The Lightning Flash

Chapter 26: A Startling Discovery

"What's wrong, Suguha, dear?" asked Midori as her and her daughter were washing the dishes from the breakfast that they had just finished.

Midori had noticed that her daughter was taking much longer than usual to dry the dishes as she washed them, meaning that her mind was pre-occupied with something.

"Oh, sorry, it's nothing," Suguha mumbled to herself, sadly. "I didn't mean to take so long drying the dishes. I'm just...worried about Kazuto."

Midori sighed, wondering what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into this time.

"Believe me, Suguha, you aren't the only that worries about that boy," Midori claimed. "No matter how hard we try to prevent it from happening, he's always putting himself in harm's way...always for others' sake, though.  I assume that this time isn't any different?"

"It just isn't fair," complained Suguha. "After everything that he's been through...that Asuna's been through...hell, all of the SAO survivors have been through...don't they deserve to just be able to live the rest of their lives in peace? Haven't they been through enough, especially, Kazuto?  Not only did he survive SAO but he had to return to the very world that had caused him so much pain to rescue Asuna. I...was there for that second time and...I could, visually, see the effect that all of the fights were having on him and I wasn't even there for when he fought against the man, who had taken Asuna prisoner. I don't know if it's me but, ever since all of that happened, Kazuto hasn't seemed like his usual self. I mean, he didn't even eat breakfast with us, this morning...I feel like, the more time he spends in VR, the more distant he becomes. I'm...scared...of losing him."

"I, completely, understand where you're coming from, Suguha, and I feel the exact same way. Minetaka and I both can't help but worry about the boy, always trying to be the hero and help as many people as possible. At the same time, we, also, know that there's no changing that part of him so we're starting to embrace it. Your father and I are so proud of Kazuto for always doing the right thing and...we try to focus on this pride, rather than the anxiety of losing him to that VR world. Plus, the two of us put our trust in him, knowing that he'll always do what's right in his heart."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," agreed Suguha, seeing nothing wrong with what her mother was saying. "I...need to put my trust in him as well."

"Although, there's nothing wrong with worrying about him," said Midori. "It just shows how much you care for your brother. Have you thought about talking to Kazuto about these worries? I'm sure he would listen, if you talked to him about this."

Midori had made a great point. It had felt like, forever, since the last time that Suguha had a real conversation with Kazuto...about anything, for that matter. Lately, she hadn't wanted to bother him because she knew he was doing something important, that involved protecting all of the players of GGO. On top of that, she was so swamped with homework and Kendo practice, that she found herself lacking the time to even have such a conversation with him. Perhaps, it was her fault that she didn't make time for this conversation and had let all of these worries and negative thoughts pile up inside of her?

"Hey, Suguha," a voice called out that startled her so much that she nearly dropped the dish she was drying.

Midori turned around to greet Kazuto, who had just called Suguha's name, "Good morning, Kazuto. We missed you for breakfast, this morning."

"I-I'm sorry; I...just wasn't very hungry," answered Kazuto.

"Oh, well make sure you, at least, get something to eat when you go out, today. I don't want you getting too skinny...plus, girls don't like a guy that's all skin and bones. We like a little meat on our men's bones, haha. Oh, Kazuto, have you thought about working out? Imagine if you got super ripped like one of those movie stars! I'm sure Asuna would like that!"