SAO: Avenger

by JCK824TO

It's been two months since SAO was cleared. But the 300 players remain comatose, including Asuna Yuuki. But when he learns about the arranged marriage & the possibility of Asuna in ALfheim Online, Kazuto, & his friends, dive into ALO in search of her. However, they're not the only ones. Steve Rogers, Thomas Anderson, & the Howler Platoon dives in to investigate.

20. Chapter 20

Camp Zama:

"Landing point confirmed. Making approach now."

Everyone felt the Quinjet slowed down and begins to descend slowly.

"I know that you can't quite see out, Captain America," the co-pilot called back, "but you've got quite a welcome party, sir!"

"That's good to hear..." Captain Burke admitted.

Kazuto and Asuna still held each other tenderly. Asuna cooed from Kazuto's gentle touches and hugs him closer.

"I wonder what they would be serving for lunch..." She asked.

"Not sure, Asuna..." Kazuto answered while returning the hug. "But we'll find out once we land..."

"I'm pretty sure that you two will see the menu once your debriefing is finished..." Lieutenant Preston replied.

"I called ahead," Captain America said, "I advised Base that we have five hungry civilians including ourselves to feed. I asked that the most nutritional rations be prepped in the chow hall for our visitors."

"Good to hear..." Asuna smiled.

"The least I can fix y'all for this goat rodeo," Captain America said.

"The ride's not that rough..." Kazuto chuckled.

"The whole day, I mean," Captain clarified.

"You have to excuse my Captain's Texan," Iron Man chuckled.

"It's alright," Asuna giggled. "I still can't believe that we've repelled Hydra together..."

"And for the third time no less," Kazuto smirked.

"Very true, which is very impressive..." Iron Man commented with a smirk.

Kouichirou got a real close up of his sister, and how she carried herself. Asuna and her husband Kazuto took on Hydra three times and came out victorious. She was strong, confident, and straight-forward...

'My little sister's growing up...' He thought.

Shouzou on the other hand, seemed more concerned for Asuna at the moment. While he was proud of his daughter's bravery against Hydra.

"Asuna," Shouzou began, "you know how much danger you and your beloved are in, do you not?"

"Yes, father... I am very aware of it..." Asuna answered. "... But even if we did nothing, Hydra will continue to come after us. They won't stop until they get what they want regardless..." She explains. "... Which is why we took a stand against them..."

Kazuto held Asuna tightly.

"However... We're not gonna sit by and let Hydra control our lives..." She continued. "We can't have our lives return normal after what we've been through together in SAO anyway..."

"And I will not let Hydra take Asuna... never as long as I'm fighting by her side," Kazuto affirmed. "And our friends will fight alongside with us... Until the very end..."

Minetaka chuckled. "No offense son, but I think we would rather think about the rest of your lives than the end."

"Oh... Right..." Kazuto chuckled nervously.

"You know, you two remind me of Anderson..." Iron Man commented. "He and Jenny Wakeman were as sappy in their days as you both. Even after the old US government went after him for his stance against the Accords and her tranformation to save her life, they're still together through thick and thin."

That seemed to strike a chord with Shouzou and Minetaka.

"It wasn't easy for them during those years..." Iron Man continued.

"Nothing was easy then," Captain America added as the Quinjet descended, "and nothing worthwhile about life gets any easier."

"Very true..." Iron Man agreed.

Kazuto and Asuna felt the plane tap the ground, sending a softer than expected jolt through the cabin.

"We're here!" The pilot called out. "Welcome to Camp Zama, lady and gentlemen!"

The ramp to the Quinjet opens up and lowers to the ground.

"Everyone... follow me," Captain prompted as he slung his rifle.

Kazuto helped Asuna up to her feet. "Here we go, Milady," Kazuto teased.

Asuna raised an eyebrow. "Now that's a new one."

"It's courtesy for he husband to escort his wife safely..." Kazuto explained with a smirk.

Asuna hummed with both amusement and delight. "In that case, lead the way... Hubby..." She giggles.

"I could not agree more, Kazuto-kun," Shouzou hummed approvingly.

"Same here, father..." Kouichirou agreed.

"And I've got to make sure they both make it to trial and the church on time," Minetaka joked.

This caused both Kazuto and Asuna to blush.

"Alright people, save the teasing for later," Captain prompted.

"I agree, as much as I enjoy seeing the young couple's sweet moments..." Iron Man agreed. "We should get going..." As Captain America and Iron Man emerged out of the Quinjet, they were greeted with cheers and applause from the soldiers under their command.

"Glad to have you back, Captain!" One soldier cheered.

"We were just about to follow 7-1 over to kick some Hydra butt!" Another chimed in.

"But it seems that those two love birds had all the fun!" A third exclaimed with delight.

Kazuto and Asuna were not sure whether to go out yet...

"Are they coming out?!" One soldier asked. "We heard you were escorting them, Captain!"

Minetaka came behind Kazuto and Asuna. "It's alright, I've got your back."

"Thanks dad..." Kazuto smiled, now with confidence.

Shouzou and Kouichirou held Asuna's other hand and nodded.

"We also have support for you and Kazuto-kun..." Shouzou said.

"We'll be behind you both," Kouichirou added.

"Thanks father, brother..." Asuna gave a meek smile. Kazuto and Asuna then walked out into the light.

"There they are!" One soldier shouted. Everyone cheered as the two teenage couple stepped out of the Quinjet.

"Three cheers for Captain America and the Alfheim heroes!"

Iron Man II chuckled and whispered to Kazuto and Asuna. "You two are more popular than Tony Stark when he revealed to the world that he's Iron Man..."

"O-Okay..." Asuna nodded sheepishly. Captain America saluted the troops as they cheered for his return, and for Kazuto and Asuna.

"This is like whenever we cleared floors from SAO..." Kazuto said softly in Asuna's ear.

"Hey Asuna Yuuki and Kazuto Kirigaya! Thanks for helping our Captain come back home!"

"I think they're married!" Another soldier corrected. "It's Kazuto and Asuna Kirigaya!"

"Well, they will be soon!"

"When's the wedding!?" One soldier asked.

"Invite us along will ya!?"

"I love weddings! Drinks all around!"

Asuna held onto Kazuto with a red-flushed face.

"Alright gentlemen, let's give it a rest!" Iron Man raised his hands and voice. "The Captain and his guests have had a long morning and can use some chow and a break!"

There was a crowd of murmurs of agreements as everyone begin clearing away. Captain America led the way for his guests through the crowd of soldiers.

"Quite a warm welcome here..." Kazuto commented. A few of the younger soldiers gave whistles to Kazuto as Asuna held on to him.

"A very warm welcome..." Asuna agreed. Her flushing face redder than a cherry tomato.

---

Dicey Café:

Andrew racked up the numbers as Trish helped cook and serve. During the Battle in Yokota Air Base, more people started to come in. Many were glued to the coverage, and once it became clear that the good guys prevailed, everyone realized that it was already near-noon.

"This is quite a turnout. Right, Suguha?" Alex asked while observing the large crowd. However, Suguha was too busy eating. Alex just shrugs and resumes eating his lunch.

"Sorry Alex... but I was just so... taken in by this American lunch... what is this again?" Suguha blushed.

"The Dicey Café Deluxe Cheeseburger with gourmet fries..." Alex answered. Suguha took another bite, and moaned cutely. Alex chuckles at the sight of his girlfriend's cuteness before taking a bite of the Dicey Café gourmet pizza.

Midori giggled a bit at her daughter's joy. "The food here is very delicious..." She commented.

"Trish is a very good cook," Alex added, "she's got that... homely touch."

"She sure does..." Midori chimed.

"Agreed..." Randy added before taking a bit out one of the hot dogs.

Andrew watched over the lunch crowd and took orders, when a couple of American Navy officers in uniform entered. "Welcome to the Dicey Café," Andrew greeted the Navy officers. "How may I help you both?"

"You Andrew Mills?" One of the officers asked.

"Why... yes," Andrew nodded.

"Then you know Alexander Mitchell?" The young officer asked. Andrew looked at the name on their uniforms.

"Mitchell..." Andrew realized. "You must be his father and brother..." Andrew deduced.

"We heard that he was with Kazuto Kirigaya's family," Jonathan said, "and someone told us they came here for breakfast."

"He is... Alex's over there with Kazuto's sister and mother..." Andrew gestured towards one of the tables. "I'll take you two to him...And may I say... you two look good after what you both went through at RECT," Andrew remarked, "they didn't hurt you too bad?"

"We've been through worse..." The young officer replied.

Midori looked up and saw Andrew with the two uniformed sailors.

"Mom?" Suguha asked after she noticed.

"Andrew Mills-san?" Midori asked.

"These two gentlemen are looking for Alex Mi-" Andrew was cut mid-sentence when Alex looked up.

"Dad? Jon?"

"Son," David greeted.

"Little brother..." Jonathan added.

Alex stood up. He then embraced both his father and older brother.

"Good to see you again, son," David beamed. Alex felt his older brother tighten his hug.

"Alex, I'm so glad that you are okay," Jonathan said, "that creature forced us to watch the whole thing."

"I know, Jon..." Alex replied. Jon's hugs became tighter.

"But I'm alright now, and so are Kazuto, Asuna, and Sugu here."

David and Jon turned to the girl with short, black hair.

"Wait... you mean that's Leafa?" Jonathan asked.

"That's me..." Suguha replied. "And it's Suguha... Suguha Kirigaya..."

Jonathan chuckled as he looked upon her. Suguha appeared beautiful, yet sheepish.

"Well lookie here..." Jonathan gave a teasing grin to Alex. "My little brother has grown up and found himself a real looker."

Suguha blushes from the older Mitchell brother's compliment.

"Big brother!" Alex blushed.

"What? Just saying that you got yourself a girl from visiting VR..." Jon chuckled. "Was she from SAO?"

"Alfheim Online to be exact..." Suguha clarified, still blushing. "I first met Alex here on Alfheim."

"Probably on the first day even..." David observed. He still remember Alex starting to log on the new game Alfheim Online. David knelt down next to Suguha. After what she, Alex, Kazuto, and Asuna went through that night. It was a lot for them to take in one go.

"You're Alex's dad," was all Suguha could manage.

"That's correct, Miss..." David nodded. "I'm sorry that you and my son went through all that."

"I-It's alright..." Suguha said. Repressing the horrible memory. "But we managed to get through it..."

"And here we are, safe and victorious," Alex quickly said. He turned and hugged the female Kirigaya with tender care.

"Well, for what it's worth," David said, "it's wonderful to meet you with my son."

"T-Thanks..." Suguha smiled.

"We should introduce you to mom later..." Jon suggested.

David then looked up to Midori. "And you must be her mother." He extended a hand. "I'm Captain David Mitchell."

"It's nice to meet you, Captain Mitchell..." Midori chimed as she took his hand and shook it. "I'm Midori Kirigaya... Suguha's and Kazuto's mother..."

"My husband's with Kazuto and Asuna..." She added.

"We know, we saw your son and his wife kick Hydra butt on TV..." Jon smiled. "Didn't think they'd take on Hydra like that..."

"Then again..." Jon added. "They did fight for their survival back in SAO..."

"Speaking of which," Midori said, "Suguha, didn't you say that your brother and sister-in-law were with the new Captain America?"

"I believe so..." Suguha answered. "The last I heard was that he was going to go with Asuna and her family off the base."

"Umm... actually I got sources in the Army saying that they've been transferred to Army custody," Jonathan revealed, "what I heard was that Captain Burke was taking them to his base at Camp Zama for debriefing."

It was then Rika spoke up. "I hope they're not in trouble... Just because they decided to help the new Captain America..."

"Yeah, we've had enough of friends and help getting in trouble with the military," Scott huffed. "Haven't they learned after what happened a few years ago?"

"Slow down, Scott," Jonathan held his hands up. "Everything will be alright. No need to get worked up. From what I heard, they are not in trouble, but the Army just wants to have a full picture of their combat alongside Captain America against the new Red Skull."

"Really?" Rika asked.

"And they'll be accompanied by Captain Burke himself," David added.

Alex sighed and asked his brother, "Jon, will they be alright."

Jonathan seemed confident, "I've only heard of Taylor's brother, but from his reputation and what Taylor said, Chris is a man of honor, integrity, and concern for the innocent. Especially after his name was just cleared... I think your friends have more than a chance."

"Good... Because we don't want any of our friends be thrown in the jail cell just for saving lives..." Alex replied.

"I'm sure," Jonathan reassured.

Suguha pressed herself in Alex's embrace. "At least they are both safe..."

"Along with Captain America and the others..." Alex added.

---

Back in America ~ Enroute to Arizona:

The tour bus drives through the interstate. Hailey just looked out of the bus window... her mind not on the tour. She kept thinking about the attack at the Yokota Air Base.

"Chris..." She was not sure that she wanted to know what happened. Hailey prayed that Chris had survived the attack.

Kaylee then ran up to her seat. "Hailey girl! You won't believe it!"

Hailey snapped herself out of her thoughts. "What is it, Kaylee?"

"Turn on the news!" Kaylee was breathless, "it sounds... it sounds like he made it!"

"He has?!" Hailey quickly grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

"This is New America News with a special bulletin on Yokota Air Base in Japan." The live footage of the Yokota base in ruins displays on the screen. "The US Air Force has regained control of the airspace around Yokota as the air base lies in ruins after a two-hour aerial attack by US aircraft..."

"An attack, started by Hydra fight after the trial against Captain Christopher Burke was dropped. Was thwarted by a handful of army personal and two Japanese teenagers." The news anchor continued. "And we can now confirm that Captain Chris Burke is alive and well."

The camera then turned to Chris Burke, who's sporting his Captain America outfit. Hailey was surprised, as this was the first time she had ever seen Chris in his new Captain America armor. She also saw two teenagers with Chris and Steve Rogers.

"That's Asuna Yuuki," Hailey recognized the chestnut-haired Japanese girl from the news. "And that boy with him is Kazuto Kirigaya..."

Kaylee was also watching. "Crazy, ain't it? I mean, those two teens who start the 'Captain Burke is my Captain America' video tread also took on Hydra single-handedly..."

Hailey slumped back in her seat. As more footage of the battle earlier was playing, she could see the super powers the teens are displaying.

"We have not been able to get any statements from US Forces Japan, as the headquarters has taken hits from the bombs.."

Hailey sinks into her thoughts again. All of this was a lot for her to take in at once. She never could stop thinking about him since 2022.

"Chris..." She mumbled to herself. However, a plan was beginning to form in her head. She didn't pay any attention to the news.

"Hailey?" Kaylee asked. "What do you think would happen now?"

"We're supposed to end our tour in Los Angeles on the thirty-first, right?" Hailey asked.

"That's correct?" Kaylee answered.

Hailey sat up. "Can we get a personal tour scheduled in Japan," she asked, "I would like my agent to check with the Pentagon."

"Japan?" Kaylee did a double-take. "You sure you wanna go to Japan?" The stylist friend then started to realize. "Wait, you're not-"

"I'm heading to Japan to look for Chris..." Hailey stated.

Kaylee sighed, "girl, you haven't talked to him in years. Do you know if he even has the same feelings for you anymore?"

"True... But that doesn't mean I can't try..." Hailey looked intently at her friend. "I have to know."

Kaylee hesitated for a moment before she responded. "Alright... I'll see what I can do..."

"Thanks..." Hailey said with a sigh. Hailey then stared out towards the west as the evening sun faded beyond the horizon.

'I don't really know what happened to make you become distant, Chris...' She thought to herself. 'But no matter what happens, I'm coming over to Japan and find you...'

