Disclaimer: Don't own Sword Art Online (I or II), or any of it's characters.
Rating: T
Now, onto the skating aspect, along with a few bits before that
December 4th, 2030
Humming to herself, she turned another page. with this one dedicated to a bird called 'Eagle'.
"Wow" she breathed, interested; they had this fierce look in their eyes in almost all the pictures, no matter what they were doing. They were fierce hunters, but even though they were with their own kind, they often looked lonely... or was that just their posture, to make them look that way?
She wasn't sure.
Still, she spent about a minute on their page, before turning it - this time, the title was 'Owls', a type of bird built differently than eagles. The most interesting parts to her were the thick quality of their feathers, and the size of their eyes. When glaring, it made them looking a little scary, but otherwise they always looked watchful. Wow! Was it really true that they could turn their heads all the way around!? That she-!
Knock knock.
She jolted, looking up; were mommy and daddy home already? Instinctively, she tried to access the time-
Making a little sound, she shook her head a little, leaning over to see it for herself: 2:53 PM, though she still didn't know what 'PM' stood for.
Still, she breathed out; that couldn't be them, as they didn't get out of work for about two more hours-
Knock knock.
"Hello! Anyone in there!"
She gasped, recognizing that voice as she jumped up with a smile - as quickly as she could, she ran to the door. "Coming!" she called out brightly, working the lock, before she pulled on the knob - the door itself was heavy wood, and her muscles still strained, but less than a week ago. "Liz!" she greeted eagerly. "So great to see you again."
The bigger woman just chuckled, grinning. "Of course it is" she said, before looking off to her left. "Come on, Silica!"
"I'm coming! Ah! No wait, little guy!"
The excitement she felt at Silica also being here gave way to surprise; little guy?
"Arf!"
"Oh" she breathed at the same time, quickly looking down.
When Silica said 'little guy', she was right; the creature before her was barely as big as their feet, four legs with brown fur covering most of it's body, big ears for it's head and a wagging tail. Said little guy continued to pant (but seemingly not being out of breath) as it ran around Liz's feet, and generally showing a lot of excitement - even after Liz picked him up.
"Oh, I'm so sorry" Silica breathed, having run up, taking the little guy from Liz's arms (neither seemed to mind). "It's true; you can't take your eyes off them for one second!"
All this and more she processed in the span of seconds, but only one fact remained after it sunk in...
"Oh my gosh, he's SO cute!" she squealed. "What is he!?"
It didn't immediately register in her excitement, but they were all momentarily surprised at that - at least, before they gave each other little looks. "His species is a dog, Yui" Silica said gently. "What particular breed, I don't know yet."
"And when they're this young, they're called puppies" Liz added.
"Can I hold him?" she asked, really excited; even had her arms out already.
Before either of them started to answer, the puppy had other ideas, jumping out of Silica's arms right into hers. Surprised (all of them), she jolted as the puppy landed there, wagging his tail and doing that rapid-breathing motion - she quickly noticed they way he was looking at her; with big eyes, and oh so cute she couldn't tell you!
"He's giving her the puppy-dog eyes look" Liz said knowingly, even as Silica giggled a little.
"The what?" she asked curiously, before the puppy started licking her face ("Ah! Ahaha! Stop! That tickles!").
The two women let this go on for about three seconds, before Silica gently took the puppy from her hands. "The adorable look that all puppies seem to have constantly" she added softly, even as she held onto the little guy close. "Even the adults can have them, when they try - and sometimes, it's not limited to puppies."
"I can see why they call it so" she said, giggling herself. "You could lose yourself in them!"
The little puppy just continued to wag his tail excitedly, panting in that way he did - oh, was he a he? She couldn't tell so easily, she realized.
Hours later
"We're home" he called out mildly.
He barely finished before an adorable bundle gave him a big hug, complete with smile, which he returned with a little chuckle (as he did the hug, playfully ruffling her hair). "Sometimes you're far away, and other times you're feet away the moment we come in" he added, getting down with a little playful look. "Maybe you're trying to confuse us."
Yui just giggled happily. "No, it's just different every day, daddy" she breathed, finishing the smoothing of her hair.
"What is?" Asuna breathed behind him; having just walked in thanks to taking care of something.
"When, where and how fast she finds us once we get home" he said playfully; Yui just stuck her tongue out briefly.
Asuna just smiled, putting her things away (as did he after a moment). "Well, I still hope you weren't waiting too long, Yui" she said softly. "I know you've been looking forward to skating today."
"I have, but it wasn't a problem" she said cheerfully. "Silica and Liz made sure of that!"
Surprised, they glanced at each other. "How so?"
"They were in the neighborhood-" she continued, gently pulling them both along (toward the kitchen, as they'd promised on dinner + half-hour-wait before skating, which their looks mimicked). "-having picked up this stray puppy. Then they both had the thought that I might like to meet him, before they decided what they were gonna do with him. *giggle* He was so cute!"
He smiled. "Boy do I know that feeling" he thought softly to himself, even as he sat down. "So, what are they gonna do with him?" he asked, even as he distinctly heard/smelled what Asuna was doing in the kitchen very nearby. "Take him to an animal shelter?"
