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Throughout the Years (Kirito x Asuna version)

She was six years old when she first met him. ** **

Even as a young girl, Asuna had always been observant. Since her first day in school, she had been observing the quiet boy that sat beside her in class; he was taller than her by a few inches and his cheeks were chubbier than hers. He never played with anyone during break time, simply content on staying in his seat, reading story books or finishing homework that was due for tomorrow. For a while, she thought that he preferred to be alone… Until one day, she noticed how his eyes seemed to follow their classmates that were playing.

Maybe he wants to play with them.

She tried to pick up the courage to ask him, but sadly enough, the school bell had rang, signalling the end of their lunch break. Silently, she went back to her seat, casually stealing glances at him.

She didn’t know why she was so drawn to him, but… She felt like he wouldn’t make fun of her like the rest of the class did.

It took her an entire week before she managed to gather the courage to ask him to play with her. It was nerve wracking and she braced herself for the incoming rejection…

...Only to be given a smile in return.

The smile he gave her made everything worth it.

He was nine years old when his heart skipped a beat for the first time.

Kazuto was having a very bad day that time; he forgot his homework at home, some bullies ‘accidentally’ knocked his bento out of the table, and his best friend wasn’t around to keep him company. He didn’t want to continue the rest of the school day anymore. He wanted to go home and play with Suguha and cuddle with his mother.

“What’s wrong…?” Asuna asked as she scooted her chair closer to him. She was sharing her bento with him; something that he greatly appreciated, but at the same time, he felt guilty that she had to share her lunch with him. He would’ve said no, but his stomach had grumbled and Asuna had took it upon herself to take his chopsticks and wash it on the sink. He tried to eat only a small portion of her lunch, but she stopped him by shoving a piece of octopus weiner on his mouth.

Really, those were the rare times that Asuna had taken initiative to do things, when she was too busy worrying and fussing over him to the point where she’d temporarily forget her shyness.

It was incredibly nice of her to do so, but Kazuto thinks that he doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

Kazuto gave Asuna a forced smile as he placed his chopsticks down. “Nothing. I… I’m just… having a bad day, that’s all.” He didn’t want to burden her with his problems. He doesn’t want her to fuss over him even more because he feels bad already and he feels so shameful—

He couldn’t help but flinched slightly when he felt Asuna’s gentle and soft hands on both sides of his cheeks. He felt his cheeks burn as he watched her face get closer to his. He closed his eyes, not knowing what to expect.

“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers, letting their foreheads touch. He felt his heartbeat accelerate, but it wasn’t out of fear or nervousness. He didn’t know what he was feeling, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It felt… Nice, in a weird way. Unconsciously, he leaned closer, their faces only inches apart. “I’ll be here. I may not be Eugeo-san or Alice-san… But… I’ll be here.”

He couldn’t help but frown when Asuna had pulled away from him. He was already missing the warmth and comfort that she had given him; the way her hands ever so gently held his face as she whispered words of comfort to him. “...Asuna…?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks…”

Kazuto didn’t know what he had felt at that moment, but he knew that he was going to continue feeling that way whenever Asuna is with him.

At that moment, he wanted nothing but to improve; he wanted to become the kind of guy that could protect Asuna.

(Only to find out the hard way that his decision to change for the better would soon cause her nothing but pain.)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was eleven years old when she realized that she was in love with her childhood friend.

In a span of three years, Kazuto had changed a lot; from a shy, introverted boy to a friendly, sociable teen. He started to socialize more with other people, and he started to grow more attractive. He already had a few girls crushing on him, but somehow, Asuna could see that he isn’t interested in any of them (much to her relief). Despite his change in demeanor and personality, a lot of his quirks had retained, like the way he would scrunch his nose whenever Asuna would poke the tip of his nose, or the way his smile would brighten every time the two of them would casually touch their foreheads together.

It was the little things that captivated her.

The way he would call out to her, the way he’d say her name while smiling brightly, the way he would tuck her long hair behind her ear, the way he would immediately take her hand and intertwine their fingers together whenever they would start walking home…

She loved every moment of it.

However… She couldn’t deny the fact that he was slowly, ever so slowly, getting more and more distant. He has new friends, he’s being pulled into a social standing where Asuna couldn’t get in to. Not if she wanted to. She was a complete opposite of the current Kazuto right now; meek, introverted, and horribly, horribly awkward. It was a selfish thought, but she didn’t want him to hang out with his new friends. She wanted him to stay with her and simply pour out his attention to her and her only.

But she knows that she can’t and she could only smile bitterly as their regular hang-out sessions became less and less.

He was slowly being pulled away from her. She knows that someday that he’s going to leave her and that’s what scares her the most.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was thirteen when he started saving up money to buy gifts for Asuna.

It started out with Kazuto asking for his mother to increase his allowance. She was skeptical at first, but when he told her that he wanted to save half of his allowance in order to buy a present for Asuna’s upcoming birthday, she relented. His mother gave him a small smile and told him, in a somewhat teasing voice, “it’s adorable at how much you love Asuna to go through such great lengths for her.”

At first, he didn’t catch the implication in her voice. He simply nodded his head and outright told his mother that he would do anything for Asuna.

(Later on, he would hear the same sentence from his mother, but with a different tone and in a completely different situation.)

