Author's note: Hello and welcome to another Shinoto story! I know what you're thinking: "Why is this little shit posting yet another story when she has so many other things to get done?" Well, this story isn't like the others, my dear readers. This is a collaboration between me and my awesome beta Warrior1311! This is the first collab piece for both of us and we're so excited! We'll definitely get this done in a timely manner. With due credit out of the way, please enjoy the ride.

Dislcaimer: We don't own SAO.

Chapter 1-The Proposal

"Don't worry daddy, I know she'll say yes!" Yui's voice chirped into Kazuto's earpiece, her tinkling voice bright as she offered encouragement.

"Well, I sure hope so. Otherwise I just blew next month's budget on screwing up," he whispered back.

Currently, Kazuto was sitting by himself at a table for two in the upscale French café where it all began: where he was commissioned to look into the Gun Gale Online killings, where he met with Seijirou Kikuoka during his investigation, and where he and the girl he was waiting on were debriefed after the case was closed. It was also, he decided, going to be the place where he proposed to her. After a year of actually dating, he felt it was finally time for the two of them to take the next step together… He just hoped she felt the same way, or he was several hundred grand down the drain.

He looked down at the ring, the set piece glinting delicately back at him from its velvet box. It was simple yet elegant, just like her. It was strong, yet seemed gentle. When he saw the simple white-gold band, set with its small blue sapphires, he knew it was perfect for her, and when he showed Yui, she agreed wholeheartedly.

The girl was still a little upset about him breaking up with Asuna, but once he had explained it to her, she seemed to accept it and even later embrace "Auntie Sinon" as her "other momma" as Asuna would always be "momma," though she rarely acted like it nowadays, barely even logging on anymore.

Kazuto frowned and shook his head to clear himself of those thoughts. Today was a happy day, the day he asked the girl of his dreams to finally be his forever. He smiled to himself and looked up, searching for her.

She appeared as if out of nowhere, like a specter, at the entrance. And boy was she a looker. She wore a long, sky-blue evening dress and silver studs in her ears. He could tell she was a bit uncomfortable in her attire, as she hardly ever wore something that fancy, but he thought she couldn't get any more beautiful. For his part, he was wearing a pressed black suit with a black tie, just about as comfortable as she was. As Shino approached, Kazuto's mind suddenly went blank just looking at her, thinking maybe this wasn't a great time, maybe he should postpone this, until she spoke.

"Seriously, do you have anything in your wardrobe that isn't black?" she teased, instantly snapping him back to reality and pulling him from his thoughts. He chuckled nervously.

"Now why would I need that? I have a reputation to maintain after all!" he said, trying not to sound too nervous.

"I'm sure even your underwear is black," she mused as she sat down, putting her head in her hands. "I swear, sometimes you make me want to beat you senseless…" she sighed once again, picking up her menu.

"She's acting a bit weird… less like she has recently and more like when we first met…" Kazuto thought to himself. "I hope she's not angry with me over something." But before he could think on this any further, their waiter came over and asked if they were ready to order.

After the man left, they had a short conversation that involved a lot of one-worded answers on Shino's side ("how was your day?" "Good."). Kazuto was absolutely baffled by this, and decided to just allow them to sit in silence. Even during their meal, every time he tried to engage her, she would either give him more clipped responses or simply the cold shoulder. After the main course, she excused herself to go "freshen up" and Kazuto put his face in his hands.

"Yui I think this might be a bad time. She seems really upset about something, but I don't know what," he muttered to his daughter.

"Don't worry, daddy, I'm sure she's just stressed about something else and is taking it out on you!" she laughed, and he chalked it up to her being playful with him.

"Excuse me if that doesn't make me feel any better. Maybe I should just wait until she's calmed down a bit…" He fingered the ring in his pocket worriedly.

"No! I think you proposing tonight might relax her!" the voice said with a hint of a laugh to it.

