Chapter 10

August 2ed 2025 1812

Jarl's Rise

Frozen Crevice

ALO

Sinon took aim and fired. The Salamander in plate armor turned into a ball of fire as her arrow went right through his eye. Kirito and Klein were in the thick of it and Agil tanked for the snipers. Silica was looking a little angry and then she summoned the one thing that could make the other guild run.

"Nipper!" The frost dragon appeared and looked down on the rest of the guild that had spied and tried to stop the Sleeping Knights.

"No fucking way!" Their leader, a Leprechaun girl dressed in purple top that barely covered the essentials, and a bottom that were short shorts ran. The others took the cue from her and ran as well, when it became apparent that it was a losing fight.

Yet more fell as the Sleeping Knights just looked in awe.

"Dude...when you said back up, you weren't joking."

"Dude...dude...dude! This is S0l0!"

A few blank stares came from the rest of the Sleeping Knights.

"They ran the raid on the World Tree." Talken looked to the others.

"Hey kid! Get a move on if you all want to get your names on the wall." Klein smiled.

Yuuki smiled as she pulled Talken along. "Asuna, you coming?"

"Yes." Asuna nodded to Kirito and Sinon.

xXx

August 2ed 2025 1914

Jarl's Rise

Frozen Crevice

The Frost Orcs Liar

ALO

Yuuki and Asuna were midway in the party with the tanks in front, they had just taken out a mid-level boss Fenrir.

"Are they standing guard outside?" Talken looked to Asuna.

"Yes. They won't let anyone through."

"What was that Kirito guy doing with his sword?" Jun looked at her.

"He was hitting the magic while it was in the air." Tecchi looked like he was thinking.

"He's good." Nori nodded.

"He's like me, a survivor of SAO." Asuna looked down.

"That's where he picked up his mad skills." Jun shrugged.

"Let's just say he learned a few from our rogue as well." Asuna smiled.

"Boss room up ahead." Yuuki looked to the healer.

"I'm at full." Siune nodded resolutely.

Asuna pressed her hand to the door and it opened. As they entered they saw the boss. The boss was a titanic sized orc of twenty foot tall and built like a bodybuilder. He had on black chainmail armor with leather padding. The wolf at his side was ten foot tall from paw to shoulder and built as well, his yellow eyes glared at the group that dared to enter his master's domain.

"I've been expecting you hero's." The orc got up and pulled his rifle.

"Whoa...he's got a gun?" Jun blanched.

"Pay attention!" Asuna charged her sword skill as Yuuki did the same. Tecchi charged the orc, shield slamming to get his attention. The wolf went for his flank, which was stopped by Jun. Nori snuck around back and landed crippling hits on the wolf as the orc jumped an impossible distance away from Tecchi...right into Yuuki's sword skilled charged strike. The orc's health dropped a little, but stayed green. The wolf wasn't faring too well, Jun kept taunting it and Nori kept the damage up. Siune kept the tanks health at full, but just when the wolf fell, She was targeted by the orc. Her health dropped to the red in a heartbeat. Jun then taunted the orc as he summoned another wolf.

"No way-"

"This is a boss." Yuuki rolled her eyes as she took on the new wolf. Tecchi then took over on the wolf as she landed a blow that took it to the red.

The orc laughed as Nori landed hits on him, taking him down to the beginnings of the yellow. As he went into the yellow after one of Asuna's hits, he summoned another wolf.

The orc's name then shown. Leader of the Pack.

As the second wolf was dropped, the orc summoned another one.

Jun and Yuuki taunted the two wolves as Tecchi, Asuna, and Nori kept on damaging the orc. Siune had healed herself up to full, and kept the others above yellow. When the Leader of the Pack had finally hit the red, he summoned another orc with a wolf.

By now they had all flirted with the beginnings of the red, but when the second orc appeared, Nori turned into a ball of fire. Siune revived him and casted mass healing, bringing them all up to full, but the tanks were quickly at the yellow again at the orcs were jumping around and targeting them. When there was a sliver of red left in the Leader's health bar, the last hit he took seemed to have set off a magical bomb, killing Nori, Talken, and Jun. Siune revived them and a message showed.

