Triggerhappy
Stick with Trigger and You'll Make it Through
- Location
- SoCal
spell checker in open office sucks.Falx said:
Halkegenia Online. Thread 2!
- Thread starter Triggerhappy
- Start date
Khaos
Baguette, wine and cheese
That's what I first said in an earlier post.Triggerhappy said:
Triggerhappy
Stick with Trigger and You'll Make it Through
- Location
- SoCal
Nope, the guys a traitorous bastard, we all know it, the question is whether he is also himself a bit of a troll.Blackraptor said:
Sends Guiche back to Albion with the "letter"
Henrietta immediately opens the letter and scans the contents before blanching. "This is . . ."
"Erm, yes?" Guiche asked nervously.
Henrietta quickly handed the contents of the envelope to the Duchess Valliere who scanned them quickly and then froze. No, Guiche thought, the woman hadn't frozen, in fact she was trembling very slightly and as he watched the Duchess's fists slowly balled up, causing the letter in her hands to crumple and tear.
"Mister Gramont." The Duchess asked in a voice as cold as a Germanian winter.
"Y-yes, Ma'am?" Guiche stuttered. The Duchess's gaze nearly making him lose control of his bowls. Just what had he done?!
"This letter . . . Is the Captain's letter of resignation."
I see what you did there; now you almost have to let Asuna give Kirito shit given everything's come full circle, ie. cute girl hiding in the shadows of a cloak.
Even with Guiche's attempts at flirting?Triggerhappy said:
- Location
- Oblivion
I think you mean elemental resistance.Blackraptor said:
But that does make me think of an interesting point there isn't going to be any FoF system around which differentiates magical effects. So anything that does block magic will block all magic, which would suck for anyone in need of buffs or healing.
- Location
- Somewhere
No! Badass Longcoats FTW!Blackraptor said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Those only work for armor when made out of dragon skin or something.LockedKeye said:
TimeDiver
Herald of Dis Lev
- Location
- In-between the parallel worlds...
I seem to remember that Reflect'd spells also cannot be reflected in turn, so no ping-pong scenario...
Alternatively, have Kirito learn Vanish, cast on particularly irritating enemy, then follow-up with X-Zone derivative.
Made so many FF6 boss battles (well, from the original SNES version, with ALL those bugs/exploits) laughably anti-climactic.
Alternatively, have Kirito learn Vanish, cast on particularly irritating enemy, then follow-up with X-Zone derivative.
Made so many FF6 boss battles (well, from the original SNES version, with ALL those bugs/exploits) laughably anti-climactic.
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Well now we know the future of Dunwell's wind dragon. Granted, it will have to be dyed black of course.Larekko12 said:
LGear
Secret Society BLANKET
You could always enchant that Badass Ivory Longcoat of Badass Badassery +50 to have damage resistance of some sort, since Fae and Halks have magic unlike SAO. Hell, they have enchanted weapons with unusual properties, why not enchanted armor and apparel as well?Larekko12 said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
That fall under the or something.LGear said:
NecroMac
Shiroe vi Akihabara Commands you...
Midori transform into Kiritohrogge said:
Everyone are shocked.
Wardes declare that he is traitor.
No one cares.
- Location
- Oblivion
The Fae don't have permanent enchanting abilities, at least not how you think of them. Any magical effects or abilities are added to weapons/armor while they are being made by using magical materials.LGear said:
LGear
Secret Society BLANKET
I never implied a limit on what said enchantment is, and I am aware of enchantment while smithing/crafting. That's what that +50 is forVaermina said:
Lisbeth could probably enchant weapons and armor as part of her blacksmithing skillset, though she'd likely leave that job to more experienced magic smiths.
While this is likely true, considering game mechanics rarely allow you to permanently buff things. I don't believe it's ever outright stated anywhere in canon.Vaermina said:
- Location
- Oblivion
SAO could, but the mechanics aren't really workable in RL since it involved reinforcing the item in question with additional materials, at most I could see them doing it one or two times before the added weight became prohibitive.Quickshot0 said:
Triggerhappy
Stick with Trigger and You'll Make it Through
- Location
- SoCal
Doesn't it help that Wardes is at least sufficiently wierded out by whats happening around him.iamnuff said:
-Nearly Eaten by a giant plant.
-Saved by not Elves
-Watches negotiations between Faeries and Tristain
-Gets sent on a secret mission with a complete Fop as his support. (A Fop who got assigned to the mission by chance where Wardes spent years ensuring that he had an impeccable record.)
-Now has to deal with a mysterious swordswoman he knows nothing about so he can't get rid of the Fop.
"Founder, what did I do to deserve this? Well, other than the obvious."
zero_traveler
Revolver Ocelot
- Location
- Revolver Ocelot
I don't remember him doing it to "Get" anything out of Sinon. He had no ulterior motive there, he just didn't tell her his gender and she didn't ask. She assumed he was female.BF110C4 said:
It was a minor point as to why he wasn't all that sorry about being in the room when she started stripping down.
BlackoutSampler
So Easily Forgotten
when I read that I first imagined CoolBro!Wards as the self insert meeting Saitokoolerkid said:
14
Triggerhappy
Stick with Trigger and You'll Make it Through
- Location
- SoCal
Cave Johnson here, just thought I'd warn you, our focus group reports that there might be critical ammounts of 'daw' at the conclusion of this snip. What that is I don't know, but the social psych guys we keep on the staff suggest contact with concenrations at this level might generate spontaneous 'Moe blobs' out of grizzled veteran marines. I don't know what those are either. So anyways, we fired that focus group and hired a new one made up of grizzled veteran marines. Heads up, checked in on them a few hours ago and all that was in their were a bunch of little girsl with huge, creepy eyes, we've had to lock down that whole wing until the Hazmat unit arrives. So yeah, if you don't want that to happen to you, uh, I got nothing. Maybe don't read this snip. Cave Johnson, we've done here.
Halkegenia Online-Chapter 8-Part 4
In the bathhouse of an Inn with a fragrant Olive Tree in its garden, Kirigaya Suguha, Leafa, soaked quietly, eyes looking beyond the walls of the bath, mind contemplating the events of the day.
Her brother's departure had been so sudden, there had hardly been anytime to say goodbye. And like a cut that had been made quickly, though it hadn't hurt at first, it was starting to sting now.
Kirito had returned late in the evening, much later than Suguha had expected. Mari had stayed up with her and Yui, keeping the dining room open until Kirito arrived. When her brother had stepped through the front door, Suguha had rushed to greet him, only to pause when she saw the look on his face. The dull ache in her chest had blossomed anew. She could tell something had happened, and knew almost at once that she was about to be left behind again.
