I don't own or have any affiliations with Sword Art Online.

Chapter 12: A Troublesome Night

"Hey what's wrong? You glass is still is half full. Do I need to call a doctor?" Agil lightly jabbed the arm of the distraught red-haired young man sitting on his bar stool in an unkempt and slumped posture, while his head resting sideways on his arm on top of the wooden counter.

"C'mon why so glum, chum?" Kazuto shook Klein's arm.

"Rinko called me earlier saying that the rest of her stuff came into in my apartment. Then I realized that I'm now responsible for raising a daughter." Klein sighed and took a small sip from his glass.

"Do you guys think that I'll be a good one?" He looked at the both of them nervously.

"I just have three things to say about this." Agil raised his fingers. "The first thing is, it's not just your crash pad anymore, it is now a hearth that now belongs to the both of you, but it's mostly hers from now on."

"This might be considered a good time make some helpful notes right about now." Kazuto smirked and nudged Klein.

"The second piece of advice is, to remember that, you gotta cut yourself some slack everything is going to be fine."

"What's the third thing?"

"Get your arm off the counter, it's gonna leave a mark." The bartender retorted.

Kazuto patted Klein's back. "The way you handled her yesterday at the party was...awesome. To be honest, I didn't really think you'd be ready enough it in you. You've officially proved me wrong."

"So tonight's your first night huh?" Agil filled in a third glass.

Klein leaned downward a little bit. "Yeah, all of their things are at our place now. Ya know, I still can't believe the fact that I have a girlfriend and a daughter now." A goofy-looking smile stretches his lips.

"Yeah, neither can we." The businessman smirked.

"To your new life." Kazuto spoke as they clinked their raising glasses.

"Hey, since you poured yourself a drink, does that mean you have to pay yourself back later?" Klein asked the business-owner.

"As the owner, I can give myself discounts."

Kazuto turned his attention to the man standing behind the counter. "So as the friend of the owner..."

"You just get your own tabs."

Klein reaches the front door and feels a small puff of air hitting him as it opened. After taking his first step inside he saw his girlfriend standing near the couch with the bassinet in front of her.

"Oh thank god you're finally here." She sounded frantic and nervous. "She's been crying for the past two hours. I tried everything and I can't get her to stop."

Klein sighed to himself and walked over next to her wrapping his arms around her torso embracing it and tells her to sit down. Next, he gingerly picks up the crying newborn and starts to rub on her back. Within, the matter of a few short minutes, a calming atmosphere circulated through out the living area as the noise went silent. Taking the advantage of the moment, he puts her back into her cradle and sits next to the stressful and tired mother.

"The crying was been going on for so long and I still needed to unpack some stuff earlier. I didn't get a chance to cook." Rinko apologized.

"We still got some time. I could go back out and bring something." He offered while at the same time he was checking his wallet.

"No, you just came back. I'll go get it." She plants a kiss on his cheek.

After getting herself ready, she swipes takes the keys from the kitchen counter making her exit.

Klein rolls the bassinet in front of him. Both of his hands began to start rubbing shorts circle into her small palms. He leans his body forward to get a better view of her dark charcoal coloured eyes. "You know I'm really new at this. I really don't have any idea of what to do. All I know right now is that you're very special to everyone, but more to your mother and I. Even when if you and I don't have any blood connection between us...you're still mine. Until the day I can't you won't be able to see me through your own eyes anymore. I promise to love you everyday no matter what."

He checks for something in his pants pocket and takes out a soft, red satin ribbon. "I got a little something for you." He wraps it around her head and ties both of the ends of it into a small bow matching it with her charcoal coloured hair.

He smiles when his hands both run her arms and onto her feet. Through the lining of the thin cotton sock, he felt the presence of that scar forever marked on the side of her left foot.

Blinking away the memory of the day she received it, Klein moved up to her face to give some kisses and smirked after Yumeko screeched in annoyance. "I can't help it. I wasn't always with you for very long, and besides your softness doesn't do you much justice."

Klein reached for another pants pocket when her felt his phone vibrating, when he checked the message from Rinko, he goes through the fridge and grabs a ready-made bottle and starts the microwave.

He flinched as start to hear high-pitched wailing when testing the heated liquid onto his skin.

He cradles her and puts the teat in her mouth. "Geez, at least now I know why your mother sounded so jumpy before."

