Disclaimer: Don't own Sword Art Online (I or II), or any of it's characters.

Rating: T

Continuing on, this time following up on a little detail

RL

January 18th, 2031

Early morning

"Mmh."

"You okay, Yui?" Kazuto asked, even as she rubbed at her eyes again.

She took a moment, slowly holding a speck in her hands afterward, slightly worried. "I think so, daddy" Yui breathed, tilting her head, "but I'm confused: why is there always this hard stuff in our eyes, after we sleep?"

Making a sound, he leaned forward, getting her attention. "Well when we're sleeping, little particles of dust slowly fall down into our closed eyes" he explained. "Those become the little specks - they don't harm us though, not unless we rub them into our eyes the wrong way."

That relieved his daughter, getting a smile out of her even as she slowly threw the speck away- Kazuto had a vague thought that maybe she didn't know about 'flicking', before she also yawned, the second time that morning. The sight made him chuckle a little, feeling the same, but managing not to do so- "Still waking up, are we?" he teased.

Yui pouted at this; truly, she looked like Asuna when doing so, with that (and her yawning) being cute.

He kept up the teasing look for a moment, then drew back. "But seriously, yawning is a reflex of the brain" he told her, that making Yui curious again. "It does so when the body doesn't get enough oxygen - the best way to stop yourself from yawning over and over is to take several deep breaths."

"Oh" she breathed, thinking a bit. "In a row, right daddy? Not just over a small space of time?"

"Yup."

"Hmm."

Chuckling a bit, Kazuto slowly stood up as she did just that, watching for a time before he went over into the kitchen. Asuna stood there as usual, cooking their breakfast this morning - just a shame she couldn't pack lunches for them at the same time, so they had to make do with other food at work; still fairly good, but obviously not up to Asuna's level a lot of the time.

She gave him a little smile as he approached, "Yui's doing well, I see" she told him gently, even as he leaned against the counter nearby. "Does she feel any different about sleep at all?"

"Not really" he breathed, considering, "She considers it necessary of course, and she's adapted, but she still feels like it's a loss of time."

Asuna hummed a little. "Still, good thing she's still got the mind of an AI" she continued, looking at him then, "While her brain sleeps, that mechanical part continues processing data, ideas, and so forth, just like she considered pizza recently. And it works fast-"

"-as always" he finished for her, slightly teasing; she merely giggled, same as he chuckled.

After that though, he came closer to Asuna, holding her around the waist with one hand- she moved underneath the touch, glancing at him, cheeks slightly pink. Kazuto was pretty sure that look both meant she liked it, and didn't mind, but was also still aware that she was cooking; kinda had to careful there - but despite that, that made it prime opportunity to tease her anyway, as sometimes she'd pull away from him, which could be fine in brief bursts hehe. Still, with his free hand, he moved around her ear just a bit, to her surprise and his little smile. Still, there was a bit of an odd look in her expression, which he could get behind; this wasn't exactly something many people did in their teases, and wasn't normal for him either.

"Oh" Asuna breathed, moving again when his fingers started rubbing behind her ear. "Honestly, you're doing that?"

"Yeah" Kazuto breathed, having a little smile. "But don't worry; I'm not gonna make a comment about this" he continued, moving closer, breathing against her ear once.

She shivered slightly, but breathed out. "Well, glad to hear that" she said back, attention briefly focused on cooking again-

He grinned slightly.

-"honestly, saying something like th-AHAHAAHA!"

The volume of her squeaking yell caught even him by surprise, and he backed up quickly, even as Asuna turned toward him- her face was red, and one hand over her ear. "Kazuto!" she yelled, half in shock and half infuriated, before her instinct was to throw something at him... luckily for all involved, said thing just turned out to be a spoon, which stung a little but also hit too low for comfort (despite his attempts to move), clanging against the floor after that. "I can't believe you just did that!"

Some part of him thought that she could, but this was the heat of the moment, so all bets were off now.

"Come on, Asuna, it was-"

One way or another, he ended up running anyway... ehehe.

/

Later

"Mommy, daddy, you're sure you're okay?" she'd asked, still worried - whatever had happened at breakfast was still fresh on her mind, as it had been really sudden.