Mari, watching from the kitchen door, had brought out leftover bread and soup from dinner and set a table for them. Kirito had explained everything as they ate, about the report of the Faeries in Albion, and that Asuna was among them, and that he had volunteered to go as an agent in the service of Tristain to bring them all back. He didn't know how long he would be gone, hopefully not more than a couple of weeks. If all went well, he'd return with Asuna and they could start looking for a way to get home.
Suguha had listened carefully. Her brother was going off to do something incredibly dangerous, maybe even more dangerous than the World Tree Raid, but there wasn't even a shred of hesitation in his voice. So she had accepted it, and put on a brave face.
Her brother had seen through her of course. His look of remorse had almost caused her own mask to crack. Kirito might have been awkward and a bit oblivious, but he wasn't stupid, and she knew he cared about her. That night, her brother had stayed at her bedside until she had fallen asleep.
The next morning had come too soon, waking before dawn so that she could see her brother off, she had found Klein and Argo, and another person, a young Cait Syth girl with a blue feathery dragon clinging to her shoulder, waiting in the front room of the inn. Kirito had stood before all of them dipping his head in apology for leaving on such short notice and thanking all of them for their help over the past days.
"Klein, I have a favor to ask, I'll be back soon, but drop in and keep an eye on Sugu and Yui for me."
The Salamander had nodded seriously. "You can count on me, Kirito-kun. Bring her back so we can all celebrate."
"We still have to find a way home." Kirito said and then smiled. "But one thing at a time, right?"
"Right." Klein agreed.
The next to speak was Argo. The Cait Syth had stopped forward with a small satchel, handing it to Kirito. "There's a map of Albion and copies of all of my notes. One of the academy servants helped me to translate the town and city names. I was also able to get Novair to release some supplies from the Sylph stockpiles. There's some healing potions and other useful items in their. I wrote up a summary and labeled everything. I sure hope you don't need it."
"Thanks, Argo."
"Tis nothing." The girl looked away. "Just be sure you bring Aa-chan and the others back. You bring them back with you, Kii-bou."
Kirito had turned next to the young Cait Syth girl at Argo's side. "Silica, I haven't had the chance to tell you this. But I'm sorry that you got caught up in this. It wasn't fair. It shouldn't have happened."
"Mmm,mmm." The girl shook her head. "That's silly Kirito-kun." The Silica looked up at him. I'm here because of choices I made. Nobody could have known this would happen. Its nobodies fault. Go get Asuna-san back." The feathery dragon on the girl's shoulder let out a shrill cry as if in agreement.
Kirito smiled and stroked the diminutive dragon on its head. "You watch after her, okay Pina?" The dragon let out another shrill cry.
Finally, it had come Suguha's turn. Her brother stepped up to her and smiled. "Sugu, before I go, I think I owe you an explanation for some things. I'm coming back soon, but I don't want to leave this unsettled."
"Onii-chan?" Suguha breathed.
Her brother's expression grew pained. "Sugu, I've been really selfish, even now. I know this has been hard for you but I can't do anything but stay focused on Asuna. But not just that, there's a lot of things I have to make up for, most of all how I've treated you these last few years. I let a lot of childish worries get between us that made me forget what you were to me, and I'm still trying to figure out what mean to me now, but there's one thing I'm sure about." Kirito looked into her eyes, face serious. "Sugu, I'm sorry I took your big brother away from you for all of these years."
Suguha squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears. She wasn't going to cry in front of him. "Idiot. What am I supposed to say to that?" She forced a smile, "Klein-san is right, Onii-chan, you really are dumb sometimes."
"Well you don't have to be so hurtful about it." Kirito replied softly, but he smiled, before looking down to his pocket. "Yui."
There was no response save for a faint rustling.
"Yui." Kirito repeated gently before reaching into his pocket and carefully extracting the navigation pixie, lifting her by the tips of her wings before depositing her in the palm of his free hand. Yui's eyes were downcast and Suguha though she could see tears cutting tracks down her tiny cheeks.
"Please, let me come with you." Yui said.
"It's much too dangerous." Kirito said gently. "This isn't like ALfheim or even Aincrad, I know you want to see Mama just as badly as I do. But I couldn't live with myself if I put you in danger. And neither could Asuna. So please, Yui, wait here and let me bring her to you."
Yui stood up in the palm of Kirito's hand, placing her arms behind her, she didn't meet Kirito's gaze at first, but then, finally, she looked up and gesture for Kirito to bring her closer. The Pixie extended her wings and gently place her hands against Kirito's brow, giving her Papa a small kiss on the forehead.
"Promise you'll stay safe?"
"I promise." Kirito said solemnly, "And no matter what, I won't let that promise be broken." Yui drifted back, taking hold of the tip of Kirito's index finger as she came to rest on Suguha's shoulder. "Be a good girl Yui, and watch out for Sugu while I'm gone. After all, she has a habit of flying into trouble."
Yui nodded seriously as Kirito stepped back. "Well, I'm going to be late if I don't go now."
"Ki – Onii-chan." Suguha said, reaching out.
"Un?"
Suguha searched for the right words, she needed to say something, but she thought if she said the wrong thing, something bad might happen. So instead, she settled on, "Good luck."
"Un. Thanks, Sugu." And then he had turned and departed. The last Suguha had seen of her brother was his form silhouetted against the streetside ore lamps.
Having risen so early, the day had quickly grown long for Suguha and she'd found it hard to concentrate. She and Yui spent most of the morning in a daze as they helped with odd jobs around Arrun tower. The 'clerical staff' had finally settled in and were busily transforming the heart of Arrun into a real administrative hub. Another sign of their new reality, Faeries becoming stuffy bureaucrats.
The whole city was abuzz with the news that the Grand World Tree Raid was being temporarily postponed to allow time for additional training. Rumors were already spreading about what exactly had cause the sudden change. Sakuya and the other Faerie Lords had yet to release an official statement in the interest of security.
Even during lessons, Suguha had found she couldn't quite concentrate. She usually took her job as an instructor very seriously, but for once she'd just let herself coast through the class. KoKo had been worried and taken her aside to ask what was wrong.
"I heard that Kirito-kun got assigned to some special mission." KoKo said. "Is that what's bothering you?"
Suguha looked away, as much as she might want to, she couldn't tell the hunter anything specific, Kirito had made that clear. "It's not a problem. I'm just letting it get to me is all."
"Leafa-chan, if you're letting it bother you, then it is a problem." KoKo advised. "Why don't you and Yui come stay with me tonight?" The hunter suggested. "My place isn't too big, but I can always lay out another mattress."
"Thank you KoKo-san. But I'd rather stay in the room we share with Papa." Yui said as she floated next to Suguha.
Suguha shook her head, "Yui-chan is right, we'll be fine, but thanks for the offer. Hey, Emroi! What are you doing?!" Leafa was suddenly shouting after one of her students.
