AN: So I thought the way this was going to go was… pretty obvious, and no I'm not being condescending I genuinely thought that most of you would see this coming, though that may have something to do with the fact this has been planned since the very beginning and I actually got inspiration to write the ending of the ALO arc all that way back at like, chapter 10, and while it needs tweaking, like shifting the past tense I used to write in for some weird reason into present tense, and outright changing of a few things that I've since changed my mind about but haven't actually gotten around to changing, the ending of this arc has been all but locked in for a while. And then you guys started reviewing the last chapter. Within hours I went from 'ahha, this is probably really expected but whatever' to '... Shit, this is an evil plot twist!' soooo, sorry? Also it has occurred to me before that I tend to forget the san, kun, and chans from the dialog, and I keep thinking to myself that I need to fix that, so I figured the episode where they return to the real world was a good place to start doing that. Sorry if I forget here and there, it's almost guaranteed to happen, but I'm going to try my best to remember to do it.

Review Response:

angel2u- Well then, thank you! You'll have to wait and see though! :)

orion0905- I'm glad you liked it!... Is both an option? I feel like both should be an option, given that it's the correct answer.

Tempestae Night- Ehhehhe! Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! Was a week too long a wait?

Deathknightguthix- Well get back to Harry Potter plot at some point, there's just not a lot going on over there at the moment. There is stuff happening over there in the fic, but it's nothing really worth mentioning, so it's more background stuff to possibly be brought up later.

candinaru25- The last few chapters have been… intense, that's for sure… Eh, well… might have to wait a bit longer…

Mae Ride- Well… Hate to disappoint, but I'm not done fucking with you guys' feels yet...

Aeona316- Really? I mean, I'd definitely consider it somewhere in the top five of my best chapters, but I don't think I'd consider it number one… Thank you though, that's very kind.

Mitchelltrt- I never denied it in the slightest… Actually, I felt like it was pretty obvious…

ringoshirayuki9- Well, I can't promise I'll be able to finish it, but I don't see myself dropping it anytime soon either… I'll certainly try my best!

ViktornovaMk2- It's stated to be three hundred in canon and, well… Sorry? But, no? That's totally happening?

DA Exodus- I'll certainly try my best, but you should realize that while I can steadily improve as an author, just compare the first chapter of Nephilim Witch to the latest, I may not be that great, but there's still a rather notice difference in skill, but I can't continually one up myself every charter.

Slycutter- Caution Nephilim Witch may cause impatience, crying, uncontrollable laughter, and other 'feels'. It may also be addicting if not handled with care. You should only take the prescribed dosage of one chapter a week. Please talk to your doctor if these symptoms persist. (I think this should be fairly obvious, but don't actually talk to your doctor, it's a joke. Given that I'm not actually a medical professional or selling medicine, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm actually legally required to clarify that either...)

Funkette- It's not really that big of a coincidence. Sugou kidnapped almost 5% of the players, which isn't a huge number, but you've also gotta realize that canon SAO and Nephilim Witch are both stories. Coincidences are actually a pretty big part of storytelling. Seriously, take Harry Potter for instance. First thing that comes to mind is how much of a coincidence it is that the trio was there when Sirius found Peter. He'd been around all year looking for him specifically, and Peter had run away from the boys dormitory, but he only found him when the trio was there? Or the fact that it just so happens to go down on the one day of the month that it's a full moon? Or how about in SAO, the fact that Asuna and Kirito just so happened to be in the area when Kains faked his death? You do have to be careful to not put too many coincidences in, or explain enough of them to make them sound like they aren't actually a coincidence or else it starts sounding a bit absurd, but really if you think about really any story, whether it's a show or a book or a movie, the majority of them have quite a few coincidences in them and wouldn't be half as interesting without them. Coincidences are a key factor in storytelling, to the point that there are some anime and shows out there that if you stripped away the initial 'main character happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time' coincidence, you probably wouldn't have that show or anime because basically everything after that revolves around that one coincidence.

harlequin320- Thanks! I didn't include the Army's downfall because it would've basically been a continuous 'wash, rinse, repeat' of various characters hunting down Army members and breaking their armor. I will of course be doing the Fairy Dance arc, the Gun Gale arc, and I'll probably at least brush over Mother's Rosario but since I don't plan to change Asuna being the one to help them, there's not much to do there except for when Kirito, Hanna, Klein, and Yui go to back them up against that one guild.

BatGames- It was actually only 300 players that Sugou kidnapped, and I have no idea what you were trying to say about Asuna surviving, but I can tell you that Hanna and Asuna will at some point at least talk about how ALO does magic wrong, though I feel like Asuna would be the one to nit pick whereas Hanna would be likely to dissect the spells and draw inspiration from them, seeing as Marzanna is studying to be a spell crafter.

Kunai94- The boss fight started at 2:00, Kikuoka went to pick up Mike at 2:20, and we'll say that they were there with Mike hooked up by 2:40. The fight took roughly an hour, and with how shaken the players were after the boss, I would say it wouldn't have been unreasonable to say they would've stayed there for another couple hours trying to pull themselves together if Kirito hadn't had his epiphany.

November 7th, 2024

Mike had left his sister's mind while they were wait for whatever was happening to end, so he, and everyone else for that matter, are astonished when a gash suddenly rips itself into Marzanna's chest, though strangely, the blood from the wound disappears immediately. His mother shoots to her feet and hurries over, and Mike stands as well, but the gash is already healed by her Nephilim abilities before he even rises to his feet, nevertheless he and his mother share a terrified look.

There's a few minutes of silence as they all try to figure out what the fuck is going on, but then there's a shout from the corridor. Less than a minute later the healer who was brought in to take care of Marzanna and the other magicals in the game bursts into the room.

He's panting and out of breath, but manages to gasp out, "Kikuoka-san! The… The players!... They're waking up!"

Kikuoka shoots to his feet, grabbing his cell phone and immediately begins to make what would likely be a series of calls as he hurries out of the room with the doctor. Marzanna however, remains asleep. As the minutes tick by with them tensely waiting for Marzanna to finally open her eyes, they hear more shouting from outside.

Finally, about fifteen minutes later, the door slowly slides open again. None of them turn to look, expecting it to just be Kikuoka, but the harsh panting and the voice that croaks from the doorway immediately dispels that idea, "Ma… Marzanna…"

Mike isn't the only one who turns quickly at the voice, neither is he the only one who recognizes the young man leaning on the door frame despite how gaunt his face is or how long his hair has grown. Although it's not exactly his fault his body was in a coma for two years while he was fighting for his life. Strangely, he's clutching his NerveGear in one hand in a weirdly protective manner.

Shaking the shock off, his mother hurries over, "Kazuto? Sweetie, you shouldn't out of bed, you just woke up from a coma for Merlin's sake!" She glances at Mike, and getting the hint, he moves out of the way to allow her to gently help him over to Mike's chair, "Honestly sweetheart, what were you thinking?"

Kazuto glances at her with a furrowed brow as he slumps into the chair, placing his NerveGear on his lap delicately, then turns back to Marzanna, "Is she…"

Lily sighs in exasperation, "She's fine sweetie. Don't know why she hasn't woken up yet, but…"

Despite the silently asked question clear in her words and tone, there's a touch of respect in her voice. Not that Mike can't understand it himself. Merlin's balls, the guy was human and had his muscles atrophied by two years in a coma, but he still forced his body to get up so he could check on Marzanna. Mike couldn't not respect his clear dedication to his mate, to Mike's sister, even if it was entirely understandable, considering they were soulmates.

Kazuto forces his body to move again, reaching out to take Marzanna's hand, speaking in his rough disused voice, "I don't know… She should've woken up when I did… The only reason we were late was because Kayaba wanted to talk to us…"

His mother nods lightly, but she's giving Kazuto a worried look, "I see… Do you want some water sweetie? I realize part of the reason your voice is like that is just disuse, but I could go ask the nurses for a cup if you'd like."

He gives her a slight smile in response, "Yes, please. That would be nice."

She nods lightly, then leaves. It's not long before she returns with a styrofoam cup, with Kikuoka following her. Kazuto carefully accepts the cup with unsteady hands, but smiles gratefully before sipping at it with equal care.

Kikuoka clears his throat lightly, "You're Kirigaya Kazuto, correct? My name is Kikuoka Seijirou, I'm in charge of the SAO task force. I-"

Kazuto doesn't look away from Marzanna for a second as he bluntly interrupts the annoying man, "I know who you are. Hanna- Marzanna. She told me about you. From what little I know of you, you'd only be here if you wanted something. So, what do you want?"

Kikuoka coughs lightly into his hand, likely not used to being interrupted, "Then she told you about magic…."

