[Alfheim Online, New Aincrad, Floor 24]

[Malzeno's POV]

The second my feet touched the floor again, I raced out in the dim dusk with a layer of fog surrounding Panareze and the various islands. I sprinted into a jump, extending my dark wings to immediately leave a clear spot in the layer of low-hanging fog. The cool wind whipped through my hair and across my face but I only pushed harder at the response of my heartbeat.

I wanted to see her again, I wanted to hear about her life from her own lips, I want to tell her... that she can find a new purpose to live and fight for. I squeezed my eyes shut as I flew through the clouds. "Merida, I won't let her down... I'll do what she did for you, for as long as I can!" Oddly enough, I managed to kick my speed up a notch, and I swore, a pair of hands had shoved my shoulders forward, straightening my flight pattern. I didn't think about it and simply flew in the direction of that giant tree.

Landing sharply into a roll, I quickly scanned the immediate area, it was so foggy that it was hard to tell this was a place over sixty people got their asses handed to them by a fifteen-year-old girl. I ran forward. "Yuuki!" I hopped over the roots, using them to peer through the fog as best I could. "Hey, Yuuki!"

Sliding down, I slowed my pace to listen for any tell that someone was here, to my relief, sunlight broke through the fog, shading the world in a pale purple through the cracks in the fog wall. My heart skipped. There... just ahead of me was the silhouette of a girl with long, purple hair. I couldn't move, but she lowered her head.

"For some reason, I had a feeling you'd find me in the real world, you see? Since I never told you anything, it was never gonna happen," Her head turned slightly with a pained smile. "But you still came, it's pretty rare for any of my predictions to come true," Her face was shaking as I stared, completely blank faced. "You made me so happy, really! And to know you're Merida's little brother that she wanted to fight for, that's something I never could've imagined!"

I walked closer, and her face tensed up before an ashamed look befell her. "Guess I really am a terrible person, I pushed her brother away, but you still kept coming back," I didn't reply, watching her shoulders quiver. "Why? Why didn't you forget about me? I'm dying, you know? So why-"

*Thump*

I wrapped my arms around her tightly, mostly because I was afraid she'd disappear again, I... I was so scared she would. "You idiot... why the hell would I do that?" I squeezed her tighter, feeling tears sting the corners of my eyes. "I don't care if it does hurt me, it's worth it to know you, Yuuki Konno."

Her body relaxed against mine. "It feels the same as when my big sister used to hug me, it's warm," She noted softly. "Since you know what Aiko did for me, she was the first leader of the Sleeping Knights, next to me and Merida, and like I said, she's way, way stronger than me,"

"I met Siune and the others in Serene Garden too. In the beginning there were nine of us, but my big sister, Clovis, and Merida... already three of us are gone," I tensed a little at that, pulling away to look at her directly, our expressions mirrored. "That's why we talked it over and made a decision to disband the guild the next time we lost someone,"

She raised her head apologetically, "Malzeno, I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you the truth. The reason the Sleeping Knights are disbanding in the Spring isn't because we'll be too busy to be gaming, but because there's two of us with a prognosis of three months, at best,"

"...you..." I didn't know the second, but, it was probably Yuuki among the two.

She smiled faintly, nodding once. "But that's why we were so adamant on creating one last wonderful memory in this wonderful world! We wanted to leave proof on that gigantic monument that we were once here,"

"We wanted to go on an amazing adventure to brag about to my big sister and the others, but nothing seemed to go right," She sighed, their failures at floor 25 and 26 being the cause. "And we decided to look for a player to help us out, we ended up causing you trouble and hurting your feelings, and who'd have guessed it was Merida's brother all along?" She gave me a sad look, begging for forgiveness. "Sorry, sorry, Malzeno. I'm glad you feel like remembering us but... it'll be best if you didn't, so... we can't cause you anymore pain,"

I've heard enough.

Grabbing her shoulders, I pulled her red eyes back to me. "Would you shut up about that!?" My tone startled her a little, "...because I'm not giving up on you," Her eyes widened as I admitted what had been brewing in my mind for three days. Seventy-two hours I couldn't shake it from my mind. And now, thanks to Merida's recordings, I knew what to do. "You fought so very hard for your parents and sister, for Merida, Clovis, all of the Sleeping Knights, but you can't just call it quits because you've engraved your name into this world! If you can't find a reason, then I'll find it for you! I'll find a purpose for you to live for! So... so, don't go, Yuuki!" I squeezed her shoulders, my head falling as my emotions were starting to creep up. "Please... don't go..." I was trembling by now.

I slowly pulled her back against my shoulder, mine against hers as I felt her shake as well. "...do you really mean that? Even though I might not be here anymore, you'd still try for me?"

