Disclaimer: Don't own Sword Art Online in any form, or any of it's characters.

Rating: T

Really nothing to add; enjoy

RL, November 2, 2030

Near RECTO Inc faculty

Despite wearing a helmet, he could almost imagine the wind whipping through his hair, just like he heard the (muffled) roar of his motorcycle engine. And he had to admit, he much preferred this over taking the car; it seemed a lot more like you were physically connected with the road, turning when the vehicle turns-

As he made a particularly sharp turn, his other passenger tightened her arms around his waist.

-and that was another perk you weren't likely to get in the car.

He merely smiled, lightly 'bumping' his body against hers, to show how much he liked it - in return, Asuna's fingers moved closer to his chest. Probably a tease or something, but he didn't mind.

Focusing, he turned a corner, coming up on the RECTO building itself, slowing to a stop juust shy of the wall. Turning the engine off, he slowly took off his helmet, looking behind him with a smile.

She smiled back, slowly handing him her helmet (which he took). "You know, I'm not so sure I'll ever get fully used to riding on this" she admitted, rather playfully.

He chuckled, grinning. "Hey, it's all about trust" he said mildly, "If you can't trust the driver, who can you trust?"

"Repetitive, much?" she teased, giggling softly. "But really, despite riding dozens of times now, I'm always just a little bit scared. Is that bad?"

He shook his head. "I don't see that as a bad thing" he said, before giving her a slight 'look'. "And besides, it's still a win-win to me" he continued, enjoying her confused look before moving on: "If you're scared, you hold on tighter to me, which I like."

In response, she lightly pushed him on the shoulder, but still giggled as she got off. She looked around a bit, even as he put up the kickstand, and other such safety precautions. "So this is where we were supposed to meet them, Kazuto?" she asked, slowly sliding off the backpack onto her arms.

"Yeah, just gotta get inside first" he breathed, walking up beside her, left hand instinctively going to her hip. The ring there picked up the light glinting off his motorcycle, though more low-key. "Whatever this is though, I'm glad it happened during our vacation time. But I'm worried."

In the middle of putting her hand over his, she jolted, looking straight at him. "Why?"

"I don't know, something about this just feels... off" he admitted. "My instinct doesn't tell me it's bad, per se, but I noticed your father didn't specifically say exactly what we were being called over here for. Just that they'd be glad if we could, and to bring my Nervegear rig - that's telling me something big is about to happen."

She wasn't sure what to say to that, at least right away - still, she put her hand over his, her own ring bumping against his. He grasped her hand, keeping that arrangement, showing how much he appreciated it.

As it turned out, whatever her dad was doing, it was taking a little longer than he'd anticipated. So for the moment, they were waiting in the lobby, which had those comfy chairs and sofa things, thankfully. Kazuto's worry remained in her mind, but she also worried about another thing; her dad had semi-retired after the events of Alfhiem Online went global, and he simply managed the shipping aspects of the company now. Whatever he was involved with now must be big, but not knowing what it was was driving her a little crazy.

At least, in the back of her mind; the front was a little 'engaged' currently.

Kazuto glanced at her, was about to look back but double-taked slightly, half-turning. "...why are you red?" he asked. "I didn't say anything."

She jolted a bit, long enough that her husband went through this non-verbal 'Wait, did I say anything? No, I'm sure I didn't' routine, but she looked at him. "I think- I think it's finally starting to sink in" she breathed shyly. "That we're married, for real now."

He stared at her for a moment, a slight red coming to his cheeks, but after blinking once, he slowly smiled back. And that simple, warm, loving smile of his was enough of an answer for her.

She glanced down near her belly, her fingers coming together. "It's almost unreal" she whispered, cheeks red.

His left hand moved over hers, their rings touching together, while his other hand went to her shoulder. "Best day of your life, or what?" he breathed gently.

"M-More than that, Kazuto" she breathed shyly, before leaning against him. "I told you that already."

