#sword art online fic

[heyyallitsbethfanfic]

Kirito's Quest Reward / Something Comforting

In Alfheim Online, a small party of friends were taking on a boss monster. The giant salamander itself wasn’t particularly threatening, even with it’s attacks leaving multiple debuff effects, but the party enjoyed taking on large bosses together, and definitely enjoyed the payouts from selling the rare Fang Daggers these beasts drop.

“Remember, the one to finish it gets whatever it drops!” teased Leafa, who had been dealing most of the heavy hits this rotation. She knew they always shared rewards anyway, unless there was only one unique item per quest. However noticing her health had decreased due to the monster’s poison, she was prepping to take defensive. “Now switch!”

In a swift movement the girl and her attacking duo Klein had fallen back to the defensive and support lines, and two new attackers came in, the romantic crossed sword duo of Kirito and Asuna. Between them 3 swords cut deep and heavily into the salamander’s HP. Flurries of shortsword stabs and rapier pierces were landed before the rest of the team had assumed their new positions. Leafa began supporting her teammates with spell buffs alongside the cait sith monster tamer Silica, and Klein took a defensive stance beside the mace wielding blacksmith Lisbeth, preparing to run in to assist the mainline attackers. As the HP of the beast faded lower and lower, a rain of arrows shot down from above as the cait sith archer Sinon unleashed battalions worth of arrows. Not to be outdone, the blackswordsman Kirito rushed in unleashing a devastating combo to the creature, taking it’s final health points down to zero.

“Hmmph, all that effort in the last moments and you still go and killsteal.” Sinon sighed and huffed jokingly.

“Heh relax Sinon, we’re all sharin’ in the rewards nomatter what” Kirito replied, smirking.

As the monster turned to glittery dust a gift box fell from it’s place and landed square on the battlefield.

“Ah crap.” Lisbeth complained “That special drop events still goin’ on. All that work and we still might get a freakin’ steel dagger out of it.”

“Shoot! And I just barely made enough yuld off of it to buy back the potions we used.” Klein huffed.

“Hey we still have a chance for it to be good, even if we haven’t had much luck with it” optimistically chimed in Silica.

“Well, in that case if nobody wants it, I’ll be the one stuck with it I guess” Kirito said, striding over to it. “I was the one who took it down after all~” He playfully taunted to the other partymembers. 

He tapped on the box to open it and reveal it’s contents, fully expecting something mediocre.

“Hmm?”

A dialogue box appeared in front of him “1x Classic Maid Outfit added to inventory”

He closed the dialogue box before anyone else could catch up and see what it was.

“So whatcha get?” Asuna inquired looking right over his shoulder.

Kirito jumped from the sudden break in silence, hoping she hadn’t seen the box’s contents. His face flushed red and he flailed his arms. “N-NOTHING- NOTHING AT ALL HAHA-”

Real smooth there Kazuto. He thought to himself. You know how your friends are. That’s just inviting problems.

“Ooooooo~ somebody got something special~” cooed Lisbeth, now nearly hovering over the poor boy.

“So what rare item did you steal from me hm Kirito?” Sinon peered down.

“Heh- no. Th-there wasn’t even anything in it. Guess we got screwed by it haha-”

Next quest: Get better at lying. 

“Oh nuh uh, you aint keepin whatever it is for yourself, if it’s worth a buncha yuld then we’re splittin it okay Kirito?” Klein tossed out.

Kirito wanted to clear his inventory, he would sooner lose Excalibur than reveal what he had received.

“Hey Yui, if Kirito isn’t gonna tell us, could you check his inventory for us?” Silica spoke between small giggles.

“Yui please don’t-”

But it was too late. The small navigation pixie had already opened up a tab to review Kirito’s items.

“Hmmm let’s see. Ah it seems Daddy received an event item from one of Alfheim’s prior Valentine’s Day Events”

Valentine’s Day Item? Well that’s not gonna arouse any suspicion at ALL. Kirito grumbled to himself, his face so red he was matching the color of the holiday itself.

“Spill the beans Yui, whats it worth?” Klein inquired.

“Hehehe~ I just wanna know what it is that’s gotten Kiri so embarrassed~” teased Lisbeth. “Is it some toy you’re gonna share with Asuna later?~”

“AAAA Nononononono it’s nothing like that-” Kirito stammered out.

“No it’s not a toy- it appears the item itself is a clothing item labeled ‘Classic Maid Outfit’” Yui innocently stated.

The group went silent as Kirito’s face went from a flush red to a stark white pale. Then they all started laughing. Lis and Sinon were all but banging the ground laughing at the mortified boy. It took countless agonizing seconds until anyone spoke.

“S-*snkr* So you gonna model it for us Kiri-Chan?~” Lisbeth managed out between snickers. 

“Yeah it’s all yours oneesan~” Leafa joked out.

Sinon who had previously been laughing the hardest now had a more neutral but smug look on her face “Jeez if you wanna see him girly so bad you should join us in GGO sometime.”

GGO… Kirito thought. Yeah that model was quite something. I swear that there was something special in my eyes there. They just seemed brighter…

Kirito slapped his cheeks out of that thought.

“I’m not making it out of here without putting it on am I?” he sheepishly responded. 

“Honey you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I can’t say I wouldn’t mind seeing-” Asuna trailed off, imagining Kirito’s toned physique in a maid outfit.

Add that to the online shopping list later. She thought, her mind filled with devious thoughts.

“You’re just scared you’ll like it-” Klein teased before getting one of Kirito’s boots directly to the jaw.

“F-fine. Just- Everyone turn around. If anyone peeks as I change I’m deleting this account!” Kirito stammered out.

The giggles of the group grew louder as they turned away. His fingers fumbled with the prompts to switch outfits, as if the outfit itself was attacking.

You’re just scared you’ll like it.

The words echoed in Kirito’s mind as he hit confirm. 

He got a good look at his reflection in the mirror view of the UI.

I look like one of those freakin’ anime twin maids Klein loves. Wait… Nononono- I look like Sugu…

Kirito wasn’t wrong, if it werent for his modest chest, he’d easily be mistaken as his sister. But like this, he looked like his sibling’s little sister more than her big brother. His face was soft. His hair had updated along with the clothing, now appearing more similar to his GGO avatar, with the only substantially shorter in the back. In addition to the dress, he had been gifted with a cute little hat and was adorned in ribbons and stockings. The outfit was a dark lavender, with the ribbons appearing a slightly brighter purple. The purple really brought out the color in his dark grey eyes.

“Everything okay Kirito?” Squeaked Silica. “I know we were teasing but if you’re uncomfortable you don’t havta show us…”

Why is she the only one with any decency here? He took one last look at himself in the mirror. Those lights are back in my eyes… He pushed down that thought and sighed.

“You can look now…”

He closed his eyes and braced for the worst. He expected laughter and mockery. What he got was… Silence? Silence for far far too long.

“Guys is everything okay?”

He opened his eyes and noticed everyone was just staring at him, shocked but… not giggly or amused… Almost confused? With the exception of Klein, who was frozen in place, and slowly tipped over before logging out.

“Jeez tough crowd” Kirito joked, trying to make the situation more bearable for himself.

He noticed as the slight breeze blew past, the skirt picked up a bit and waved effortlessly in the wind. Without thinking, he spun around, watching as his skirt effortlessly spun with him. He giggled.

Hmm. Not so bad… EH? What am I thinking I need to get this off-

“K-kirito?” Asuna quietly broke the silence.

“Yes ma’am” Kirito almost chirped out. 

He was happy to see he was now taking it better than anyone else. And then the whole group pounced on him, tackling him to the ground with a hug.

“You’re so cuteeeeeeeeeee!” they all echoed.

Even Sinon, the most modest one seemed utterly infatuated.

“Jeez Sinon, you’ve seen me worse than this- And Sugu you’ve DEFINITELY seen me worse than this-” Kirito thought of playing dress up with her as a kid, but a memory that should’ve made him shudder now brought him a surprising warmth.

That’s not good. He thought to himself. Yeah I’m gonna have to do some serious thinking about this. Or better yet I should simply never think of this again.

“Okay funs over now” Kirito exclaimed, tired of being at the bottom of a pile of bosoms. “This has been exhausting and I wanna go to bed now.”

That night Kirito dreamt of his wedding in Aincrad with Asuna, only now he looked like his GGO Avatar.

…

…

…

Kirito woke up early the next morning and his heart ached. He sent a good morning text to Asuna, despite knowing she’d probably be sleeping in still. He paused before he knocked on his sister’s door to wake her up, and chose not to, just sending her a quick “running out for groceries, be back soon.” text before he got on his bike and left.

Maybe a little ride can clear my head.

Kirito cruised down nearly empty streets, trying to think of anything other than his dream and yesterday. He hadn’t lied about the groceries, he just walked through the supermarket picking up a few essentials for him and Suguha for the week, passing through on his way to checkout when a glimmer caught his eye. He had wound up in the women’s clothing department, and beside him standing tall was a mannequin wearing a basic black skirt. It was nothing special, it was cheap, it was just a department store clothing brand. He looked at his reflection in the black screen of his phone, seeing sparkles in his eyes. He sighed, knowing he was about to make a mistake and placed it in his basket and checked out. He rode home from the shops with his mind racing. 

Why did I do that? I’m such an idiot. What the hell am I doing? What would Sugu say? What will Asuna say? I- I just need to try this once. I’m just gonna go home, try it on, nothing will happen and I’ll burn the damn thing.

Kirito tried to enter the home as quietly as possible, dropping the groceries on the table and tip toeing to his room with the bag with the skirt in it. He closed the door behind him, but in his anxiousness to try on the skirt, he neglected to lock it. He slid out of his black sweatpants, staring at his body in the mirror. His figure was slender, almost effeminate in nature. Years without hardcore exercise and barely eating while in SAO clearly took it’s toll on a previously toned figure.

Maybe I do look like Sugu…

Back when they were little, Suguha and Kazuto were always mistaken for twin girls, despite Kazuto being older and not even Suguha’s blood sibling. He never minded back then, he just liked being close to her. They’d occasionally swap clothes to mess with their parents. Kazuto softly smiled at the thought. He slipped on the skirt. She slipped on the skirt.

His eyes met hers in the mirror. Where a dull grey void once sat, a galaxy of stars was now present, with shimmering highlights and purple hues never noticed until now. There was a subtle curvature to her hips. A natural softness to her face. Her slender physique made him jealous. He stared at the girl who looked back at him, she shyly smiled and as the words left her mouth, they followed in his. “So, this is me?”

She looked down, and the girl was him. 

She nervously laughed and shook in place. She watched as her skirt flowed side to side with every subtle movement. She spun herself around, watching the skirt flare up. She giggled to herself. She spun herself again. And again and again. She was giggling to herself like crazy. There were no thoughts left in her head, it was just a pure moment of bliss. And it came crushing down as the door opened behind her.

“Yawnnnnnnn~ Kazutooooooo please could you make a little less noi-” Sugu entered the room with her eyes closed yawning, but her eyes quickly shot open as she saw what was once her big brother in a tiny black skirt.

“S-Sugu??? EH! Don’t Look! I’m not decent!” She blurted out, not realizing she was pitching her voice higher than normal. She scrambled behind her bed, trying to cover up her shame, hiding her blushing face behind her hands.

Suguha smiled softly and walked over beside her as she softly pet her sister’s head.

“Well, it seems like I’ve stumbled into something big huh? Listen Kazuto. Or… whatever you may wanna be called. I’m always gonna support and love my big sibling, nomatter who they are.” She kissed the timid girl’s forehead. “I’m gonna go make us breakfast okay. You can wear that if you wanna. It’s just us home today. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to tell anyone else if you aren’t ready. You don’t even have to tell me if you’re not ready. But I’m here for you.”