Daddy slowly held a hand behind his head, while mommy had her arms crossed, but her expression wasn't too severe as she glanced away. "No, it's not anything truly serious, Yui" he breathed, glancing at mommy, but with a slight smile. "I just teased mommy, and I stepped over a line, so she's mad at me. She'll get over it-"

"But I will not make it easy for you, Kazuto" mommy added, daddy gulping a little- privately however, mommy winked at her, which Yui felt relieved at. "And anyway, Agil's on his way, though it's still uncertain if Klein will be with him."

She nodded, excited a bit. "I'll be prepared" she said easily, glad that their work schedules had allowed this - she just hoped Agil (and maybe Klein) didn't go to too much trouble, even if it was her request to try a few flavors of soda from Agil's bar.

Yui made a sound, wondering- not on what daddy had done to mommy as a tease, but whether or not she really wanted to know. Mmm... no, probably not hehe; clearly it had been a type of behavior that only two people truly in love could do.

"For all the times daddy may go over the line, he does love mommy, just as he loves me" she thought, nodding to herself, smiling big.

A distinct thrum came up their driveway...

She brightened, quickly going over to the front window, leaning up on the tips of her toes to see! There was only one car, but two people got out, which she recognized right away hehe- quickly, she went over to the front door and unlocked it, but waiting till they got close before she opened it. Still, it was getting easier to move every week; just need to keep building those muscles. Yui only had to wait about a minute before they appeared in the door's windows, so she pulled it open, waving with her other hand afterward - "I'm so glad you both could come!"

"Likewise, Yui" Klein answered easily, returning her grin a bit, even as he stamped his feet outside of excess snow (mirrored by Agil). "I got work off today, and I'm sure you're curious; I just want to make sure you get all the right facts. Anything you don't drink, we will, as we only have a single can of various brands with us."

"You don't have to do that, Klein."

"We want to" he continued, sincere.

Yui looked up at Agil, who nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, Yui; it's not that big of a deal" the big guy assured, both of them stepping inside while she closed the door. "Though unlike Klein, I can only stay a few hours at most, then I have to get back and help my wife out."

"Oh" she breathed, before giggling. "Well that's still fine. Even if I don't take more than sips of these sodas you've brought, we can still talk a bunch."

Klein nodded, taking off his boots, while also lowering a backpack to the ground. "Knowing you, you're probably gonna take more than sips, because you want the full experience too."

"You got that right!"

"Just as expected" Agil breathed, but soft.

...

A little later, the three of them were seated at the dinner table, she opposite Klein (real first name 'Ryo', though that was a shortened version) and Agil. The latter two had helped bring out and organize each can of soda, lining them up straight before her, all composed of various brand names + designs.

"Well, here you go, Yui" Agil stated, sweeping his hand over them all. "Soda in general. You remember what your parents said before?"

"Mhh-hmm" she breathed, nodding with a smile. "Made of various chemicals, quite complex by the sound of it, making a sugary tasty drink. Good to have, but unhealthy in the long-term."

"Exactly right" the older man approved, before looking beside him. "Klein."

Klein nodded, turning toward her. "Well, you're right about it being complex, Yui" he continued for Agil, pretty gentle, "All drinks can warm up if they're left alone for too long, and soda isn't any different, but there is something that makes it unique from other drinks."

"Oh?" Yui breathed, curious.

"The structure that makes up soda is, well, unstable" Klein answered, surprising her. "By itself, it's fine. But once you open the lid, exposing it to air, soda starts to change really. And over the course of- of-" he paused, then looked at Agil. "What is it, half-an-hour?"

"At worst; an hour at best" Agil answered easily.

"Right" Klein breathed with a nod, looking back at her now. "Once you've opened it, you gotta drink it fast, or soda goes from a bubbly, sugary drink to flavored water really. Not so tasty then."

Oh, so then- it changes because air, or some part of it anyway, causes a reaction in the structure of the soda? Wow he's right, that is really unique hehe! And Klein had said 'bubbly', which means it's gonna make an impression on her taste buds, as apparently it had strong flavors. She couldn't wait to taste them this way, but now she understood why Klein and Agil were okay with drinking what she chose not to; they were best served right from opening, so they didn't want to waste the flavor, which she could easily go with herself if their positions were reversed. "Anything else I should know?" Yui asked curiously

"Well, if you shake them around too much then open them up, they'll spew bubbles over all creation" Klein teased slightly. "So don't shake them vigorously, or else."

