A/N: Kirito x Asuna fanfic, their adventure starts very shortly after Asuna wakes up from the prison that is ALO. Major fluff warning!

Chapter 1: Reconnected

He had been to this room every single day since ever he had adjusted to real life, no, even before then. Even when his body was still underweight, scrawny, and weak, he had somehow pushed himself everyday to visit Asuna in the hospital. Kazuto Kirigaya stood up from the bench that sat outside the rehabilitation room, raising his cheap watch to check the time. As it changed to 12:00 PM, he gripped the sliding door handle and gently pushed it to the right, making sure not to cause a loud slam as it opened all the way.

Sitting in the room was Asuna Yuuki, who had just finished her vigorous rehabilitation session for the day, not including the half hour of physical therapy she was instructed to perform at home for even quicker recovery. Her body was thin and frail, it had only been two weeks since she awoke from her long sleep, which had been over two years. Even so, Kazuto had thought to himself for the hundredth time, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and will see. Her long, flowing hair had been ragged and lumpy on the day they met for the first time in real life. due to it being ruffled in the stationary NerveGear helmet. However, after a haircut three days later, it flowed gorgeously down her back. Upon first sight, Kazuto was reminded of the first time she had fully exposed her beauty, when Illfang had slashed the red cloak off of her petite figure.

Asuna sat in an armchair not far from the door, panting harshly with her eyes shut, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. Her rehab had been much more intense, due to the fact that she had woken up over a month after the other survivors and had to catch up on school work. Kazuto remembered how hard it was to watch her barely being able to lift a glass of water or struggle trying to walk along a set of railings. Although she had progressed far since her awakening, it was still tiring and exhausting nonetheless for her.

Knowing she would probably be too overworked to speak for a couple minutes, Kazuto entered the room and knelt beside the chair Asuna sat in. He encircled her fragile body with his warm, black coat, squeezing her as close to him as possible without hurting her. He gently rubbed her back in hopes to slow her breathing and rapid heartbeat.

"Easy," Kazuto whispered in her ear. "It's over now."

Asuna rested her head on his shoulder, now feeling much more relaxed knowing that her beloved was there beside her. Kazuto took out a small, white cloth, and repeatedly pressed it against her forehead, dabbing at the sweat that was dripping from her exhaustion. Finally, she managed to utter a quiet voice.

"Thank you," she exhaled, slowly pressing her lips against Kazuto's neck before pulling away for breath.

"Anything for you," He whispered, rubbing circles around her slowly relaxing back. "You did great." He planted a kiss on her nose, now resting on his collarbone.

That day had been designated for walking and running, the day of rehab Asuna was looking forward to the least. She had spent the past two hours running and performing leg strengthening exercises on treadmills and stationary bikes, eventually making her back ache as well. It started to loosen up however, as Kazuto gently rubbed it and took away some of the pain.

"Feeling okay? Are you in any pain?" Kazuto asked, concerned for her well being as always.

"I'm okay, just really tired... I think I'm going to rest for a bit," she barely managed to make the second part audible.

Kazuto carried his girlfriend-which they had confirmed only recently, since they could obviously not refer to themselves as married anyone-across the room and onto the hospital bed, carefully laying her head down on the pillow. He pulled the covers over her curled figure up to her shoulders, and sat at the edge of the bed. He leaned over to plant a silent kiss on her forehead.

"Rest for a bit, we can go when you're awake. I'll wait right here for you," he said in a soothing voice.

Now that Asuna was permitted short leaves from the hospital under the nurse's consent, Kazuto had been taking Asuna to spots nearby for the past two days. Only today did the nurse trust Kazuto's judgement on how long she could handle being out, as he had explained how important her well being was to him. 'No more than two hours,' Kazuto reminded himself.

At about 1:30 Asuna was awake and alert, breathing much less rapidly, to Kazuto's relief. Her eyes fluttered open, to see him sitting at the edge of the bed smiling. Once she was ready, he planned to take her to the park on a lunch date. However, he had been slightly concerned with the bitter weather, so he brought along one of Suguha's thick winter coats.

Kazuto looked at his precious beloved, who was now sitting upright and rubbing her eyes, smiling. "Morning sleepyhead, ready to go?" He said in a calming voice.

After remembering their plans, Asuna yawned and moved her legs to the edge of the bed, still a bit sore but not as much as before. "Mm..." She opened her eyes. "Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No need to apologize, I love watching you sleep." Kazuto responded with a goofy grin. It was one of the many things Asuna found intriguing about him, the fact that he could say something so endearing so casually.

If it weren't for the fact that Kazuto had been saying those types of things to her ever since she woke up, she would be blushing like mad. She scooted towards him to plant a kiss on his left cheek, to which he responded by wrapping his left arm around body and gently squeezing.

"Alright, I'll go change and we can leave," she said as she slowly stood up. She was able to walk at this point, but would often have to stop and lean on something to catch her breath. Kazuto wrapped an arm around her waist to support her slightly wobbly legs, slowly making their way to the bathrooms.