[Congratulations!]

Yuuki took out a corridor crystal and looked to the others.

"I'm ready to see our names on the wall." She activated it and the portal opened. They all stepped through and they were in the Black Iron Palace. They then looked and seen…

Yuuki, Sleeping Knights

Jun, Sleeping Knights

Tecchi, Sleeping Knights

Siune, Sleeping Knights

Nori, Sleeping Knights

Talken, Sleeping Knights

Asuna, S0l0

They cheered and Yuuki looked to Asuna. "Why don't you bring your mom into the game?"

"I'll try...if she'll listen." Asuna looked away.

"If she won't listen, she's not worth anything. You're her daughter, she has to listen to you." Yuuki took her hands.

"Ok." She smiled as she logged off.

xXx

August 6th 2025 1356

Dining room

Asuna's Home

Asuna walked in with a Amusphere and a laptop.

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed." Her mother didn't even look up.

"Asuna, let's set this up and get it over with." Kenta looked annoyed.

This got her attention. "Why are you here?"

"I need to show you something." Asuna looked her mom in the eye.

"Fine. What do I need to do." She looked to her daughter.

"Just lie back and relax." She put the Amusphere on and adjusted it.

"Instead of going to the starting area, She wanted to show you a place." Kenta sat in front of the laptop.

"Fine."

Asuna went to her old room and logged on.

xXx

August 6th 2025 1405

Emerald Forest

Asuna's Home

Floor 12

ALO

Aincrad

The generic Sylph looked at nature's beauty everywhere. An arrow then told her to go left. She followed it till she got to a log cabin. The door was open and she went inside, the more she looked around, the more it felt...familiar.

"Do you remember grandpa and grandma?" The voice startled her. "They had a cabin in the woods close to Kofu."

There stood Asuna the Sylph.

"That home was small." Her mother looked out the window.

"But it was nice. I remember going out and picking up bugs, and visiting the stream to go swimming...what do you remember?" Asuna looked to her mother.

"I remember...doing those things…" She sighed and looked at her.

"Anything else?"

"...I also remember how loved I felt."

"Do you miss it?"

"Yes."

"Then why can't we be like that again?" Asuna took her mom's hand. "Why can't we just be a family?"

"...the status I married into. It's what is dictating what should be done."

"Ducker has always broken the mold. Why can't we?" Her mother looked to her.

"Tradition-"

"Was made to keep a set of morals. Shin-chan is...down to earth. So is Ducker and Kirito. We can break that mold." Asuna looked deep into her mother's eyes. "I love you, you'll always be my mom."

At this her mother started to tear up. "W-What's happening?"

"In here you can't hide your emotion...it's how it is." Asuna started to cry.

"I just wanted you taken care of...that's all I wanted...how did we grow apart?"

"It started when I came back from the game." Asuna looked at her, tears flowing freely.

"I was trying to make it easier for you…"

"They're my friends, I can't abandon them."

"Your welcome to come home...but I want to meet this boy of yours over dinner. I still have to go to the firm." Her mother hugged her.

"I'll bring Shin-chan over on sunday." Asuna smiled.

xXx

August 12th 2025 1743

Lotus Hospital

Konno Yuuki's room

The doctor looked at the chart and shook his head. He looked up when he heard a knock on the window and seen a new visitor. He set the chart down and went to the door.

He went into the hall and looked at the girl.

"Visiting hours are almost done with."

"I'm here to see her...is it ok?"

"How do you know her?"

"I met her in game."

"Did she tell you where she was?"

"A...friend of mine found her. I wanted to thank her in person." She looked down.

"What did she do?" His tone was softer.

"She helped my mom understand me more."

"I see, you can use the intercom, but you can't go in. She was born with HIV."

At this the girl looked sad. "I...I didn't know. She was so happy and vibrant…"

"People always hide something, just depends on how bad it is. I'll leave you two alone, you have about a half an hour." He walked off and left the girl there.

She hit the intercom and a tv screen lit up with a very confused Yuuki looking at her.

"Who...how did you find me?" Yuuki recognized her immediately.

"I have a friend that's really good at hacking...I wanted to thank you for helping me and my mom."