---

Camp Zama, five minutes after debriefing:

Kazuto and Asuna headed on to the base's canteen. Kazuto was exhausted and worn down from the questioning. "That was tiring."

"Tell me about it..." Asuna groaned. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. They then saw Captain Burke and Lieutenant Preston in front of them. Both were back in their standard Army uniforms.

"Glad to see that you two finished up your debriefing..." Preston stated. He then noticed the teens being less than enthusiastic. "You two look like crud... no offense."

"None taken..." Asuna replied. "We always found ourselves exhausted during big quests, missions, or floor clearings..."

"But honestly, your questioners are like interrogators," Kazuto added.

"I questioned similarly as well," Captain Burke said, "but them getting the details right is what will keep you guys out of a brig."

"Very true..." Kazuto agreed.

"Now... both your parents are waiting, let's go," Chris shook his head. Burke and Preston escorted Kazuto and Asuna towards the canteen. They see Minetaka, Shouzou, and Kouichirou sitting in one of the tables chatting.

"Mr. Yuuki," Captain Burke called out.

Shouzou turned his attention towards Burke and stood up.

"I've brought your daughter and son-in-law from questioning," Chris gestured to the two.

"Thank you, Captain Burke..." Shouzou said with a bow.

"Father," Asuna greeted as she was taken in by his embrace.

"Asuna..." Shouzou replied as he held his daughter.

Minetaka regarded his roguish adopted son with a knowing smirk. "You got your rite of passage, I see," he joked.

"Dad..." Kazuto replied with a blushing face. "You make it sound like I'm delinquent."

"Not really," Minetaka continued to smirk. "But I'm getting the feeling that the wedding would be sooner than we think..."

"Minetaka-san!" Asuna blushed red, "my dad and brother are here!"

"It's alright, Asuna-chan..." Shouzou chuckled. "If it's all fair, your beloved Kazuto has more than earned my approval by saving you from Hydra."

"Same goes for me as well, Asuna-nechan..." Kouichirou smirked. "Kazuto-kun has done what I could never do for the past two years."

Despite being embarrassed by her family, Asuna knew that they're correct.

"Not to be a downer," Captain America said, "but aren't they still under the legal age of marriage? I can recall that the age is 18 years just like back in the States."

It was then Kazuto spoke up. "That's true, Captain Burke... But Asuna and I got married while we were trapped in SAO..."

"Really?" Preston asked with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't think that's possible..."

"That's because there was an actual marriage system," Chris told his lieutenant.

"Well... Since these two lovebirds got married in SAO..." Preston observed. "Technically, they're married in real life as well..."

"Gaming and real life legalities are not the same, Lieutenant," Chris reminded. "Unless an exception is made, they will be waiting another two to three years for the law to recognize the marriage."

"I'm pretty sure some exceptions will be made..." Preston replied. "... After all, these two been through a lot in SAO and beyond..."

"You wish it was that simple," Chris shook his head.

"Hmmm..." Shouzou put a hand to his chin, "maybe I can put a word in with Kikuoka-san and a few contacts in the Diet and the Cabinet..."

Asuna perked up upon hearing this. "Really, father?"

Shouzou adjusted his seat to sit up more. "While it will take some time for the Yuuki family name to be expunged of what Nobuyuki and Hydra did at RECT, I believe that Japan owes you and Kazuto-kun a great debt after what we nearly came to..."

Both Asuna and Kazuto did double-takes. Were their ears deceived them? It sounded like it was too good to be true.

"You sure that can be done?" Chris asked with raised eyebrows.

"After what had happened. I'm pretty sure it'll happen..." Shouzou reassured him with a smile.

"I've met with Kikuoka since he's one of my superiors," Minetaka nodded, "I think you will find him most reasonable."

"Well..." Preston's smile grew big. "I guess it's settled..."

"It still needs to play out, Lieutenant," Burke reminded him. He then turned to Kazuto and Asuna. "You both must be hungry."

"We are, Captain..." The two teens replied in unison. Kazuto's stomach then growled, causing him to get shy all of a sudden.

"It's a shame that we're not home... I can make excellent dishes..." Asuna giggles.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, good chow is good chow, so let's get you both squared away." Chris led the lovebirds towards the lunch line. The two teens looked at the menus that's displayed before them. It has various options. Turkey and chicken dinners, meat loaf, hamburger/cheeseburger meals, hot dogs, and something called the chef's special.

"Interesting..." Kazuto observed the menu.

"I can't decide," Asuna admitted, "I don't know much about American food."

Kazuto then turned to Chris. "Any ideas?"

Chris nodded. "Allow me."

"Thank you, Captain..." Asuna stepped aside for Chris to observe the menu.

"Chef," Chris called.

"Sir?" The chef approached Burke.

"Give the Japanese lovebirds following me your best shot with the special. I want them afforded maximum American hospitality after this morning."

"Yes sir..." The chef replied before he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

A younger cook asked, "and you, sir?"

"A meatloaf will do," Chris said.

The younger cook nodded before he too headed into the kitchen.

"Thank you again, Captain..." Asuna said.

"Just wanna have you two feel comfortable here after today..." Chris replied. "You need not have come and end up enduring the questioners, so this is the least I can do for the both of you."

"Again, thanks Captain..." Kazuto added. Asuna then noticed more of Chris' resemblance to Taylor, even if it was a passing one. She still remembered seeing Taylor during her days as the Knights of Blood Sub-Commander. Chris was a more jaded soldier, but some of Taylor seemed to live on in him. She and Kazuto took the death of Taylor very hard back in SAO.

"Don't mention it, Kirigaya."

Kazuto and Asuna checked the menu for drinks. They see that they have water, soda, lemonade, limeade, orange juice, cola, iced tea, hot tea, coffee, cappuccino, and hot chocolate.

Asuna fanned herself as she felt a little warm. "I'm gonna have lemonade..." She stated.

"Same here..." Kazuto agreed.

They were given two cups of lemonade. The took sips of the lemonades.

"Mmmm... Refreshing..." Asuna cooed.

"Refreshing indeed, despite not being summer..." Kazuto added with a chuckle.

"True..." Asuna giggled. They continued on through the line. The two chefs came out of the kitchen with the trays with steaming dishes sitting on top.

"Excellent work, chef," Chris said.

"Thank you..." Kazuto and Asuna said in unison as they took their trays. Captain Burke accepted his meatloaf and hot chocolate with a nod. Kazuto and Asuna looked at the trays to see what they've got. They were surprised to see fried noodles with pork, steak slices, scallops, shrimp, onions, and green and red peppers. The noodles were brown with soy sauce. Asuna thought it looked like a Chinese dish with some American touches.

"Wow... This looks delicious..." Asuna commented.

"Same here..." Kazuto agreed.

"I hope you both have big appetites," Chris simply said as he walked back with them.

"We sure do... Battles like that must've worked up an appetite..." Asuna chimed. She looked at Chris' meatloaf dish. It was much more moderate than she would have expected of a big man, especially a super soldier.

"That's interesting..." Asuna pointed out the meatloaf.

"I don't eat that much," Chris admitted.

"I think Asuna was referring to the meatloaf..." Kazuto explained.

"I don't think I've seen it up close like this," Asuna admitted.

"It's comfort food back home," Chris replied, "good after this long morning."

"We should make this one night..." Asuna suggested.

"Perhaps we could ask Alex about these food recipes from America..." Kazuto agreed. The three returned to their table just as Preston returned with his food with the Yuukis and Minetaka in tow. Preston has a couple of hot dogs on his plate covered in ketchup and mustard.

"Lieutenant," Chris greeted.

"Captain," Preston greeted back. Kazuto and Asuna sat down with their noodles, with Chris beside them.

"What a day this has been..." Preston commented before he took a bite in one of the hot dogs.

"The day is still young, you know," Chris raised an eyebrow as he dug in.

"True... But it does felt like a whole day's passed... That's how it is when you're in the Marines..."

"Marines?" Asuna tilted her head in curiosity. "Aren't you in the Army?"

"I am... But this was years before SAO and the second civil war, I joined the Marines after I graduated from high school." Preston replied. He then continued. "After my parents were killed on 9/11, I wanted to make a difference with my life. I wanted to join the US armed forces to fight in the Middle East, but I had to wait until my 18th birthday..."

Both Kazuto and Asuna felt sad for Preston's tragedy.

"Your parents..." Asuna said softly... "But where did you live with?"

"With my grandparents in Coney Island..." Preston answered. "At least, I had a home to grow up in until graduation..." Preston answered. "Both of whom have passed away one month before the Battle of New York City..."

"Anyway... During my six years in the marines, I've learned a lot of things during both training and combat. I even made Lieutenant back then... That was, until 2016, when the United Nations passed the Sokovia Accords and things went downhill from there-on..."

"And that's when you resigned?" Kazuto asked. He took a bite of one of the noodles.

Preston took two bites of the hot dog before he continued. "I stayed with the marines until late that year... When Campbell was running his presidential campaign, he vowed he'd get rid of the Sokovia Accords and create a middle-ground for both sides to agree with..." He sighed sadly. "However, the US government didn't like Campbell... To them, Campbell was a barrier between them and total control of the whole country. And the thought of Anderson Tech Industries allied with Campbell to abolish the Accords also rubbed them the wrong way..."

Asuna turned to Chris. "What did you think when the Accords situation occurred?"

Chris just shook his head. "A total slap in the face. I stopped believing in President Ellis the moment Steve Rogers was falsely branded a criminal and traitor. I had friends in the Army and at home who were forcefully detained without due process and fair trial."

"And that's not all..." Preston continued. "... One of the senators, Ellen Nadeer, co-conspired of assassinating both Campbell and the Andersons. She used her connections with the Watchdogs and had a bomb planted at the rally that was held at Frankville, Virginia. While the bomb succeeded of killing Campbell. They only took out John Anderson... Thomas himself was at the right place when he found out and tried to warn them about the bomb... He was too late..."

"Believe it or not," Chris added, "I was one of the Rangers deployed on the ground to secure the site." He shook his head. "It was not pretty... I even met with Anderson who was still in shock of witnessing his father being killed by the bomb blast... I practically had to drag him to safety as he held Senior's body."

"I still remember seeing the news report on the whole incident..." Preston remarked with a sad tone.

Kazuto looked to Chris. "You were there?"

"That I was kid," Chris said. "It took a while to clean up the whole mess after it went down... At that time, Ellis won unopposed and things begin to grow worse..."

"And then it became clear that while Ellis was not the real bad guy, he was not the strong leader who could keep the powermongers in his administrative state from overpowering him."

After Preston finished his hot dog. He added. "It was at that moment, I resigned from the marines. Because I swore an oath to uphold the US Constitution and preserve freedom and liberty in America. Not become a tool for the government police state..."

"My unit and I refused to surrender anymore of our fellow soldiers and citizens targeted by the Accords," Chris said, "my commanding officer then even told Washington that they needed to personally relieve him of command first."

"But of course, it set a series of events as Thomas, despite losing his father, began to raise Anderson Tech Industries at its peak. He created advanced technology that competed rivaling tech companies. From desktop/laptop computers to smart phones and tablets to video game consoles. All of which, were made with Vibranium imported from Wakanda..."

"He also release Anderson Tech Online to rival other internet browsers..." He continued. "His fortune grew 50 times greater than it was before... He began buying out farmlands throughout the country. Investing it as protection from other corporates who wish to cause harm to American farmers. He set up his own podcast on the AT Online servers... Not long after, he had his own private military branch... The American Rangers, then later, Free States Rangers... All of the members are various American militia groups who became disgruntled of the US government's decisions to support the Accords..."

"I remained with the US Army, but many units made it clear that we would not enforce any portion of the Accords, and Ellis' resignation in the wake of the assassination attempt against him made it a moot point." Chris dipped his fork into the meatloaf and took a bite.

"2017 was a big year for Anderson..." Preston commented. "It drove big tech companies out of business because they couldn't compete with him. Other companies tried to dox him and his business. Including that one company in Canada made a video game that was inspired by the events in America early-2018. Two months before the war began..."

Asuna noticed how respectfully Chris sounded about Anderson despite their apparent rivalry.

"And of course, Anderson established a trade embargo against the US government over the Sokovia Accords. And since Anderson Tech develops weapons for the US armed forces and allies, it also caused the US government to become obsessed of taking him down. Whenever it's through indictments or assassination attempts... All of which failed..."

"As it went on, several units purposefully stood down and refused to help Department of Homeland Security bring him in. Most of the armed forces reserved resigned and sided with Anderson, taking on jobs as soldiers in Anderson's private military..."

"And you?" Kazuto asked.

"As for me, Mr. Kirigaya? I left my Ranger unit and transferred to the Texas National Guard," Chris answered. "Everyone in Texas sided with Anderson over the Accords..."

Kazuto mused over this...

"He sounds like a inspiration..." Asuna commented before she took a bite of one of the shrimps.

"Indeed, he was..." Preston chuckled. "Many American patriots stood up against the Accords as well as made stand-offs against both the government and the Blue Cosmos..."

"Don't even get me started with them..." Chris groaned from the memory. "... especially with that godforsaken motto of theirs."

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world..." Preston quoted with disgust.

"Blue and pure world?" Asuna asked.

"The Blue Cosmos' are environment extremists who pressure people in accepting their green energy demands." Preston answered. "When the Avengers and superpowered humans became public though... They shifted their hatred towards both the Avengers and the Inhumans..."

"But Anderson though..." Chris added. "He welcomed Inhumans with open arms. He convinced American patriots to leave their prejudice at the door when meeting the Inhumans... Even when the US government and the UN tried to frame them..."

"Frame them? How?" Kazuto then asked after he swallowed a piece of steak slice...

"After Anderson revealed the truth of the assassination to the public, several nations left the United Nations in the wake. This included Russia and China... Especially Russia..."

"The Watchdogs, continuing the late Ellen Nadeer's plans to rid the world of Inhumans, staged a massacre in one of the Eastern European nations to frame both Russia and Inhumans..." Preston said. "And inflame UN prejudice against Inhumans, just like they tried in Oregon and Washington," Chris added, "many cities in both states were engulfed in riots and pogroms they instigated. The Blue Cosmos had influence in the west coast and grew in numbers to challenge Anderson Tech and American citizens..."

Chris shook his head. "The spring of 2018 got so bad in Texas, that the governor had to deploy the National Guard, and Blue Cosmos was formally designated as an illegal terrorist group in the state."

"And by the end of May, that's when both the US government and Anderson Tech militias clashed in Frankville, which was the spark of the Civil War. Followed by the Militia/Avengers coup of the US government..."

Minetaka took a bite of his sandwich, and then said, "a government that had grown out of President Ellis' ability to control and rein in, I remember."

"That's exactly what happened..." Kouichirou Yuuki before taking a bite of his chicken sandwich. "But, some of the government managed to escape the coup and formed a government in the west coast..." Kouichirou's face looked contemplative. Asuna then realized that he had been in California and Texas, both of which would have had the deepest scars of the most uncivil disputes in America's recent history.

"It took nearly two years to win the war. And many states, mainly the southwest, suffered heavy scars of the war..." Preston added. "But Hawaii... Oh man, I don't wanna think about what they did to the islands..."

Shouzou's telepathic powers allowed him to sense the downer atmosphere. "Um... gentlemen..." he intervened.

"Hmmm?" Preston and Chris looked at the male Yuuki adult.

"We should take comfort in the fact that America recovered, and your civil war ended before anymore damage could be done," Shouzou reminded, "that is past history."

"True..." Preston agreed. "No need to get all of us down after defeating Hydra..."

"Right, and we've got Nobuyuki, one of the masterminds responsible for the atrocities back home," Chris said, "let's leave it at that."

"And on the side note..." Shouzou turned to Asuna. "I'm interested of how our little girl met Kazuto..."

