Hello. My name is Kazuto Kirigaya, better known as "Kirito" from SAO and ALO. As you no doubt remember, I was one of the many beta testers for SAO before it became the "death game" we all remember it to be. That caused me to be labeled as a "beater", a player that only cared about himself. Well, throughout my time in SAO, I met the most wonderful young woman who I fell in love with and vice versa. Her name is Asuna Yuuki. Throughout the two years we remained together in SAO, our bonds for each other grew stronger with each passing day. It soon became to the point that Asuna and I were wed in SAO.

But even after we cleared SAO and were bound to return home, a man named Sugou ruined Asuna's chances of meeting me in person. He created the game ALFheim Online and held her, along with 300 trapped SAO players, captive and planned to use them to control the human mind. However, with help from my sister Suguha, who I met as "Leafa" in ALO, as well as several other friends, I managed to stop Sugou's plans, save Asuna and finally reunite with her in the real world. No time after, Sugou's plans were exposed to the media and he was arrested.

It is now four years since Asuna and I met at the hospital and went to school together, built to aide the players who survived SAO. I've had plans to attend college so I could continue on with my interest in the world of VRMMO's. However, I've been putting that on hold as I've been thinking about something extra special. Since we've come back to the real world, Asuna and I have dated for some time. Now, as we're both young adults, I want what happened to us in SAO to be true in real life. So...this is the story of how I proposed...to Asuna Yuuki...

Sword Art Online: Forever After

Chapter 01: Blossoming Lovers

~ In A Mysterious Location | Real World Japan | Time: 11:00 p.m. ~

Somewhere deep within the city, there is a hooded man walking around the streets. He is dressed in a black hooded jacket, keeping his face mostly hidden. From the lights casted by the street lamps, not much could be seen of his face as the hooded man continued along the sidewalk. He stopped at a darkened alleyway, seeing a mysterious figure waiting for him. Like him, his face was concealed by a hooded jacket.

"Its about time you got here. I was almost thinking of ditching you." the man said. The two remained silent as they stood together beneath a street lamp. As they faced one another, the man in the black hood reached into his jacket and took out a photo, showing it to his partner. The picture was of Kazuto Kirigaya in his real life clothes.

"So...this the kid?" the man asked. The other nodded.

"Yes. This is the kid that killed your brother, Kuradeel, and ruined my own plans. The reason I asked you out here today...was so that you would assist me in killing this damn brat." he muttered. His partner took one look at Kazuto's picture before crumbling it up and tossing it away.

"Heh. Easy peasy. I don't see how that brother of mine could've had ANY trouble dealing with the likes of him. This "Kazuto" kid might've got lucky and beat him in SAO, but this is the real world. And in the real world, there's no "second chance" or "extra life". Here...once you die, you're dead for good." he said, pulling out a gun from beneath his coat. The other nodded.

"Good. Then together, let us make sure that Kazuto Kirigaya, a.k.a. "Kirito", doesn't live to see the light of day again." he said, flashing an evil grin from benath his hood. His partner shared the same evil grin as they started to go their separate ways again.

~ The Next Day | Real World | Time: 1:14 p.m. ~

It is a sunny afternoon as Kazuto, dressed in his street clothes of a white shirt and sleeveless vest, was walking through the city streets on his way towards the park for a date with Asuna. As he came to a crosswalk, the nearby light flashed "STOP", allowing the cars to continue along. Just then, the cell phone in his pocket started to ring. When he answered, it read "Asuna" on the call log.

"Sorry I'm running a bit late Asuna. I had something to do around my house. But I should be there any second now. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten our date." Kazuto said. On the other end, Asuna was seen sitting in the park with a picnic basket at her side. She was seated on a park bench as she talked.

"Its okay. I figured something like that was going to happen. You did mention that your family needed you for something yesterday. I was just calling to see how you were doing." Asuna said. Kazuto chuckled.

"I'm fine. I just finished and was on my way over. I'd never miss a date with you. You're the best cook I've ever met. I'd never THINK of missing one of your meals." he said. Asuna lightly chuckled.

"Kazuto...s-stop that. You're embarrasing me!" she giggled. Kazuto chuckled before noticing the street sign flashing "WALK" as the cars came to a stop.