Mmh-hmm! But still, that sounded a bit like fun hehe.

"Plus, though this is more serious, they're also bad for the teeth in the long-term-"

Yui squeaked, quickly bringing her fingers up, moving over her mouth a little. "They are!?"

"He said long-term, Yui" Agil quickly assured, though both men were briefly surprised. "And even then, that's only if it's your regular drink. Occasionally drinking this stuff, and it's little different from all kinds of food, though dentists do recommend drinking it through straws - they make less contact with the teeth that way than they would drinking it."

Yui quickly stood up. "Then I am getting a straw for taste-testing!" she stated cheerfully, moving quickly, surprising both men again.

While she was doing just that:

"Wow, she's really taking your advice to heart" Klein breathed, but with a smile. "Then again, it is her first experience. Maybe she'll loosen up after awhile."

Agil shrugged a bit, watching Yui for a bit. "Well maybe" he answered sincerely, "But we must also remember Yui's still building up her muscles, Klein, and bones too. Teeth are probably included in that."

"Good point."

Then in short order, she'd returned with said straw, excited for the taste-testing hehe.

"Wait one second" Klein breathed, rummaging around, before he pulled out his phone with a small grin. "Gotta record this for posterity."

Record? Then- ah, like the various photographs, except this implied it was gonna copy her reactions to a file, then showcase it to everyone when he uploads things. Well, if that meant mommy and daddy could see her react at work, or any of their friends as well, then she was all for it!

"Bring it on!" Yui cheered.

/

Hospital

Several hours later

"What is this first one?" Yui asked.

"Well, they call it Sprite, though I'm sure the name means little to you" came Klein's voice. "But go ahead, Yui; try it."

On the video image, Yui leaned forward a bit, watching with interest as Agil's hands opened it for her - she was surprised when it 'hissed' upon contact with air, quickly trying to get a peek for herself, before she then dipped her straw inside. Barely a second went by as she sucked, the liquid racing upward until- "Mmh!" Yui squeaked, closed-mouthed at the sensation of soda, if only one flavor thus far. "*gulp* Wow, you were right! It is bubbly, but it's also so strong a flavor!" she cheered, before promptly sucking up more without delay- both men laughed with enjoyment.

Watching this, Asuna couldn't help but feel warm and happy, seeing Yui enjoy herself- though, she was a tad jealous that they'd experienced this first-hand, while she had to make do with her phone. Still, this was her second re-watch of the video, so perhaps that had faded by now - she glanced down from the video itself (which remained audible, particularly Yui's excitement), seeing that many of their friends had already seen this and liked it, even commented. Klein had even liked it himself, despite having posted the video, which was a little unnecessary yet no one was really surprised.

"Mmh... oh..."

Looking around, she saw Kazuto stir from his laying-down position, due back for a scheduled break (which she shared at work) - she moved without thinking. "Kazuto, you have to see this" she said intently, moving the video back to the start.

Still adjusting, he was slow to take her meaning, or why, but his focus soon went to her playing phone. By the time it got to Yui's first taste-testing, he'd become fully awake, and their daughter's cheerful happiness at tasting soda rang through the room again... "Well, what do you think?" Asuna asked.

Kazuto stared at her phone's screen a moment longer, then took it from her hands. "Wow, that is just unbearably cute" he stated, intent but grinning big. "Seriously, where's a continuous-replay button when you need it!?"

She was surprised for two seconds, but soon laughed, agreeing with him. "I know what you mean" she breathed, quickly sitting down, "I want to watch this all day long."

"More than that, I want to be home right now" he continued, still on his reaction-streak; he was smiling a little big. "Or rather, I want to be there when this was first going on, but that's not possible right now."

Asuna just felt warm, both agreeing and enjoying Kazuto's state; despite himself, he still tended to play it cool during most things, so this was a rare(ish) pleasure to watch. "It's only one moment out of many; there'll be others" she assured him, nudging his shoulder, to which he chuckled.

