Disclaimer: Don't own SAO (I or II), or any of the characters.

Rating: T

Still mid-way through winter, but now with a surprise visitor

January 27th, 2031

Home

Yui quickly got inside, closing the door behind her, a little weary but happy - once you started getting the hang of it, skating was a lot of fun! It was best when she could share it with mommy and daddy, even if the latter was content with his boots, but it was still pretty good on it's own. Plus she intended to enjoy this while she could, as obviously it would only be available to her during winter, when it was cold enough for the lake to have frozen over. Once it got to the next season - spring - things would warm up, and then there'd be no more ice to skate on, or snow to shovel for another year. Due to the rising heat, there'd also be no more need for more fires-

She smiled, remembering that first time, mommy and daddy beside her while they drank hot chocolate (delicious!), the warmth from her own body and that of the flames.

Giggling, Yui shook that off, as she still needed to put away her coat and everything-

Ding-dong

Really surprised, she slowed for a moment, thinking who that could be - still, she had been heading back there anyway, so she hurried now. Once she was at the window, Yui leaned up on her tip-toes, wondering if it was one of their friends-

"Oh?" she breathed, really surprised-

-grandma?

It was her, alone at the front door - she seemed 'out of it', gaze set on something internal, but still unconsciously 'set' in expression.

Yui felt strange right then, for many reasons, not sure what was stronger- on one hand, Kyouko was her grandmother and she wanted to like her, along with vice-versa. But of course, her grandmother was a practical, pragmatic woman with strict standards, so she had to tread carefully... and she still wasn't sure how to do that, though mommy's experience helped.

"I've never even seen her smile once" she thought, a little sad. "I wish I could see that, but no matter what, I think it would be difficult to bring out."

Mmh...

Realizing she was lingering, Yui quickly moved away from the window - no matter her feelings, grandma was here, and it must be at least semi-important if she was here alone. Quickly, she went to the front door, unlocking it and opening it, "Hello" she greeted, but not trying to sound surprised.

Grandma was of course 'back into things' by the time she opened the door, though there was a moment where she looked her over, as if confused why she was wearing winterwear while indoors. "Yui" she spoke back, "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

The next minute went by as expected, where they took off their winterwear, Yui properly putting hers away in the closet while Kyouko kept hers on hand. After this, just as she turned around, grandma glanced at her, "I came here to talk to you."

Surprised, Yui didn't know how to reply.

Grandma's gaze slowly moved. "It is not quite in my comfort zone, so forgive me if I take time explaining" she continued, appearing almost reluctant, yet internally determined. "I am not used to such displays."

Displays? Yui thought carefully about what this could mean... grandma wanted to talk to her, but it didn't seem to be important, at least in urgency. If that wasn't the case, then what exactly was the subject about, and why?

...

She soon got her answer after offering grandma a drink of water, sitting opposite each other - but it didn't start right away.

"Quite a simple appeal here."

Yui looked up from her drink, seeing grandma glancing around the house, and realzing that she meant that 'home appeal' aspect. "Yes, it is" she stated softly, "Mommy and daddy prefer it that way, because it appeals to them more than anything else, as it does to me. In particular, mommy enjoys cooking for us, and daddy enjoys his fishing - well, even if he can't do as easily during winter."

Kyouko blinked, as if thrown. "I didn't know that about him" she breathed. "Kazuto never struck me as that sort."

"Well, he does; he likes the simple things" Yui admitted, remembering how sometimes they'd sit on the docks in ALO, just talking together. "I can understand why you wouldn't know that though, as the event lists mostly compromised important battles, not their exact skill levels."

Grandma fingered her glass of water a bit. "Indeed" she stated, a little fainter, "I read through the reports myself when the game was cleared - I didn't stop to think about why they occurred, or how people conducted themselves."

"And so you opposed them being together" Yui breathed, a little sadder, but without reproach.

A moment passed, her grandmother seeming to note that last part before letting out a little sigh. "At first" Kyouko admitted, looking at her. "Those two have since changed my opinion, and I realize that they do love each other, that they wouldn't accept anyone else. I must admit though, I never expected that I'd have a granddaughter this soon, adopted or otherwise, and grown as you are."

Yui sipped at her drink. "They didn't expect it either" she said, but soft, "I was a surprise to Asuna and Kazuto, but that didn't stop them from welcoming me into the family."

A moment, before Kyouko nodded. "Even so" she stated, pulling out her phone then. "That was some time ago, and now you are here, Yui - and I believe you must have questions, regarding the unique status of your body."

Surprised now, Yui glanced at the phone, before back at her. "And- and you're here to talk to me about these questions?" she asked, surprise soon turning to curiosity. "To give me answers?"

"Indeed" her grandmother continued, clicking something without looking. "Shouzou is on standby, so if schematics need be sent over to explain things properly, he can text me."

Yui felt excited then, as finally she could get some answers - knowing how busy her grandparents were, she'd been hesitant to bother them just for her curiosity, but was always on the lookout for more opportunities to talk to them (with appropriate amounts of time involved). Initially she thought it might take another check-up at RECT before that could happen, but today looks to be lucky hehe.