She walked out the door, and Kazuto sighed, knowing she meant every word of that.

…

…

…

Kazuto followed not long after, choosing to wear the skirt downstairs to the kitchen. She was blushing the whole time, still unable to meet her sister’s eyes. She slid a stack of pancakes over to her.

“Here big sis, I made your favorite.” She smiled sweetly down at Kazuto.

“...I like that.”

“Hmm?”

“I think… I think I prefer being your big sister.”

Suguha smiled brightly.

“Yayyyyyy! Now we get to do fun girly stuff together! This is so exciting!- Oh and of course, thank you for trusting me enough with this sis. It means a lot.” Suguha felt a warmth she had never felt, and she felt like it was due to the beaming smile on her big sister’s face.

“So, what are you thinkin’ for a name?”

…

…

…

A few days pass and nobody outside the Kirigaya household hears from Kazuto. He seemingly vanished from the ALO party, and only returned a few texts with “Sorry I’m just busy, miss you too” or “I love you too Asuna”. Truthfully, Kazuto had been training up a new ALO avatar with her sister, creating a swordfighting cait sith, with a name she chose for herself, Kiriko.

“Hey I’m gonna head out and make some lunch for us okay Kiriko? Don’t go far, and I’ll meet you in town.” “Sounds good Leafa, thank you!”

While Sugu’s cooking wasn’t the masterpiece Asuna’s was, Kiriko was always happy to indulge in some of Sugu’s fine craftsmanship as well. Leafa signed out, and her model disappeared. And Kiriko was alone.

She strolled through the town, wondering what to do in the meantime.

“I could really use some sword upgrades…” She muttered to herself, knowing that the only blacksmith worth caring about was Lisbeth, and she didn’t know who Kiriko was yet. 

“Ah well I can help you with that one!” A familiar voice made Kiriko jump, her ears and tail standing on end. “Heh, didn’t mean to scare ya, I’m Klein, and if you need some smithin’ done, I know just the girl for you.”

Kiriko did her best to pitch her voice up to not be recognized “N-nice to meet you Klein, but that’s okay- I- I think I might just wait until I get a better sword drop…”

“Nonsense, Liz is the best in the business, she can make a starter sword scale right alongside Excalibur” He laughed to himself. “What’s your name by the way?”

“K-Kiriko…” She embarrassedly managed out.

Great. I look like my little sister, and the name I chose is 1 letter off of my old handle. I am the smartest woman alive.

Luckily for Kiriko, Klein was the dumbest man alive, and did not question it at all, leading her to Lisbeth’s Smithy.

“Hey guys, I’m back, and I found a newbie who needs some sword help.” Klein announced to the full party.

Kiriko gulped. Everyone but Leafa was here. Asuna, Yui, Strea, Lisbeth, Silica, Sinon, Philia, Agil, even Argo.

With my luck, somehow Sachi is gonna walk through that door isn’t she…

“H-hi everyone, I’m Kiriko… Klein said that Lisbeth is a master blacksmith. At least I think he said ‘master blacksmith’ but all I really caught was ‘master b’-” She knew this was gonna be dreadful, so the least she could do was tease Klein before the whole thing fell apart.

“H-HEY! I said nothing like that- She is a master blacksmith though! She’s been working at it since Sword Art.”

“Yup yup! The best in the business!”

“It’s nice to see you again Liz, I haven’t had a chance to see you since SAO I suppose” Kiriko lied.

It’s not too farfetched to be another SAO survivor… Gives me some leeway if I mess up and say more than I should known…

“Ohmygosh sorry- I usually don’t forget my customers faces…” Liz pouted.

“Hey now, cheer up, consider us equal for me breaking your sword.”

Smooth one smoothbrain. Kiriko thought to herself.

“Eh?” Liz cocked her head. “I don’t think anyone but Kiri-”

“Y’know out in the field, I abused the poor sword, I should’ve taken better care of such expert craftsmanship” She smiled out the quickest excuse she could muster.

“Ahhhh I see. You just reminded me of my favorite customer hehe.” She took Kiriko’s sword from her and got to work on it. “Cute guy, but he’s dumb as rocks. Broke my best sword and made me go on an adventure to forge him a new one.”

“Sounds like a bit of a jerk to me.” Kiriko joked.

“Nah, he’s the sweetest guy, but he’s a little bit off.”

“Yeah, he helped me revive my Pina!” Silica butted in.

“And he saved me from the Hollow Area” Philia added.

“And he’s like, the sweetest husband ever” Asuna swooned.

“And he’s the best daddy ever!” Yui chimed in. 

“He’s helped me in more ways than I’d care to say” Sinon said blushing.

Kiriko herself was now blushing and trying to stifle a smile, hearing all these kind things from all of her friends.

“Jeez, put the boy on a pedestal some more will ya? You’re just begging for this girl to be competition in that polycule you’ve got brewin” Klein sighed “Course, ya cant help but love the guy, after all, he saved us all so many times.”

She felt at home for once, the moment was so warm and peaceful.

“Hmm, you even look a lot like Kii-boy” 

Crap.

Argo’s intuition was always top notch. She’d sniff out the fact that Kiriko was Kirito faster than anyone. She needed excuses and fast.

“Well, I’ve been told I do look boyish-” Kiriko idly fiddled with her skirt, kicking her feet a little.

“Nono- You don’t look boyish at all! Infact it’s more that Kirito looks girlish” Philia tried to console Kiriko.

“Yeah! He actually wore a dress recently and he was really cute!” Silica was practically meowing out the compliment.

“We’ve all been thinking, we haven’t seen him since he did it, we’re worried that maybe we teased him too much and now he got self conscious.” Sinon looked down shamefully.

Kiriko could barely manage to keep up her facade. 

Focus focus focus. Think of things to say to make this go away.

Kiriko chose to simply say the truth. “Well, I think if they were willing to put on the dress, maybe they were just finding an excuse to try it out. Maybe they ended up liking it and has been taking some time for themself to work some things out.”

The room went a bit quiet. All that could be heard was Agil talking to customers and Liz hammering away in the background, but both were clearly listening in intently.

“Whatcha mean?” Silica asked.

“W-well… There’s this thing I’ve been reading about on some MMO forums. Apparently some guys will dress up with female avatars as a joke, and then realize something, that maybe they were girls all along. Maybe your friend is doing that?”

Kiriko was stuttering out almost every word. There’s no way they wouldn’t catch on.

“Well, then I’d be the luckiest woman in the world to have the best wife in the world.” Asuna announced.

“Yeah, and I’d get to have the two best Mommies!” Yui said, with Strea nodding along with her.

“Nomatter what, they’re always our Kirito. We’ll always love them nomatter who they end up being.” Sinon added. 

“Yeah, and I can have my own big sister instead of a big brother” Silica giggled to herself.

“Well, she already has a little sister, you sure you can compete with that role?” Kiriko pet Silica’s head and then she realized what she just said.

“Wait… how do you know Kirito has a sister?”

“W-well I’ve been playing with a girl named Leafa whose been teaching me everything- and she keeps talking about her brother Kirito so I just assumed since you both brought up the name.”

Next quest: PLEASE GET BETTER AT LYING BRAIN Kiriko screamed at herself internally.

Argo mischievously laughed. “Yknow Kiriko, I have gotten some inside scoops that Leafa’s been playin alongside a new account and callin her ‘big sis’. Now aint that somethin Kiriko? Or rather Kii-gal?”

Crap. That’s Argo for ya. She knows me better than… well even me probably.

As the tension grew thick enough to cut with a knife, Leafa walked through the door to the Smithy, and Lisbeth returned to listen to the gossip more intently. 

Hopefully Sugu can tell I’m blinking an S.O.S. to her…

“Ah I see you’ve met my friend Kiriko! She’s really sweet right?”

Kiriko shifted in her seat.

“... Fine ya caught me. It’s me…” Kiriko mumbled out. 

No escaping this one chief.

Leafa glanced down a look of “are you sure Kiriko?” to which Kiriko could only nod.

“While you’re about to lose some polycule points for forcibly outing me Argo-” “Polycule points?” Lisbeth inquired.

If I can earn those I’m taking them- Liz thought to herself

“Yes it’s me. I… I just couldn’t stand being Kirito anymore.” The small catgirl looked to be near breaking point. “I.. I didn’t wanna lose any of you. I never had friends until now. And I was so so so worried I’d lose you all. I’d been keeping this down since GunGale. That avatar stuck in my head like a parasite. I couldn’t stop thinking about having long hair, and cute outfits, and twirly skirts, and- and after I tried on that stupid maid outfit, I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t be that same person I was anymore.”

She couldn’t stop the tears anymore. She just balled herself up on the couch. But then she felt a warm soft embrace around her. And another, and another, and another.

“Kiriko, I’m so proud of you. And trust me, you’re still the person I fell in love with in Aincrad. I’m not gonna leave you because you found out more about yourself. That’s just more of you I get to love. I get to fall in love all over again with a wonderful wife.” Asuna held Kiriko tight, and rubbed her cheek against the girl.

A hand was placed on Kiriko’s shoulder. “Heh, you’re so used to playin with chicks that you became one yourself, good for you.” Klein smiled every word out. He may not have been the best with words, but Kiriko appreciated the meaning behind each one.

“We’re all gonna love you nomatter what Kiriko…” Silica was gripping onto her even tighter than Asuna.

Yui and Strea held onto Kiriko for dear life, trying to make their new mommy happy.

“Yeah, you’re our favorite gal to tease, and now we can tease you even harder and in new ways!” Lisbeth smirked devilishly before hugging Kiriko with one arm and poking her cheeks with her free hand.

Kiriko felt another hand on her other shoulder, and looked up to see Agil.

“I’m proud of you for finding out who you are. I’m blessed to have met ya.”

Kiriko’s tears turned from fear and sadness to joy and pride.

Sinon came walking up to where Kiriko was sat and hugged her from the front then pet her head. “Truthfully, I thought you were trans the moment you said you were actually a guy in that avatar in GGO. Every time we fought there I saw that light in your eyes you’ve got now. I’m so proud of you.” She kissed the girl’s forehead. “And now we can confirm that two GGO Winners are girls too” she smirked.

“Hehe, sorry for gettin ya to come out if you werent ready” Argo tossled Kiriko’s hair. “But ya know I’m just like ya too! I just wanted ya to rip that bandaid off hehe. Makes it better in the long term.” Kiriko could only smile at the rat in front of her.

“And can I please have my polycule points back”

“T-there’s no such thing Argo. And if there were I wouldn’t take them from my favorite rat…”

“Hey I know we already talked Kiriko” Leafa held onto Kiriko’s hand “but I’m so proud of you and I’m so happy to have a big sister.”

All Kiriko could do was smile, she was finally herself, and surrounded by all of the people she held dear. 

And in the back of her head, she heard the faint singing of familiar christmas music, and relaxed.

Heh. I guess even Sachi was here afterall.

“I love you all. Thank you so much. All of you.”

[shima-draws]

If you were hired to work on Sword Art Online, on the Manga and the Anime, and you were allowed to revive Eugeo, how would you go about doing it and how would the Yujikiri reunion play out?