"Hope so" he breathed, looking back at the video, moving it back to the first seconds again. "Seriously, isn't that cute?"

"Okay, okay, you've made your point" Asuna breathed mildly, snatching her phone, but smirking at his attempt to snatch it back. "Don't go overboard about this, Kazuto."

He briefly made a face, before just grinning a bit, eyes closed- the classic "Okay, whatever you say" look.

She nodded, proud at having won that little 'argument', before she realized this and crossed her arms-

-Kazuto, while a few seconds behind on noticing, slowly looked at her confused when he did.

Slowly, Asuna sighed. "I'm supposed to be mad at you, because of this morning" she breathed to him, he blinking, "But now, after seeing Yui's happiness like this, and your rare open-reaction, it's really hard to stay that way."

He didn't reply for a few seconds, before he reached forward, taking her hand with both of his- she glanced at this, then he smiled a little. One of those sweet, soft, almost little-kid smiles that he managed to pull off so well, and which never failed to make her feel warmer. "Even if you are still mad, that'll still be okay, Asuna" he breathed sincerely, moving his fingers against hers (which she returned). "I did cross a line after all."

She shifted, but didn't reply.

Kazuto looked at their hands then. "Still, I know it'll take more than little incidents like that to put a dent in our love."

"I've known that for a long time" she whispered to him, but couldn't resist a smile. "You don't have to repeat it."

"Even still" he breathed, before kissing her fingers; Asuna blushed.

/

Around the same time

Yui looked up at Agil, who was still taller than any one of their friends, including mommy and daddy. "I hope we can talk more next time" she said easily, "Hope you and your wife do well, in all things."

His smile was warm, pulling on his coat and other things. "She'll appreciate that, Yui; thank you."

She nodded, before turning. "I'm sure Klein feels the same way too" she added, a little cheerful.

Klein slowly chuckled. "Well of course I do, even if I don't always say stuff like that" he said, "I mean, we're good friends; of course we want each other to do well."

"It's still nice to hear though" Agil answered, pulling on a winter hat finally. "I should get going now though, for if I linger too long, I'll be tempted to stay- my wife would understand, but she's still expecting me."

"Then go on, man" Klein answered easily. "It's cool."

"Will do, but I'll see you both later; count on that."

Yui giggled, nodding and waving goodbye even as Klein did the thumbs-up gesture, watching Agil go. "It would have been nice if Agil could say long- ah- achoo!" she started to say, before her body had other ideas. "Mmh..."

Klein, while surprised and having an instinctive reaction (he was in her path, but sidestepped in time), looked at her a little sheepishly. "Well that was close, but I feel for you, Yui" he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Thanks, Klein, but it's still gross" Yui breathed- better go wash her hands, since she didn't want this stuff to remain on her nose... even as she moved though, Klein slowly followed behind. "I have a feeling the body uses it for something, but I'm not sure what that could be."

"For a lot of things, Yui."

She made a sound, looking at Klein, who'd slowly followed her over. "Like what?" she asked, feeling curious, water running over her fingers.

Klein glanced upward, seeming to think, before looking back down. "Well, there are a lot of them, but the two important ones - that I can think of right this second anyway - are in our breathing, and our stomach" he outlined, leaning against a counter. "Mucus helps make sure our lungs don't 'dry out', thus we can breathe properly all the time. And the stomach: they use powerful acids to digest food, including pizza, as we talked about earlier" Klein continued, she growing more fascinated. "Still, that begs the question: why don't these acids eat through our stomach walls?"

Yui breathed out. "Because... because mucus prevent it?" she asked.

"Bingo, Yui" he cheered, pointing with a forefinger-gesture, but with a smile.

"Then why do we still sneeze?"

"Well, most times I think that's because we have too much of the stuff, and/or too much material stuck in there."

Oh wow - so despite it's grossness, it also does play important functions, especially concerning the stomach! Still, she had quite a few questions left, like why her immune system wasn't fighting this common cold (or even just a regular sneeze) better than last time - and she intended to ask hehe.

Almost a month later, but Yui's followed up on that little curiosity :) And a fair bit of other little things in the process