"Well, I guess my biggest question is: what does puberty do?"

Kyouko reacted, not at puberty but at 'do', as if she'd been prepared to answer what it was.

"I know what it is" Yui assured quickly. "It's a process every human goes through, changing them from children to adults. But the broader stuff is still unclear to me, and I want to know what I"d be in for, such as if my mental state would change."

A moment went by. "Well, broader stuff I can handle easily" grandma noted, putting down her phone. "Keep in mind though, that what I'm about to say is in general - your case is unique, so there will be differences."

"Of course."

More time passed, grandma appearing to gather her thoughts, eyes closed for part of that time. "Children are born as blank slates, yet constantly learning" she spoke, fainter. "There is a simplicity to their thought processes, logic included, and emotions generally don't go very far from the basic forms, until puberty."

Yui leaned forward a bit, intent on hearing this.

Grandma glanced at her, but appeared to think nothing. "The change is not instant" she continued, "The mind expands it's thought processes, emotions become much more complex, and our bodies change into that of our adult forms. During this process, many things happen at once, because the body constantly secretes a substance that drives this change - there are numerous side-effects, with common ailments include mood swings and sudden height growth, among other things."

Mood swings? She worried about that, but did think it seemed understandable, if the 'simple' emotions were trying to morph to extremely complex ones, with the process taking time to complete after all. The height growth she'd expected, as she'd seen it a bit with mommy and daddy, having met them as teenagers - as adults now, she'd gone from shoulder-height to (near) elbow-height. Plus she also suspected that involved growth in the chest too, considering mommy and other women sported such a feature, but how much/little seemed to be up to the 'different-for-everyone' variable. Yui briefly wondered if because of her unique status, that since her body had been optimized to appear this way, maybe some thought had been given to when she'd change?

Maybe, but first things first.

"Okay, that's in general" Yui admitted. "What do you think's gonna happen with me, grandma?"

Kyouko glanced at her phone briefly. "Physically, you'll have to go through the same unpredictable changes" she stated, holding it up then. "However, due to your DNA being heavily adjusted from the start, they believe the final result will be be similar to how you are now, excluding in the height and chest departments."

Height was to be expected, but that last one made her feel strange. "I-I think I'll wait to be surprised, about those" she breathed, tapping her fingers under the table.

"As you wish, Yui."

"But what about mental?" she continued. "And emotional?"

Grandma looked at her for such awhile, Yui felt strange, but then something happened... for a moment, a corner of her lip seemed to rise, just the slightest. There was little trace of it in her voice, but still unmistakable: "You already possess the mental aptitude of an adult, expected for an AI, but this means you will not experience any differences in that area" Kyouko mused. "Emotional? It should be interesting."

Still in a small daze over what she'd seen, she was slow(ish) to respond. "Interesting?" Yui breathed.

"Indeed. As you'd expect, your emotions would change over time, be affected by mood swings, become more complex... but that would only apply to your body, your human brain. Your mechanical device though, the memories it contains, and the core emotions contained within those memories- those would be unaffected."

A small rush ran through Yui, her processes starting to run through the implications - everything grandma had said, it implies that they lose the childlike view of the world, the innocence, and this colors how they view their memories + emotions afterward. It was bound to happen to her too, because her body/mind/emotions were all lined up to change, via puberty. But her AI 'brain', the device attached to her body- it was a one-way connection, giving this body everything she was, including after her body had assimilated all that information. This means that... that while she would change into an adult too, as long as that machine was active, she would never lose the view of the world that she enjoyed today...

She would stay who she was, even while changing.

It was like a weight lifted off her shoulders, and she breathed out, just so happy! Of course she wouldn't mind growing into an older body, but she'd always wanted to stay who she was when that happened, and she could!

"That's great to know" Yui whispered, still like that. "I was so worried my mind might change. You know, permanently so, without being able to look back at things the same way."

A moment passed, Grandma just regarding her with a strange expression, almost as if remembering- something. "Well, it will change regardless Yui, because that is the way of things" she noted, faint again. "But you'll retain your original view of the world in addition to the changed one, for as long as the device functions - given your computational speed and abilities, it seems a good trade-off."

Yui just smiled big, making Kyouko blink. "You may think it's a trade-off grandma" she stated, a little proud, but mostly sincere. "I don't think it will hinder me at all though, as I will enjoy every moment I can with this worldview, while still doing my best."

Several moments passed...

"Well, it was merely my observation" grandma noted, leaning back. "But regardless of how you view it, I approve of doing your best; I expect nothing else."

"Of course."

...

Later

Asuna made a sound, seeing that they were almost home. "Let's see" she breathed, smiling a little, "Any ideas on what I should cook tonight?"

"Well, I'm partial to anything you make."

She glared at Kazuto a little, who's little smile was unrepentant; he did that sometimes to tease her. She knew he really did mean it - he liked most anything she cooked - but the least he could do was pick something, and her look was saying so.

"Okay, okay" he breathed after several moments, letting her win this time despite his previous smile, glancing up. "Well... hmm... I think I might be partial to cinnamon rolls today" Kazuto continued, before getting a little strange expression. "But that's hardly worthy of dinner, more of a dessert."