Most of the Faeries had steadily improved over the last week, but that only made teaching them all the more difficult. Once they convinced themselves that they could fly they had a tendency to stop listening and get it in their heads that the rest would be easy. So far, most could manage level flight and even some simple acrobatic maneuvers. But they still hadn't learned to fully trust their senses or keep good spatial awareness.
For instance, the Leprechaun, Emroi, was proving to be a very good solo flier, but he didn't pay attention to his surroundings and had nearly crashed into a trio of Sylphs who were practicing hovering in the breeze above the lake.
Leafa had stormed after the Leprechaun, catching up with him and forcing him to come to a full midair stop by yanking on one of his pointed ears. For a little while Suguha's worries were cast aside as Leafa gave her student a brutal dressing down. When Emroi finally looked suitably chastised she let him go before returning to KoKo's side.
"Powerful as ever, neh?" The Cait Syth laughed.
"Don't put it like that, I just want them all to stay safe." Leafa said, "It might not be much, but this is what I can do for right now."
KoKo gave her an appraising look, "I know you don't want to take patrol duty because of your brother and Yui, but why don't you go up to the dispatch office at Arrun tower. They're always looking for couriers and they usually have some other odd jobs. Lady Sakuya and Lady Alicia both like you, so I'm sure they'd trust you to handle some of those."
"Wouldn't that take me away from Arrun, though?" Leafa asked. She didn't like to admit it, but the land beyond the Academy was still a wild and alien place to her. It was like another world, in fact, it was another world.
"Well most of these guys are getting good enough for self practice, so don't worry too much." The Cait Syth advised. "You're a good instructor, way better than me, our group is way ahead of the curve." KoKo smiled. "Actually, I've heard Lord Mortimer is looking for instructors to teach advanced aerial maneuvers to the skirmisher squads. A few jobs under your belt wouldn't hurt to pad your resume."
"Well then. I guess I can think about it." Leafa supplied, feeling unsure.
When class was finally dismissed for the day, Suguha had been bone tired and made her way back to Arrun at a leisurely pace. Klein had joined her for dinner that night, claiming that the food in the barracks was pretty awful. Suguha had been a little grateful. She was starting to see why her brother thought of the man as a friend, despite his face, loud voice, and course attitude. The Salamander vice squad commander had become a fixture, something that Suguha could latch onto, frequently visiting in on her and Kirito over the past days.
They'd talked as they'd eaten, Klein offering comments about his work in the mob hunting units. "Now that the roads and fields are clear. They want us to scale back patrols, so that's good." Klein said.
"What, why?" Leafa asked.
"One of the squads near Freelia found a terrorantula nest in the forest, about a million baby terrorantula's, little white spiders the size of your thumb. I guess now that they're real, the mobs are breeding." Klein explained. "The Cait Syth want to keep some of them around to harvest and tame."
"I see." Suguha said and then frowned. "But wait, won't the mobs mess up the local ecosystem?" Suguha remembered lessons about that from school. It had been a real problem in Australia and the Americas and even in Japan.
"The ecosystem is already whacked." Klein replied. "We might be able to kill all the big mobs, but there's no way we can get all the little ones, not if they're breeding now."
"The nobles must be pretty angry about that." Suguha thought.
Klein chuckled, "I hear its a mixed story. Yeah, they're mad that dagger dogs and terrorantula's are eating all of the foxes and boar, but the mobs are a lot more territorial, so they don't wander out of the forests as much. More importantly the mobs in the deep forest have been going after the local Orc bands."
Suguha wrinkled her nose. She'd heard about Orcs, they sounded like pretty vile creatures. In the news sheets posted in the square near the Fragrant Olive Inn, it was reported that the Tristanian government was requesting that the Faeries assist in hunting down and eliminating Orc bands in the back country regions. It was felt that the Fae ability to fly and cover ground quickly would greatly help in hunting down the monsters. While it wasn't strictly a Faerie problem, if the Orcs were as bad as they sounded, Suguha for one couldn't fault the Faerie Lords if they agreed.
"The mobs might become an even bigger problem though." Suguha observed.
"Right. Their behavior is changing." Klein agreed. "That nearly got one of my squad injured yesterday, a group of dagger dogs we were fighting closed ranks to protect an injured comrade. That wasn't part of the original attack algorithm. I guess it'll be touch and go for a while." The salamander sighed. "Man, we've got to get these newbies trained up in fighting Aincrad front line style. Back then, we didn't go a week without running into something new."
"Un." Suguha said absently, thinking about the suddenly 'real' mobs had reminded her of something. "Yui?"
"Hmm?" The pixie girl was in the middle of munching on a cracker and tilted her head curiously. She'd seemed almost back to her normal self after Kirito had left, but Suguha suspected that like herself, Yui was putting on a brave face.
"Yui-chan, you're a physical existence now, right? Has that caused any problem for you?"
The pixie girl tilted her head, seeming to think hard about the question. "Not really." She decided. "Fatigue is a new feeling but I'm already used to my efficacy diminishing due to prolonged operation and spending about a third of my time in sleep mode, I haven't had access to sufficient processor resources to archive data in real time since I was the SAO mental support AI. Other than that, I don't like getting hungry or thirsty, but I already eat and drink whenever Papa does so that hasn't been a problem. Pain isn't good either, but as long as I'm careful I don't have to feel that."
Klein suddenly gave a strange look and leaned in conspiratorially. "What about the other stuff?"
"Other stuff?" Yui asked.
"You know, eating and drinking, what comes after . . ." The salamander said awkwardly.
"Klein!" Suguha spluttered, had he really just asked that? He'd just asked that!
Yui just gave the question some thought and shrugged. "It's a little inconvenient but I guess its not a problem."
"Eh?" Suguha said, stopping her attack on Klein. "Yui-chan, you're not embarrassed?"
"Why would I be embarrassed?" Yui asked, looking genuinely confused, "It's just biology after all. Any system needs to collect fuel and dispose of waste. In a computer those are electricity and heat, in a biological system they're food and biological waste."
"I . . . See . . ." Suguha said giving Klein a glare before re-seating herself.
"Honestly, a physical body is a little inconvenient, but its worth it to live in the same world as Mama and Papa." The pixie girl smiled sincerely and Suguha felt her heart melt. "Really, I'm more bothered by my lack of network access. If I want to learn something now, I have to read it from a book or have someone tell me about it."
"Didn't you say that you were still able to detect Cardinal?" Leafa asked.
"Un. But its different now." Yui said, looking unsure. "I don't know what happened to Cardinal in the transition. I think its like me and was changed into a physical existence of some sort."
"Maybe the World Tree?" Klein suggested, "That fits, right?"
