I don't own or have any affiliation with Sword Art Online. I apologize for any missing words, grammatical errors and/or spelling errors made into the official text.

Chapter 30: Blossoming Part 2

Sunday, July 21st, 2031 | 11:30 AM

Yumeko was keeping her mind busy trying to work on the assigned summer break homework.

Asuna was teaching Yui a few things around the family apartment.

Kazuto entered the second bedroom's doorway where the young elementary schoolgirl was sitting.

The man in his barely twenties light knocked on the door, however the sound may have been blocked by the girl's very high focus, as she did not look up to see who it was.

Smirking, he stepped inside.

When going up to her he brushed his fingers over her short, silky hair. "It doesn't feel as nice since you got it cut." The adult sighed.

The first grader flinched and lightly gasped upon the sudden, unforeseen encroachment during her productive studying time.

He playfully takes her pair of red, square glasses and puts them over his black eyes. "Wow, these are strong. I blame all of your reading." He laughed.

The girl frowned at him.

Kazuto returned them the rightful owner and ruffled her hair again. "Did you really have to cut it?" He sighed and next to her.

"I wanted it like this. My hair was getting harder to take care of and it was was going to interfere with my training."

Kazuto took away her tablet-like convertible computer and digital notepad with the stylus. He changed his position to sitting cross-legged facing himself front of her, putting his back to the wall. "You should learn to take breaks, you've been in here since after breakfast."

He poked his index finger on her forehead and nose. "Onee-sensei tells me that you spend a lot of time being quiet. Why is that?" He slouched, moving his face closer while his hands were curled up.

The girl simply shrugged her in response.

"So how is your training coming along? It looks tough, but then again so are you." Kazuto happily pinched her cheeks. "I can't believe someone as cute as you is beating up people." He cooed in a soft and gentle speaking tone of voice. "I can't believe your the same Yumemi-chan I used to hold as a baby."

"My teacher says I'm good at kicking." Yumeko said while trying to rub the feeling back into her cheeks.

"Trust me, I know."

"Really?" Yumeko had confused written on her face.

Kazuto proudly moved his head up and down. "There was this one time when you and I were alone for a bit. Then out of nowhere you started crying, so I did some stuff to help to stop, but you ended up kicking my finger instead." A slight smile grew on his mouth. "It didn't really hurt, but the fact that you did it, surprised me the most."

"In one word, can you tell me what I was like as a baby?" Yumeko contributed to the conversation.

In one word? Kazuto tapped his chin. "Irresistible." At least she's still a good conversation starter... He thought.

"Was I an easy baby?" She couldn't help but ask.

He patted her head. "You had your good times and your bad times."

"Was Mama mad at me for being sick?" Her young voice had a remorseful ambiance to it.

Kazuto stared and blinked for a moment before speaking and pressed his hand on her lowered head. "She was always worried about you to be mad, but most moms are like that." A small smile appeared on his face once more. "She told me that, the day you left the hospital was the best birthday for her, and holding you without any medical equipment was the only present she wanted."

"She loves me that much?"

He continued to smiled and nod. "Your her one true love aren't you?" He cupped his hands below her jaw.

He stretched his arms. "How was your first term in an actual school? That must have been a big change."

"I got all straight A's for the term..." She passed this quality piece of information.

"Really?" His black eyes widened. The adult shook both of her hands and shook them very fast. "Congratulations."

The pair of red squared bifocals on her round face slipped off her nose and onto her lap.

"Sorry... It's just that your so young." His feelings of exhilaration decreased after inhaling and exhaling.

"You handled it a little better then Papa. He almost fainted and kept looking for a watermark on the paper. Mama stopped him just in time before he grabbed his phone and brag about it to everyone on his contact list."

Kazuto laughed. "He's just proud of you. I would have done the same with Yui. So how you feel?"

"Feel about what?"

He rolled his eyes, giving her right shoulder a light push. "C'me on, your way too smart to play dumb. How do you feel about your awesome grades?"

"I dunno..." Yumeko lowered her head playing her fingers.

"Your mom must be happy."

"She is... She even printed a photocopy of it to keep at work and put the original on the fridge.

I'm going to do the same with Yui's! Kazuto grinned at the thought.

"Your both their pride and joy, alright." He patted her head. "So I guess its safe to guess that I don't have to worry about your schooling like I did before."

"You were worried about me?" She blinked.

"Well...yeah."

"Why?"

"It's hard to explain..." His fingertips held on her chin.