Kazuto stares him down, "An explanation is definitely necessary when you get stabbed and start bleeding in a game that doesn't have blood programmed in." He pauses, then adds, "Also, she said something about me having a right to know, but didn't explain why at the time since she said it was complicated."

Kikuoka coughs awkwardly again, "Yes, well… Ah, I suppose you do have a right to know, given that you're… Well! Anyway! Yes, part of my job was to get as clear a picture as possible on what was going on in SAO. Which is why I was in contact with Marzanna, and-"

Kazuto's gaze still doesn't waver as he growls in frustration and anger, "Kikuoka. Let me be blunt. I don't like you. You put Marzanna's life at risk to find out information that I'm sure was of absolutely no use, considering you couldn't actually change anything going on in Aincrad. If fact, despite never having met you before, I am very close to hating you. So get to the fucking point, or leave me the fuck alone."

There's a slight pause, then Kikuoka mumbles to himself, "I was told you were a polite, cooperative person…"

Kazuto turns to him with a glare, "I may have been in a coma, but my hearing is just fine. Blame it on Hanna if you want though. She's a terrible influence when it comes to how one acts around those they don't like." Then he huffs out a breath, "However, since you seem to be in no hurry to get to the god damned point. Allow me to take a guess. You want to know what happened at the end, how we got out sooner than we should've, and possibly why Hanna and myself were ten minutes late being logged out compared to everyone else. Since Hanna- Marzanna, your previous source of information is currently…. unavailable, you want answers from me? That about sum it up?"

Kikuoka clears his throat, "Well… Yes. I suppose that's the general gist."

Kazuto nods firmly, "I figured as much." Then he straightens himself to his full height, "However, if there's one thing I've learned from mine and Hanna's friend Argo, it's that you don't give information away for free, especially when the other person can do something for you in return." Kikuoka grows unsure at that, and Kazuto sighs, "Luckily for you. What I want is exceedingly simple if you really are in charge of this 'SAO task force'. But first, a question of my own. What's going to happen to the NerveGears?"

As he says the last part, he clutches his tightly in a protective manner again. Kikuoka eyes him, then clears his throat, "Well… The government is going to collect them all and destroy them of course."

Kazuto nods, "I figured as much. In that case, my terms for answering all of your questions to the best of my ability are, as I said, exceedingly simple. One, I want to get in contact with mine and Marzanna's friends from SAO, so I am going to give you their screen names, and you are going to get me their information. Their real names, what hospitals they're in, the room numbers, and since I'm sure they're probably in rooms with landlines like Marzanna and myself are, the phone numbers to their rooms so I can call them and make sure they're ok. And two, you are going to get me permission to keep my NerveGear. There's something very important to Hanna and I saved onto it, and I literally wouldn't let you pry it from my cold dead fingers until I've safely transferred it off of it, but I figure it's easier to simply get permission to keep it."

Kikuoka tilts his head, "That's it?"

Kazuto nods lightly to a pen and little notebook on the bedside table, he gives Mike a thankful smile as he accepts it, then starts writing on a fresh sheet as he continues, "Yes. As I said. It should be rather simple for you. That said, I don't trust you, so I'm not answering a single question about SAO until you have what I asked for. Seeing as my family will probably receive the news I'm awake and come to see me soon, and that it shouldn't take you that long to get what I asked for, I'll wait here while for Marzanna to wake up while you're seeing to that, and when you've got it, we'll go back to my room to talk while I wait for my family to show up." He tears the page out and extends it to Kikuoka, "Here. Our friend's screen names. Once you've got what I asked for, we'll talk."

Kikuoka sighs, but accepts the paper without a word, and pulls his phone out to make a call as he leaves the room. Mike can't help but share a slight grin with his mother, iffy though he may be at the guy who could break his little sister's heart, he really couldn't help but respect the guy.

Kazuto slumps back into the chair while he waits for either Marzanna to wake or Kikuoka to come back, whichever came first. Honestly, he really doesn't want to leave Marzanna's side until she wakes up and he can see for himself that she was alright, but Marzanna would probably smack him if she knew he was wasting time that could be used to get important things sorted out, like getting back in touch with their friends or ensuring Yui's safety, when he knew she'd be ok. Besides, he's waited so long to put things right with his family, and while he was torn between seeing them and staying with Marzanna… Well, again, she'd probably smack him, call him an idiot with that little grin of hers, then shake her head at him. Not to mention, his body hurt from all the activity after not moving in two years.

It isn't long before Kikuoka comes back with a scowling nurse pushing an empty wheelchair. He glares at the offending thing, knowing it's for him. It was so… humiliating, to go from The Black Swordsman to someone whose body hurts after walking less than ten meters, and he was not going to be humiliated further with that thing.

He glares lightly at the nurse, "I'm not using that."

The woman glares right back, "Yes. You are. Honestly, what were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you did when you just got up and left your room?! We thought you were dying because your heart rate monitor flatlined! Only to find an empty room! We've been looking all over for you! Only to find you'd wandered off when Kikuoka-san came to tell us that we aren't allowed to confiscate that infernal device because you have special permission to keep it! Why you would want to do such a thing…"

She descends into displeased grumbling and Kazuto can't help but roll his eyes, "Well, you didn't look very well then, did you? I've been here this whole time. I needed to check on Marzanna."

The woman huffs, "You don't need to be checking on anyone. You're the one who needs to be checked! You've been in a coma for two years, you shouldn't have even been able to get up, but just because you could doesn't mean you should've. Now get in the damn wheelchair."

Kazuto's glare intensifies, "Hell no. It's ten meters at most. I can walk just fine."

The woman takes a sharp breath in, "You prideful little-"

Kikuoka clears his throat loudly, looking like he's beginning to believe he'd made a mistake bringing the woman, then extends the piece of paper he'd written their friend's names on. Looking it over carefully, he checks it over to make sure Kikuoka had put their info in the spaces he'd left between their names. He's a bit startled to realize that Asuna had used her real name, but then he realizes it makes sense, seeing as he was pretty sure SAO was her first video game.

Satisfied that Kikuoka had upheld his end of the bargain, he nods before tilting his head, "Klein and Asuna are in the same hospital? I suppose it makes sense to group all the players together as much as possible, but…"

Kikuoka nods, "Exactly. Actually, that's this very hospital. Asuna is one floor up, and your other friend is two down."

Kazuto's gaze snaps to him, he instantly regrets it, as his neck does not appreciate the sudden movement, but he refuses to let the flare of pain show in front of that damned nurse, "Really?"

The nurse in question purses her lips, "Oh don't you even think about it! You are going to get in this damn wheelchair, go back to your room, and stay there until you've recovered enough for the doctors to say you can leave your room!"

Kazuto snorts as he forces his hurting body back up, clutching his NerveGear with one hand, "Of course I'm going back to my room. I need to uphold my end of mine and Kikuoka's bargain, and my mom has probably already gotten the phone call saying we're all waking up and managed to get off work already. She's likely already on her way to pick up my sister before coming here to see me." He moves straight past the wheelchair, then lightly pushes past the woman when she ties to block his path, "No. I'll visit him tomorrow."

The woman storms after him, "You most certainly will not!"

Kazuto snorts again, "Listen lady, that guy is one of my best friends, you can't stop me."

The nurse takes a deep breath in to argue, then lets it out rather suddenly, "Fine, you can visit your friend, if you use the wheelchair! I will not have you hurting yourself because of your stubborn pride! And you have to tell someone first!"

Kazuto pauses at the door to his room to give her a dirty look, then sighs. He would never admit it, but he probably couldn't make it all the way to Klein. Not if the way his body protests just going over one room to see Marzanna. A charged feeling, like electricity, but weirdly not like he'd been shocked, courses through his body, and it suddenly feels unbearably hot, and he shudders, but he pushes it away. It's likely just from pushing his body.

He sighs again, "Fine. I'll use the damn wheelchair when I go to see Klein..."

The nurse gives him a suspicious look, either not believing he'd give in so easy, or having caught his shudder. Perhaps both. However she lets it go and gets him situated in bed, hooks him back up to his heart monitor and replaces his IV, which he'd carefully pulled out before leaving.

She gives him one last glare, "The doctor will be by at some point to look you over."

With that and a final irritated huff, she leaves. After an awkward pause, Kikuoka clears his throat, "Well then. Let's get started. Let's start with you just telling me what happened after the fight with the Skull Reaper, and when you're done we'll get to any questions I've got."

Ten minutes later Kikuoka hums lightly in thought as Kazuto finishes the rather short tale, "I see… And he really didn't say why he did it?"

