New chapter up. I hope you enjoy, and as always, have a nice day.

Chapter 2: Immemorial

The moment Kazuto stepped past the markers of the gate, he felt the eyes turn on him.

Trying his best to keep his shoulders squared and eyes pointing straight ahead, Kazuto continued in his usual pace; he did not allow himself to quicken or slow. They were watching him, sure, but that didn't mean he had to acknowledge their attentions. Maybe if he did that, they wouldn't stare at him anymore. Maybe he'd blend in a bit. Kazuto was the sort of person who felt being high profile was generally appealing, but the spotlight he was receiving lately was beyond ridiculous.

That fact that Asuna was hanging on his arm didn't really help matters, either.

She'd insisted on it on the way to school that morning. Kazuto had made sure to wake up extra early in order to elongate his route to include Asuna's home. Even though she'd passed the tests, Kazuto still felt the paranoia lingering around his head, so he walked Asuna to school. In any case, enjoying the cool morning air and the winter's chill together was an enjoyable experience. About halfway to their destination, she'd hooked their elbows together and pressed up against his side to snatch away some of his warmth; Kazuto hadn't blushed like he would have if they were in a public setting, instead smiling and leaning into her as well.

Once they began to draw close to the front gate of the school, however, Kazuto tried to break the contact between them. It would do no good to show up to a school in Japan arm in arm, regardless of your relationship. The number of students around them was starting to increase as well, and Kazuto could feel the usual glances and whispers behind hands.

Asuna, however, would have none of it. She absolutely refused to relinquish her hold on him, and Kazuto had been forced to walk through the front entrance with the girl glued to him like a leech. This had, as expected, attracted quite a bit of attention from the other students that varied between gender. The guys stared daggers of envy into him, while the girls mewled in jealousy in a more discreet manner, although Kazuto still noticed. Personally, he had never really understood their chagrin at Asuna being his significant other; after all, he didn't consider himself an overly attractive person. Yet the female population seemed to feel otherwise.

"That's Kirigaya-san," came the whispers from the crowd.

"I heard he beat SAO all by himself. Is it true?"

"Yeah. He went into another VR game to save Asuna-san from some crazy guy, too."

"Ridiculous...he's just one guy!"

"Well, he's right there, isn't he?"

Kazuto, however, gritted his teeth and persevered. Finally, he managed to reach the front door and push it open, hastily retreating into the subsequent hall.

"Kazu-kun!"

Kazuto froze in his tracks when his nickname was called out. The halls of the interior of the school were almost entirely empty at the moment, since the first bell had yet to ring. Who could possibly have called his name?

Turning, he saw none other than Shinozaki Rika (Lisbeth), standing with her hands on her hips in a rather disgruntled manner.

"Hey, Riki-chan!" Asuna smiled brightly, raising a hand in greeting.

"Eh? Oh, well, hi," The girl returned, her agitation slightly retarded by Asuna's kindness. Then she turned her attention on the boy before her. "Kazuto! What do you think you're doing, coming to school with Asuna like that? If you were looking to attract attention, you've definitely gone and done it. I hear enough talk about you two and your lovey-dovey actions around school, and this is going to make it even worse."

"Ah...well, sorry," Kazuto apologized as Asuna finally let go of his arm.

"It's all in good spirit, Rika-chan," Asuna smiled amiably.

Kazuto just rolled his eyes. "Let's just go to class," he sighed. "See you at lunch, Rika," he said before departing with Asuna in tow.

The former blacksmith crossed her arms over her chest and watched the couple walk away from her. Blowing her bangs out of her eyes, Rika thought, He's so boneheaded...

Footsteps sounded behind her. Turning, Rika saw Keiko (Silica) yawning as she walked towards her from the other end of the hall.

"Morning, Rika-chan," the younger girl yawned as she stretched luxuriously to loosen her muscles. "What's up?"

"Same old thing," she replied. "Wondering about him."

"Hm..." Keiko murmured. "Well, Kazuto isn't a normal guy, that's for sure. It's no wonder all the girls want him. It's almost ridiculous, how they act around him," She added with a snicker.

"You act all smitten when he talks to you too, so your laughter isn't justified," Rika quipped at the freshman. Keiko reddened in anger at the none-too-true statement, but she was smart enough to let the comment slide. A surprising decision, considering Keiko was one of the more rebellious underclassmen. No respect for her senpais at all.