"I guess it's because I love you so much." He faked kissing sounds. "I guess it was because were pretty much and still are...quiet." Even when you were younger. I always wondered what you thinking about all to yourself."

"Why do you love me when we don't have any blood relation?"

Kazuto raised this thin eyebrows and cleared his throat. "What's not to love about you? Your wonderful. Besides we got lucky enough to have you when all of us were in high school. You were a pretty good stress reliever besides playing the game, What made it more exciting was that was that you're the first baby any of us had the pleasure of being with."

Yumeko nodded. "What was I like in the hospital?" Her tone was somewhat hesitant. The girl wanted to know the answer, especially after learning the new information from her aunt and uncle the day before.

He didn't like the question itself, never mind the tone of it. He should have expected this topic to come in play several minutes prior. Without a single visible or spoken warning given to her, Kazuto leaned more forward against the dearly loved child's face, kissing the top of her head and affectionately wrapping his arms around her waist. She was in there for a long time... He closed his eyes for a second.

He knew he had to say something and couldn't ignore the query a moment longer.

The words that escaped from his mouth were, inspiring and tolerate.

He wanted to avoid that question, but also wanted to answer it at the same time for a very long time.

"Yumemi-chan, do you mind if I ask you something?"

She granted him permission.

"Do you remember last year when I saved you after you fell from that tree?"

She nodded looking a little guilty. "I thought my ribbon was caught that branch."

Kazuto sighed. "You said something about your friend telling you that shouldn't have gone up there in the first place." He brushed over her shoulder length hair. "What did you mean by that?" Will she give me a straightforward answer?

Yumeko casted her head down. Her mine shaft grey eyes slightly increased in size. Taking a short breath, she swallowed hard and looked up. "My friend is...what I call my subconscious."

That was an actual direct unequivocal falsification.

Sadly, Kazuto knew very well that his only niece was lying to him and this 'friend' of hers, in reality and only her reality, is a growing and without a doubt plays an active part in her everyday life.

I'm never going to get a straight answer from her about it... He momentarily thought of something to change the room's mood.

"You know what's funny? When I was your age, I started building my own computer, but I never got grades as good as yours." He let out a soft chuckle. "Then in my IQ test in middle school I got a really average score."

"That isn't fair." Yumeko frowned.

Kazuto sighed at her accurate statement.

"It's a tough fact of life." He grumbled somewhat.

"I think your smart." She pecked his cheek.

"That sure means a lot coming from a little genius like yourself." He thanked her and affectionately laid a kindhearted kiss under her right eye.

"You must have a lot of personal interests."

She calmly nodded, going into her and unzipped one of the available pockets and brought out a pair of folded pieces of lined paper.

She passed them onto him.

That can't be all of them? She's just a little kid! I'm sorry I even brought it up. Kazuto nervously laughed. "Did you write this all down randomly?"

Yumeko moved her head left to right and exhaled. "My teacher said to make a list. I guess I went a little overboard."

Kazuto opened them both and held each in one hand.

"That's just the rough copy." She informed him.

His jaw dropped. She said what? This isn't the complete list?! Both pages have two separate columns! Holy shit!

If this was depicted as a chibi, the character would have white eyes with bolde black boarders and a tiny, pink triangle for the mouth. The background would be in dark shade of blue with a teardrop next to the caricature's body.

The student handed him her digital notepad that was put aside her convertible tablet laptop to present the official compilation.

"Why did you got through the trouble of using pen and paper?" He asked curiously.

Yumeko looked at him. "I like the feeling of them, and that was how my parents taught me how to write. It's comforting." She grinned.

Kazuto smiled back. How can someone like her not have any friends? That is what is completely unfair.

Hurried footsteps came near the door and short figure with happy, bright black eyes and matching raven hair brightly smiled in the doorway and ran in between the room's occupants.

"How is your homework, Yumeko-chan?" Yui pressed her lips on the said individual's cheek, forehead and nose with gentle ease and tenderness while the older looking girl sat crossed-legged like the other two people.

Then Yui placed the shorter child in the center of her lap and kindly swayed her cousin on her arms as she cuddled and nuzzled against Yumeko's skin, holding her securely like a blanket, similar to how they were the previous night.

The former AI repeatedly stroked Yumeko's hair, down to her lower back like a furry animal's.

Yui's heart had taken more pleasure as she pecked both of the round cheeks again alongside her nose, forehead repeatedly in the same pattern, for a little longer.

