I'll try my best to say more things and make these longer in the future. As long as I'm not bullshitting just to achieve length.

Chapter 13: Thoughts and Repercussions

The hinges holding the swing together creaked in mild discomfort when Kazuto shifted his weight, the harsh grating sounds giving nothing short of equal displeasure to the man's ears. The swing did not possess the right to complain, he thought, considering it was only holding his weight.

Not the weight of another life.

Reaching up with both hands to grasp the rust-corroded chains, he crossed one ankle over the other while keeping his legs straight, to maintain balance and reduce creaking of the swing. A premature breeze swept hurriedly through the park, almost like was late for some sort of appointment, coming and going like strangers in a crowd, there one moment and gone another.

Letting go of the swing's chains, Kazuto leaned his elbows into the padded skin above his knees before heaving a great sigh. Ever since he and Asuna had been notified about the server shutdowns, there had been a number of mixed reactions to the news. He found it surprising that Asuna's mother would be the one to tip them to the situation, seeing as she seemed to hold no interest in the events of the gaming universe. It concerned her daughter, however, so perhaps there was an incentive in the matter.

He briefly wondered if Yuuki Kyouko knew about Yui, and if so, how much.

Klein had called a few hours afterwards, having read about the shutdown in the paper. The SAO crisis had become of worldwide interest, and the scrutiny from other nations was only beginning to ease, but apparently papers in America still covered it. The older man hadn't really said much to them over the phone, seeming to have called simply because he felt he needed to, as a friend and fellow survivor of the game. Kazuto had thanked him for his concern before hanging up.

Rika had come over the day after, in the morning when the dew was still struggling to leave the petals of the flowers. She'd visited Asuna first to offer her condolences and discuss a few things that all girls kept only between themselves before coming to check up on him. It was their first meeting involving eye to eye contact since the smith had kissed him that one night under the light, and Kazuto had been apprehensive when he found Rika on his doorstep. The girl was surprisingly calm during their exchange, however, and he concluded that she'd either chosen to forget about it or was simply being considerate.

"It's cold outside today," Rika had said as Kazuto poured her some tea in the kitchen. He had decided to invite the girl in for a drink before letting her go back, thinking that turning her away at the door would reflect some sort of hostility. Rika had done something wrong when she'd confessed to him, but he still valued their friendship.

Kazuto turned and observed the chilly gray outside the window before humming in agreement. The weather seemed a bit odd today, considering the time of year.

"Thanks," Rika murmured when he handed her a steaming cup before taking his own seat across the table from her. Kazuto watched the girl's nose disappear behind the rim of the cup and stared at the table afterwards, awaiting her next words.

Rika drained half the cup before setting it down gently, looking a bit rejuvenated for a moment before her eyes focused on his again, dragging the corners of her lips into a frown.

"You look so serious, Kazu-kun," She said softly.

Kazuto blinked and realized that he'd been scrutinizing the wood of the table a bit too intently. Looking up, he replied, "I've felt more serious before."

She had to smile at that. "True, unfortunately. There's never time for you to rest in life, is there?"

"Since two years ago? Of course not."

Rika's grin shrunk a bit as she looked down at the steam rising from her tea. "One crisis after another," she voiced aloud.

He had to agree. His issues with Keiko and Rika's competition over him had been a sort of crisis, although they paled in comparison to his problems with Takashi and now the server shutdowns. It had seemed for a while after his awakening that things were beginning to return to normal. Then his ties to the virtual reality had caught up to him.

"So, how are you feeling, Kazuto?" Rika had asked then, reaching across the table to place a hand over his own. The hairs on the back of the man's neck bristled at the contact, but he kept his composure. "You must be worried for Yui. You haven't seen her in such a long time."

"Too long," He muttered, gripping the edge of the table.

Rika smiled and squeezed his hand. "It's okay to feel sad or angry over this, you know. These things...have to happen sometimes. Nobody can escape it forever."

Nobody can escape it.

Now, as he watched a few dead sakura petals skip across the sand of the park he sat in, Kazuto still agreed with her. Rika had come to his home for a standard reason, but what she'd said struck home. Nobody evaded pain and loss forever. Nothing would last for an eternity. Everything in the real world was destined to die; so how could the virtual reality, a mere copy, surpass its longevity? After all this time, it had become apparent to Kazuto that everything about VR was pushed to the extreme. Abilities were maxed, and emotions were maxed. Growth and experience would all skyrocket.