OMG haha

I mean technically we’ve already got a pretty good foundation for that *points at Eolyne*

If I had to stick to canon as close as possible, I’d definitely carry through with the whole Eolyne is Eugeo’s reincarnation thing. He’d somehow recover all his memories from his past life and tell Kirito and it would be very very emotional and sweet and then they’d kiss. With tongue

[proudtobealuthor]

Never knew I needed an SAO Supercorp AU until I started reading the one rustingcat is writing and I’m literally feral and wanting to rewatch it now

[transboykirito]

Reunion

Kirito spent two years alone, with nothing but his thoughts and memories of the woman he loves more than anything. They’re happy to be reunited again, for a plethora of reasons, but this is definitely one he’s been looking forward to.

i have written more sappy horny sentimental kirisuna. nobody is surprised.

this is set like, immediately after they get trapped in the underworld for 200 years and they’re sappy losers (affectionate) <3

[sereneabyyss]

Asuna: awwww look at edgy mcedgelord rogue Kirito! Such an edgy emo using his stealth skills to hide from his feelings!

Kirito: For the last time, Asuna! I chose the rogue type skill tree because it fits with my fighting style! My entire body type is based around speed and stealth! I'm just playing to my strengths, and this is the strongest in game skillet to utilize! And what are you if you're not a rogue type?

Asuna: Oh. I'm a tank!

[pokilicious]

Sword Art Online would have been a better anime if they gave Kirito more personality and wasn't a harem in my opinion, like he never takes interest in any of the girls except for Asuna, so the whole harem thing just takes episode time that could've been used to further the plot, I watched until the fourth season cus after that it's like a whole new anime. Couldn't they have done something like in season four, where Kirito has to investigate murders within another game? It was a really good plot and the modern theme of the new game was a nice chance from the fantasy themes we see in the other seasons, it would have been cool to see more games like SAO popping up, each with their one set of problems, and Kirito having to enter them and solve these problems, we could've have like a detective Kirito or something. Anyway, these are my two cents, I really liked this anime when I was a kid and now that I'm older I see a lot of missed potential

[skylarksilver]

Enter Tutorial

a/n: Twisted Wonderland and Sword Art Online crossover.

A girl with short brown hair and hazel eyes gazed up at the decrepit ceiling, listening to rain strike the roof overhead. The building itself looked to be in shambles, there was a nasty draft stirring dust and bringing in cold air. The fiery hellcat that had been the kick off of her problems of the last few hours was at least warm as he curled against her side. His flaming blue ears gave off a surprisingly small amount of light.

She closed her eyes and let out a long slow breath, the stress and fear she had been holding back coming out now that she felt she was relatively safe and unobserved. 

Alright, let's take stock of things as far as I remember before waking up here with Grim yelling in my face. I finished my exercises, ate dinner and got ready for bed. Then Yui called. We were on the phone together for a while.

Sword Art Online had been a deeply immerse game that wouldn't have made it past the development hurdles without a Mental Health Monitoring AI to ensure the players were not at risk of harming themselves. Yui's growing a degree of sentience thanks to Kirito and Asuna had made her a friend, and peer in some ways. And even now, as a navigation pixie in Alfheim Online, she was very observant.

And remembered dates impeccably well, as did her in-game ‘parents’.

The date was one that would carry weight for Liana for the rest of her life. She had excused herself from playing in Alfheim Online with her friends and she had tried to be subtle about it. But she hadn't been alone with her sadness for more than twenty minutes before she was invited into a voice call with her Alfheim guild. Klein was complaining how Kirito had persuaded some NPC to give them a hugely cut discount on their last supply run. Agil and Leafa, Kirito's sister, were discussing a weapons upgrade.

"Weren't you all gonna be at the new dungeon opening?"

She had been quite confused at what they were doing. And there was a small lull that Yui piped up to fill, speaking from all thir devices at once.

"I noticed tonal shift in your speech patterns, and upon recognizing the date, I thought that being alone was not going to be good for you."

It seemed you could take a Mental Health AI out of the game, but you couldn't change her base code. Liana had felt a soft gratitude fill her at the sound of her friends voices. Asuna was the one who voiced their resolve.

“We weren't going to go into a dungeon without our Beast Master. It'll still be there later.”

And they hadn't played together, but just talked. Kirito had known Jax personally, from the Beta Test., so he would volunter some stories about the amusing accidents that could occurr when you were trying to learn the proper positioning for Sword Skill activation. Or how Jax had, with an absurdly high Stealth skill, pretended to be an NPC for a full two days by hiding his player icon. And Liana found herself telling more about him in life. How the traits he had manifested in Sword Art Online were reflected in his daily life. How he never needed to hear a song more than once before he had the lyrics memorized, pitch perfect. And they all let her talk. In hindsight, it was a skillful way of leading her into opening up.

And she did. With a confession that brought feelings of both shame and guilt.

“You know how some times, you'll pause while doing something and realize you're waiting for the system to identify how to interact with it? Or when you get a cut or scrap and remember that you can bleed again? Well, sometimes just after I wake up, I'll forget the game is over. And think I'm back in Aincrad. And for a second, I'm excited to be there. Not because I wasn't scared, but because when I was there, so was he.”

She hadn't even gotten to go to the funeral. They had all still been trapped in the game when he had been killed by a trap room. Jax's stealth stats had been among the highest in the game, and his trap detection skills made him excellent for guiding parties through the high XP grinding areas that had automatic, resetting obstacles on the 45th floor. She hadn't been high enough level to go with them, so he had left her on the 19th floor where she could work on bonding with one of her favorite companions, a crimson salamander she was coaxing through the steps to fledge out into a dragon.

All his possessions had been transfered to her upon his death. She had found out when she was notified that she had to sort her inventory beecause she didn't have enough room for all of his items. At the same time, Kirito got a message in which Jax asked him, from one elder brother to another, to look out for his sister and make sure she never got anywhere near the clearing party or the guilds that spearheaded that effort.

And through Kirito, Liana met Asuna, Yui, Agil and Klein. And she had someone to catch her. Then and now on the aniversary of his passing. The talk had been good after she vented some of her grief. Peaceful. Agil described his wife's latest frustrations with pregnancy. Klein put his foot in his mouth on three seperate occasions. Sugu and Ayano got into a minor disagreement about the virtues of a K-pop Group whose name she couldn't recall. Yui was flickering around her phone as they played through some cooperative puzzles while listening to everyone. All conversation was now on comfortably light subjects that helped her house feel less dead and silent. That made the day feel like just any other day.

Then Liana heard the distinct sound of hooves on pavement. The jingle of a harness. And that startled and worried her. She had read that coma patients sometimes had moments where they experienced some sensory hallucinations. A side effect of their brains having to self stimulate enough to function once they woke up.

“Does anyone else hear a horse?”

The call had gone silent when Liana asked this.

“Yuu, tell me five things you can touch.”

Agil's voice was deep and soothing, she could hear the worry in it as the eldest of their strange little group brought out what they affectionately called ‘dad mode'. He was prompting her to begin a grounding exercise to focus through whatever halucinations were coming.

“My sheets. My phone.”

She reached out blindly, trying to ignore the ringing hoofbeats that seemed to be coming ever closer. They had never been this strong before and it was somewhat scary to experience.

“My bedframe. The lamp by my bed. My- it's in my room. How is it in my room?”

She remembered seeing the horse looming over her, the smell of the animal and the creak of leather harness the groaning of wooden wheels. The walls of her room had somehow vanished. The horse was rather beautiful. Pitch black, but with liquid dark eyes that looked rather friendly. She felt paralyzed in her bed, gripping the sheets as tightly as she could.

“Stay with us Yuu, it's not real. Yui. Can you call her mom?”

“Right Papa!”

Their young AI friend had transferred herself entirely to Liana's phone and started the emergency dial up for Liana's mother. The SOS that she was having a hallucination and needed help grounding herself again. The black of the horse seemed to fill all her vision and the last thing she heard was her friends trying to get her to respond to them.

She didn't remember anything else after that.

Just waking up in the box.

I don't care if the damn bird calls it a gate. It's a coffin.

Everything that had transpired after that. Meeting Grim, learning about Night Raven College, seeing the little monster set fire to the hall, endangering the strange, hooded and robed throng of teenagers-

It was all too much.

Liana had given her avatars name reflexively when questioned about her identity. Yuu, a neutral name that had endless potential for puns, and had been a private joke between herself and her brother.

She had always enjoyed exasperating him into wordless frustration. So oftentimes the only word he had been able to get out was: ‘You...!’ He had made the first avatar for her and had given it that name as a little homage to her favorite pastime of driving her big brother up the wall as he did to so many others.

Dire Crowley, the headmage, had not impressed her with his portrayed intelligence. But then again, Kaiyaba had hidden under everyone's nose almost from day one during the death game. No one had realized he was there until Kirito forced him to reveal the fact that he had given his avatar Immortal Object status. His bluster and apparent lack of care or competence aside, she doubted that he was as harmless as he pretended.

I'd almost rather get kicked out of here. But if this is some sort of dream, it's probably better to let it play out normally as long as it's not actively traumatizing me. Lucid dreams get unstable and chaotic if I try to control them. And this is more interesting than repeating the same scene over and over again.

But there was one thing keeping her from writing this whole affair off as a dream. Liana held up her hand slowly making a fist. She couldn't see it in this light, but she could feel the bandages that covered it. She had helped smother the flames on a student when Grim had been lashing out. A boy with unreal red eyes and pale hair had not been fast enough to dodge the flames.

The burns on her palm from that experience were real. That pain was real. The blisters, the redness. The sensory transmitters in Alfheim could recreate the pain up to a certain point. But they didn't make the injury look as real as it had seemed when Crowley helped her put a dressing on her hand. There had been no faint pixelization in the air to indicate she had taken damage. That was 100% genuine.

But if that's the case, and I'm not dreaming...

She gave a short downward flick of her index finger at about chest height. A series of five white icons appeared in the air before her.

How can I access the SAO menu?

She knew it was the Sword Art Online menu. Her life had depended on the data that those five little white dots had held and what she had put into them. She knew the strange cool pressure on her finger of selecting an icon. The faintest resistance that swiping through the menus had they wouldn't respond too readily to unpracticed or uncertain movements.

And just like in SAO, the log out button was gone. So was the chat function, the map, the magic list, and her list of pets. She had her inventory, her skills, and that was about it. She returned to the default menu, mouth pressed in a tight line as she tried to think rationally. 

Fact, I definitely get hurt here like I do IRL. Fact. I definitely see and can interact with the menu. Though considering that I was hearing things earlier, I could still be hallucinating. But apparently the horse could also be real so I'm back at square one.

Her other hand tightened on her phone. She would normally have set it to charge, but she doubted this place was even wired for electricity. Listening to Crowley prattle, aka world exposition she was not in a position to pass up, she concluded that most things Earth used electricity for had been superseded by magic and magic stones.

 This whole scenario feels contrived. Like the tutorial of some sort of isekai game. Only the player doesn't miraculously get magic to help them survive.

Liana frowned at that thought, eyeing the menu dots again. She hadn't popped with unknown powers, but maybe... She tentatively reached out and tapped her attributes icon.

The stats of a Lv 73 Beast Master looked back at her and she gave a sigh of pure relief.

I was LV 65 when we escaped Aincrad. The other levels I got in Alfheim after converting my avatar into Summoner. And I'm 100% OK with getting abilities I at least know how to use instead of something entirely new.

She was very certain that if it were not her only way to communicate with her friends, people who knew what her life had been like while she was functionally a vegetable, Liana would never have picked up another game again. It had taken months for her to even try to get back into the multi-player games her brother first taught her to play on. In the end, she had chosen to not allow her joy in it to be stolen by a game designer with a god complex.

 A Beast Master's needed decent physical attributes, and good charisma to interact positively with animals and monsters, but her highest stat was actually her Perception. She had reasoned that people who were well in tune with animals in the real world were those that noticed their behavior and knew how to respond to him.

“That ain't how games work, sis. But...suppose this isn't exactly qualified to be called a game anymore.”

