I do not own nor have any affiliation with Sword Art Online. I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors that were made into the text.

Chapter 21: Lacuna

Friday, December 24th, 2027

7:15 PM

"Ugh, what's taking them so long?" Kazuto groaned as his eyes followed the subtle fluent movements of the small melting icecubes in his bronze coloured liquid.

"Someone's sure being a little impaitent." The giant bartender commented polishing a glass with a small towel.

"I'm still a little tired from the trip yesterday." Kazuto retracted.

"It's fine. I know it can be stressful going back and forth while in college." Agil added.

"Should I call them again? Maybe this time I won't get forwarded to voicemail." Rika suggested to the rest of the young females sitting with her at the table.

"I think we should give it a few more minutes before trying again." Keiko added.

Suguha nodded. "Yeah, it isn't easy getting ready with two-year-old running around."

"Or a husband for that matter." Asuna laughed.

Rika happily sighed and laid her back. "It's gonna be so great seeing them in person. Sometimes the photos, the phone calls or the live group chat sessions aren't enough."

Shino looked at her watch. "Especially for Himeko-chan's sake. For all we know she may not even remember our faces or names properly."

"Right. I still can't believe we had to wait over four months to finally pick out a date just for a meet-up." Asuna took a small sip of her warm drink.

It's like a year went by since then. Kazuto sighed at his own thought. He sips the last of his drink and asked for a refill.

The chime of the shop's hanging bell rang sweetly.

"Man, looks like the party already died from his angle." Klein flashed a smug grin.

"Really? You see the kids after all this time and that's the first thing that comes out of your mouth?" Rinko pulled on his ear.

Takato came inside carrying the toddler on his shoulders.

"Mama." She frowned as she saw her mother holding onto her step-father's ear.

"Ha, she's on my side right now." Klein ruffled the child's hair.

The small golden bell on her thick red hair ribbon played a soft jingle making the little girl grin to the sound.

She still likes bells huh? Kazuto had a small smile. "Hey Takato, if you hold her like that in the park, the girls won't stop coming." He gave him a fist bump.

"You don't have to tell me twice. It already worked." The adolescent whispered, Kazuto gave a small high five.

"Yumemi, guess who." Kazuto pulled on his cheeks.

"Your not going to make her cry again are you?" Takato teased his elder.

"Hey, you still have that mark on your chin." Kazuto noticed.

"Yeah...she bit me pretty hard back then. It's been about a year, so its all good."

Rinko told her nephew to stand still as the woman lifted Yumeko from the top of his shoulders.

"You grew a little taller." Kazuto swipes the red cap off of Takato's head and traps him in a headlock.

After being freed from his elder's clutches, the third-year middle school boy playfully punched the university student in his arm, then sat in between Kazuto and Klein and ordered a drink.

"So how's the whole big brother thing working out for ya?" Kazuto tried to forward the conversation.

"Its going great. Most of the time, she's pretty easy to deal with for her age." Takato replied.

"You seem to be doing pretty well too." Agil said to Klein.

Klein took a sip. "Yeah, I started sleeping at night again."

"So tell us about this girl of yours. How'd you meet?" The bartender placed a warm porcelin cup and saucer set in front of the blonde-haired boy.

The costumer gulped the warm cafenated liquid. "Well, I've known her for a long time. We were classmates for two years but didn't really talk to each other very much. Then..."

"Then, what else happened?" Klein arched an eyebrow.

Biting his lips, the teenager spoke. "This one day..."

*Flashback starts*

Late Summer 2027

The teenager was walking down the sidewalk with Yumeko on his shoulders, carrying a plastic bag in both hands.

Since time was cutting short he decided to take a shortcut through the park trying to the toddler home before getting a call by his aunt.

Without warning, he stops at the midde of the cemeted pathway.

His eyes stared at a girl with red rose hair tied up in a high pony tail, sitting on a plain wooden bench underneath a giant tree. Her dark brown eyes were looking into the screen of a white, touch screen tablet.