Above them, the first bell rang its chime across the high school's campus. Darting her eyes towards the source of the sound, Rika said, "It's time to go to class. I'll see you later, Keiko."

"See you."

The atmosphere of the halls eventually became more heavily saturated as the rest of the campus's population began filing its way inside. Soon enough, the air was filled with the sounds of people chatting about this and that, yelling about this and that, fighting about this and that. Lockers were keyed open and slammed shut, shoes clicked against the floor, and a general cacophony dominated the area. Sighing, Rika began to make her way towards her first period class. Ever since her foray within Aincrad, she'd grown appreciative of the quiet the early mornings provided. After all, she spent the rest of the day banging on swords with a hammer.

Rika eventually managed to leave the hubbub of the initial morning crowd behind; she'd never enjoyed being squashed between large amount of people, as she suffered from a minor case of claustrophobia. Not to mention the obvious looks a couple of the guys sent her now an then. Rika was, on the whole, considered by other to be a very moral and straight headed girl, so most people wouldn't try anything "naughty" with her. There were exceptions to every rule, however. That was, Rika realized then, one of Kazuto's many endearing traits. She knew that he would never look at another woman's body in such a way if he could help it. Not to say that Kazuto never experienced any thoughts like those when it came to the opposite sex, as all men did, but he could be gentlemanly when he needed to be.

I actually sort of wish he would look at me in that way, once in a while, Rika thought as she walked briskly through a part of the school which was currently still isolated. During their sentence in Sword Art Online, a potential relationship with Kazuto, then Kirito, had seemed impossible. He and Asuna were already too close, and they did make a great pair...but ever since their awakening, there had been this renewed since of want, no, need. She'd promised that one day under the bridge that she would back off, although his warmth would stay with her for a while. And it had faded indeed, over the course of time. But now it had turned into an inferno.

I know Kazuto really likes Asuna. Rika looked up and saw the door to her classroom at the end of the hall. But I really like him. It's been a month since Keiko and I called that ceasefire so he and Asuna could enjoy their time together for a little while. But now that time has passed, and Asuna-chan is out of rehab, so she can be more independent now. I don't want to hurt either of them by making my own advances, but...I just...I need to try. At the very least, to calm this heat that I carry around with me...or I'm afraid I'll be consumed by it.

At last, Rika reached the door of her first period Economics class. Taking out her student ID and swiping it into the slot nearby, she waited as the door slowly hissed open to allow her entry.

Once she'd stepped in side, the first thing she noticed was Kazuto sitting in his usual seat by the window, hand propped on his wrist, staring languidly outside. The skies were a little gloomy today, despite the summer like weather earlier, with small hints of rain here and there. Rika took a moment to stop in her tracks and just observe him for a moment. His eyes suit the sky so well. I wonder what he's thinking about?

Just then, Kazuto seemed to sense that he was being watched and he turned his head to look straight at her. Rika instantly blushed to the roots of her hair and almost ran to her desk in the middle of the classroom. Kazuto just frowned in confusion before he went back to staring out the window.

Having reached her desk and set up a barrier with her open textbook, Rika tried to suppress her rather severe blush. She always hated being caught doing things that were embarrassing or not allowed, and she'd never been the best liar. Taking a deep breath, she rose her head from behind her textbook.

"Morning, Rika-chan."

Blinking, the former blacksmith looked up to see one of the other girls from her class grinning widely at her. Kuroneiko-san, if she remembered correctly.

"Good morning," She said softly, too afraid to use the girl's name for fear she would use the wrong one.

"I saw you looking at Kirigaya-san just now," Kuroneiko said, a teasing lilt to her voice. "My, my, Rika-san, don't tell me you've fallen for his charm too?"

Dismayed to find that her blush had returned at full force, Rika retorted, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, please. Every girl in the school always looks at him and swoons. I don't blame you for feeling the same way, and I doubt anybody else would, either. There's just something about him that attracts people, you know? Even guys. He just gets into your shell, I've heard."

You have no idea, Rika thought as she contemplated Kuroneiko's words.

"Look, now. It's happening as we speak."