"Alright. I guess I'll try. Here she comes." He sat up and braced himself. Shino walked across the room toward their table again, not seeming to notice how tense her date had become as she sat down.

"Uh… Shino?"

"Yes?" she asked, dark, grayish-brown eyes flicking up to stare into his soul.

"Here goes," Kazuto thought, gulping nervously before opening his mouth again. "Do you know why this restaurant is so special to me?"

She continued to look at him, eyebrow slightly raised in a silent question, and Kazuto ploughed on before his nerves could get the better of him.

"About six years ago, I was asked here by Chryshieght to take on a job for his organization: to investigate the professional VRMMO Gun Gale Online and the mysterious player Death Gun. I took that job, and while it was one of the most dangerous things I've ever done and made me risk losing everything I had to live for… I don't regret it for one second."

He took a pause, trying to gauge any sort of reaction out of the beautiful, ebony-haired girl sitting before him. He really wished she wasn't so good at pulling stoic faces.

"Because of that job, I met you, and there is no way I would ever take that back. So to answer the question, this restaurant symbolizes the moment when our paths were made to cross. That's why this place is so special to me, and I figured… if this place marks that fateful beginning, why not have it mark another one?"

Chest tight and limbs shaking slightly, Kazuto stood and got down on one knee beside the table.

"So, that being said, Yui would like to ask you something."

Slipping his phone out of his pocket, he placed it screen-up on the table and tapped "speaker."

"Auntie Sinon! Will you marry daddy?"

And then he presented the ring.

Suddenly, the whole restaurant became silent, everyone's attention glued to the couple. Normally, feeling their gazes would have crushed Kazuto with the pressure (which was why he had briefly considered doing this somewhere more private), but for all he cared right then those people could have been furniture. Shino was the only thing he could focus on, her dark eyes appraising him, face dauntingly impassive, her lack of tears and shouts of joy crushing his spirit and shit he really should have just backed out when he had the chance!

For a million years, she just sat there, arms and legs crossed as she glared at him. Was it always this hot in here?

"…No."

Kazuto literally felt like he had been hit in the stomach with a bowling ball.

Shino continued to scrutinize him, her gaze hard and unwavering as it remained trained on him. "What if that's what I said?"

He blinked, and suddenly the knot in his stomach loosened, if only slightly. "If you said no?"

His date gave him a small nod, sleek hair shining almost like a halo around her head.

Kazuto took as subtle a breath as he could before opening his mouth to answer. "I'd never stop asking you. I'd keep chasing you and never leave you alone because you're the love of my life and I could never just let you go."

Shino's lips pressed into a thin line, and Kazuto suddenly felt like he should have worn a bulletproof vest to this little excursion. Then, she stood up, tall and imposing from her vantage point, and for a horrible moment Kazuto's heart twisted painfully in his chest at the thought of her leaving him there, kneeling pathetically on the floor… alone.

But then he registered the fact that she hadn't walked away at all—she had gotten closer—and was now taking a seat on his leg, wrapping her arms around his neck as easily as breathing. She did it so gracefully, so smoothly with all unnecessary energy and movement removed… he had to admit it was kind of sexy.

"Good answer."

The two of them stilled for a moment, gazes locked as they studied each other. Seeing that subtle fondness spark in her eyes, Kazuto felt his chest inflate and he cautiously allowed himself to feel a little enthusiastic.

"So… is that a yes?"

Shino's head tilted slightly to the side. "What do you think?"

A flash of movement caught the young man's attention. Obsidian gaze flicking down, he saw a small smile quirk at her lips… God, he really wanted to kiss her.

Restraining himself (barely), he reached an arm around Shino's waist, pulling their bodies flush together as he reached around her and pulled the small ring out of its velvet box.

"I think," he began, setting the box down and taking her hand. Gently, he slid the band onto her fourth finger and admired how right it felt to finally see it there before looking up into those eyes he loved so much, unable to hold back a smile. "Kirigaya Shino sounds like a nice name."