"Yeah..." Kouichirou's face lit up with a grin. "I'd be interested to hear, Asuna-nechan."

Asuna blushes from the sudden attention she's getting from her family.

Kazuto chuckled before he says. "It's alright, Asuna..."

"Well, it's just a bit embarrassing," Asuna admitted.

"Embarrassing?" Kouichirou asked.

"Kiri- I mean, Kazuto, we've both met at one of the meetings one month in SAO..." She began.
"It was one of the first floor clearing parties organized... Kazuto and I were sitting at one of the seats, and while the meeting was taking place, Kazuto scooted closer to me..." Asuna looked down at her plate. "I was terribly shy."

"I considered telling Kazuto to leave... But something deep down convinced me to let him speak..."

Kazuto smiled as he went back to that time. And how Asuna sent him an invitation and he accepted.

"What did he say?" Kouichirou wondered.

"He asked about forming a party together since everyone's already taken up partners..." Asuna answered. "I was lonely, and had nowhere else to go, so I accepted."

"And the rest is history..." Preston finished with a smirk.

"Not quite..." Kazuto pointed out... "Everyone gathered to the boss of the first floor known as the Illfang the Kobold Lord. All ready to clear the first floor. Things looked dire for a while, and many of us, including our leader, Diavel died."

"But we managed to bring down Illfang together, matching our speed and strength in a series of combo attacks..." Asuna added. "... with a side dish of dual wielding from Kazuto." The Yuuki heiress added with pride towards her husband.

"Despite taking heavy losses, you two and everyone pushed through and achieved the goal..." Preston concluded. "But there's more..." He figured it out.

Chris poured the rest of the gravy on his meatloaf and mashed potatoes, silently listening to the couple's account. Kazuto and Asuna recalled how Kibaou began accusing the beta testers for Diavel's death as Kazuto knew Illfang's fight pattern. Things began to get hot. Which at that moment, Kazuto took on the hate of the beta testers by proclaiming himself as better than the others.

"Mr. Kirigaya, you need not have put yourself in such a lone position," Chris shook his head, "you could have gotten yourself killed."

"I know..." Kazuto answered with a nod. "But if I didn't, the players would continue to blame each other... Even the possibility of retaliating attacks... So, I did what I had to do to protect everyone..."

"Son, that was reckless," Minetaka frowned.

"I cannot imagine..." Shouzou said.

"I still remember seeing Alex defending his cousin from Kibaou's threats..." Asuna lamented. "He even came close of driving his sword through him if he didn't step in..."

"He was?" Preston asked.

Asuna just nodded before she continued. "And after that, Kazuto went on as a solo player while he suggested looking for a guild that looks out for one another..." She then quickly added. "But we kept in touch despite all of that..."

Preston could not believe that the same Kibaou he rescued could even contemplate something like that. It did not jive with the loving brother who was protecting his sister, Naomi. He also recalled Kibaou referring Kirito as a "beater". He didn't realize it at the time.

Kazuto then continued, "I ended up with a new group of friends. The Moonlight Blackcats... They were nice to me and I helped them out on certain quests..."

Minetaka smiled a bit. "At least you found partners and friends."

"I did..." Kazuto's expression turned to sadness and gazed down his plate. "That was until they all died..."

Minetaka then felt the atmosphere dive. "Oh..."

"...For six months, I blamed myself for their deaths..." Kazuto continued, his gaze never left his plate. He felt Asuna's hand placed on his shoulder. "I was well beyond their player level and I did not reveal it to any of them, and because of that, they walked into a trap well beyond their ability to fight... and in the process..." He paused for a moment. Before he continued... "I also lost Sachi..."

"Sachi?" Shouzou asked.

Asuna touched Kazuto's hand as she answered, "the only one he told this secret to... and his first love." Both Shouzou and Kouichirou looked at each other. They then decide to let Kazuto continue.

"S-she... she accepted me for who I was... And I told h-her I'll p-protect her..."

"Kazuto," Asuna held her husband firm. There was a long pause.

"Son, you don't have to continue..." Minetaka counseled.

"You're right, dad..." Kazuto brought his gaze up... "No need to dwell on it... Especially after Asuna helped me through it..."

"Anyways," Asuna continued, "we continued to meet again and again on and off... Mainly on quests and clearing floor bosses..." She continued. "I even found it odd that he's so relaxed in a death game... And while I was the vice commander of the top clearing team in the game, I came to relax more around him."

"And the young love blooms like a rose..." Kouichirou smiled.

The lovebirds blushed a bit.

"And that's when you two decided to tie the knot?" Shouzou asked.

"Well, only after a special dinner Asuna cooked up for me, a duel with her commander..." Kazuto said to Shouzou, Kouichirou, and Minetaka's confusion, "topped off with an assassination attempt."

"Assassination attempt?" Preston asked.

"Mr. Kirigaya, you have a knack of drawing the wrong kind of attention to yourself," Chris told him bluntly.

"True..." Kazuto admitted. "I actually almost died."

Chris shook his head sternly.

"But Asuna managed to save me in time..." Kazuto smiled to his wife. "And in return, I saved her life from that same assassin..."

"And..." Kazuto suddenly gave Asuna a cheeky peck on the lips.

Asuna giggles and blushes immediately. "I still remember that first kiss..."

"Wait, you kissed her right after that!?" Kouichirou's eyes bulged out.

Kazuto's face flushed when he realized what he just said.

"Good on you, kid," Preston snickered.

"I didn't mind at all." Asuna defended. "In fact, the whole experience scared me. For a moment, I thought I was gonna lose him."

"And after yet another special dinner that night..." Kazuto finished, "we got married!"

"And the rest is history..." Preston finished.

"That quickly?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

Kazuto and Asuna just nodded.

"And you two remained together even after SAO cleared..." Shouzou deduced.

"And... we know the rest of the story," Minetaka nodded.

"Coming back to the world as a happy married couple..." Preston smirked.

Chris nodded with a slight hint of a smile.

"And with two children as well..." Minetaka added.

"Dad!" "Minetaka-san!" Kazuto and Asuna blurted out with blushes, unprepared for that reveal.

"Children?" Both Shouzou and Kouichirou did double-takes upon hearing it. This got both Kazuto and Asuna awkward stares. Neither of them aren't sure what to say next.

"Um..." Kazuto chuckled nervously, "congratulations on being... Grandpa and Uncle?"

---

Cyberspace:

Strea giggled as she flew ahead. "Strea," Yui laughed, "wait for me!"

"Try to catch me, Yui!" Strea laughed.

The two AIs had been escorted from the Department of Defense servers by Trinity half an hour ago, and were now having the time of their processing lives exploring the larger net.

"This is so much fun!" Strea cheered. The two rushed past many data nodes and access points.

"I almost got you, Strea-nechan!" Yui squealed.

It was then they came across a server with the Anderson Tech logo displayed before them.

"Too late, I beat you, Yui-nesan!"

"Yaaaahh!" Yui leaped up in a glomping pounce. Strea catches her little-big sister and spun around. Both the AIs giggled and laughed playfully.

"I got you now!" Yui giggled as she wrestled on top of Strea.

"EEEEEEEHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Strea squeals as Yui begins tickling her. The two sisters tickled and wrestled for a few seconds. They finished up, but they continued laughing.

"We are free, sister, free!" Strea danced around.

"Yes we are, Strea-nesan!" Yui cheered and jumped around her big-little sister. "And we get to explore to whole wide net!"

Strea glanced at the Anderson Tech logo. "We should start here..."

"That's the database Trinity showed us," Yui remarked. "We could find very useful information here..."

"Especially fun stuff," Strea chimed. "Let's check it out." The two girls entered the access point. Inside, they see what looks like a giant metropolis. There were accounts and various data clouds styled differently based on the user and organization. They also see various software programs ranging from office writers to gaming programing. As well as art software.

"Ooohhhh..." Strea was in awe. Yui scanned through the video game archives and found various game titles. All made through Anderson Tech Industries technology.

"Amazing..." Yui gazed at the game titles. She selected one. The game's title reads 'Frontier Horizon: Red Dawn'. It was a VR game in development and a remake of the console version made back in 2017.

"Hmm..." Yui hummed as she scanned. The game's backstory explains the fictional Invasion of America in 1989 by the Soviet Union, started World War 3. The Soviet Union, allied with Communist allies such as Cuba and Mexico leads a surprise invasion of Columbus County which borders Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado.

A college student named Drake Mitchell, allies with the American resistance to fight back against the communist occupation and inspire hope with the citizens to fight back to retake not only their county but their nation.

Yui was curious about the genre, "alternate history." She scans the genre and another window popped up detailing alternate history. She read about how the genre explores scenarios altered by smallest changes in different points in the past. She also stumbled various novels and webpages discussing alternate history fiction.

Yui then moved on to other genres, one of which she recognized as fantasy. She scans the fantasy genre and reads about how despite being fiction, it captured the imagination of humanity. As well as other fiction genres, so this wasn't very new.

"Hey Yui, come look at this!"

Yui turned to where Strea's calling from and flies over to her. "What is it, Strea?"

Strea was all glassy eyed as she pointed up at a massive game under development, under the genre of 'sci-fi'. Yui looked up and she sees a promo poster displaying a player armed with a rifle in a desert background.

"Gun Gale Online..." Yui reads. It was under development from Zaskar in the United States.

"I can't wait for its release!" Strea squealed with excitement.

Yui looked to Strea. "Of course, you love fighting."

"You think Nathan would enjoy this new game?" Strea asked.

Yui hummed, but came up with nothing. "I did not interact with him as much, so I would not know without further data."

"Okay, Yui-nesan... We'll wait until we meet him again..." Strea beamed.
Yui nodded. Strea then glanced over, and saw what appeared to be a game full of flying giant robots.

"Gundam?" Yui tilted her head in curiosity. Yui floated up towards the icon. While Strea's fawning over the GGO, Yui clicks on the icon. The page opens up and it shows the background of what the Gundam game takes place in.

"Wow..." Yui gasped in awe. She reads that in the aftermath of the third world war, fictional judging by who the factions were, a rise of giant robots known as Gundams began to become common in several nations in various nations' militaries. New nations were formed from the ashes of the old on Earth and humanity expanded their existence through the solar system and beyond. The synopsis went on to say that 'mobile suits' of different timelines would be available for fun and varied gameplay for all playable ages.

'Perhaps daddy and mommy would be interested of seeing this...' Yui thought to herself. She looked at the mobile suit alpha selection. All of them are versions of the respected anime series the game takes place went through the categories by timeline; Universal Century, After Colony, Cosmic Era... even Anno Domini. There was even a DLC set from G-Gundam.

However, two from the Cosmic Era caught Yui's eye, the Justice and Freedom Gundam. She begins examining and observing the two mobile suits. These were well-known and highly popular 'hero' units from Gundam SEED.

"What are you looking at, Yui-nesan?" Strea asked.

"Oh!" Yui got out of her trance. She had lost herself in seeing outer space combat.

Strea looked at the content her sister's viewing. "Mobile Suit Gundam?"

"It looks a lot like SAO and Alfheim," Yui said, "but with these machines in outer space."

"Wow..." Strea was in awe. The two AI sisters watched the gameplays of the game. They saw the Gundams shoot and clash with beam weapons with the space maps being the most dynamic. It was then that the fascination for outer space was born in these two AI girls.

---

Camp Zama:

"..And that's how we ended up with two AI children..." Asuna finishes. She had managed to relate to her dad and brother about Yui and Strea after the awkward stares they gave Kazuto.

"I see..." Shouzou said at last. He had to take a deep breath. In just two years, Asuna had her own family.

"And believe me, they're sweet and adorable..." Minetaka chuckled.

Kouichirou seemed a bit relieved, then gave Kazuto a talk. "Okay, I get it that you're taken with her..."

Kazuto nodded. "That's correct."

"... but seriously, don't give us a heart attack," Kouichirou shook his head, "we can only take so much."

"Sorry about that..." Kazuto shrunk down in embarrassment. Asuna just giggled.

"I'm not ready to hear about my sister getting knocked up, know that," Kouichirou added.

"Don't worry, Kouichirou-niisan... I'm not planning on having children in the real world for a few years or so..." Asuna reassured her older brother.

"And besides..." She continued. "You'll love both Yui and Strea once you get to meet and know them..."

It was then Preston spoke up. "Believe me, those two are just as sweet and adorable for AIs..." He smiled.

"And very intelligent and capable," Chris remarked as he finished his plate, "they helped me and the Colonel get to Mr. Kirigaya and Ms. Yuuki when they were being held in that void."

No one at the table wanted to remember that. For Kazuto and Asuna, they're painful memories that they'd wished it was all a nightmare.

"Yui and Strea may be young and not as emotionally mature," Chris continued, "but they gave me and Colonel the chance to help stop Nobuyuki and his plans for Alfheim."

"They even managed to help us located Asuna and the others..." Kazuto added.

"And even after all that, likely saved your life, Captain," Asuna quipped with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Chris questioned.

Preston glanced towards Asuna with a raised eyebrow.

"You see," Asuna explained... Kazuto just smirked.

"It was Yui that discovered Hydra's assassination plot."

"Really?" Preston was surprised. But not as surprised as Chris.

Asuna nodded, "and with one of your military AIs, Yui and Strea were given access to root out the virus controlling your drones."

"At least we won't have to worry about Hydra hijacking our drones..." Preston concluded.

"And they succeeded in their mission, Yui and Strea," Chris said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Correct..." Asuna then looked at her phone. "I wonder where they are?"

Minetaka nodded approvingly while the Yuukis stared silently. "Looks like you owe your life to this cute little family, Captain."

"Thank you," Chris simply replied.

"You're welcome, Captain America..." Kazuto and Asuna smiled. Afterwards, they finished their plate.

"That was good..." Asuna commented.

"Glad to hear that, Miss Yuuki," Chris said with a nod.

"Please, Captain," Kazuto asked, "there's no need to be that formal..."

"If it wasn't for you two, and your AI children," Chris continued, "Colonel Rogers and I would've been killed..."

"And we also thank you, Captain," Shouzou expressed.

"And thank you as well, Kazuto..." Kouichirou added with a nod. "For both saving my little sister."

"You're welcome, Kouichirou-kun..." Kazuto nodded.

Chris nodded. "She was a part of our mission, Mr. Kouichirou."

"Please, Kouichirou is fine," the Yuuki heir laughed. Asuna stiffened a giggle. Her older brother hasn't changed since her absence.

"Just being polite," Chris replied.

"That's... That's very nice of you, Chris..." Asuna commented.

"Same here..." Kazuto smiled. "... but you can just call me Kazuto. No need to make me feel old."

"And Asuna's fine with me as well..." Asuna finished.

Chris looked to the couple. His face was hard to read, but he showed hints of approval. "Very well... Kazuto and Asuna."

It was then Asuna's phone chimed. Asuna saw who it was.

"Hi mommy and daddy!" A little voice chimed.

"Hi, Yui..." Asuna greeted. "Where's Strea?"

"Yahoo!" Strea chimed as her screen appeared.

Kazuto looked over to see Asuna's phone. "Hey Yui, Strea..." He waved his hand.

"Hey dad!" Strea chirped.

Chris looked over to see his would-be helpers.

"Hi Captain America!" The AI sisters greeted in unison.

"It's you two..." the American hero said.

"Everything's under control now that Hydra's bot has been removed.." Yui chirped.

"Trinity and I managed to distract the other bots." Strea explained. "Yui managed to take down the giant bot..."

"The drones then..." Chris realized.

"That's correct..." Strea smiled.

"That was you three," Chris finished.