Turning, Rika saw Kazuto chatting in a friendly manner with a girl she'd never really spoken to before. She'd seen her in class and around campus, but they'd never had any more contact than that. They seemed to be having a very engaging conversation. Kazuto laughed lightly at something the girl had said, who raised a hand to her face in a way that suggested she was giggling along with him. Rika's eyes narrowed dangerously when she saw the girl turn to sit on Kazuto's desk, a fact made worse by the knowledge that Kazuto would be too accepting to tell her to get off.

She's pretty, Rika thought, chagrined at the observation. It was true. The girl had long, luscious brown hair, and her eyes were a startling shade of pure cobalt blue. Rika's dismay deepened when she looked further downwards and saw her long, smooth legs, coupled with a skirt that was long enough to comply with school regulations but teasing enough to be attractive. She appeared to be wearing minimal makeup, and even so she stood out. The girl laughed with Kazuto about something again, and Rika chest was seized by a sudden emotion that felt ugly and bad.

"Jealousy, I see," Kuroneiko said in a sagely manner. "I suppose it would effect you more than others. You spent two years as his friend in that death game, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And she's just some girl who's probably gathered enough courage to talk to Kirigaya-san for the first time today. And she seems to be doing a hell of a good job about it, too. I know Kirigaya is a nice guy, but he really seems to be enjoying the conversation. What do you say to that?"

"Why do I have to have anything to say?" Rika asked lowly, irritated as Kuroneiko pointed out all the positives of the cobalt-eyed girl.

"Don't forget, you aren't the only one who's got the hots for that guy. Asuna-san too. If not for yourself, do something for Asuna. If she was in this class with us, what would she have done in this situation?"

"She probably would have done something inappropriate to Kazuto to scare her away," Rika murmured. She spared another glance at Kazuto and the girl. Sighing, she stood up in her chair. "Fine, I'll go."

Kuroneiko squealed in anticipation as Rika steeled herself and approached Kazuto's desk. As she drew closer, the attractiveness of the cobalt-eyed girl became more and more prominent. The girl looked up and stared at the former blacksmith as she approached, and Rika thought she saw a hint of a smirk on her pink lips for a moment. What did that mean?

"Ah, Kazu-kun," Rika said, purposefully accenting her use of the nickname. The girl, who Rika had taken to thinking of as Blue Eyes, shot her a look.

"Oh, Rika. Hello again," Kazuto greeted with a smile. "This is Narumi-san. Have you ever met before?"

Narumi, Rika thought as she engaged in a brutal staring contest with the slightly taller girl. That means growing beauty...fitting, I suppose.

"I can't say we have," Rika said flatly. "In any case, Kazu-kun, I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me later today?"

Kazuto tipped his head at the rather unusual offer while Narumi's glare sharpened.

"I was planning to ask him that myself," Said Blue Eyes in a low voice.

Rika turned her nose up at the young beauty and said nonchalantly, "Don't care, I asked him first, so he's eating with me."

Narumi literally hissed, pretty brown hair swaying to the side. "Well we were having a rather candid conversation before you came around, Rika-san. Isn't that a bit rude on your part?"

The nice-girl facade has completely disappeared, the former blacksmith thought in amazement. How stupid can you get?

"I don't think Kazuto would want to eat with you, anyways," Rika replied softly, reaching out to grasp one of the boy's arms in her hands. "So he's eating with me."

"Eh?" Kazuto exclaimed, shocked at the direction the conversation had taken. "Guys, come on, you don't have to fight over this. It's just a silly lunch-"

"Shut up!" Both of the women growled at once. Kazuto sighed and sank lower in his seat.

Women.

Meanwhile, Rika and Narumi continued to argue. The verbal warfare increased in volume and severity until it could be clearly heard from the far side of the classroom, and the other students were beginning to watch the heated debate with interest. Kazuto cursed under his breath at the attention. This would just turn into more gossip, which he absolutely despised. So he decided to make another attempt at ending the conflict.

"Um...girls?" Kazuto said hesitantly. Both warring women turned their eyes on him.

"I really appreciate that you want to eat lunch with me," Kazuto continued, trying to look as grateful as possible.

"But I've already made plans to eat with Asuna."

This, understandably, unleashed their wrath even further.

The lunch period that day was a rather tense one, to begin. Kazuto just barely managed to slip out of the door the moment the second bell rang, too soon for either Rika of Narumi to catch him. He really didn't like ditching them in such a manner, but he'd promised to eat with Asuna first. If Rika or Narumi had asked beforehand, he would have kept his promise.