But that meant everything would die sooner too.

Asuna, herself, had had to endure a rather brief period of denial before being forced to accept the facts. She'd paced fervently around his home, speculating wildly about how this must be some sort of misunderstanding, that their daughter was safe and sound, that everything was going to be alright. Kazuto had watched her go, his heart aching with every idea she sprouted becoming more and more improbable, knowing that he had to let his lover get this out of her system. Finally, when the girl seemed to have run out of words, he had left his seat to pull Asuna into a tight hug. She'd stood there for a moment, mind still trying to come up with excuses, before breaking into tears and sobbing into his shoulder.

Despite Asuna's grief, it wasn't like Yui would be totally obliterated. Her data would always exist inside Kazuto's NerveGear, so superficially she would always be safe. But without a server operating the game, nobody would be able to use his NerveGear to visit their daughter, to touch her, speak to her, to love her.

It was this medium of separation that broke their hearts so.

Due to her fragile state, Asuna had wanted to stay with him for the day, but for once Kazuto was forced to deny her request. He himself needed time to think, to wonder and ponder, to work out the consequences of this latest development. It was through constant calculation that Kazuto had been able to understand computers and distance himself from his family, as well as survive in Aincrad and ALfheim. Such calculation could be employed to solve a number of issues, but he had to be alone to do it.

And that meant leaving Asuna in her sorrow, no matter how much he didn't want to.

Yet here he sat, having left everything behind for the time being, to think. However, he knew nothing. He didn't know how he felt about this. What did he feel about this? Anger, disgust. Regret. Anger at his misfortune, disgust at its source. Regret at having not done more to ensure Yui's well being. Without her parents, the girl was alone in the vast world of Aincrad. With friends, such a world would seem like a haven. Being alone, however, turned it into hell.

It isn't fair. That was all Kazuto could think of at the moment, when it came to putting words to his mixed emotions. It's simply unfair. What else could he say? More words of hideous anger would not change his predicament. Yet there was nothing he could do within his power to change the outcome, either. He was stuck, trapped by a stalemate, forced to watch the events play out before his eyes. The servers were due to shut down in exactly a month. What could he do in that time? Steal the server data? It was simply impossible.

Impossible. What a word. An idea that would not have existed within Kazuto's vocabulary a year ago, or even half that time. In the past he'd been a reckless soul, his cold calculating side being just enough to keep himself from dying. Kazuto had thought he could do anything within SAO, and when he'd stumbled into ALfheim, he had proceeded to act as if he was unbeatable. Attempting to peak the World Tree alone twice, or making an effort to clear SAO by taking on Kayaba Akihiko without help.

But in the end, all my strength was only skills and status effects.

Today, his situation felt totally different. Kazuto was no longer trying to free Asuna, but protect her. He had her well being to worry about. Today, he was no longer trying to return home, but leave and become his own person, as an adult. The changes were almost infinite. Rika wasn't just a friend, but someone who harbored love for him. Klein was in America. He barely had any time to spare for Suguha, after all their interactions due to their partnership within ALO. It went on and on. It restricted him, but these were chains that Kazuto knew he wanted to bear. They represented everyone in his life who he loved and cherished, after all.

I've matured in a way, I guess, Kazuto thought with a small smirk. Before, he would have dived into any risky situation without thought. But now, he was forced to assess how his actions would affect his loved ones, those closest to him.

The world works in such odd ways.

A fresh wave of sakura petals swished across the sky then, flitting across the corner of his eye, present for only a single second.

There one moment, gone another.

The breeze that had caught Kazuto's cursory attention sped swiftly across the sky, intent on its next destination. It twirled through the air, dancing on the thermals above until it eventually reached the form of a fourteen year old girl lying in the grass. The spots were nice for lying down and sleeping here, when one was lethargic and wished to reflect. Keiko opened her eyes when she felt the grass beneath her, which had grown pointing away from the lake which banked on it, shift. The downy stalks shivered for a moment, causing her enough disturbance to force the beast tamer out of her slumber.

Squinting at the demand of the sun's halo which peeked out from behind the clouds, Keiko stretched luxuriously before falling back onto the grass. There was a small road nearby, one that bikers and hikers frequented when the weather was favorable, but the skies looked horrible today so Keiko knew she would be all alone by the lake with the soft grasses. Glaring at the heavens for a moment, she wondered.