"You know what?" she asked, her small smile growing steadily by the second. "I've often thought that too."

Kazuto kissed her that time, arms pulling her in and lips crashing to hers. Smiling against him, Shino's hold around his neck tightened, deepening that sweet kiss to seal their promise.

Cheers and whistles erupted from the onlookers surrounding them, and suddenly the two broke apart, glancing around with glowing cheeks as they had forgotten where they were for a brief moment. They received many shouts of "congratulations!" and wishes of a happy life together before they abashedly sat back down, smiling warmly at each other with their hands entwined across the table.

"See, daddy? She said yes!" Yui's ever-bright voice resonated from Kazuto's phone, which was still lying on the table partially forgotten in the rush of the moment.

"Yeah, am I glad for that," he sighed, thumb gently running over the back of Shino's hand. "You really had me worried there for a second."

"Aw, I did?" the ebony - haired girl asked, an easy smile lightly tugging at her lips and that light in her eyes as she gazed at him. He was relieved she was back to her normal self.

The young man nodded. "I thought for sure you were going to dump me and just leave me here. Right after you pulled out a Glock and shot me full of holes, that is."

"Hmm, well that means it worked."

Kazuto's dark eyes stared at her for exactly ten seconds, his mind trying to grasp the words that had just entered his ears and rattled around in his brain. "Wait. What?"

Shino continued to smile, not even sparing him a glance as she fixed her eyes on his phone. "This collaboration worked really well, Yui. I'm glad we did it."

"Me too! We should do this again sometime!"

Kazuto gaped, mouth hanging open as he struggled for words. Suddenly he sat up, eyes wide and finger pointing accusingly. "You… you two were conspiring against me!"

Shino laughed and Yui's tinkling giggle sounded from his cell before his fiancée spoke again. "Sorry, Kazuto. I wanted to see how you would react. There's no hard feelings, right?" she asked, her hand squeezing his at her question.

"So this was for entertainment purposes?"

The woman shrugged. "It was more of an experiment, but I suppose you could look at it that way."

Kazuto was left to stare at her again, not knowing what he should say at this point. The way she explained it, he really should have seen something like this coming; it was such a Shino thing to do. It was devious, calculated for her own benefit even at his expense (though slight it was). Basically, she had used him.

Why did he find that so attractive?

With a groan, Kazuto dropped his head to the table, the silverware clattering with the impact. He honestly could not understand his choice in women. But he had decided to marry her so…

"Come on," said woman urged, finger running soothingly across his knuckles. "Why don't you pay the bill and then we can get out of here?"

"I'm not sure I should do that anymore," he muttered through the tablecloth, but even then she could understand him just fine, like she could interpret him without having to actually hear his voice. "My mind is still trying to cope. Not to mention you just psychologically abused me."

"All that inner turmoil after the proposal?" Shino raised an amused eyebrow. "You do realize that we're getting married now, right? That requires a bunch of planning and interacting with people—planners, caterers, decorators—" A defeated groan sounded from her date, and she smiled almost sympathetically. "Not to mention we have to tell everyone that we're engaged. I assume you haven't told anybody yet?"

"…I'm dead. Please put me out of my misery."

With a sigh, Shino rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that's something we can do at home, Kazuto. If it makes you feel better, I'll pay next time."

There was a slight pause in which Kazuto thought over her words. Finally, he sighed, sat up, and called their waiter over. When the man arrived at their table, he smiled, giving them another "congratulations" and a discount offer on their food (which Kazuto declined at a look from his future wife). Pretty soon they had paid, and Kazuto escorted his new fiancée out of the café like a perfect gentleman.

He may not have understood his taste in women, but as he walked Shino out, making sure to take a cab with her and take her home himself, he was conscious of how she walked at his side with perfect ease, with trust as she held onto his arm and leaned into his shoulder all the way to her apartment. He noticed how content he felt, how happy he was to have this person at his side, how excited he was to have her there for the rest of his life, and he decided his taste in women wasn't all that bad.