He chuckled a bit, holding her close against him. "I know" he whispered softly, kissing her hair. "I just like hearing you say it."

"You're impossible" she breathed against him, half-playful, but not letting go of him.

"Hehe."

She merely smiled, content.

Their moment lasted awhile, before she leaned up and pecked his lips, and after that, just holding hands was enough for them. And after a moment, she held up Kazuto's Nervegear rig in her other hand, knowing that Yui's data was on it's local memory... and just as she thought it, for a moment, she saw Yui's smiling image on it. She didn't know if that was her imagination or Yui's doing, but it still made her smile. If only she could be here with them now, as a hologram or something, but sadly that last bit hadn't worked out... and unless the Nervegear was functioning, she couldn't speak to them via cellphone either.

One of the thicker doors opened audibly, drawing their attention. She quickly stood up, Kazuto joining after a moment- "Dad" she breathed, quickly giving him a hug.

"Asuna" Shouzou greeted softly, and shaking her husband's hand. "Kazuto, you both must be wondering what this is about."

"Yes, sir, we are."

He offered in front of him, directly toward the heavy doors. "It's best you see something first, before I explain. And bring the Nervegear along."

She looked at Kazuto, and he at her, but they both nodded. They started walking forward, her keeping a firm grip on his Nervegear.

/

-short walking trip later-

"Woww-"

"Holy cow!"

The room they were taken to was vast, almost like a house, and every sound echoed in here. It was filled with rows of complex-looking scientific equipment, staffed with technicians and scientists (most of them behind the glass on the upper level), who were constantly working/doing something. By far the center of attention though (for the visitors and the staff), was this closed chamber thing in the middle, which looked like it could have been a high-tech tanning bed - in the sense that someone could be inside, even while closed. Still, from the level of excitement and last-minute checks, it clearly wasn't like what it resembled at all.

"Impressive, isn't it" her dad observed, referring to the room.

"I'll say" she whispered. "What is this place"

"Well, it's accurate to say it's a general research and purpose room, but that's too technical" he noted, mildly sarcastic. "Still, the important thing is that" he continued, motioning at the 'tanning bed' thing, stepping closer to it.

"Why?" Kazuto asked, holding her hand. "What's so special about it?"

Her dad looked at him, smiling just the slightest. "You'll see soon enough" he said, before: "Hey, honey?"

"Ah, yes dad?"

"I'll need that Nervegear rig now, if you please."

She glanced at her husband (who had no clue either), and hesitated for a moment, but this was her dad. "Sure" she breathed faintly, slowly giving it over. Then her dad called over an assistant, and told her to hook Kazuto's Nervegear over to the big machine, where they quickly did as he asked.

"What's that about?" Kazuto asked, tilting his head. "Or is it not yet time?"

"I think this should tell you all you need to know" he said, hands behind his back. Then, with what seemed to be a sense of impending excitement, he breathed in and out. Then he motioned to one of the other staff. "Open it."

"Yes, sir."

A push of a few buttons, a whir as the machine hummed to life, then-

HISSSSS

The married couple were startled, but everyone else had been expecting the machine to spontanously spout steam, apparently - and anyway, the machine began to retract a cover, moving backward at a fast rate. However, whatever was inside was concealed by the steam cloud, at least at first... then it started clearing, and she began to see a figure in there. But why would someone be in there? It wasn't like-

Her breath caught in her throat, at the same time Kazuto gasped.

"Yui!"

Laying inside the machine, wearing a white dress that she could have easily been wearing, Yui slumbered peacefully. Her body was so close to her virtual one, it was nearly impossible to see any differences; same hairstyle, color, height, everything! The only new thing was the electronic helmet thing, with wires and other such things connected to it and the machine.

Even as they stared in shock, Yui merely continued to breathe in and out, her stomach moving with each breath - at the same time, the technicians had finished connecting the Nervegear to the machine. "Commence integration" her father ordered, and a technician threw a switch.