What was I thinking about, again?

A moment's consideration provided the answer.

Oh, right.

Kazuto and Asuna. Or more specifically, how they were feeling. It seemed almost unnatural for her to have to worry about her senpais' emotions or issues. After all, they'd always been the ones caring for her and helping with her problems, specifically Kazuto. He'd always been like a guardian angel, someone she could rely on, when she'd lived two years in a world where everything meant death. Now, in the world of reality, he was someone to respect and be looked up to.

As well as be a recipient of her affections, not that that was going anywhere.

Closing her eyes again, Keiko remembered what she'd been dreaming about before the wind had called her back to the waking realm. Her encounter with Yui, the AI, that one frigid night by the abandoned orphanage. Aincrad had torn a new hole into her heart that night, and Yui had appeared to heal it for the time being, or at least offer comfort and relief. It had been a night much colder than this one, and it was this memory which Keiko employed to ignore most temperature-based discomfort. Nothing would beat the biting chill of that moment.

Yui, though. Keiko had only met the girl twice in her life; during their first encounter and through a brief conversation in ALO. The then navigation pixie hadn't seemed to remember her when they had conversed, not that the beast tamer had expected her to. If what the AI had said before was true, she didn't remember anything before meeting her parents.

"It's awfully frustrating," She'd said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Keiko muttered.

Despite being a child who often acted immaturely at the expense of others, Keiko was actually one to harbor a philosophical side. While it rarely surfaced, she had taken the time to ponder certain aspects of life most others her age wouldn't have, even those who had been a victim of the SAO crisis. For example, she had concluded after all this time that losing things was what hurt a person the most. Being in possession was a feeling that spawned fulfillment and satisfaction, comfort and ease. It made a person take things for granted, so that when such things were destroyed and swept away the world felt desolate and empty.

All ten-thousand of Kayaba Akihiko's victims had felt the loss of freedom, as well as the corroding of the meaning of youth. They couldn't act like kids in a world that demanded maturity for survival. Four thousand of them felt the loss of life itself, as well as their dreams and wishes. The remaining six thousand had experienced the obliteration of their innocence and ignorance, having been forced to fully comprehend the meaning of loss and hopelessness. Keiko had lost her faith in those older than her, with the likes of Rosalia and the many men who proposed to her roaming about. Kazuto and the rest of her friends had worked to restore this, however.

There were a few times when Keiko had stopped to wonder, fruitlessly, what it felt like to be the person who had taken all of these things. Did it fulfill a person? After all, the opposite of loss, taking, must also be the opposite of sadness.

She couldn't say for sure.

After the surviving victims had escaped safely, Keiko had assumed that the extent of Akihiko's influence was at its end. How wrong she had been! After all, here she sat, trying to figure out how the loss of Yui would affect her friends. The scientist had send waves of influence through the lives of scores of human hearts, and they would resonate until their deaths.

Still, I hope they'll be alright. In a month or two, her senpais would be leaving for college. While they were all worrying about being separated between schools, Keiko watched knowing they would all be gone from her regardless of where they went. It was depressing, to say the least, but the beast tamer would not let it get to her. In any case, she would hate to see them leave in a depressed state. Once next month came and the servers were shut down, Kazuto and Asuna would be forced to eat up yet another loss. It was almost amazing to Keiko that they hadn't buckled under the pressure of their losses already.

"I don't want them to test their endurance, though..."

Sighing, Keiko flopped over and buried her nose into the grass. It would hugely benefit everybody if Yui were to survive.

But how to facilitate this?

She couldn't let them leave in such a wretched state.

There one moment, gone another...

Yuuki Kyouko's pen clacked softly against the hard wooden surface of the mahogany table when the woman set it down. Having done so, she continued to sort through the sheaf of papers she held in her hands, irritably trying to make sense of it all. Her husband was out for the day yet again, meaning that there was nobody around to pay the bills but her.

Her cellphone was sitting, unlocked and on, at the corner of her eye, blinking steadily as it awaited its use. Kyouko tried her best to resist the urge to reach over and switch it off, not wanting to lose the rhythm of her pen and its scratching across the papers. Her brain forced her to steal cursory glances every ten seconds, however, and eventually she was forced to lean over and pick up the device to turn it off.