He shakes his head, "Well, I mean, he did sorta answer my question, but… The only answer he gave was that after those long two years, he couldn't remember anymore…"

Kikuoka sighs, "I see… Well then-"

He's cut off by the door being flung open. His gaze shifts over to it, half expecting the pushy nurse to be there, only to find his sister staring at him with wide eyes, and their mother behind her. Suguha stares for almost a full minute before her eyes begin to tear up and she dashes inside, all but throwing her arms around his neck, "Onii-chan! You- Your-!"

She cuts off with a sob, and he wraps his arms around her, and smiles at their mom over her head, "I'm home, Suguha, mom."

His mother had been giving him a watery smile, but her eyes widen as she understands what he's trying to tell her, at the silent apology in his eyes for pushing them away. Then her smile widens as tears start streaking down her face, "Welcome back. We missed you so much"

Just as she understood what he didn't say, so does he. They'd missed him for longer than two years, missed him since he was ten and found out he was adopted, it had simply become worse when Aincrad became a death game.

Kikuoka, surprisingly, doesn't seem to mind putting their conversion on hold for a bit. Not that Kazuto cared. He'd have put the conversation on pause whether Kikuoka liked it or not.

Kazuto sighs when Kikuoka finally leaves, over two hours after his family had. It was almost ten pm, so he wasn't expecting any visitors. Therefore, it was understandable that he was rather surprised when someone knocks on his door, and it takes him a minute to gather himself, "Come in."

The door opens to admit Marzanna's mother, at least, he was pretty sure she was her mother. They were definitely related anyway. The redhead smiles at him lightly, "Sorry, I realize it's probably been an exhausting day, especially given how long you had to deal with Kikuoka. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

He tilts his head slightly, he honestly doesn't know why she's so concerned about him, nor why she'd acted so familiar with him earlier. It was kinda nice though, to have someone who wasn't strictly family or paid to take care of him worried about him. He supposes Marzanna could've told her about him, during their talks, but...

He pushes the wayward thoughts away, as well as the sudden spike of pain, "Yeah, it's been a long day, that's for sure. I'm fine though. Has Marzanna…"

The way her expression falls speaks for itself, but she shakes her head anyway, "No. She's still… She still hasn't woken. She's not the only one from what I understand either…" Then she suddenly shakes her head, smiling again, "It's just a matter of time though. My Marzanna's strong."

Kazuto tilts his head slightly, "On that note, there's something I've been meaning to ask…" She gives him a prompting look, and he tries to think of how to say it without possibly offending her, before finally just deciding to blurt it out, "Are you Marzanna's mother? You guys look a lot alike, but you seem kinda young… And how did you know me earlier? We've never met."

She blinks rapidly for a moment clearly startled by the question, then blushes lightly in embarrassment, "Oh! I totally forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? I'm sorry. Yes, I'm Marzanna's mom, Lily. As for your other question… If she told you about Kikuoka, she must've told you she was talking to us." He nods, so she continues, "Well, she mentioned you quite a lot. Not to mention, not long after you were transferred here, your mom and I ended up having a nice discussion by the vending machines and sorta struck up a friendship. Sometimes she'd end up over in Marzanna's room, and other times I'd end up here in your room while we were talking, which is how I recognized you."

Kazuto nods lightly, "I see…"

He's unable to stop himself from stiffening as another wave of heat and pain washes over him. He can faintly hear his breathing turn rough, but it sounds quieter than it should be, like there's cotton in his ears or something. He isn't even aware he'd clutched his eyes shut until the back of a hand being pressed against his forehead startles him into opening them.

Lily's face is blurry and it takes him longer than it really should to focus and make out that she's frowning in worry, "... It's worse than I thought I'd be…."

Kazuto's brow furrows in confusion, "I thought it was… I mean, I was…" He'd thought it'd just been side effects from long term use of the NerveGear and being in a coma for so long, but from Lily's words, that doesn't seem to be the case, "... What's wrong with me?"

Lily sighs as she sits on the side of his bed, seeming to wonder how to explain, "Well, believe it or not, there's nothing exactly… wrong with you. You're just…. You're not meant to be in this state for so long…"

Kazuto begins to grow frustrated, "What state? What's happening to me?!"

Lily sighs again, "When Marzanna told you about magic… Did she tell you about you being transferred here, or why it was necessary?"

Kazuto frowns, "She told me about the transfer, which is how I knew she was next door, but not why it was necessary. As I said earlier, she said there wasn't time… Besides, I may believe her, but even with the blood I still find this whole magic thing..."

He's not even sure how to finish the sentence, but Lily seems to understand, and gives him a slightly mischievous grin before flicking her wrist and holding up some sort of… stick that slides from up her sleeve into her hand, "Have you ever heard of the term Transfiguration? Perhaps in literature or video games?" Kazuto shakes his head, so she continues, "Transfiguration is the branch of magic dedicated to the alteration of the form of an object. I'm not particularly… fond of Transfiguration, but it does make a rather… striking point, even tending to prove the existence of magic."

Without further ado, she waves her stick at the chair closest to them, and it promptly turns into a dog. Kazuto gapes at it, "What?!" He immediately blushes in embarrassment at the rather… high pitch his voice was, and clears his throat while giving Lily a slight glare, "That… That didn't happen."

Lily smiles in amusement, "What didn't happen?"

He grins at her, "Knew there was a reason I liked you almost immediately." Then his gaze shifts back to the… dog, "I still don't understand…. I just… That was a chair." He glances at the object in her hand, "And that's a stick. You can't just…"

Lily laughs lightly, "Oh, but I can. It was a chair, and now it's a dog. When I release the spell, it'll be a chair again. And this isn't a stick. Well, I mean, technically I suppose it is, but it's not just a stick. It's a wand, a magical foci."

Kazuto stares at the dog a moment more, then leans over to touch it. He recoils the moment his hand touches fur, "Holy shit! That's a dog! That's really a dog!"

Lily laughs again, then cancels the spell, turning the dog back into a chair, "Well, not really. It's almost impossible to make Transfiguration permanent. They always revert to their real form when the magic runs out or is canceled." Kazuto nods slowly, and Lily's smile slips away, "Anyway, we've gotten a bit off topic."

Kazuto's gaze snaps away from the chair over to her, then shakes his head lightly to refocus himself, "Right. Whatever it is that's wrong with me."

Lily sighs, "As I said, it's not exactly that something's wrong with you… Kazuto… Have you ever heard the term 'soulmate'?"

Kazuto rolls his eyes, "Yeah. The idea that two people are absolutely made for each other that media adores."

Lily chuckles, "Well, that is technically true…. The thing is though, soulmates are a real magical phenomenon. There really are people made for each other. Their minds and souls slot together like two perfect pieces of a puzzle, and whether you're a magical or not, you really will feel drawn to them, knowing on some instinctive level that you're just meant to be."

Kazuto stares at her with wide eyes, "Are- Are you serious? That's actually a thing?"

Lily nods with a smile, and he can't help but immediately think of Marzanna, his beautiful, brilliant, Goddess Marzanna that he loves with every fiber of his being. Oh, what he'd give for them to be soulmates.

Lily seems to know where his thoughts went as she gives him a mysterious but warm smile, "You are, you know. Marzanna's soulmate that is." His eyes widen in disbelief, unable to comprehend that maybe, just maybe, he already had what he wanted, and Lily chuckles, then she sighs, "Therein lies the problem though… It's been so long, that there's no record or memory of how soulmates originally became fully bonded couples, but in time, people began using magic to help the process. Normally, it takes ten to fifteen years for a bond to reach the state where all that's left to do is fully bond. And in the old days, that's what people did. They'd have to wait until they were ready, then use a bonding ritual to fully bond. Then a way to speed up the process was discovered, and after that, bonding rituals that allowed the couples to skip over their bond having to be formed before fully completing it. It's the method used today, because honestly, no one wants to wait to be as close as being fully bonded brings them to their mates."

Kazuto nods slowly, still wondering what this has to do with his… symptoms. Lily sighs again before continuing, "However, something… strange happened to you and Marzanna in Aincrad. Your bond has been left to naturally develop for two years, but it should still be nowhere close to done. But it is. It's something we discovered back in February. We aren't entirely sure why, but Marzanna and I have the running theory that since it was basically your minds themselves interacting with each other in SAO, it accelerated the development of your bond. But that's exactly the problem. The body goes through some sort of change when two soulmates bond who are… different from one another. In the case of a magical and a non-magical, the non-magical, well, becomes a magical. If the two are of different species with different life spans, say a vampire and human, then the one with the shorter life span becomes a half blood of the other's species. Are you getting what I'm saying?"

