THE NEW REALITY

Kirito was extremely confused. When he had managed to plunge his sword through Kayaba Akihiko before his form disintegrated, he had appeared in an area far above Castle Aincrad's allowed area. His wife, Asuna, had also been there and the two were tearfully reunited before what he presumed to be their final moments. The two of them sat alone together as they looked upon the castle and wondered when Kayaba would log everyone out.

They were, of course, just trying to distract themselves from their imminent deaths. It was Kirito's greatest failure; he had promised Asuna that he would return her to the real world. Even though he tried to be strong, he could not help the steady flow tears from his onyx eyes as he apologized over and over again to Asuna.

She was a strong woman, and a far stronger person than he was. She had denied his guilt and instead was just content to have her final moments be with the man she loved. He did not feel like much of a man as he wrapped his arms around her bawling apologies, but she just held him tenderly. The two closed their eyes in one final embrace…

However, just when he felt like he was slipping away, he felt a strange sensation. It was like a sudden weight had just fallen on his body; as if he had just gained a hundred pounds. He opened his eyes to find him back on the seventy-fifth floor where he died; Asuna still within his arms.

So, Kirito was very confused.

"K-Kirito?" a man's voice asked in clear confusion and wonder.

Kirito turned to see a red haired man with a black bandana in a red samurai garb staring at him with a dumbfounded look. Klein, Kirito's best friend in the game, just sat there and waited for answers. He was not the only one either as the remaining members of the Assault Team waited for his response.

"I don't understand…" Asuna whispered quietly, the two still in what was to be their final embrace. "I thought we were supposed to be… But, we're still here? Did the commander lie? I…I'm still alive?"

Kirito felt a shiver down his spine when he heard Asuna say that last line. They… They were still alive. Despite the odds; despite their final moments, they lived unlike so many others. Was it because he defeated Kayaba or rather, Heathcliff? Yet, the two were back in Aincrad. They were not free. He did not understand.

Except the world did not feel right; he felt heavier than before. He also could not help to notice the change in Asuna and himself. Above Aincrad, he had a mere a few inches on her as one would expect of a fourteen year old boy a year younger than his wife, but now he could clearly see over her head despite the fact it looked as if she had grown as well. In the two years he had been trapped within the game, he had never heard anyone change their avatar's bodies beyond hair color. Even stranger, despite this his clothes fit exactly as they were supposed to; the long black coat reached the bottom of his calves just like before. His black boots, shirt, and pants too.

Asuna's growth was clear to him and yet, her long sleeved white shirt and short red skirt covered just as they were meant to. Her long chestnut hair had grown to the back of her knees unlike his unchanging messy short black hair. Even her fuller chest was held in its bodice just like before. Her soft brown eyes had narrowed and the last of her baby fat had left her face, and he suspected the same might be the same for him as well.

It was not just their bodies either. Asuna's long chestnut hair felt softer, the ground felt harder, and the air mustier. It was not that it did not feel right, but rather that it felt too right. It had been two years since he felt any sensations like this, but it was a hard feeling to forget with fourteen years of experience under his belt. The world felt real, but that was impossible.

Sword Art Online was a magnificent game and the greatest example of virtual reality. Yet, neither Kayaba nor the Cardinal System had been able to perfectly replicate the feeling. Water looked right, but it felt like swimming in air. No matter what, there was a realism threshold that could not be crossed, and yet that's what it felt like.

"Why won't my menu pop up!?" a player asked, swiping his right hand in frustration.

"Menu? What the fuck happened to my HUD? I can't even see my HP anymore!"

He shivered; the disappearance of his HUD had been noticeable to him. It was an intrusive object in his vision for two years and now it was gone. As Asuna gripped his hand painfully, his stomach sank. Pain was not possible in the game; an uncomfortable feeling was the furthest it had ever gone, but Asuna gripped hard enough to bruise. If he had not been so distracted, he would have cried out in pain, but there were more pressing matter. He had a theory… An insane, impossible theory about what was happening.

"This is nuts," Kirito whispered. "How… How could something like this happen?"

Kirito squeezed his eyes closed and prayed he was insane. The darkness of the boss room eclipsed on him; he felt it drowning him. If it really was what he thought it was… How would they survive? Was it magic or science? Did he jump to conclusions? How...How…How…How…How…H—

"Mama! Papa!" a young girl's voice yelled.

Kirito's eyes shot open and he felt Asuna's hand – when did it get so tight? – slacken. "Yui!" Kirito and Asuna shouted.

Yui ran past the stunned players and straight into Kirito's arms. The girl looked like she did the day her data had been stored into his personal NervGear. Long black hair and black eyes in a white summer dress; Yui was truly a pure young girl. Even if she was an artificial intelligence…Even if they had been together a mere two days, Yui was their daughter.

"Ew! Papa, your beard is scratchy," Yui said, her eyes scrunched in discomfort.

Kirito blinked and touched his face. He was surprised to find a short beard; he had barely needed to shave before the game. It was an unfortunate reminder of the weird situation they found themselves in.

"Oi! Kirito, what the hell is this?" Klein demanded, pointing an accusing finger at me. "'Mama? Papa?' You can't have kids in SAO! No, better yet how did she get in the boss room? The hell you playing at? Why do you get a wife and a kid before me?! I'm the adult here, damn it!"

"Shut up for a minute, Klein," Kirito said. "Yui, can you tell us what's going on?"