"That's a possibility." Yui agreed, looking unhappy, "It's what Papa and Sakuya-san think, but I don't have enough data to be sure." Suguha frowned, she hated seeing Yui so frustrated and especially after all the hard work she'd put in.
For the last several days, the navigation Pixie had spent each evening sitting before the GM access card, seemingly in deep meditation. When Suguha had asked what she was doing, like Kirito, Yui had remained vague. She had only replied that she was studying the card. Since Yui had scanned the GM card before the transition, she said that she hoped that she could learn something based on how the card has been altered.
But so far, all that Yui had been able to confirm was that the card was indeed some sort of magical artifact, and that it was powerless on its own. Yui suspected that the GM card needed a connection to Cardinal to do anything. With this in mind, Kirito had left the card in Suguha's possession for safe keeping.
Klein departed a little later begging night patrol. "Leafa-san, you going to be alright tonight?" Klein asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired is all, so I think I'll turn in early." Suguha said.
The advantage to that was that Suguha was able to cut to the head of the line on the bath rotation. The Inn possessed a small bath located in its own outbuilding. A blessing as far as Suguha was concerned. Unlike Alfheim, a day spent flying, and working was going to make you dirty, sweaty, and smelly. She'd washed herself with soap and lukewarm water and rinsed thoroughly before sinking into the bath. Closing her eyes, she could almost pretend she was back home.
There came a splash in the water at Suguha's shoulder and a tiny dress floated to the surface, Yui bobbed up a moment later using her wings like oars to backstroke. For the pixie the tub probably seemed like a full sized swimming pool. The thought made Suguha giggle.
Yui smiled, "I'm glad your happy Leafa-chan. You haven't really smiled all day."
"I'm sorry." Suguha said. "Have I worried you?"
Yui nodded. "Its normal to feel anxiety, I'm worried about Papa and Mama too. But it's not healthy to think about it all the time."
"What about you, Yui-chan? How are you handling it."
The girl became quiet. "I hate it." She said, suddenly coming to a stop in the water. "I hate not being with Papa and Mama. I wish Papa would have let me go. I could have helped." The girl's face was scrunched up in frustration.
Suguha's expression softened, "No, Onii-chan was right, it's really dangerous and what if somebody had seen you?" Not just that, Yui was so tiny, there were so many things that could hurt her, kill her even! Should she even be allowed to fly outside? There were hawks and other predatory birds in Tristain that weren't native to ALfheim. Would she be safe? Kirito had made Suguha responsible for Yui, her well being was important to him, Yui's well being was important to her!
Yui gave her a defiant look and taking a breath, dove under the water.
"Yui-chan?" A wash of light spread across the surface of the water and suddenly the water level rose, spilling over the rim of the tub. With a much larger splash, Yui's head burst from the surface, but instead of her tiny form as a navigation pixie, she was now the size of human child.
"Y-yui-chan?" Suguha asked, surprised. With her long black hair clinging wetly to her head and back, leaning forward towards Suguha, Yui gave her temporary guardian a troubled look. The tub was only meant for one person, but Yui was small enough that it wasn't a problem, except for where she had placed her hands to balance herself.
"See, I could have helped." The girl repeated, she tilted her head to show her completely human ears. "I could have gone as Papa's little sister."
Suguha blinked a few time and then shook her head, "Yui, how long have you been able to do that?"
"Do what?" The girl asked, as if she didn't realize what she had just done. She certainly still hadn't realized what she was leaning on, Suguha thought, at least buoyed by the water she wasn't too heavy.
"Change!" Suguha said.
Yui finally shifted, sinking back into the tub opposite Suguha. "I've always been able to do that. This is my default form." Yui's default form? Suguha wondered, she really didn't look any different as a human child than as a Faery save for the lack of wings and pointed ears. Actually, now that she was properly sized, Suguha could definitely see the resemblance to Kirito and to Asuna. Was that a coincidence or had Yui chosen to look like this?
"Does Kirito know about this?" Suguha asked.
Yui nodded and then looked at her hands through the water. "It was something we tested when Papa was learning transformation magic. But we decided it was better I stay as a navigation pixie. It would cause fewer questions, and also, it would be painful for some people if they saw me like this."
Suguha suddenly understood. Lots of ALO players were parents who played for the social aspect, reconnecting with friends they didn't have time to meet up with in real life. Likewise, there were relatively few small children who were permitted to play full dive games and the ones that did were likely to use a more mature avatar. In fact, Suguha didn't even know if an ALO avatar could be generated to appear as young as Yui. The sight of a human child might be a painful reminder of something that many people weren't ready to face."
"Leafa-chan . . . Papa and Mama are both really strong. They'll be okay, right?" Yui asked suddenly. Leafa had never seen this uncertainty in Yui before.
Suguha looked at Yui carefully, how to answer? Yui was smart. Much smarter than a human child in a lot of ways, while still being nothing but a little girl in others. Suguha wasn't sure what that might mean for Yui's development, but she thought it must be very chaotic. Yui could think so quickly, all the horrible "what ifs" stacking up and churning around inside of her, and being only a child she didn't know how to sort them out. She was all jumbled up. She had to answer Yui's question, but she couldn't just answer, she had to make herself believe, Yui would be able to tell if she was lying.
Suguha smiled. "Onii-chan is amazing, you know. He always manages to do something impossible." Yui nodded in agreement as Suguha went on. "He figured out that our mom and dad were really his aunt and uncle when he was only ten. And then he managed to survive and beat SAO. I can't imagine how hard that must have been. And he also met Asuna, and he met you, and he came back to me." Suguha looked at Yui and with all the confidence and faith she could muster she smiled. "So I know he'll come back again, even if its impossible."
Yui's eyes widened, she could tell that Suguha meant it, and with that feeling came a sort of relief. The girl relaxed just a little, and Suguha could believe that Yui wasn't just wearing a brave face.
"Now then. If we soak too long, people will start to complain. Want to get out?"
"Un."
Suguha helped Yui to dry her hair, long hair was always so much trouble, she'd been thinking about cutting her own, but something had held her back so far. While Yui sat wrapped in a towel, Suguha got dressed in her night clothes. When she was done, something occurred to her and she smiled. "Wait here Yui-chan, I'll be right back."
Suguha returned a few minutes later with Kirito's sleep shirt and shorts. Yui could always switch back to her pixy form, but it seemed like a shame to waste this opportunity. Even with her brother's slim build, the shirt covered Yui like a tent and it took Suguha some work to pull the drawstring on the shorts tight enough to prevent them from sliding off. When she was done, Yui stood before her, examining herself in the bathroom mirror.
"How is it, comfy?" Suguha asked.
Yui hugged herself tightly and smiled, "It smells like Papa."
