Sword Art Online: Double Adventure

Episode: Strea - Chapter 5: We Are Family

~ Tokyo Police Station | Time: 3:11 p.m. ~

We rejoin Strea and Kazuto as the police had taken them to the station and were thoroughly questioning them about the events that happened at the park earlier that day. While they continued to question Kazuto, Strea sat alone in the lobby of the station. She looked at her hands, reflecting upon all the destruction she caused. Suddenly, she saw Kazuto entering the lobby and, at his side, was Kikuoka.

"Have a seat Kirito. I'll talk to the police on your behalf. After all, this is mostly MY fault this happened." he said. Kazuto nodded.

"All right. Thanks….I guess." he said. As Kikuoka turned back, Kazuto walked over to Strea's side and sat down. He looked to her and lightly chuckled.

"Huh? What happened? I thought the police were going to talk to you." she asked. Kazuto nodded.

"Yeah. They were going to. But…right as they were about to interrogate me….." he explained.

Looking back to Kazuto sitting alone in an interrogation cell in the station, we find him seated at a table directly across from the chief.

"All right Mister….Kirigaya, correct? You going to tell us what happened back there?" the chief asked. Kazuto sighed.

"S-Sure. And…I'll do anything I can to repay for the damage she might've caused. Just please….please don't arrest her or anything. She's just an innocent girl." he said. The chief crossed his arms.

"I think its plain as day that girl isn't no "ordinary" girl. She's some kind of mechanical monster that attacked innocent people. I can't say I'll let her off the hook that easily…." he said. But before he could finish, the door to the room opened and in stepped Kikuoka, led in by another officer.

"Pardon me chief….but this guy said he wanted to talk to you." the officer said. Kazuto seemed surprised as Kikuoka approached his side.

"Hello there. My name is Kikuoka Seijirou, member of the Telecommunications Bureau that is meant to aide the victims of SAO….and, if you'll permit me, I'd like to speak in behalf of my friend and client, Mr. Kirigaya, if you'll drop all the charges against him and his daughter Strea." he said. Kazuto gasped.

"Huh? You say you're with those aiding the SAO victims? Then…does that make this guy…?" the chief asked. Kikuoka nodded.

"Yes. Kazuto here was one of the victims of the SAO incident and….if I remember correctly, the one that helped put away criminals such as Sugou Nobuyuki." he added. Kikuoka then placed his hand on Kazuto's shoulder.

"Please sir, what happened earlier can easily be explained. But…believe me when I say that this man and the little girl in the waiting room are innocent." he said. The chief looked on at the two before crossing his arms. He groaned softly.

"All right. Kirigaya? You're free to go. I'll speak with Mr. Kikuoka and talk to you two later." he said. Kazuto nodded, standing up and giving a bow, before leaving the room.

Returning to reality, Strea looked down to her feet.

"Oh. I see. So he's taking the heat for you? That's nice." she said. Kazuto looked to Strea, seeing the worried expression on her face before resting his hand on her back.

"Listen Strea….everything is going to be fine. After we leave here, I'm going to personally look at that glitch in your software and do everything I can to fix you." he said. Strea sniffled.

"A-Are you sure you can? I mean…I've had this for years. By now, this feels like it is literally a part of me that can never go away." she said. Kazuto brought Strea closer as he noticed the emotional look in her eyes.

"When….When we met that day, I wanted….I hoped that this problem would've gone away on its own. That's why I didn't tell you or anyone else about it. I thought….only Mr. Kayaba could help me. But….when you told me he passed on, I…I lost all hope." she said "But….let's be truthful here. Even if I told you….if you knew I had such an awful curse…..you probably would've just turn me off again, like those guys did all those years ago." As Strea leaned against Kazuto's side, she felt his hand leave her back and rubbed her head gently.

"No. I wouldn't have." he said. Strea gasped and looked up at him.

"Kikuoka and those other people might've shut you off because you were "dangerous", but I wouldn't give up. I would continue trying to free you from this. Kayaba might not be here to help you….but I am. And I guarantee you….we'll get through this." he said. Strea looked down before lightly gripping his shirt.

"K-Kazuto…." she muttered. But just then, she felt a sharp pain come over her as she felt the glitch beginning to take over again. She gasped and clutched tightly to Kazuto, gaining his attention quickly.

"S-Strea! What's…?" he asked, stopping with a gasp when he saw Strea's right eye turning solid blue again.

"It…It's happening again! K-Kazuto! Wh-What do I do?! I…I don't want to hurt anyone! Please! Help me!" she exclaimed. She could feel the glitch overcoming her as her cries began turning pixilated in tone. Kazuto gasped and quickly threw his arms around her.

"Strea! Listen to me! It's going to be okay! You….You've got to fight it! This glitch isn't the boss of you! Make it clear that it's not!" he shouted. Strea squealed as she clutched onto Kazuto.

"I-I can't! It's….too strong!" she cried.

"Yes you can! I KNOW you can! I'm right here besides you! You have to try! Please! Do it for me, do it for your father!" he shouted. Strea groaned and squealed softly, feeling her control slipping away from her. As Kazuto continued to grasp onto her tightly, he felt someone else's arms enveloping them. He quickly noticed Asuna had suddenly arrived with Yui and Yuna. The girls were hugging onto Kazuto as well.