The moment of being bewitched by the girl's enchanting presenace, was interrupted when the middle schooler felt a small smack on his forehead, followed by a small, yet demanding voice. "Tag!"

He blinked by into reality. "What was that, Yuriko-chan?"

The toddler repeated the same action and word once more.

"Is that you, Takato-kun?" The redheaded girl waved her hand above her head.

"Oh, uh. Hello...Sayaka-chan." The boy nervously replied. It was like the words 'calm' or 'cool' were obilterate from his vocabulary.

"Tag! Tag! Tag!" Yumeko exclaimed.

"Not so loud, Yuriko." He lightly protested.

The female middle schooler came up to them. "If you'd like, I can watch your stuff while you go play." She offered.

"Tag!" Yumeko clapped excitedly.

The boy sighed. "Believe me, she knows other words..."

"Tag!" The toddler repeated like a broken record.

Sayaka giggled and placed the shopping bags from his hands into her own.

"I guess I owe you one, huh?" He whispered.

"Let me copy off your homework later then we'll call it even." She whispered back.

"Deal."

Takato lifted his honourary cousin from his shoulders and onto the hard cemeted ground.

The very young girl to run around as the chase was about to start.

"Don't go too fast or else you'll-!"

The boy quickly rushed when he saw Yumeko tripped and fall down on the pavement sobbing.

He kneeled down beside her looking at her leg.

"Is she okay?" His classmate yelled out from where she was standing.

"She's fine. Just a little scrap." He shouted back.

Still watching the little girl sob, he takes off his favourite cap and covers the top of her hair and taking it back off again. "Hat on. Hat off. Hat on. Hat off. Hat on. Hat off. Hat...on."

Yumeko smiled again and kissed him.

"I miss you too. I'll try to sleepover again after my vacation ends." He picked her and walked back to the former classmate.

"When do you want to copy my homework?" He took bags back.

"I guess after we go have lunch." She patted Yumeko's head.

*Flashback ends*

"Attaboy." Kazuto clincked his glass with Takato's cup.

"I like every part of that story expect where my kid got hurt." Klein wrapped his arm around the boy's neck.

"So you got yourself a date. Pretty sweet." The bartender grinned.

"Try three." The middle-schooler smirked.

"Whoa, three? Don't forget to invite me your wedding." Kazuto laughed.

"Sure thing. You'll be in the top twenty." Takato retored.

An adult female voice spoke out. "I think they should be invited to your funeral instead, because if your mother found out about that... Well, that's all I can say for now."

"No offense oba-san, but it's not easy taking you serious while wearing that." The boy pointed to the santa hat she had on.

Rinko raised an eyebrow, and took out her cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Takato asked.

"Fuko, of course."

"Wait, what!? I-I was just joking around. I'm sorry I didn't tell you until after the second date. I wanted to tell you earlier... Please, don't call her!" The boy pleaded, standing on his knees.

Ignoring the plea, the woman placed her phone on her ear.

The 15-year-old was biting his fingernails like he was watching a suspenseful horror film against his will.

Sitting in the middle of Rinko's lap, Yumeko stood up wobbling, and kissed the lower area of her mother's face.

Rinko sighed and put away the communication device, rubbing her daughter's soft hair. "She's not on break yet. You're off the hook. For now."

Takato took a deep breath of relief and grinned as pulled his body closer to the edge of booth's seat and started squeezing her. "Your a life-saver. I love you."

"I love you too." She giggled.

"You're a very nice girl, Himeko-chan." Rika laurelled.

The toddler lowers her head, looking at her lap. "Thank you." She retaliated in a near whisper.

"And your so pretty. I think I'm a getting jealous." Asuna chimed.

"A-all...of you...are too." The toddler's eyes were still lowered and voice volume capacity stayed the same.

"That's very sweet of you to say." Keiko's face almost displayed a luminescent blush.

"Thank you." Yumeko raised her vision slightly.

"You're very polite for your age." Suguha gave her kudos.

"Let's not forget smart." Shino gave her typical relaxed smile.

"I'm surprised that nobody said strong willed." Kazuto called out from his stool.

