SAO drabbles ~

Wedding ~ chapter 5

As the crowd within the church took out their phones to take pictures of Asuna and myself hugging and tearing up at the sight, the priest had nudged me.

"Ah, what a sight! now, we must hear the words of the wife to be, correct?"

Asuna and I pull back from our embrace, separate our foreheads and blush as we nod to the priest. 

Asuna clears her throat and takes my hands. 

"Kiri- I-I meant K-Kazuto..."

I chuckle at this. "It's okay, call me what you like ~"

I smile softly, while she nods in response. 

She continues - 

"Within Sword Art Online, I cried every single night alone while trapped in that game- 

I squeeze Asuna's hands tightly. 

"To me, it felt like each day spent in that world was pieces of my real life wasting away. I resorted to focusing all my energy on fighting, whether it was monsters or other players, I fought as I did to hide the pain and fear I felt, knowing I was trapped. My only thoughts were winning, moving forward and getting stronger in any case. But then, I saw someone napping on the grass one day, I felt mad and told that 'someone to stop wasting their time sleeping and to fight instead, questioning their actions. 

I chuckle nervously. 

"Then...he replied to me, that it was the best season in that day which had the best weather settings too."

I hear the crowd laugh loudly. 

Must they laugh so loudly? 

Asuna smiles while continuing.

"I then tried laying down beside this person and slept like a baby. I remember waking up in the evening that day, seeing the person watching me, smiling, protecting me, while I was sleeping. I felt...safe. I never felt safe until that day. I felt happy."

Asuna laughs and sniffles as her tears roll down her cheeks.

I reach out to wipe it as she continues. 

"Only then, I realized this person chose to sleep during that day because he did not let any day in that world slip away. After we had formed a party together, I realized that he was truly living each day as it was reality...the one who taught me that its okay to truly live within that deadly game, was Kirito." 

"When I began thinking of him while falling asleep, I stopped having nightmares...I began to look forward to seeing him. I could feel that I was happy."

Asuna, still crying softly, places her hand on my cheek. 

"To me, Kirito is my everything. He's a testament as to why I'm alive, I can't live without him and never want to be without him.  I've fought with him by his side in a number of worlds, I fought for him in other worlds and still to this day I would always protect him no matter what. I know that the day I put on that NerveGear device, was so that I could meet him."

As I stand there, blushing like an idiot, looking at Asuna in shock and awe of her touching words, she brings her hands to mine once more. 

"Kirito, I love you. I truly love you with all my heart. I promised in SAO I'd always protect you with my life and I stand by what I said. You're my hero Kirito, saving me all the time,  fighting for me, protecting me and making me feel safe and loved...saving me from others as well as myself...I cannot be alive without you Kirito because you're the reason I'm alive. There are times w-when I really did think I had l-lost you..."

Asuna's voice cracks and her body starts to tremble. 

I place my hand upon her cheek as before, stroking it softly. 

"Asuna..."

She takes a deep but shaky breath. "I-I'm f-fine..."

She continues her speech.

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