"Me too! Mommy's here for you Strea!" Asuna called.

"A-Asuna?! When did you…?" Kazuto asked.

"Mr. Kikuoua called us a little while ago and told us that you found Strea. We came as soon as we could!" Yui explained. Meanwhile, Strea's voice started pixilating again, prompting everyone else to hug her tighter.

"Come on Strea! Your family is all here supporting you! You…You have to fight it! Please! Resist the urge!" Kazuto called. Strea groaned as she tried fighting as hard as she could, attempting to push back the overwhelming pain. As she did, her mind began flooding with the smiling face she saw from her newfound family the day before.

"Strea…you don't have to be alone anymore! We're here for you! And we're not going to leave you!" Asuna exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Strea gave one last push, starting to cause her joints to spark from strain.

"Mommy! Daddy! I think this is becoming too much for Strea! She's….She's going to crash!" Yui called. Kazuto groaned, pushing Asuna and the girls away, before completely enclosing Strea.

"If she is…I'm not letting her harm anyone else!" he groaned. Clasping his eyes shut, he prepared for the worst. But instead, there was an eerie silence that followed. Opening his eyes, Kazuto looked down at Strea, seeing her eyes closed gently and her head resting against his chest. It seemed as if Strea had fallen asleep.

"Strea….Strea? You okay?" he asked. Strea remained motionless as the family looked on.

~ Kirigaya House | Time: 4:00 p.m. ~

Given the okay to leave, Kazuto and family returned Strea back home. Once home, he carried Strea in his arms into the back room and hooked her to his computer. He began running a diagnosis over Strea's physical being while Asuna and Yui watched from the doorway. He ran a complete search over Strea's code, patiently awaiting the results. When it was all done, a beep came from the screen.

"W-Well Kazuto?" Asuna asked. Kazuto looked over the results and sighed. Yui wondered what was happening as she approached Kazuto's side. Kazuto looked to Asuna with a smile on his face.

"I knew it. Strea IS strong. She's going to be fine Asuna." he said. Asuna lightly gasped, glancing to Strea's motionless body.

"Mommy! The test registered her problem free! She did it! Strea must've overpowered her glitch!" Yui called. Asuna hurried over and glanced at the screen from over Kazuto's shoulder. Reading the results for herself, she sighed.

"Thank goodness." she muttered. Kazuto went to unplug Strea from the cable in her back. Soon as he did, Strea slowly began coming to. Her eyes gently opened and she saw Kazuto and Asuna standing over her.

"Hey there sleepyhead. You gave us quite a scare earlier." Kazuto said. Strea slowly rose and rubbed her eyes.

"K-Kazuto? A-Asuna? W-What happened? Where am I?" she muttered. Asuna smiled and sat besides her, hugging her.

"You're home now Strea. You're home with your family." she said. Still half awake, Strea looked to Yui.

"You did it sister. You overcame the glitch. Your willpower purged it from your system." she said. Strea lightly gasped, looking over herself. Kazuto approached the computer and turned the screen to face Strea, letting her read the results herself. Seeing the screen giving her a pass, her lips began to quiver, almost as if she was on the verge of crying.

"You did it Strea….I knew you could." Kazuto muttered. Strea sniffled as she rubbed her eyes.

"It's okay sweetheart. Let it all out." Asuna said, hugging Strea tightly in her arms. Strea continued to sniffle and started to cry, crying virtual tears of happiness. She then looked up at Kazuto, Asuna and Yui gathering around her, enveloping her in a group hug.

~ Later…. ~

Later that day, Kazuto was in the living room with Asuna, Yui and Yuna, all had been called together by Strea. They sat patiently, awaiting her arrival. Just then, they noticed Strea entering the room, draped in brand new clothes given to her by Yui earlier in place of the rags she was in earlier.

"So…what did you call us in for Strea?" Kazuto asked. Strea stopped right in front of them and faced them with a smile on her face.

"Thank you…all of you….for staying by my side recently. It was thanks to you all…that I was able to overcome my glitch. However, I still want to apologize for the destruction I caused previously. If I could've controlled it earlier…." she said. Asuna shook her head.

"No. Its okay Strea. No one was seriously hurt. Besides, it was never your fault. It was ours. We didn't know you were suffering inside. It was our job, as your parents, to know that. I hope you'll forgive us for not helping you sooner." Asuna replied. Strea fell silent before looking to Yui, smiling back at her. She then looked to Kazuto.

"You don't have to suffer anymore Strea. I think now, after all these years, you have the right to live your own life. But please, if anything ever happens to you again, come talk to us. We're your family….Strea." Kazuto said. Strea sniffled and wiped her eye before smiling.

"Okay. I…I will. But…if its okay with you all, c-can we try starting this over?" she asked. Kazuto and Asuna looked to each other and nodded. Letting out one last sniffle, Strea happily faced them.

"Hi there! My name's Strea….Strea Kirigaya! And…I'm home!" she exclaimed. Everyone else smiled.

"Welcome home Strea!" they all called. Strea sniffled again before rushing towards them, embraced in a family hug.

~ Episode: Strea - CONCLUDED ~