A/N: I return, as stated in my Misfits story, I was on holiday, but I'm back and ready to upload! I also wanted to brief thank the few that have commented on Timeless, every thoughtful comment counts in my eyes, so thank you very much! Now, enjoy!

[IRL, SAO Survivors School]

[Asuna's POV]

This had to be the longest lunch I've ever had to sit through, sure, it was for a good cause but forgive me for being a little impatient as I'm forced to sit perfectly still as Kazuto and two classmates of his fiddle with both electronics and coding on a laptop. I had a device that Kazuto had been working on to help Yui see the real world on one of our shoulders, similar to that of a camera.

The audio-visual bidirectional communication probe, or just ABCP for short. Only instead of Yui, it was for the mysterious girl who had been wrapped around Kazuki's mind for days on end. Yuuki Konno. At his request, after returning from the hospital Tomo and Kazuto had directed him to find Yuuki, he asked if it were possible to allow Yuuki to 'come to school', as in, using the ABCP to give her the chance to have a school life again. I, of course, was more than happy to help, though my whole back feels stiff now.

I sighed, looking at my watch, "Hey, how much longer? Lunch break will be over soon,"

Although, I don't think Kazuto was listening, he didn't even blink at my complaint. "For now, let's assume the initial settings are good to go," He concluded, with a smile he turned to us. "Uh... Ms Yuuki? Can you hear me?"

~Yes, I can hear you loud and clear!~ Yuuki chimed on my shoulder.

"Good, alright, I'm gonna initialize the lens area now. Call out to me at the point your vision clears,"

~Right! Roger that!~ Soon, I heard the camera's lens starting to dilate slowly as Kazuto scrolled. Yuuki gasped. ~There!~

"Alright, we're done here," Kazuto smiled in relief, unplugging the cables, moving closer to fiddle with the camera. "Asuna, just in case, I've equipped it with a stabilizer, but try not to move too suddenly,"

Free from the burden of sitting straight for too long, I stood up, both relived and excited to finally give Yuuki the wish she wanted for three years. "Roger!"

Lunch was nearly over so taking Yuuki on a tour was out of the question but we did get the chance to speak with my teacher about her studying with us, to which he was more than happy to accept her attendance from now on, good thing me and Kazuki brought it up beforehand. I still haven't told Yuuki he's in our class which would be really funny to see her reaction to.

~Say, where's Kazuki? I thought he'd want to be here too?~ Yuuki asked curiously.

"Hm, he's at practice but he said he'll join us when he can," I was vague of course but my answer made her verbally eager.

~Practice? What does he do then?~ I gave her a sly smile as the lens stared at me from the side, then I giggled behind my hand. ~Eh? What's with that response?~

"You'll just have to wait and see," I winked, tapping a finger to my lips.

~Aw, come on, Asuna, please tell me!~ She whined but I was tight-lipped on the subject.

Arriving to class, I let Yuuki get a good view of the filled room, others were conversing in small groups so none noticed me walk in as I heard Yuuki hum in wonder, it was cute! Sitting around a desk were three girls I chatted with often. One with short, dark brown hair, another with black hair reaching the middle of her back, and the third with black hair too but held with a bobble resting against her shoulder.

When I approached, the short-haired girl immediately noticed the ABCP and pointed at it inquisitively. "Um, Ms Yuuki, what's that?"

~How did you know my name?~ I internally face-palmed at Yuuki's reaction, right, forgot about that part. The trio looked completely bewildered that the camera talked so I smiled.

"No, that's my last name," I answered.

~Ah, right! Sorry about that!~ Yuuki laughed, sounding relieved.

"This is Yuuki Konno," I motioned with my hand to the camera. "She's in the hospital right now and can't leave her room, so we've arranged for her to attend class like this,"

~I'm Yuuki! I'll be joining you for however long I can!~ She replied chipperly, drawing in the whole class to marvel at how unique of a classmate we now had, it was honestly a little overwhelming but they all meant well by it.

"Wow!" "Nice to meet you!" "I'm Kota, nice to meet you!"

~Yes! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!~ Yuuki was probably feeling like her head was pulled in every direction, I just stood there and smiled until the initial craze died off.

Thankfully, the sound of our teacher arriving and closing the door behind him with that standard tune for the bell quickly dispersed everyone back to their seats. We did our greeting and soon were seated to begin afternoon lessons with no sign of Kazuki, his empty seat to my left. Guess his practise is still happening.

"Alright, today we're going to start on page 97 in your textbooks," I quickly flipped to the one in question, holding it up slightly for Yuuki to read with me. "We'll be reading Ryunosuke Akutagawa's, 'A Lorry'," He instructed.

"Now then, let's have someone read it out loud from the beginning. Ms Yuuki Konno? Can I ask you to do the honors?" The teacher's request took us a second to realize he really did mean... Yuuki?