Meanwhile, the smell of the soap used to clean the halls of the schools faded out to be replaced by the aroma of shedding sakura trees as Kazuto left the school building and made his way towards the adjacent bench area. Most people chose not to eat their lunches there, despite the rather attractive scenery, and those few who did sat relatively far from each other, Kazuto and Asuna included. So it was a great place to enjoy the company of another person in private or even on your own. Squinting briefly as he entered the bench area which was shaded by the bare branches of the sakura trees, he spotted Asuna waiting on their usual bench.

Already feeling a smile staining his face, Kazuto made his way quietly behind the bench, trying his utmost to avoid notice. He actually managed to sneak up behind his significant other without being caught, but Asuna seemed to be in deep thought at the moment. The wind blew slowly through the bench area, swishing a small pile of sakura leaves across the concrete path. Asuna's head shifted slightly to note their movement, and Kazuto seized his chance.

Moving forward, he clapped both hands over Asuna's eyes and sang out, "Guess who?"

"Isn't it usually the girl who does that?" Came Asuna's voice almost immediately afterwards.

Rather confused, Kazuto kept his hands where they were and asked, "What do you mean?"

Asuna let out an affectionate sigh and pulled Kazuto's hands away from her face, instead positioning them so that his arms looped around her neck in a sort of half embrace. "In every drama and anime, it's the girl who surprises the guy from behind, not vice versa. Don't make me question your sexuality again."

"Again?"

Finally, she laughed. "Just kidding."

"Uh huh..."

The rest of their lunch went on to proceed rather smoothly. Kazuto had prepared his own food to eat, but Asuna pulled her usual magic and produced two rather delicious sandwiches from her lunchbox. As they ate, Kazuto joked that he only loved Asuna for her cooking, which earned him an earnest punch on the shoulder that would bruise the next day. She'd laughed and pecked him on the cheek afterwards, however.

"But really, it's strange that you're good at cooking in reality as well is in SAO," Kazuto commented as he dusted his hands off of any residual crumbs.

Asuna tipped her head at him as she sucked the last of her lunch off her fingers in a slow manner, drawing his attention to the girl's mouth. "What's so strange about it? I enjoyed cooking before I ever played SAO, and I pursued it in-game because the VR mechanics helped me do things that would have been impossible in reality. When I got back I couldn't use those game engines anymore, but I've still learned alot."

"Mm..." Kazuto murmured, although he wasn't really paying attention to Asuna's words anymore. Rather, he was studying the movement of her pink, tender lips as they sucked away at her fingers.

Asuna blushed profusely when she realized what the focus of her boyfriend's attention was. "S-Stop it, Kazu-kun," she stuttered, ceasing her sucking as she ducked her head down to hide her flush. "I get embarrassed when you look at me like that..."

"Sorry," Kazuto smiled, not sounding very apologetic at all. Reaching out, he pulled her slim frame against his body and rested their temples together. "You just tempt me sometimes."

"That so?" Asuna whispered, almost absently as she found herself becoming lost in Kazuto's specially unique scent. The smell of something fresh, like mint, with a slight trace of masculinity mixed within.

"Yeah," Kazuto said. He turned his head so that their noses were touching, and he used his other hand to twine his fingers within Asuna's hair. Despite the apparent confidence in his moves, Kazuto's mind was racing; they had only kissed about six times during the month Asuna had been awake, and it was still unfamiliar territory to him. He tried his best, but it was simply too easy to lose yourself against the feeling of Asuna's tongue...

"K-Kazu..to.." Asuna breathed, her eyes becoming half lidded as their mouths grew closer, closer, until their breaths began to tickle each other's lips in a rather thrilling way. Suddenly, Kazuto was glad their new eating spot was out of sight of the school building, unlike the previous location they had frequented. There weren't any other people around, either.

Kazuto abruptly realized that Asuna was waiting for him to take the lead. They had remained stationary, lips just barely touching, for a few seconds now, and his heart was beating like a machine gun inside his ribcage. Licking his lips one final time, he went in for the kill.

Their lips had just slipped together and the beginnings of a moan had just begun to rise in Asuna's throat when a high pitched voice shattered the atmosphere.

"Kazuto!"

The young couple flinched badly at the sudden interruption, causing their lips to yank apart with a pronounced pop and their teeth to clack together just once. Looking up immediately, Kazuto saw a rather irritated Keiko standing before them with her hands placed on her hips.

