SAO drabbles ~

Too much to bare | Kirito x Asuna

PROLOGUE:

It's already been one year since Kazuto and Asuna had woken up with their memories from the two hundred years they spent as their incarnations in the Underworld, erased. The couple has been spending every minute together, attending university together, and taking advantage of what's left of their teen years. Meanwhile, in Rath, Kikuoka continues talking with Star King, who grows angrier with grief for his beloved late Star Queen. Full of hatred for Kazuto abandoning his memories and splitting himself with his incarnation, Star King arranges to meet with Kazuto for the first time to tell him how much he despises him.

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KIRITO'S POV:

Kikuoka led me and Asuna past the narrow and grey hallway into the outside of a wide glass encased office. After he stopped us mid-way to explain that we both had to leave our phones outside the room since no other technology was permitted past this area, we placed our phones into a box marked 'TECHNOLOGY'.

I watched as Kikuoka suddenly stopped in his path near a red marked line on the floor and clicked his fingers. One of his assistants dressed in a white lab coat walked out of another room on the right-hand side of the office. He passed a lab coat to both me and Asuna in silence, under Kikuoka's watchful glare. He bowed to us both before quickly disappearing back into the room.

"You will need to put these lab coats on," Kikuoka ordered.

I turned to Asuna who eyed the lab coat, skeptically. Knowing Asuna, I sensed deep down that it wasn't the lab coat she was skeptical about. If I had to assume, I'd guess that she was more concerned about the reason we were back in Rath headquarters in the first place. Out of all the places she could have been in the world, I knew she wanted to be anywhere but here.

I felt a pang of guilt in my heart. I didn't plan to bring Asuna here with me, of course, knowing the bad memories she holds for Rath, but had no say in the matter. The other day in ALO as I explained to Asuna that I was going back to Rath to meet Kikuoka and discuss matters regarding the Underworld, she gazed at me with heavy eyes. When I told her that it was going to just be a quick meeting, she calmed down slightly and granted me permission to attend the meeting, on one condition.... that I brought her along with me on the day. At first, I was shocked by her request and protested otherwise for her wellbeing, to no success.

She had won the argument.

To be honest, as much as I knew it killed her to be here, deep down I was kind of glad Asuna protested to come with me because I'd be lying if I said I was fine with being here myself. Rath was a lifesaver and a life destroyer for me at the same time. As much as I was forever grateful to Kikuoka for allowing me to not only form connections during my time in the Underworld with so many wonderful people but also reunite me with Asuna, there was also so much pain that being back in Rath brought me, such as the memories of being separated from Asuna, which pained me to this day.

As Kikuoka cleared his throat while he grew impatient waiting for Asuna to put on the lab coat, I also cleared my throat, motioning for him to give her a second, as I saw the pain in her eyes. Kikuoka slightly flinched at my response and pushed up his glasses while turning his back and walking past the red line into the glass office.

I made my way towards Asuna and placed my hand softly onto her shoulder. She looked up at me with widened eyes.

"You doing okay?" I softly whispered while taking the lab coat from her.

"Just about," she replies in a low voice.

"Well, at least that's better than I'm doing, right?" I respond with a chuckle while putting on the lab coat.