"Mm-hmm... Afterwards, Yui-san and I explored the internet through Anderson Tech Online..."

"And it was amazing and free!" Yui beamed.

"Really?" Asuna smiled. "What did you two see?"

"A whole lot of exciting information, Mommy!" Yui told her. "Mainly on video games through Anderson Tech..."

Kazuto laughed for his two girls' curiosity as Minetaka smiled and the Yuuki men watched.

"We're also planning to learn more about your world..." Yui continued. "...and how we can one day join you and Mommy in real life."

"We'll be looking forward to that one day..." Kazuto replied.

"Oh, and Yui, Strea? There are two people here you both should meet," Asuna said as she looked to her family. She turned her phone for Yui and Strea to see. "This is my father and older brother..." Asuna introduced the two AIs to Shouzou and Kouichirou. "Your adoptive grandfather and uncle..."

The two sisters seemed to blink as Shouzou and Kouichirou stared back.

"Hi Grandpa Shouzou, Hi Uncle Kouichirou!" The AI girls cheered in unison.

The two men were stunned silent.

"Hi Grandpa Minetaka!" The AI girls added upon seeing Minetaka.

"Hello, Yui-chan and Strea-chan," Minetaka laughed.

"It's great to see you again." Yui chirped.

"It's great to see you two again as well..." Minetaka replied while smiling. Both Shouzou and Kouichirou Yuuki looked at each other.

'What do you think, Kouichirou?' Shouzou projected his thoughts to his son.

'To be honest father...' Kouichirou replied. 'Asuna has changed for the better since SAO... But I never imagined her finding love in SAO. Let alone, having children...' Kouichirou stiffened up at actually hearing his father's voice in his head.

'Father... you can-'

'I'm sorry, son... I should've told you about my ability...' Shouzou admitted.

'So... you have powers...' Kouichirou realized.

'Yes... and I know of yours and your secret heroics in America, son.'

'Y-You have?'

'I have my sources,' Shouzou said. Kouichirou began to look away.

'Kouichirou-kun...' Shouzou said. 'I'm not angry or disappointed with you... ... I just wish you were honest with me and your mother. After all, it is your inheritance.'

'I'm sorry, father...' Kouichirou replied. 'I should've told you my heroics in America and my powers... Does Asuna know this?'

'No... She doesn't even know our secret...' Shouzou replied. 'She however did inherit your mother's superhuman physique and energy projection abilities.'

'I saw it during the Total War in Alfheim...' Kouichirou added.

'I guess we have a lot to talk about...' Kouichirou sighed.

"Grandpa Shouzou? Uncle Kouichirou?" Yui asked.

That snapped the two back to Yui.

"Is there something wrong?" Strea asked.

"Everything's fine..." Shouzou smiled. "Kouichirou and I had to process what we've just learned..."

"We understand..." The AI girls replied with a smile. It was then Strea spoke up. "Also, I may look older, but I'm really the little sister to Yui-nesan..."

"Really?" Shouzou raised an eyebrow. "How old are you exactly?"

"About two years." Strea answered.

"Two?" Both Shouzou and Kouichirou did double-takes.

"I came first, and two years later, Strea came afterwards..." Yui explained.

"So that makes me the big little sister," Strea joked. She then proceeds to pick up Yui and hug her. "And I give great big hugs!"

"Strea..." Yui groaned as she felt Strea's hugs.

Kazuto laughed. "Strea... don't crush your little big sister now."

"Don't worry, dad." Strea giggles. She snuggled Yui. "I would never hurt my sweet little-big sister," she cooed.

Yui giggles. "Strea..."

Shouzou reached out with his senses, and he was surprised when he felt two life presences. And they were projecting from Asuna's smart phone. 'How can this be?'

"Those two are something, aren't they?" Preston asked.

"That they are, Lieutenant," Chris remarked.

"What do you think, father?" Asuna asked.

Shouzou smiled as he felt the life presences from Yui and Strea... there was no mistaking it.

Kazuto leaned towards Asuna and whispered in her ear. "I think your father loves our daughters..."

"I can see it in his face..." Asuna whispered back. "Something I haven't seen in a long time..."

"Yui and Strea is it? You two seem to be very vibrant beings," Shouzou said.

"Thank you, Grandpa Shouzou..." Yui and Strea replied.

"And may I say that you two are just adorable." This statement earned giggles from the AI girls.

"Thanks again, Grandpa..." Yui chirped.

Kouichirou then spoke up... "I had to admit, not only our Asuna found love in SAO, but managed to have wonderful children..." He then grinned as he leaned towards Asuna's phone. "And I wish I could hug you two little buzz balls right now too."

"Hehehe! Thanks, Uncle Kouichirou!" Yui giggled.

"One day, Uncle," Strea beamed, "one day!"

"I'll be looking forward to it..." Kouichirou beamed. Kazuto smiled as his beloved Asuna gushed.

'This is amazing!' Asuna thought happily. 'Our worlds finally meet!'

And then Asuna thought about her mother. She was still confined to home, and as far as she heard, unable to leave and having to secure the family's bank accounts against Hydra's subversion. She also heard about the reporters still hanging around at the Yuuki manor. But she was unsure if they're still there or not.

"So you two accept Yui and Strea?" Asuna asked, forgetting about that trouble for a while.

"We have, Asuna..." Shouzou replied with a nod. "They are most wonderful girls."

"And I can't wait to spoil them rotten when we meet them in person..." Kouichirou joked. Chris and Preston observed the rest of the conversation.

---

Dicey Café:

Alex and Suguha finished their lunch...

"That was a good burger..." Suguha commented.

David Mitchell laughed at his son's new girlfriend's reaction. "Glad you enjoyed that calorie smasher!"

"Not to worry... Just need a couple of kendo training and I should be fine..." Suguha giggled. She jokingly pumped one of her arms for emphasis.

"Good to hear..." Jonathan chuckled.

"My girl is cute and strong," Alex smirked, "so I wouldn't be surprised if she can throw a real punch."

It was then Scott spoke up. "Believe me, we've all seen her handle herself in ALO..."

Rika added with a smile, "she's wicked with the saber too."

"Not to mention with a rifle..." She added.

"Oh?" Jonathan was amused, "a real warfighter here."

"Yep..." Alex answered. "She's been playing ALO since release..."

"And it was great..." Suguha smiled, "I had freedom there that I never imagined. It was a second home to me..."

Midori held Suguha's shoulder. She knew that ALO meant a lot to her daughter. The terrifying events of two days ago drove home the point, and just how insidious Hydra was to turn Alfheim into a weapon. And now, Hydra's been defeated and their leader behind bars.

"...but you two know what happened, being Hydra's prisoners," Suguha lamented.

"We know..." David replied. Jonathan was sympathetic as he saw Suguha's sadness.

Alex was quick to notice this and gives her a comfort hug. "Sugu, it's over, and whether ALO is still running or not, we will make better memories together."

"We could find something else to do..." He added with reassurance.

"That I'm sure of," Midori remarked, "though the augmented VR industry will probably be up in the air, with the SAO Incident and the Total War in Alfheim."

"True..." Jonathan agreed. "In fact, I hear that the Army and Navy top brass are already talking with their intelligence people on the national security implications of Hydra's control over an entire VR game marketed to the world. This also includes of the decision regarding the Pain Absorber that was involved in the Total War in Alfheim..."

The Kirigaya matriarch frowned at that. "The players most severely affected were discharged from their hospitals," Midori said, "but they're saying that some are still under monitoring to check for any long-term effects on their nervous systems."

"It's just goes to show that it's very dangerous to keep in VR games..." David shook his head. "... a Pain Absorber than can be altered by nefarious actors."

"Agreed, father..." Jon nodded.

"What a vile thing to do," Midori lamented.

Alex rubbed his right collarbone of where Nobuyuki stabbed him with the iron hook. He was glad that it healed, but he can never forget the feeling while he was in ALO and after he logged out.

"It's a wonder my son survived all that and having been stabbed through," Midori said, having a hollow look as her mind went back to the horrible image. And the sight of both her daughter and daughter-in-law being subjected to chained up and violated.

"Your son..." David then asked, "he has superpowers, does he not?"

"From what I saw... I believe so..." Midori answered. She explained how Kazuto's sleeve was bloodied from the gunshot, but found no bullet wound. "He actually had been... shot the night after the war when he went to see Asuna-chan at the hospital."

"And according to Minetaka," she added, "he managed to overpower Nobuyuki and his guards..."

David and Jonathan looked to Alex and each other. The three Mitchells grinned, with Jonathan and Alex fistbumping and saying, "cool!"

"I never thought of Kazuto-niisan being able to move that fast... Let alone heal after getting shot..." Suguha commented. She still remember how Kazuto came home and seeing the bloody sleeve on his coat. "I still have no idea that he even had powers."

"Neither did I..." Alex admitted. "And I was his friend in SAO for a long time."

"Same here for all of us..." Rika said. "And I didn't think that Asuna could be a powered woman either!"

Scott then glanced at Tim and Keiko. "I wonder if their powers work in the real world as well?" He asked himself.

Suguha looked around and saw that the café was still crowded. She then leaned in towards Alex's dad and told him. "You know, Alex's fire powers..."

David, surprised but he shook his head. "Does he?"

Alex made sure no one else was looking first. He then focuses his power through his index finger. Then, a small flame emits from the tip of his finger. As if a candle has been lit.

"So it was for real," Jonathan was surprised.

"Yep..." Alex replied as he quickly put out the flame. "Never thought I could do that... But I've felt it in ALO..."

"My own son, a powered human."

"Who would've thought..." Jon smirked.

It was then Alex asked. "How's mom doing?"

"Exhausted, but okay," David told his son. "She saw the broadcast of the Total War in Alfheim... As did our neighbors..."

"They were all worried for us, son," David said, "but I called them to say that we were okay."

"Good to hear..." Alex replied. He then turned to Suguha. "You'll love my family, Sugu... They're very nice... and I'm sure my mom will love you too."

"S-sure..." Suguha felt sheepish for a moment. Alex chuckles and hugs her. It was an endearing sight.

It was then Suguha asked. "How far do you live?"

"We live in the The countryside of Otsukayama and Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture." Alex answered. "It's close to the US Navy base..."

"We'd have to take a train there," Suguha realized.

"Actually, it's by road." Alex explained. "We could take the train, but we'll have to drive the rest of the way..."

"I can let your mother know that we are coming home," David said, "that way she can have the van ready for us when we get there."

"Actually... We drove here with mom..." Suguha said. "But if you want, you can ride with us..."

"And we can do a bit of browsing and grocery shopping," Midori added, "I would love to help with dinner."

"Then it's set..." David smiled. "I'll let Marie know that we're bringing guests with us and making dinner.."

"I love meeting new people, especially since one of them has entranced my daughter," Midori teased.

"Mom..." Suguha blushed heavily from the embarrassment.

"What, it's the truth..." Midori giggled. "And besides, you two managed to hit it off..."

David laughed as both Suguha and Alex hid their red faces.

"Alex and Sugu, sitting in a tree..." Jonathan teased as he playfully ruffled his little brother's hair.

"Jon!" Alex retorted, "there are people here!"

"What? Everyone here already knows you've taken interest with your best friend's sister..." Jon snickered. He then hugged his little brother.

"Thanks," Alex smiled a bit.

Midori also hugged her daughter. "Parents like to tease their kids, Sugu," Midori told her, "we do it because we love you all."

"I know, mom..." Suguha replied, still blushing. "It's just that we're still new to this..."

"I understand, Suguha-chan... And we're very happy for you two..."

"Just one thing though, Alex and Suguha," David smiled.

"Yes?" The young couple asked in unison.

"Don't do like what your best friend and sister-in-law did, which was to leave family out of the wedding."

"Yes," Midori pouted playfully, "I want to be there when you two tie the knot!"

"Don't worry everyone... We'll make sure to invite all of you..." Alex replies with a still blushing face.

"Mom!" Suguha meeped.

It was then that Alex realized what he said in his unmindfulness. "DAD!"

David, Jon, and Midori laughed.

---

Yuuki manor:

Kyouko looked with some satisfaction at the bank reports. Their accounts have been unaffected, which was good news. The last thing they needed is to be under financial crisis. She even got news from Kouichirou that Nobuyuki had been fired.

"That's good news at least..." Kyouko said to herself. She wanted the family's hands washed of that devil who nearly stole her daughter and killed the family. She also hoped that RECT Progress Inc would recover from this. But she doubted that it will. Nobuyuki had taken a lot from RECT for Hydra's plans, and made it a hollowed out shell.

"We'll just have to wait and see..." She muttered. She then got in touch on chat with the lawyers and advisors in anticipation of the legal proceedings she had been informed about.

"While RECT Inc has suffered bad publicity in the wake of Nobuyuki's schemes..." One of the lawyers said. "We've taken upon of suing Nobuyuki for his crimes with Hydra..."

"What of RECT's stocks?" Kyouko asked.

It was then another one of the lawyers sighed. "There's a possibility that the stocks and sales of RECT will suffer a plunge...we've prepared for all sorts of scenarios, but if we are being honest, nothing prepared us for subversion of this nature."

"Do the best you can..." Kyouko said. "With hope, RECT would rise out from the madness... If not... I guess that would be it..."

"Don't give up hope yet, Mrs. Yuuki, if anything, your being taken hostage and threatened may actually work in your favor in the court of law."

"And since you were unaware of Nobuyuki's true nature and his plans in the beginning. That could also be useful during his trial against him..."

Kyouko mused over this. Perhaps there's a way to salvage RECT, as well as her family's reputation. As far as she's concern, the public's been calling for an investigation of what happened that gotten her daughter mixed up with Nobuyuki in the first place. Even organizations in America have been calling for reforms regarding arranged marriages in the wake of the incident.

It was hard to admit... but Kyouko knew she had read Nobuyuki totally wrong. And denying it will only make it worse, especially since the broadcast of Nobuyuki violating her daughter and the other girl was shown across the world.

"Of course... truth and honesty are the best policy, especially since he did try to actually kill me and my husband. As well as almost killed Sada and holding my daughter against her will..."

"As long as you confess that you knew nothing of Nobuyuki's plans as well as his true nature, you should be safe..."

"And it's the truth," Kyouko added, "if I had known... I would have called off the engagement and had him reported."

"And also, don't say anything that could have you criticized." The lawyer suggested. He paused for a moment, apparently thinking about how that sounded. "Or to be more exact, don't say anything that could put you and the family in the same boat as that creature."

"I'll make sure that I'll keep my distance from him..." Kyouko replied. "After all that we've been through, the last thing I want for this family is to seen as guilty by association."

"Once evidence has been gathered on Nobuyuki, a trial will begin..." One of the lawyers said. "And from what we've been hearing, Kikuoka's gathering witnesses of the whole ALO incident..."

"Kikuoka?" Kyouko asked.

"Seijirou Kikuoka. Head of the Virtual Division..." The lawyer clarified. "He's also investigated both the SAO incident and the 300 players entrapment in ALO..."

"I see..." Kyouko pondered. "Anything else?"

"Mr. Kikuoka is requesting that your daughter be allowed to testify against Nobuyuki in trial... Since she was held in ALO for two months..."

"Tell Kikuoka-san that Asuna's allowed to testify in court..." Kyouko nodded. "...and I shall accompany her as she is still a minor."

"I'll notify Kikuoka that you've allowed the request to be made..."

It was then that the phone buzzed. She looked at her phone and it was Shouzou calling. "Thank you gentlemen, but my husband is calling. We can discuss the rest later."

"Very well then. We'll contact you later. Sayōnara, Kyouko-san..." The video chat feed was cut.

Kyouko ended the chat and answered the phone. "Shouzou?"