"K-Keiko!" They both yelped, going completely red in their faces as they scrambled away from each other towards opposite ends of the bench. Meanwhile, Keiko pouted in a manner that revealed her anger and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Really, what do you two think you were doing? And at school, too!" The freshman paused in her lecture to tug briefly at one of her ponytails. "You could get in trouble for things like that, you know!"

"I'm sorry," Kazuto and Asuna apologized, momentarily forgetting that they were being scolded by a freshman.

Keiko just sighed heavily out of her nose. Then she brightened up. "In any case, I wanted to eat lunch with Kazuto-kun," The freshman chirped, hopping onto the bench in order to occupy the newly created space between the young couple. She almost immediately shimmied as far towards Kazuto's side as she could without pushing him off the end of the bench. Smiling slightly, Keiko remembered the conversation she'd had with Rika mere minutes earlier.

"So time's up for them, huh?" Keiko had said softly to Rika in the empty classroom.

"Yeah," The senior had replied. She was sitting on the windowsill and leaning against the glass, apparently lacking any delusions of falling to the ground many floors below. Tucking her short hair behind her ear, she'd continued, "We aren't the only ones besides Asuna who like Kazuto, and we knew it. The ceasefire we called didn't just prevent us from making Kazuto unhappy while Asuna recovered. It gave everyone else a chance to take an interest in him as well. It's time to end the ceasefire."

Keiko just remained silent.

Frowning, Rika swung her legs off the sill and landed on the floor below. "Or I will, at least," she added. "If you don't want-"

"What, are you kidding?" The freshman had suddenly said, a mischievous smile dominating her face.

"I'm gonna get the head start on you!"

And with that, she'd taken off to find Kazuto.

Meanwhile, in the present, Asuna was becoming rather irritated herself.

"What do you think you're doing, Keiko?" The senior demanded.

"What? I'm enjoying lunch with my onii-chan," The freshman cackled, putting extra honey on the last three syllables.

Asuna went red in the face. "You...when...what?"

"Kazuto enjoys my company! Isn't that right, onii-chan?" Keiko snickered, leaning her lithe, young body into the boy's side.

Kazuto yelped in surprise and scooted as far as he could towards the end of the bench, which wasn't enough to proved an escape. "Ah...of course I do, Keiko, but Asuna and I were having lunch..."

Keiko pouted like a lost puppy, instantly drawing Kazuto's attention, him being a classic "nice guy."

"But don't you love me, onii-chan?"

"Alright, that's it!" Asuna declared, leaping out of the bench to manually force some distance between the freshman and her significant other. This accomplished, she plopped herself down between them with a sharp hmph!

"Hey, no fair!" Keiko whined.

"You can whine all by yourself," Asuna shot back, her words frigid with malice. "Kazuto belongs to me."

"You shouldn't be so selfish, Asuna," Keiko complained. "Sharing is caring."

"This isn't sharing! It's downright rude!"

As the freshman warred against his significant other, Kazuto sighed and tried his best not to be shoved off the end of the bench. He didn't understand Keiko's sudden change in character; she was almost never pushy or inappropriate or rude, but today she was proving to be quite exceptional in all of those categories.

But anyways, what is this, a harem? Kazuto thought irritably as the two women continued to argue over him.

If the night is when time is conquered by the uproar of drinking men, then the morning must be the hangover phase, and the evening a preparation time for yet another night of partying. Or at least that was one philosophy Kazuto held about bars. He tended to gravitate towards the belief that everything had a cause and an effect, that nothing came into existence by no justification. Sure, alcoholics spent all their nights downing beer, but what did they do in their spare time?

Well, they sure as hell don't come back, because this place is always as empty as a graveyard, Kazuto thought as he neared the door of Agil's coffee house/bar. The sun was beginning its daily plunge beneath the horizon in the sky, and its bleeding rays cast a scarlet affect on everything he laid his eyes on. Finally reaching the wooden door, he reached out and pushed it open, hoping to get out of the confusing scenes a setting sun caused. Plenty of significant events had taken place here, he remembered. This was where agil had shown him that picture of Asuna, trapped within an industrial sized birdcage atop the peak of the World Tree. This was where the Offline Meeting had been held. It was also where Kazuto had shared many casual conversations with the owner of the bar, who he felt was more mature than most people he spoke to and was more understanding of his own ideals. It also happened to explain his presence at a bar at five in the evening.