"Huh?/Huh, what?" We gawked a little, me from surprise and Yuuki from probably a mixture of that and anxiety. I mean, to speak in front of a class she only just met too, and the first in three years is a challenge in of itself. By now, the others were all whispering or watching us with a plethora of emotions, one's that made me unable to speak. "U-uh..."

"Well, can you?" The teacher was soft spoken, he knew what he was doing so if Yuuki did back down he'd understand-

~Yes, I can read it!~ Yuuki rose to the challenge, if that were the case I stood up in place of her, holding the book up to the camera.

"Yuuki, can you read it?" I whispered, a little worried considering how little exposure she's had to the outside world.

~Of course, I may not look it but I happen to be a bookworm!~ With that reassurance, I heard her take a breath.

[Malzeno's POV]

"-if you want my honest opinion, go for a Dex/Strength build, mid-max from that, don't try to play a class that has more complex fighting styles until you're used to the controls of the game, trust me, you'll only lose a part of yourself," I explained, patting the guy's shoulder, a person from my lessons that happen during the halfway point of lunch, sometimes after school.

"Really? Okay, I'll give it a try, thanks, Asami," The guy was pretty chill, a bit of a timid nerd but who wasn't from SAO? We parted ways as I approached my classroom a few doors down. It was quiet but as I approached I heard a voice I certainly wasn't expecting to read today. "Huh?"

~'Construction on the light railway between Odawara and Atami began when Ryohei was eight years old-'~ I heard Yuuki's voice speak crystal clear through that camera Kazuto worked on. I leaned against the door with my back to it, my ajar with wonder as I listened closely. ~'Everyday, Ryohei went to the outskirts of town to watch the construction work'~

Thinking about it, I could imagine her standing there at her own desk, holding the book between her hands, she was healthy, her hair shoulder-length and shining in the sunlight, her onyx eyes scanning the pages without missing a beat like the rhythm of her sword skills. "'The construction, or rather, merely the transport of soil by lorry, that was the sight that drew him to watch,'"

"'There were two laborers aboard the lorry, standing behind the soil they loaded. Since the lorry was headed down the mountain, it rolled down unaided by manpower. Seeing the chassis swinging, the sleeves of the laborers' clothes flapping, the narrow rails bending, as he gazed upon these sights, Ryohei sometimes wished he could become a laborer,'" Yuuki's tone was like silk wrapping around my ears. "'He also wished at times that he could ride the lorry with the laborers, if only once,'"

That image faded away, and I found myself smiling with my arms crossed. "You never cease to amaze me, Zekken," Wiping something on the corner of my eyes, I cleared my throat and knocked three times. "Excuse me-" Once I was inside, I gave my teacher an apologetic wave. "-my lesson held me up, sorry about that,"

"Ah, I understand, our lesson's only just started," The older man explained. "Though you did miss our newest student's reading,"

"Oh I heard, I just didn't want to barge in and interrupt," Was I smirking? I was probably smirking as I gazed to Asuna, more specifically, the ABCP on her shoulder, winking. "Beautiful as always, Yuuki,"

~W-what the... you're in this class!?~ She blurted out as I bowed to the teacher and took my seat next to Asuna on the right. Then I heard her whisper. ~You two are the worst...!~

I snickered slightly, "Like I wouldn't take this opportunity to mess with you, Cupcake," With that said, we were silent and focused on the lesson.

[Yuuki's POV]

Class was finally over, but my troubles weren't as far as I could tell. ~Yuuki, you're so good at reading out loud!~ One girl praised.

~Hey, have you already toured the school?~ Another asked me.

~Why don't we show her around?~ Someone else suggested.

~H-hold on a second...~ Poor Asuna, everyone's really crowded around, even in my virtual space I felt really overwhelmed all of a sudden.

~Are you into soccer?~ A boy asked to the right.

"Oh, uh, thank you! And not yet but Asuna and Kazuki plan to show me around! And I've seen it alot but I can't really play it right now!" I answered to the best of my ability as some dispersed, giving me a clear view of a certain strawberry-blonde chatting away near the window with one other guy, since Kazuki was my age, he actually was as short as some of the girls, and yet, the one he spoke with acted like Kazuki was his upperclassman with whatever they discussed.

I really was shocked he was in my class, and... happy, he looked really cute in a uniform but I never got to voice that when we first met IRL. ~Say, Yuuki?~ It was a girl with short brown hair, leaning against Asuna's desk. ~I get you know Asuna here, but what's the story with Asami?~

"Huh, story?" I asked, cocking my head a bit.

A girl with longer hair chimed in, ~Come on, I heard him use this cute nickname for you!~ She gushed, hand raised to cover part of her mouth. ~Are you two dating?~

"EH!?" I sat up perfectly straight, my face creeping with pink from my neck upwards. "W-w-why would you a-assume that!? W-we're not!" I crossed my arms into an 'X' but it's not like they can see me.