Nearly two hours have moved along before the door had reopened once again. The young woman came inside with one hand carrying a cardboard pizza box while her other hand was filled with plastic grocery bags. She takes each food product out for display one by one nearly leaving any space on the kitchen counter.

"Look what I got." She sang like a bird in the forest.

"You know, really should be eating more healthier."

"French fries were once a potato, and ketchup was once a tomato." Rinko gets two plates on the table.

"Your gonna play like that huh? Fine then." Klein put into the drawer, taking out a cutting board and knife. Next, turns to the fridge taking out a few vegetables from the crisper.

Two small bowls and forks were set on the table.

"You win." His girlfriend grumbled as she went face-to-face with her personal pet-peeve of good food going to waste.

The couple sat down in during the middle of their meal and engaging into a small conversation while eating.

Their ears were met by the sudden sound of the heavy pitter-patter of raindrops and unexpected cackle of lightning and booming sound of thunder.

A startled Rinko accidentally drops her fork making the piece of metal silverware smack itself against the wooden floor. Her body looked like it was under a spell of paralysis.

Klein picked it up and put in the sink. "Are you okay?" He looked concerned.

Yumeko's crying seemed to worsen that moment. "It was just a little noise." Klein held her and started bouncing up and down.

"Rin, you didn't answer my question."

She still didn't reply and remained silent.

"Rin?"

Another clap of roaring thunder was heard through the glass window.

Rinko quickly tightly closes her eyes when she covered her ears and started whimpering, while shaking her head from side to side.

She stops as she felt a hand slowly brush itself on her soft short hair and heard his voice. "You had a pretty long day. We should go to sleep now."

Klein wishes both of them a good night and kisses both their foreheads.

The baby was currently resting herself in the co-sleeper next to her mother while Rinko tenderly glides her hand up and down the small chest, calming own her little astraphobic episode as well.

I still can't believe this is all came together so quickly. This, all of it, feels like a long dream. A good one. She grinned and removed her hand from her daughter's body. Her body rolls over to the other side. "Good luck, she's all yours for the night." She whispers into her boyfriend's ear as he chuckled.

The sound of another thunder clap and lightning flash make their unwanted appearance.

Rinko's previous bodily reactions come back to her body. A cry comes from the co-sleeper stationed next to her side of the bed making Klein removed himself from his comfortable position.

"Hey, it's okay. Nothing bad isn't gonna happen." His voice was soft and mellow. When the crying continued on, he started swaying the co-sleeper repeating his sentence.

Spark!

Boom!

Zzzzt!

All of the power in the entire building went away, leaving all of the physical surroundings shadowed in a perfect, pitch-black darkness.

I spoke to soon. He gulped regretting the words he said just a few seconds ago.

Trying not to get distracted from the constant screaming, he slowly managed to move himself to the other side of the room and snatched his phone once he felt it.

Using the light being given by the screen he rummages through his nightstand for a flashlight. A small circular light was waved into the air and bouncing off the walls and ceiling. He leaves it on Rinko's table in the downside-up position as it mildly illuminating as darkness much as it can cover.

"Rinrin, wear these." He handed her a pair of ear-plugs.

"What about her?" She whispered but still is frightened.

"I'll handle it. Just go to sleep."

She nods and inserts the soft material closing off her eardrums from the noise.

He unbuttons his shirt halfway and picks up Yumeko and slowly presses her ear onto his bare chest, as the sound of his heartbeat made the shrieking stop and the room fall into a pleasant silence. "Ready to go back to sleep?"

He kisses her for the last time and laid her pink teddy bear next to her before covering her with the quilt.

Klein re-buttons his shirt and slides back into the bed. He hears a buzz coming from his phone sitting on the side-table.

The message icon was notifying him of the several texts that were sent from his friends. As he scrolls down the message log he realized that it they wanted to know if Rinko and Yumeko were alright.

He half-smiled and sighed when he sent them a mass-text assuring them the night was only 'a little' troublesome but things have calmed down after a while.

The power was restored as soon as he pressed the send button, and coincidentally the storm had settled down with no more thunder or lightning for the rest of the night.

He looked the home-screen informing him the current time was only a few minutes until eleven o' clock. I've only been home three hours! Damn, what a night.

Sighing to himself, he pulls his girlfriend closer to his chest, resting her head underneath his chin.

I'm sorry for making this a little short, I've been dealing with personal matters and I haven't been feeling very well for a while. I wish you all a (belated) Happy New Year! Good luck on all of your resolutions this year! Thank you for reading! Please review. :)