"Kyouko... We're on our way home..."

"We just got released by the US Army, and just landed back at the Yokota Base. We should be there in ten minutes..."

Kyouko blinked. She had expected the US Army to be rather difficult. But they're releasing them after that intense battle at Yokota Base...

"Alright..." Kyouko answered. "But I'm not sure that the reporters are still outside... Let me check..." She gets up from her desk chair and peaks out the window from behind the curtains. There were still reporters, with a line of police holding them back.

"The reporters are still there, but the police are holding them back..." Kyouko reported after stepping away from the window.

"Not a problem," Shouzou sounded rather confident. "We'll be able to enter inside without trouble..."

Kyouko asks. "Without trouble? But how?"

"We've traveling with escort..."

---

With Shouzou:

"Escort?" Kyouko asks from the other end of the phone call.

"Escort meaning riding with four police SUVs with Tokyo Metro Police's top homicide detective beside me, and two light armored cars with American soldiers, two of which are the new Captain America and Iron Man themselves," Shouzou told her with a smile. "You know when you see us..."

Minetaka smirked as he drove his police-issued vehicle. Kazuto and Asuna relaxed in the back. Kouichirou sat next to Asuna while Shouzou sat in the passenger seat upfront. It was nearly two o'clock, and already the day felt like it was ending sooner than was possible.

"Mmmmmm..." Asuna sighed as she rests her head on her husband's shoulder.

"You alright, honey?" Kazuto asked tenderly.

"I'm alright, Kazuto-kun..." Asuna replied happily. "I'm just... happy to see my family again." She snuggles up to him. Kouichirou was endeared to the sight of his youngest sister being so happy and comfortable around her true love. It reminded him of the days when they were younger and care-free.

And now... they were living in a country that was on the verge of going to a war footing with a ghost from the last world war. He felt that the SAO incident that occurred over two years ago and the recent ALO incident was just the beginning. But he decided not to dwell in the negative atmosphere.

'Still hard to believe that Asuna-nechan got married in SAO...' Kouichirou thought with amusement. It was funny that his little sister would beat him to the wedding altar, and Kouichirou had been set up with prospective dates his whole life until he went to America... and found himself a real girlfriend.

Asuna was all snug within Kazuto's embrace during the whole car trip home.

"We should be home very soon..." Minetaka said. "There is media around the mansion, but I can request the patrols around there to clear the way for us to park behind the gates, Mr. Yuuki."

"I appreciated the help, Inspector Minetaka..." Shouzou thanked him. "... and thank you for your son caring for my daughter. I don't know what would've happened if they never met..."

"Well they did, and I could not be any prouder for Kazuto-kun," Minetaka said.

Minetaka adjusted his glasses as he glanced up in his mirror back at the smiling couple. Kazuto gently stroked Asuna's hair.

"And considering that I've been absent for much of his formative teenage years..."

"I see..." Shouzou observed.

Minetaka thought back. "Back then, he was a loner, and what you could call a total gamer who hardly interacted much with his family."

"But his brush with the Sword Art Online death game, and the events with Alfheim Online, he's changed for the better..."

Shouzou shook his head as he thought about his wife's reaction to Asuna's entrapment. During those two years, the Yuuki family made regular visits in the first few months. And the reports of players dying and families falling apart did nothing to uplift their spirits. Kyouko started to fall in despair upon hearing continued reports, fearing that Asuna would follow the same fate.

"I cannot imagine what kind of horrors they all went through. But they did managed to make friends during those days... As well as finding each other..."

Shouzou nodded before glancing back through the rear-view mirror towards Kazuto and Asuna. After driving for some time, they arrived in the neighborhood district of Setagaya, Tokyo. Some people crowded on the sidewalks, and others watched from the windows.

Kouichirou shook his head upon seeing the large crowd. He recognized some neighbors. He made friends with them during his childhood past. He also introduced them to Asuna years before SAO. It was no doubt that they've been asking the Yuuki family about Asuna during SAO... And now, after seeing the Total War in Alfheim and the Battle at Yokota Air Base. They want to ask questions about Asuna's powers. It almost felt like a military parade, with the Army Rangers' vehicles leading the way.

Then, they see the Yuuki manor in sight. And they also see the large crowd of reporters sitting out at the gates of the Yuuki manor. Both Shouzou and Kouichirou groaned at the sight.

The crowd came alive. As the SUVs stopped in front of the gate, a crowd or police officers came and formed a line. Creating a path to the front door of the manor.

"Charlie Ten Romeo, arrived at destination," Minetaka radioed the dispatch.

"Copy that, Charlie Ten Romeo..." Dispatch replied. The American MRAPs spread out to form a vehicle barrier.

"We're home, Asuna..." Kazuto said in a soft tone. Asuna gasped to see her home for the first time in over two years. To her, it didn't seem to have changed since her absence. Except that the whole neighborhood had come out to greet her and Kazuto it seemed, and there were police lining the roads. To compound the strangeness of the whole sight, the doors to the MRAPs opened, and out stepped Captain America and Iron Man with their weapons and soldiers, one of which she saw was Private Damion, who had been picked for driver and bodyguard duty.

"Allow me, Asuna..." Kazuto offered as he opens the door and steps out of the patrol car. He helped Asuna step out of the car.

"Get clear!" Captain America called out in a commanding Japanese voice as he held up his M4v1, "VIPs coming through!"

Private Burton and another soldier got in front of Kazuto and Asuna to block them from view. "Stay with us," Burton said, "we've got body armor in case anyone takes a shot."

"Lieutenant, close the gate!" Captain ordered Iron Man.

"Yes sir!" Iron Man nodded before he turned around and closed the manor gates behind them. Iron Man motioned to two other soldiers. "Cover this sector!" The two soldiers responded with their rifles at ready towards the gate.

"Inside we go..." Asuna muttered. She was feeling a little nervous. Not because of extra security, but what will happen when she introduced Kazuto to Kyouko. Damion, Minetaka, Shouzou, and Kouichirou shielded Kazuto and Asuna to the front door, while Captain America covered for them. Damion lowered his weapon and tried to open the door, which was locked.

Shouzou produced a key from his pocket and unlocks the door. "Come inside," Shouzou coaxed his family and the Kirigayas in, "and you as well, Captain."

"Burton, Saunders," Captain ordered, "you two stay on post with the Lieutenant. I need to go inside for a moment."

"Got it, sir..." Burton replied as the Yuukis and Kirigayas stepped inside the manor.

'Honey,' Shouzou projected silently. 'We're in the foyer.'

The manor was silent for a few moments. But then a bedroom door was heard opening.

"Mother?" Asuna asked. They hear footsteps coming out of the bedroom and down stairs. It was then that Kyouko Yuuki showed up in a bronze dress. Her brown hair was also smoothed out, and her face seemed refreshed with make up, showing no signs of the sleep deprivation and stress of her kidnapping and near-death experience.

Everyone remained silent as the female Yuuki adult reached the bottom of the stairs. Kyouko took in the people that were in the foyer, especially her husband and long-absent daughter.

Then, after thirty seconds of silence. "Asuna..." Kyouko breathed.

"M-Mother?" Asuna breathed back. Kazuto blinked at the resemblance between mother and daughter.

"Mother," Kouichirou greeted with relief in his voice.

"Kouichirou..." Kyouko greeted back, also in relief. Asuna was struck by the emotions in her strict mother's voice. During her years before SAO, Kyouko guided Asuna in preparation of living the life of the upper class society. However, this was different...

Despite the make-up her mother's wearing, Asuna could tell that she may have spent days looking back on the events that had occurred. Her father then went up and held his wife by the elbows. "We're home now."

"Shouzou..." Kyouko replied. Her voice croaked with emotion.

"I'm here and alive, and so is our little girl," Shouzou assured her.

Kyouko turned her attention to Asuna. Kyouko had a small hint of a smile. Which surprised Asuna.

"Asuna," Kyouko said as she was released by her husband.

"Mother..." Asuna begin to step forward. Something welled with the Yuuki girl. "It's been two years..."

"Two years and two months to be exact..." It was then that Kyouko did something Asuna did not expect at all... She approached Asuna and embraced her. No words were spoken. Chris and Minetaka watched as Kazuto and Kouichirou joined in on the reunion. Tears began streaming down Kyouko's eyes, smearing the make-up she placed earlier.

It was then that Chris' sharp sight saw the bags under Kyouko's eyes. To him, he deduced that Kyouko was having a hard time during the whole ALO incident as well. Shouzou also saw close up the toll the whole crisis took on his wife as Asuna hugged back. Tears also flowed from the Yuuki girl's face. Kazuto and Kouichirou said nothing, but were also tearing up.

Silence filled the foyer again. Kyouko then recomposed herself again as she looked upon Asuna up close.

"About what happened... In Alfheim Online..." She began.

Asuna stared at her mother.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble for you and Kazuto..."

Asuna's eyes widened as she gasped. Her mother hardly apologized for anything she remembered.

"I was wrong for trying to arrange you with that creature while you under the NerveGear..." Kyouko continued.

"You didn't know, and I didn't," Shouzou said.

"If I have known what was gonna happen, let alone who he really was... I would've put a stop to it..."

Asuna looked at both of her parents. They have expression of sadness and regret on their faces.

"It's okay now, though," Asuna assured them, "because I've had the help of my true love and the new Captain here."

Kyouko glanced at Kazuto and gave an smile of approval. "And you must be the young man who fought that monster in that void space."

"That's correct, Mrs. Yuuki-san..." Kazuto replied with a small bow. "The name's Kazuto Kirigaya..."

"And I'm his father," Minetaka introduced himself, "I'm an inspector with the Metro Police and your daughter's bodyguard."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Inspector Minetaka..." Kyouko greeted him. "Then you must be the famous crime fighter they called Beretta Minetaka."

"That's correct..."

"I never thought your son and my daughter would meet like this," Kyouko said, "especially considering Asuna's personality at the time."

"They told us all about their times in SAO..." Kouichirou explained.

"And Kazuto-kun here has taken very good care of me," Asuna beamed.

It was then something occurred to Kyouko. "If I recall, you said something about Kazuto being your husband?"

The two teens blushed. Asuna was the most sheepish of all. "You heard?"

"It's been announced during the whole..." Kyouko was hesitate of bringing up what happened in the Void. Fearing that Asuna would relapse into a traumatic flashback.

"I actually told your mother," Shouzou quickly said, "she was quite surprised."

"Oh... Okay then..." Asuna smiled sheepishly.

Kazuto smiled towards Kyouko. "Yes, I did marry Asuna in the game... we had been fighting alongside each other for some time, and our feelings grew in the process..." He continues. "And during the whole Alfheim Online incident, I dove back in with my friends and fought against Nobuyuki and his Hydra goons to free Asuna... I just couldn't stand the thought of losing her again after what we've been through in SAO..."

"And nearly got himself killed in the real world too," Chris quipped as he removed his helmet, "Kazuto is as brave and stubborn as they come."

Kyouko was surprised. Kazuto risked his life twice to rescure her daughter from the clutches of the madman. She then looked to Chris. "Then you must be..."

"Captain Chris Burke, US Army," Chris nodded, "I am assigned as escort by my military command, ma'am."

"He's also the new Captain America..." Asuna added. Kyouko could immediately tell, having recognized his uniform from the footage she had seen from the TV. He was also the same Chris Burke that had everyone throughout the website in a buzz.

"I helped to rescue your daughter from ALO, and later provided assistance at the hospital when Kazuto had been shot," Chris added.

Kyouko did a double-take. "Shot?" She looked at Kazuto, then back at Chris. "Why isn't he wearing a sling?"

"Mother," Asuna answered softly, "he's like me."

Kyouko process what she just heard. She heard that anyone that escaped SAO are still recovering from the two years of neglect. Though several of the survivors are up and about. Then something else occurred in her mind. She recalled Kouichirou telling her that Asuna's been discharged the moment she woke up from the NerveGear.

'If she says he is like her in THAT... that means...'

'They're both gifted...' Shouzou projected his thoughts to her... 'Kazuto-kun has the power of super healing and strength.'

Kyouko glanced quickly to her husband. 'For real?'

Shouzou silently nodded.

Upon realizing this, Kyouko turned to Kazuto and smiled. "I thank you for protecting Asuna, Kazuto-kun..."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Yuuki," Kazuto bowed.

Then Kyouko continued. "... And you're more than welcome to see Asuna all you want... though make sure to let me know when the wedding is when you both are of age."

Both teens blushed upon hearing this.

"Mom..." Asuna blushed. Kyouko giggled.

Asuna thought this was totally unlike the strict mother from before SAO. However, she was glad that her mother has accepted Kazuto.

Chris then stepped forward. "Mrs. Yuuki, there are things that I must discuss with you and your family under orders from my chain of command."

"Certainly, Captain Burke..." Kyouko acknowledged with a nod.

"And I will be overseeing the security arrangements for your daughter," Minetaka added, "I hope you don't mind me bringing in my men to tighten this place up."

Kyouko shook her head. "Not at all... You're more than welcome to add security here..."

"Good, because we are not taking any chances." Minetaka nodded, then he stepped out the door to gather his officers.

"We also had lunch..." Kouichirou said.

"How have you managed without Sada, Mother?" Asuna asked.

"It wasn't easy at first..." Kyouko admitted. "... but I knew I had to eat, so I had to survive on instant food like when I was young and in college."

It was then Asuna said. "You know... If it means so much for you... I can cook meals for us..."

That got both her mother and father's attention.

"Wait... You can cook?" Kyouko asked.

Asuna nodded. "I've learned it while trapped in SAO..."

Shouzou and Kouichirou were also surprised, but smiled as well at how Asuna had learned for herself.

"She's made meals during and after SAO..." Kazuto beamed. "And I was surprised how amazing they were... She's got really magical hands," he added teasingly.

"Is that so?" Kyouko cracked a smirk.

"You didn't need to phrase it like that!" Asuna blushed.

"I know... I couldn't help it..." Kazuto beamed while chuckling.

"Well if you don't behave..." Asuna smirked evilly... "I won't make you that sandwich you always love so much..."

"Noooo. Don't take my sandwich," Kazuto pretend-whined to Asuna and her family's laughter.

"Amusing as it is," Chris interrupted, "I really must speak with the parents."

"Sure thing..." Shouzou laughed.

"Captain Burke," Kyouko acknowledged. "My home office's right around the corner.." She guides her husband and Captain Burke to her office.

"This will do," Captain Burke nodded. He then turned to Kazuto and Asuna. "You two, don't go out and stay away from the windows right now."

"Sure thing, Captain..." Kazuto replied.

"I'm gonna take Kazuto up to the bedroom..." Asuna added.

Kouichirou then gave Kazuto a look. "Nothing naughty up there, okay?"

"Don't worry..." Kazuto chuckled nervously. "We'll behave..."

"Easy, brother," Asuna assured.

"Okay..." Kouichirou nodded.

"Kazuto-kun is as gentlemanly as they come," Asuna gave Kazuto and Kouichirou a smile. She then wraps Kazuto's arm and they headed up stairs. Kazuto takes in the details of the Yuuki manor.

"So warm..."

"Wait 'til you see my bedroom..." Asuna tugged on Kazuto's arm. "Presumably that it's still the same.."

Asuna clicked open her door. The two teens looked inside, the bedroom sports an adorable and soothing pink color. It also has a dresser, a full-body mirror, and the king-size bed with light-pink covers and pillows.

"Oh Asuna..."

"It's still the same when I logged on that day..." Asuna breathed.

Asuna wandered in with a bout of nostalgia. She stops in front of the full-body mirror and examines herself in it. Kazuto heard her gasp as she looked upon how she had changed. It wasn't a surprise as when he came home after being discharged from the hospital. He saw that his bedroom hadn't changed a bit during SAO. Asuna stroked her face. She had left this world a little scared teenage girl...

