Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online.

"Suguha! Get me a nice cold drink! It's baking hot out here!"

Kirito shouted his orders to his little cousin without moving from the lounger he was sprawled in. He lay back with his eyes closed, smiling contently as he relished the warmth of the sun on his face. It wasn't often he got a chance to get outside to relax like this. After spending so long in the virtual world, fighting against tough enemies in brutal battles, it felt so nice to have a lazy day in the real world.

As he sighed softly, Kirito's ears perked up to hear footsteps coming from behind him. His eyes remained closed as he stayed in the sun lounger. He felt a shadow cast onto him to block the sunshine, knowing right away his cousin was standing over him.

"So it's a drink you want, Kazuto?" Leafa asked him.

"I sure do, Sugu!" Kirito answered. "I'd get it myself, but I'm just so burnt out from all the fighting I've been doing in the virtual world. You understand how tiring it is for me, right?"

"Why of course, Kazuto! That's exactly why I've brought you some ice cold water!"

"Great!" Kirito's smile widened at the thought of his cousin bringing him a refreshing drink to hydrate his dried-up throat. "Lemme have it!"

SPLASH!

"Arrrrrggggghhhhh!"

A loud cry escaped Kazuto as he sat up at once, his eyes bursting open wide as his jaw fell open.

He was soaked all over with freezing cold water. The boy was completely saturated from head to feet. His black hair and clothes were dripping wet from the surprise shower he had just been given.

The stunned look on Kirito's drenched face froze for a moment before he heard the culprit bursting into giggles. His hands clenched into fists as he stood up from the sun lounger. He directed the irate glare on his face towards Leafa, who was laughing hard as she dropped the bowl she had emptied the water out of to pour all over her cousin.

"What was that for, Sugu?!" he hollered.

"Well you said you were baking hot, Kazuto!" Leafa tittered. "I thought that would cool you down in no time!"

"You know that's not what I wanted you to do!" Kirito fumed, shaking his dank black bangs out of his eyes. "What did you do it for?!"

"That's payback!" Leafa answered.

"Payback?!" Kirito repeated with a confused blink. "For what?!"

"For that time you pranked me by dropping cold water down the back of my neck!"

"For that?!" Kirito frowned, recalling the incident his little cousin was bringing up. "That was ages ago!"

"Yeah, well I hadn't forgotten it! And I wanted to get you back ever since!" Leafa grinned as she observed the sight of her older cousin soaking wet. "And now I have! So we're even!"

"Oh no we're not, Sugu!" Kirito disagreed. "I merely dropped a few drops of water down the back of your neck. You emptied a whole bowl of water onto me!"

"That's what you deserve for pranking me in the first place!"

"Maybe…" Kirito walked away Leafa to head over to something sitting outside their house. "But you still threw far more water on me - so I don't think that's fair…"

Leafa's prideful smiled faded from her face. "What are you saying, Kazuto?"

"I'm saying the score needs settling. I'm perfectly willing to even the odds between us - or rather, the water on us … with this!"

With a huge roar, Kirito fired the hosepipe he was armed with. A jet of water was firing out of it straight towards Leafa. She screamed as she raced away from the boy, frantically glancing around for her bamboo sword to use her Kendo skills against her cousin.

Kirito laughed as he chased Leafa across the garden. He had hoped for a break away from the action he went through in the virtual world - and he was most certainly getting that.

It was very draining and exhausting to fight against his enemies with his deadly sword - so it made for a nice change of pace by trying to soak his family with an active hosepipe.

THE END