Disclaimer: Don't own SAO (I or II), or any of the characters.
Rating: T
Continuing the learning, both good and bad
RL
February 20th, 2031
Kazuto hummed to himself, thinking how he's supposed to be doing this alone, but what he's to do when their daughter is curious? Even still, he made to wash the dishes thoroughly, rubbing at stubborn spots as best he could, and otherwise getting his hands dirty (or rather, clean) - it was a little too humid for winter right now, but hopefully that'd clear up later today.
"I'm surprised you didn't grumble, daddy" Yui breathed, a little playful- her sleeves were rolled up, just as he'd shown her.
"Hmm?" he asked, looking at her. "Why's that, Yui?"
"Well, I know it was your turn, but it's also like you to grumble about effort given" she continued, giggling. "At least on small stuff."
He tried to hide a smirk, but his lip twitched. "Normally, I probably would have" he admitted easily. "However, it's my turn; what's the point in grumbling? If I did so for every little thing, eventually it'd get irritating, and I know Asuna wouldn't appreciate that."
Yui's smile was warm. "You've changed, daddy" she whispered softly, slowing on her own work, even as he blinked. "From how you were before, as a teenager."
Humming again, Kazuto felt like ruffling her hair, but with his hands wet, that'd have to wait. "Yeah" he agreed, pretty gentle. "Back then, I knew that after SAO and everything else, eventually I'd become an adult, and that means taking on a lot of responsibilities. So while I was still 'that' young, I made sure to enjoy every minute of it, as I'm sure Asuna did in her own way."
"And now it's different" Yui breathed, still soft. "A good different. There's a lot more to love than I first thought."
"Indeed there is, Yui."
Kazuto slowly smirked, still doing dishes. "You're supposed to be doing laundry, dear" he said mildly, giving Asuna a small look-
-who returned it, but there were flickers of warmth regarding 'dear', considering her pink cheeks and smile. "I put the load in" she said easily, picking up two dirty dishes. "It's washing, so I can be elsewhere until the timer goes off. And don't think I'm doing more than these two dishes either."
They both laughed at this tease, all three of them doing dishes for a little.
"But anyway, Kazuto has the right idea" Asuna breathed, gentle as well; Yui was all ears. "He's always been a playful type, but constantly doing so can become old after awhile, and thus why he always varied his physical teases with verbal ones; kept me on my toes, sometimes went over the line, but kept it endearing."
"Mmh-hmm."
Kazuto smiled, trying not to look at her, yet he felt warmer.
"But he's toned it down in our marriage, as I have with a few things myself" she continued, gently pulling their daughter closer.
Yui was curious though: "But why, mommy? Those responsibilities?"
"In part" he took over, having both their attentions now; he continued smiling. "But more than that, we were together on dates, hanging out with friends- there'd be time to go home, do other things, and otherwise have time away from each other to 'recover'. Living together 24/7 means you deal with all the good, but also all the bad, awkward, unusual, and so forth."
"And it's not easy" Asuna breathed, playful. "Not entirely hard if handled right, but not easy."
"Yeah" Kazuto agreed, while Yui seemed entranced. "And living like that, sometimes that means tempers can flare, or misunderstandings can occur- a lot of things. We had an advantage, having known each other for years, which is why we're toning ourselves down now... we don't want things to go sour in a year, ten years, or fifty." He then looked straight at Asuna, showing how warm he felt. "After all, I promised we'd be together forever."
His wife's softness was making all the difference- if Yui weren't right there, she probably would've kissed him on the spot (and she might still, later). "He also means that he still plans to keep me on my toes" she breathed to Yui, but her eyes were sparkling. "He knows doing his usual routine over and over would wear thin, for both of us, so he'll try to vary it. And I'll do my best to adapt, but I'll also keep surprising him by returning the teases, when he least expects them... and make sure he knows when he's overstepped."
To that, he just chuckled. "And then, after decades together, it's gonna be interesting finding new material" he whispered, feeling the warmth again. "And you'll probably be ready for what few tricks I will try. But we'll stay together anyway."
Asuna was still smiling, eyes sparkling... but by this point, Yui had just about 'exploded' with warmth inside, for she gave off some sort of squeal. "Oh, you two are just so easy together that I can't stand it!" she cheered, laughing. "Seriously, what am I gonna do with you two?"
Kazuto felt his eyebrow rise at the wording, but wasn't too surprised- sometimes Yui did that, saying lines that made it sound like she wasn't a little girl. Guess that came with the mind of an AI, even if her normal personality is like a little girl.
"Well for now, you should keep helping your father, Yui" Asuna answered for him, grinning a little. "In the meantime, I gotta get a few things ready."
Yup, for that hospital visit; he hoped Asuna didn't have any issues like he had, that first trip. He wished he could go with them as well, but someone would have to stay behind and keep an eye on the laundry - ironic, considering it's her day today, but maybe she's doing it to tease him, knowing they'll have to adjust a little on that next time.
/
Hospital
"Room 302."