And now... She returned a brave and strong woman with her beloved that risked his life to save her twice...

Kazuto grinned as he watched Asuna admire her matured and strong form. "It felt like it just happened yesterday... Doesn't it?" He asks her. Kazuto enveloped Asuna in his arms and nuzzled his face in her shoulder and hair.

"Mmmmmm..." Asuna cooed. "It sure does, Kazuto-kun..." Asuna stroked Kazuto lovingly. "I don't know how my life would've been like if I've never dove in... but I would not change it for what we have now."

"Neither will I, Asuna..." Kazuto continued to nuzzle into her shoulder and hair. The two laid back on Asuna's bed side by side, relaxing and reveling in each other's presence. Asuna rests her head against Kazuto's chest. Hearing his heartbeat. Kazuto looked around. It was warm and welcoming all around. The afternoon sun shined through the bedroom window, giving a warm glow.

He then saw something surprising... her computer desk was full of anime stuff, with a nearby shelf full of computer games and manga.

'Asuna's into gaming like me...' He thought happily.

"Hmm..." Asuna saw Kazuto looking over to her manga. "I see that you've taken interest of the anime and manga collection..." She giggled. She then got up and went over to the shelf, picking out one of the volumes. "This is one of a past hero who actually inspired me."

Kazuto looked at the cover of the manga book. "Shirou no Jou... the White Queen?"

Asuna nodded gleefully.

Kazuto examined the character on the cover. He noted that the White Queen sported long brown hair with matching brown eyes. She also wore the outfit, which was similar to the one Asuna wore in ALO, but in white colors instead of black. What was striking was that she looked a lot like Asuna with a similar braided hairstyle, if not for the brown hair and the white domino mask.

"I can see where you get your inspiration from..." Kazuto chuckled. "She almost looks like you..."

"And her story inspires many girls around Japan," Asuna beamed.

"Do tell..." Kazuto's now interest of the White Queen. "Tell me more."

"Well... According to the manga..." Asuna began. "... It tells about a teenage girl who became gifted after one of the gods visited her home and warns her about the danger the people will face..."

"The gods and goddesses?" Kazuto wondered.

"Mm-hmm..." Asuna nodded. "One of them, Raijin and Omoikane, gifted Kikyo with the power of energy... And with those gifts, as well as agility, hyper-perception, and super reflexes. Kikyo, aka, White Queen, she fights against evil beings such as alien and supernatural entities while protecting the innocent..."

"I think I've heard of that series from someone else before SAO..." Kazuto recalled. "But, it's been a long time since then...but she sounds like a sort of Sailor Moon."

"That's what I thought when I first read it..." Asuna giggles. "But it's a very good series..."

Asuna opened the first volume. Together, they began reading the manga. Asuna giggled at some of the best parts while Kazuto found himself in awe of Kikyo with her adventures as the White Queen.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Asuna asked.

"I loved the part where she dashed her way towards the moon knights while dodging their flaming spirit arrow attacks." Kazuto says with a smirk. "Would just be like you, Asuna."

Asuna giggled. "Now you know where I've learned how to move fast, Kazuto-kun... I used to be very scared and alone back when SAO first started, but somehow I remembered the White Queen's example and how she overcame the odds to protect Tokyo and this country."

"And that's how you overcame your fear during the first months of SAO..." Kazuto concluded.

"And her leadership was an example as well," Asuna revealed as she pulled out a picture collection. Kazuto observed the White Queen with her companions. All of them have costumes similar to the main character.

'Just like Sailor Moon...' He thought with amuse. There were even guys dressed stylishly in variations of the male school uniform.

"Hehe... If you want, maybe one day we could cosplay as these two characters... Don't you think?" Asuna suggested with a wink.

"Yeah," Kazuto winked back. He then saw that Kikyo had an apparent love interest next to her in one of the team pictures. "I assume that he's the love interest to Kikyo..." He observed.

"And it's just so cute!" Asuna gushed.

"Almost as cute as us?" Kazuto chuckled. He empathizes this by nuzzling into her neck.

"I mean, Kikyo was from a rural and small family alone in a big city," Asuna said with a pinkness to her face, "and she had this crush on a popular and kind senpai..."

"Mmmmmmm..." Kazuto coos from the character's backstory.

"But she found herself in a love triangle..." Asuna continued.

"Oof... That's complicated for her..." Kazuto held a chuckle. "I guess she was torn between the senpai and this other hero?"

"That's correct... But I don't think we'll have to worry about that happening to us..." She finished with a giggle.

"Especially since everyone have boyfriends of their own..." She added.

"So what happened to the White Queen?" Kazuto asked.

"She finally managed to defeat the evil goddess and saved Japan from being purged into chaos..." Asuna answered. "And she ended up choosing the senpai, and you know why?"

"Because she has feelings for him that are greater than for the other guy?" Kazuto guessed.

"That, and best of all," Asuna paused with a smile.

"What is it?" Kazuto smiled back.

"The senpai was her true hero," Asuna revealed, "the one who aided and fought alongside her the whole time."

"That sounds like us..." Kazuto smirked as Asuna finishes.

"And like them..." Asuna purred, "we endured... and survived."

"We sure did..." Kazuto stroked Asuna's hair as she lay her head down on his chest once more. "And here we are... Back in the real world and in each other's arms... Once we defeat Hydra, we can live our lives normal." He paused for a moment before he continued. "And we'll have children of our own and one day, bring both Yui and Strea into the real world... Together, we can be a complete family..."

"Kazuto..." Asuna coos. Kazuto gently stroked Asuna's cheek with his fingers.

---

Downstairs...

"Your daughter is why I am here," Chris told Shouzou and Kyouko, "and not only because she is a witness against Nobuyuki's operations."

Both the Yuuki adults listened as Chris continued. "Because of their actions at our military headquarters, grateful as I am for their intervention, your daughter and her husband are now subjects of interest to my superiors."

It was then Shouzou asked. "Does this also includes their friends as well?" He and his wife had feared government and military attention to such family affairs. Especially now that the footage of Nobuyuki assaulting both their daughter and her friend continues to be aired on various news medias and websites.

"If I may be fair, Mr. Yuuki," Chris said, "everyone involved in this whole series of incidents is a subject of interest... it just so happens that Kazuto Kirigaya and your Asuna are the hottest flares at the moment."

"Does this mean that we may have to relocate to protect our lives?" Shouzou asked. Neither him nor Kyouko like the thought of having to move and get new identities to hide from Hydra.

"Shouzou," Kyouko shook her head, "even if we did move, there is not one soul in this country who will not recognize who we are."

"We're doing the best we can to root out Hydra from Tokyo and Japan..." Chris reassures them. "Though, it may take some time to figure out who's on Hydra's side and who's not... nonetheless, I have been sent to brief you both on the serious threat capabilities Hydra still possesses."

"We understand..." Shouzou replied.

"And I am also authorized to tell you both that because you all had direct contact with Nobuyuki, everyone in the Yuuki and Kirigaya families have been classified both as witnesses and intelligence sources by both the Self Defense Forces and the Pentagon."

"Until we testify against him in trial..." Kyouko deduced. While the Captain had been quite kind, Kyouko was still a bit wary of him as a member of a foreign military in her house... However, given how Asuna, her husband, and their friends vouched for him through the video trend. She supposed that she could work with him for a while.

"Actually, if I can be frank, this goes beyond the trial," Chris indicated, "because Hydra had stored a lot of data and experiments inside RECT HQ and the databases, the DoD and Ministry of Defense wish to enlist your aid in decrypting and analyzing their data. My superiors want a decisive resolution to this episode with every advantage we can gain over Hydra."

"We'll do whatever we can to help out..." Shouzou nodded. "After all, they've caused so much damage to both RECT and our family... I too want them brought to justice."

"As do I..." Kyouko added. "I trusted Nobuyuki wrongly, and it nearly cost us our lives... Including my daughter's life... All because I was devastated by the deaths caused by the Sword Art Online game..."

"Ma'am..." Chris muttered.

"I'm not blaming the SAO game..." Kyouko recovered. "I blame myself for all of this... If only we knew what his true colors were..." She trailed off.

"He had control over RECT's Personnel Management," Chris reminded, "a strong indicator that he had this planned for a good amount of time."

"But it's my fault too..." Kyouko replied. "I was the one who handpicked him into marrying Asuna while she was trapped in the NerveGear helmet. I ignored the warnings I had when I first met him..."

"Kyouko..." Shouzou tried to reason with his wife.

"Shouzou... I'm the one that deserves to take the blame..." Kyouko turned to him. "If only I've seen his true self, none of this would've happened..."

"We can play this blame game all afternoon," Chris shook his head, "but the fact is that Hydra is still out there, and we need both your support if we are to neutralize them."

Kyouko calmed down for a moment before she replied. "I know..."

The American military hero took a deep breath. "There is also another matter I must raise."

The Yuuki adults braced themselves for what was about to be said.

"It about the abilities Kazuto and Asuna displayed, especially at the hospital and our base," Chris was to the point.

Both Shouzou and Kyouko remained silent as he continued.

"They both exhibited extraordinary super human prowess and abilities in both incidents," Chris went on, "and that has gotten the attention of scientists and military leaders in my country and yours."

"We've witnessed the battle that took place at the Yokota Air Base..." Kyouko said. "Including Asuna's and Kazuto's super powers..."

"I've been authorized to tell you both that the both of them will be kept under close watch." Chris then produced a file from his backpack. "And advise the both of you regarding how to handle the unfolding situation of interested parties potentially investigating their potential."

Chris then hands the file to Shouzou, who slowly takes it and begins to open it.

"Needless to say, I can't imagine Hydra overlooking this either." Chris had a sympathetic glint in his eyes behind his professional demeanor. Shouzou nodded in agreement before he opens the file and reads the contents inside. He shifted the dossier to let Kyouko look. A few minutes went by as the Yuukis read the dossier. It was both amazing and disturbing just how much personal information was available on Kazuto and Asuna. Most of which was from the Alfheim Online mission. Kyouko, on the other hand, was impressed by Kazuto's determination to rescue her daughter despite learning of Hydra's involvement of creating the ALO game.

And there wasn't just information gathered on them just by Hydra alone...

'Hard to believe... Isn't it, Kyouko?' Shouzou projected to his wife.

'I still can't believe this has happened...' Kyouko projected back. There were even files of the teens created by Akihiko Kayaba of all people. Kayaba, the very man who trapped 10,000 people in SAO... The SAO files were incredibly detailed about Kazuto and Asuna's exploits.

'So much details about our daughter and her husband...' Kyouko thought. Asuna Yuuki was one of the top players in a floor clearing guild called the Blood Oath Knights. Both Shouzou and Kyouko looked at each other in surprise. Asuna was a sub-commander of the Blood Oath Knights.

"She was... a leader."

"That's how she learned to fight against the face of danger..." Kyouko concluded.

"Apparently, her new husband taught her much," Chris said, "the records indicate that there was a lot of close contact between them even before they became romantically engaged."

"He taught her how to fight?" Shouzou asked.

"I'm not sure, but that would be the most logical conclusion," Chris nodded. Having read the reports himself on the way, he could not help but respect the roguish black swordsman.

Kyouko stared at the dossier, her mind processed from what she'd learned. Asuna did not know this...

'She's also inherited my leadership during my days...' Kyouko trailed off in thought. '... she's been following my footsteps all this time.'

'Kyouko?' Shouzou asked.

Chris then followed up. "However, if such detailed information was found on Hydra's servers inside RECT, we have to assume that both Kazuto and Asuna have been high profile targets even before the ALO Incident." He was very serious as he explained. "Hydra has already tried to kidnap and turn Asuna into one of them along with several other SAO players, and I have no doubt that they will try and pursue her again."

"Then we need to be prepared to stop them when they do..." Shouzou replied.

Chris nodded. "I spoke with Mr. Kikuoka and my superior Colonel Rogers about this, and they are both recommending a slate of both defensive and offensive measures to protect both your families and the rest of the SAO survivors."

"This also includes those who played Alfheim Online..." He added. "Since most of them were affected by the Pain Absorber being tampered by Hydra..."

"... and their personal data being stored and copied by Hydra?" Shouzou was afraid of the answer.

"Sadly, yes," the uniformed American hero confirmed, "and if your statistics are correct, we are looking at a conservative estimate of eight million people across Japan, SAO and ALO survivors combined, that could have their personal information compromised to Hydra this very moment."

Shouzou shook his head in disbelief. RECT will defiantly have a hard time recover from all this.

"I cannot sugarcoat it. Even though we've captured their supreme commander, Hydra is still very much a bona fide threat," Chris finished.

"We understand..." Kyouko said. "And we'll help out any way we can to put an end to Hydra..."

"And you and Japan have the backing of one of America's finest," Chris assured, "I can't promise that it will not be legally difficult in the area of your country's politics, but wherever there is a Hydra military presence, and whatever intel we can gather to expose their infiltration, Howler Platoon and its support are ready to deliver."

Both Shouzou and Kyouko now felt confident.

"Thank you, Captain," Shouzou expressed.

"Thank you so much for helping Kazuto rescue our daughter..." Kyouko added. "We don't know what would've happen if neither of you came along..."

"I was just doing my duty as a soldier," Chris said, "in regards to your daughter, Kazuto still deserves the most credit, even if he is a bit reckless."

"And he shall be rewarded for his bravery..." Shouzou stated. The Yuuki patriarch smiled as he had some thoughts on that...

---

Kazuto and Asuna:

Kazuto and Asuna both went through the surprisingly large collection of Japanese pop culture, games, and anime. Kazuto couldn't believe how much of an anime fan his wife is. He also saw a figurine with blue hair and a microphone.

"Hatsune Miku..." Kazuto deduced with amusement.

Asuna blushed happily.

"Hmmmm..." Kazuto observed the Hatsune Miku figurine. "She almost looks like Jennifer Anderson... Doesn't she?"

"She does now that you mention it," Asuna said with a nod.

Kazuto smirked as he said. "You know, I could imagine you rocking the Vocaloid role."

Asuna blushes upon hearing this. "I do?"

Kazuto nodded. "I can see you with blue hair and eyes... Like the ocean and skies..."

Asuna giggles and blushes some more. "Oh Kazuto... You are such a tease..." She gives her husband a quick peck on the cheek. "And I like it."

Kazuto chuckles before giving a quick peck on her nose.

"Eep!" Asuna squeaked in surprised. Kazuto pounced and the two fell back on the floor. Both the teens laughed as Asuna pins her beloved against the floor.

"My turn to tease!" Asuna laughed as her fingers went to the sides.

"Wait! Waahahahahaha!" Kazuto laughed as he felt his sides being poked.

---

Next room over:

Kouichirou lay across his bed. It had been an exhausting day for the male Yuuki heir. He overheard loud screeches and peals of laughter from his sister's room, male and female. He quickly gets up and heads for the bedroom door.

"Asuna!" Kazuto yelled from inside. Followed by his laughter.

"I got you now, Kazuto-kun~!" Asuna sang. Kouichirou cracked Asuna's bedroom door open, small enough for him to peak inside. He sees his little sister pinning Kazuto onto the floor tickling him.

"Ssss-stop it!" Kazuto begged.

"Not a chance, Dual Wielder!" Asuna laughed as she continued poking his sides and stomach. Kouichirou started to snicker, this took him back when he and Asuna were still young and how Asuna manages to get the upper hand in her tickle attacks. He manages to keep himself quiet as he continues watching Asuna pinning her husband to the floor. He had missed this Asuna before she was trapped, as she had conformed to their parents' expectations of starting to blend in with higher society.