"Asuna...not many people know that I'm here...only the Sleeping Knights and now you-"

"And Kenta."

"Kenta?"

"Ducker."

"Oh…"

"He said he's going to throw some money into some research to help you." Asuna looked to the screen. "And he's giving you a companion."

"Hi!" A pixie appeared on the screen. She was three inches tall and had black Spriggan wings with violet hair and gold eyes. She was wearing a black sundress with a silver bow and silver sandals.

"What?!" Yuuki looked to her.

"What do you want to do?"

"Uhhh…"

"Du- Kenta has a weird sense of humor. She is his creation, based off of an older version." Asuna chuckled. She could just hear Yui complaining.

"Tell him thanks...but the doctor said that the experimental drugs are having no effect…" Yuuki looked sad.

"This is Kenta we're talking about, he'll find a way to help you." Asuna smiled to her. "Keep up hope."

"Thanks...I will…" Yuuki looked at her with a smile that quite did not reach her eyes.

"I'll be back tomorrow." Asuna smiled and left, her smile dropping as she went to the door of the special ward.

'She keeps up the facade of happiness when she's dying on the inside…'

xXx

August 20th 2025 1254

Lotus Hospital

Konno Yuuki's room

Asuna sat in the chair looking at the monitor. Yuuki's vitals were very low. A message appeared on her phone from Yuuki's pixie.

Asuna-meme, you need to log on, she doesn't have much time left. Go to the dueling circle.

"Doc, is there a place I can log on?"

"Umm...sure, why?"

"She's in the game right now and she wants to see me." That made the doctor smile.

"Right this way."

She put on the amusphere and logged in.

xXx

August 20th 2025 1305

The Ring

Alne

ALO

Yuuki looked up as she seen Asuna walk up. "How-"

"A pixie told me."

"I know I don't have long...I just wanted to give you something special before I go…" Yuuki got up and took out a scroll.

A flash of power and her sword was glowing. She started slowly, the runes she was making appeared on the scroll as she moved faster. When she was done she handed the scroll to Asuna.

"It's my own custom move that I created while I was here…" She then fell and Asuna caught her. "I didn't know I could get this sleepy…"

"Rest...you'll need it for the next adventure you're going on." Asuna started to tear up.

"Is it ok?"

"Yes." She then looked up as she saw a shadow overhead.

"You know you can't hide anything from me." Ducker got on a knee. It wasn't just Ducker.

Asuna and Yuuki looked and seen the field full of fairies from all races on a knee.

"Rest now, you're going to join some of our friends." Sinon was there with Kirito.

"Thank-" Yuuki's eyes glazed over and she turned to pixels.

Asuna openly cried and Agil came over and hugged her.

Liz pulled an item out of her inventory and with the help of the rest of S0l0 they placed it.

It was a statue of Yuuki in a fighting pose and on the bottom it read:

Yuuki

The most powerful player of Alfheim Online

Still the leader of the Sleeping Knights

"I have her arrangements taken care of irl." Ducker looked to Asuna and smiled.

"Thank you...you mean she didn't have anything?"

"Her greedy aunt and uncle tried to give her the cheapest one possible. I'm having a stature like this one made for her real grave."

"He's pulling out all the stops for her." Agil let her go and she sniffed.

"He's also redirecting her life insurence to an institute where they're doing research into her disease." Tana looked to the hacker.

"Hey! I can't help it if there was a screw up on the beneficiary names." He looked away innocently.

"Yeah, yeah...Her irl funeral is in a week from today." Kirito looked to them.

"We'll be there." Silica smiled.

"How much was her life insurance?" Sachi looked to Ducker.

"Fifty five point one hundred and thirty thousand." Ducker smiled.

"You know you'll get caught one of these days." Sachi had a disapproving look.

"I'll go to…" Leafa looked down.

"She's an honorary member."

People started to leave and S0l0 looked to one another.

"She'll always have a place here."

Fin.

A/n: That's it! That's all folks. Thanks for reading and I did appreciate all the criticism. Any questions I'll be happy to answer. It was fun. And if you're wondering about the figure, in US it is 500k. Ja Ne ^ _,^