The target was handling the bombardment of warmhearted tenderness well, though her caressed face had shown almost no quantity of a single facial countenance.

Why do people show affection like this? Yumeko telepathically questioned her friend.

That companion of hers apologized for not having an answer available for the curious female.

Yui laid Yumeko's chin on her shoulder as if the six-year-old was a rag doll being put to sleep.

The cheerful black-haired girl placed her hand on the back of the girl's head, thanking how good 'her baby' is to her.

Kazuto simply sat there enjoying the scene happening in front of him.

After a minutes, the taller girl attempted to carry Yumeko to the living room so they could go play a game of checkers like the younger girl had promised.

However, Yui couldn't make it more than halfway, making her slight disappointed.

Not knowing exactly why, Yumeko's invisible confidant told her to give her older cousin a hug and simply thank for the helpful and kind effort even if it didn't work out all the way through.

"King me." Kazuto laughed and gave a smug smile directing at his dearly beloved niece.

Yumeko sighed and looked down at the black and red checker board.

A majority of her red playing pieces were removed from the flat, rectangular portable surface.

The game had reached his conclusion when the adult's black piece's invaded her three checker pieces.

"Yes. I got you." He grinned.

Kazuto had gotten his so-called retaliation for his annihilation from the night before when he was playing in opposition to the precocious first grader in a game of Go.

"That was very well played, Himeko-chan." Her aunt planted her lips on Yumeko's forehead.

"Thank you, Asu-sama." Yumeko smiled.

Yumeko turned to the board game winner. "That was a good game, oji-san."

"Said the loser." He aimed a sly smile.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Papa." Yui sounded defensive and frowned at him.

Yumeko held the other girl's hand and pressed her small lips on Yui's cheek, thinking to was about time she kissed her as Yui has been very caring and loving towards her.

"Oh, you two are so cute together." Asuna said in absolute flawless awe and adoration as she cuddled them both on the sofa, like a mother cat would do with her very own kittens.

"I think we them about the surprise now." Kazuto suggested looking at the time on his cellphone.

"Surprise?" Yumeko wondered.

Asuna nodded wearing a warm smile.

"What is it, Mama?" Her daughter asked.

"You'll find out when we get there." The woman playfully winked at both children, telling them to get dressed.

During the car ride to the couple's desired, preordained destination, an amicable Yui waved her hand outside of the moving car window.

Meanwhile, her other hand was petting Yumeko's face, as the quiet six-year-old's body was leaning against the other girl's shoulder.

Yumeko's eyes glanced to her right side.

The image of her intangible friend was sitting next to her, giving her a calm and gentle smile.

She knew that the entity could only seen by no one else but the schoolgirl.

She also knew that this friend of her wanted to hold her hand the same way the independent being has soundlessly observed for many years.

The vehicle had a sudden halt.

The current surrounding area appeared to be an area where unequal types of road transportation machines were left impermanently left some feet from the front entrance way of a gigantic recreational facility.

Yumeko got out of the car. The earth must still be mourning it's loss.

"What is this place, Mama?"

"This is the shopping mall Yui-chan." Asuna held onto her hand. "It's a place where people come to buy lots of fancy things. It's also very big and very busy so keep close to us at all times."

Kazuto held on Yumeko's hand tight as he was thinking about the scary time the then engaged couple had lost their niece a year prior.

Asuna couldn't help but remember the time the same girl had ran off into the amusement park grounds that same year.

Yui giggled as the electronic eye on the sliding down opened and closed.

Yui's eyes became wider with amazement and happily grinned. "It's huge." She hushly exclaimed.

Asuna gave a lighthearted chuckle. "I told you it was." She gently rubbed her daughter's head.

"Mikado-san's father's company did a great job. Don't you think, Kirito-kun?" Her hazel eyes turned to her spouse.

"Impressive for something that took less then a year to get done." Kazuto looked around from his standing position. "His dad even paid him a good amount so he could go apartment hunting."

"Rika's even going with him. Poor guy has no clue what he's getting himself into." Asuna said with a smothered laugh.

"Funny how modest he sounded on the phone like she had enough pride for the both of them." Kazuto laughed.

"She has a right to take pride in whatever she does. She's a very hard worker." His wife said in her close friend's defense, probably thinking about Rika's struggle to get her blacksmith shop in their days of the Old Aincrad.

"I wonder what kind of place their going to get. Riri-sama likes lots of nice things." Yumeko added.

"Who is this your Mikado-san your talking about?" Yui expressed her confusion on the subject matter.