Kazuto stares at her, "Yeah, but I still don't see…"

Lily runs a hand through her hair, "Well, with soulmates whose bond is allowed to naturally develop, like yours, the body begins to prepare itself for that change when you're ready to bond…"

Kazuto's eyes widen as he finally understands what she's saying, "This…. This is because my body is preparing itself to change, isn't it?"

Lily nods, "Yes, it is…. I'm really sorry I had to be the one to tell you this. It really should've been Marzanna, but…" Kazuto nods his understanding, "Well… Anyway, if you'd like, I know of a potion that would help ease the symptoms, but you might want to truly think it over before you take it."

Kazuto looks at her wearily, "Why? Is it really that bad?"

Lily sighs, "It…. It dulls a person's soulmate bond. It doesn't do anything permanent to it, but… Well, on one hand, leaving your body in this state is not only painful, but being on the brink of change like this for an extended period of time is dangerous for you. It's why you had to be transferred here, to ease the strain on your body by bringing you as physically close to your mate as we could. On the other hand, while the potion will alleviate the symptoms and danger by stabilizing your condition, the way it does it, by dulling your bond, is both mentally and emotionally exhausting. Even if you were never consciously aware of it before, there's little worse in the world for the mind than to be unable to feel your mate's presence there. That's actually why it wasn't given to you while you were in SAO even after we realized what was happening. Because of what it does, it's illegal to give it to someone without their consent, so they've been having to give you a cocktail of potions to help you."

Kazuto nods slowly, "I… I don't really want to do that…. But if leaving it unchecked is as dangerous as you say… Well, it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice."

Lily gives him a sad smile, "I'm sorry sweetie... " Then she sighs again, and gets to her feet, heading for the door, "Since your awake, and Marzanna will wake soon, I doubt the healers will be willing to take such a drastic step and give you some, so I'll brew the potion myself and bring some tomorrow. For now, I suggest you get some sleep."

And with that, she slips out of the room, leaving him with a lot to think about.

November 8th, 2024

Kazuto is already waiting in the stupid wheelchair when his sister and mother arrive. He smiles lightly when he realizes they'd done the favor he'd asked of them, but it soon disappears. It had been a full day since they'd gotten out of Aincrad, and Marzanna still hasn't woken up. She was still entirely unresponsive, and the doctor was too afraid of setting off the damn thing to remove her NerveGear. Not to mention, Lily hasn't been by with the potion, so he still had the whole 'he has to dampen his marvelous and honest to God magical connection to his personal Goddess and wife Marzanna or there could be terrible consequences for him' thing hanging over him…

With a frustrated sigh, he allows his mother to push his wheelchair for him, unable to bring himself to argue with her as he had that nurse. They quickly make their way to the elevator and down two floors, soon reaching Klein's room.

He knocks on the door, not out of politeness, it was Klein's room, but just in case, as he has no desire to see his friend in any sort of state of undress. Getting a rough, "Come in!" he pushes the door open and wheels himself in quickly. Klein seems to be reading a magazine of some sort, and doesn't bother to look up despite how utterly bored he seems, "Whaddya want? I told you you guys, if you try poking and prodding at me one more time-"

He grins as he cuts his friend off, "Well how rude! I come all the way down two floors in my terrible state and I don't even get a proper greeting!"

Klein's gaze had snapped up in shock as soon as he started speaking, but by the end he's grinning widely, "Kirito! Dude, I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

He places a hand above his heart with a fake wounded look, "Klein! Do you truly think so little of me? That I can't hunt you down and keep my promise?"

He'd purposely worded it to be able to be taken as a threat, and Klein laughs, "Never!" Then he seems to grow slightly confused, "That said… What promise?"

He grins and turns to his sister. Getting the hint, she moves forward and holds out what they'd picked up for him, a small pizza and bottle of ginger ale. Kazuto's grin widens at Klein's stunned expression, "We had a deal, yeah? You'd forgive me after I bought you a meal in the real world. My mom and sister knew I was planning to come visit a friend today, so I asked them to get my wallet and pick that up with my money, just so you can't say I didn't buy it. You should probably thank them too though, for going to get it for me."

Klein smiles at him slightly, "Oh, come on Kirito! You know I just said that because I thought you were marching off to your death, don't you?"

He inclines his head in agreement with a smile of his own, "Of course, but I figured since you threw it out there, it would make for an adequate apology."

Klein huffs a laugh, then opens the box. He immediately freezes and tears up slightly, "Ginger ale and teriyaki mayo pizza? You honestly remembered that? That was literally two years ago!"

He laughs lightly, "Yeah. It's a bit late, but I figured you'd like that pizza you were looking forward to so much before we found out the truth about Aincrad…"

Klein turns his head away and gives a suspicious sniff, "I- Yeah. It- It's great! I doubt my stomach will be able to handle that much, but it's..." Then he gives up the charade and rubs at his eyes roughly, "Aw man, come on! You made me cry! You made me cry over pizza! You're such an asshole."

He laughs again, "Yeah I knew you wouldn't be able to eat that much of it, that's why I had them get a small. And well, I may be an asshole, but I also happen to be your best friend, so what's that say about you, huh?"

Klein barks a laugh, "That I have terrible taste in friends!"

He shakes his head, "Mine's gotta be worse. I mean, come on, you, for all that you're one of the bravest, most loyal people I've ever met, also all but drool at every pretty girl you see!"

Klein finally turns back around, giving him a watery smile, "That means a lot, coming from you, and let me return the sentiment. The brave and loyal thing, not the other part. I don't think it's physically possible for any girl to entice you to so much as look at them like that, given how loyal you are to Hanna." His smile drops at that, and Klein frowns, "Err… Is everything ok between you and Hanna?"

He sighs, "Her real name is Marzanna actually, and kinda… Have-" He takes a deep breath, "Have you heard of the three hundred players?"

Klein nods, "Yeah I think everyone has. The three hundred who aren't… Oh. Oh. Man, I'm so sorry… Jeez, I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like for you. I'd say 'probably like losing a limb', given you two were utterly attached at the hip, but it's probably even worse than that... "

He gives a humorless laugh, "I'd prefer losing a limb actually. It'd be a hell of a lot easier to get used to… Probably wouldn't hurt as much either…" He sighs again, "Asuna hasn't woken up either…"

Klein frowns heavily, "Fuck! That's bullshit man! We didn't survive in that place for two goddamn years just for some of us to-" When he clenches his fists reflexively, Klein quickly changes whenever he is about to say, "to take even longer to wake up…."

He smiles at him bitterly, "Yeah well. There's nothing we can do, is there? I can't… This isn't something I can just fight. It's not something I can just swing a sword at and fix." He gives another humorless laugh, "Even if it was, I wouldn't be able to, given that I can't even walk two floors to come see you, much less handle a weapon…"

Klein huffs, "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's so goddamn frustrating being like this. You know one of the nurses actually had the nerve to get onto me for trying to go to the bathroom on my own? Apparently, I'm supposed to call them so they can assist me. To go to the bathroom! I don't need help going to the god damn bathroom!"

He sighs, "I feel ya buddy. I've been entirely self-sufficient in SAO for two years, only to wake up and be told I can't even walk to the room next door!"

Klein nods, then gives him a questioning look, "Next door?"

He gives him another bitter smile, "Wouldn't you know it, Marzanna is roomed right next door to me. She's less than a ten meter walk, and yet she's never been so far out of my reach..."

Klein leans back, "Well… Shit. I don't even know what to say to that…" He shrugs despondently, and there's a brief silence, but if there's one thing Klein's learned in the past two years it's how to push past a somber mood. So in a move rather familiar to him, he shakes his head firmly, then smiles widely, "You wouldn't happen to have heard from anyone else? How are they doing?"

He smiles lightly, "I haven't, but I managed to make a deal with a government official who wanted info on what went on inside SAO. I answered his questions and in return he gave me the info I needed to find mine and M- Marzanna's friends, like room landline numbers. It's how I knew where to find you actually…. I was gonna call some of the others later, but I wanted to come see you, since we're in the same hospital and I did owe you a meal."

Klein leans forward, "You wouldn't happen to have the numbers memorized, would you? I wanna hear how they're doing too!"

He gives him a bemused look, "Memorized, no, but I did bring a copy of the list with me to give to you so you could call them. That said, you do realize they're probably just as bored and frustrated as we are, right? I mean, I could use your room phone, but I'm not sure if these hospital phones have a speaker function…"

His mom, who had sat down and seemed content to simply be with him while he catches up with Klein, suddenly starts searching through her purse, "Oh! That actually reminds me. We had your cell phone disconnected while you were… stuck, seeing as it didn't make much sense to be paying for something that saw absolutely no use, but I went and got it reconnected for you while I was waiting for Suguha to get out of school." Finally finding his phone, she holds it out to him with a smile, "Here you go. That should make getting back in touch with your friends from that place easier. I've got your charger too, but I'll give it to you when we get back to your room so we don't have to worry about accidentally leaving it here."