Over the course of months, he would secretly go through various shops, trying to find the perfect present for her. He thought long and hard on what to give her, which prompted Suguha to tease him about it (Shino had quickly silenced his little sister, nudging her side in a rather painful way).

In the end, he simply decided to buy her a pair of hair ribbons. When he gave it to her on her 13th birthday, the smile she had given him warmed his heart.

“Thank you,” Asuna held his gift close to her chest. “I’ll treasure these.”

He didn’t knew that it was going to be the last time that he’d see her smiling genuinely.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was fourteen when the bullying started.

It started when three of her female classmates cornered her into the girl’s bathroom. They were smiling at her, but she could see that their smiles were laced with malice and ill intent. They told her that she was plain-looking and how she doesn’t seem to put effort in looking presentable. She tried to ignore it, inwardly telling herself that she doesn’t need to, because she knows that Kazuto wouldn’t really mind if she didn’t put makeup or anything, she knows that he wouldn’t mind if she preferred wearing baggy and oversized clothes—

It didn’t affect her at first because she knows that Kazuto wouldn’t mind. She wasn’t affected by their words, but a single remark from one of the girls made her blanch.

“Yuuki-san, you should really take care of your appearance more… If you continue to look like that, Kirigaya-kun would leave you.”

When the girls finally left her alone, she didn’t even realize that her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and how her hands were clutching the hem of her skirt so tightly, to the point where her knuckles had already turned white. She didn’t realize that she was already sitting on the floor, breathing heavily. Her breaths came in short, ragged puffs— it was as if she had ran from her house to her school.

You’ll be okay, Asuna. Kazuto-kun wouldn’t leave you. He wouldn’t. Not because of such a petty reason like that. He cares for you and he likes spending time with you. He doesn’t care about appearances.

She repeated that mantra in her head over and over again, but somewhere deep inside of her, she wasn’t believing in her own words anymore.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was sixteen when he started noticing Asuna’s frequent absences in school.

Kazuto thinks that maybe Asuna had gotten sick; maybe she wasn’t feeling well, maybe she was too tired. He tried not to worry too much about it, because he knows that Asuna would come back to school and that he’ll see her sitting beside him after a week.

He tried not to worry too much.

He didn’t think of it as something serious, until it started happening frequently.

Somewhere deep inside of him, he knows that something had happened. He knows that something bad happened to Asuna, and he was desperately, desperately trying to be optimistic; that maybe she was only tired, that maybe she needed to rest, that maybe, just maybe, his suspicions of her being bullied was wrong.

Oh, how wrong he was.

“You do know that Asuna’s being bullied, right?”

Kazuto felt his heart drop when Eugeo said that. Suddenly he wasn’t in the mood to continue eating his lunch anymore, his food long forgotten as he pressed Eugeo to tell him everything that he knows about the situation. His best friend gave him a look before he told him what Asuna had been going through, how Asuna had practically begged Eugeo not to say anything to him, how Asuna had broke down more than once when she was left alone in the school bathroom, how Asuna wouldn’t want him to know because she doesn’t want to bother him with her problems.

It broke his heart, hearing all of this from his best friend. He clenched his fists and told his best friend to cover for him before he started running out of the classroom, of the school building. He didn’t care if his teachers or even the principal saw him running out of school; his top priority at that moment was Asuna, and Asuna alone.

When he reached her house, Asuna’s mother was taken aback when she saw him panting heavily in front of their doorstep.

“Auntie… Can I talk to Asuna…?” He begged. Asuna’s mother bit her lip and silently let him inside, leading him to Asuna’s room. She knocked on her first daughter’s door and said, “you have a visitor, Asuna.” Before leaving him.

The moment Asuna had opened the door, he didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around her as he mumbled apologies over and over again. He could see the surprise in Asuna’s face. She was completely silent the entire time, but after a while, she placed her hands on his face and touched their foreheads together. “It’s not your fault.” She reassures. “It’s not your fault, Kazuto-kun.”

Despite her words, he knows that it’s his fault and he can never forgive himself for it.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was fifteen when she decided that she had enough.

She’s had enough. She was tired of it all. The whispering, the constant sneering, and the endless string of bullying through photos. She couldn’t take it anymore. She stopped going to school after the first two weeks of her third year in middle school.

It was too much for her. The amount of pressure and bullying had backed her up in the corner and she can’t even fight back. She was eternally grateful for Eugeo for helping her most of the time, when Kazuto wasn’t with her or when he was too busy. She was also thankful of Kazuto’s friends, who would casually visit her and lend her their notes. Sometimes they’d even bring her all kinds of sweets and snacks and in those short amount of time, she would momentarily forget about her problems.

Only for a moment though.

It was hard. It was hard trying to tell her parents and older brother that she wanted to leave, to move in with her grandparents in the country. It was hard to look at them without crying. Her parents accepted her decision without saying anything else, only wanting what’s best for her. They told her to take as much time as she wants. They want her to recover and if it meant going away for who knows how long, they silently accepted it.

“We’ll take you to your grandparents’ house after your birthday.” Her mother said as she pulled her into a (surprisingly) warm and loving embrace. “But at least let us celebrate your 16th birthday here.”

“Okay.” She forced herself to smile back, despite the pain that she felt at that moment.

The day she turned sixteen, Kazuto wasn’t present in her birthday party.