"Don't you remember Yui? Mikado is Rika's boyfriend." Kazuto answered her question.

"Oh, I guess I just...forgot." The former AI thought aloud. She was still adjusting to not having the very large memory capacity the ALO system had allowed her.

Yumeko held on her hand. "It's natural for a human to forget something."

Asuna nodded in agreement. "Himeko-chan is right. Forgetting things is a part of everyday life, but so is cherishing those feelings that help make them true memories."

"Do you think you could remember that, Yui?" Kazuto smiled at her.

"I think I can." A cheerful smile grew on her young face.

The four had decided to dine for lunch at one of the less busy restaurants.

Since Yumeko had inadvertently bitten her tongue the previous night she was temporarily restricted to certain foods and waited for the ramen with egg she ordered to cool down.

Kazuto was enjoying his Teriyaki chicken burger.

Meanwhile Asuna had a sushi roll rice salad.

Yui wanted the same meal as her mother.

For dessert, the quadruplicate group of people each had a slice of chocolate covered strawberry cream pie with a light and fluffy whipped cream topping.

When Yumeko was finished eating the baked sweet dish, Yui politely wiped her mouth with a napkin and pecked her cheek, prompting the six-year-old to give her a kiss back.

Yumeko reached for something in her summer cardigan pocket.

"What are you doing, Himeko-chan?" Asuna asked.

"Getting my wallet." She innocently answered.

The middle school teacher raised her eyebrows. "Your wallet? Why?"

"To pay for my part." The girl added.

Her aunt rubbed her very dark gray hair. "You don't have to do that."

"Hold on Asuna, let's see where this goes." Kazuto joined in.

The adult female sharply glared at him. "Kirito-kun, a child should not have to pay for her food when she has two working adults with her."

Kazuto fastly blinked and turned his attention to his niece. "S-so where did you get all that money, Yumemi?"

"It's my allowance."

His eyes widened. "Your parents give you all that at once?"

She moved her head left and right. "They don't really have the time to take me so I save most of it." She clarified for him.

The couple exchange briefly glances.

"I see." Kazuto took out his wallet.

"That's very good of you to take care of your money this early." Her aunt praised.

"I don't always save it, sometimes I go to the store and buy things."

"You go there all by yourself?" The woman asked.

"It's next to the building so I don't take very long. I always have my parents video chatting with him when I go in. Plus we don't live very high up."

Kazuto blinked. She's...independent. No wonder onee-sensei feels guilty...

"Are you saving up for something special?" Asuna continued.

Yumeko nodded.

"What?" Kazuto sounded interested.

"A fountain pen." Yumeko replied.

Asuna looked impressed. "I see. Just the pen?"

"And an notebook and an ink pot." Yumeko gave a mousy smile.

"How long ago did you find this pen?" Kazuto questioned.

"It's been a couple of months. Mama and I came here on opening day to do some window shopping. I saw it in a store."

"You already have a digital notepad, a cellphone and a laptop. Why do you want those things?" He asked nicely.

Yumeko turned to him. "Mama mentioned how much she likes using those things...so I wanted one."

"Do you know what you want them for?" Yui asked.

"I was thinking maybe for school."

"Nerd."

The three females heard the lone male smirk.

"Let's go get them." Yui chirped like a songbird on a spring morning and got off her seat.

When asked about her loneliness from a curious Yui, Yumeko clarified that she was alright as her staying home alone was not on a day-to-day basis and that her parents always video call her whenever she informs that she is going to the store or cooking. Also, that is always dropped off and picked up during school days and her martial arts practice days.

She also said being alone for a couple of hour is a good time to direct her attention on concentrating homework or relaxing. Some days, the family of three would go out whenever the child would come home with her wonderful marks during that period of five successive school days, while during the weekends they would stay up longer than and take part in some volume of joie de vivre.

Asuna asked the girl if her parents still do that bedtime routine where Rinko would read and play that song on her ocarina, meanwhile Klein would brush her hair followed by snuggling against him.

The minor exhaled saying that no longer do that upon her personal request when she was growing consciousness about being attached and vulnerable on the fixed nightly pattern.

Kazuto told her that it was absolutely natural to depend on her parents as they both unconditionally care for her and will never stop doing so no matter what and regardless how old the elementary school student will continue to get in the near and definitely in the more farther future.

In the duration of the entire conversation, Yumeko had made no hint of her remarkable however untouchable friend that keeps her company wherever she is, whenever the time of day or night.

