Beater

CHAPTER 24- The Computer

Play song whilst reading trust me!!!!

I pulled myself off my knees, Kirito doing the same.

"Yui?" My quiet whisper carrying through the dead halls.

"Daddy, mommy... don't worry" She turned towards us.

"I remember everything," She hummed, her silver eyes glazed over as a soft smile appeared on her face.

Once inside the safe confines of the safe zone Kirito and I began to question her.

"Yui, say something. You remember who you are?"She stared down at the floor.

"Yes..." She gently lifted her innocent face to us.

"Kirito, U/N... Everything in the world of Sword Art Online is controlled by a single massive system. This system is called Cardinal, it was designed to operate entirely on its own without any human intervention. It's function is to regulate the balance of Sao according to its own discretion. From monsters, NPCAI, to drop rate in items and money. Everything here is controlled by the processes the Cardinal program executes... that includes the psychological care of the players...Mental health counselling program prototype 1: code name YUI. That is who I am."
Her grey eyes widened as she smiled at us. A ball scratched at my throat as I stood ridged trying to wrap my head around what just happened.

"You're a program, an AI?" I mumbled in disbelief.

"I was designed to put players at ease with me, that's why I was given the ability to emulate complex emotions... nothing about me is real. Nothing. Not even my tears." Crystal orbs began to trickle down her face before disappearing into purple sparkles.

"I'm so sorry, U/N..." She whimpered.

"Oh Yui,"
I walked forward bring my hand up to gently caress her face. But I stop . Bringing my hand back, allowing it to hover in front of my chest.

"But then what about your amnesia? Can that even can happen to an AI?"

"Two years ago, on the day of the official launch and for reasons I never understood. The Cardinal program banned me from interacting with any of the players. I wasn't allowed to assist them, I couldn't do anything but continue to monitor their mental states. Their situation; in a word was horrible. Terror, despair, rage, people were overcome with negative feelings. Some of them couldn't take it, they went insane. Under normal circumstances my function would've been to go to such players immediately but I wasn't permitted any contact with them. Little by little errors began piling up inside of me... and I fell apart. One day I saw 2 players their mental perimeters were vastly different from anything I've seen among the others. There was joy, and peace and there was something more... I wandered through the playing field hoping to get as close to both of you as I could without being detected-"

"So that's why you were in the forest" I interjected as I stole a glance at Kirito. His eyes were dull, staring at the tiled floor.

"Yes, that's why. I've wanted to meet the 2 of you for the longest time. That's strange isn't it. It should be impossible for me to think things like that, I'm not human im a program after all." More Crystal tears began to fall, she felt so real.

"Yui, maybe what you're feeling are real human emotions."
I inquired draping my hands over my heart. She shook her head at the idea.

"I don't know, I'm confused. Nothing makes sense. I don't know what's happened to me." Kirito walked forward before bending done in front of her to meet her eye level.

"You aren't just some program anymore, the system can't control you. Listen, if you want something all you have to do is say it. Go ahead... tell us what you want." He smiled gently.

"What I want? I want... I want to stay with you forever." She reached out her arms towards us. Her watery eyes pleading for us to take her. Before I knew it my body ran up to her encasing her fragile body in my arms. Tears rolled down my face as I embraced her.

"You will. We'll be together forever,"
I whispered. Two arms wrapped around us. Bringing my gaze to match his.

"It's too late." She whimpered.

"For what?" He asked as we pulled away.

"Look this is actually a console." She placed her hand onto the black box she was sat on.

"The gm can use to gain emergency access to the system." She continued as the black console illuminated with neon blue lines.

"I used it to delete the monster in the corridor. And now because I disobeyed the Cardinals directive, the system is running a check on my program. It thinks I'm a foreign object now. I'll probably be deleted at once."

"Oh no"

"There's gotta be a way around it,"

"Thank you, this is goodbye..."

"No! I don't want this" I pulled her into another tight hug. I couldn't let her go, she can't go. Not after everything.

"Stay with us, please stay." I pleaded.

In a flash of yellow Yui began to disappear.

"Yui don't go!" Kirito called out as he grabbed onto her hand.

"Whenever the 2 of you are around you have a way of making people smile. From now on and for me please continue my work. Keep helping people, share your happiness with them."
More and more she began to glow like an angle ascending to heaven.

"I can't! I won't, you have to stay with us, I can't be happy without you!" I cried, tears falling harder down my tear stained face.

"Smile, mommy" In an ethereal glow she slowly disappeared. Once I couldn't feel her warmth I pulled away. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground in a pool of tears.

Word count: 1000

Sorry for the short chapter, and for taking forever to update I've been super busy but I hope you enjoyed I almost cried writing this chapter I love Yui </3