He smiles at her, "Thanks mom. Should be the same number, right?" She nods, and he grins, "Excellent. As long as at least one of us has a permanent number, there shouldn't be a worry of losing contact just because someone gets released from the hospital or something."

Klein shoves at his shoulder lightly, "Come on man! Call already!"

He rolls his eyes at his friend's impatience, quickly dialing Agil's number, seeing as other than his own guild, he was the friend of Kazuto's that Klein knew best. Though he had been thoughtful enough to get the numbers to the members of Klein's guild for him as well, "Yeah, yeah."

As it rings, he puts it on speaker, and it's not long before Agil's confused voice picks up, "Uh, hello?"

He grins at hearing another friend's voice, his mood picking up a tiny bit more, bringing the phone up to be about a foot from his face with a grin, "Agil! How's it going man?"

Klein pushes his head away, "I'm here too!"

Agil gives a slightly shocked laugh, "Kirito? Klein? Is that really you guys? What am I saying, of course it is. The only person better at tracking people down than Kirito is Argo, which is saying something since that's literally part of her job. Or, it was anyway. " There's a brief pause in which he's rather confident in saying that Agil's shaking his head, then their rather large friend continues, "I'm fine by the way. Great actually, despite how frustrating being in the hospital is. You remember how I mentioned I owned a business in the real world, but I figured I'd probably lost it? I didn't! That amazing wife of mine managed to keep it afloat despite everything going on!"

Klein beams at that, "Really? Dude, I'm so happy for you! That's fantastic! Your wife is awesome!"

Agil laughs, "Don't I know it!" He sighs happily, "So, what about you two? I'm honestly a bit surprised you guys haven't died of sheer boredom."

Klein snorts, "Only 24 hours into my recovery and it's already been a close call more than once. I haven't even had any visitors besides Kazuto, seeing as the only people I know well enough to actually visit were my friends who just so happened to be stuck in the game with me, and they're not exactly in any condition to come… Hell, I'm surprised Kazuto managed to get them to let him visit me, and we're apparently in the same hospital." Klein glances at him, "Kazuto seems to be keeping busy though, making deals with government officials to tell them what happened in there in exchange for info on how to find and get a hold of us."

Agil chuckles, "So that's how you did it. Ah, Argo would be proud, what with you not doing it out of the kindness of your heart and a sense of duty. It always irritates her when you do that… So, Kazuto, if you've got everyone's contact info, I'm sure you've already checked up on Hanna. How's she doing? She scared the shit outta me at the end there…"

What little of a good mood he'd managed to get with his friends plummets into non-existence again as his face goes blank. Klein takes one look at him and takes pity, clearing his throat before quietly explaining so Kazuto doesn't have to, "Agil… I'm sure you've heard of those three hundred players that haven't woken up… Hanna, and Asuna for that matter, are among them."

Agil groans in frustration, "Shit, are you kidding me? That's…. That just isn't fair…. After everything we went through….."

Klein sighs, "Yeah, tell me about it…"

There's a beat of silence in which his sister leans forward in curiosity, "Who's Hanna? You seem even more upset about her than this Asuna or the other players Onii-chan."

His brow pinches, "That… Well, I guess it means nothing here."

Agil scoffs, "Kirito, I've told you before, I'm a married man, so I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, just because it was via Aincrad's system rather than the government, Hanna was very much your wife, at least emotionally speaking. Hell, the way you looked at each other I'm surprised it took you two as long as it did to get married."

Both his mom and sister make surprised noises at the idea he's married, but he's down enough that he just smiles tiredly at them, "Yeah. We met on day one not long before Kayaba told us about the whole death game thing. Never split up. Started dating about eight and a half months in, though honestly it only took that long because there'd been a… misunderstanding between us. Anyway, I suppose it may have been quick, but we got married five months later."

His sister blinks quickly in surprise, "Oh."

He nods vaguely, then smiles tiredly, "Though, between our ages and the fact I sincerely doubt the government will acknowledge those marriages from SAO, it's probably more accurate to call her my girlfriend."

Suguha nods slowly, and silence washes over them briefly. A beat later Klein and Agil start chatting. They continue to talk for a while, but he just can't seem to muster up the will to really participate. They seem to understand though, and they steer clear of conversation that brings Marzanna up. He's actually pretty sure that at least some of Klein's usual stupid shenanigans are done on purpose in an attempt to make him feel better, and he appreciates the gesture, but he still finds himself being distant from the conversation. Eventually, after about an hour and a half of conversation and giving Agil phone numbers and the like to call the others if he wants, they say their goodbyes and hang up.

Klein watches him for a minute in worry, then looks away, "So… Do you wanna call someone else, or are you gonna head back to your room?"

He thinks it over as he stares at the piece of paper full of numbers and names before his eyes fall on one in particular. His own handwriting spelling out Lizbeth, followed by Kikuoka's listing of information, "One more quick call for now… Then I should probably be heading back…"

Klein smiles lightly with a nod, so he quickly dials the number. After a moment a familiar, and rather irritated voice picks up, "Look buddy, you've got the wrong number and I've had a long, frustrating day, so why don't you just hang up and-"

His lips twitch slightly at that, "So you're rude to customers in Aincrad and friends in the real world. Nice to know."

There's a tiny pause, "Kirito?!" Then a huff, "I was not rude to customers, I was rude to you, the asshole that broke the best sword I'd ever forged!"

He smiles slightly, "Hey! I was just testing it out. It's not my fault it was of inferior quality to what I asked."

There's another small pause, then a little laugh, "That's because you had way too high expectations. Honestly, I've told you before, you can't make something of the quality you were looking for with regular materials, you need the good shit for that…. Then again, opening my big fat mouth and telling you that is what got me dragged off to go and get some of the good shit to make your stupid sword in the first place! Ah well, at least it was worth it. Best damn sword I ever made, that thing wasn't gonna break!"

Even though she can't see him, he looks away from the phone in guilt, "Well… Actually Liz…"

There's a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the phone, before it explodes back out of Lizbeth in the form of incredulous near shouting, "You broke it?! How?!"

Klein, somewhat familiar with Liz after they met during the tournament, takes pity on him again and leans forward, "Hey Lizbeth, yeah I'm here too, I just wanted to say, you should really cut Kirito some slack. After all, it did break while he was fighting Heathcliff, who turned out to be Kayaba Akihiko by the way, in a duel to the death over the freedom of every player in the game, and Heathcliff's Holy Sword Skill did have a rather legendary defense, so…."

There's a heavy pause on the other end, "Oh…." Then her voice turns guilty, "Oh my god, Kirito I'm so sorry… I made you that sword and it broke when you needed it the most! I-"

He smiles lightly, "It's alright Liz. Actually, I got everyone's contact information, so other than passing that along, I was calling to apologize to you. You worked so hard on it and I went and broke it on Kayaba's shield… It was a damn good sword too, almost as good as Elucidator…"

Laughter spills through the phone, "You know, I would be offended that you think a boss drop weapon is better than something I poured my heart and soul into, but… Well, you really loved that sword, so you're totally biased." Then she sighs, "Well, I feel bad that it up and broke on you, and you feel bad for breaking it, so why don't we just agree no one needs to apologize and call it square, yeah?"

He chuckles lightly, "Fair enough. Well, I've actually gotta get going. I'm supposed to meet with Kikuoka in a bit. I'll be leaving Klein with a copy of the contact info I got, so I'll just give you his room's number and if you want anyone else's info you can call him." Quickly grabbing a pen off the bedside table he adds his cellphone number under the number to the phone in his room, "He also has my cell phone number for you to call, but I'll probably be busy over the next few days…"

"Whose Ki-" Then she sighs, "Never mind. I probably don't want to know. Yeah, ok, that sounds good. I'll talk to you later Kirito."

After giving her Klein's number, he hangs up. Turning his gaze to Klein, he smiles slightly, "Well, I need to be getting back, but it was nice seeing you Klein. Try not to go crazy with boredom or frustration."

Klein laughs lightly, "You too buddy. And listen, I know you're worried about Hanna, but you really don't need to be. That girl is the toughest person I've ever met."

He sighs, "I know. I just…"

Klein nods solemnly, "I know. She's your girl, of course you're going to worry. I'm just saying. She'll probably wake up any day now!"

He nods with a slight smile, "That she is." His mom comes over and starts pushing his wheelchair to take him back, so he just lazily lifts a hand over his shoulder. "See ya later Klein."

