The Two Swordmasters

Kirito

Kirito

Asuna wrung her hands together as she waited obediently in the empty room they locked her in. Her clothes were still fresh with Kazuto's blood and it made her head spin in fear. Her heart ached as she prayed for his survival silently. From the moment they thrown her in this room, she never stopped praying. She hoped for the best and begged the Goddess above to not take her friend away.

But, what if Kazuto never accepts her, never forgives her? Well, it was quite a reasonable thing to do since she did attempt to kill him. No, wait. Attempt? What if he doesn't survive? Then that would be murder.

She would be declared as a murderer. Everyone she tried so hard to come back to for seven long, hard years would hate her. They would make her an outcast for killi-no murdering Lady Ellonie's only son. Asuna was fine with that. She would accept anything that they would throw at her. She wouldn't dare to harm those she loved in this village. It was, after all, her first memory of her amnesiac life.

Kazuto was there, holding a hand to her. He told her that he could bring her to a place that could help her. And true to his word, he did bring her to a place that helped her in so many ways. He gave her a home, friends, and even emotions that never seemed to come easily. Smiling was never easy at first. But living with him for a good year, she learned to love those closest to her, learned that there was something that was willing to help her.

He was her very first memory.

"Please, Kazuto. Live. I'm begging you, please. Live. If not for me, then for Kirito. Please, live for Kirito." she muttered as tears threatened to fall. The door behind her suddenly slammed open. Asuna spun to her feet and gripped the edge of her chair as she addressed the person.

"Klein! How is he? How's Kazuto?' she demanded desperately. The red head seemed to be a taken back by her sudden question, but he was quick to recover with a harsh glare.

"Kirito abandoned that name. He's Kirito now. Remember that." he snapped. Asuna bit the back of her lip and looked away for a moment. She reluctantly sat back down properly under Klein's pressuring glare. She clasped her hands together and held them in regret. They remained in their places before Klein broke the silence.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked her. Asuna lifted her head slightly in surprise. His tone wasn't harsh. Instead, it was soft, barely audible in the dead silence as if he was scared to even ask. Asuna gave a tiny, shaky sigh.

"If I didn't do it, Heathcliff would kill him himself. I couldn't let that happen." she answered gently. There was another thick silence before Klein broke it with a sigh.

"Kazuto's still unconscious, but the wound stopped bleeding. We just have to hope for the best now. If anything, we'll be lucky if he doesn't fall into a coma because of the blood loss. Lady Ellonie said that he should be able to return to his duties in about three months if all goes alright. Well, the easy tasks anyway." Klein said. Asuna tilted her head when Klein suddenly switched to using Kazuto's real name.

"Then I'll hope for the best." she said.

"I knew you'd say that." came a wise, elderly voice. Asuna smiled sadly, immediately recognizing the owner. She waited as the footsteps approached to the other side of the table. She looked up as the steps stopped. There, standing at the opposite side with the table up to her chest, was Lady Ellonie. The woman who took her in seven years ago.

"Hello, Lady Ellonie." Asuna greeted. The woman waved a hand, dismissing Klein. Asuna flinched when the door slammed closed. Lady Ellonie sighed and placed her bony hands on the table. She stared directly into Asuna's eyes.

"Asuna." she began, "if only things were different, then I would've thrown a party to celebrate your return. But, of course, even I cannot bring myself to accept that you have returned to us. Although, I have a feeling that Kiri-no, Kazuto, would forgive you. Maybe in a heartbeat."