Yui shook her head. "I tried, Papa, but it's like I'm completely disconnected from the Cardinal System."

"Disconnected—?"

"Shut up, Klein," Asuna said harshly. "It's none of your business."

Kirito put a hand on her shoulder, and he saw Asuna tense before she sighed. "I'm sorry, it' just really personal."

"S'alright, everything's weird anyway. Is the other one yours too?"

They blinked and followed Klein's eyes past the players to see a short, light brown haired child in a white dress near the edge of the platform. Yui gasped and covered her mouth.

"Yui?" Asuna asked.

Yui just grabbed their hands and tried to pull them along. They got the hint and started over to the little girl. It was a bit more difficult than it should have been with players still laid across the ground in stupefied silence; whether it was from still being in Aincrad, the new sensations, loss of game functions, or the sudden appearance of girls far too young to play this game let alone appear in the boss room, he did not know. He just wished they would move.

When they reached the edge of the platform, he was surprised to find the girl smiling as she kicked her feet over the edge and hummed an indecipherable tune. Even Yui looked stunned at the carefree attitude at play here; it was as if the world had not just turned upside down.

"Um… You're a mental health program, right?" Yui asked hesitantly. "This dress is a unique item, not even tailors can make one just like it."

The little girl titled her head. "'Mental health program'? What's that?"

"You mean you're not?" Yui asked. "But…But, that's not possible!"

Asuna placed a hand on Yui's shoulder. "Calm down," she said and turned towards the youngest child. "So, um, who are you then?"

"MHCP Zero Zero Two Strea! I 'membered it all!" Strea said, her chest puffed up proudly.

"Then you are like me!" Yui exclaimed, exasperation in her voice.

Strea tilted her head. "I am?"

"Yes!"

"Oh."

"Oh?!" Yui looked ready to pull her hair out. Clearly, Strea was much more carefree than the honest and serious Yui. Kirito expected it was the age difference, but then Yui had not been much better when she had amnesia.

"So, Strea, why are you here?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

Strea shrugged. "Dunno."

"I see." Kirito shrugged; it was probably how Yui got there and until they knew how she got there, there was no point in thinking about it. "Y'know, Yui's right though. You are like her. In fact, she's like your big sister if you're number two."

"Kirito?"

"Papa?"

"Huh?"

Kirito nodded his head. "Yeah, Yui is number one so she's your big sister."

Strea turned towards Yui, her eyes sparkling. "Wow, I never 'ad a big sister before."

Yui just blinked at her, mouth hanging open. Strea grabbed the side of Yui's dress and chanted "sister, sister" repeatedly. Kirito caught Asuna's eye and he could tell she had the same thought.

Asuna cleared her throat. "You know, Stea, Yui's my daughter. Do you know what that means?" Strea shook her head. "If Yui's my daughter and your sister then…"

"You're also our daughter," Kirito said and Strea's eyes blinked owlishly.

"Wow. Today is the best," she said carelessly.

"Well, it's definitely something," Kirito muttered, reality sinking in once more. "C'mon, Yui, Strea, we need to head back over with those guys. We got, um, work to do."

Asuna grabbed Strea's hand, and Strea's hand latched tightly onto Yui's. Yui did not snatch it away, but there was a small frown on her face as she looked at their hands. Kirito grabbed hers and gave her a small, reassuring squeeze. She looked up at him and he smiled at her; Yui gave a small, unsure smile back.

"So…?" Klein asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's personal," Kirito and Asuna said together.

Klein's shoulders slumped but he kept silent.

"So, anyone come up with a plan?" Kirito asked instead.

"Well… with the new rendering we were thinking that this might be, y'know, r—"

"Don't say it!" Kirito snapped at Klein. "Not…Not yet. I won't say yes until I see proof with my own eyes."

Another player walked up to them. He was a tall, dark skinned man in green sleeveless cloth armor. "So, what do you suggest we do? Do I have to remind you what happened that first month?" Yui flinched violently. "The way things are now…I can't guarantee a bunch of people won't give up hope."

"Don't mention that!" Asuna snapped. "We aren't like before, Agil. We've survived for two years."

Agil shook his head. "People survived on hand outs and a promise to leave. Now who knows what happened? I've thought about it when you guys were over there, y'know? We were supposed to be let go but we're still here with everything being too realistic. It's too damn freaky. If I didn't think my wife would be disappointed in me, I probably would have done it too. And, I know I ain't the only one here who thought about it either."

Some of the other players shifted guiltily. Kirito closed his eyes; he was not very surprised. It is not liked he blamed them. It all seemed so hopeless now that they were trapped here after the final boss was killed, and these were the guys that knew this. What were mid level players like Lisbeth and Silica thinking about this? Or, those players who barely got by on the first floor? All of this must be so terrifying for them. Suddenly, the game rules were thrown away. This could be really bad.

"Asuna, we need to gather everyone up now."

She looked confused. "Everyone can already hear you."

He shook his head. "No, I mean everyone in the castle! We are the Assault Team, Asuna. We have to reassure them before…before we lose more people."

"Where would we gather them though?"

"The only place in the entire castle that can hold that many players. The place where our world was turned upside down once already."

"You mean…"

"The Town of Beginnings."

Writing Challenge One: Avoid the word "thing" in outside of dialogue.

Writing Tip One: Forget you are writing a fanfiction as much as possible. It creates bad habits of avoiding or overbloating necessary descriptions even with OCs or original settings. Treat it as a new piece of work that people just know the premise of.