"Of course, I'll give my all to achieve that dream, even if what's been said might be set in stone, I'll devote everything to make it tangible," I rubbed her back in circles as her hands reached around to grab my shoulders tightly, squeezing back as tightly.

"...I'm so happy I got to come to this world and to meet you," Her voice broke, and tears dripped onto my shoulder. "Just hearing you say that is enough... I... I really am satisfied, or... I thought, maybe to put my heart at ease, but... but you..."

I pulled away, wiping my tears a bit as I reached down to dry hers with my sleeve. "In the last three years you've seen countless worlds, but I've spent two years trapped in one too, I thought that I had seen everything Alfheim and Aincrad could offer me and more, but everyday there's more I learned, more I wanted to know and uncover," I smiled a little again, the first genuine one in three days. "All because I want to see those things with you, you know?"

By now, the fog peeled away as the weather slowly took a sharp turn, a bright golden sun pierced the horizon, and the sky turned a shade of violet above us, her face captured in the rays left me speechless. Her own silent face slowly grew redder at what I realized spilled from my mouth without thought.

"I-I do too," She murmured, toying with her hands again before bringing her eyes to me. "I want to see things with you too!" Now it was my turn to feel a little hot under the collar. Yuuki seized up and covered her face with a groan. "Ah, that was totally embarrassing to say...~"

"H-hey, you and m-me both," I stuttered, coughing into my hand. "B-but I mean it," I refused to go back on my word. "No matter how small, let's experience everything this world and beyond has to offer together, I swear to you, I'll find you a reason to keep living, even if we only have a few years or a few months, It'll be worth it,"

I had her hands in mine again, it felt right to do so as she held them just as tightly. I can't change fate easily, and God knows if in three months she doesn't disappear entirely. But I'll endure that loss, it'll be hard but I'll treasure every waking moment with Yuuki, whatever becomes of us in the end.

"So, Ms Konno, what do you want to do now?" I asked, feeling warm and fuzzy when she looked up at me, still blushing.

"W-well..." She gave it some thought, then her confident smile returned. "I think I'd like to go to school."

"Really? That's..." Now hang on...

"Ah, sorry-sorry, I know that's pretty much impossible," She closed her eyes with a big smile, her hands tense in mine.

"...Blackie, you genius," I smirked as she met my confident stare. "Yuuki, you really want to go to school?"

"Eh? Yes, w-with you..." She muttered that last part as I nodded.

"Okay then, time to really increase my debt with people, yikes," I sighed a laugh but for her, definitely worth the extra debt. Looking around shamefully, I added. "I... should probably log out to get to work on this masterplan, plus, I don't want to keeping using the Doc's AmuSphere when I have my own at home,"

"Thank you~!" Yuuki suddenly tackled me into a hug, causing me to trip backward onto my ass with her against my chest. But she leaned back a bit, smiling as bright as the sun against us. "Thank you so-so-so much Ka - ah, mm..." She stifled her own words.

"Considering I've been using your name since we met, you can call me that too," I replied nonchalantly. "If you haven't guessed already, I'm a crime against traditions, probably going to hell for that... eh, most in school drop formalities half the time anyway..."

"R-right, um, thank you, K-Kazuki," She replied while sitting so dangerously close to my face. She really is amazing - her skills, I mean, yeah...

"For you? Anytime, Yuuki," She then adjusted her spot, sitting between my legs with her back against my chest, her head shifting down so I could rest my chin atop her head. The position made the blood in my face grow hotter. "W-we should probably-"

"Just for a while longer?" She asked gingerly. Her arms held mine around her stomach, and I honestly felt the fatigue of three days without proper sleep weigh me down.

"...I'm not arguing, not with a view like this," I closed my eyes, my arms hugging her tightly seeing as it was okay to do so. Her muscles relaxed against mine, and despite not being able to tell, I feel she's smiling now. This... spectacular girl really throws me through a loop, more than those two years in SAO ever could. "Man, I really am falling hard and fast without a parachute."

Well, I'm not complaining.

I swear, Merida, Aiko, I won't fail this time.

Because, I finally have something worth fighting for.

[To Be Continued in the Next Arc...]

[Author's Notes]

Thus we conclude the first arc, there's a lot that remains the same in terms of how the Mother's Rosario arc is represented but now we enter the romance portion a lot heavier this time with Yuuki and Kazuki. Time to go to school... a sentence that haunts me to this day. I've seen other stories like this usually drop off around this point, I'll do my best to ensure we get to an ending with this story in time. Any who, I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support; see ya in the next arc, Readers!