It’s okay, she thought, smiling bitterly. Maybe he has some other plans. It’s not like he’s obligated to come to my birthday party anyway.

It was ironic. His friends were present, but he wasn’t. Eugeo, Alice, Yuuna, Eiji, Rika, Keiko, Shino, and even Mito was there. When she asked them if they knew where Kazuto was, they could only shake their heads.

It’s okay. At least he won’t have to see me the day before I leave.

Hours after her party, just as she was about to go to sleep, she heard something being thrown in her window. She ignored it at first, but when it didn’t stop, she got slightly annoyed so she went to check on who’s the stupid person that keeps throwing pebbles on her windows and maybe give that person a piece of her mind—

When she pulled the curtains, she saw Kazuto standing outside of her house, panting heavily. She could see the tired but loving smile that was plastered on his face. She was absolutely bewildered. What was he doing in front of her house at this time of the night? She grabbed her cardigan and put it on before she went downstairs and went outside of the house.

“Kazuto-kun… What are you—”

She was cut off when Kazuto took her hand (she noticed that his hands were freezing cold and that he wasn’t even wearing any mittens despite the cold weather) and gently placed a small box into her hands. She looked up and stared at his face, trying not to burst into tears.

“Happy birthday, Asuna.” He whispered as he leaned closer to her, letting their foreheads touch. His face was so, so close— if she leaned closer, she could kiss him.

But she won’t.

They stayed like that for a while before Kazuto broke the tranquil silence that surrounded them. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t able to attend earlier. My part-time job prevented me from running to your house earlier. Sorry if I’m late.” He leaned a bit closer to bump their noses in an almost affectionate manner.

At that moment, she bursted into tears. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Kazuto-kun…” She sobbed, holding onto him. She could feel Kazuto panicking; from the way his hands awkwardly rubbed her back and from the way he was comforting her, even if he didn’t know why she was crying. “Hey, why are you apologizing and crying? You’re crying as if we won’t see each other for a long, long while.” He remarked, trying to sound like he was teasing.

That’s because you won’t see me after this.

She wanted to say it out loud, but she knows that she can’t. She could only sob as Kazuto held her for one last time before she leaves him.

Before she leaves without saying goodbye.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was seventeen when he felt his heart break into a million pieces.

Kazuto was excited. He was running to Asuna’s house, carrying his present for her. It’s been almost a month and half since he had last seen Asuna; he became incredibly busy with his part-time job and a few outings that he had with his new friends; he originally wanted to decline to their invitations, seeing as he hasn’t been spending time with Asuna and he misses her badly but they always manage to guilt-trip him, much to his annoyance.

But now, he was finally free. He was free to spend his Christmas with Asuna. Maybe he could ask her if she wants to walk around the town together, like a date—

He was so excited to see her again…

...Only to find out from her parents that Asuna had moved in with her grandparents. He tried to ask Asuna’s mother for the address, but Asuna’s mother simply shook her head.

“She didn’t want me to tell anyone.” Her mother said, clutching her arm tightly. Kazuto could see how Asuna’s mother was in pain; she probably didn’t want to part with her daughter, but at the same time, she wanted her daughter to recover.

He decided not to press her on anymore, but…

“...Do you think she’ll come back soon?” He asked, clutching onto the gift that he bought. Asuna’s mother simply shook her head. “I’m sorry, but… Judging from the way that things are going, you might have to wait for a bit long, Kazuto,” she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small, reassuring smile. “But have faith on her. She’ll come back. I’m sure of it.”

He wanted to believe her, but he took one look at her eyes and Kazuto knew that even Asuna’s own mother wasn’t sure if she was ever going to come back.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was seventeen when she decided to take her own life.

She thought that she’d recover if she stayed far away. She thought she would. But living with her grandparents proved to be tough; she doesn’t have any friends to talk to and it became increasingly hard for her to vocalize her thoughts so she kept everything inside but by doing so, the despair slowly ate her away.

She overdosed herself in pills. She didn’t care what kind of pills were they, she just wanted to disappear. She stared at the clock and laughed bitterly to herself. The clock hands pointed at 11:59 P.M. Only one minute left before her 18th birthday.

There was a written note on her bedside table. It didn’t contain much, just two simple words in a messy handwriting.

The next morning, she woke up and found herself lying on a hospital bed.

Why won’t they just let me disappear? Asuna thought as she curled into a ball and cried softly. She desperately wanted to disappear; she wasn’t needed anymore, her family would be better off without her, Kazuto would be glad if she was out of his life.

She sobbed her heart out, unaware that there was someone passing by in her hospital room.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was eighteen when he finally realized that he was in love with Asuna.

By that time, he was already in high school; he didn’t really care which school he went, so he simply picked whatever school that Eugeo and Alice went to and followed them. He recognized some of his middle school classmates in the same school with him, but he couldn’t care less about them. Ever since Asuna moved away, he barely cared for anything at all; he didn’t care if he was pouring out so much of his time studying, he didn’t care if he was overworking himself to the bone with his part-time jobs, he didn’t care if the countless amounts of girls that he had directly and indirectly rejected hated him for being such a cold hearted bastard.

He was tired. He was tired of the attention, he was tired of being befriended only for the sake of using him and his popularity.

