Chapter 7

A Mother's Strength Part 3

First Meeting

I do not own «Sword Art Online» just my OC's. All rights go to Dengeki Bunko and Reki Kawahara

"I'm nervous." Rinko confessed.

"So was I, now look at me." Fuko whispered in her ear.

The nurse pressed her hand on the door and swung it open.

The huge room was dimly lit. They were nurses, doctors and monitors with wires around an isolette. A man in a red bandanna was sitting down next to it, walked up to the women at the door. He's been in here, with her for this long. The realization silently entered the back of Rinko's conscience.

"You did wonderful." He hugged trying not to go near her newly stitched abdomen. "I'll take it from here." Klein reached for the handles of the chair from the nurse beside him.

"If you need anything at all just text me." Fuko patted his shoulder and left.

Klein slowly wheeled over the overwhelmed mother to the incubator and sat back down on his seat.

The incubator had a small tag with Kanji on it spelling the name Yumeko.

"It's alright to touch her, she's yours after all." Klein took Rinko's wrist and carefully placed it within the chamber. When the hand made it through the panel she gave a small single brush on the open area on the neonate's cheek and stroked the small pink cap. There was a high note singing deep inside Rinko's heart.

"Your husband's right, Koujiro-sama. Human interaction is just as important as the medication she receives here." An older nurse said with a gentle voice and a warm smile.

"He's not my husband." Rinko whispered softly at the older woman wearing scrubs.

"My apologies, I thought he was." The nurse bowed a little embarrassed.

Rinko pressed her forehead on the glass-like structure, trying to take note of every single little feature on her daughter's body. From the paper thin skin, scrunched up eyes framed with reddish eyelashes and the tiny nose. The staring took up to 20 minutes but the mother pulled back her now pinkish forehead.

"You should go back to your room and get some rest. You gave birth three hours ago." Klein gently clutched her shoulder. He got back from his chair and placed his hands on the wheelchair handles and walked her out into the hallway.

10:25 p.m.

They were both back in Rinko's assigned room. Klein carried Rinko out of the chair and placed her on the mattress in a bridal fashion.

"Ryo, are you... mad?" A silent flow of tears ran her face after she asked him.

"Mad at you for what?" His gentle eyes probed at her with deep concern.

"For the game, and for today?" She lifted her face to meet his. "For not keeping her safe until now, dragging you all into this." She cried and rambled on the unneeded contriteness. "If I hadn't went jogging every morning...or...had more bedrest... If she dies...it...I..." She her ranting stopped, instead her face was bumped into Klein's warm chest. He while laying his chin on her head.

"Please don't say that again. You did what you could. This isn't your fault. Even the doctors explained this was the best decision they could make. If they didn't...neither of you would be here. You tried so hard, and it didn't work out, sometimes things do, and sometimes they don't. Please don't blame yourself." His body shook momentarily and stopped.

*Flashback start*

Sunday March 23rd, 2025 1:32 p.m.

Kazuto and this then business acquaintance were sitting opposite each other at a coffee shop near a Tokyo station. She couldn't resist asking about the people he had encountered during his adventures in the digital universe.

"So anyway, besides his inability to successfully get a woman, and the fact he accidently flirted with an NCP. He's one of the nicest, caring and dare I say, coolest people I've ever met. Trust me he's a total bruiser with a soft center, don't let that unkempt exterior of his fool you." The teenager went on like a fanboy about to see a live sold-out concert; or at least coming out of a chick-flick alive.

"You speak quite highly of him." The female scientist responsed.

"Well, he's one of those guys that, you feel good being around." Kazuto released a little smile.

"Uh, we're having a party on the fourth of next month. One of my friends owns a café in the Taito district. You should come and it'll be nice for everyone else." Kazuto tried to avoid awkwardly looking down at her stomach for the third time.

At that time, her gestation was a tad bit over twenty weeks.

The scientist momentarily pondered about the invitation. "I accept." She smiled warmly.

"Great, I'll tell him to-" The boy was cut off his elder gestured her hand telling him to stop. "We should keep it our little secret. But to make it fair, I will not tell you the name or the gender of my future child." The expecting mother drew out her hand, hovering it over the table's center. "Also considering your bodily communication, its quite self-evidented that you haven't been around women in my certain circumstance in a very long time."

Damn it. Is it really that obvious? The teen thought to himself.

"Keeping a secret like that? I don't know my girlfriend wouldn't be very fond of that." Kazuto briefly paused at the proposal.

"I'll bring a cake." She added, snapping out the kid of his contemplating.

"Deal." He promptly shook the her hand in approval.

"We're gonna have a good time, Sensei." Kazuto gave out a grin.