A taciturnity spread in the midst of the shop's occupants.

"Did you just give a good compliment?" Agil blinked.

"Yeah, so? I'm a nice guy. What of it?" Kazuto looked over his shoulder.

"Nothing, it's just that you suck at giving good ones." Klein poked his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm still working on it." Asuna hollered.

"We all have to start out somewhere." Rika added.

"And sometimes it takes a miracle." Shino contributed to the taunting.

All of the women share a hearty laugh.

"So Yumeko-chan, how old are you?" Suguha questioned subtly.

The tot raised up two fingers.

"Wow, you're so big. I can't believe it!" Keiko praised.

"Honey, do you want to sit with them?" Rinko rubbed her daughter's hair.

Yumeko clinged to her mother's arm.

"Do you wanna play a game then?" Rinko went into her purse.

Seeing the ball in her mother's palm, Yumeko excitedly swiped it away.

"Yume, do you want to play with them?"

The toddler blankly stared at her mother's face.

"Yume, give back please." She requested.

Watching the outstretched hand and the curling and uncurling of the delicate, beautiful slender fingers, the little girl returned it.

Rinko then slides the round plaything to Rika who was sitting straight across from her.

Yumeko frowned and looked at Rinko with a confused face.

"If you ask for it, she'll give it back to you." The woman explained.

"That's right." Rika lightly tossed it in the air and caught it.

Kazuto looked at Klein while witnessing the scene from the table across from the bar counter. "Your pretty lax about all of this. How come your not coddling her right now?"

Klein stretched his arm. "She needs to learn to be more assertive. If I keep saving her, she'll be too dependent."

The others nodded in agreement.

"M-may I...please...have my...ball back?" The child asked without making any eye contact.

Everyone's eyes widen in surprise.

"Did you just say a full sentence?" Suguha glanced at her girlfriends.

Rika nodded to her, and rolled the ball across the table.

"Thank you." Yumeko said quietly.

"Bravo sweetheart, very well done." Rinko gave a harmless tug of her ear.

"Don't play rough with her." The man in the bandana grumbled.

"What happened to not coddling her so much?" The bartender smirked.

"One step at a time." Klein spatted out.

"Onee-san did you ever do that toy hiding exercise?" Asuna asked.

Rinko shook her head up and down.

"How did that go?" Shino continued Asuna's question.

"The results were...inconclusive." The scientist sipped her coffee.

"What do you mean by inconclusive?" Keiko took a bite out her piece of cake.

"Papa helped." Yumeko answered.

"You've got to be kidding me." Kazuto shook his head.

The small rubber plaything was accidentally rolled to the other side of the round table and was caught by Keiko. She softly whispers to the others sitting near her. Smiling at the little girl, the cat-lover rolled it back to her. "What's your favourite colour, Himeko-chan?" She asked.

"Blue." She replied and rolled it the ball to Suguha.

"Himeko-chan do you like day care?" Suguha rolls it back.

"It's...nice."

The ball was rolled over to Shino. "Did you make any friends yet?"

The toddler simply nods side to side.

"Don't worry, you will someday." Kazuto encouraged her.

Then it was pushed to Rika. "What's your favourite toy in the whole wide world?" The dark burnette slid it back.

The toddler gleefully goes into her mother's purse but stops when she feels someone tugging on the back of her shirt.

She turns to see her stern faced mother. "Yumeko, you're supposed to ask mama first."

Looking like a very dark grey innocent kitten, melting all of the other female's hearts excluding Rinko's, she apologizes.

Rinko went into her purse and gave her the small pink bear to display on the table.

"She never leaves without it." Rinko patted Yumeko's back.

Kazuto smiled while Suguha's cheeks formed a pinkish colour over her pale complextion.

The little girl then rolled the ball to Asuna.

"Who's your favourite parent?" The strawberry blonde asked.

"That's a pretty direct question." Kazuto looked at his girlfriend from the edge of the booth after accepting the crowd's invitation to come play with them.

"Mama." The toddler spoke out without even the slightest hint of hesitiation.