The machine hummed to life again, and wires connected to the Nervegear began to rout information, going through the wires with speed... right into the helmet thing over Yui's head.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked in a sorta-panic, jolting her husband.

Her father held her arm firmly. "Relax, we're just putting her information into the mechanical parts" he said. "This just means that her personality, vocal patterns, and such will all be intact when she wakes up. They just need time to synch up."

"You're sure about that?"

"Positive, Kazuto."

He looked at her, and they had the same instinct; rush straight over. Her father didn't attempt to stop them-

-she skidded right near the machine, her husband on the other side.

"She's here" she thought, weak in the knees, and having trouble breathing. "She's really here, right in front of us!"

Shaking, she reached out a hand, touching Yui's cheek... her skin was smooth, and warm. At the touch, she stirred just the slightest, almost is if trying to smile.

Plop

She didn't know if those were her tears or Kazuto's, or both - but she didn't care.

Even as they stared, the information download ended, and the helmet removed itself from Yui's head with a small hiss. They saw this, and after a moment, they also saw that the room had been mysteriously emptied since they'd gotten closer. Wait, no- her dad was still in here, leaning against the far wall, but clearly not intending to come closer, yet. She glanced over at Kazuto, who was also looking in her father's direction. He opened his mouth a little-

And her dad nodded, apparently knowing what he was about to ask.

Soon enough, they both just looked at each other, herself unsure.

But he smiled a little - and that was enough for her.

They looked at Yui again, hardly daring to believe, or hope that this was really happening. They'd dreamed of this day, and all three of them had been so excited, but to actually have it happening-

They both gasped; Yui's finger had twitched.

Once... twice... then her whole hand started to, and her eyebrows began furrowing slightly.

Fearing she was no longer gonna be able to stand (the shaking was getting worse), she barely managed to get around the table, clinging against Kazuto, who held her close as well. Still, he slowly held one hand over Yui's, and she clutched at his arm. Then Yui made a little sound - very weak, as if it hadn't been used before - but it still was enough that they smiled; it was her voice. And after an eternity, literally and figuratively, Yui's eyes slowly opened a bit - but it was clear her vision was still putting itself together, because she didn't recognize anything yet.

"Yui" she breathed weakly, her so full of emotion all she could really do was cry.

"You're here" he whispered weakly-but-with-hope, grasping Yui's hand gently, she reacting slightly to this. "Yui, it's us. Do you remember?"

Yui didn't answer right away. And in the meantime, her tears fell against his sleeve, but Kazuto merely held her closer - it was finally time.

Yui's eyes were fully open now, blinking slowly... then she breathed out, and her hand moved slightly against Kazuto's.

"Dad...dy-"

They both gasped hard.

Yui made a sound, slowly lighting up. "Mom... my-" she breathed, very faint and weak, but still unmistakably happy.

Next thing she knew, Yui was in her arms, her vision a teary blur - and all three of them just pressed together, shaking.

/

Needless to say, many many tears were shed that hour, Yui practically hugged to death and liking it - that and the next stretch was a literal blur. Slowly, ever so slowly, Yui had gained strength and sat up - and had even began to walk near the end. As Asuna's father explained, preventing the deterioration of her body's strength had mostly been stopped, but not all of it... still, that was something they could easily fix. And more than that, he was just overjoyed to have Yui with them again, especially in the real world.

At the moment, he watched as Yui sat on a table, having readings taken of various things about her - her mother stayed very close, helping her by introducing her to some of the people who made this possible. Since it had been five years though, he and Asuna were at least a couple inches taller (while the virtual avatars hadn't changed at all), so Yui no longer reached their shoulders, but more a bit above the elbows now. But this hadn't discouraged Yui in the slightest, and he supposed that was because when you're a pixie, small differences in height like that ceased to be relevant or something.

"You did it, sir" he breathed softly.

Beside him, Shouzou observed Yui again, and the way she and Asuna laughed together. "It was the least I could do" he said gently, arms crossed. "And how could I not? You two practically begged us to."