He holds up the vial full of a deceptively bright pink liquid, "So… This will dampen my connection to Marzanna and ease the strain on my body?

Lily nods solemnly, "Yes. It won't be pleasant, and the potion tastes terrible, like most do, but it'll stabilize you… You'll have to take it once a week, at least until- unless you and Marzanna bond."

He lowers the vial and gives her a questioning look, so she shrugs uncomfortably, "It's not common for someone to reject their soulmate, and I doubt you will, even though there's still more that Marzanna needs to be the one to tell you, but I don't want to make you feel like you absolutely must bond with Marzanna… Rejecting her would put an end to your symptoms as quickly as bonding would, so don't think it's necessary for your health either…"

She doesn't seem happy to be entertaining the idea that he might reject Marzanna, and the idea he might reject his personal Goddess seems utterly preposterous to him, but he respects the fact she wants to make sure he doesn't feel pressured nonetheless. He smiles slightly at her, "I appreciate you explaining that to me, but I honestly can't think of anything that would make me reject Marzanna."

She smiles slightly at that then nods to the vial, "Well either way, you'll have to take that until you two's fluctuating bond can be settled, one way or another."

He sighs, then gives her a sarcastic smile, "Well, bottoms up I suppose." Downing the vial quickly, he gags at the truly wretched taste. Covering his mouth as he coughs, he looks at Lily with watery eyes, "God, what was in that? No, no, wait, I change my mind. I don't want to know."

Lily grimaces slightly, "Yeah, that's… probably for the best… Some of the things in potions can be pretty disgusting…" Then she sighs, "Brace yourself. It should be kicking in within the next couple seconds."

He doesn't even get a chance to nod before it happens. It feels like there's a void in his mind, and it seems to drain away all warmth, leaving his mind a cold dark place where happiness was nothing more than a distant memory.

He shakes like a leaf, "How- How am I supposed to live like this?"

Lily sighs, "Well considering the alternative is possibly dying… The effect of dampening one's connection to their mate is like a weaker version of a Dementor's presence, a creature that devours souls and sucks all happiness from those nearby, leaving them with only their worst memories… The potion isn't as bad, you can still be happy, but given the comparable effects, it earned the nickname 'Dementor's Blood', though I assure you that isn't part of the ingredients that go into it… I truly am sorry that this is necessary…"

November 17th, 2024

Mike watches his sister with weary worry. It had been nine days since the majority of the players had woken up, and Kikuoka had finally gotten sick and tired of waiting to see if the remaining three hundred players wake on their own. So, being the weekend, he'd had Mike brought in, hoping to get some answers from Marzanna or her mind.

Mike however, was exceedingly doubtful of them getting any answers. He and his sister's twin bond had been unnaturally quiet considering his sister was still alive.

Mike is pulled from his thoughts as the device is finished being set up, still set to see everything from his perspective just in case. Quickly slipping the armband that was the part of the device connected to him, he enters his sister's mind without hesitation. However, when he opens his eyes after entering her mind, it isn't the cluttered yet pristine library he's gotten used to. Now, the room has been utterly trashed, there were cracks running through all of the bookshelves and the ground, and entire chunks of the ceiling had collapsed inward with shadows seeming to ooze out of the holes and drape themselves over the majority of the vast ruin.

This- This was terrible and he stares in absolute horror at the damage to his sister's mind. It's literally beginning to fall apart, and seems to be just barely holding itself together. He grows distantly aware of voices, his mother, his father, Kikuoka, but they're distorted and unimportant in the face of his sister's mind literally breaking apart. It's only when he resolutely collects himself that he realizes he's materialized on the Quidditch pitch rather than the central point he usually does, and that it's encased in a pristine dome of clear crystal.

Which explained how horrifyingly silent his sister's mind has been despite what has apparently been happening to her. She'd been protecting him. Wasting precious time and mental energy that could've been used protecting herself despite the fact that more often than not he was too far away for it to affect him anyway. And she'd probably- yes, he could just barely make out another crystal dome, smaller as it wasn't yet a full bond, but still protected. Despite the fact that it was equally stupid for her to waste energy on protecting Kazuto, seeing as without the full bond, the most this chaos would affect him would be a sense of unease and worry when he's in the room with Marzanna. Which happens already since he'd been taking that stupid potion, which seeing as it dulled their bond, left him protected anyway.

With a frustrated huff, Mike ignores the panicked chatter on the other end and marches over to the edge of the dome before placing a hand on it, "You listen to me, and you listen to me right now Marzanna, trying to protect us is stupid. Kazuto won't be affected at all, seeing as circumstances have forced us to take drastic measures and dull his side of your bond, and I'm rarely close enough to feel anything happening to you anyway, so stop wasting your already precious resources of time, focus and mental energy on us! And you let me out this instant and let me help. I don't want to risk damaging your mind further by forcing myself through but I will if you don't let me out of here right now."

There's a noticeable lack of reaction, so Mike sighs, "Fine, you wanna do it that way? We'll do it that way."

Concentrating as hard as he can, he summons his magic up, then attempts to force his way through the barrier his sister has set up as gently as possible. Which he knew was a self contradicting concept, but he'd try his Merlin damned hardest to pull it off. After a full minute of pushing on it with his magic, he begins to wonder just how much his sister had poured into these barriers, and his worry for her increases. Then finally, a segment of the dome shatters and the rest of it begins to rapidly crumble away as a result, miraculously without damaging the surrounding area of Marzanna's mindscape.

Immediately Mike falls to his knees with a cry, panting heavily as he stares at the ground with unseeing eyes. Despair, terror, and grief accompanied by an agony close to the Cruciatus Curse tears through him the instant the barrier is down. He understands why it was breaking his sister's mind apart, but rather than being drowned out, his anger at her waste of resources only flares up into a fury that coupled with his fierce determination dulls everything else to bearable levels. He wraps them around himself like an invisible armor, and the bombardment stops. It's only then that he notices the screaming, and that it's him.

Taking a deep breath he pulls himself together, makes his actual body stop screaming, and it's then that he hears his mother's frantic voice, a mere moment before he feels her start messing with the armband, attempting to try and yank him out of his sister's mind as she attempts to remove it.

He shakes his head rapidly, "No! Mom, stop! I've got it under control now, and Marzanna needs help."

His mother hesitates, torn between saving one of her children and protecting the other. It's a cruel choice for a mother to have to make, which is part of the reason he takes it from her, "You told me back when Hogwarts sent me the annual letter that I was free to make my own decisions, that you'd support me. Well, I'm choosing to help Marzanna, and even if you unplug that thing, I'm not going anywhere."

He hears his mother sniffle lightly, "But…"

He slowly pushes himself to his feet, "I know mom. I'm asking you to watch one of your children suffer for the sake of another, and it's unfair, maybe even cruel. I know that. This is my choice though, and I'm going to help my sister. You don't have to stay in the room, but I am doing this."

His mother takes a deep breath, "I understand… How are you coping with whatever that was?"

He heaves out a breath, "Basically shrouded myself in my fury and determination, which is acting as a barrier of sorts… Actually, that might've been part of the process Marzanna used to create those crystal barriers, though I doubt she used fury… Her love for us perhaps?"

There'd been a strangely tense silence on the other side as he mutters to himself, while he examines his surroundings closely, trying to decide where to start. Then suddenly, his dad sighs, "Fine ok… Honestly, of course I'm hesitant, you're my mate. There was no need to play dirty and question if I love our kids… That was a low blow."

His mother's voice washes over him from closer, irritation clear in her tone, "I love you babe, but you of all people should know that I don't fuck around when it comes to our children."

He's baffled and unsure of what's going on, at least until he feels his mother's soft fingers gently pull open his eyelids, and her presence enter his mind, then follow him along his link to Marzanna. A moment later she appears, her brow pinching with strain before a reddish aura seems to engulf her, exuding love, determination, fury, and a general but powerful strength, and though he's never actually felt this mental presence, it still feels like him, so he knows in a heartbeat that his dad is helping in his own way by protecting his mom, seeing as he doesn't have the sort of mental ability for this sort of work.

Dual tones of fury quickly mix into his mother's aura as both of his parents' rage mounts as they briefly feel for themselves what Marzanna is going through. His mother looks around with a critical eye, "We've got a lot of work to do. We should start with the nexus point in her mind. If we can stabilize and repair that, it'll start spreading naturally. Though, we'll likely have to continually do maintenance until we can figure out and put a stop to wherever is doing this to her."