"True" she mused, before humming. "That's a good food for Yui to try though, as I haven't made any since shortly before she came to the real world - if we are gonna have her try it, we should give her an expected course, so she isn't tasting too much newness at once."

Kazuto mimicked her hum. "Sounds good, as even 'expected' courses are all good" he breathed, slightly teasing, to which her cheeks briefly turned pink. "I guess the question is..."

Eyebrows furrowed, Asuna glanced sideways, wondering why he'd stopped. "Kazuto?"

He pointed in front of them, and she looked... but what- wait, was that a car parked in their driveway?

She hitched a little; that was mom's car.

"What is she doing here?" she wondered- Kazuto's look (that he didn't have a clue) showed she must've said that out loud. She couldn't respond immediately afterward, given that she had to get into their driveway- luckily it was wide enough that she could pass by mom's car, being careful about it. They quickly got out inside the garage in a hurry, only pausing to close the door before they hurried to the front door, pausing just between it. She looked at Kazuto, who slowly nodded, internally steeled just in case - maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but could never tell with mom until her reasons became clear. Carefully, she turned the key into the lock, opening the door-

"Yui?" she called, both of them getting inside. "Why is- Oh."

Mom and Yui were both standing, apparently having been talking before they'd come home - however, mom had her coat buttoned-up and shoes on. Yui looked happier to see them of course, but mom looked to have been expecting them, glancing at Yui with a nod before she came over.

"Don't worry" she told them. "I do not intend to intrude upon your hospitality, and Yui has been most kind already."

"Well, she's always been that way" Kazuto answered, his little smile to Yui (who appreciated it) making his voice lighter. "We certainly encourage Yui to keep it up."

"Yeah" Asuna breathed, finding it easier now too, since the ice had been broken a little; she touched a hand to her heart. "And more than that, keep her hard-working nature, her curiosity, and ability to face things head-on."

Mom glanced at Yui for a bit, who'd come up beside her now. "Whether those qualities were present when she was created, or came later, it does not matter; she has much potential."

Yui held her hands together, giving off a little smile in response.

Then mom looked back, before lightly gripping her shoulders, "I expect you all to develop this potential."

That part didn't surprise her, but Asuna still wondered at the significance of 'all', before nodding. "I know" she breathed, slowly moving forward in a hug, "We plan to in our own way mom, as does Yui."

Mom didn't answer that, also not surprising, but she did linger for a second on the hug before pulling back. "Good" she stated, faint as she looked at Kazuto (who nodded), along with Yui (she gave a little smile), "Now, I should be off. May your day be fulfilling."

No one said anything as she left, and that lingered for a little while afterward.

Yui let out this big breath, startling them - the little girl just held a hand to her heart, equal parts relieved and strangely happy. Asuna looked at Kazuto, who returned it before he went over to Yui, getting on his knees beside her, "Yui?" he asked, hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I am" their daughter breathed, eyes closed. "I just- that was really something."

Asuna quickly bent down too, understanding. "Mom's high standards" she breathed, Yui slowly nodding while Kazuto rubbed her shoulders a bit. "But Yui, why was she here? What did she want to talk about?"

Yui took a moment, moving a little under the shoulder rub. "Well, at first it was about my unique situation, when I started to grow up" she breathed, more happy now, "Grandma wanted to be certain I knew what was in store for me, as she didn't wish for it to hinder me."

"And what'd she say?"

Their daughter touched Kazuto's hands. "I'll tell you, daddy, mommy" she promised, "But later - I'm still trying to process everything that happened these last few hours."

Her tone really made Asuna feel strange, as while Yui was relieved, she was still strangely happy... it didn't escape her notice that Yui'd said 'at first', referring to why mom had come here. Slowly, she looked at Kazuto, who was slow to notice at first, but his expression said he was similarly thinking - the practical reason for visiting wasn't a surprise, but why had she stayed after that, for hours even?

"Did mom... did mom want to get to know Yui better...?"

"Oh. Mommy?"

Bringing herself back, Asuna looked at Yui, who was smiling. "Y-Yes?"

"What are we having tonight?" she asked, entirely curious.

It took a little, but the curiously cute question made her smile. "Well, we were thinking of letting you choose dinner tonight" Asuna breathed gently, surprising her daughter. "However, dessert will be new."

Amidst the surprise, Yui's expression lit up with curious excitement. "Really? What is it!?"

Kazuto chuckled a bit, after a moment. "Come on, you know that's gonna be a surprise, no matter how times you ask" he teased, while Asuna couldn't help but giggle.

"At least give me a hint, daddy!"

"Nope."

Asuna had to hold her fist to her mouth, shaking - Yui was of course playing it up, with Kazuto only too happy to reply, but it was still too funny! It's exactly why she loved this family, no matter what... she still intended to hear those answers about mom, but she decided to go with the happiness angle for dinner hehe, and Kazuto's little gestures said similar.

Yui definitely had a bunch of questions, but she didn't expect the answers from her grandmother ;) Who speaking of which, has hints of trying overall, after her experiences with Asuna - still the same person + standards, yet still.