"Right" Asuna breathed, nodding at Yui, who smiled at her before moving inside - she moved to follow, but the women said to her:
"If she's your biological child, I feel real sorry for you, ma'am."
She just began to feel angry - how could she say such a thing!? - and even opened her mouth before the realization hit her; Yui's physical age of ten, while she's still twenty-three. It took her a moment, but she managed to suppress her instinctive reactions before sighing: "Yui's adopted" she said coolly. "I have the papers on hand, if you'd care to check."
The woman merely shrugged, then left. No apology, not even acknowledgement.
"Nice to meet you too" Asuna said sarcastically, dour, before trying to let go of these feelings- it's 'fine', she's just an assistant and everything. Still, that'd reminded her too much of mom, particularly at her worst, and that's the last thing she wanted to deal with from a stranger.
"Mommy?" Yui asked, once she walked inside as well.
She put on a little smile. "It's okay" she assured, only a bit faint. "The woman just had a misunderstanding that needed sorting."
Her daughter didn't look surprised. "Daddy had the same thing happen" she breathed, tapping her fingers once. "When he got my birth records established, this woman said something about our age differences being 'disturbing', with daddy answering it wasn't like that at all."
Gently, Asuna touched her shoulder. "Well, the reason for that is simple: women aren't physically ready for children until we're at least eighteen" she breathed. "Anything before that gets progressively more scandalous. And since you're physically ten, subtracting that from my twenty-three-years-old status-"
Yui made a motion, cheeks briefly turning pink. "It'd look bad" she mumbled, but then it faded. "Well, I get how some people might think that, but why don't they think that I could be adopted?"
"Good question" she admitted, resisting the urge to look out the door- that assistant really needed some manners. "But no matter what, Yui, you are our real daughter, no matter what other people think" Asuna continued, completely sincere.
The blush returned, but this time in happiness. "I know, mommy" Yui whispered, hugging her, which she easily returned. "I know."
"And not just in spirit anymore" Asuna whispered, loving her warmth. "Thanks to mine and Kazuto's DNA, you're now physically our daughter too. We couldn't be happier. We'll wait just long enough for the age differences to look normal, then we'll change your adopted status to real, and no one should ever assume things again. Okay?"
Her daughter's grip only tightened, and she was pretty sure Yui was crying happily, but neither of them moved from their hug. They probably remained like that for minutes, plenty of time for Yui to wipe her tears (but not the big smile), before the doctor himself came in - Yui was nervous, but determined throughout.
"You're ready for your immunizations?"
Yui slowly nodded, holding out her arm. "Yes" she breathed, looking at her. "After all, I don't want to get sick from the bad stuff."
"Well said."
Even as the doc said that, Asuna gently supported Yui, knowing she hated needles (or rather their associated pain); understandable. Even though this visit would only take care of a few, those few would make her more healthy in the long-run - though, only two would be standard immunizations; the third, for chickenpox, would be a vaccine instead to give her the symptoms early, while Yui's still a child.
Having heard it's much worse for adults than kids, they'd all agreed it's better to experience it now, while it's 'merely' irritating, then never deal with it again.
"Ah!" Yui trembled a bit, doing her best not to tense, or at least her arm muscles- Asuna quickly rubbed Yui's shoulders, trying to distract her from this.
"It's okay, it's okay, Yui."
/
Home
Later; Dinnertime
"You think this is a good time?" Kazuto asked, keeping his voice low.
Beside him, checking their selections of food/ingredients, Asuna slowly nodded. "I think so" she admitted, looking at him. "After all, one day she'll be going to school, meet other people and learning about other common things. This will include the packaged foods, offered by friends or made by other parents during activities; she'll need to learn."
"True enough" he admitted, before getting a little smile. "It's just a shame that you can't make some of them."
A little look, but recognizing he's teasing. "I could, if I knew their exact processes, and probably even without that, Kazuto" she teased back, bumping his side- he chuckled. "But eventually she'll eat food that isn't made by me, and she'll have to get used to that reality."
Yeah, that's an absolute truth of this world- he'd gone his entire life that way before SAO, and only from years ago to now did he enjoy the luxury that is her cooking. Kazuto smiled fondly, wondering how he'd lived that way, unknowing of the strong woman he'd come to love, in addition to her heavenly cooking abilities.
"Well, good thing we got them only yesterday" he said, glad Yui hadn't gone shopping with them that time; made it much easier to hide them. Asuna nodded, opening up a high cupboard he'd filled with said items, including common things like pop-tarts, various candies, and such. "They won't be the entirety of her dinner of course, since we're just introducing them."
His wife made a sound. "Even if it'd been awhile since we introduced them, I wouldn't allow that" she said to him, giving him a little side-smirk. "That's not healthy for our growing bodies."
Mmh, yeah- though for Yui, that kind of growth would take several more years anyway.
Kazuto tilted his head, considering. "I'll save those for breakfast" he said, referring to the pop-tarts. "And a bunch of these are desserts, but I'm sure she'll have room for small things. So I'll use this for tonight."