"Anyway, I'll be there soon. Hang tight. Okay Asuna?" he asked. Afterwards, he hung up and slipped his phone back before crossing the street among the rest of the crowd. But as he walked across the street, he noticed someone approaching from the other side. It appeared to be a man dressed in a trench coat and a fedora hat, covering his face in shadows.

"Man. Talk about creepy." Kazuto thought. As they crossed the streets and eventually crossed paths with one another, the strange man bumped into Kazuto's shoulder, momentarily causing him to stumble. As he did, something seemed to be "slipped" in his vest by the man, too fast for Kazuto to notice.

"H-Hey bub! Watch it!" Kazuto called. The strange man in the coat continued to walk along, leaving Kazuto momentarily confused.

"Geez. What's his problem? Rude much?" he thought. Deciding to shrug it off, Kazuto continued along down the street towards the park. Meanwhile, the man in the coat grinned as he looked to a strange watch like device on his wrist. It showed a blipping red light, signaling that some kind of tracker was put on Kazuto.

"The bug has been placed." he muttered.

~ At the Park | Time: 1:21 p.m. ~

After traversing the city streets, Kazuto finally arrived at the park. As he looked around for Asuna, he quickly noticed her seated on the bench. She was wearing a white and red striped shirt under a black vest and a pair of tan shorts.

"Asuna!" he called, catching her attention. Asuna smiled and waved back as Kazuto approached.

"Glad you could make it." she said. Kazuto smiled and took his seat by Asuna's side.

"Like I said, I'd NEVER miss any food you make." he said. Asuna smiled as she brought the picnic basket on her lap. With a teasing wink, she pulled back the blanket on top, showing all kinds of sandwiches and snacks prepared by her.

"So...you ready for our picnic?" she asked. Kazuto nodded, joining her as they both rose from the bench. However, as they were walking away, they were being spied upon by a pair of girls in the bushes. Judging by their hair styles, it appeared to be Rika and Keiko, a.k.a. Lisbeth and Silica. Rika was seen drinking from a juice box as she began sucking the straw hard, frustrated by what she saw.

"Geez Rika. If you keep drinking like that, you're gonna suck the box up through the straw." Keiko sighed. Rika glanced at her.

"I can't help it! Everytime I see those two getting "lovey dovey" with each other, it drives me nuts. Why does Kirito like HER so much?" Rika asked, straw still in mouth. Keiko lightly groaned.

"You KNOW that's not his real name. Anyway, why don't you just go and say "hi" or something? If they saw you over here, Asuna would think you're spying on them. And why are we even DOING this anyway? WHY do I let you talk me into these things?" Keiko asked. Just then, as she noticed Rika was "yet again" not listening to her, she saw she was watching Kazuto and Asuna eating under the shade of a tree on a picnic blanket.

"A-ACK! Keiko! L-LOOK!" she shouted, pulling her over. Keiko was yanked towards Rika who, alongside her, watched as Kazuto was being fed by Asuna. Afterwards, they seemed to look at each other and chuckled.

"D'oh! Now they're getting to the point that she's FEEDING him like a baby!" Rika groaned, tightening her grip on her juice box. Keiko groaned. Over across the field, the two stopped eating for a moment as Kazuto lightly sighed.

"Man. I never get tired of your sandwiches Asuna. You always know exactly what I like." he said. Asuna chuckled.

"Of course I do. I learned everything I needed to learn when we were in SAO together. You're a pretty easy palette to please Kazuto." she said. Kazuto chuckled, crossing his arms behind him as he leaned against the tree trunk.

"Hey. What do you think it would be like if we went back to SAO again? Do you think any of the other players would still see me as a "beater" because I was a beta tester?" Kazuto asked. Asuna looked to him and shook her head.

"I don't think so. They'd probably welcome the "hero" that saved everyone from being trapped in the "death game". That's how everyone greeted you at the reunion at Agil's cafe." she said. She then started to lean in close.

"Besides, even if everyone treated you the same, I hope you'll always remember that, no matter what happens, you'll always have me by your side." Asuna whispered "Because...I love you." Kazuto and Asuna both smiled as she leaned against him, followed by him resting his head against hers. In the bushes, Rika began flustering as she turned beat red.

"Oh! T-That always gets me! C-Come on you two! You're in PUBLIC for crying out loud!" she groaned. Keiko heavily groaned.

TO BE CONTINUED...