Jax's smiles had been much more rare after the Death Game began. It had taken concerted effort to draw them out of him where they had always come readily before.

High perception, meant a proportionately fast reaction time. Coupled with a high dexterity, it meant Liana had been able to keep up with much higher leveled players, while avoiding their notice most of the time. Jax had still kept her out of harms' way as much as possible while he worked to clear the game.

I can't focus on that right now.

She pulled herself out of her introspection, tapping into her inventory. It still had the items she had last placed in it while in Alfheim, though the text was blurred over some items. And there were other items that were defeinitely from SAO that she did not recall having in there.

It's some weird mashup of the SAO and Alfheim menu? I've got my old class, but the stats, level and skills of my new one.

Liana selected a basic set of clothes, casual wear she had made in SAO for the dirty daily work of tending to her pets and companions. It rested in her hand as she pulled it out of her Inventory, reaching over to the rickety chair, the only other secure piece of furniture in this bedroom, and placed it down carefully.

If you're still there tomorrow, then I can trust that the Menu is real and...and this is some new kind of game. Or my life is now a Gamer story. 

Grim muttered, rolling around by her side to curl into a tighter ball, paws tucked in to conceal his belly. Liana held her phone close to her chest, and accessed her menu to set a timer on how long she wanted to sleep. She wasn't sure what time it was right now. But as pretentious and dramatic a ceremony such as what she had seen, she would be astounded if the sorting was not held at midnight. And the average teenager needed 8-10 hours of sleep, so the following day of classes would hopefully be adjusted as a result.

She set a timer in her menu to wake her in 6 hours. She'd get her optimal amount of sleep once she knew if this world she had found herself in was safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The soft chime of her timer made Liana's eyes snap open. Grim groaned, flattening his ears to his head with his forepaws.

“Fglnha....Turn it off...” 

He can hear it too.

She quickly silenced the alarm and closed her menu with a flick of her hand, watching as he went back to snoozing. The sky outside was lightening but still far from proper daylight. She went into her settings and turned on Secrecy. With a high enough Stealth modifier, you could conceal your PC icon, and also your menu alerts from other players. This could be countered with a sufficiently high perception. But something told her that as long as she was discreet and careful, she would be able to hide the menu from most everyone.

Assuming this is a game where the NPC's can see the menu. Or not a game...

Her bandaged hand tightened, the faint throb of pain reminding her that this was not the sort of setting she was used to.

I'd better treat this as it's own death game until I figure out some rules. If this is a tutorial like I think it is, then I should get some more clues. Regardless, I'm playing it safe until I can figure out what to do next.

Liana carefully slipped out of bed to investigate the dorm. The clothes she had laid out the night before, pulled from her inventory, were still on the old chair. Further proof that she was either having a very consistent dream or she had somehow been transported to a new reality. She stuck close to the walls, judging that the floorboards were less creaky there than they were at the center of the floor.

The bathroom she had found the night before was in even worse shape in good light. But she still took advantage of the functional lock to change out of the ornate black and violet robe she had found herself in yesterday. The ceremonial attire that Grim had been so desperate to get his paws on.

Curious, Liana eyed it up and down and activated her little used Appraise skill.

Tight, even stitching. It fit me as though it were tailored. Very fine material, though not one I am familiar with. Possibly actual gold thread. Every student was wearing this last night, so I'm assuming I was a part of a large ritual that this was a component of. And it has hardly wrinkled even though I slept in it. Magical? No way for me to tell.

Storing it in her Inventory would be the easiest thing. She certainly didn't trust the closet or wardrobe. But this was also something she was known to have so if it wasn't easily visible, it could be a bit odd.

I'll have to get used to being called Yuu again.

Her Alfheim friends used her name and her screen name interchangeably. It wouldn't be that big of a stretch to go back to it. Just a different mindset that she had compartmentalized for her own well being.

Yuu didn't see people the same way as Liana did. Liana had never dealt with a genuine threat in her life. She grieved her brother, missed him and clung to her friends across the world to stay sane.

Yuu saw people as potential threats. And though she had accepted Jax's death, she was still angry over his loss. Yuu held onto her comrades like her life depended on it because it did.

There was an ominous sounding chuckle rising from the floor and Yuu looked down sharply to see the top of a hat poking through the floor.

“You're an early riser, prefe-”

One of the ghosts from last night froze upon seeing her, milky eyes going wide with shock. She carefully folded the robe as best she could, resolving to find someplace sheltered with hopefully less dust to keep it in.

“Good morning to you too. I don't think I caught your name last night.’

The ghost remained motionless, gawking at her. She crouched and poked at his face curiously. It felt like waving her hand through mist, only it wasn't wet but some other unique feeling. He flinched and popped wholly into the room, his form losing its distinction in shock.

“You're a girl!”

“Yeah. Guess it wasn't that obvious in the robe, huh?”

The ghost seemed genuinely distressed, wringing his hands and turning this way and that.

“Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. This is going to make some waves.”

Exposition?

“How so?”

Yuu rose to talk with him more readily, keeping her tone level and non accusatory. He seemed to be winding himself up well enough without her help.

“Night Raven College is a boy's school. And you've been presented to the Mirror as a student and accepted as one!”

“But I wasn't sorted in a dormitory.”

He waved his hands impatiently.

“That doesn't matter! Not every teenager that stands before the mirror has a clearly defined soul. Sometimes it takes a bit more time for them to figure out the direction of their ambition, and sometimes it even changes as they are here. The part that makes you a student of Night Raven College is the gate, the robe and the mirror, not the dormitory placement!”

It was part of a ritual. I knew it.

“What does being a student mean as opposed to being a guest?”

“Lots of things. Way too many for just this puff of ectoplasm to remember. Oh, this is going to be so stressful but so very interesting!”

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Ch 14

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

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Chapter 14: Oh Maribug, what are we going to do with you?

Sleeping by Jason’s side was the best sleep Marinette had gotten all game. No nightmares, no waking up scared for herself or her friends. Well, she did wake up a blushing, nervous mess once she realized where she was, that is until Jason rolled over. She’d had to stifle her giggles at his incredibly adorable bedhead so as to not wake him. Then the morning light streaming in through the skylight made her actually feel... relaxed for once. There was something about that little cabin that helped her forget her persistent urge to beat the game. It pushed down the feeling of guilt for taking time for herself. It was hard to leave in the morning, and not just because the cozy pile of blankets appealed to her bug-like sensibilities.

The next week had her lying awake at night in her own bed, missing his warmth and the stories they shared. And the lack of nightmares. Luka had stopped joining her for late-night tea, but her subconscious hadn’t yet moved on. It didn’t take long for her to message Jason about tackling the next level. She’d need to buy some new gear for it though, there was no way she was going to be caught unprepared like last time.

But first she had to navigate the den of wolves that was her friends.

“Where are you going, Marinette,” Kagami asked sharply. The girl in question paused before the door, her hand raised to open it. She reminded herself that they were very caring wolves. But wolves nonetheless.

“They just beat level 67, I need new gear if I’m going to help clear out the next one in a few days,” she spoke without turning to look her friends in the eye.

Chloe and Adrien exchanged a worried glance. “Then give us a few minutes to get our stuff together, we’ll go with you,” Adrien caught Marinette’s arm gently and gave her a pleading look.

She didn’t quite look at his face as she forced a smile and replied, “No, you should all rest. It’s not a big deal, I’ll be back before you know it!”

Luka furrowed his brow and frowned when he heard the discordant notes in her song. It most certainly was a big deal, and Chloe said as much when Marinette went to open the door again.

Marinette sighed and finally turned to face them. “Seriously Chlo, it’s okay. I haven’t actually been getting that much sleep here, so I might as well do something useful if I’m going to be awake anyway.”

They hadn’t known about that, judging by their even more worried expressions at that statement. Good thing she hadn’t divulged the reasons why. They didn’t know about the nightmares that had been plaguing her even since before the beginning of the game. Adrien opened his mouth to protest again before Marinette cut him off.

“Look, I told Jason I’d meet him at the end of 67, so I won’t be going alone. I know you guys don’t like me spending time with him,” she held up her hands to placate their skeptical and outraged faces, “but we can trust him to have my back. I’m sure of it.”

Luka spoke up, “Mari, he’s killed other players. How can you say you trust him after that?”

Marinette fiddled with the straps of her backpack and looked down at her feet. “I told you that was a misunderstanding. Plus I don’t know how to describe it, but we just... get each other, you know?” She stopped fidgeting and squarely stood her ground, looking each member of her order in the eye. “Now I’m going whether you like it or not. I’ll be back tonight to prep and then I’ll head out in a few days.” She added, decisively, “Alone.”

She left and the door closed with a loud click that had a sense of finality to it. The Order stood in stunned and concerned silence until the door opened again, not a minute later. They all assumed defensive stances until they saw Marinette’s signature awkward grin as she poked her head around the door.

“Forgot my arrows,” she said sheepishly, then grabbed the quiver laying on a table and left once more.

Adrien heaved a heavy sigh. “Oh Maribug, what are we going to do with you?”

* * *

Marinette jauntily swung a basket from the crook of her elbow. It didn’t matter that whatever she purchased from the bustling market would automatically go into her inventory, it was the aesthetic that counted. She was currently parsing through different fabrics, having finally picked up the courage to try getting into the clothing design aspect of Mindscape. There was only so much she could do with Alchemy, which relied on objects that already exist. For a while, it was as close to creation as she dared go, but recently she’d been feeling more like herself and was finally ready to dust off her old hobbies.

Especially if they could help her protect the people she cared about.

She was comparing two fabric swatches and could tell the shopkeeper was getting impatient. Deciding to get both of them seemed to placate him, and she backed out of the shop with a smile.

Until she ran into someone, that is.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry--”

“Are you alright? I wasn’t paying attention to--”

The two dark-haired girls apologized simultaneously, then paused to giggle.

“I’m fine, thank you,” the taller girl placed her hand gently on Marinette’s shoulder.

“Me too, I’m so sorry, again,” she paused for a moment. “Wait, don’t I know you...?”

The taller girl blinked in surprise, then lit up with recognition. “Of course, you’re Jason’s girlfriend! I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Zatanna, we met in that cooking class you do every few weeks.”

Now that they were talking, Marinette did remember her but she’d called her Jason’s.... She thought she might explode from being called that of all things. She immediately started flailing her arms and stammering desperately.

“Oh, we’re not like that you see, he doesn’t-- I mean we don’t, well, it’s not!” she hid her fiercely blushing face in her hands and finished lamely, “I think you have the wrong idea....”

Zatanna laughed. “Sorry, sorry. My mistake, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Marinette risked a glance in between her fingers and decided the apology was genuine.

“So, what’s our local Cooking Mama doing in the clothing boutique district? Cute basket, by the way.”

The reference was lost on her, but Marinette replied, “Thank you! I’m actually going to try my hand at creating armor. Clothing design was something I enjoyed in the real world, but it’s been, ah, difficult to want to get back into it here.” She gave a bashful smile.

“Oh wow, no kidding? That sounds amazing!” Zatanna enthused as they made their way to a nearby bench. “Any special occasion?”

“Just trying to keep everyone safe,” Marinette shrugged nonchalantly as if it wasn’t her whole life’s purpose.

“Hear hear,” she replied emphatically. “I’m so glad those enchanted potions I gave Jason helped you guys out in that last level.”

Marinette paused, surprised. She’d completely forgotten to ask Jason where those water-breathing potions had come from. “Wait, you made those?” she asked.

“None other!” Zatanna gave a mock bow. “I’ve been outfitting our guild with enchanted goodies pretty much since day one,” she laughed a little to herself.

