Sword Art Online: The Duo Factors

Chapter 34: Epilogue

"Someone... Anyone...!"

"Please save me!"

A warm embrace surrounds her head and heals the girl's injured soul that exhausted from fighting Kayaba. A voice that mends her broken mind from the reporters just now. A familiar love that repairs her shattered heart after losing her partner.

???: Do not worry.. Dear.. Your suffering.. Has ended..

Koharu: ...

Her worries eventually drops down.. Like a boulder has been lifted from her heart. She leans herself towards the warmth that she receives again.

Koharu: Mother...

A tear drips from both of them..

Mother: Don't say anything... I'm glad that you made it back alive..

Koharu: ...Yeah..

Her head buries in her Mother's chest, knowing that her daughter doesn't want to see how the real world just treated her just now. The noises of the Reporters has been eventually cleared. Only two of them, Mother and the Daughter in the patient's room.

Mother: You must been through a lot of awful experiences in your full dive game... Koharu..

Koharu: I'm sorry.. That I left you alone..! Mother!

Mother: Don't worry.. I managed to keep up to this day because of your voice.. You'll be always my dearest daughter in the world.

Knowing her mother is also suffering because of Koharu, her tears wells up, feeling guilty of making her own mother miserable as it results weighing her heart back down. Her mother senses her daughter's guilt towards her warm hand brushes through Koharu's hair gently, giving her the long lost feelings of the Mother's affection that her child has been longing for..

Koharu: *Sobs!* I'm sorry..! Mother! I'm sorry I made you sad! I didn't even mean to do this to you! At all!

Mother: It's okay... I'm just happy that you have finally returned to my side..

Her slow, gently brushing through her daughter's hair sends out the affection through her mind. Calming Koharu down slowly and eventually dims down her cries. Her mother smiles to her daughter.

Mother: You're just like a cute baby to me. No matter what happens, you will always be my beloved child and I will always stay by your side, no matter what happened to us.

Their warm embrace got tighter. Spending a couple of minutes mending their broken connections and their hearts. Minutes later, they both could hear noises from the outside again. Koharu freaks out as she expects the reporters are coming back for them.

Koharu: Are the reporters still waiting for us!?

Mother: I don't think it's them.. That sounds like people are cheering..

Koharu: ...Can I look at the others..? I want to see how are they doing now..

Her mother agrees without knowing the reasons.

Mother: Sure..

Koharu: Thanks..

Her mother holds her daughter gently while Koharu leans against her mother as they carefully walk out from the room. The noises gets more clearer as they step out, noticing other patients who are formerly as the SAO players, finally gets reunited with their families and friends. The view of the patients hugging tightly with their families, their better half and their friends makes Koharu secretly warms her heart, also happy that she managed to save them from SAO.

Koharu: (I did it.. Lai.. I did it...)

Her mother compliments the view..

Mother: The view is heartwarming, isn't it?

Koharu: Yeah.. I'm really glad..

Mother: Always looking out for the others.. That's one of your best traits as always..

Koharu: Because you're always there for me and the others. I learnt it from you. So.. Thank you, Mother..

The woman smiles serenely while patting her head.

Mother: Never lose that trait of yours, Koharu..

The girl responses happily.

Koharu: I won't lose it, Mother.. Because...

The memories of Lai still flashes through her mind.. But instead of feeling sad, she bravely overcomes it as Lai is smiling towards her who has been helping, training her to be strong for two years.

"That's who I really am.."

She secretly wishes deep inside her heart.

"Thank you, Lai..."

End of Aincrad Arc...