"Ouch, that hurt from over here." Agil patted an upset looking Klein's back as Takato was laughing to himself.

The ball came to Kazuto, which he reluctantly picked up. "It is okay, if I give you something?"

"Gi'mme what?" His honourary niece asked.

"If you come a little closer. I'll give it to you." He gently proposed and put his hand in his pant's pocket.

When standing, she showed great curiousity when his hand formed a loose fist.

"Ready?" He smiled.

Yumeko nodded.

When the opened fist revealed nothing, the little girl's disappointment soon faded away, after the feeling of puckered lips pressed against her right cheek.

"I got you again. I got you again." Kazuto expressed in a singsongy voice. "Sorry kid, but I'm on a budget." He hugged her.

"Again?" She looked very confused.

So she doesn't remember us? Kazuto sighed and rubbed her head. "It was a long time ago. Don't worry about it."

Yumeko walked over to the bar counter to be with the others.

Rinko lowered her head in apology. "I still don't understand it. I show pictures and say your names, but most of the time she just forgets."

"Does she know her nicknames?" Asuna sounded concern.

Rinko nodded. "You're the only ones that address as such, so not until I told her that she will be called by that name."

"How is her developement in daycare? Is she falling behind?" Rika asked.

Rinko shook her head. "According to the staff members, she's moving faster than the others, but she's always in the corner by herself and rarely talks to anyone else."

"She must feel very lonely, but doesn't realize it yet." Suguha sighed.

"Does she have kind of friend? Even an imaginary one?" Asuna questioned furthur.

Rinko pondered for a moment. "Not that I know of." She untruthfully responded. "I'm afriad, she behaves the same way at home as well."

Kazuto hid his clenched fists under the table, his teeth gritting. He had recieved an email from Rinko a day before, telling about his niece's friendly attachment to an imperceptiable character.

"So we have a little genius on our hands. We better be careful about what we say then." Keiko said with a little laugh at the end.

"Things are going to be steep for her in the long run, but we will be there for her." Asuna held the older woman's hand.

"We haven't seen each other in months, but for her sake, we won't give up." Shino's voice was at it's typical calm tone.

"We'll call more, and try very hard to come visit." Suguha added.

"We're not as educated as you are but we'll teach her things. Important things." Rika promised.

Rinko lowered her head and thanked the young adults in upmost graditude.

The woman thought about the time her own friends had made the promise they wouldn't drift apart after their own high school days were far behind them.

As they were accepted into different post secondary educational institutes and different part time jobs, scheduling a proper get together was most of time out of the question. One of the three became a mother a year after high school. Another went to medical school and the last was cooperating in the making of the world's debut VRMMORPG.

After the ending of the SAO incident, the news of the scientist's pregnancy brought them closer together, but not as it used to be.

She feared that the same was going to happen to them, in actuality it already started. They have started to move on with their own lives and holding onto their dreams and goals as long as they can but also trying their hardest to keep in touch no matter what, holding onto every detail their minds are willing to absorb. How long with their friendships continue to latch on?

She could sometimes see Kazuto as they were both employed under the mysterious company known as Rath after the events of Project Alicization, but even those were rare as the young part timer was also a university student.

Suguha and Keiko used to visit the apartment once in a while, but were caught up in their own personal activities, as they were both now in their senior year of high school busy with job hunting and college entrance examinations. It wouldn't be long until both of them were moving on to expand their own horizons and move on like the rest.

The mother would often worry about her growing daughter's interpersonal and intrapersonal proficency. Her overall intellect is outstanding for someone holding an overwhelming medical past and hasn't even entered kindergarten yet. Sometimes the scientist would often think if or if not the young one could posess an higher intelligence quoitent then herself or possibly higher then the toddler's biological father. That thought would scare her the most of all.

"She might just be introverted." The sound of Keiko's voice snapped Rinko out of her deep reflective daze.

Kazuto gave a little laugh. "I'm not surprised, introverts have some of the greatest minds this world has to offer."

"That's right, onee-san is a very intelligent person." Asuna smiled as the others nodded.