The little girl shook her head a little. "I don't know yet" she admitted, but soft. "I told them that I hope one of them could keep him, even if that's a little more complicated than it sounds, but whatever they decide, I hope that puppy finds the right owner. And that he's happy with them."
"That's a great way of thinking, Yui."
Yui just smiled at Asuna's words, as did he, while his ears registered a sort-of sizzling - mmh, couldn't wait. "And even if they don't keep him, nothing says you couldn't have one as a pet one day" he added.
"I could!?"
"You could" he continued gently, before sheepishly rubbing his head. "But it's a lot of responsibility, and a big commitment - which takes time to prepare for, and we'd all have to agree."
He saw that register, but it didn't diminish the sparkle in her eyes at the thought. "Maybe, one day then" she breathed softly. "Whether it's a puppy, or another pet, just maybe - but it's too soon" she continued, looking between him and Asuna. "I mean, all three of us are still adjusting to right now, I know that."
In answer, he merely touched his hand to hers, to her little gasp - but it was soon followed by a big smile, and a little blush. In the background, he was quite sure Asuna was struggling to hold back happy tears, even as she worked, but it was still with a soft smile.
He let the moment linger for a moment, then removed his hand. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, dinner is still gonna take a few minutes" he breathed, glancing at Asuna (who promptly nodded), then he smiled as he dug around. "In which case, there's time for a little mini-lesson."
Surprised, she was nonetheless curious. "What about?"
"Well, to be frank, money" he breathed, laying out a bunch of coins, along with one bill set off to the side. "I realize how well you can count, but if you don't even know what the amounts are or what they look like-"
"I won't get far" she finished for him, but assured, sitting closer as she looked over the coins with interest (no pun intended).
He had a slight smile, before he brushed a hand over the various bits. "Well, basically, the currency in Japan here is Yen" he said. "Divided into two forms; the various coins here, and other forms of that paper bill over there."
"Ohh."
"Coins start at the bottom-" he continued, before pointing them out. "-starting with a 1 Yen piece (the smallest of the silver ones), a 5 Yen (faded gold with a hole in the middle), 10 Yen (bronze colored), 50 Yen (silver with a hole in it), 100 Yen (second biggest silver one), and 500 Yen (the biggest one). I'm pretty sure the rest is easy to work out."
"Mmm-hmm" she breathed, slowly taking the 100 piece and looking at it closely. "But daddy, how much do these compare to the, uh, the 'bill'?"
Smiling a bit, he reached over and held the bill near her. "Well, two 500 pieces equal this" he said easily. "But this is only the smallest of the paper bills, at least right now."
She glanced up at him, curious.
He chuckled sheepishly. "The paper notes start at one thousand Yen" he breathed. "Then they move onto five thousand and ten thousand, though there are still two thousand ones floating around, but they're rarer."
"That sounds like a lot" she said, soft even as she considered the 100 piece again. "At least, compared to the cost of living, I think."
"It'll take more time than this to figure that out, but you'll get it" he assured her, before gently taking the 100 piece from her. "But there's something else you can do with these coins in the meantime."
"Huh?"
He smirked a little, the coin upright between his two opposite-side forefingers - then he promptly pulled them in opposite directions at high speed.
Yui gasped in surprise as the coin started spinning rapidly on the table, this motion giving it an audible 'grating' sort of sound - she continued to watch as it moved around slightly from the momentum, still spinning rapidly. Then overtime, the very top started to wobble as it spun, creating a 'disk' area that was growing bigger and bigger, where eventually gravity was beginning to win.
Yui then gasped again, but with excitement. "That's so cool!" she said happily. "Using momentum to counteract gravity!"
He merely chuckled at her excitement, even as she continued to watch the coin, who's spinning was getting closer and closer to hitting it's flat surface now. The 'grating' sound only got louder as it began to hit flat-side-up, before gravity won out and it stopped completely, flat against the table.
Yui just giggled, taking the coin back; he merely smiled.
"Okay, that's enough playing for the moment, you two" Asuna announced softly, holding two steaming meals, which she set down for them (hers was already set). "Time to dig in."
"Alright!" they announced in unison; Asuna was quick to join in the laugh that followed.
"Also, Yui, I finally remembered to refill the salt and pepper shakers-"
Yui giggled. "Now I can have that touch of spicy again" she said, quite happy.
Asuna gave him a glance, one that quite clearly said 'Definitely has your taste buds' - which he saw nothing wrong with hehe.
/
Afterward
"Even up close, it's still so pretty" Yui breathed beside her, holding her hand, which she squeezed.
"You walking alright in the skates?" she asked.
"Well, it's hard to get used to, because there's so little to stand on" she breathed, before smiling. "But I'm getting it."
She nodded, then they both watched as Kazuto walked forward, wearing his normal winter boots. "Now then, as a gentlemen, it's my job to make sure this lake is safe for you ladies" he said in a playful tone, giving a (completely overdone) bow with a grin. It made her blush with embarrassment and irritation, but he merely delighted in her reaction; "And, off I go" he announced cheerfully, before jumping off the 'land' part of the snow onto the ice; the ice creaked visibly from impact as it should, but nothing furthered resulted, to his little hum.