"Just don't have her ask for another" Asuna teased. "It'll spoil her dinner, and we want to spread this out a bit."
He smiled, kissing her cheek, liking how they briefly turned pink. "Yes, ma'am."
Before he could linger, he moved away, going to the dining room where Yui sat reading (before dinner anyway) - she glanced up, smiling and waving a little as he sat down, which he returned. "Entranced?" he asked, looking at the cover; one of the 'Olympian' titles, which she's still reading (or re-reading).
"A little, daddy" Yui admitted. "While I'm not familiar with the base references, I'm slowly learning about their existence. But is this... is this really what Greek mythology is like?"
"How it was written, mostly" Kazuto admitted, slowly seeing that she had mixed emotions. "It was a long time ago, in a different country- they basically invented tragedy in literature, but it was also a product of one of the bigger empires of the time... so it left an impression. Many of the creatures written there can still appear today, under different interpretations or guises, or even their abilities borrowed from. That's just one of the latest in recent years."
His daughter made a sound. "Well, it is all interesting, but I don't like that heavy approach on several matters" Yui said, closing the book, glancing into the kitchen. "It's good fiction on it's own, but it's not a favorite of mine."
Inwardly, he could understand that much; a number of things from Greek mythology weren't kid-friendly or fit in with today's values, regardless of whether you're a kid (personality-wise or for real), or an adult. Outwardly, he managed a small smile: "Well, that's your right, Yui" he pointed out. "We like and dislike different things, and you'll only find those out with experience - but even if you dislike this book series, it still helps you learn more about cultural things. Plus it's only the initial impression, so maybe it'll grow on you, or maybe not; you'll decide that."
She smiled back, nodding. "Yes, quite. And there's a lot more to learn" she said gently, before making a curious sound, seeing what he held. "What's that, daddy?"
"Chocolate" Kazuto said easily, the smile growing bigger. "Or one brand of it, made into an easy-sized candy snack covered by wrappings. In greater numbers, it'd make a good dessert, don't you think?"
Yui's interest was already high upon 'chocolate', remembering how she'd had some before, but after he'd finished, that interest exploded. "Really!?" she asked, almost salivating. "I can have some now, daddy!?"
"One" he said, still grinning. "Anymore will spoil your dinner; Asuna's words."
He didn't need to strain to hear Asuna's reaction, which sounded a lot like pouting - Yui was too excited to notice, easily taking it from his hands, curiously looking at the wrappings. She quickly got the cue that it's supposed to be pulled, and did so gently, though Yui quickly found it needed more pressure before she got the chocolate free- which she 'quickly' ate.
Kazuto enjoyed watching this, of course... he knew in several days, that vaccine for chicken pox would make the symptoms appear, and they'd have to deal with Yui's reaction to constant full-body itching, but this was worth enjoying in the meantime...
/
Same time
Honestly, did he have to make it sound like she's the bad guy here? Sure, he's playing it up + Yui knew that (and understood not spoiling her appetite), and this subject was only regarding dessert before dinner, but still! Asuna sighed to herself, but pulled a smile anyway; just part of Kazuto's teases, and she has to handle them appropriately. Meaning, pouting reactions aside, she can't overreact to every single one like she'd done in the past, sometimes anyway... hehe, he'd probably claim she'd done so all the time, then grow a bit more serious and say he missed it, a little.
Or something similar.
Anyway, she quickly got their dinner ready, taking their plates over to the table - once they noticed, this got the expected interest; it pleased her to see that excited sparkle in their eyes.
"Let's not forget to say 'thank you' for this pleasure" Kazuto said to Yui, teasing, but the little girl nodded with enthusiasm.
"You've got that right; thank you, mommy!"
Asuna felt sheepish, but warmer. "Despite telling Yui to say 'thank you', you haven't said it yet" she told Kazuto, sitting down beside him-
-but soon as she did, Kazuto suddenly kissed her cheek, making her hitch.
"Thank you" he whispered sincerely, with a warm smile.
The warmth only got more intense, and part of her wanted to kiss him right there- but Yui's across the table, so she settled for a warm smile too. Kazuto didn't seem surprised when she didn't answer, he (and Yui) digging into their food after a bit, but her mind was only half on that herself. They always insisted on thanking her for this 'privilege' on occasion, like when they'd given her that little 'breakfast-in-bed-except-not' moment... part of her felt she didn't need such praise, because while she's good at cooking, it's not this big of something to write home about. But on the other hand, she didn't want to become one of those types who, upon getting no praise at all, would start becoming desperate for it... even if they were clearly excited/appreciative of her food in general.
Asuna shook off those thoughts; who's she kidding? She's not gonna be that shallow, and besides, she did appreciate the thought (and warmth) that this brought her - this little family was definitely perfect on it's own.
But of course, if any 'additions' came along, they'll be loving all the same.
Quite, regarding any additions hehe, including unexpected ones