“Now that is an amazing talent! I can’t believe that you can make such cool potions like that,” she grinned.

Zatanna looked around, then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “That’s not all I can do.”

Marinette, who had leaned forward as well, arched a playful eyebrow.

“Have you ever wanted to learn how to enchant armor?”

* * *

It was several hours later that Marinette and Zatanna were found laughing away in the latter’s custom forge. Marinette had never been to the Rocky Road guild house before, so Zatanna gave her a tour. It was a sprawling complex with a courtyard and had rooms, areas, and even entire buildings devoted to everything any of their members could possibly need.

She was introduced to a few of the people who were there. Some she recognized from the cooking class-- she found out their names were Wally and Artemis-- but most she didn’t know. While the tour was lovely, especially with her host, she was most intrigued by the two dark-haired boys that Zatanna gave her meaningful looks over.

Jason’s oh-so-despised brothers, it seems.

Tim was in the study, a veritable library with two-story-tall shelves packed to the brim. He was reading voraciously out of several books at a time and scribbling notes in the worst chicken scratch she’d ever seen. He barely reacted to them being there until Marinette introduced herself by name, then he was all ears. And eyes. Man, that guy had an intense stare. She could practically hear him analyzing her in his head, though she had no idea what conclusion he’d reached until Zatanna led them out into the courtyard and said he’d liked her.

There they met Jason’s older brother Dick, training with a hulk of a boy named Connor and a lean girl named Cassie. They were all really nice, and Marinette felt an instant connection. She even thought she might remember Connor from her cooking classes.

Dick was immensely pleased to know Jason had actually referred to himself and Tim as his brothers. She actually thought he was on the verge of tears, that is until Cassie tried to sneak in an attack on him with a kick to the legs and he had to flip to avoid it.

Marinette’s eyebrows rose to her hairline watching them spar. Dick almost seemed to float through the air, spinning and jumping around his opponent. He was clearly very practiced, and she was impressed.

Zatanna didn’t let her watch for long before steering them to the forge where she finally began teaching Marinette all she knew about enchanting. While it was possible to enchant pre-made armor, she said, it was much easier and more potent to imbue the metal while it was still molten.

With surprising strength, Zatanna showed her how to hammer and shape the pieces. It was much more difficult than she was expecting even with the abbreviated actions common to the game, but her new friend insisted she was a natural.

They were soon joined by a red-haired boy with a seemingly permanent scowl. Zatanna introduced him as Roy, which he acknowledged with a grunt. He was working on a warhammer, melting new steel into the cracks it had sustained from use. He came over to watch once Marinette returned from changing into a sleeveless shirt to hammer away at her own metal.

Zatanna guided Marinette through creating a set of armor entirely from scratch. They’d used some existing molds from a set she’d made before, one for Zatanna’s friend Jaime that they thought might fit Adrien. Roy gave tips here and there on the metalworking side of things, and Zatanna provided her expertise with the enchantments.

Several sweaty hours later, they were proudly brandishing a brand new set of full armor. It had several defensive enchantments detectable only in a faint, pulsating glow emanating from within the inlays of the armor’s decorative designs.

“I wonder if the same technique could be used on fabric while I sew....” Marinette wondered aloud.

“Oh we’re going to be best friends,” Zatanna grinned at her ingenuity.

They were still laughing and chatting later when Jason finally made it back from level grinding. Apparently he stopped by nearly every day before leaving again “once he got sick of them.” Marinette had stopped her work to take a dinner break at some point, having missed lunch while out shopping. And so Jason found the two girls, Dick, and Roy sitting at the breakfast bar without a care in the world, chatting over several plates of Marinette’s home-baked salmon.

“Oh hey Jaybird, you’ve got to try this! Mari’s an amazing cook,” Dick reached over to ruffle her hair, much to her annoyance.

“I know,” Jason grumbled in response, grabbing a plate and dishing himself a portion. “I was hoping to keep her away from you vultures.”

“Aw, is somebody jealous?” Roy pouted teasingly at him.

Jason stood over where Marinette was perched on a stool and placed his plate next to hers, proceeding to eat over her head. “I’ve never been jealous a day in my life.”

Dick snorted at that. “Tell that to Timmy,” he scoffed.

“‘B, he took my spot, make him stop!’” Roy mocked in falsetto, “‘That replacement could never be me.’”

Marinette peered up at her friend, catching him wince slightly at the dig.

“Whatever, we’re past that.”

Noticing Jason’s reaction, Dick shot Roy a sharp look and agreed in a low voice, “Leave it.”

“So what are you doing here Pixie?” Jason asked before helping himself to another forkful over her head. As fond as she was of their closeness, she really hoped he wouldn’t spill any of the dill sauce on her hair.

“Zatanna showed me how to enchant stuff! I made a set of armor for Adrien, but I’m really excited to try working it into clothing too.” She felt herself start to bounce in her seat but couldn’t bring herself to care. “She even said I’m welcome to come over and work in the forge any time I want!”

Jason groaned and she whipped around to glare at him. “And who let you be friends?” He asked.

“Technically, you did,” Zatanna mused. “You are the one who convinced her to set up those cooking classes, right?”

“My own worst enemy yet again,” he muttered in response.

Marinette giggled. The poor baby.

She stayed and chatted for a while longer, but as the sky began to darken, she excused herself to go back to her own guild so her friends wouldn’t send out search parties en masse.

Jason waved goodbye to her as she used the teleport crystal, and she held in a laugh at the playful punch and thumbs up he got from Roy as she returned the gesture.

When she returned to her own guild house, she was met with her Order standing watch. She gifted Adrien his new armor, which seemed to pacify him momentarily as he animatedly admired it, but she knew she wasn’t out of the woods with the rest of them.

“Will you please talk to us?” Chloe asked earnestly. Marinette winced at that. If Chloe was the one using the magic word, she had to be seriously worrying her friends. Maybe it was finally time to do this. Gods know they wouldn’t leave her alone until they talked. Plus the whole “doing everything on her own” thing wasn’t exactly sustainable. The first time she’d met Jason, when he rescued her in the snow, proved that.

“Okay,” she acquiesced reluctantly. “Can we sit?”

Luka nodded and they all gathered on the couches by the fireplace.

Marinette sighed. This talk was a long time coming, but she wasn’t ready for things to change. She knew it was stupid to just do it all herself, but.... She wasn’t ready to watch her friends get hurt all over again. She kept her gaze stubbornly on a very interesting spot on the floor.

“Look, I can’t shake my instincts from home,” she began, knowing they’d catch her meaning. “I need to get everyone out as fast as possible so things can go back to normal.”

“Marinette,” Kagami began in a tone that indicated she wouldn’t like whatever came next. “We all feel the same way. But the rest of us are not blowing each other off and running headlong into danger.”

“With a stranger, no less,” Luka added.

Adrien chimed in, “You need us as much as we need you. What happened to working together? The Order you made?”

“Okay! I get it,” Marinette raised her hands in surrender. “This doesn’t need to be an intervention. Can we please just have a conversation?”

“Fine. Why haven’t we seen you since level thirteen?” Adrien crossed her arms.

“You see me every day,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“At breakfast and dinner, if that,” Luka said evenly.

“I’m busy helping at the front lines!”

“With Jason, but not us?” Kagami asked.

“He’s been... he’s different.”

Chloe, who had been quiet for some time, burst out tearfully, “Why can’t you look at me?”

Marinette bit her lip. “I... I can’t see you get hurt like that again.” Her voice cracked. She thought her heart might join it.

Chloe reached for her hands and Marinette tried to control the shaking.

“Dupain-Cheng, do you think you’re the only one who cares? The only one here who wants to save everyone and go home?”

Marinette finally raised her eyes to meet her friend’s and felt her heart clench at the tears he saw in them. “Of course not,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to be any louder than that.

Adrien knelt on the floor in front of her and placed his hands over theirs. “Then let us help you. Please.”

That was all it took for her to break.

She told them of her nightmares and fears. How she had started adventuring with Jason because she didn’t know him and she’d convinced herself that it would make it easier to handle if he got hurt. How she’d realized too late that she’d grown to care for him, but he insisted he was going to keep fighting at the front lines anyway, so she had to stick with him. That earned a facepalm from Adrien, who grumbled that they should have done the same.

Marinette gave a watery chuckle. She really was being silly, wasn’t she? Strength in numbers was everything back in Paris, why wouldn’t it be the same here? Half of the wonderful people surrounding her joined the Order because she couldn’t do it alone. And she’d never been alone, she’d always had Adrien by her side. She squeezed his hand with a small, grateful smile.

She wiped at her damp eyes. “Oh, there was something... else I almost forgot,” she began nervously. Her friends nodded and gestured for her to go on.

“There was one time where Jason almost died. I mean, he had one HP left. I was so terrified I dropped all the healing potions and they broke. But then I reached out my hands and... I accidentally might have healed him?” She finished nervously.

“With Alchemy?” Adrien prompted.

“No,” Marinette bit her lip. “It was more like... like creation magic.”

Her friends stared at her, quiet in thought.

“...Have any of you had that?” she asked them, but she knew the answer from the bemused look in their eyes.

“I looked into in-game healing mechanics, but I couldn’t find anything even close to what happened. What I did,” she heaved a sigh.

“Hey, whatever it was, we’ll figure it out together,” Adrien squeezed her hand back.

Luka tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe it was out of desperation at the situation,” he mused, “like those rare circumstances where mothers get an adrenaline rush and can lift a car to save their child.”

“You do seem to care an awful lot about Jason,” Chloe smirked playfully. Marinette blushed profusely, too tired to deny anything by this point.

“We can set out researching it in the morning,” Kagami reasoned, carefully layering blankets over the others on the couch. “It’s late and we need our rest.”

Marinette was indeed yawning. It would be difficult to swallow back her reservations in the morning, but for now, it was enough to be surrounded by people who loved her. And surround her they did, in a tangle of limbs and floppy hair buried beneath a mound of pillows and blankets on the couches of their living room.

Her eyelids were heavy from crying. She barely stayed conscious enough to lift her head for Luka to place a pillow beneath it. Her friends-- her court,  her Order-- only let her drift off into sleep with the assurance that this conversation was not over until they had fixed things for the future.

She supposed she had bigger problems than her friends caring about her.

* * *

A few days after Marinette visited his guild, Jason was surprised to find a package delivered to the doorstep of his cottage. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, knowing that nobody knew where he lived--

Well, almost nobody.

He gingerly unfolded the card tucked into the top of the wrapping to reveal a flowing script that read, Something to keep you safe. -M. The back stated, P.S. It’s time for you to meet my friends. They insist.

He smiled as he opened the rest of the package, no longer apprehensive but instead excited, and found a striking set of armor with neatly folded clothes to wear underneath it. The armor was a deep maroon with black accents that seemed to pulse with life. The sturdy black undershirt and pants were light and breathable but thick, with shimmering gold detailing the seams and delicate runes stitched into the fabric.

In other words, it was fucking sick.

And he knew exactly who he had to thank for it.

[heyyallitsbethfanfic]

The Home We Built

It was unusual to log back into Sword Art Origins after all this time. 

“I suppose it had only been a few days in the real world, but it was 2 years for me… this is gonna be tough…”. Kazuto hefted the AmuSphere over his head. He desperately missed his family and friends back here, but the feeling was off. The idea of being in a “home” without Ronye or Tiese or Alice or Liena… or Eugeo…

Alice had been able to receive a physical body, the rest were still waiting for them as suspended data. She was still at her home in the facility, visiting Kazuto and Sugu frequently, mainly for Kazuto, he was her anchor in this world after all. But Kazuto was still anxious to be alone again. He was used to the feeling of someone else beside him throughout everything.