As she slowly undid the tie that held her hospital robe in place, Asuna thought to herself. 'I love him so dearly, he goes through so much trouble for my sake... I should make it up to him when my strength is back.' She grinned as she slipped on her pink shirt, and the navy blue jacket that Kazuto had brought so she wouldn't be cold. It wasn't the fact that anyone loved her so dearly that made her heart so warm. It was the fact that it was Kazuto who loved her.

About five minutes later, Asuna's hair was combed so all the frizzy curls had disappeared. She stepped outside to see Kazuto sitting in a chair, who was at this point marveling at how perfect she looked. He stood up and wrapped an arm around her again, making sure she was steady and able to move again.

"So, where are we going today Kirito-kun?" He still found it a bit odd that she was still calling him by his avatar name, but realized he probably would have a hard time calling her a new name as well, if it weren't Asuna in-game as well as in real life.

"Well... I thought we could walk around the park nearby and have some lunch together... I mean, if you're feeling up to it." Although he was fully aware that she could probably handle less than two hours of walking in leisure, he couldn't help but ask for her sake.

"Don't worry, I'll manage just fine as long as we can take some breaks every now and then." She replied, knowing how he was always prioritizing her health above all things.

"Alright, just don't push yourself, and please tell me whenever you need a break." Kazuto rubbed her shoulders as they stepped outside into the world-the real world.

The crisp air brushed the couple's face. In one of Kazuto's arms was a basket, carrying sandwiches and vegetables that Suguha had packed for the that morning. In the other was the shoulder of his beloved girlfriend, whose arm was also wrapped around his waist. Although he knew she could walk fine as long as they went at a slow pace, he had requested that Asuna would at least lean on him a bit. She honestly couldn't tell if it was because he was genuinely concerned, or just liked the feeling of being needed. It didn't matter much to her however, as she accepted either way because of his warmth.

Although it was chilly, Asuna couldn't help but take in the beauty nature had to offer. No snow was falling at the time, which just made the white blanket covering the park stand out even more. It was her first time actually walking in the park since she had woken up, and she had been patiently waiting for permission from the nurse. However, she was somewhat familiar with the paths, as most of her time in the hospital room was spent gazing at the park from above through her double windows.

Kazuto on the other hand, had walked in this park plenty of times, before and after SAO. In a sense, he didn't appreciate the scenery Asuna did. "Geez, why couldn't we have beaten Heathcliff in the summertime..." He unconsciously muttered.

"Oh come on, don't ruin the moment for me, this is my first time here!" Asuna said jokingly.

"Right, sorry, let's take a break over there." He pointed to a small wooden bench, obviously made to fit only two or three people. Letting go of Asuna, he sat down on the bench and she plopped down to his left. He opened the basket that held their lunches and handed her a deliciously colorful sandwich. 'I really need to repay Sugu for this,' Kazuto thought to himself. The two lovers savoured their meals, crumpled the wrappers, and placed the basket on the ground. For them, life could not get much better, especially now that they had learned to not take small things-such as delicious sandwiches- for granted.

Asuna leaned her body onto Kazuto's shoulder, and Kazuto leaned his head on her's. Nothing made him happier than knowing that she was safe, and finally getting used to reality again. But something weighed heavily on his mind, and he let out a sharp exhale.

"Kirito? Is something wrong?" She lifted her head, wearing a slight look of concern. "We can head back if it's getting too cold..."

He immediately responded in an attempt to get her out of any worried state. "N-No, I was just... Nevermind."

"Okay, if something's bothering you let me know." She placed her head on his shoulder again, but now this started to bother her. He would always tell her when something bothered him, most of the time in a form of complaining, which she didn't mind as long as he was being honest. But the only reason he would keep quiet like that would be if it was a more concerning thought. Something like SAO or ALO... Just the thought sent a chill down her spine. The first thing she always thought of when someone mentioned ALO was Sugou and his unacceptable experiments, not to mention- Her thought was cut off by Kazuto, who had been poking her cheek the whole time. "Hello? Asuna, you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" She exclaimed, waving her hands frantically. She looked down at Kazuto's watch that now read 1:45. "I guess we should head back now." She sighed that this view would once again only be seen through a glass view.

"Don't be upset, we can come here more often when you're officially discharged." He grinned, making her that much more excited to be done with rehabilitation. He pressed his forehead against hers, slowly but eagerly leaning in to meet her lips. They were warm and delicate, something he had found to be different than the ones in Aincrad. 'Those were artificial feelings, artificial reality,' he thought. He knew this feeling was certainly no series of ones and zeroes. Asuna felt the exact same way as his warm mouth drowned out the crisp air that had been sending chills across her knees.

Their lips parted, both of them feeling the need to breath. After a couple seconds, Asuna looked deep into his onyx orbs and closed her eyes. "Thank you for saving me, I love you so much." She brushed her nose against his.

"I love you too... I would do anything for you... You know that, right?" He closed his eyes as well, entwining his fingers with her own.

"Of course I do, my hero." She was now smiling from ear to ear, savouring the warmth his hand emitted in the midst of the winter breeze.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed, this was my first ever experience at writing a fanfiction, with many more to come! Stay tuned for chapter 2, which will be released shortly! Feedback is greatly appreciated as well as plot ideas :D