Sword Art Online: Regeneration

9:

A week passed since Lucy's outburst. She decided to become more reserved about her feelings. It felt different because it was Lucy. Akari became more silent. She wouldn't speak to me as usual about every little detail she could sense. Her absence should be making me relieved, not itching to hear her shout at my ear.

With Lucy's crisis came with sleepless nights. She wanted the bed to herself. She'd cry in her sleep. So instead, I've been on SAO more. When I need to sleep, I log in and take a rest. It sort of worked but I wanted to sleep in the real world.

"Too slow!"

I quickly swished my sword against the black and white sword. Sparks against our swords clashing flew. I picked out my kunai only for Asugaya to flick it out my hand. My
Sword flew out of my grip and dove right into the lake nearby. I slowly walked to the lake bank to grab it before it flows away and eventually disappears.

"Hey, Raito, is there something wrong? You don't normally space out in a fight. Everything all good there?" Asugaya leaned against his sword slightly.

"Um...yeah, nothing's wrong." I waded into the river and picked up my sword.

We were in Coral Village in by the lake. Not far by Rogue's house. Asugaya and I decided to practice our skills in a duel while Rogue had to lead the clearers to beat the boss on floor 70. Clearly, he knew I wasn't it taking it seriously. How could I? How could I take this game seriously when Lucy isn't okay nor Akari? I couldn't find myself to ignore it.

I sheath my sword back and got back to the dry surface my haori got all wet so I took it off and let my light gray shirt and breastplate show.

I sat on the grass, defeated by my conflict. It was a lot for me as well. Asugaya imitated and took of his coat and let his white shirt exposed.

"You don't have to answer this." He was the only person who could probably care, "Do you think the real world is too much at times?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" he mumbled.

I gathered and attempted to build out what I was exactly going to say. It did, in a way, did not make any sense. But if I say it in a manner that both of us get, otherwise it would be a labyrinth of words.

I rested my chin on my knees and blurted, "In real life, do you think what happens there is sometimes out of our control. So we go here because we have that power to control it?"

He went to a long thought and laid down by the pleasantly scented grass. It was warm in Aincrad. The sun was high and there were only a few people by the lake fishing. He sat bolt upright and shrugged.

     "I can't give you a good answer. But..." he sat with his legs crossed and hands behind him with the same nervous grin he gave back when we first met, "My dad would tell me loads about the real world and virtual world. He used to play VRMMORPGs back in the day. But he said, 'Even if we make a world that we believe lives could escape, they eventually get trapped in the world they build, and slowly but surely, they can't control this paradise they aspired to create or figure out what's real or not.'."

     I playfully put my arm around his shoulder and laughed, "Gee, your dad's pretty wise."

     He exchanged a toothy grin and focused on the lush grass. He pulls out a blade and fiddles with another one. Asugaya could act like a child at times. But I've done a few quests with him to know he was serious when the situation meant so.

     "How about your father." He suddenly spoke, "He must be as cool as mine perhaps?"

     "He died." I blankly told him, "Only after a few hours after I was born."