He hadn’t slept alone in 2 years.

Regardless, Kikuoka had granted permission for the Artificial Fluctlights to join Kirito in other virtual worlds, and Kazuto had promised Eugeo to show him Aincrad. The place ‘Kirito’ was truly born. It was time to log in.

…

Kirito woke up in bed back on Floor 22, in him and Asuna’s bed. The rest of the party was most likely in Agil’s Bar or out questing on higher floors if they were playing. He needed to return to The Town of Beginnings to meet Eugeo. He trailed the quilt of the bed he laid in. A sigh met his lips. He wasn’t sure what exactly he had been feeling, but he knew guilt was the prevalent emotion. He had left behind his wife and daughters for 2 years. Tears met the corners of his eyes. 

“How many times did Eugeo hold me when I thought of them- Asuna, Yui, Strea…”

He slowly got out of bed and patted the space where Asuna usually slept. He walked out of the house and grabbed a crystal to return to Floor 1.

…

“C-cor? I- I’m sorry I don’t know much about this world- I’m supposed to be meeting a friend here…”

Eugeo had barely taken a step in town when he was being accosted by someone in a large cloak.

“Oh? Need some info on ya buddy? I got all the info ya need if ya got the Cor-”

A devilish smirk met the woman’s face as she stared up at Eugeo.

“I-I think I will be fine. It is typical for Kirito to be slightly behind schedule…”

He turned to walk away from the girl, but she snatched his arm back and pulled him into facing her.

“WAIT- You said you know Kii-boy?”

Eugeo looked flustered.

“Ki-Kiiboy? Is that what the people of this world call Kirito?”

“Nyah. Here Kirito is Kirito. To some, he’s tha Black Swordsman. To others tha Beata. To me he’s jus Kii-boy. We were eachothas first friends here.”

She flashed a toothy smile to Eugeo, almost startled by the girl’s grin, looking more like some monster than a girl.

“Buuuuuuut- I’m surprised ya know Kii-boy. He’s neva been around guys much. And I dont rememba ya from seein him in real life.”

“O-oh. Me and Kirito grew up together in Rulid Village. He lost his memories and said that he had lived here…”

“Interestin’- well, he aint lyin. Kii-boy lived here for 2 years, and then he was able to kill the bastad that trapped us all in this castle. Butttttt we come back since it’s hard to let go of those memories. I know I dont wanna forget ‘em after all.”

The girl looked down, clearly reminiscing. Eugeo could see a streak of blonde hair tickle her face as she smiled fondly.

“My name’s Argo, I’ll give ya that info for free, since ya took care of my Kii-boy. Butcha can just call me The Rat”

“Oh! My name is Eugeo.”

“Nice meetin ya! A friend of Kii-boy is a frienda mine.”

Argo’s toothy smile still startled Eugeo as she beamed up at him.

“YO! Argo, Eugeo!”

A blur of black came in and tackled the cloaked girl and blonde boy in a hug.

“Ey- Kii-boy- Nyeheh- You’re not so affectionate usually- what’s gotten into dat airhead of yours?”

“Haven’t seen you in years. Hug now.”

Both Eugeo and Argo laughed at the boy’s brief explanation, still holding them tight to him. It took several moments before he pulled away, blushing.

“S-sorry about that…”

“It’s okay Kii-boy- butcha gotta pay me to not tell A-chan about dat hug with me-”

Kirito sighed and shook his head.

“You never change Argo…”

Eugeo looked between the two with confusion.

“A-chan? Whose that? And does Kirito not usually hug people?...”

“Jeez blondie, wait til we meet the whole gang here before ya go askin too many questions. They’re all at Agil’s. I’ll be ya guide.”

…

Argo practically bounced into the bar, giggling like a maniac. The rest of the crew looked on at her with exasperated confusion. She pounced into a seat beside Asuna.

“A-Chan! Ya got some competition! Kii-boy’s got a new blonde cutie friend-”

“Argo- I know you like teasing Kirito- I’m used to it now.”

“Nononono! Not me this time! They’re new-”

The girls at the table winced at the thought. Oh god- another girl to compete with. Agil just smirked as Klein beamed.

“Sweet! Another cute chick for the party!”

“Oh you’ll love ‘em Klein. Just ya type.”

Argo cackled in place as Asuna shook her head.

The group sat with baited breath as Kirito walked in with his new friend.

Who shockingly to the group- was not a girl.

…

Kirito and Eugeo walked hand-in-hand into Agil’s Bar, Eugeo doing his best to not simply cling to Kirito as he guided him in. Everyone did their best to pick their jaws up from the floor as Kirito waved to the rest of the group with his free hand.

“Hey guys! Sorry it’s been a minute…”

“Ki-ri-TO! You were almost killed and you had us worried sick! And you’re worried about being LATE?”

Liz shook herself out of her shock and ran over to yell at the boy.

“Heh. Nice to see you again Liz-”

Kirito broke his grip on Eugeo’s hand and embraced Liz and pet her head. The group looked on in a shock as Kirito hugged everyone at the table, Asuna, then Sinon, Leafa, Silica, Philia, even Klein and Agil. 

“Awwww nothin for ya favorite Rat?”

Argo mock pouted at the boy.

“I hugged you when I logged in, don’t be greedy!”

The group was all blushing red, and Leafa shook her head wildly to try to rid her mind of all the thoughts that just came rushing in.

“I-I’m just not used to Kirito being that… Touchy…”

“Yeah seriously, Kirito seems to hate physical affection.”

Philia nodded along to Leafa’s assessment.

“R-Really? In my memory, Kirito has always been like this, even since we were kids…” Eugeo cocked his head to the side confused.

“Ah right! Everyone, this is my friend Eugeo. Eugeo, this is Asuna, Silica, Leafa, Sinon, Lisbeth, Klein, Agil, and Philia.”

Eugeo shyly waved.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all-”

Kirito dragged Eugeo into a seat, sliding next to Asuna so that Kirito was flanked by her and Eugeo.

“Wait- what do you mean since you were kids?”

Sinon placed her drink down and sat her head in her hands.

“Me and Kirito grew up in Rulid Village together. One day he disappeared though, I only met him again two years ago now, but he seems to have lost his memory.”

“Wait. Two years ago Kirito would’ve still been trapped in Sword Art Online!-”

Liz pounded on the table, shaking everyone’s tea, threatening to break the cups.

“What? No, Kirito and I spent over two years travelling from Rulid to the capitol to train at the SwordCraft Academy.”

“I think we’re skipping over something here- Kirito wasn’t born in Rulid- I should know, as his sister and all-”

“I don’t remember Kirito having a sister- although I suppose after he left most of my memories of him faded away…”

Kirito cleared his throat.

“Hem- Sorry. Long story short, to make it simple for everyone. I was born in Rulid and knew Eugeo when we were very young. Some things happened, me and Leafa moved in together. Then I got trapped in Aincrad, and then after an accident found my way back to Eugeo.”

“I’m still unsure what you mean by spending two years with Eugeo-”

“Yeah, you were in the hospital for like a week, what happened?”

“Um. Basically, the machine I was in was a device designed to help rebuild my mental functions. In that time, I was in a place called Underworld where I met Eugeo again. That is about as much as I can tell you without issues from Kikuoka.”

“Alright since we’re not gonna get answers from you-”

Sinon looked towards Eugeo.

“What do you mean Kirito was ‘always like that’?”

“Oh! Kirito always hugged his friends in Underworld. Ronye, Tiese, Liena, he practically held onto me for dear life as he slept.”

Eugeo laughed, but Kirito’s eyes widened momentarily, before shooting daggers at the boy, not noticing Kirito’s mental attack.

“Wait, you slept together?”

Lisbeth dropped her teacup, with it shattering into glitter.

“Yes. During our trip from Rulid to the capital it was cheaper to rent rooms with one bed. And our room was small in the academy as we were not nobles.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Eugeo caught Kirito almost vibrating from shaking, now with a red flush to his face.

“Mmhmm- And who were these ‘Ronye, Tiese and Liena’ you mentioned?”

Asuna had a vicegrip on Kirito’s hand.

“Ah! Ronye and Tiese were Kirito and I’s pupils. We taught them how to sword fight. Kirito also was my teacher on the road prior to our time at the academy haha.”

Eugeo fondly recalled the memories and Kirito tried to maintain composure and add to the conversation.

“Yes, Ronye was my pupil and Tiese was Eugeo’s, although we mostly trained in a group of four. I’d say Eugeo was the better teacher though.”

“Kirito was quite soft as a teacher. I don’t believe he ever scolded any of us, and brought us all lunch.”

“Oh that’s quite sweet of you Kirito.”

Asuna released the grip on Kirito’s hand and gently pat it as an apology.

“And Liena?”

“Oh that was Kirito’s senpai- Kirito was her pupil, although they seemed to teach eachother a lot. Kirito already knew a lot of swordcraft, although different from what was traditional.”

“Yeah that sounds like Kirito. He fight’s as if every fight is his last, and he wants to put on a damn show.”

Sinon shook her head laughing.

“Hmm. I’m not sure. Practicing with Kirito- His swordmanship and battle is more elegant. Almost like a dance more than a brawl.”

“Interesting. I suppose he took more lessons from Asuna and Leafa.”

…

“Daddy! You’re back!”

A small girl clad in a white dress practically flung herself down the stairs of the Bar’s Inn and into Kirito’s arms. Kirito shot up out of his seat to catch her and spin her around in his arms.

“Yui!!!!! I missed you so much!”

Kirito embraced Yui into a tight hug, her feet dangling off the ground as he pulled her into his chest. Yui giggled. Another set of arms draped themselves around the pair.

“Hey Dad- Missed you too. Glad you’re doing okay.” “Strea! I missed you too!”

Kirito couldn’t hug the girl back, as he was pinned in her arms, but attempted to lean his head against hers.

“Um- Kirito who are these-”

Eugeo looked incredibly concerned at the display of affection.

“Oh! Right…”

Kirito bit his tongue, knowing this would be a rough conversation.

“These are Yui and Strea, they’re my daughters-”

“D-DAUGHTERS- But that- that means-”

“Adopted”

Strea added, saving Kirito the mental anguish. The cuddle pile broke apart.

“O-oh. I see. Is this why you were so sweet to Ronye and Tiese?” “Eh- Kinda? It helps to have some experience with that sort of relationship. Also I think I accidentally called Ronye Yui like a dozen times.”

“And I believe you once called Tiese Asuna.”

“You look at Asuna and tell me that they don’t look similar.”

“Hmmmm… You’re right- they could be sisters for sure.”

“Sooooooo- you Dad’s new boyfriend?”

Strea teased, flashing Kirito a smile of “Can’t save you every time”

“Yes” “NO!”

Eugeo and Kirito answered simultaneously.

“Kirito? Are we not friends?” “Nononononononono, Eugeo we are friends. Strea means boyfriend as in, like, romantic partner.”

“Oh-”

Eugeo flashed a bright red.

“Then also yes.”

Eugeo beamed out a pure smile, stunning everyone in the room.