He remembered that day... well, some more than his asking Shouzou to help bring Yui in.

"Am I to understand that my daughter has been sleeping around-?"

"Woah, woah, it's not like that!" he'd protested to Kyouko, Asuna's mother. "We haven't been sex-crazed; it was one time!"

"As if I can believe that-"

"It's true, mom! It was one time, and after that, all we've done in there or out here is hold hands!"

"Maybe kiss a little" he added, but that hadn't helped.

"Anyway, we're taking it slow, both of us – I want it to stay that way for awhile, and so does Kazuto."

Mmh, yeah, that had been an extremely awkward talk – and Kyouko's seemingly unintentional cold impression didn't help matters. And yet, when he'd asked Shouzou about getting Yui into the real world (and Asuna agreed), the reality of them truly loving an adopted AI as their own daughter made some impression on her opinion.

"Well-" he breathed, back in the present and glancing down. "We both love Yui very much, sir."

"I never doubted that for a moment, when I heard the whole story, and pieced together the rest on my own" Shouzou said, but his lip only curved. "I only thought that a few of your comments were an exaggeration... but now, seeing her like this, it's clear you meant it; you really regard her as if she's your own."

He looked back at Yui, smiling. "That's because she is, sir" he said gently. "Maybe it's not by blood, but that doesn't change anything."

The older man looked at him, but it was with a small nod.

"One thing though-"

Shouzou glanced at him.

"Yui's body wasn't created in the traditional way" he said, faint, and a little embarrassed at first. "How exactly are things gonna work for her? Like puberty? Or her birthday progression for that matter?"

Looking back at Yui, the older man crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I will admit, those particular observations were complex to work out" he said. "Yui's body stats say she's around ten, but we've only needed five years to work things out - a miracle by all means."

"What does that mean?"

A small hum. "It means that, ultimately, unless something serious happens, Yui is gonna be exactly the way she is for the next five years, until her internal chronometer say she's actually age 10" he stated. "After that, she'll grow normally, as we all have done."

He gasped, looking at Yui, then at Shouzou. "Are you serious?" he asked, a little stunned; Yui was gonna stay like that for five more years? The older man nearly nodded, so he slowly looked over, amazed at all this. At about the same time, Asuna gently patted her daughter on the head, assuring her she'd be over there with her father + husband (or so he assumed, as she was pointing in their direction).

"Crazy" he thought, but he still eased into Asuna's approach.

"Everything's checking out, almost perfectly" she breathed, overwhelmingly happy. "It's really happening!"

He took her hand, and this helped her, as did his smile.

"But it won't be without it's work" Shouzou observed, drawing their attention. "As I understand it, Yui has only experienced life in virtual reality - she could move, talk, eat, and experience things like normal that way. However, sleep is different than 'powering down'... and in addition, she wouldn't have experience with other bodily reactions."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The older man sighed, but faintly. "She wouldn't have experienced sweat, pain... or the inevitable results of eating and drinking, among other things" he finished with faint distaste. "In those respects, it'll be like she's a baby again."

In the back of his mind, he heard Asuna say that exact same line, way back when they'd first met Yui - despite his professional demeanor, he was definitely her father underneath. Still, he looked at Asuna slowly as she glanced down, "...I hadn't thought about that" she admitted. Then she glanced down further, before: "It's fairly logical though" she said stronger, then she smiled a little. "And we'll have to deal with it sooner or later, right?"

Discreetly glancing at her stomach, he smiled slightly after a moment. "Yeah" he said, then touched a finger to his chin. "And I guess, with Yui, it'd be good practice at the very least... for a certain definition of 'good'."

His comment made Asuna giggle a little.

"Hello-"

They all looked around; Yui stood there with a smile, hands behind her back. "-those nice people told me they finished the tests" she said softly.

"Cool" Asuna breathed, even as he smiled, before she made a little sound. "Oh, uh Yui?" she continued, gesturing toward her father. "This is my dad, which makes him your granddad."