"This place is always empty," Kazuto said loudly as he made his way into the building and let the door fall shut behind him. "Do you ever get any business?"

"Shut up," Agil chuckled from behind his usual spot at the bar. He was cleaning a recently used glass with a dishtowel, which was apparently something a stereotypical bartender would always be seen doing.

"I'm just joking. I'm sure this place gets wild once the night falls."

"You have no idea," Agil sighed as he put away his glass and the towel. "Last night a large group of friends barged in and the designated driver got heavily drunk, so they tried to hire an eighty year old woman to chauffeur them home. It was uncomfortable to watch."

Laughing softly at Agil's tight expression at the memory, Kazuto slid onto a seat at the bar and rested his arms on the polished wooden surface. Agil slid over the usual glass of ginger ale, which he picked up and sipped at gingerly (no pun intended). Shivering briefly as the carbonated drink rushed through his taste buds, Kazuto placed the glass back down and turned to stare out the window. The sun had made enough progress by now to shine weakly into the bar, painting the hardwood floor a deep shade of orange. Kazuto's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the city's activities outside the window, like it was some sort of magical mirror that allowed him to observe the lifestyles the metropolis contained. He was startled to find that he was displeased by what he saw; it was recognizable, surely, but definitely changed all at once. Just another reminder that nothing was really constant. He may have convinced Asuna otherwise, but the very same fear lingered in his own heart.

"Alot's changed, hasn't it?" Kazuto said absently, picking up his ginger ale only to swirl it around in the glass.

"Mmm," Agil nodded, following Kazuto's gaze out of the window. "What's so interesting out there?"

Kazuto gestured vaguely outside with his glass. "I don't trust what I see out there anymore," he sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean nothing has been persistent since I've woken up. Everything's changed and it'll never be the same again. Thing's change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody."

Agil hummed in understanding and resumed his cleaning of the glass. Making sure the scrub every last crevice in the cup clean, he said, "Have you lost any friends since SAO, Kazuto? I'd argue for the contrary. You've met Asuna, haven't you?"

"But Silica and Rika have been acting so strange lately," Kazuto shot back before downing the last of his ginger ale in one go. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, he continued, "And I've told you about what happened with Suguha. Now there's going to be a memorial with Saturday for the deceased players. After that, it'll all be wrapped up and done. The SAO incident will be purposefully shuffled away from people's memories because it's something that's best forgotten. But now that everything's changed, what do people like me and Asuna do? The world seems so untrustworthy now."

Agil didn't answer his young charge immediately. Instead he took his sweet time rolling up the cuffs of his sleeves a bit higher before formulating his reply. "I think, Kazuto, the reason you feel that reality isn't constant anymore is because your time in SAO and ALO have altered your perception of what's real."

"What?"

"The virtual reality has become an integral part of you. It's something that nobody can deny, and some may even see it as something to be proud of. But there's always the old saying that too much of anything is no good for you. You have to realized in the end that virtual reality is just that, virtual. But it's taken root somewhere inside of you and it won't let go easily. That's why you don't trust what you see out of that window, I think. Try taking another look outside, Kazuto. Would it hurt to try and understand what's out there?"

Breathing heavily out of his nose, Kazuto turned his neck and stared out of the window once more. The sun had fully set by now, and the first lights of the city were beginning to blink to life. This time, instead of noting what had changed, Kazuto tried to look for things he recognized. There was the supermarket he'd been going to for a decade. There was the top spire of his old middle school, and he knew from experience that his favorite baseball field was somewhere off the to east, out of sight.

"Nothing has to be refined by top-notch graphics and sensory details to be noteworthy," Agil continued. "I know I just said that VR has its grip around you, but it's also taught you something very important. You go into games like SAO already knowing who you are and what you wish to become. The real world is where you're born, and it's where you begin the journey to find yourself. That's why reality trumps virtuality."

Almost out of nowhere, Kazuto chuckled mirthlessly. "I've never heard you speak so deeply," He laughed.

Agil smiled with him. "The situational calls for it sometimes," He said. Then he swept his arm around to indicate his entire store. "When I woke up from Sword Art Online, Kazuto, I expected this place to have been out of business, shut down and sold already. But it hadn't been. It was still here, thanks to the hard work of my wife. She alone kept it going hoping I would return one day to retake it. That's what I think is really important. Things will change, but friends will always love you. That's just the way the world turns."