Mike nods in agreement, knowing better than to argue with his mother's presence, especially after his little speech about making their own choices. Then he glances at his mother, "You get started on that. I'm going to break down that barrier surrounding Kazuto. She's wasting precious limited resources keeping them up under that strain, and I won't have her doing that when it's entirely unnecessary."

His mother nods, and they begin to make their way towards the nexus point. It takes a solid hour, in which Kikuoka leaves quickly, to pick their way through the rubble. They do some repair work along the way, but as they're saving their energy to take down the other barrier and begin restoring the nexus point, they only do things that will make it easier and quicker to get to the nexus point the next time they come.

When they finally reach the nexus point, they find the large open area situated dead center between the massive bookshelves has almost entirely crumbled away into an abyss, its edges dangerously close to collapsing and swallowing entire shelves despite their massive size. Mike is frozen with horror at the sight. As the nexus point, if it fully collapses, the rest of Marzanna's mind will follow at an alarming pace and it looks like Marzanna only had a day or two at most, without interference, before that happened. At this point, the damage isn't permanent despite how bad it seems, but if the nexus point disappears entirely…

Shaking his head, he shares a look of grim determination with his mother before her eyes narrow, "Dante, call Eva and Alessio and have them collect Severus as well. We… We're going to need a lot of help with this, at least in the repairing segment, maintenance should be easier once we've restored the nexus point, but…"

His father's reassuring, but absolutely furious voice comes from everywhere around him, "I'm already on it. You just focus on what you can do now."

Messages delivered, Mike nods resolutely at his mother, "I'm taking down that barrier now. If she hadn't been wasting resources, wasn't still doing it, it might not have gotten this bad so soon…"

His mother nods firmly, already kneeling at the edge of the abyss with her hands pressed against it, a gentle glow flowing from them and into the cracks, repairing them painfully slowly.

With no time to lose, he turns and carefully navigates around the utterly empty pit as quickly as he can. It's another twenty minutes before he arrives at the other barrier, despite her soulmate bond being incredibly close to the nexus point by nature. Eyeing it for a few moments, he carefully repeats the process used to take down the one around the representation of his twin bond to her.

Having a better grasp at how to tear down the barrier without hurting his sister, this one falls much faster. However, he comes to regret it almost instantly as the once quiet area is quickly filled with sobs. Rushing over to the bed, he pushes the canopy aside with slight panic. Immediately his eyes fall upon the very thing he'd been dreading from that first sob. His sister, curled up in the center of the bed, hadn't just been trying to protect her mate, she'd been taking refuge in their very bond itself, the smaller thing much easier to keep safe than the entirety of her mind. His gaze flickers to the rapidly breaking barrier, as horrified understanding washes over him and he realizes he'd stripped away his sister's final line of defense.

He quickly scoops up his sister, who doesn't seem to even register it, then dashes back to his mother quickly, attempting to wrap his sister in his own 'barrier', it doesn't seem to protect her as well as it does him, but her cries taper off into whimpers, "Mom! Mom help!"

His mother's head comes up, and her eyes widen as she hurries around the tiny ledge between the void and the shelves, "What happened?!"

As his mother begins examining her, he tightens his protective hold on his sister, "I- I made a colossal mistake. She- She wasn't just trying to protect Kazuto… She'd taken refuge in there."

His mother looks at him in shock, "She was hiding in their fledgling bond itself?" Then her expression turns grim as she shifts her gaze back to Marzanna, "In that case… I hate to see her suffer as much as you do, but this is for the best. Locking herself away from the majority of her own mind… It could only have been making this mess worse…." She furrows her brow in thought, then nods decisively, "Protect your sister as best you can for now. The others should be here soon, and they can help me with the nexus point. Once that's done, we'll help her erect a barrier around that instead to take refuge in. It should protect her from whatever this is while still giving het limited access to the rest of her mind…" Then she sighs and turns back to the abyss with grim determination, "Though that makes repairing this as soon as possible more important than ever…" She points a bit off to the side absently, "Go over there with your sister. Having her no longer sealed off and near the nexus point should make this a bit easier and quicker, but someone needs to protect her from this until we can get a barrier up…"

Mike nods and retreats a slight distance before carefully sitting down with his sister in his lap. How could things have gone so wrong so fast when things were just starting to look up? And how? Why? They needed the answers to this question, and soon, his sister was depending on it.

December 21st, 2024

Kazuto's eyes narrow suspiciously as nurse Aki comes in humming a merry tune. Though she had seemed to 'get used to him' after their… rough first meeting, he still wasn't overly fond of the woman.

So anything that could make her that happy was probably bad news for him. He supposes it could be completely unrelated to him, or perhaps just Christmas cheer since the holiday was so close, but he was suspicious nonetheless, "I'm probably not going to like your answer, but what's got you in such a good mood?"

Nurse Aki's smile widens, "Actually, I think you'll be ecstatic to hear this. Some of the patients, including yourself I might add, are being released today."

He stares at her for a moment, trying to decide if she's just yanking his chain. Upon realizing she's being honest, he can't help but smile in satisfaction. He was amongst quite a few players who had been pushing themselves as much as the doctors would allow in their physical therapy. Some of them just wanted to try and get their lives back on track as quickly as possible, but some, like him, couldn't stand being so weak and reliant on the nurses and were pushing themselves simply to be back on their own feet as quickly as possible.

He was incredibly happy that it was paying off. The past month and a half had been a real test of patience and mental fortitude between suddenly going from The Black Swordsman to someone so weak the nurses got huffy if he tried to simply go to the room next door to visit Marzanna without using a wheelchair. The 'going to the bathroom on his own' argument had been shut down faster than Asuna's attacks, with a steady glare and stubborn refusal.

He tilts his head back, "Home just in time for the holidays, huh?"

Nurse Aki nods, "Yes. The New Year's celebrations are bound to be spectacular this year, with so many finally coming home after two years, as I'm sure there will be more patients being released leading up to New Year's."

Kazuto huffs a laugh, "Yeah, probably. Who knows, my dad might even take some time off of work and come home this year… My mom said he did when I first got trapped…"

Nurse Aki smiles lightly, "I hope he does. After everything you kids went through in there, you deserve some time with your families…"

Kirito smiles warmly as he exits the house to a burst of laughter from Yui and Hanna. Closing the door and adjusting the cloak that was part of his casual clothes, he turns back to the message from Klein raving about the latest unfortunate girl to have met that his friend swore up and down was 'the one', just like the last twenty.

Yui giggles happily, "Come on Papa! Come play with us!"

He glances up briefly, then turns back to the message to reply, "Just a minute! I just need to finish replying to Klein!"

Of course, as soon as he sends the message and closes his menu a snowball hits him in the face. Looking up, he sees his mate grinning mischievously as Yui giggles madly. He can't help but laugh, "Oh, you're going to get it now! It's-"

He's cut off by a crash from inside the house, and whirls around in confusion. Looking through the window, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong in the house. The only thing he can see in the window is his own reflection staring back at him, clad in his full regular gear.

A wretched sob that hits him like a knife to the gut and twists in sounds from behind him, and when he turns, it's to see Hanna on her knees holding Yui's dress as she cries her heart out. He hurries over without hesitation, "Hanna?! Where's Yui?!"

She turns and glares at him hatefully as she shoots to her feet, "Don't act like you don't know! Cardinal deleted her and it's all your fault! You couldn't save her, you're too pathetic to do something like that! I hate you!"

A second later the ground starts shaking, and a loud rumbling surrounds him. As Aincrad begins to break apart and fall into the void. Whirling around, he's horrified to see their house crumble away. When he turns back, Hanna is suddenly pressed against him as warm liquid covers his hand.

She chuckles bitterly in his ear, "We're going to die in a few minutes anyway, but that just wasn't quick enough for you, was it? You murderer."

After uttering those words she bursts into polygons, and his gaze slowly drops in horror. Only to see Elucidator in his hand, both the blade and his hand covered in her blood. Dropping the sword, he stumbles back a few steps in shock before falling down.

A moment later a cold voice breaks through his horrified silence, "You didn't honestly think I'd let you all go? Just like that?" Slowly turning his head, he sees Kayaba staring at him in disdain, "Of course not. But you did kill me, so Aincrad will be deleted with everyone still inside. Enjoy your victory, Kirito, and know it's all your fault."

Shooting up with a gasp, it takes Kazuto a minute to realize he's in his room, in the real world. He looks around slowly, the gaping void in his mind feeling like a gushing wound, 'A nightmare… Just a nightmare…'

His gaze shifts to the NerveGear sitting innocently on a shelf. Getting up, he goes over to look at the cross between a digital and analog clock with a digital readout of the date in the lower corner, on his wall. He sees his own reflection on the clean metal surface and realizes there are tears on his face.