Yui slowly giggled. "Ah daddy, so brave and playful" she teased.
"Sometimes recklessly so" she thought, but it was with her own style of playful.
"Now, for Yui's benefit, I should demonstrate what it's like to walk on ice, before you attempt the harder skating" he added, chuckling. "So watch closely-"
It made her smile when Yui did so, almost single-mindedly; she'd really been looking forward to this.
There was a moment where Kazuto did the same, but he soon started moving, really picking up speed on his boots before he simply stopped - resulting in his sliding at a fast rate. "As you can see, there's very little traction, so watch out for that" he called blithely as he continued to slide, before finally stopping about a quarter of the way across the lake. "But of course, there is a way to stop yourself sooner!" he called over, much louder because of distance before repeating the process. The exception was that this time, just before he would slide right past them and into the snow, he banked his feet against the ice, carving it up loudly (Yui jolted against her) as he forcibly stopped himself at ten feet.
He merely chuckled. "This can also be done with skates, of course" he said easily. "It's a little tricky, but it's possible."
"Oh" Yui breathed, before giggling. "I can't wait to try."
"Of course, Yui" she said gently, carefully stepping out onto the ice herself first, before holding her hand (which Yui took). "Now, take that first step" she continued, even as Kazuto came closer. "It's slippery, but we're right here."
Yui's smile was reassured, but it was tentatively when she tapped the ice with her skate several times - still, she put the blade onto the ice, only to make a little sound when it slide even from that small motion. Then she tried again several times, slowly getting that more force would help keep her in place; soon she had one foot on the ice, before carefully bringing the other one over-
"Wah! Oh, ah!" she breathed, dangerously tipping, but barely managing to still herself at the last second (helped a bit by Kazuto). "Ah... it's so easy to fall" she breathed, a little worried.
She smiled. "It'll be okay though" she assured. "Balance is key, at all times - once you get the hang of that though, and start moving, it gets easier."
"And I'm right here for you" Kazuto said, ruffling her head for the second time that day, making Yui giggle with playfulness. "Mommy needs to demonstrate the movements first, of course."
She nodded, and once Yui's eyes were on her, she walked a short distance to the left. "Well, in addition to balance, your body motions are important too" she said. "If you lean backward, you're more likely to fall, for example. If you're leaning forward while moving, it makes you go a little faster."
"So, leaning makes you turn?"
"In addition to the right skate movements" she confirmed, before starting to move. "Like this."
It had been awhile, but she could feel it coming back to her; and she didn't need to do anything fancy anyway. Moving around, she spent quite a bit of time simply skating along, knowing that Yui was watching the movements, especially regarding her legs (the driving force of skating). Mostly forward, but some left and right, in addition to some braking with her skates. It was pretty simple in theory and practice, but it was important nonetheless. However, when she found herself at a stop, she was surprised; Yui was already moving out on the ice, Kazuto leading her by the hand.
It made her smile though; she was so excited to try this soon. She soon began to skate back over.
"That's it, just keep moving" he said gently, keeping up on foot.
"It's just like with the coins" she said, giggling. "Momentum cancels out gravity a little, and manipulating it is the way to go!"
He chuckled back. "That's a little more advanced than most people see it, but you're still right" he said, glancing at her as she skidded to a halt beside them. "And it comes in handy for a lot of things, like riding bikes."
"Hmm?" Yui breathed, curiously confused.
"You'll learn about that later" she said, taking Yui's other hand. "And even ride one if you wish, though in the spring - snow and ice make it harder to ride, especially when you're just learning."
She accepted that after a moment, then started pulling her along. "Okay, but until then, let's do this!" she said cheerfully, before letting go of her hand and trying out skating on her own. "Like this, right?" she called, looking back for a moment, but keeping most of her attention on her footwork.
"Yes, that's just like it!" she called, even as Kazuto ran ahead of her, just laughing to himself as they made it into a race.
"I'm doing it! I'm doing it, mommy, daddy! I'm- wah!"
In the process of turning to look back at them, she'd spun a little too fast, and lost a little control. The end result had her flailing backward-
"Whoa there!" Kazuto breathed, catching her about a foot from the ground, where Yui spent a few seconds trying to find her footing again. "It's okay, Yui; I got ya" he said soothingly, propping her back up; she was there quickly herself.
"I-I guess I went a little overboard" the little girl said, sheepish, and a little embarrassed. "Sorry."
She and Kazuto shared a look, before she said: "Well, we'll all fallen down at one time or another" she said, hand on her hip, but soft. "It probably won't be the last, but when it comes to your daddy, his reflexes are almost second-to-none."
Even without looking, she knew she got a little 'look' for that, hehe.
"That's right" Yui said, holding onto his arm now. "Thank you for catching me, daddy."
"Anytime" he assured, before gesturing ahead. "Now, shall we try that again, just slower?"
"Mmh-hmm!"
Among other things, Yui just had her first experience in cuteness overload :P Guess it had to happen sometime lol