As he and Eugeo sat together in the rooftop, he couldn’t stop himself from asking him things like, “did she leave because she thinks I’m a bother?”, “did she leave because she hated me?”, “why does my heart ache so much when I think about her?”

Eugeo simply listened to him, sighing rather dramatically after he had finished his dramatic monologue. With an overly exaggerated sigh, Eugeo looked at him and deadpanned. “Kirito, have I ever told you that you’re a dense idiot?”

He let out a groan. “Are you going to lecture me again?” He asked, lying down on the floor. He knows that Eugeo means well, but sometimes, he can get brutally honest when he wants to.

“I would, but lecturing you again would take too much time so I’m going to go ahead and say it bluntly.” Eugeo leans and flicks Kazuto’s forehead. He sits up and was about to retort, but Eugeo had cut him off before he could even say anything.

“You’re in love with Asuna. You always had been, ever since we were kids. But you’re too dense and dumb to notice and you were too fucking busy in improving yourself for her that you didn’t even notice that she never wanted to you change. She only wants you to stay the same, Kirito. All she ever needed was your presence, and your presence alone. All those gifts you gave her? She doesn’t need it. She just wants to stay beside you. But you’re too much of an idiot to notice that and she’s not even here to see just how much of a fucking mess you are.”

Kazuto could only blink in response as realization slowly dawned upon him after hearing Eugeo’s words.

I’m in love with Asuna.

He thinks of the times where he would always wait for her so they could go home together, he thinks of the times where he would lovingly stare at her, he thinks of that one time where he kissed her while she was unconscious, when she had suddenly passed out back when they were in middle school. It slowly hits him that the way he had been staring at her was always filled with love.

“Eugeo?” He turned to his friend and gave him a friendly smile.

“What?”

“Thanks.”

Eugeo smiles. “Hey Kirito, do you know what the densest material on earth is?” He asks, confusing him for a moment. He thought for a bit before answering, but his best friend shook his head, grinning. “Actually, it’s your skull.”

His words may have stung him, but Kazuto knows that Eugeo had always, and will always have his back.

(It was too bad that Kazuto hadn’t noticed that Eugeo was actually hurting on the inside.)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was eighteen when she met another important person in her life.

Asuna had been walking around the hospital garden, trying to get some fresh air. She had been cooped up in her hospital room for so long and she was starting to hate the smell of disinfectant in the air.

As she walked, she noticed someone near the flowerbeds. Curiosity got to her and she walked closer, she saw a young girl on a wheelchair, humming softly as she sketched out the scenery before her. Asuna stared at her, suddenly entranced by her. She didn’t even notice that she has been staring at her for so long until the girl turned to her, giving her a smile. “Hi there, miss!” She placed her sketchbook on her lap and placed her hands on the wheels, moving towards Asuna.

Her first instinct was to run. But for some reason, she can’t. The girl in front her had such a welcoming and calming aura that naturally draws people in and she was absolutely drawn to her.

“Miss, can you sit down for a bit?” She asked, as she turned and grabbed something from the small backpack that was hanging at the back of her wheelchair. Asuna obediently sat down (the ground wasn’t dirty and she didn’t really mind sitting down on the ground anyway) as the girl grabbed a hairbrush from it. Gently, she brushed Asuna’s hair, humming softly.

“You’re very pretty, miss.” The girl remarked as she continued to brush her hair. “And I’m sure you’ll be a lot prettier after I untangle some of the knots in your hair.”

Asuna didn’t know what else to say, so she simply let the girl do as she pleased. Besides, she wasn’t… Hurting her in any way, and the girl seemed to find brushing her messy hair a fun activity.

“There, all done!”

“U-um..!”

Asuna turned and stared at the girl, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She could feel herself getting more and more nervous every passing second. “W-what’s… your name…?” She asked, stammering. The girl gave her a bright smile. “My name’s Yuuki! Konno Yuuki. What’s yours, pretty lady?”

“I’m… Asuna. Yuuki Asuna. It’s.. nice to meet you… Yuuki.”

“Nice to meet you too, Asuna!”

She didn’t know that her meeting with Yuuki would make a huge impact on her life.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was twenty when Asuna’s older brother gave him the address to their grandparents’ home and a box that was filled with handwritten letters.

Kazuto hadn’t really expected it; he was, of course, surprised when Kouichirou had contacted him out of blue, telling him to meet him at a cafe that was near his university. He complied, though he doesn’t really know what to expect.

When he went inside the cafe, he saw Kouichirou sitting near the windows. Kazuto walked up to him and sat across the older man, giving him a polite smile. “Hello Kouichirou. Why did you want to meet up with me?”

He has known Kouichirou for years. Kou was like an older brother to him, and there are times where he would often ask Kouichirou for suggestions or information regarding Asuna’s likes. He’s one of the very few people that he trusts, and that, itself, was something that only a few people can earn.

He watches as Kouichirou grabs his bag and pulls out a small box and a notepad. He tore a piece of paper on the notepad before handing it to him, along with the box. “I’ve written the address on the paper,” he started, leaning back on his seat. “That’s where Asuna’s currently living.”

His eyes widened. He took the paper and folded it, immediately putting it inside his wallet. He didn’t want to lose that small piece of information that he had gotten from Kouichirou. He then stared at the box, blinking. “What’s this?”