*Flashback end*

Klein took out a tiny pink stuffed bear from his pocket and gave it to her. "It needs your scent more than mine."

"You should go now. You have work in the morning." She stated.

Klein leaned his face forward. "But first. I figured." He whispered, getting closer to her forehead.

A sound came out of nowhere. Knock, knock.

Klein feverishly straightened his crooked posture.

A voice called out "I hope I'm not interrupting any important." A green haired nurse came in with a tray of food.

"N-no I was just leaving...Good night." The only man in the room evacuated with a reddish face.

The nurse shrugged it off and sat the rectangular plastic piece on the nightstand beside the bed. "I got a lemon orange cranberry muffin and tea." Fuko pulled up and sat on the chair next to the bed. "You should take a bite before Dr. Eat-More-Healthy shows up." Rinko grinned and accepted the gift.

"Did someone say my name?" A woman with open shoulder-length dark blue hair wearing a thin lab-coat came inside. She was carrying a something behind her back with left hand and had a cup of coffee in her right hand.

"Busted." Fuko lowered her head in shame.

"I'll allow it. I've been craving sweets all day." Namie pulled out a green cloth bag and dangled it lightly.

"I've been looking everywhere for those." Fuko pointed.

"Well not hard enough." Namie playfully stuck out her tongue and sat the opposite of the nurse.

"I hope you get fat." Fuko gave the impression of an evil witch chanting a curse.

"Sweet rolls or chocolate anyone?" Namie placed the bag on the floor beside her.

"Just like the good old days." Rinko beamed.

"Yeah, just a little different." Namie pinched Rinko's cheek. "Still soft as ever." The doctor complimented.

"Yeah, we're old now." Fuko sighed.

"I mean we all graduated." Namie raised an eyebrow while unwrapping a strawberry sweet roll.

"And I mean that we're all in our thirties." Fuko streched her legs. Rinko lightly slapped Fuko's knee.

"By different I meant, I'm a doctor, you're a nurse and she's a scientist." Namie said in between bites.

"Don't forget mothers." Fuko puffed her chest proudly and raised Rinko's hand.

Don't need to tell me twice. Namie sighed and sipped her coffee.

"So I hear that a certain someone is doing quite well in middle school already." The doctor leaned in forward as if it were a gossip circle.

"Takato is doing better than elementary school, and much better than kindergarten." She stated and watch the her friends nod in agreement. Fuko took a sip from her own tea cup. "We're still close, but I really do miss the quality time. He got older and I got more busy. I never forgot when he told me he wanted a sibling. Then Koko moved in, and he started feeling less lonely at home."

"I remember when I told him that I was having a girl. He got so excited he started crying." Rinko smiled at the past memory.

Footsteps were coming closer to the electronic door. A beep was heard and the open door slid sideways. Asuna, Keiko, Rika, Suguha and Kazuto went through the doorway.

"Onee-Sensei, we apologize but we can't stay any longer. It's way past our curfews, our parents are waiting impatiently as we speak. But we'll come by later." Kazuto solemnly announced.

Understandably, the woman in the hospital gown nodded. "Thank you, all for staying as long as you could. You have no idea how much gratitude I have." She respectfully lowered her head to the group of students.

All five of them reciprocated her response by bowing as well.

"Well be saying good night to the baby now. Then we'll leave the hospital." Keiko informed as she was the last one to leave.

"They're good kids. They love you enough to adopt you as an older sister." Namie commented the young group.

"There's something else bothering you. Spit it out." Fuko focused a sharp gaze on Rinko.

Rinko clenched on the folds of her blanket with fists.

"If you don't want to tell to tell us. Can you write it down?" Fuko adjusted her voice to soft and gentle, she went into Rinko's purse to take out the beautiful leather-bound black journal and blue pen, the nurse had seen many times before.

Rinko ripped out a piece of paper and began to apply the ink.

When I was knocked out, I had I dream. There was a health gauge floating a few feet in front of my face. It had her name on it. It went to green to red very fast. When it depleted completely I saw 3D polygons and a glass shattering noise. When it finally stopped. The gauge was replaced with a red sign that said 'You have failed'.

Thanks for reading my chapter. I'm sorry it took so long! No, I'm not dead.

The reason that I made this three-parter is because I wanted my main OC to be a very strong character, perhaps stronger than Kirito in the real world (and yes, this was planned from the very beginning. And yes, there are things already planned for Yumeko down the road of this story). The next chapter will include a full-dive into «ALFheim Online», where I will introduce a game mechanic that I hope you will find interesting. If there are any suggestions/comment for me, please send them to me. I hope you have a wonderful day/night!