They snuck their way back up stairs quickly, people at the inn might recognize Yui, and like the girl had said, there was a small chance that it would raise some questions. When they were safely back in the room they both shared with Kirito, Suguha flopped down on her bed with a sigh. What a long day it had been.
"Feeling better now?" Suguha turned to Yui who gave a small nod. The girl was standing beside the bed, her hands behind her back.
Suguha sat up. "Is there something wrong?"
Yui shook her head. "Leafa-chan . . . Uhm . . . I've been wondering . . . Papa's your cousin, but you were raised as brother and sister, right?"
Suguha winced internally, it was painful, but true, and no matter how she might hope otherwise she had come to accept that Kirito would never look at her in any other way. "Un, that's right." She said.
"Leafa-chan . . . Suguha-san . . ." For the first time, Yui looked nervous, anxious. It was so normal that Suguha almost had to blush in sympathy.
"What is it Yui-chan?"
"Are you . . . Obasan?"
Suguha blinked a few times completely stunned by the question. Yui watched expectantly, waiting for her answer. She sat up and looked at Yui. She was such a sweet girl, and over the past days she found that she really had started to think of her as another sibling. The little sister she'd never had. And in that time Suguha had also seen the little ways that she was like her brother, the mannerisms and attitudes that they shared, and also how she was different. 'She really is Onii-chan's daughter, then she really must be Asuna's daughter too.' That thought made her both happy and strangely sad. It didn't make sense, but that was okay.
"Un." Suguha nodded and enjoyed the look of wide eyes joy that crossed Yui's face. The older girl reached up and grabbed hold of her 'niece' to pull her into a hug. "But you have to call me Aunt Sugu!"
"Un." Yui agreed, burying her head in Suguha's shoulder.
"Lets both do our best to smile until your Mama and Papa get back. That way we'll only have happy tears to show them. Okay?"
"Un." Yui said again.
Things were going to be alright, Suguha thought. No matter what happened, they would make it all turn out okay in the end.
"Ready for bed?"
Yui rubbed sleepily at her eyes and nodded. "I didn't finish clearing my buffer last night." The girl yawned.
Suguha pulled Yui down onto the bed and brought the covers up over both of them. Yui watched with drowsy eyes as she dimmed the bedside ore light and made herself comfortable with a second smaller body in the bed. "Goodnight, Yui chan."
"Goodnight . . . Obasan . . . " Yui mumbled as she nestled down against her pillow. The girl shifted, one, twice, and then went still.
Was she already asleep? Suguha wondered. She prodded one cheek experimentally, receiving only a small twitch in reply. Goodness, she must have been exhausted.
Suguha watched the girl for little while longer and then, feeling her own eyes growing heavy, she pulled the blankets all the way up and wrapped an arm protectively over Yui.
That night, there were no bad dreams.
End of Chapter
Halkegenia Online-Chapter 8-Part 4
In the bathhouse of an Inn with a fragrant Olive Tree in its garden, Kirigaya Suguha, Leafa, soaked quietly, eyes looking beyond the walls of the bath, mind contemplating the events of the day.
Her brother's departure had been so sudden, there had hardly been anytime to say goodbye. And like a cut that had been made quickly, though it hadn't hurt at first, it was starting to sting now.
Kirito had returned late in the evening, much later than Suguha had expected. Mari had stayed up with her and Yui, keeping the dining room open until Kirito arrived. When her brother had stepped through the front door, Suguha had rushed to greet him, only to pause when she saw the look on his face. The dull ache in her chest had blossomed anew. She could tell something had happened, and knew almost at once that she was about to be left behind again.
Mari, watching from the kitchen door, had brought out leftover bread and soup from dinner and set a table for them. Kirito had explained everything as they ate, about the report of the Faeries in Albion, and that Asuna was among them, and that he had volunteered to go as an agent in the service of Tristain to bring them all back. He didn't know how long he would be gone, hopefully not more than a couple of weeks. If all went well, he'd return with Asuna and they could start looking for a way to get home.
Suguha had listened carefully. Her brother was going off to do something incredibly dangerous, maybe even more dangerous than the World Tree Raid, but there wasn't even a shred of hesitation in his voice. So she had accepted it, and put on a brave face.
Her brother had seen through her of course. His look of remorse had almost caused her own mask to crack. Kirito might have been awkward and a bit oblivious, but he wasn't stupid, and she knew he cared about her. That night, her brother had stayed at her bedside until she had fallen asleep.
The next morning had come too soon, waking before dawn so that she could see her brother off, she had found Klein and Argo, and another person, a young Cait Syth girl with a blue feathery dragon clinging to her shoulder, waiting in the front room of the inn. Kirito had stood before all of them dipping his head in apology for leaving on such short notice and thanking all of them for their help over the past days.
"Klein, I have a favor to ask, I'll be back soon, but drop in and keep an eye on Sugu and Yui for me."
The Salamander had nodded seriously. "You can count on me, Kirito-kun. Bring her back so we can all celebrate."
"We still have to find a way home." Kirito said and then smiled. "But one thing at a time, right?"
"Right." Klein agreed.
The next to speak was Argo. The Cait Syth had stopped forward with a small satchel, handing it to Kirito. "There's a map of Albion and copies of all of my notes. One of the academy servants helped me to translate the town and city names. I was also able to get Novair to release some supplies from the Sylph stockpiles. There's some healing potions and other useful items in their. I wrote up a summary and labeled everything. I sure hope you don't need it."
"Thanks, Argo."
"Tis nothing." The girl looked away. "Just be sure you bring Aa-chan and the others back. You bring them back with you, Kii-bou."
Kirito had turned next to the young Cait Syth girl at Argo's side. "Silica, I haven't had the chance to tell you this. But I'm sorry that you got caught up in this. It wasn't fair. It shouldn't have happened."
"Mmm,mmm." The girl shook her head. "That's silly Kirito-kun." The Silica looked up at him. I'm here because of choices I made. Nobody could have known this would happen. Its nobodies fault. Go get Asuna-san back." The feathery dragon on the girl's shoulder let out a shrill cry as if in agreement.
Kirito smiled and stroked the diminutive dragon on its head. "You watch after her, okay Pina?" The dragon let out another shrill cry.
Finally, it had come Suguha's turn. Her brother stepped up to her and smiled. "Sugu, before I go, I think I owe you an explanation for some things. I'm coming back soon, but I don't want to leave this unsettled."
"Onii-chan?" Suguha breathed.
Her brother's expression grew pained. "Sugu, I've been really selfish, even now. I know this has been hard for you but I can't do anything but stay focused on Asuna. But not just that, there's a lot of things I have to make up for, most of all how I've treated you these last few years. I let a lot of childish worries get between us that made me forget what you were to me, and I'm still trying to figure out what mean to me now, but there's one thing I'm sure about." Kirito looked into her eyes, face serious. "Sugu, I'm sorry I took your big brother away from you for all of these years."