He extended a hand. "Shouzou Yukki" he said gently. "Pleased to finally meet you, Yui."

Her expression brightened, and she took his hand in both of hers. "You're the one responsible for bringing me into the real world, aren't you, granddad?" she asked, and he nodded, with a small smile. This made the little girl's eyes fill with happy tears, and she rushed at him, wrapping her arms around him. He was surprised, but he returned the hug, bringing smiles from all of them.

Yui's couldn't have been brighter though.

Not too long afterward, the three of them walked out, Yui holding both of their hands - and as they walked out, people who had seen them walk in the first time were confused by Yui.

"Well, let them wonder" she thought, watching her little girl observe everything with much interest.

At the same time, it had been heavily surprising when her father had pictures of them taken together; she knew he loved her, and that he'd love Yui, but that had been embarrassing!

They continued walking toward the door, where Yui saw the sunlight streaming in... however, when the door opened, the brightness intensified, instinctively causing her to throw a hand over her eyes. And she didn't blame her; the spike hurt her eyes for a moment as well.

Still, when they got outside, Yui breathed out in wonder.

By all accounts, the scene was a very mundane one: buildings littered the area around them, some tall, but most varying degrees of 'short', their steel structures gleaming slightly in the light. Criss-crossing in-between the buildings were the roads Kazuto had mentioned to Yui years ago, an almost jet-black in color with paint lines - and a vast array of signs on the sides. The air was filled with the sounds of drivers, whether going through intersections, the roar of engines from motorcycles, or that one coincidental incident where a driver had to brake angrily (and audibly). To her and her husband, this was just another uninteresting mechanized sight they were used to, but to Yui?

She looked at her, smiling at the wonder and curiosity on Yui's face.

"Wow" she whispered, hands together now, looking around. "So different... huh? And so many varieties!"

Seeing that last part directed at the multitude of cars going by, she giggled a little. "There's so many even we can't keep track" she said gently, drawing the little girl's attention. Kazuto also chuckled a little, but soon a thought struck him (she saw this), then he gasped a little.

"What?" she asked.

"My motorcycle" he said in a rush.

Yui blinked, tilting her head curiously, as she'd never seen a motorcycle before... however, she had, and got it instantly: "Yui can't cling to my back; she might fall-"

"And we don't have a third helmet" he said quickly, taking her hands. "She'd be at risk."

She breathed out, worried at the possibility. "Can you bring the car along?"

He nodded with a small smile, then he gently bent down, patting their daughter on the head. "I'll be back soon, I promise" he said gently. "Ten minutes or I owe you a ride on my back."

Her eyes brightened at that, and she giggled, even as she hugged her father. She watched on with a smile, then Kazuto gently detached himself from her, quickly running past them. "See you soon!" he called, getting onto his motorcycle and pulling out his helmet, which was parked against the wall. Yui watched the vehicle curiously, but jumped with alarm when it roared to life - muffler notwithstanding - instinctively clinging to her arm. Soon they were alone as he rode out-

Yui slowly looked up at her. "How does he hear anything with all that noise?" she asked.

She smiled, holding her daughter close. "Actually, it's less about hearing things, than it is about watching your surroundings at all times" she explained gently. "In front, to the sides, and behind you - all got to be watched constantly, while at the same time actually driving it."

She made a sound, smiling for a moment, curious/excited/confused all at once, then: "What did he mean 'at risk' though?"

"Well, even with experience, any bad luck could lead to accidents" she breathed, moving her fingers through Yui's hair. "Even at the slower speeds, these vehicles still have great power... so if we're not careful, we could get hurt."

"And that's the reason for the helmet?" she asked, cutely mimicking putting one on.

She smiled, nodding. "Only for motorcycles and bikes though; cars don't need them" she said. "They have other means for protection."

"Like what?"

"You'll see one of them soon" she assured, "Don't worry."