He rubs them away quickly, but his eyes tear up again, though thankfully they don't fall. He sighs, "I've… become such a crybaby, Marzanna…" Then he glances down at the date, "January 19th already…"

He sighs, in other words it had already been two and half months since they'd gotten out of Aincrad, and yet Marzanna... A loud 'hya!' pulls him from his wayward thoughts with a smile. Suguha was likely outside next to the pond on their property, doing some kendo exercises. She had, unknowingly of course, been a huge help in his coping with the side effects of having to take that damned potion.

Leaving his room, he swings by the kitchen to pick two bottles of mineral water, before going out to the porch. Sure enough, there was his little sister doing exactly as he'd expected. Sitting himself down in a comfortable position, he watches her for a bit with a smile, occasionally sipping one of the bottles.

Not wanting to distract her, he doesn't say anything until she finishes and turns. She looks startled, probably not having expected to see him sitting there, but he simply smiles warmly, "Morning Sugu."

She squirms slightly, still not used to him 'suddenly' appearing behind her. It wasn't his fault he'd learned how to walk with utterly silent footsteps in Aincrad, but he couldn't blame his mother and sister for their reactions when he snuck up on them without thinking about it.

Fidgeting with her shinai, she stutters out a response, "M-M-Morning…" He tosses one of the bottles of mineral water to her, and she nearly drops it, but manages to catch it before it falls. Then she gives him a slightly irritated look, "Honestly… If you were watching, you should've said something."

He tilts his head, "Well… You were just so into it. I didn't want to distract you."

She moves over to sit on the edge of the porch next to him, "I really wasn't. It's just a habit now."

She sets the shinai down, leaning it against the porch, to drink the water he'd brought her. He picks it up, holding it in front of him with both hands, "You've kept it up this whole time." There's a brief pause, then without thinking about it, he murmurs, "It's so light…"

"Eh?" Looking over, he sees Suguha lowering the bottle and giving him a weird look, "That's timber bamboo, so it's pretty heavy."

He blushes a tiny bit at automatically trying to judge the practice weapon based on its weight as he had so many times in Aincrad, "Oh, um… Well… I guess it just isn't as heavy as I'm used to…"

Setting it back down, he grabs his own bottle of water, chugging at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Suguha give him another weird look before turning her gaze to the ground and mumbling, "What are you comparing it to?"

Finishing his water, he glances at her before looking away with an embarrassed flush, "Ah, well… I did it without thinking about it really, but… I was comparing it to my swords in Aincrad… They were so much heavier... " Then he shakes his head and smiles slightly at her, "Want to give it a go?"

She gives him a curious look as he stands up and starts stretching, "A go? You mean sparring? With protective gear?"

Kazuto hums, "Yeah. Aincrad may have had sword skills, but the difference between the ok players and the good ones was the ability to fight good manually. I won't pretend to be an expert, but I'd like to think that as one of the best players in that game that I picked up a few things. I'm curious how I'll match up to you… Especially since I was using my own style of fighting rather than something more along the lines of the standard style, but if you're alright with that…. We still have grandfather's gear, right? Let's do it in the dojo."

Suguha hums, "I don't mind you using your own style, but you sound pretty confident. I was a quarterfinalist in the middle school nationals. Think you stand a chance?"

He laughs lightly, "I didn't know that actually. Good job Sugu. There's only one way to find out though, isn't there?"

She smiles lightly, "Thank you Onii-chan, and yeah, I suppose so!" Then her smile slips away as she looks at him with worry, "But, are you sure you feel up to it? You shouldn't stress your body."

He gives her a reassuring smile, "I'll show you the results of all that rehab I've been doing at the gym."

She looks at him with worry for a few more moments, then smiles, "Ok then."

Their property wasn't huge, per say, but it was nice and spacious. The dojo was near the back on the east side, and as per their grandfather's wishes, it hadn't been destroyed when he passed. Seeing as Suguha was the only one to use it, it was up to her to keep it clean and the training gear well maintained, which she did dutifully.

Heading inside, the two quickly get into protective gear, then move until they're in the middle of the dojo with the standard starting distance between them. Bowing to one another, they both move into their stances. Suguha eagerly moves into a standard centered one, holding her shinai right in front of her with both hands, but Kazuto moves into his regular stance, widening the distance between his feet and lowering his center of mass.

He can just make out her giving him a weird look past her protective gear, but having been warned that he'd use his own style, she says nothing about it. After a moment, Suguha simply shakes her head, then refocuses, "Here I go."

He nods, "Okay."

She begins to edge forward, but then pauses as though second guessing herself. His stance seems to throw her off, leaving her unsure how to respond, not that he can blame her. It was perfectly understandable, given that at first glance his stance seems to leave him wide open in the front, seeing as his shinai was held out to the side and slightly behind him.

Deciding against waiting for his hesitant sister to start the match, he rushes forward, bringing his sword up at her unprotected side. The sudden move seems to startle his sister, as it's clear she moves back from the attack purely on reflex, and her swing at his sword arm seems mechanical, though admittedly perfectly timed. Had he not been expecting it, he might have dropped his shinai, but he does, so he brings his arm closer and with a fluid almost swaying motion switches the shinai to his other hand and swings again. Suguha quickly ducks and moves back so the starting distance is between them again, looking utterly confused.

He chuckles lightly, before casually saying, "I probably should've mentioned. My girlfriend comes from a family with a tradition of learning how to use actual swords and the like rather than these bamboo ones, and she took it upon herself to teach me how to 'properly' fight during the past two years."

Suguha looks shocked for a moment, then seems to grow ridiculously determined to win in this fight where nothing but victory itself was on the line. Well, that and a bit of pride. He'd been The Black Swordsman, and she was apparently a regional quarterfinalist. He honestly doesn't see why she was so determined, but if it means that much to her, he'd give it his all out of respect for her. It would be utterly rude to challenge her and then hold back after it starts to mean something to her.

She dashes forward, going for his arm again, likely thinking him distracted, but he evades easily, pulling his arm back and twisting his body just enough to let it move clean past with a tiny gap, used to conserving himself with minimalistic dodges. That seems to startle her again, and it's then that he remembers that she had always been known for her high speed strikes. Though they had nothing on Hanna's or Asuna's strikes. Though, to be fair the real world was slower in general than what he'd grown used to, and that includes himself.

Nevertheless, when the already serious Suguha begins a furious assault, he dodges each blow with a practiced ease. His sister's fighting style was straight forward, stiff, and easy to read, compared to Hanna's confusing near dancing style she used when not trying to intimidate someone, like Kuradeel and the Army, or when she was fighting bosses, whose learning algorithms were based on predicting the group as a whole, rather than individual players. In irritation at being so thoroughly thwarted, his sister forcibly attempts to close the distance and lock swords with him, likely knowing that his still recovering body wouldn't be able to hold up all that well under her own body's well trained strength.

His initial reaction is to simply cross swords and push her off balance, but at the last moment he remembers that he doesn't have his rather impressive strength stat and twists out of the way before beginning to manually go through the motions of a thirteen hit sword skill. His sister tries to keep up with the furious attack, but is overwhelmed, the eleventh hit smacking her shinai from her hands and the twelfth almost striking true, but stopping just barely an inch short.

He playfully taps her helmet with his shinai, and Suguha stares wide eyed it for a moment, then slowly lets out a shaky breath, "Well… I'd say your girlfriend did a good job teaching you…"

He laughs lightly as he pulls the training weapon away, "She mostly just let me develop my own style based off of the one handed sword skills. Though she did correct things in my style that seemed to work in theory, but didn't hold up so well in practice, and helped me practice doing the sword skills manually. That's actually what that last thing was, it was a… recreation, if you will, of a high level one handed straight sword Skill called Savage Judgement…."

Finishing his explanation, he absently goes to sheath his weapon, then after a moment, realizes his mistake and pulls the shinai back around and looks at it with a slightly embarrassed flush, "Old habits die hard, don't they…."

Suguha giggles lightly, "You've become rather straightforward and blunt Onii-chan."

He shrugs lightly with a grin, "Blame it on Marzanna. That girlfriend of mine is American after all…"

Suguha shakes her head slightly, then moves to start removing the protective gear, "Come on. Let's go get breakfast."

He sighs, but nods. Neither of them were very good at cooking, their skill only really extended to sandwiches and salads, and that got old remarkably fast. Still, food was food he supposed. At the very least, it was better than what counted as a minimalistic meal in Aincrad, though it had been a while since he'd had to be conservative and stick to that. Despite how much time it's been since that was how he got by, sandwiches and salads were nevertheless still preferable to just a small loaf of bread and a jug of water after all.