Suguha squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears. She wasn't going to cry in front of him. "Idiot. What am I supposed to say to that?" She forced a smile, "Klein-san is right, Onii-chan, you really are dumb sometimes."
"Well you don't have to be so hurtful about it." Kirito replied softly, but he smiled, before looking down to his pocket. "Yui."
There was no response save for a faint rustling.
"Yui." Kirito repeated gently before reaching into his pocket and carefully extracting the navigation pixie, lifting her by the tips of her wings before depositing her in the palm of his free hand. Yui's eyes were downcast and Suguha though she could see tears cutting tracks down her tiny cheeks.
"Please, let me come with you." Yui said.
"It's much too dangerous." Kirito said gently. "This isn't like ALfheim or even Aincrad, I know you want to see Mama just as badly as I do. But I couldn't live with myself if I put you in danger. And neither could Asuna. So please, Yui, wait here and let me bring her to you."
Yui stood up in the palm of Kirito's hand, placing her arms behind her, she didn't meet Kirito's gaze at first, but then, finally, she looked up and gesture for Kirito to bring her closer. The Pixie extended her wings and gently place her hands against Kirito's brow, giving her Papa a small kiss on the forehead.
"Promise you'll stay safe?"
"I promise." Kirito said solemnly, "And no matter what, I won't let that promise be broken." Yui drifted back, taking hold of the tip of Kirito's index finger as she came to rest on Suguha's shoulder. "Be a good girl Yui, and watch out for Sugu while I'm gone. After all, she has a habit of flying into trouble."
Yui nodded seriously as Kirito stepped back. "Well, I'm going to be late if I don't go now."
"Ki – Onii-chan." Suguha said, reaching out.
"Un?"
Suguha searched for the right words, she needed to say something, but she thought if she said the wrong thing, something bad might happen. So instead, she settled on, "Good luck."
"Un. Thanks, Sugu." And then he had turned and departed. The last Suguha had seen of her brother was his form silhouetted against the streetside ore lamps.
Having risen so early, the day had quickly grown long for Suguha and she'd found it hard to concentrate. She and Yui spent most of the morning in a daze as they helped with odd jobs around Arrun tower. The 'clerical staff' had finally settled in and were busily transforming the heart of Arrun into a real administrative hub. Another sign of their new reality, Faeries becoming stuffy bureaucrats.
The whole city was abuzz with the news that the Grand World Tree Raid was being temporarily postponed to allow time for additional training. Rumors were already spreading about what exactly had cause the sudden change. Sakuya and the other Faerie Lords had yet to release an official statement in the interest of security.
Even during lessons, Suguha had found she couldn't quite concentrate. She usually took her job as an instructor very seriously, but for once she'd just let herself coast through the class. KoKo had been worried and taken her aside to ask what was wrong.
"I heard that Kirito-kun got assigned to some special mission." KoKo said. "Is that what's bothering you?"
Suguha looked away, as much as she might want to, she couldn't tell the hunter anything specific, Kirito had made that clear. "It's not a problem. I'm just letting it get to me is all."
"Leafa-chan, if you're letting it bother you, then it is a problem." KoKo advised. "Why don't you and Yui come stay with me tonight?" The hunter suggested. "My place isn't too big, but I can always lay out another mattress."
"Thank you KoKo-san. But I'd rather stay in the room we share with Papa." Yui said as she floated next to Suguha.
Suguha shook her head, "Yui-chan is right, we'll be fine, but thanks for the offer. Hey, Emroi! What are you doing?!" Leafa was suddenly shouting after one of her students.
Most of the Faeries had steadily improved over the last week, but that only made teaching them all the more difficult. Once they convinced themselves that they could fly they had a tendency to stop listening and get it in their heads that the rest would be easy. So far, most could manage level flight and even some simple acrobatic maneuvers. But they still hadn't learned to fully trust their senses or keep good spatial awareness.
For instance, the Leprechaun, Emroi, was proving to be a very good solo flier, but he didn't pay attention to his surroundings and had nearly crashed into a trio of Sylphs who were practicing hovering in the breeze above the lake.
Leafa had stormed after the Leprechaun, catching up with him and forcing him to come to a full midair stop by yanking on one of his pointed ears. For a little while Suguha's worries were cast aside as Leafa gave her student a brutal dressing down. When Emroi finally looked suitably chastised she let him go before returning to KoKo's side.
"Powerful as ever, neh?" The Cait Syth laughed.
"Don't put it like that, I just want them all to stay safe." Leafa said, "It might not be much, but this is what I can do for right now."
KoKo gave her an appraising look, "I know you don't want to take patrol duty because of your brother and Yui, but why don't you go up to the dispatch office at Arrun tower. They're always looking for couriers and they usually have some other odd jobs. Lady Sakuya and Lady Alicia both like you, so I'm sure they'd trust you to handle some of those."
"Wouldn't that take me away from Arrun, though?" Leafa asked. She didn't like to admit it, but the land beyond the Academy was still a wild and alien place to her. It was like another world, in fact, it was another world.
"Well most of these guys are getting good enough for self practice, so don't worry too much." The Cait Syth advised. "You're a good instructor, way better than me, our group is way ahead of the curve." KoKo smiled. "Actually, I've heard Lord Mortimer is looking for instructors to teach advanced aerial maneuvers to the skirmisher squads. A few jobs under your belt wouldn't hurt to pad your resume."
"Well then. I guess I can think about it." Leafa supplied, feeling unsure.
When class was finally dismissed for the day, Suguha had been bone tired and made her way back to Arrun at a leisurely pace. Klein had joined her for dinner that night, claiming that the food in the barracks was pretty awful. Suguha had been a little grateful. She was starting to see why her brother thought of the man as a friend, despite his face, loud voice, and course attitude. The Salamander vice squad commander had become a fixture, something that Suguha could latch onto, frequently visiting in on her and Kirito over the past days.
They'd talked as they'd eaten, Klein offering comments about his work in the mob hunting units. "Now that the roads and fields are clear. They want us to scale back patrols, so that's good." Klein said.
"What, why?" Leafa asked.
"One of the squads near Freelia found a terrorantula nest in the forest, about a million baby terrorantula's, little white spiders the size of your thumb. I guess now that they're real, the mobs are breeding." Klein explained. "The Cait Syth want to keep some of them around to harvest and tame."
"I see." Suguha said and then frowned. "But wait, won't the mobs mess up the local ecosystem?" Suguha remembered lessons about that from school. It had been a real problem in Australia and the Americas and even in Japan.
"The ecosystem is already whacked." Klein replied. "We might be able to kill all the big mobs, but there's no way we can get all the little ones, not if they're breeding now."