/

A little while later

Well, he'd made good on his promise of ten minutes, he was sure - but even as he pulled into the parking lot, he could see Asuna pointing and talking at the street, no doubt explaining things. Yui was just a little bundle of happiness and curious excitement, which made him smile; that's his girl.

He jolted; how had he adjusted that fast? Then he remembered: he'd had five years to adjust to Yui as his daughter, so he easily thought of her as such. It was just the reality of taking care of her every need now - like a real child brought into this world - that he'd have to adjust to.

Anyway, knowing that the lot was empty and otherwise not in standard business hours just yet, he didn't bother to park properly. Even as he parked/turned off the car, he could feel Asuna's small exasperation at this even from here, but he ignored it cheerfully. "Hey, I'm back" he spoke, looking at the curious Yui.

"You made great time, daddy" she said gently.

"Yeah, I did" he said, before lowering himself down to her level, back-first. "But I'm giving you that ride on my back anyway, so hop on!"

"Ahahaha!"

Within a second, she'd jumped onto his back, hands around his neck, all of which he adjusted to. "Hang on" he said, before standing up ("Woah!"). "Here we go!"

"Ahhh! Ahahahahahahahaaa! Go daddy go!"

He ran all over creation, straight, zig-zag, sudden turns, you name it - Asuna merely watched, but it was happily at the way they were both laughing.

Still, after three minutes, he made sure to skid to a stop right next to the car itself. Even as he looked at it, he remembered how he'd bargained to have it be this dull-black color; basically when it broke down/gave out/whatever, then she'd have exclusive control over the next one's color, and he'd have to endure it, no complaints whatsoever. He smiled at this, even as Yui looked over his left shoulder, breathing out with a little 'Ohhh'. And discreetly, he saw Asuna walking around the back, right to the other side.

"You like?" he asked Yui gently.

"Mmh-hm" she breathed, smiling. "It looks so sleek and big - but, are all the parts underneath this metal?"

"Basically, Yui" Asuna said gently, drawing their daughter's attention. "Though, I don't know about this one being sleek-"

"Hey..."

"-or big, as there are a lot of other models out there" she continued softly, as if his little irritation hadn't happened. "But it does well for us, and we both like it; hopefully you will just as much."

That got her to smile, before a thought occurred to her. "You once said they were faster than you were in SAO, mommy" she said. "How fast can they go?"

Asuna slowly glanced up, thinking before: "Well, the average max is about 120 miles per hour" she said mildly. "140 for some others."

He smirked a bit when this surprised Yui. "If you think that's fast, just wait till you see those specialized race-car models" he said playfully. "Those can go up to 300 miles per hour."

By instinct, Yui's hands came up to her mouth, really really surprised and staring at him. He kinda liked the look, and let it all sink in, before he slowly and gently lowered her back down to the ground. "But our little car isn't like that, and we're getting in soon" he added, more gentle this time, gesturing at the side door. Yui looked over the handle curiously, briefly looked at him (he nodded), then slowly and experimentally gripped/opened it. The first try surprised her because of the noise, but she got it on the second... however, he shared a worried look with Asuna over the struggle to move the door. They gotta make sure to build up her muscles overtime...

Anyway, even as Yui breathed over the look of the car, Asuna got in beside at the passenger seat (teaching her about/how to use the seat-belt). He got in as well, giving them a few seconds before he turned the car back on, Yui jumping slightly at the noise.

"Hang on back there" he said mildly, once he was sure both women were settled in, they he got themselves out of the parking lot.

Yui made a sound as the world moved in her window, then she smiled, leaning against the seat. "This steady vibration - it's really relaxing" she breathed softly, mouth open a little as she enjoyed it.

He could practically see Asuna light up even more at that, and he smiled as well - next he'd introduce her to the joys of having the window down.

I'm aware this story is similar to 'Welcome to Earth, Yui', but in my defense, I didn't know that one was coming until it did... hehe XD Despite that, I hope you'll enjoy the family tale anyway.