Smiling as he tapped out a short beat with his nail on the wood surface of the bar, Kazuto said, "Okay, Agil. I think I understand what you're saying, sort of."

Agil nodded in appreciation. Then his expression grew more businesslike.

"This leads me to my next topic," he said seriously, reaching into his back pocket.

Kazuto stared at the small sheet of paper the bartender procured and opened it when it was handed to him, instantly reading its contents:

Dear Kazuto Kirigaya,

As the mayor of this prosperous city, I extend a warm welcome towards you. I have been notified of your brilliant achievements within the death game known as Sword Art Online, as well as your heroic actions within the servers of ALfheim Online. We are sure that you have already been notified of the Offline Memorial taking place this Saturday. Due to the high status you have achieved among the survivors of Sword Art Online, you are hereby formally invited to speak at the event before those who attend. We wish for you to share your thoughts and feelings about your experience within the game as well as voice thoughts of sadness for those who have passed from our world; but of course, what you choose to say will be entirely up to you. Whether you are able to accept out request or not, please send your reply back through Agil. We look forward to potentially being your audience at the Offline Memorial.

-The Mayor.

After reading the note scrawled messily on the paper two more times, the first thing Kazuto said was,

"Why is this written on paper?"

"The mayor's old fashioned," Agil said simply.

"So he wants me to speak before six thousand people," Kazuto realized in a blunt tone. "No pressure."

"Well, you could always refuse," Agil pointed out. "Though I don't think you should. It's a good opportunity for you."

Kazuto sighed into his collar. "I don't know...I've never been a great public speaker. And I'm no good at writing speeches. What would I talk about? Would they even care to listen?"

Agil stabbed his finger at the note in his charge's hands. "It says right there, Kazuto. You've achieved 'high status' among the survivors of SAO. Even I know that is true. Most everyone respects you. Just share your feelings, Kazuto. Open up a little bit. You spend plenty of time integrating yourself into other peoples' hearts. I think it's time you did the same for everyone else."

Kazuto stared at the note for a bit longer. Then he sighed a second time.

"I'll think about it."

"Good man," the bartender nodded. Then he shooed the younger boy away. "Now, get out of my bar. The regulars are going to start coming now that night's fallen and I don't need them recruiting you to replace their designated driver."

"The mayor invited you to speak at the memorial?"

"Yeah," Came Kazuto's voice from the other end of the line. "I can refused to speak if I want to, but Agil thinks I should do it."

"Of course you should do it!" Asuna exclaimed as she switched the phone to her other ear. Kazuto had called just as she'd come out of the shower, but Asuna wasn't about to tell him that. "Nobody understands the pain SAO caused more than you. I can attest to that. There's nobody more qualified to speak before everyone."

"That's what upsets me."

"Oh, don't be such a crybaby, Kazuto. Whatever you say, people will love it, as long as it comes from your heart. You're a nice guy inside, after all. And much more. You just have to let them see how that ties into SAO."

"Will you write the speech for me, then?"

"No."

There was silence at the other end of the line as Asuna quickly slipped into her sleeping clothes. Finally, after about thirty seconds, Kazuto spoke again.

"Say, Asuna...can I ask you something?"

His tone caught her attention. "Of course."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do after high school?"

Asuna froze just as she was clipping a hairpin to her head. Picking up the phone again, she pressed it gently to her ear, thinking hard about what she was about to say. Certainly, she was pursue a decent college education...but what then? What would she even major in during college? She hadn't had the time to think about those things. They were just too ordinary to worry about.

"I don't know," she said back at last. "There's just been so much going on. What about you? Do you know what you want to do in your future?"

"I was maybe thinking computer science, or software development," Came the prompt response.

Asuna rolled her eyes. Nerd, she thought affectionately. "Are you going to apply for UT,* then?"

"Maybe...if I study my butt off for the entrance exams. But I'm still lingering when it comes to college. After all, it might mean we'll have to separate. It may become necessary."

Asuna breathed heavily out of her nose and looked at the moon from her window. Constant.

"We don't have to think about that now," she said back. "I have to go to sleep now. Goodnight, Kazu-kun."

"Goodnight, Asuna. I..."

"Yes?"

A brief silence.

"I...nevermind. Sweet dreams."

The line went dead.

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