[shima-draws]

Hi hi hi Shima! I know that you probably get asked this a lot and I'm not trying to be rude or pushy or anything I'm just curious. Do you have plans on finishing the Yujikiri reunion fic on your A03 or is that on hold indefinitely? I just wanted to ask cause I've been on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Also let me just say I love your art and am also excited for your original works too! All your characters are interesting and the character designs are AMAZING 💕💕💕

Hey!! (Sorry I am answering this so late lmao)

I do have plans to finish it, yes!! I can't say when I'll work on it again since I'm not in the SAO fandom right now but I'm sure once I go back and rewatch the series and get back into it I'll be dusting the cobwebs off that fic :"D

Yujikiri is one of my favorite ships of all time and I also just. Really love that fic so I would like to finish it someday! I'm glad you're enjoying it too 👉👈

And tysm for the compliments aaaa I appreciate it a lot!! 💖

[sapphiim]

yujikiri fics masterlist

purely for the reason of having my writing on this site too, i’ve decided to make a list of all the yujikiri fics i’ve written so far. i won’t be updating this list with any new fics i write for these two from this point on, those will get their own post whenever i DO post them. (also, please do note all of these fics are at least 1.5 years old and it shows in my writing)

through the pain of it all -  part one of a two-part series. a s3 retelling, which was SUPOSED to be a soulmates au. i forgot this detail halfway through.

incredibly, and utterly, stupid - part two of aforementioned series. exists purely bcs my friend, upon seeing the visual for i will (the ed) requested a boat date for them.

fond touches and fonder hearts - do you ever adore a character so much you project your love for them onto another? yeah. this is smitten kirito galore. feat. one of my favorite yujikiri flavors: sword mastery academy era

moments of comfort and adoration - this was a birthday gift for the same friend who requested the boat ride date. i will be 100% honest i don’t remember what happens in this one. i think they go on a date at a planetarium. maybe.

behind the veil of sleep, i dream of you - written for day 1 of yujikiri week 2021, the prompt being dreams. 

enchantments and exasperation - this was written for day two (prompt: AU), and it was a purely self indulgent mage eugeo au.

fascinated by your gaze - i am absolutely in love with eugeo’s eyes, they are SO pretty and of course i had to project that onto kirito. this was written for day 3, with the prompt being eyes.

memories, remaining and forgotten - written for day 5, prompt being memories. ironically, i don’t remember what this one was about, but according to my tags it might be a short reminiscing fic? 

a journey of adjusting and confusion - day 6, prompt gameverse. eugeo joins ALO and GGO. it was pretty fun ngl (also, first time writing from eugeo’s pov)

scales of frost and thawing hearts - day 7 was free day. now here’s the thing: if you followed me on twitter while i was writing these (march-april of last year) you would know that i despise this fic. i had a hard time writing it and i don’t like how it came out. still, here is a short dragon eugeo au. maybe one day i’ll revisit it, but i’m making no promises.

[blue-wolf-seeker]

So I read live to see the end of the world by @nervestatic and was kind of in love with the Shadowcutter, so I decided to make an edit of that one scene where Kirito unveils his Dual Weilding skill against Gleam Eyes. It could probably be better, but the brainrot got to me and I simply had to make something, so here you have it. My interpretation of the Shadowcutter.

also obviously Kirito and the Shadowcutter do not belong to me and I did not draw all of this, it's just an edit. I only drew the white and purple sword. I would've drawn my own pic but the artblock is hitting so hard I'm sorry. Original image below the cut:

[transboykirito]

let's try this again. a rambly thing i wrote about sugu and kazuto.

It had been hours of the two of them just laying there on her bed, her head on his chest and his hand in her hair. Neither of them was talking. The only sound in her room came from the quiet humming of the air conditioning unit on the wall.

“Does it ever get better?”

Suguha asked the question without expecting a response. He of all people wouldn’t know how to give one. Hell, she shouldn’t be asking him anything like that in the first place. Who gave her the right to ask him if her issues would get better when his far outweighed her own?

“Maybe.”

Kazuto’s voice was tired. It was more than just sleep deprivation, though both of them were in need of rest. It was the kind of exhaustion that only came from trying to live and exist while everything in you screamed to end it all now. It was an exhaustion she’d once been inconvenienced by as she dealt with a depressed family member, and now it was an exhaustion that she had come to know herself.

God, she was selfish. How many times had she laid there at night and convinced herself that if they spoke the next day, it meant he would be better? How many times had she thought his life was a weight on her shoulders? How many times did she comfort herself in the fact he cared too much about her to leave her behind?

“Do you even want it to get better?”

How many times had she placed herself on a pedestal in his life, so certain of the fact she could love him enough to take away this kind of soul-interwoven sadness? How conceited had she been to think that a few hollow-but-well-meaning words of I love you, I promise you’ll get better could ever save him from something that had existed inside of him for nearly half his life?

“Maybe.”

It wasn’t like she hadn’t understood, to some degree, that he needed more help than she could offer him. She’d cried herself to sleep on multiple occasions, terrified that her beloved brother wouldn’t be there when she woke up, because deep down she knew that he needed something she couldn’t provide. He needed…

That was the issue - part of it, at least. She didn’t know what he needed exactly, but she knew it was more than her and her naive teenage words could amount to. No amount of pleading for him to stay just a little longer, no amount of empty promises that one day he’d feel happy again, no amount of daydreams of him walking her down the aisle or seeing her graduate - none of it would ever be enough.

She wasn’t enough.

She’d hated herself for it. She hated that there was something she couldn’t do for him. She hated that this boy, the one she loved more than anything, the one who made her life worth living, was so sad that she could never even see past the surface of it.

“I don’t know how I’d do any of this without you.”

She doesn’t say it to guilt-trip him. It isn’t some unintentional twist of a knife someone else had buried deep in his side. She says it because it’s the truth. She really, really doesn’t know how she’s supposed to live without him.

He doesn’t respond, so she tries another approach.

“How do I keep going when it feels so hopeless?”

He shrugs lightly, shifting her head as he does.

“You just do. You just have to believe there’s a reason for it.”

He sounds so tired. She wants to tell him to rest. She wants to tell him to roll over, so he can lay his head on her own chest and drift off to sleep. She wants to tell him she’ll protect him from all the things that haunt him in his dreams. She wants to tell him that the exhaustion won’t last forever.

“What’s your reason?”

She holds her arms around his middle tighter. She knows that she won’t be his answer. She knows exactly what - no, who - his answer is going to be. She’s jealous, just the tiniest bit, that she isn’t his world in the same way he’s hers, but he deserves his own happiness, and she’s truly happy that he’s found it.

“I just have to be here long enough to see things be good again.”

There’s another long pause where neither of them says anything. He’s thinking. She’s thinking. He’s likely thinking of all the moments that led him to this moment - all the people he met and loved, the lives lost, the lives taken, the years stolen from his life that he can never recover.

So what’s she thinking about?

Aside from him, because she really is worried about him.

She’s thinking about the bloodshed she witnessed in the Underworld. The lives she took, the pain she felt, the fear she felt, the love she felt. The hopelessness and the rebellious determination. The bonds she forged that she could never return to. The impact she left that she would never know of. The wounds and the blood she’d shed. The slimy feeling of that witch all over her. The humiliation. The rage. The moment something inside of her had simply snapped. The moment her entire body gave way and she could no longer stand.

She felt she didn’t deserve to compare her experiences to Kazuto’s. He’d fought for longer, in harder battles, with stronger enemies, facing higher stakes. He’s been doing this - this loneliness, this anger, this despair, this rot - for far longer than she had with a much heavier load on his shoulders. Really, she felt it inappropriate to even be asking for his advice now.

Then he talks again, his weary voice giving her just the slightest hint of bittersweet affection.

“You know, Sugu, I wish I was as strong as you.”

She blinks. It’s the other way around, isn’t it? She’s the one who so desperately wishes to be as strong as him. What kind of game is he playing now?

“Strong?”

“You keep loving people. No matter how many times your heart breaks, you love people anyway. The Underworlders, Nagata. Even me. That’s really strong. I wish I could do that.”

She blushes just slightly. Did he really pay attention that much when she complained about him? Or, rather, more truthfully, she blushes because loving him - loving anyone - has never been a choice for her. It’s simply how it is.

She loves him. He could break her heart a million times over, and every time she would still hand it back to him, barely beating and held together in the palm of her hand. Every time, she would give him - or anyone - her heart with the expectation of it being broken, and she would give her heart away anyway.

Maybe it was naive. No, she knows it is. She would cry and wail like a child, then put her heart back together just enough to throw it to whoever she thought might hold it for a while, just for the shortest, sweetest moment. Then, she would live in that love until it threatened to suffocate her, and she would do it all over again.

She’d dragged her broken, bloodied heart through the mud so many times, she was surprised it was still beating.

But it was. Her heart was beating, and she was alive.

He was alive.

She could breathe.

“It’s because I’m too stupid to stop caring.”

She says it in that half-hearted, self-deprecating way that implies she’s trying to joke, but neither of them find any humour in it.

“Maybe.”

“Hey!”

She laughs, he laughs.

She breathes.

She knows they’re both tired. She doesn’t know how long they’ll be tired for. Maybe forever. Maybe for the next few years. Maybe until something happens and they miraculously find themselves reinvigorated by something that makes them forget everything they’ve been through.

She knows who’ll give him that. She knows it isn’t her.

She knows that when they decide this conversation is over, she’ll roll off of him and make an awkward joke about having a cramping leg. He’ll laugh and tell her it’s her fault for clinging to him like the world’s most anxious baby koala. Then he’ll linger in her doorway for a moment, they’ll plan what they’re going to do for dinner in a few hours, and he’ll go back to his room to call her on the phone.

Because Asuna has taken the spot in Kazuto’s heart that Suguha had selfishly believed belonged to her. She doesn’t hate her for it, she’s glad that her brother’s found someone who makes him truly happy, someone who makes him want to love life again. Asuna’s great, she likes Asuna.

But just for now, listening to his heartbeat while he breathes, she convinces herself that at least part of his heart is still reserved for her. For this brief moment, she lets herself believe that her words can still reach him.

He breathes.

She breathes.

“Is it ever gonna get better for us?”

He shrugs again.

“Maybe.”

Then she forgives herself enough to let herself say one more stupid, naive thing. Just once. Then she’ll hold him to it.

“Promise me you’ll still be here when it does get good again?”

He holds her, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips for the first time in hours. There’s still wet tear tracks down his cheeks from earlier.

“Yeah, I promise I’ll be here a while.”

Then he sighs, like he’s lifting a weight off his chest for the first time in a while. She swallows down the memories threatening to beg him for reassurance. Another time, she promises herself. For now, their conversation here is over.

He breathes.

She breathes.

They’re going to be okay.

[rustingcat]

Chapter 6!

After a longer delay then expected, here is chapter 6!

“You know, I think the person who created this floor has some weird ox fetish?”

Kara chose the wrong moment to take a sip of her water. She feared for a moment that this might be it, that after fighting dangerous aliens and fearsome monsters, she might actually die from choking on water. But after a short struggle, she managed to swallow it down.

Read it here!

[namikiheights]

this is also an au where sao existed, but kayaba never managed to launch it and trap players. most characters are still gamers.

mitoyuuna: in the true essence of gossip girl, eiji and yuuna are the picture perfect couple. however, yuuna finds eiji a bit overbearing at times and runs to mito. this becomes a scandal, perhaps the tip was sent in by shikimi so kamura could get an edge over yuuna’s dad. in the end, it blows over and yuuna realizes she loves both of them and mito and eiji both date her (thus becoming metamours).

mitoasu: asuna and kirito meet first but are just friends. later, asuna finds out her classmate, mito, also plays alo. the 3 of them stop asuna’s engagement to sugou by sending a tip abt his plans to gossip girl. kirito sort of helps mitoasu’s relationship become deep and serious bc mito sees her flaws in him and is thus able to face them.

things to note: kirito’s endgame ship will always involves eugeo. drama between eiyuuna and shikimi bc of business stuff will happen regardless of ship. mito may or may not be involved with the sugou ousting if the mitoyuuna route is taken.

