Chapter Text
The castle that cost thousands of players their lives.
It felt strange. With a few lines of code, the castle that felt like some impending doom was crumbled before her eyes.
With him was the man that was the light that inspired her to escape the darkness of this game. She opened her mouth and let out a slight giggle.
"What's up?"
"I just realized we have been playing this game together forever."
"I thought I knew everything about you, but I've never asked you any questions about yourself outside of the game."
"I don't even know—" Kazuto.
"Huh?" She looks at him, her eyes widened in confusion.
"My name is Kirigaya Kazuto."
''And I'm sixteen."
"You're 16?"
"Yeah, what's the problem with that?" His voice was slightly annoyed.
"I’m just surprised."
"I thought you were around my age. "You always acted a little more mature.
"Well… in some cases, sometimes you act like a kid talking about their favorite cartoon."
She laughs her heart out as she remembers her time with Kirito, who pouts, annoyed. The golden light reflects on her chestnut hair, waving in the air. Her golden expression made Kirito's face relax. For him, every side of Asuna was beautiful, even when she teased him, and she knew that.
"That cut deep, Asuna."
"Sorry, but it's funny."
"I'm not sure whether we'll wake up from SAO or die."
"I just want to learn as much as I can about you before something separates us." She fidgeted her fingers, looking at the crumbling castle. The room felt cold.
Kirito lightly pushes Asuna's shoulder.
"You still haven't told me about yourself in the real world yet." He gave her a warm smile as the setting sun rested on his face.
"Yuuki Asuna, I'm 17, but because you're younger, Yuuki-san," returning a light smile to him.
Asuna stared at his light expression, the person that supported her at her lowest, the one who was always right beside her. Her best friend. Her lover. as he moved his head towards her shoulder.
"What’s with the sudden mood change?" Her eyes widen in confusion.
"Nothing~," he said, laying his head on her shoulder and shifting positions.
Kirito's eyes widened as he realized what she had said earlier, and he burst out laughing in a breathless voice, lifting his head off her shoulder. "Did you really use your real name for your username?"
“Hey! I thought we weren't teasing each other anymore. " Her face flushed red.
He let out a slight chuckle. "Sorry, sorry! I won't do it anymore!" Their laughter filled the air.
It was a small moment. Not knowing whether or not we would survive, his warm smile comforted me. But in a moment the laughter was disrupted with a cold that shivered down my spine. The last moment I had by his side was Kirito reaching out for me as hands shrouded in code restrained him.
All I could hear was the ringing in my ears and a mumbled scream.