Kouichirou stood up, slinging his bag on his shoulder. “Open it when you get home.” He gave him a small smile before he excused himself, apologizing to Kazuto for suddenly calling him out when he’s so busy. He shook his head and told him that he was thankful for making time for him before he waved goodbye.

He left the cafe a few minutes after he left, heading back to his apartment. As soon as he got inside, he sat down on the couch and opened the box.

Inside the box were various of unopened letters. He figured that there were at least ten or more, but what got his attention was the familiar handwriting that was on the envelopes. He took one letter out of the box and looked at the sender.

He almost dropped the letter when he saw the name that was written on it. He took out all the letters out of the box and checked them one by one, checking if the sender of the letters were the same person. To his immense joy, they all came from one sender and it was none other than Asuna.

He opened one of the letters, desperately trying to tell his brain to stop his hands from shaking.

Kazuto didn’t even notice the tears that were falling down his cheeks as he clutched the letter to his chest.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was twenty-one when Yuuki passed away.

Ever since Asuna had met Yuuki, she started to heal. She started to laugh again, and she started to become slightly more sociable than before. Yuuki’s presence and calming aura had helped Asuna immensely; she could confidently say that she was slowly but surely recovering. She started acting more and more like her past self; like how she usually acts whenever she’s with Kazuto.

She began to smile more. She began to see herself recovering. In those three years that she spent with Yuuki and her older sister, she felt like she was finally starting to heal from her painful past.

At least, that’s what she thought, until Yuuki’s conditioned worsened.

She, Yuuki, and Aiko were happily chatting in the Konno household’s garden when all of a sudden, Asuna and Aiko sees Yuuki having trouble breathing. The two of them panicked, but Yuuki gave them a weak smile, telling them that she was alright.

Asuna almost believed her. She almost did, but the moment after Yuuki reassured them, she saw the life in Yuuki’s eyes disappear and she could only watch in horror as Yuuki lost consciousness.

She and Aiko took her back to the hospital immediately. The two of them begged the doctor to do anything, anything, just to save Yuuki.

The doctor did their best, but… to their absolute horror, the doctor told them that Yuuki didn’t have much time left. The best they could do was to keep her happy and comfortable in her last moments.

Asuna felt her world slowly crumbling down once more, but this time, she knew that this separation was going to become a permanent one.

As Yuuki’s condition worsened, Asuna’s mental stability worsened as well. Despite that, she stayed strong for Yuuki. Since Yuuki was confined to the ICU, Asuna couldn’t do anything much aside from making small talk. Sometimes she’d try to sneak in a few white lilies, which were Yuuki’s favorite flowers. Yuuki would happily talk to her, despite their very limited time together, and she could see just how hard Yuuki was staying strong for her and for Aiko.

She tried to be optimistic. She even prayed to the gods and hoped that Yuuki will recover. She clung onto that small hope that Yuuki would recover and that Yuuki staying in the ICU was just a short nightmare that she and Aiko would have to endure.

She clung onto that small belief, until god cruelly grabbed Yuuki away from them.

Asuna sobbed as she held onto Yuuki’s left hand, begging her to fight her illness. She held Yuuki’s hand tightly, telling Yuuki not to give up.

“Asuna…” Yuuki weakly murmured. “I’m sorry… But it’s… getting harder and harder… to keep my eyes open… I’m so.. So… tired….”

“Please… Please don’t leave me…. Don’t leave me and Aiko-san alone….”

At her words, Yuuki shook her head. “Asuna… You know… That… something like this… would happen… at some point…” She laughed softly. “I’m really… glad… that I met you… Asuna… You were… the very first friend that I made…” She let out a shaky breath and Asuna could see the light in Yuuki’s eyes slowly disappearing.

“Asuna… Can I ask you a favor…?” Yuuki stared at Asuna. “This may be… a very selfish request… But I want you to… To live. Please… Please live the life… That I wasn’t able to live…”

And at that moment, Asuna felt Yuuki’s grip on her hand loosen and she couldn’t do anything but cry as her friend finally drew her final breath.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was twenty-three when he had finally reunited with Asuna.

It took him six years. Six, long years of nothing but pure heartbreak and crushing depression of being away from her for so long. He overworked himself to the bone just to distract himself from pain, both in his studies and on his part-time jobs. Somewhere along the years, he started to think positively; maybe if he did well in his studies and if he saved up enough money, he could visit Asuna and eventually ask her to move in with him back in the city.

After he graduated in college, he was referred by one of his professors to a rather famous company. He was quickly accepted into the company and everyone welcomed him with a smile. He managed to earn a lot in the small span of time and he used more than half of savings to prepare for the trip.

He was going to meet Asuna again.

The entire trip to the countryside was 4 hours long, but Kazuto’s mind was far too occupied. He couldn’t help but feel a strange mixture of dread and excitement; he didn’t know if his presence was welcome, but he was still excited to see her nonetheless.

The trip to her grandparents’ home didn’t take too long. As soon as he got off the train station, he asked a few locals to help him locate the house and to his relief, the house wasn’t too far from the station at all.

He stared at the front door, taking a deep breath. Shakily, he reached for the doorbell, pressing it.

He heard a pair of footsteps heading towards the front door. There was a minute of silence before the front door opened, revealing his childhood friend. “I’m sorry, my grandparents are—” Asuna’s words died in her throat when she laid her eyes on him. He could see the way her eyes widened in fear, almost as if she was too afraid to see him.