[thegayfromrulid]

My Yujikiri Fanfics Thread

I apologize for the wait, my life is insanity @kiri-sleep. Since you didn't really specify genre, I'll try to group things by fanfic theme just in case you have any particular preferences or squicks or absolute no-go's. Does include some more Yujikiri heavy Yujikirisuna and one Kirito is horny for...every cute boy.

If you prefer to just browse, my AO3 is aj_linguistik.

These are just mine since I don't do much reading on my own time, but I encourage other people to make their own posts and/or add their own fics/suggestions to the bottom of this one for a long Yujikiri-themed thread!

Alternate Universe - Possible Within Canon Timeline

Blushing - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; The pair share a bath, and it gets a little flirty/horny. CW for implied sex, nudity. One-shot.

Bold Enough - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito works up the nerves to kiss Eugeo. CW drunkenness, dub-con kissing. One-shot.

Montage - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo deciding why he wants to reject the Piety Module being based around his love for Kirito. One-shot.

A Little Goes a Long Way - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito is a bit of a tease, and little kisses can lead to making out. One-shot.

Tomorrow, My Heart - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; Eugeo comes out to Kirito and finds acceptance. He's pining hard for Kirito, and hopes some day he can come clean about this too. One-shot.

What Works - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito and Eugeo give relationship advice as, uh, "knowledgable" senpai. One-shot.

Security - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo doesn't understand what PTSD is, but he does sense that Kirito is suffering with something unpleasant. He does his best to comfort him. CW PTSD symptoms. One-shot.

A Bond Stronger Than Forgetting - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito remembers his history with Eugeo. One-shot.

This Will Do - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo having a silent crush on Kirito, but thinking he has love for someone else. Ambiguous as to who Kirito's affection is for. Treated as unrequited love. One-shot.

A Lover's Gratitude - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito muses over why he lied to Eugeo about losing his memories and laments that he never got to tell him the truth. CW angst, the Eugeo does die. One-shot.

Canon Divergence – Eugeo Doesn't Die/Stay Dead

Familiarity Within - Trans Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito and Eugeo wind up having sex after being arrested in episode 10 of the anime, and when Eugeo dies and Kirito goes comatose, Alice takes care of him only to realize he's carrying Eugeo's child. The condition winds up waking Kirito up, and Alice sees Kirito's distress over the course of the War of the Underworld missing his lover and decides to plead to the humans of the real world to resurrect Eugeo. CW for LN canon typical war violence, pregnancy, and cheating. Ongoing.

Solitude - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo/Cis Girl Asuna; Eugeo wakes up moments after being killed and is alarmed to see that he's not dead. He quickly realizes that he may be the only person alive in the entire Underworld, as the place is unusually and eerily quiet. He travels around the Underworld in search for answers, completely unaware that from the outside in Rath, Kirito has rebuilt his code and is desperately trying to steal his data from Rath. Completed.

Let's Try GGO - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; When Eugeo arrives in the real world, he's invited to play GGO with Kirito and Sinon. He reacts to Kirito's GGO avatar. One-shot.

Canvas - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito and Eugeo both become Integrity Knights as background. This is just a short smut one-shot between the two as knights. CW smut. One-shot.

Just a Touch - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; After his death, Eugeo's data doesn't get completely erased. Rath pieces him back together and asks him to return to the Underworld to try and wake Kirito from his comatose state. CW canon-typical war violence. Complete.

You, Above All Else - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito refuses to accept Eugeo's death and makes a deal with Administrator–his allegiance as an Integrity Knight in exchange for bringing Eugeo back from the dead. CW canon-compliant violence. One-shot.

My Mind is on a Different Mission - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Another Eugeo tries out GGO situation, but this time he's very turned on by Kirito's avatar and absolutely does not want to focus on gameplay. CW implied sexual themes. One-shot.

Movie Night 101 - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo gets to the real world, and Kazuto wants to teach him what the meaning of a movie night is. One-shot.

Behind the Wheel - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo gets to learn how to drive. It's not great. One-shot.

The Perfect Gift - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito gives Eugeo a birthday gift for his first birthday in the real world. One-shot.

Human - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo develops hanahaki disease within a quest in ALO. Angst with a happy ending. CW hanahaki, thus vomiting/blood. One-shot.

Rebirth - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kazuto works endlessly to resurrect Eugeo from the dead. When he finally achieves his goal, he's overwhelmed with joy. One-shot.

Snow Faeries - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito takes Eugeo on an ALO date in the snow. One-shot.

So Long As You're Alive - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Eugeo survives the battle with Administrator, and there is a tender moment between the boys while he's in his weakened state. Listed as platonic, can absolutely be read as ship. CW canon-compliant gore. One-shot.

A Lover's Eyes - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo/Cis Girl Asuna; Star Queen Asuna watches Star King Kirito and his knight Eugeo interact and confronts Kirito to get him to admit he's in love with Eugeo out of a desire for him to be happy. One-shot.

The King's Desire - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Wedding day for Star King Kirito and his beloved knight Eugeo. One-shot.

Alternate Universe – Eugeo is a Real Human

Rosebud - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; Kazuto and Eugeo have been married for a while, and the topic of having children has come up once or twice. Eugeo feels that he's finally ready to try for a baby and medically preps to do so...but finds it difficult to admit this to Kazuto. When his reluctance to admit he stopped HRT winds up with a positive test, the pair have to prepare for their newest addition–with no small amount of help from their loving friends, of course. CW pregnancy. Completed.

Bloom - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; Sequel to Rosebud. Kazuto and Eugeo want another baby, but apparently trying makes it a little more difficult. CW pregnancy, implied sexual themes, motorcycle accident. Ongoing.

Planting Roots - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; in the Rosebud universe, Kazuto and Eugeo and newlyweds. One-shot.

Seedling - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; in the Rosebud universe, when Eugeo first comes out to Kazuto as trans. One-shot.

Pistil - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; in the Rosebud universe, Eugeo thinks about Kazuto's eyes. One-shot.

Cattails - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; in the middle of the Rosebud fic, this details the adoption of Pickles the cat. CW pregnancy, sad unwell kitty. One-shot.

Focus - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Small town boy Eugeo and international student Kazuto get assigned as roommates in college, and it's not long before they hit it off. The only trouble? They have to focus on passing classes in the meantime. CW smut, alcohol/drunkenness. Completed.

Twice the Trouble - Trans Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; Crack-fic in which there is a miscommunication and Kazuto and Eugeo both get a successful IVF. The unfortunate result leaves them with a very awkward period where both are pregnant. CW pregnancy. Completed.

Heartstrings - So this one includes some Kirito/Eugeo (both cis), but is more of a gay harem type fic. Kazuto is a member of a band called Heartstrings, and he pretty much sleeps with everyone else in the band. Eugeo joins the band as a technical worker, and Kirito immediately sets his sights on adding him to his list of guys to sleep with. CW sex. So much sex. And naturally drama. Ongoing.

The Honor Student's Mistake - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; Eugeo is the perfect student. Perfect grades, perfect attendance, perfect record. So when fooling around and having sex with his boyfriend after classes end turns into a positive pregnancy test, his perfect record is on the line. He'll do whatever he needs to do in order to make sure his parents keep seeing only that perfect record; well, that is, unless they find out. CW implied underage sex, pregnancy. Ongoing.

The Hero's Fear - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kazuto is afraid of storms. Eugeo is there to comfort him. One-shot.

Rainy Day Date - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; The pair decide to do some baking when stuck at home on a rainy day. One-shot.

Garden of the Heart - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; The pair go on a date at the park. One-shot.

Symphony - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kazuto finally asks Eugeo on a date, and he's nervous. One-shot.

The Stars in His Eyes - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Proposal fluff. One-shot.

Les Fleurs du Mal d'Amour - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Flower shop AU. Yes, this is in English despite the French title. One-shot.

Oasis - Trans Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; A fate encounter on a cruise ship doomed to go down leads to an unlikely international love story. When Kazuto is finally found, he's been separated from Eugeo in a moment when he needs his lover the most. Now readjusting to the shock of being back home after a year lost at sea, Kazuto must handle reporters bothering him and the changes in his own body while only wanting one thing–to be reunited with Eugeo. CW shipwreck, survival themes, pregnancy. Ongoing.

Meaning - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Wedding drabble.

Alternate Universe - Fantasy

Vector's Lost Child - Trans Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Underworld is a real location and not a VR, and the story follows the unfortunate struggles of Kazuto as he navigates being a demigod, falling in love with someone illegally, and the ever-present threat of the gods to his family. CW for implied sexual assault, implied underage sex, a bit of fantasy violence, and pregnancy. Ongoing.

Invitation - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Vampire Eugeo living with his human boyfriend. Eugeo wants to have sex with Kirito, but there's a small, important detail standing in the way. CW implied sex, nudity. One-shot.

Seahorse - Trans Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kazuto falls in love with a handsome merman who he's certain no one will believe is real. But he has to tell this to his friends when two problems suddenly arise–a positive pregnancy test he didn't think was possible, and a missing boyfriend who might be in grave danger for sleeping with a human. CW implied sexual content, pregnancy, gross (somewhat fantastical) medical stuff. Ongoing.

Bliss - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Kirito is entranced by the siren song of merman Eugeo. CW ocean trouble. One-shot.

The Ruby Palace - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Aincrad's beloved Prince Kirito makes some risky decisions that lead to the loyal Knights of the Blood Oath declaring his family unfit to rule Aincrad. As the rest of his family is beheaded for his own treason, Kirito is swept away from the palace and sent into hiding with his loyal knight and bodyguard Eugeo. Their goal is to reclaim Kirito's throne and avenge the royal family, no matter what. CW graphic violence, possible sexual themes. Ongoing.

Alternate Universe - Sci-Fi

Starship Centoria - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; On a deep space vessel, the UW Centoria, Integrity Agents supposedly keep the peace for the residents on the spacecraft. When suspicious individuals break onto the UW Centoria, Eugeo begins to have an odd connection with the famous criminal who keeps crossing his path, and quickly discovers that his enemy may actually be something much more. CW comedic violence, sci-fi violence, body horror/gore, and some sexual themes. Ongoing (close to the end!).

Starfall - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; On floating continents that rest on a starry sea, one boy from Aincrad travels to Underworld to study his strange innate magic. While he's there, he meets a handsome boy named Eugeo, who seems to be willing to work through his strange powers with him patiently. Ongoing.

Meteor Shower - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; Inspiration one-shot for Starfall. Just a piece about a bad crush on a cute Eugeo. One-shot.

Through the Water Wall - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; While wandering through Rulid one day, Eugeo and Alice discover a site with strange people trying to work with a strange object. He gets too close to it and falls through the object, which turns out to be an interdimensional portal. On the other side, he's alarmed to see a modern Rulid unlike the one he just left–and a confusing man who seems to have mixed feelings about him even though they've only just met. CW nudity, plot-relevant suicide. Complete.

Elucidator - Cis Guy Kirito/Trans Guy Eugeo; In a dystopian society, Eugeo is one of the Integrity Officers charged with the duty of protecting Administrator, the dictator ruling over the country. When war breaks out, his main duty is to protect her, but he's incapable of doing so when it's discovered he's with child. In an effort to save his husband from rebels who desire to kill him, Kirito takes Eugeo into hiding. It's only then that they learn the truth about their regime, and they're faced with a decision: save their family or die. CW guns, war violence, pregnancy. Ongoing.

My Partner - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; The squad as mecha pilots. Just some Yujikiri flirting nonsense, though. One-shot.

Alternate Universe - Alicization Lycoris Setting

Reckless Heroics - Cis Guy Kirito/Cis Guy Eugeo; After a battle that gets Kirito injured, Eugeo cares for him and tells him off for being so reckless. One-shot.