certain floor and the double doors open up, revealing several set of doors along the hallway. At the end of the hallway, there's a double wooden door with a blonde haired woman standing beside it. She was wearing a grey business suit with matching grey skirt and black heels.

Izayoi step out of the elevator while the woman walked towards him, with a cup of coffee in her right hand. When the woman stopped to stand in front of Izayoi, she bowed her head at him.

"Good afternoon, Izayoi-sama." The woman stated as she looked up at him and give the cup of coffee to Izayoi, "Here's your coffee." She said as Izayoi took the cup of coffee with his right hand.

"Thanks. Anyway, is this meeting important?" Izayoi asked as he sips his coffee.

"A little. It involves the various competitions that will be held later on this month. Unfortunately, after we discuss this issue, we will have to listen to the advisers that are still feeling unjust by your continuos winnings in the past." The woman explained as Izayoi sighed.

"Just what I needed now. Complaints flying everywhere from those old farts of a adviser." Izayoi said as he walked past the woman, who followed him. When Izayoi stopped in front of the wooden double doors, "You know what to do right, Leticia?" Izayoi asked as the woman, named Leticia, step forward.

"I know. I always do, Izayoi-sama." Leticia said with a smile.

"Then, we shouldn't keep them waiting. If we take too long, they'll start to complain even before we arrived." Izayoi said as Leticia nodded and she open the double wooden door, letting Izayoi walk through the door before she closed it after Izayoi had step inside the room.

"We've been waiting, Sakamaki." One of the advisers said as Izayoi took his seat, which was in the middle of the long desk and Leticia took her seat beside him.

"Let's get started." Izayoi said with a smirk, which slightly infuriates the adviser.

Time Skip

After several hours, Izayoi and Leticia walked out of the meeting room with several loud protests that could be heard from the other side of the double wooden doors. Izayoi stopped walking as he look at Leticia, "Isn't this refreshing? One more minute and I will destroy this room from being completely repaired or used." Izayoi said with a sigh.

"Izayoi-sama, do you want me to accompany you to your home? I can drive." Leticia offered as Izayoi shook his head with a smile.

"No. I can drive on my own. Just control those old farts like what you always did before. I'm sure I could punch one of them if they talk about me cheating in the competition or I took some drugs to win the competition. They really don't know when to shut up if they haven't had a single evidence to prove it." Izayoi explained as Leticia nodded in understanding. "Can I punch one of them?" Izayoi asked as Leticia look at him with a pointed look.

"You know, you can't do that, Izayoi-sama. You'll be charged for using violence on a fellow adviser of the Board." Leticia said as Izayoi shrug his shoulders with a smile on his face.

"I'm just kidding." Izayoi said. "But they won't mind if there's an accident, right?" Izayoi questioned with a mischievous smile as Leticia look pointedly at him.

"Izayoi-sama." Leticia stated as Izayoi turns around to leave.

"It couldn't hurt to make it look like an accident, right?" Izayoi asked as Leticia shook her head at her responsibility to take care of him as an athletic.

"How is Asuna-sama these days? Is she well?" Leticia asked looking at Izayoi's back.

"She's okay." Izayoi answered casually.

"I know she didn't wake up after the Sword Art Online incident. You can't hide it, Izayoi-sama." Leticia stated as Izayoi chuckle before he turns his head slightly at her, which revealed his smile at the corner of his lips.

"I know you would know about that. Nothing gets past you, after all." Izayoi exclaimed as Leticia look at him with a small frown. "But don't worry about that. Because I'm going to make her wake up." Izayoi said as he walked towards the elevator while Leticia look at him.

But before Izayoi could enter the elevator, he stopped in front of the elevator. "Thanks for the help in SAO. For sending those swords to me in the beginning. It really helps me a lot from the start." Izayoi said recalling the swords that he got in the beginning of SAO, which were the Heaven and Hell swords, the Avenger and Twin Hades. After a while, Izayoi step inside the elevator and turns around

When the elevator doors closes, Izayoi sent a smile directed towards Leticia before the doors completely closed. After the elevator went down, Leticia smiled, "It's my pleasure, Izayoi-sama." Leticia stated with a small smile at his early statement.

"Also, I hope you'll make her wake up, Izayoi-sama. I truly hope you do. You always love her and you wouldn't let her get hurt either." Leticia explained recalling when Asuna got hurt by a group of delinquents in the past. "So, I wish you all the luck to get back Asuna." Leticia stated smiling before she turns around and enter the meeting room to settle the 'leftovers' issues.

Time Skip

In an alleyway...

"What am I doing here in the first place?" Izayoi asked himself as he sip on his soda can, while he had his hood covering his head. He was walking after going on a meeting with his secretary. While in the meeting, he couldn't stop thinking about going back to Alfheim Online and end it once and for all. But if he didn't go to the meeting, sooner or later, the press media and sports advisers will start to question on his strange behavior as an athletic, if he could call it that. Some of the people who knew him, knows that he only attend important meetings that involves sports only, and not some politic meeting about boring lectures and accuses without any evidence, much to his annoyance.

But he knew that he had to attend two or three meetings before he could call for a break from the meetings. His lovely secretary, Leticia who was pretty in his own amusement, always made sure to deliver the message to the sport's advisers and sometimes, she would also replace him in other meetings that completely doesn't involve him.

Every time he would get out of the elevator, his secretary would always wait beside the double doors that normally held the meetings. When he walked around in the sport's building, she would always accompany him like any average secretary would. He wouldn't mind her company because he knows that it was her job and he wouldn't like it if any of the sport's advisers fire her when she has been good to him ever since he was 14 years old. Always replacing him in meetings, getting him a cup of coffee and she had a tongue that would make anyone flinched by her strict words. So far, she had dominated all of the meetings that she attended in his place, much to his amusement.

But today, instead of driving his car through the neighbourhood, he left it outside his house. It took him about ten minutes to walk in this neighbourhood he was in, from his house. Then, he thought about the turn of events that leads to the situation he was in now.

"What am I doing?" Izayoi asked himself as he smashes his soda can completely and throw it at a nearby trash can, which completely goes in. "Asuna, I'm gonna get you out of there. Just stay with Yui until then." Izayoi said with determine eyes.

Just as he was about to run towards his home, which was a few blocks from where he was, he stopped in his track, seeing a black haired girl standing a few feet from him. When his eyes landed on her big, and curious black eyes, his eyes widen by the exact and familiar appearance of the girl.

"...Yui?"

Next Time:

Gilded Hero

That's the end. It's a good ending, right? Anyway, pretty surprise, right? If you want to see more of it, I'll suggest you keep reading this fanfic and comment me on what you think about the chapter by review it. If you will, Favorite or follow my story. And again, I'm sorry that I took so long on updating this chapter.

Don't forget to review, alright?

I hope we could see each other real soon, Ja'ne! ArtLotus out!