“Asuna…” Kazuto gave her a weak smile. He wants to pull her close to him, he wants to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. He wants to touch her forehead with his own, to press his lips on the tip of her nose.

But he can’t. Not while she’s looking so afraid of him.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Asuna’s hand hesitantly reach up to his face, but only for a moment. He looked into her eyes and he could see the conflicting emotions inside of it. He can see how much she wants to get close to him; to hold him close.

He didn’t even realized that he had already pulled her into a warm and loving embrace. “I missed you so much… So, so much…” He buried his face on her shoulder as his hold tightened on her. “You have no idea how much I missed you.” He couldn’t bear to part with her again. Not anymore. Not after the pain that he— no, they have gone through.

He lifted up his head from her shoulder as his hands went to both sides of her cheeks, holding them lovingly. “Asuna… Asuna…” He let their foreheads touch as Asuna held onto him, tears streaming down her face as she let herself be pulled closer.

“I’m sorry…”

“Sshhh… It’s okay… It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong.”

He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears before it fell down her cheeks.

He wanted to press their lips together, but he knows he can’t and he knows that she isn’t ready for it.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was twenty-two when Kazuto started to visit her regularly.

After their heartfelt reunion, Asuna had shyly let him inside the house. She led him to the living room before she headed to the kitchen to prepare tea. He offered to help her, but she declined, telling him to rest and make himself at home.

When she got back in the living room, she saw him sitting down on the couch, waiting patiently for her. Carefully, she placed the cup of tea on the coffee table before she sat across him, fidgeting. She wanted to ask him a bunch of questions, such as, “why did you look for me?”, “don’t you hate me?”, “why does your eyes tell me that you’ve been through so much pain?”

But she couldn’t.

“Asuna… How are you?” He asks, taking the cup of tea from the table and lifting it up to his lips. He took a small sip before putting it back. “I hope you’re doing well.”

Asuna gave him a weak smile. “I’m… Okay. I guess.” She stared at the floor. “A lot of things… happened.” She didn’t want to tell him about her suicide attempts, she didn’t want him to know that she’d been suffering before she met Yuuki, she didn’t want him to know that she temporarily went back to reclusion when Yuuki died. It took her a moment before she lifted up her head to face him. “I’m still recovering.”

“Is that so… I won’t push you to tell me what happened, but…” Kazuto faltered off. She watched him intently as he bit his lip for a moment before he changed the topic. “You know, Eugeo-kun’s gotten a girlfriend. It’s Alice. She’s…”

As Asuna listened to Kazuto’s stories, she couldn’t help but think of how nice it would be if he visited her again.

But he’s busy. I shouldn’t trouble him. He’s probably working in a company or something. Or maybe he already has a girlfriend and he’s just here to visit me one last time before saying something like, “Oh, that’s right! I’m going to get married soon!”

There was a short pause from Kazuto, causing Asuna to tilt her head.

“Yeah… As you can see, pretty much everyone except for Klein and me… They’re all in a relationship.” He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing sheepishly.

Her eyes widened. “You’re… you’re still single…?”

“W-why do you sound so shocked?”

“Well… I figured that someone as… popular and… a-attractive as you would be in a relationship.” She felt herself blush at her own words. She didn’t really know what she was saying. Her own words stung her heart, but she kept the small smile in her face as she conversed with him.

To her surprise, his expression shifted into a sad smile. She wanted to turn away, to avert her gaze from his stare; his eyes were so full of emotions and she had wanted nothing but to look away. His stare reminded her of the way she would lovingly stare at him whenever he wasn’t looking. “Asuna, I’m not interested in anyone else.”

Asuna could tell that there was an unspoken ‘other than you’ in his response (or maybe she was being delusional), but she didn’t press him about it and just shifted their topic into something else. As they talked, Kazuto had filled her in about the current situation with her family and she was glad that they were doing well, even if she wasn’t there with them.

“Asuna, can I visit you again?” He asked, giving her a shy smile as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. He was looking at her with so much hope, she couldn’t bear to say no.

“S..sure. If you want to.”

The second time he visited, he was carrying a large bag that was filled with presents. He told her that all of those presents were for her; they were all the presents that he bought for her birthday and for Christmas and it piled up in his desk. She felt bad, seeing as she never bought him anything, but he said that her presence alone was more than enough. She felt butterflies in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it as she picked up a random present from the bag.

“You can open it, you know. It’s for you after all.” He moved closer to her, helping her unwrap the present she took. She tried to ignore how her hands trembled, she tried to ignore how his hands, which were now slightly bigger than hers, touched hers for a brief moment before he pulled away.

She placed the ruined wrapping paper on the coffee table and stared at the present. “It’s… The book that I wanted to buy last year.” She felt the corners of her mouth twitch, letting a smile make its way into her face. “How… how did you know I wanted to read this?”

“Just a hunch.” He replied, grinning.

Around his third visit, she started waiting for him at the doorstep. Every time she hears the doorbell ring, she’d open it and welcome him inside, smiling happily. By that time, she had read most of the books that he’d given her, and she’s even wearing some of the accessories/jewelries that he had also given. Her personal favorite was the cherry blossom-shaped hair ornament that was included in a set of hair accessories. Normally, she wouldn’t wear such things, but Yuuki had often told her that simple but cute accessories suits her.

