Hey everyone, I've recently gotten back into Sao and decided to try and do some writing. I also have been playing a lot of Black Ops 2, and the idea entered into my mind of combining the two stories together due to both games' futuristic setting. So here we go, I'm gonna give it a shot, Kazuto is the son of Alex mason. I know that some of the timing on events won't match up and make sense with ages, but I'm mostly just doing this for fun. Also, I am not a professional writer, so bear with me if my writing isn't very good. This will be a Kazuto x Shino story as I like to ship them together, nothing against Asuna though. Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Pendant
The Dicey Cafe was very close to closing as shown by the clock on the wall being only a little away from striking midnight. Many of the customers had already left for the night to return home before it got too late. The only remaining people left in the cafe were two people. Agil was busy cleaning glasses behind the bar, and 20 year old Kazuto Kirigaya was sitting at the bar in deep conversation with the older man.
"And then Suguha managed to take the champion down and win the whole tournament" Kazuto said with a grin before taking a sip from his drink.
"Damn, your sister is unstoppable when it comes to kendo" Agil responded with a small little laugh
There was a small pause at the end of the conversation where neither man spoke. Kazuto stared at the drink in his hand, watching the ice cubes bob and move around. Agil focused on his cleaning, his expression had a look of thinking before changing to determined as he started to speak.
"Hey Kaz, you mind if I ask you something"
Kazuto looked up from his drink at the older man
"Yeah go ahead"
"I noticed you've been in here a lot more lately, I know you're old enough to drink now and I really enjoy sharing a beer with you and having conversations. But you're in here almost every night for the past few weeks. Don't you have other things you wanna do, I bet you're missing out on tons of quests".
Agil noticed a look of sadness appear on Kazuto's face, a look that he had unfortunately been seeing a lot. Kazutos didn't say anything for a few moments before speaking.
"I actually don't really go online that much anymore".
Agil was taken aback by what the young man had just said, considering Kazuto's history as the great Kirito.
"Wow that's surprising, I bet Asuna isn't too happy about that"
Agil had said that with a hint of joking in his voice, but what Kazuto had said afterwards nearly left him speechless.
"Me and Asuna actually broke up a month ago"
Agil almost dropped his glass after hearing what came out Kazuto's glass
"Wow, holy shit dude I'm really sorry to hear that. What happened?"
Kazuto let out a deep sigh before starting to speak
"Well after everything that happened in the underworld, things sort of slowed down for a while. I still had my job and was going to school, and me and everyone else continued to play Alfheim. But as things started to finally feel normal for once, I started to see the cracks in me and Asuna's relationship. We started to become so codependent on vr that our real world relationship started to struggle. I had my job and Suguha to spend time with, along with just basic responsibilities. But Asuna only really went to school and played vr. She has a better relationship with her parents now but they're too busy to spend time together. I tried for us to do things together irl, and she just wanted to talk about the next exciting quest or new update to the game. She only kept focusing on Kirito and my online persona, that it felt like she didn't want to spend time with the real me".
Kazuto let out a deep sigh before looking back up at Agil
"Continue" he said simply
"Well, about a month ago I confronted Asuna about how I was feeling. How we don't really spend much time together irl and when we do, it's not enjoyable. She defended her actions, saying vr is a big part of both of our lives and Alfheim is our real home. Talking led to shouting, and eventually I realized the relationship I had with her wasn't the same. It worked when we lived through SAO, and all the events afterwards. But in our normal day to day lives, I realized how different we had become. We broke it off and haven't spoken since, I still go online to only see Yui once and a while. But I can't stand the thought of going on quests. All it makes me feel are bad memories".
Kazuto could feel the tears starting to form in his eyes and he quickly whipped them away. Agil didn't say anything for a little while, processing everything Kazuto had just told him. He finally spoke after a few moments.
"That's really difficult Kaz, I'm sorry it didn't work out between the two of you. It's a shame that vr has become tainted for you. Do you still hang out with the rest of the group?
Kazuto shook his head
"Not really, they sometimes come by when I'm online to see Yui. But like Asuna, they're so focused on quests that they don't really have a desire to meet up in person. I see Klein sometimes when comes here after work, but it's not often. Shino has been helping me a lot after the break up, we've been spending a lot of time together.
A small smile formed on Kazuto's lips as he continued to speak
"Going on walks, grabbing coffee, even going to the gun range since she was able to conquer her ptsd. Besides her, I spend a lot of time with Suguha. We've been doing a lot of fun things together, stuff we used to do when we were younger."
Agil smiled at what Kazuto had said
"I'm glad to hear you're trying to take care of yourself, I haven't logged on in a while. I've been so busy with my wife and the cafe that I barely have any time"
Agil looked at Kazuto's expression, still seeing some sadness in his face.
"But it's still bothering you isn't it"
Kazuto nodded and looked down at his drink "VR had been part of my life for so long, so many memories and events helped shape who I am because of it. But there was also so much bad with it too, so many people hurt and killed. People I cared about, and I feel like I don't even know myself. I feel like I know Kirito more than Kazuto".
Kazuto felt a hand be placed on his shoulder, he looked up to see the smiling face of Agil.
"You just need time, you've been through a lot. The sadness you have for Asuna is not going to go away for a while. Maybe take this time to think more about who you are as a person."
Kazuto smiled at his words "Thank you Agil, i'll definitely take what you said into consideration".
Just as Kazuto finished speaking, the sound of midnight could be heard from the ringing clock on the wall. Signifying the closing of Dicey Cafe.
"Alright Kaz, it's late. Finish up your drink and head home, I got to start closing up shop."
Kazuto simply nodded at his words. Downing the last of his drink, he put some money down on the bar table, the full amount with a little extra tip. He waved Agil one final goodbye before grabbing his jacket and heading for the door. Stepping into the cold city outdoors, Kazuto looked up at the dark clouds covering the sky as he put on his hood . He could just vaguely make out a couple stars.
It was a fairly short walk back to his house. When he entered his house, he found Suguha sitting at the kitchen table, working on homework.
"You really shouldn't stay out so late, you need to sleep more," she said, not even looking up from her work.
Kazuto simply grinned at her before giving her a small noogie on the head, Suguha slapped his hand away, but he swore he saw a smile on her face.
Kazuto yawned, "Speaking of sleep, I'm going to bed"
As he started to head towards his room, Suguha grabbed his arm
"Oh Kazuto before you go, there was some mail for you today" Suguha said before sliding an envelope across the table to him
Kazuto was pretty surprised by this, he almost never got mail. Picking up the envelope, he noticed no return address listed. But the biggest thing he noticed was that his last name written on the front wasn't for Kazuto Kirigaya, but for Kazuto Mason. A name he hadn't used in almost a decade. He could feel a small object in the envelope, quite curious, he opened the envelope and out slid into his hands the object. What Kazuto saw almost caused him to collapse onto the floor. Thankfully he caught himself on the table and ended up sitting on the floor..
"Kazuto what's wrong?" Suguha asked, concerned. She got up from her chair and quickly ran over concerned.
It was a small heart shaped pendant, a crimson red with gold elements too. Kazuto couldn't understand why he was reacting this way. But an immense sense of fear entered inside of him. He started to remember memories from his childhood, he remembered seeing that pendant on one of the worst days of his life. The words you suffer with me started to echo into his mind over and over again, a voice of pure anger and rage saying it.
"Kazuto" Suguha yelled, causing Kazuto to snap out of his moment
"What's wrong with you Kazuto, what is that pendant?" She asked looking at him concerned
Kazuto looked at his sister and said the only thing that he could think at the moment.
"I think I need to go visit Woods"