"The nobles must be pretty angry about that." Suguha thought.
Klein chuckled, "I hear its a mixed story. Yeah, they're mad that dagger dogs and terrorantula's are eating all of the foxes and boar, but the mobs are a lot more territorial, so they don't wander out of the forests as much. More importantly the mobs in the deep forest have been going after the local Orc bands."
Suguha wrinkled her nose. She'd heard about Orcs, they sounded like pretty vile creatures. In the news sheets posted in the square near the Fragrant Olive Inn, it was reported that the Tristanian government was requesting that the Faeries assist in hunting down and eliminating Orc bands in the back country regions. It was felt that the Fae ability to fly and cover ground quickly would greatly help in hunting down the monsters. While it wasn't strictly a Faerie problem, if the Orcs were as bad as they sounded, Suguha for one couldn't fault the Faerie Lords if they agreed.
"The mobs might become an even bigger problem though." Suguha observed.
"Right. Their behavior is changing." Klein agreed. "That nearly got one of my squad injured yesterday, a group of dagger dogs we were fighting closed ranks to protect an injured comrade. That wasn't part of the original attack algorithm. I guess it'll be touch and go for a while." The salamander sighed. "Man, we've got to get these newbies trained up in fighting Aincrad front line style. Back then, we didn't go a week without running into something new."
"Un." Suguha said absently, thinking about the suddenly 'real' mobs had reminded her of something. "Yui?"
"Hmm?" The pixie girl was in the middle of munching on a cracker and tilted her head curiously. She'd seemed almost back to her normal self after Kirito had left, but Suguha suspected that like herself, Yui was putting on a brave face.
"Yui-chan, you're a physical existence now, right? Has that caused any problem for you?"
The pixie girl tilted her head, seeming to think hard about the question. "Not really." She decided. "Fatigue is a new feeling but I'm already used to my efficacy diminishing due to prolonged operation and spending about a third of my time in sleep mode, I haven't had access to sufficient processor resources to archive data in real time since I was the SAO mental support AI. Other than that, I don't like getting hungry or thirsty, but I already eat and drink whenever Papa does so that hasn't been a problem. Pain isn't good either, but as long as I'm careful I don't have to feel that."
Klein suddenly gave a strange look and leaned in conspiratorially. "What about the other stuff?"
"Other stuff?" Yui asked.
"You know, eating and drinking, what comes after . . ." The salamander said awkwardly.
"Klein!" Suguha spluttered, had he really just asked that? He'd just asked that!
Yui just gave the question some thought and shrugged. "It's a little inconvenient but I guess its not a problem."
"Eh?" Suguha said, stopping her attack on Klein. "Yui-chan, you're not embarrassed?"
"Why would I be embarrassed?" Yui asked, looking genuinely confused, "It's just biology after all. Any system needs to collect fuel and dispose of waste. In a computer those are electricity and heat, in a biological system they're food and biological waste."
"I . . . See . . ." Suguha said giving Klein a glare before re-seating herself.
"Honestly, a physical body is a little inconvenient, but its worth it to live in the same world as Mama and Papa." The pixie girl smiled sincerely and Suguha felt her heart melt. "Really, I'm more bothered by my lack of network access. If I want to learn something now, I have to read it from a book or have someone tell me about it."
"Didn't you say that you were still able to detect Cardinal?" Leafa asked.
"Un. But its different now." Yui said, looking unsure. "I don't know what happened to Cardinal in the transition. I think its like me and was changed into a physical existence of some sort."
"Maybe the World Tree?" Klein suggested, "That fits, right?"
"That's a possibility." Yui agreed, looking unhappy, "It's what Papa and Sakuya-san think, but I don't have enough data to be sure." Suguha frowned, she hated seeing Yui so frustrated and especially after all the hard work she'd put in.
For the last several days, the navigation Pixie had spent each evening sitting before the GM access card, seemingly in deep meditation. When Suguha had asked what she was doing, like Kirito, Yui had remained vague. She had only replied that she was studying the card. Since Yui had scanned the GM card before the transition, she said that she hoped that she could learn something based on how the card has been altered.
But so far, all that Yui had been able to confirm was that the card was indeed some sort of magical artifact, and that it was powerless on its own. Yui suspected that the GM card needed a connection to Cardinal to do anything. With this in mind, Kirito had left the card in Suguha's possession for safe keeping.
Klein departed a little later begging night patrol. "Leafa-san, you going to be alright tonight?" Klein asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired is all, so I think I'll turn in early." Suguha said.
The advantage to that was that Suguha was able to cut to the head of the line on the bath rotation. The Inn possessed a small bath located in its own outbuilding. A blessing as far as Suguha was concerned. Unlike Alfheim, a day spent flying, and working was going to make you dirty, sweaty, and smelly. She'd washed herself with soap and lukewarm water and rinsed thoroughly before sinking into the bath. Closing her eyes, she could almost pretend she was back home.
There came a splash in the water at Suguha's shoulder and a tiny dress floated to the surface, Yui bobbed up a moment later using her wings like oars to backstroke. For the pixie the tub probably seemed like a full sized swimming pool. The thought made Suguha giggle.
Yui smiled, "I'm glad your happy Leafa-chan. You haven't really smiled all day."
"I'm sorry." Suguha said. "Have I worried you?"
Yui nodded. "Its normal to feel anxiety, I'm worried about Papa and Mama too. But it's not healthy to think about it all the time."
"What about you, Yui-chan? How are you handling it."
The girl became quiet. "I hate it." She said, suddenly coming to a stop in the water. "I hate not being with Papa and Mama. I wish Papa would have let me go. I could have helped." The girl's face was scrunched up in frustration.
Suguha's expression softened, "No, Onii-chan was right, it's really dangerous and what if somebody had seen you?" Not just that, Yui was so tiny, there were so many things that could hurt her, kill her even! Should she even be allowed to fly outside? There were hawks and other predatory birds in Tristain that weren't native to ALfheim. Would she be safe? Kirito had made Suguha responsible for Yui, her well being was important to him, Yui's well being was important to her!
Yui gave her a defiant look and taking a breath, dove under the water.
"Yui-chan?" A wash of light spread across the surface of the water and suddenly the water level rose, spilling over the rim of the tub. With a much larger splash, Yui's head burst from the surface, but instead of her tiny form as a navigation pixie, she was now the size of human child.
"Y-yui-chan?" Suguha asked, surprised. With her long black hair clinging wetly to her head and back, leaning forward towards Suguha, Yui gave her temporary guardian a troubled look. The tub was only meant for one person, but Yui was small enough that it wasn't a problem, except for where she had placed her hands to balance herself.