“I’m sure Kazuto would love it if he sees you in those ribbons that he gave you!”

She stared at the hair ribbons on her dresser. Thinking back, she never really used those hair ribbons, not even once.

Maybe I’ll use them, just this once.

She undid her bun, letting her long, messy hair flow freely. She brushed her hair, untangling the knots on it. She remembered how Yuuki does it; gentle strokes, sometimes using her fingers to untangle the more complicated knots. She took the hair ribbons, tying it on both sides of her hair. She looked in the mirror, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I don’t think this kind of thing suits me…” she sighed.

She was about to remove and untie the ribbons in her hair when she heard the doorbell ring. She stood up and ran towards the front door, not realizing that she was already smiling happily as she opened the door for Kazuto.

“I’m back, Asuna.” Kazuto greeted, smiling happily.

“Welcome back, Kazuto-kun.” She replied, smiling back.

He let out a small, embarrassed cough before saying, “the ribbons… It looks very cute on you.”

For the first time since Yuuki’s death, she finally smiled genuinely again.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was twenty-five when he asked her to move in with him.

It started out with a simple, innocent question.

“Asuna, do you want to move back to the city with me?”

He saw her face pale at the mere mention of moving back to the city. Her eyes showed fear, hesitation, and pain. He bit his lip and silently pulled her into a tight embrace, rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

“I’m afraid, Kazuto-kun. I don’t know if I’m ready to leave yet.” She murmurs, burying her face on his shoulder. “I don’t know if I can face my family yet. I don’t know if I’m ready to go back to a place where there’s so many people. I don’t want to be a burden, Kazuto-kun. I don’t want to be a burden to you, I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”

“Asuna,” he used his hand to lift up her face. “Look at me. Listen to me. You are not a burden. Not to me, not to anyone.” His facial expression softened as he touched their foreheads together. “I love you, Asuna. I would never, ever think that you’re a burden.” One of his hands traveled to her cheek, caressing it. “I’ll help you. I’ll be with you. I would never leave you.” He nuzzled his nose on hers, making her giggle for a bit. “You don’t have to show yourself to your family once we get back to the city. You don’t have to go outside if you’re afraid. You’re still in the process of recovering, and I know that it’s going to take time. Don’t be afraid, Asuna. We can take things one step at a time.”

He could still see the hesitation in her eyes, but… She finally relented. “Alright. I’ll move in with you.”

I’ll be with you forever, Asuna. I won’t leave you alone.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was twenty-five when she met Eugeo again.

It had already been a few months ever since she moved back into the city. She was staying with Kazuto, too afraid to show her face to her parents and little sister. She didn’t really mind staying with him though; he was the main reason why she went back to the city in the first place. When Kazuto’s at work, she would usually stay at home, playing with his cat, A-chan.

Truth to be told, Asuna somehow knew that Kazuto had named his cat after her. It was pretty obvious, from the way he stammered and tried to save himself when she asked him what was the name of his cat. She merely played along with him, saving him from the embarrassment.

He’s such a dork.

Sometimes, she would think about those years where she thought that Kazuto hated her. She spent years thinking that maybe Kazuto was glad that she left, that maybe he was glad that she wasn’t there to keep him away from all his friends.

But she was wrong.

“I love you, Asuna. I’ve always did, ever since we were still kids.”

Those words were more than enough to keep her from thinking negatively.

Still, there were times where her sleep would be plagued with nightmares. She’d toss and turn in her bed before she would get up and head over to Kazuto’s bedroom. At first, she was hesitant to do so, but now, her feet would automatically drag her to his bedroom every time she’d get nightmares. She loved being in his arms; it made her feel safe and loved.

In that particular night, she knew that Kazuto would come home late. He had said something about going drinking with his friends, and he promised that he wouldn’t take too long. She giggled, telling him not to worry too much and have fun, since she has A-chan to keep her company. Though, she was starting to worry since it was starting to get really late and she knows that Kazuto didn’t really like staying out too long outside.

When the doorbell rang, she wasn’t expecting to see Eugeo carrying an unconscious Kazuto on his back. He explained what happened to her as he dumped Kazuto on the couch. Before he left, Eugeo had smiled at her, telling her that she’d gotten a prettier.

She didn’t really expected him to compliment her, but she was thankful nonetheless.

Eugeo visited her the next day, bringing pastries and a lots of photos of him and Alice.

She was happy that he finally found someone that would love and care for him.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

He was twenty-six when Eugeo confessed to him.

He was getting ready to go to bed when he received a text message from Eugeo.

Sender: Eugeo Subject: None

Are you free right now? Can we meet up at the park? I want to talk about something.

I wonder what he wants to talk about.

He quickly changed out of his pajamas, dressing into something comfortable. He wrote a small note and placed it on Asuna’s bedside table before giving a sleeping Asuna a quick peck on her cheek before he headed off to the park.

When he reached the park, he saw Eugeo sitting on one of the swings, holding a can of coffee in his hands. He turned and gave him a smile, gesturing for him to sit on the empty swing beside him. He complied, sitting beside him.

“What did you wanted to talk about, Eugeo?” He asks, giving his best friend a smile. “What, are you having pre-wedding troubles? It’s the night before your wedding, of course you’d be nervous—”

“I used to be in love with you, Kirito.”