She failed in this, however, when she noticed the small heading at the top of the screen. It was a small app that churned the day's news across the screen steadily at all times, and the text galloping across the screen read BREAKING NEWS: Sword Art Onlin servers to be terminated...

Kyouko sighed and switched off the phone, setting it back down before pinching the bridge of her nose. Things hadn't really been the same since her daughter had returned from the clutches of the virtual reality. The woman had harbored a vision of sorts, a wish, where Asuna would wake up again and they could return to their normal everyday family life. When her daughter's golden irises had finally been exposed to the light of the day, she'd been eager to fulfill this. Everything had changed instead. Suddenly, her daughter was in love with a boy. Suddenly, she had friends her mother had never met before. Suddenly, Asuna was under the protection and attack of people from the virtual reality.

It had become taxing on her heart.

She still didn't quite understand, really, why she'd down what she'd done back then. Kyouko had seen the breaking news broadcast about the shutdown, and her first impulse was to ignore it and speak to nobody regarding it. The woman's second impulse, however, used her responsibility as a mother against herself; didn't her daughter have a right to be notified about this? No matter how much she could disapprove, Kyouko knew Asuna had deep ties to her experiences over the course of two years. The younger girl would occasionally mention the small Artificial Intelligence she considered to be her daughter-of-sorts, a notion that her mother had found and still thought was repulsive.

After all, how could a machine - as that was what this "Yui" was - become her technical grandchild? Asuna knew that she found the very idea of Yui detestable, which was why her daughter rarely mentioned it around her, but Kyouko understood enough about the situation from other sources.

After she'd called to make sure her daughter knew the news, she set the phone down and thought for a moment. So, it seemed like worry for her daughter still overrode her disapproval for her actions. She had been unable to satisfy her own instincts at Asuna's expense.

Now, as she sat staring at the bills, somehow unable to get back to paying them, Kyouko was reminded of what had changed. Firstly, with Asuna's newfound love for Kirigaya. As it was with many things, her primary thought had been that this would cause nothing but trouble. The presence of another man in her daughter's life besides her father would only result in distraction from her important studies, as well as other pursuits in the girl's life. This assumption had proven true at first, when Asuna had started to become more rebellious to her mother's advice and Takashi had made his attack.

Afterwards, however, Kyouko had been forced to accept that perhaps their relationship would not be the iceberg to the titanic, as she'd first thought. Kirigaya came with his own set of complications, but her own husband had, as well (which was not to suggest that she would ever allow the boy to marry her daughter). Time and time again, he had shown that he was dedicated to Asuna's well being and was very much in love with the girl, a notion the woman could appreciate, despite how she acted about it.

Kyouko was also aware that her daughter was growing up. She wouldn't be the dependent teenage she was at one point. She would not longer be the girl who needed advice, but a woman who utilized what advice she had. Her mother was very much aware of this, and when looking at Kirigaya as well, it spawned some doubt as to whether it was so appropriate after all to select her daughter's partner in marriage. The woman had been, finally, forced to accept at least that Asuna was in love with Kirigaya. Would her own heart and conscience allow her to tear the two apart? Would the upsides of selecting a marriage partner override Asuna's inevitable sadness, or was it better to allow their relationship to progress, until it could not possibly be destroyed? These were the questions Kyouko struggled with, every day.

Next, there were her daughter's newfound friends. These were individuals she herself had never met with or interacted with, and as a result she did not trust them. After all, these were people who treated the virtual reality which had snatched her child away as a hobby. Yet despite her misgivings, Kyouko could not ignore how differently Asuna acted around them. Around these people her expression looked more carefree and at ease, more natural.

Happier.

Despite her extreme views, regardless of her countless misgivings, barring her insensitive actions, Asuna's mother really had only one clear goal: to make her daughter happy. It was something she wanted dearly, and something Kirigaya strived for as well, she knew. Their clashes had really just been competitions over who could better provide this happiness. All Kyouko wanted was for her daughter to be happy.

Which was why, she supposed, she had been unable to keep from making that phone call.

Would I care if Asuna's supposed "daughter" were to die? The mother wondered, picking up the bills to get back to working on them. Thinking logically, Asuna would be quite devastated...but how devastated? Enough to warrant action? Not that there is anything I can do about the situation...goodness. Things have become quite complicated...

Here one moment, gone another...

Please review! My motivation can take serious hits if I feel like nobody has any thoughts on this

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