"See, I could have helped." The girl repeated, she tilted her head to show her completely human ears. "I could have gone as Papa's little sister."
Suguha blinked a few time and then shook her head, "Yui, how long have you been able to do that?"
"Do what?" The girl asked, as if she didn't realize what she had just done. She certainly still hadn't realized what she was leaning on, Suguha thought, at least buoyed by the water she wasn't too heavy.
"Change!" Suguha said.
Yui finally shifted, sinking back into the tub opposite Suguha. "I've always been able to do that. This is my default form." Yui's default form? Suguha wondered, she really didn't look any different as a human child than as a Faery save for the lack of wings and pointed ears. Actually, now that she was properly sized, Suguha could definitely see the resemblance to Kirito and to Asuna. Was that a coincidence or had Yui chosen to look like this?
"Does Kirito know about this?" Suguha asked.
Yui nodded and then looked at her hands through the water. "It was something we tested when Papa was learning transformation magic. But we decided it was better I stay as a navigation pixie. It would cause fewer questions, and also, it would be painful for some people if they saw me like this."
Suguha suddenly understood. Lots of ALO players were parents who played for the social aspect, reconnecting with friends they didn't have time to meet up with in real life. Likewise, there were relatively few small children who were permitted to play full dive games and the ones that did were likely to use a more mature avatar. In fact, Suguha didn't even know if an ALO avatar could be generated to appear as young as Yui. The sight of a human child might be a painful reminder of something that many people weren't ready to face."
"Leafa-chan . . . Papa and Mama are both really strong. They'll be okay, right?" Yui asked suddenly. Leafa had never seen this uncertainty in Yui before.
Suguha looked at Yui carefully, how to answer? Yui was smart. Much smarter than a human child in a lot of ways, while still being nothing but a little girl in others. Suguha wasn't sure what that might mean for Yui's development, but she thought it must be very chaotic. Yui could think so quickly, all the horrible "what ifs" stacking up and churning around inside of her, and being only a child she didn't know how to sort them out. She was all jumbled up. She had to answer Yui's question, but she couldn't just answer, she had to make herself believe, Yui would be able to tell if she was lying.
Suguha smiled. "Onii-chan is amazing, you know. He always manages to do something impossible." Yui nodded in agreement as Suguha went on. "He figured out that our mom and dad were really his aunt and uncle when he was only ten. And then he managed to survive and beat SAO. I can't imagine how hard that must have been. And he also met Asuna, and he met you, and he came back to me." Suguha looked at Yui and with all the confidence and faith she could muster she smiled. "So I know he'll come back again, even if its impossible."
Yui's eyes widened, she could tell that Suguha meant it, and with that feeling came a sort of relief. The girl relaxed just a little, and Suguha could believe that Yui wasn't just wearing a brave face.
"Now then. If we soak too long, people will start to complain. Want to get out?"
"Un."
Suguha helped Yui to dry her hair, long hair was always so much trouble, she'd been thinking about cutting her own, but something had held her back so far. While Yui sat wrapped in a towel, Suguha got dressed in her night clothes. When she was done, something occurred to her and she smiled. "Wait here Yui-chan, I'll be right back."
Suguha returned a few minutes later with Kirito's sleep shirt and shorts. Yui could always switch back to her pixy form, but it seemed like a shame to waste this opportunity. Even with her brother's slim build, the shirt covered Yui like a tent and it took Suguha some work to pull the drawstring on the shorts tight enough to prevent them from sliding off. When she was done, Yui stood before her, examining herself in the bathroom mirror.
"How is it, comfy?" Suguha asked.
Yui hugged herself tightly and smiled, "It smells like Papa."
They snuck their way back up stairs quickly, people at the inn might recognize Yui, and like the girl had said, there was a small chance that it would raise some questions. When they were safely back in the room they both shared with Kirito, Suguha flopped down on her bed with a sigh. What a long day it had been.
"Feeling better now?" Suguha turned to Yui who gave a small nod. The girl was standing beside the bed, her hands behind her back.
Suguha sat up. "Is there something wrong?"
Yui shook her head. "Leafa-chan . . . Uhm . . . I've been wondering . . . Papa's your cousin, but you were raised as brother and sister, right?"
Suguha winced internally, it was painful, but true, and no matter how she might hope otherwise she had come to accept that Kirito would never look at her in any other way. "Un, that's right." She said.
"Leafa-chan . . . Suguha-san . . ." For the first time, Yui looked nervous, anxious. It was so normal that Suguha almost had to blush in sympathy.
"What is it Yui-chan?"
"Are you . . . Obasan?"
Suguha blinked a few times completely stunned by the question. Yui watched expectantly, waiting for her answer. She sat up and looked at Yui. She was such a sweet girl, and over the past days she found that she really had started to think of her as another sibling. The little sister she'd never had. And in that time Suguha had also seen the little ways that she was like her brother, the mannerisms and attitudes that they shared, and also how she was different. 'She really is Onii-chan's daughter, then she really must be Asuna's daughter too.' That thought made her both happy and strangely sad. It didn't make sense, but that was okay.
"Un." Suguha nodded and enjoyed the look of wide eyes joy that crossed Yui's face. The older girl reached up and grabbed hold of her 'niece' to pull her into a hug. "But you have to call me Aunt Sugu!"
"Un." Yui agreed, burying her head in Suguha's shoulder.
"Lets both do our best to smile until your Mama and Papa get back. That way we'll only have happy tears to show them. Okay?"
"Un." Yui said again.
Things were going to be alright, Suguha thought. No matter what happened, they would make it all turn out okay in the end.
"Ready for bed?"
Yui rubbed sleepily at her eyes and nodded. "I didn't finish clearing my buffer last night." The girl yawned.
Suguha pulled Yui down onto the bed and brought the covers up over both of them. Yui watched with drowsy eyes as she dimmed the bedside ore light and made herself comfortable with a second smaller body in the bed. "Goodnight, Yui chan."
"Goodnight . . . Obasan . . . " Yui mumbled as she nestled down against her pillow. The girl shifted, one, twice, and then went still.
Was she already asleep? Suguha wondered. She prodded one cheek experimentally, receiving only a small twitch in reply. Goodness, she must have been exhausted.
Suguha watched the girl for little while longer and then, feeling her own eyes growing heavy, she pulled the blankets all the way up and wrapped an arm protectively over Yui.
That night, there were no bad dreams.
End of Chapter
... *twitch*
... *twitch*
... *goes off to put more moon dust in Cave's air vents*
That was adorable, yes. Though "nothing but a little girl" is an odd thing to say in a post-SAO universe - see Silica.
... *twitch*
... *goes off to put more moon dust in Cave's air vents*
That was adorable, yes. Though "nothing but a little girl" is an odd thing to say in a post-SAO universe - see Silica.