Eugeo wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at the ground, his eyes downcast. “I’ve liked you ever since middle school. At first, I thought it was only a small crush; just an admiration. But as we grew older, I realized I was in love with you. But I knew that my love is unrequited,” he let out a laugh. There was no bitterness or pain in it, it was merely a soft laughter. “I can see it in your eyes; you only have your sights on Asuna, and Asuna alone.”

“Eugeo—” He tried to cut him off, but Eugeo raised his hand to stop him from saying anything else.

“Let me finish. Jeez, why are you suddenly so impatient?” He joked, chuckling. “Where was I? Oh, right.” He took a sip from the canned coffee before continuing.

“Anyway, around second year in middle school, I buried my feelings for you. I told myself, “it’s not like he’s going to like me back anyway,” and I just focused on helping you realize your feelings for her and in rescuing Asuna from her bullies.” He smiled fondly at the memories. “Truth to be told, I think I may have developed feelings for Asuna too, back then. When she left, you were an absolute mess, Kirito. You overworked yourself a lot and you even gave me the job of rejecting the girls who wanted to confess to you!” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Honestly, who does that?”

At this, Kazuto couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. “Sorry about that. Looking back, that was really mean of me, huh?”

“Yeah, you were an asshole. But hey, you were in a permanently bad mood at that time and only our group of friends can temporarily distract you from the pain.” He lifted up his head, finally looking at him. There was a smile on Eugeo’s face; there was no pain, bitterness… Only genuine happiness. “So yeah, I still have feelings for you around in high school… But I completely buried it. I originally didn’t want to pursue a relationship because I know that somewhere deep inside of me, I was still clinging to a very small hope, that maybe, just maybe, that you’ll notice my feelings.”

“Well, that was the original plan, anyway. But I had Alice supporting me in college and well, here we are now.” He gave Kazuto a grin. “I’ll be married tomorrow and I’m going to start a family with her. I told you about this because I wanted to get it off my chest. I wanted you to know.”

Kazuto smiled softly. “You’re very brave, Eugeo. And I appreciate everything that you’ve done, both for me and for Asuna.” He stood up and gave Eugeo a tight hug. “I’m sorry for not realizing. I’m a dense idiot, after all.” He pulled away, giving him another smile.

“Yeah, I know that. I was the person who had to put up with all your bullshit after all.” He grinned, but it quickly dissolved into a gentle smile. “You and Asuna would attend my wedding, right?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Eugeo gave him a smile. “Thanks for hearing me out. You should get home now. Asuna’s probably looking for you.”

Kazuto bit his lip. “Eugeo?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry. And thanks.”

Eugeo smiled. “Don’t apologize, please. If I haven’t buried my feelings for you, I wouldn’t have met my soon-to-be wife.” He stood up and stretched. “Anyway, I’ll take my leave now. Alice and I have a big day tomorrow. Bye Kirito.”

The smile that Eugeo gave him made his heart clench.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

She was twenty-six when Kazuto proposed to her.

It’s been two years since she started living with Kazuto. It had been a struggle at first, trying to adjust into her new life. For the first few months, she can barely go outside alone; she has to rely on Kazuto most of the time whenever they go out on dates or whenever they have to buy groceries. She would stick closely to him, clinging onto his arm as they walked around.

At home, the two of them would laze around; cuddling became a regular thing for them and it would only take a simple, “is it okay if we cuddle?” for the two of them to cuddle for hours. The two of them would chat about random things as they cuddle; things like, “how was work?”, “what did you do when I was gone?”, and other mundane things. They never really reached past any stage that went beyond cuddling, mainly because she wasn’t ready and Kazuto was too afraid to scare her.

That night, the two of them were sitting on the couch, watching a random show that they found. Kazuto’s arms were wrapped around her waist while Asuna leaned on his arm.

The air around them was weirdly tense and she could see Kazuto fidgeting from the corner of her eye. He was being restless for some reason and it was starting to worry her.

I wonder what’s wrong…

“Kazuto-kun? Are you okay?” She asked, squeezing his arm. Kazuto gulped. He gave her a weak smile before he surprised her by lifting her up and making her sit on his lap. She let out an embarrassed squeak. “Kazuto-kun, what are you—”

“Asuna… I…” He took a deep breath before he turned Asuna, so she was facing him. “Asuna,”

“Y-yes?” She tilted her head, not really sure where their conversation is going.

“W...Will you… will you marry me?”

She felt her face burn when she heard those four words spill out of his lips. She could see that he was embarrassed too; he was suddenly stammering out words and his hands were making wild gestures, saying things like, “I forgot that the ring was in my room!” and “I’m sorry, I was trying to make this romantic but I panicked—” and she decided to save him the embarrassment by putting her hands on his cheeks.

“Kazuto-kun,” she took a deep breath before answering. “Yes.”

“Y-yes?”

“Y...yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you, Kazuto-kun.”

His entire face brightened as he lifted her up in his arms, standing up to spin her around. She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he let their foreheads touch.

“I love you, Asuna.”

“I love you too, Kazuto-kun.”

After years of pain and heartbreak, Asuna finally found peace.

#the night sky and the shooting star #KiriAsu tag bc I'm too embarrassed to put this in the main tag

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