Sword Art Online: Faithful Hymn

Chapter 26: Full-fledged Hearts

With it being early in the evening, Shoji stands in front of his living room window, awaiting the girl he loves to finally return home. He has been waiting here for 90 minutes already, but to no avail so far. He really did not expect her to be gone for so long, especially because she has nowhere else to go, really.

During the time Yuna has been away, Shoji has already prepared drinks and food in case she will return. He also has no way of contacting her either, since she has no phone or anything of the sort. Looking in the huge city of Tokyo wouldn't be a solution either, since there would be no way of seeing her through the huge crows that walk around the city. He knows it, even though he does not want to accept it:

It's hopeless to look for her. The only thing that he can do, is wait.

After a few more minutes have passed, Shoji decided to take another form of action. Instead of waiting and being useless, it may be best to contact Tetsuhiro regarding the current situation. In lieu of awaiting his beloved one, he goes upstairs, where he may be more successful in writing a proper message to Tetsuhiro. He has more concentration in his room, where he basically does all of his homework. Maybe that fact would support him in writing a good message.

Dear Mr. Tetsuhiro,

I've found myself in a terrible situation regarding Yuna's development. I have asked her what she knows about the subject 'love'. She did not really know, and I explained the best definition I could give her about it. After I told her that it's something that you feel deep in your heart, she got really sad because she explained to me that she did not feel anything. Shortly after that, she ran away from my home and hasn't come back in the 100 minutes she has been gone.

I know that I should have more patience and await her return, although I can't help it but to worry about her safety. She is really brave if I find myself in a bad position, although she also is rather vulnerable regarding some situations.

Anyway, my reason for writing this e-mail to you, is to ask if there might be a way to track her. I'm curious to know, and I hope that you will respond to me soon.

Kind regards,
Shoji

Once finished writing down his message to Yuuna's father, he is ready to send the e-mail to him. While he is checking for any possible grammar mistakes or errors, he has the feeling that he could hear something from downstairs. He quickly stood up from the chair he was sitting in, walking out of his room to head downstairs.

After scaling down his stairs to hear what the sound could be, he is pretty sure that he keeps hearing the sound, although this time it is coming from the kitchen.

"Hello? Anyone there?" says the boy with his fears kicking up. What would he do if someone infiltrated his room, as well as being armed? If this would be the case, he would definitely be screwed. The sounds don't sound like someone is infiltrating though, since they sound rather soft compared to what an intruder would make. After a quick peek in the kitchen, he can see nothing special, until he hears the sound coming from his living room instead!

The blue-black clad boy walks towards the living room, which is darkened since he turned off the lights in this room after he went upstairs. He flicks the switch on, revealing a gray-white cat on the table! The cat is eating from Yuna's food, leaving Shoji's food alone. The boy felt a shiver of anger at first, but it quickly got replaced with enthusiasm. It almost never happens that he gets an outside visitor, despite it being an animal. The cat also has a collar on, so it would be a crime for him to keep the cat as his pet.

Shoji grabs the cat with both his hands, before laying it in his arms. The cat's fur truly felt soft. It was so adorable, that he almost wanted to rub his face against its fur. When he almost tried to do this, the cat purrs.

"Aw, I wish I could keep you, but sadly you have to go." says Shoji with a pleased tone. It almost seemed like he forgot about his situation where he had to find Yuna, since he got greatly distracted by the cat's cuteness. The boy walks towards the front door, opening it without looking forward, bending through his knees to place the cat outside. Once the cat is put on the ground, it walks away by itself, fleeing with still a piece of Yuna's fruitcake in its mouth.

"Phew. Am I glad I did not use one of those Memory Candies." says Shoji in himself. With it getting darker and darker outside, he starts to worry about Yuna again. He sure hopes that she will return, and he also believes that she will. The soft fur of the cat reminded him of the soft skin that Yuna possesses, giving him a shiver of hope that his beautiful friend will return to him once more. Once Shoji turns around to head indoors again, he can hear a very familiar yell coming from outside. After he quickly turns around, before even realizing that the voice sounded familiar to him, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"SHOJI!" shouts Yuna, with shimmering ruby-red eyes. The girl charges towards the boy, preparing to launch herself into Shoji's arms. She did not pay attention to whether he would be able to catch her or not. The only thing that mattered to her, is to land into Shoji's embrace. Shoji received a heavy blow by the sudden impact on his body, but he did not care about that pain at all. The most important thing in the world to him returned once again to him. Shoji falls onto the ground, with the white-haired diva on top of him.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you Shoji! It won't happen again!" says the girl, panting in his face out of adrenaline. She sure was not finished talking, but she allowed a moment for the boy to respond back. Whether it was out of relief or out of anger, she did not mind at all. At least now she has the answer to everything.

The answer to love, according to her.

"I really was worried Yuna! But at least you're back now, I can't be happier!" says Shoji quite loudly, so loud that people in the neighborhood could hear her. Yuna noticed his loud volume, but she also did not mind at all. The two of them are still laying on Shoji's doorstep, but the two of them found it rather satisfying.

"Me neither! Also, I found the definition of love, love from my perspective!" says the girl, leaving Shoji in a confused state. He does not fully understand what Yuna means by 'her perspective', although he sure is glad that she now knows what love means, whether she knows it by his explanation or not. The thing that really mattered to him at the moment, is that she finally got back after 105 minutes have passed since her departure.

"Love from your perspective? How's that?" asks Shoji, with shimmering eyes, as well as having a voice blooming with satisfaction. In response, Yuna nods her head whilst revealing a great smile on her face. She blushes, knowing of herself what she has to do next. With Shoji still being confused, it's time for her to take action.

"Yeah, I'll give you a foretaste of what's about to come.." says the girl mysteriously, with her head lowering itself onto Shoji's head. Her soft, gentle lips meeting his lips as the two of them become one. Shoji lays his arms around the girl's slim body, pressing her closer to himself. Instead of giving away a simple kiss on Shoji's mouth, this time around she won't let go of the boy's lips, sticking them onto his lips for all eternity...