"I fully agree to your keen observation." Rinko cheerfully winked.

"I was refering to myself and then onee-sensei." Kazuto smirked.

"It's not very nice to be cocky, Kirito-kun." Asuna raised her eyebrow.

"I said her as well."

"It's still being cocky, onii-chan." Suguha defended Asuna's statement.

"What is with you women and defending each other?" He sighed.

"It's women's intution." His cousin smirked.

Kazuto's eyes widened. "I told you not to say that word." He spased.

"You mean intuition?" His cousin teased.

"That too." He looked her straight in the eye.

"She can say whatever she wants to. She's a high school senior." Rika confronted him.

The young black haired adult narrowed his eyes at her. "High school, not college. And she's technically a minor until she graduates."

Asuna tsked. "If I recall correctly, I am older. So I'm telling you that your sister can say whatever she pleases."

"Only by a year and as her olderbrother, I object. And I know for a fact that another one will agree." He then pointed to the younger teenager on the other side of the cafe.

"Whoa, easy there bro. Don't drag me down with you."

"But I thought we had a connection..." Kazuto sounded hurt and betrayed.

"I disconnect whenever you get in trouble with them."

"Smart boy, we've trained you well." Rinko raised her thumb in approval.

"Wait, you won't care when Yumemi will say those types of things when she's older?" Kazuto asked the blonde boy.

Takato simply shrugged. "I'm 12 years older than her, so by that time she'll have her own mind, so I can't really stop her. Plus I live with my mom, so I'm used to hearing that stuff."

Kazuto moved his attention to Klein.

"I'm with him." Klein whispered rubbing his step-daughter's back as she laid on his shoulder.

"You'll understand when your older."Agil chuckled.

"And what if I don't?"

The three males at the shared brief glances. "Good luck." They whispered back.

"Did she fall asleep?" Rinko asked.

Klein simply nodded and gave her the small resting body.

"I'll go start the car." Takato jingled the ring of keys.

Klein pulled on his shirt collar. "If you're not back in five, I'm calling the cops and you can forget about bail."

"There goes my plans." Takato gave a sardonic sigh.

Rinko cleared her throat. "Let me rephrase that. If you aren't back within the next five mintues, I am telling my very dear friend what her son did on a certain summer's day."

The boy's brown eyes widened. "I'll be back in three." The baseball player hurridly ran outside of the building.

"If you want to poke her, now I would be a good time." Rinko said to Kazuto.

"I can? Really?" He excitedly whispered and nearly jumping out of his seat.

Standing next to his sisterly mentor, Kazuto crouched down to his knees.

His black irises refusing to turn away from the niece he loved very much. He often would fondly remember the time where the first touch he gave to her, helped the little loved one literally find her voice and led her to release her first social cry.

When looking at old pictures and video footage whether in the real world or ALO, he always felt guilty and torn, that he missed out on so much after resisting many unpaid hospital visits he didn't make because of being friegthened and didn't want to see her suffer in that incubator, while all he could at the time was helplessly sit there and watch.

From the first time he held her, the youth knew that they will share a warm, strong bond.

He slowly shook Yumeko's hands as the toddler was cradled in the up-right position.

Kazuto softly stroked her very dark grey hair, smiling he always has whenever she was in his reach.

Tapping her face with his finger, he stopped to run his thumb downward the side of her face.

The sleeping girl squirmed a little, something she used to do whenever he did that.

Before she started to learn speech, the girl would be mewling, yawning and opening her eyes, coming detatched from her deep sleep. Now, her eyes were still shut.

Her mouth made a small groan. "Ka-zu. Asu... Su-gu... Ri-ka... Kei-ko... Shi-no... All gone."

Rinko's heart nearly skipped a beat as she looked at the melancholic, faces of the younger group.

"She's very smart..." Kazuto went back on his legs, trying to erase the crestfallenness of his voice.

Takato came back inside in the now, silent and gloomy cafe.

He took four minutes, instead of his self granted and agreed upon three.

Thank you very much for reading the chapter! Leave a review if you want! :)