However, after what happened in the past few days, all that has changed for the better...

He clicked the door shut and returned to his room. He was all smiles as he laid back onto the bed. Kouichirou's phone buzzed. With a sigh, he hoped that it was nothing work related. He opened it, and was pleasantly surprised... it was his girlfriend back in America. He had met her first on business in Los Angeles, but she had her own fair share of surprises.

He answers the call and brings the phone up to his ear. "Hi, Susan..."

"Hey, Koui," Susan's lovely voice purred. "I missed you already..."

"Of course you did," Kouichirou replied. He then sat up on his bed. "Susan, things have been pretty crazy here at home. You can probably guess why."

"Hydra tried to have Captain Burke assassinated and destroyed the Yokota Air Base in Tokyo..." Susan deduced. "It's all over the news, Koui."

"Tell me about it..." Kouichirou sighed. "What's it looking like back in the States?"

"The video tread's taking up the internet by storm..." Susan answered. "It was as big as the broadcast your sister made in ALO... and the whole net's excited over the fact that your sister and her hubby actually fought alongside the new Captain America and his commander, Steve Rogers."

"By storm indeed, Susan..." Kouichirou agreed. "I mean... who knew my sister had it in her."

"But honey," Susan added, "you did see... your sister and her hubby have powers!"

"I did..." Kouichirou sighed, "and that means that the American military and Hydra are both going to be paying attention to them."

"It's still unbelievable that Hydra's still around after 2014..." Susan lamented.

"You didn't watch the interview with Steve Rogers?" Kouichirou asked, "he talks about this sort of thing."

"Almost forgot about that..." Susan replied sheepishly. "We've been busy helping to rebuild the west coast after the Civil War..."

"I just got to view it," Kouichirou told her, "he gives a lot of in-depth into Hydra and how they have worked over the years."

"They've remained in the shadows since World War 2 and 2014..." He continued. "And they do a good job of pitting the major countries of the world against one another while getting them bogged down in proxy conflicts worldwide to sow chaos."

"Their plans of chaos included the Second Civil War..." Susan finished.

"That's right... and that was admitted by the Supreme Commander of Hydra himself, Sugou Nobuyuki," Kouichirou noted. Susan noticed a bitter tone in his voice. It wasn't a surprise that Nobuyuki held Asuna in ALO against her will along with the 299 players from SAO.

"I just knew, Susan... I just knew he was not right somehow... I tried to warn my parents about Nobuyuki... And now we've got this mess at home that's actually killed people."

"Everyone's in an uproar after the footage of what happened in the Void..." Susan was hesitant to bring up the memory of Nobuyuki assaulting Kouichirou's sister and her friend. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"It... It's fine..." Kouichirou answered. "I'm just glad that he's been captured... And my sister is home with us... having fun with her husband from SAO."

"Hard to believe a couple so young are married..." Susan noted, trying to change the subject.

"You got a problem with that?" Kouichirou asked in a teasing manner.

"Huh? No! I think it's just so cute!" Susan gushed over the chat phone. "And this Kazuto sounds like a real keeper if you ask me..."

"That he is," Kouichirou said with a smile, "so much so that he went into ALO, and even disobeyed directives from Captain America himself to step aside."

"So those two met in SAO..." Susan giggled. "Love at first sight in a VR world..."

"And under fire, so to speak," Kouichirou agreed. More giggles were heard from the other end as Susan mused over Kouichirou's little sister's love life...

"So... if they are tied at the knot..." Susan wondered... "... Then, that makes them married in the real world... Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Uh..." Kouichirou was now stunned, but then Susan teasingly added, "so when do you become an uncle?"

"F-Funny story..." Kouichirou stammered. "It turns out they both have children already while in SAO..." There was a sudden silence on the other end for five seconds before...

"AAAHHHHH!?" Susan gasped loudly. They have children for real!?"

Kouichirou laughed at Susan's reaction.

"Are they boys or girls?!" She quickly asked.

"Well if you must know..." Kouichirou began. "Two girls... And they're a few years older..."

The heir of the Yuukis was having too much fun right now.

"I bet they're such angels!" Susan continued to gush. "I bet they are just like their sweet momma!"

"They are..." Kouichirou chuckled.

"Aaawwww! I don't know how they did THAT! That's so cute!" Susan had that one Achilles Heel, and it was that she was such a romantic. "And that makes you an uncle now! But... how!? In a game world!?"

"It's a very interesting thing..." Kouichirou continued. "They're both AIs from the game's system..."

"Oh?" Susan muttered.

"My father and I were surprised when they told us about them..." Kouichirou added. "They are as kind and adorable as their adoptive mother, and brave and lively as their adoptive father."

"Awwww..." Susan gushed. "One big happy family indeed... So I get to be the auntie!?"

"Apparently, you can..."

Susan squealed like a fangirl. "I can't wait to meet them!"

Kouichirou laughed at his girlfriend's enthusiasm.

"When can I meet them?" She then asked.

"I don't know, but maybe I can set something up when I introduce you," Kouichirou said.

"Let me know when you do..." Susan replied with excitement.

The two laughed together. It was then that Susan asked. "Do you have video for this chat?

"I should... Let me get my laptop turned on..." Kouichirou made his way to his desk and turned on his laptop. It was an Anderson Tech laptop. While it took on an appearance of a regular laptop, but the technology was made with Vibranium circuity and chips made from Wakanda. Linking to his phone, he brought the chat onto his PC and turned on the video chat.

The image of a girl with short blonde hair showed up on screen. "Hi Kouichirou!" Susan waved. Her orange eyes sparkled. "Now I can see you when we chat.." She quipped.

"You miss my face already?" Kouichirou asked.

"You know it!" Susan chirped.

"Well, I always look forward to seeing your face and free spirit too," Kouichirou chuckled.

"Mmmmmm..." Susan cooed.

"So... what's the word on things back in Washington, if I may ask?" Kouichirou then asked, "anything new in the last four hours?"

"From what I could tell, things have been crazy..." Susan answered. She seemed to scroll across her computer. "I've been intercepting reports from the Pentagon and White House... All of the combat drones and jets have been grounded in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea after the attack.. And from the Army and Marine Corps side of things, even they are taking their remote combat test units offline."

"And they're still on the lookout for the mole..." She added. "But, he's more likely to be long gone..."

Kouichirou mused over this. "And it can be verified... that Hydra has a man inside the military leaking confidential information, Susan?"

"Correct..." Susan answered. "Hold on," Susan's computer beeped, "it looks like President Wilson is set to address the nation at 7:00 PM US Eastern Time... when is that your time again?"

Kouichirou did a quick check of the clock converter on his end. "Looks like that will be 9:00 AM Japan Time... the next morning."

"It looks like it'll be addressing for what happened at the Yokota Air Base..." She added. "... and changes in American military readiness in response to the attack."

"I guess America will be officially end its non-intervention policy..." Kouichirou deduced. "The President appears to be under a lot of pressure from different factions in Washington."

"Tell me about it..." Susan shook her head. "There are the non-interventionalists who are blaming Wilson for his perceived weakness in allowing things to progress to this point, and of course, his own political allies who are now demanding that he assert himself more forcefully with the destruction of the US Forces headquarters in Japan."

Kouichirou groaned in disapproval as he hears this. Hydra's just revealed themselves to the world and the non-interventionalists were blaming Wilson.

"No offense, but do American leaders always have to argue amongst themselves?" He asked before continuing. "... I thought they would be different than the old government after the Second Civil War..."

"Well... they are," Susan reassured Kouichirou, "they are all actually on the same side over the security of the new America. It's just in the American idea of government to constantly debate and argue over the best course of action."

"I just find their constant bickering pointless." Kouichirou explains. "Most of the time, it only makes the situation worse... You see what I'm saying?"

"Well trust me, if anybody can get the various parties in Washington on board right now..."

"I know..." The male Yuuki heir sighed exhaustedly. "But how can your president balance so many different interests that he campaigned on when they are now crisscrossing at such a critical time? It just feels like the Sokovia Accords all over again..."

"Well, if you want a mainlander's perspective... not anymore, especially now that the public is rallying behind our new national hero, Chris Burke," Susan smiled. "Gotta thank Asuna, Kazuto, and their friends for the effort... Because without them, who knows what would happen to Captain Burke..."

"I know, Susan," Kouichirou said, "my little sister to the rescue, who would've thought!"

"She sure is a born-leader..." Susan smiled. "She got thousands if not millions of people in both Japan and America to speak up for one man! Let alone run into the midst of the attack to rescue him!"

"Hmm..." Kouichirou sat back a little, "and she has a way of giving us all a scare. She must have learned it from Kazuto-kun."

"Really?" Susan asked. "Perhaps during their time in SAO?"

"Where else?" Kouichirou said, "I mean, the pre-SAO Asuna would never dream of doing what we saw her do."

"I guess SAO changed her for the better... Don't you agree, Koui?"

Kouichirou almost rebutted her, thinking about the hurt that SAO brought, but then stopped himself. Susan did have a point to concede to. Despite the ugliness around SAO and ALO that his family had to endure... what was meant for evil instead produced more good in that Asuna was now a leader and a courageous hero.

"You may be right..." Kouichirou said at last.

---

Kazuto and Asuna:

Asuna turned on her computer. Kazuto notices the Anderson Tech logo on the laptop. It looked even more high spec than his gaming rig set up.

"I see that you're interested of my laptop..." Asuna teased.

"I never could get my parents to buy me one," Kazuto blushed.

"That's a surprise..." Asuna giggled. "After all, Anderson Tech managed to put the other tech companies in America out of business in the past. Leaving it number one..."

"I know... it's just that they are expensive when exported," Kazuto sheepishly admitted.

"That's true..." Asuna agreed.

Asuna then sat down and let Kazuto hold her shoulders as she manipulated the keyboard. The screen itself was a combination of a regular plastic screen and a holo-gram display. It allowed for a 3D display with enhanced depth perception. Kazuto was in awe at the sight of the 3D display. He'd read all about the Anderson Tech computers from magazines in the past. And now, he gets to see one up-close. It was like looking out of a real window.

"Amazing... Isn't it?" Asuna asked.

"It sure is, Asuna..." Kazuto was in awe of the 3D holo-screen displayed before him.

Asuna sees her beloved in a trance and giggles. "And this is just a standard model," she said, "wait until you see the gaming units."

"G-Gaming units? For the laptop?" Kazuto stammered.

"That, and the game consoles..." Asuna gently poked Kazuto on the nose. That made Kazuto blush at Asuna's geekiness.

"You're not the only one who's read whatever Anderson Tech made..." Asuna teased. Kazuto chuckled as he poked her cheek back.

"Hehehe!" Asuna giggled "Looks like we're both tech geeks..."

"Just missing the geek glasses!" Kazuto joked.

"Hmmmm... You like to see me in geek glasses?" She winked at Kazuto. "And let the whole world knows that my shining black knight is a total geek?" Asuna raised an eyebrow.

"I-I mean... You'd look cute in glasses..." Kazuto admitted sheepishly.

"Well I don't know if the world should know that..." Asuna seemed thoughtful before smiling, "let's keep our geekiness a lovers' secret."

"Sure thing, my love..." Kazuto nuzzled into Asuna's cheek.

---

With Alex and Suguha:

Suguha leaned her head over onto Alex's shoulder as they rode in the back of Midori's car. Alex gently strokes Suguha's hair and cheek.

"Mmmmm... Alex-kun..." Suguha cooed.

"Yes, Sugu?" Alex grinned.

"This is quite a trip, isn't it?" She asked as she snuggled up against him.

"You tired?" Alex asked.

"It's been a long day for us and Kazuto..." Sugu answered.

She snuggled up hard against Alex. "What do you think happens now? With us? Our world is changing so quickly."

"To be honest, I don't know..." Alex admitted. But he held Suguha against his warm body. "But no matter what happens, we'll always be together... As will our friends..." Alex had his uncertainties about the future, but he always thought about looking up.

Suguha coos from the warmness Alex emits from his body. It was perfect for a cold winter months of January and February.

"Cuddling up back there?" Midori asked.

Sugu giggles. "We sure are, mom... Like my body pillow," Suguha rubbed her face against Alex's chest.

"Hehe.." Alex was blushing, but he smiled as he continued to stroke her hair. In front of their car was the Mitchell family van. Driven by David Mitchell with Jonathan riding in the passenger seat.

Alex scrolled through the news on his phone on both the Japan and American sides. The support for Captain Chris Burke continues to skyrocket in the wake of the Yokota Air Base attack. And the most recent reports saw him actually escorting Kazuto and Asuna to the Yuuki mansion under armed guard, with his troops posted inside the gates.

'At least they're safe an sound...' Alex thought. Meanwhile, America and Russia were also making their own moves... While Russia's not officially part of America's Freedom Coalition that was founded five years ago, the two nations decided to negotiate regarding about the reappearance of Hydra. The American and Russian political and military leadership had begun applying enormous pressure on Japan, and the US President was scheduled to make a speech tomorrow at 7:00 PM US EST.

'At least everyone's taking the threat of Hydra's presence seriously...' He thought and he continued scrolling. However, it was not all good, as the Chinese military-corporate junta was also making their own maneuvers. Alex knew that the Chinese States would also defend themselves against Hydra. But it also means that they'll be trying to assert their own dominance of the world.

Already there were rumblings of the Chinese States sending a fleet into the Sea of Japan in a show of force against what the General-Ministers claimed was a resurgence of fascism in Japan. Alex hoped and prayed that all the political tensions would blow over... However, since he recently learned about the Second Korean War that occurred the previous year and how China managed to annex North Korea. It felt like the whole Pacific with its most powerful rival states were converging on Japan.

Alex clicked on the next news article. It shows that the evidence against Nobuyuki continues to rise and a trial is being set. The exact date is unknown. There was also no word on his whereabouts, except that because of his high status and the attack on Yokota, he had been moved to a classified high security location.

'Good riddance...' He thought with bitterness. He hugged Suguha tighter in his embrace. He decided to take his mind off of the world events and focus on spending it with Sugu. In the past few days, he'd notified his mother that he's alright... There was no doubt that she's seen the footage of the Void and left her in a state of distress.

Earlier, the family had decided to stop to get groceries, with Midori offering to cook. Both Alex and Suguha looked up recipes to make when they get to the Mitchell Residence.

"You must be looking forward to seeing your mom again," Sugu looked up.

"Indeed, Sugu..." Alex strokes her hair. "The whole Alfheim ordeal must've taken a toll on her... I just want to let her see me after all this."

"And to introduce me to your mother..." Sugu added, followed by a giggle.

"I'm sure she will love you, Sugu," Alex poked her cheek.

"Mmmmmm... And I can't wait to see what your house looks like..." Sugu nuzzled into his chest.

The two cars started to slow down as they got near home. They arrived at the Chiba Prefecture. They see a row of houses that stood alone in the field of grass and several meters to the ledge. A fence is built around it so that they don't wander off and fall off the ledge.

"And we're here..." Midori said. "And your home looks lovely, Alex..."

"It sure is, mom..." Suguha was amazed by the style of the Mitchell Residence. She noticed the other houses that are similar of Alex's home. The Mitchell van parked on the driveway first. Midori parked behind them. As the cars turned off, the front door opened and the woman in short blonde hair came out...

"Is that your mother?" Sugu asked.

"Yep... Her name's Marie..." Alex answered as he opens the side door and steps out before offering to Sugu. "May I?"

Suguha giggled before taking Alex's hand and her beloved helps her out of the van. "Such a gentleman..." She commented.

As everyone begins unloading the vans, Marie approaches Alex.

"Alex!?"