After being greeted by the store keeper, Yumeko nearly rushed to the shelf where she had seen that very precise fountain pen several weeks in the past.

When she couldn't seem to find the exact one, her smile was slowly disintegrating, a faint whimper managed to slip through her vocal chords.

Her soi-distant, 'sensational' yet unable to be seen friend, though only via clairvoyance, comforted her by saying she shouldn't give up so easily, and she will indeed find what she was searching for.

Yumeko's very dark eyes scanned the shelf repeatedly another three times.

That was when she spotted it.

The nostalgia of seeing it again even in the same casing brought much pleasure.

She used her thoughts to thank her special friend.

The girl held on the writing device in her hand, opening and closing her palm.

Pop. The red cap separated from the utensil's main body.

A silver coloured, fine point nib revealed itself.

She lightly smiling sliding her index finger on the nib's tipping material, slit, shoulder, tines and the breather hole. The notably effort done on the stunning engraving nearly took her breath away. This feels so nice. She took a deep breath.

She really likes that pen... Kazuto observed. what is she going to use it for?

Yumeko then bought red leather bounded and black ink pot matching with the red pen.

The purchase was made at last, although the buyer concealed her without a doubt, intense level of eagerness and enjoyment deep inside her heart, like everything else on a daily basis.

She didn't really have a reason for bottling personal feelings, it was just something she had grown used to, and it opposed by her friend's advice, ignoring the suggestion of using telethesia or verbal words when she's alone at home.

"Are you a little happier, Himeko-chan?" Asuna offered to carry the plastic bag.

Yumeko simply nodded and accepted the idea.

"Kirito-kun, you know we need to get something else, remember?" His wife winked.

"Can't we not bring this up right now?" He whispered.

"We've been talking about it for two days, and we're already here, so why not get them now?" His spouse counter-argued.

He gave in the demand. "Your the one that's gonna to tell her, but not now."

Agreeing to the reasonable condition, the woman gave him a sideways hug, making him blush.

The group of four departed ways as Kazuto went into an electronic store while the remaining three females made a quick run at one of the department stores.

When the children asked why that occurred, the couple merely said it wasn't going to be important until the nearing conclusion of the summer season.

Yui left the topic alone as she was dotingly brushing her hand over the younger girl's face while her head was resting on Yui's shoulder.

When they had returned to the living residence, they all took part in a game where players must make a vertical, parallel or crosswise line using four pieces of two different colours, on a perpendicular game board that had seven empty pillars and six rows.

Yumeko was left alone, taking a nap.

Kazuto carefully tiptoed over to the relaxed, curled up body being cozily snugged under the quilt.

"You've been sleeping for a while." He patted her back.

Yumeko yawned and stretched out her legs and arms. "How long was I out for?" She rubbed her eyes.

"An hour." He replied. "Klein called and they'll be here to get you in the morning."

"Kirito-kun, that's not fair." Asuna groaned.

"What is it this time?"

"We wanted to wake her up." Yui crossed her arms.

"And how were you going to do that?"

The females sat on the bed, with Yui being on Yumeko's left opposite of Asuna.

The drowsy girl noticed their delighted smiles.

"We'll show you how." Asuna smirked. "Ready Yui-chan?" She snickered.

Her daughter eagerly nodded.

Her aunt gently wrapped her arms around the hugge's shoulder while her cousin placed hers around Yumeko's mid-torso.

Both affectionately cuddle against the somnolent figure in the center.

"How was that supposed to wake her?" Kazuto interrupted.

His martial partner shushed him. "This is only the first part. She was supposed to be asleep for this, but thanks to you, she isn't."

"Now, it's time for the last part." Yui tittered.

The mother and daughter couple pressed their lips against the round face of the blushing child sitting in between.

Yumeko her cuddled body being rhythmical moved side-to-side.

Tender, consecutive kisses all around her face.

"I love my baby so much." Yui squealed happily.

The smothering action covered every inch of Yumeko's face, including the nose and eyes.

Asuna resumed her previous spread of warmth and tenderness by snuggling against both children like how she did earlier.

She really is what her true name means. Kazuto admired his niece true name a little more.

When things settled down, the sky opened and unveiled a curtain for a full moon lit nightfall.

Yumeko closed her eyes, knowing that she going to be snatched in the spiraling cycle of solitude, even with an entity secret to the sight and hearing of the others that surround her.

Thank you for reading this chapter. Leave a review if you want!