~Really? But you two looked so cute together when I first met you, Yuuki!~ Asuna replied cheerily, giggling to herself. ~They were holding hands and everything!~

"Asuna!?" I gaped, my face becoming redder with every second as my heart pounded in my chest. I mean, I liked holding his hand, it was comforting, and how serious he got or that sharp, winning smirk of his was really handso - no-no-no-no-no-no! I rolled onto my back, whining as those thoughts filled my head. "Stop iiiiit~!"

~Oh, here he comes, good luck~~ The short-haired girl winked as she stepped aside to give Kazuki a wave. ~Hey, Asami!~

He wore a deadpan expression, ~Okay, even I heard her soul weeping in agony, what did you three do to her?~ His fingered waved between the girls, Asuna included as the two I only just met laughed behind their hands, and I saw Asuna's smile fail to die down. Please don't...!

~Mmhmhm, we were just talking about how bold you were to try and reach Yuuki again after you two were cut off from each other~ Asuna worded our fallout in a well-knitted lie, but even that still made my heartrate skyrocket. Great, Kurahashi's gonna hound me for answers later, more embarrassment!

Unfortunately, Kazuki, as cool as he is, really didn't twig on, ~I-I mean, yeah... you, Hosaka, and Kazuto really helped me in that regard but if I didn't she wouldn't have been given this chance to go to school again~ He replied honestly, and I sat up again with a fond smile.

"Thanks, Kazuki," He nodded to me, then his brow creased with mild annoyance, oh, I knew that look, a rant.

~I swear, when I see those Sleeping Knights again I better get a damn apology for ghosting me, honestly, professionalism people, you don't diss your mercenary without a proper reason. Semantics matter!~ He swung his hands up as I giggled, so did Asuna. ~I swear, no loyalty these days...~

"I-I'll be sure to do that," I snickered, feeling safe under his gaze. Then my chest tightened, why is that? Why am I so fixated on him now?

"Would you shut up about that!?" His tone startled her a little, "...because I'm not giving up on you," Crimson stared deeply into emerald, "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!" He squeezed her shoulders, head falling as his emotions started to creep up. "Please... don't go..."

I felt my hands rest on my shoulders, his touch was so genuine, he... really wanted me to live. I don't know if I could change what's happening to my body, I could very well disappear in three months. But despite that bitterness, I really wanted him to try... I wanted to be with him more.

[Malzeno's POV]

School was out, and myself, Asuna, and Yuuki were by a few benches placed at an intersection along the red brick pathways of the school, alone to speak as I fiddled with the stabilizer on Asuna's shoulder to move it to mine now. I sighed as I did so carefully, "I'm so sorry about those idiots, they're really nosy,"

"Like you have any cheek," Asuna passed me a stare that I laughed at.

"I work with the Rat, you know fine rightly how sinister she can be," I defended my words, I'd die on this hill too.

~Hahaha! Seriously though, I really want to thank you both for today, I had a blast!~ Yuuki's optimistic reply perked us both up. Her voice then became soft spoken. ~I'm never gonna forget what I did today, no matter what-~ She paused, then chuckled slightly. ~-w-well, there's always tomorrow, and the days after, right?~

This was the biggest part of my fight, Yuuki has understandably made peace with the fact she's going to die within three months, I can't fault her for that, but it meant I had to work harder to change not just that mindset but give her a reason to pursue of her own volition. Of course, I don't want to frighten Yuuki, being prepared to face your own death is something a lot of us in SAO had to come to terms with if the day came.

Slow steps, that's all I can do. It was brief, but Asuna flashed me a grief-ridden face, one I held my own understanding smile toward before answering Yuuki, "Yep! Modern Japanese Class for third period, so don't be late, I'm not a courier,"

"Exactly, so you better not be late!" Asuna pointed to the camera now in my hands.

~Yeah~ Yuuki was curt, she was deep thinking again.

"Anyways, is there anything else you want to see? With me or Princess?" We were basically in charge of Yuuki's sight now, we had already made plans based on our schedules. Since Asuna here is a rich girl she had other priorities so in those moments I'll have the camera, and vice versa less Kazuto needed to work on the camera with Yui. Asuna was also two grades above me, reason we shared a class sometimes was based on exams to gauge our learning capabilities.

~Um... well, you see, there's just one place I'd like to go...~ Yuuki murmured as Asuna stood up to help adjust the brace on my right shoulder now. ~I-if you don't mind, Kazuki?~

"Once I've set this up, you two can head off, I'll let Kazuto know," Asuna replied, squeezing my free shoulder. Her silent request to look after the young girl as if she was really standing next to me, but I get the gesture.

"A mercenary's job is never done," I shrugged, "Lead the way as always, leader."

[To Be Continued...]

[Author's Notes]

Thanks word count for not properly updating, nearly 3000 words, I didn't even notice... welp! Not changing that! I can imagine the next part will probably be as long, guess we'll see. Oh, and Yuuki and Asuna's conversation concerning the latter's mother will happen just not in what's coming, gotta twist the timeline somehow.

I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support, seeya in the next chapter, Readers!