"Mom... This is Sug-" Alex was cut off mid-sentence as the female Mitchell adult pulled him in a suffocating hug.

"Thank the Lord you are home!"

Alex couldn't reply as he felt his lungs being squeezed.

"You crazy kid made me worry!" Marie was crying her heart out.

"I-I'm sorry, mom..." Alex managed to wheeze.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you were going to fight a war!?" Marie shook her son's shoulders.

"Well... I-" Alex tried to speak.

"Why did you put yourself in harm's way!?" Marie continued. "You went with the Army to fight real terrorists and left me to worry for you sick!"

"I didn't want to risk Hydra going after you..." Alex explained. "And we had to rescue a friend..." Alex hung his head down in shame. "After father and brother were captured, I was afraid that Hydra would go after you... I didn't want them to do something to you as well, Mom."

Suguha and Midori watched as the reunion between Alex and his mother continued.

"It was Colonel Steve Rogers who told us of the danger we would encounter," Alex admitted. "And even though we'd be facing Hydra, we couldn't just leave Kazuto's wife in the clutches of a madman..."

"Asuna?" Marie asked. "The girl who was on all those broadcasts?"

Alex nodded. "That's correct, mom..."

Marie then saw Suguha. "You must be Alex's girlfriend... I'm Marie Mitchell..." She greeted the female Kirigaya girl.

"Y-yes, Madame..." Suguha said, coming off formal with a bow. "I'm Suguha Kirigaya... And it's wonderful to meet you..."

"And I'm her mother," Midori bowed politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you..." Marie bowed in response and smiled. "I'm sorry that you both had to endure what happened with my son."

"It's alright, Mrs. Mitchell..." Midori replied. "Your son took care of Suguha during the whole war... And in return, she took care of him after logging out..."

Suguha became sheepish. "Y-Yeah... That's true..."

Marie looked to her son. "And how is that shoulder?"

"It stopped hurting the next day..." Alex rubbed his shoulder. "It only hurt after I logged off... And the following morning, it stopped hurting altogether..."

"Thank goodness... I was almost afraid it would be permanent," Marie sighed.

"It was set at Level 4..." Alex explained. Still remembering Nobuyuki's gloating after tampering the Pain Absorber.

"And that other boy..." Marie added.

"He healed up faster that I did... Much faster..." Alex replied.

"And my brother is a real superhero, as you would have seen," Suguha added.

"Kazuto?" Marie asked. "Been seeing him on the news... that brother of yours is a real celebrity."

"Don't forget my sister-in-law..." Suguha added.

"Ah... yes, the illustrious Asuna Yuuki," Marie then smiled.

"They're both famous, even during SAO..." Alex chimed.

It was then that David and Jonathan came over. Marie saw David, and suddenly gave a slap to his face. "Oh!" Alex and Suguha were startled. Marie then burst into tears and hugged David.

"Marie, I-" David tried to start.

"You two had me worried sick!" Marie cried. "And I only found out when that creature threatened to blow you both up with bombs!"

"I'm sorry, Marie..." David apologized. He hugged his wife back tightly. Jonathan joined in on the hug.

"We're alive, Mom," Jonathan said, "and the war in Alfheim's been won. And we all owe it to Kazuto, Alex, Asuna, and Suguha..."

"And not to mention Colonel America and his brave subordinates in the Howler Platoon," David smiled.

"Including Captain Burke." Suguha chimed.

"The new Captain America," Alex finished. Both he and Sugu smiled with pride.

Marie was about to talk more when she suddenly felt a chill. "Oh my! How rude of me to keep you all out here in the cold snow!"

"Agreed..." Midori chirped. "Let's head on inside." Midori then clicked open the trunk of her car. "Suguha, can you help me with the groceries?"

"Sure thing, mom..." Suguha grabbed one of the bags.

"I can help too..." Alex offered as he too grabbed several grocery bags. David helped his wife in while Jonathan went to help Sugu and Alex. Everyone managed to get all of the grocery bags from the trunk and began carry them into the house.

As the group entered the house, Marie faced Midori. "Here, let me take some."

"Thank you very much..." Midori smiled as Marie took some of the bags. "I figured that you were tired from the past days' ordeal and could use a break," Midori told her.

"I understand..." Marie replied. The female Mitchell adult clearly had a weary expression with ripples on her face.

"But we managed to pull through and defeated that monster..." Midori reassures her. "And both Kazuto and Asuna thwarted Hydra's attempt to kill Captain America..."

"That was Chris wasn't it?" Marie asked, "Jonathan told me about him and his brother."

It was then Alex spoke up. "That's right, mom..."

Marie shook his head. "That poor soldier... I'm still mad that the Army tried to have him convicted, and they completely fell for bogus charges. I cannot imagine what his mom and dad were feeling."

"We're just glad that the truth was brought into the light before it could happen..." Alex said.

"Yeah," Jonathan grimaced, "but that the American military could not even trust my best friend's brother to bear the nation's heroic mantle still leaves a bad taste, little bro." The Navy SEAL pursed his lips. "If that was the president who intervened though, I guess it's restored some of my trust in him."

"Plus..." Alex continued. "It's a possibility that Hydra tried to have President Wilson discredited as part of their last-ditch attempt."

David then held Marie's hand. "And if I know Sam Burke well enough, he had faith in his own son's integrity as a soldier, even if he cannot express it."

"He managed to remain silent back in DC with all of the reporters questioning him..." Jonathan concluded.

"He couldn't say anything in defense of the Captain, though?" Suguha still was a bit dismayed, "that was his own son!"

"He couldn't..." Alex explained. "He didn't want his words to be used against him by those who support the non-intervention policies..."

"And not to mention that it would be a conflict of interest as the commander of USSOCOM," David added, "it would not have done Chris any good."

"Correct..."

The head on inside the house and set the groceries on the kitchen counter and dinner table. Alex breathed in the fresh scent of being home again. While Sugu observed the interior of the Mitchell Residence. It was a warm, subdued alabaster interior.

"It looks so cozy in here..." Sugu commented.

"It makes me feel like home whenever I enter inside..." Alex added.

"It's more of a home away from home," Marie clarified with a smile, "but I do try my best."

"It's home no matter where we are..." David smiled. "Though I do understand that you miss your brothers and parents back in Oklahoma..."

"I wonder if they are even still alive," Marie said, "I mean I know that they are also military, but I haven't seen them in years."

"I'm sure that they're still alive..." David reassured her. "If you want, I can try to contact them..."

"You try and do that honey... because I think my contact information is out of date," Marie asked of her husband.

"Maybe I can get old Sam to help me," David said, "after all, I owe his son one. I'll see if my brother Robert can set up a meeting with him..."

Marie then faced her young son and his girlfriend. "Alex, you and your girlfriend can go take a break, while I get acquainted with Ms. Midori here."

"And I will be helping out with dinner," Midori chimed in.

"Okay, mom..." Alex turned to Suguha. "I'll show you my bedroom..." He takes Suguha by the hand and they walked down the hallway together. Suguha was eager to see the other side of her boyfriend. As Alex opens the door to his bedroom, Suguha could see the desk in the corner with the PC hard-drive and the three monitors in front of the keyboard.

'Just like Kazuto...' She thought. She then sees the bookshelves with various books. Ranging from US history to mangas. A small flat screen TV set sitting on the small entertainment center and the slim gaming console with several game title stacked next to it. She also sees the flag of the US. But she looked closer and sees that it has thirteen stars encircling around the golden crucifix in the middle. The flag of the Free States. And next to the flag are two posters... Steve Rogers, the Original Captain America and Thomas Anderson in his Iron Patriot armor.

"I'll have to add the new Captain America and the new Iron Man... but that merchandise will be coming from the military, and I'm not sure if they will authorize that yet," Alex remarked.

"I'm sure they will..." Suguha cooed. "You're such a nerd like Kazuto..."

"Um... thanks?" Alex laughed nervously. Then Suguha sees a scale figurine on one of the shelves. It resembles a robot.

"You into Mobile Suit Gundam?" She asked. Pointing out the Gundam figurine.

Alex beamed. "Ah... you a mech anime girl too?"

"You bet." Sugu giggled. She looked at the white winged Gundam. "That's the Snow White."

"That's correct..." Alex picks up the figurine and shows it to Sugu. She looked in awe at the intricate Wing Zero variant.

"I also have the Gundam Heavyarms..." Alex picked up another Gundam figurine. It sports miniguns on both arms.

Suguha smirked and nodded. "That's definitely you."

"Some may consider it as cumbersome... But to me, it's great for firing support..." Alex beamed with pride.

"I like the big guns."

"That you do, Sugu..." Alex hugs Suguha.

"Mmm... what else, love?" Suguha asked.

"Let's see..." Alex scans his figurine collection. He then picks up a figurine of a male character dressed in a red trench coat and sports a spiky, blonde hair. "Vash the Stampede from Trigun... He's one of the characters that tends to land himself in trouble no matter where he goes... It's hilarious when he dodges bullets, as well as his love for donuts..."

"Oh?" Sugu asked. "Where have I heard it before?" Suguha teased, "oh wait... Kazuto is like that!"

"True..." Alex snickered. "But Vash's more comical... And Kazuto didn't have a black cat following him wherever he went..."

Suguha perked up? "Cat?"

"Yep... This black cat appears in almost every episode..." Alex explains. "I can look it up to show you..." He pulls out his phone and begins browsing through the SpiritTube website.

A few minutes in... Suguha began to absolutely gush. "Aww... That cat looks adorable..."

Alex made a note to himself that Suguha had a soft spot for cats. To test this, Alex brought his hand up and rubs Sugu's head gently. "You like cats too," Alex grinned.

"Mmmm... I sure do..." Suguha purred. "Though Mom does not want to put up with one."

"Same with my mom..." Alex agreed. "Although..." He rubs Suguha's ear. "We could find ourselves a game to keep one..."

Suguha then blushes. "R-Really?" She stammered.

"Why not?" Alex laughed, "and would be good practice for us." They both sat down on the side of the bed.

Suguha relaxed with a deep exhale. "Mmmmmm..."

"Hehe..." Alex chuckled as he continued rubbing her ears. "You know... considering how this day went, it ended quite well," Alex remarked.

"That's true..." Suguha purred. "And I'm just happy that Kazuto and Asuna are away from that base..."

"And back home..." Alex finishes.

"But we aren't there-" Suguha was about to say.

"I know..." Alex knew what Sugu meant. "They're over at Asuna's home."

Suguha did a double take. "They are?"

"I just got it from the news," Alex held up his phone. He scrolls down a news article showing Kazuto and Asuna heading inside the Yuuki manor with a troop escort. "It appears that Captain America's escorted them back to the Yuuki manor and probably discussing the situation with her parents..." American troops, including Iron Man were photographed behind the gates, with one vehicle parked outside with a separate squad behind the police lines.

"Wow..." Suguha expressed as she observed the photos in the news article.

"Your father is apparently inside as well," Alex added, "they say that he took some of his own men in to harden the mansion grounds."

"Good to hear..." Suguha said. She snuggled into Alex's chest. "Mmmmmm... So warm and toasty..." She cooed.

"Glad to help," Alex cooed back. He then kissed Suguha on the cheek.

---

Downstairs:

Marie and Midori begins setting up the pots and pans on the stove while David and Jon put away most of the groceries while leaving some on the counter.

"So your husband is a police detective?" Marie asked her counterpart.

"Yep..." Midori answered. "He was a magazine editor like me after he retired, but he just recently returned to service, with his rank, privilege's, and even a gun."

"That's amazing..." Marie was impressed.

Midori shook her head. "Actually, it's difficult..."

"It was?" Marie noticed Midori's change of expression. It was then that she saw in Midori a sort of fear that a wife would feel for a husband going out into danger.

"I see..." Marie said, now feeling sympathy.

"When I first met him, I knew that he was a policeman," Midori said, "but it was not until later that I learned that he was a homicide investigator for the SIT."

"The Special Investigation Team?" Marie asked.

Midori nodded. "He went straight to investigating some of the worst murders in this country," Midori told her before continuing. "And I feared for his life every single night when he's not home... the thought that he had to go track down real murderers who just as easily could end him bothered me endlessly."

"I know how you feel, Midori..." Marie expressed. "Whenever David sets off in the USS Jefferson, I feared for his life and safety... The possibility that the USS Jefferson would get attacked by the Chinese submarine or during the Second Korean War and he was sent for support..."

"Similar thing," Midori said, "but the people my husband dealt with, and now deals with? No such thing as the laws of war with them. They will do anything to others to get what they want, and nothing stops them except force, and even overwhelming force."

"True..." Marie agrees. "But at least your husband's doing what he believes is right for you and your children... Like David and Jon does for us..."

It was then Marie decides to change to conversation to lighten the mood. "So you work at a video game magazine."

"That's right," Midori answered.

"Do tell..." Marie chimed. "What did you write about specifically?" Marie was curious.

"Mostly, whatever games developers from Anderson Tech has made..." Midori explained happily. "I talked about ARVR as well when Anderson, Argus, Zaskar, and RECT Progress introduced their test games."

"That's amazing..." Marie smiled. "I can see your son has a passion for video games..."

"That he does... and who would've thought it make him a stronger man in the end?" Midori laughed at the irony.

"Same goes for Alex..." Marie laughed as well. "You know, I used to be one of those mothers who'd tell the boy to get off his butt and have a real life," Marie admitted, "I just never thought that..."

"Thought what?" Midori asked.

"That he'd get himself a girlfriend in the VR community..." Marie answered. "And that he'd be saving the world in the process. Though if I must be honest, as a mother, I wish the honor would go to someone else."

"I know what you mean..." Midori replied. "But Kazuto's and Alex's determination to save Asuna and the others is what pushed them past those fears..."

"And they had the help of your country's superheroes." Midori grinned. "I mean, what kid can say that they actually met and fought alongside Captain America, old and new?"

As the two women began boiling water and chopping up vegetables, David and Jon watched on in amusement.

"Been a while since Mom had a friend over," Jon said.

"Too long..." David agreed. "Seeing her talk like this is healthy for her."

"And now, our Alex has a girlfriend of his own..." Jon added with a grin. "And a very cute one at that."

"She sure is..." David chuckled.

---

Upstairs:

Alex and Suguha are lying on the bed cuddling with each other. Suguha pressed her lips against Alex's.

"Mmmmmm..." Alex moaned softly. Suguha then teased by brushing her tongue up against his lips. Alex's cheeks flustered as he felt her soft tongue brushing around his lips.

"S-Sugu..."

"Mmmm... Alex-kun..." Sugu moaned.

"Your tongue's..." Alex drifted off mid-sentence as Suguha pressed herself against him. Squishing her chest against his.

Alex was now a deep red. Then Sugu slid her tongue around Alex's tongue.

"Mm... ugh..."

"Mmmmmm..." Alex couldn't believe Suguha was this bold. Then he felt himself being flipped onto his back.

"You are mine now," Suguha teased in a low tone. Then she gently smashed her lips against Alex's in a deep, passionate kiss. Alex was trapped underneath his girlfriend...

Suguha pinned Alex's arms with her hands.

"S-Sugu... "

"Mmmmmm... Looks like the Sylph warrior has beaten the Spriggan knight..." She teased.

"You are such a tease, Sugu," Alex grinned.

Sugu giggled before poking his nose with his finger. "Boop."

"My point exactly," Alex replied. Suguha then snuggled up against Alex.

"Mmmmm... You love it when I pinned you down..." She coos. Alex breathed in her scent and strokes her short black hair.

"Mmmmmmm... My Sylph warrior..." Alex sighs happily.

"My Spriggan knight..." Sugu coos.

Alex laid back with his maiden using him as her body pillow.