Sword Art Online: Faithful Hymn

Chapter 54: Through Rubble, There's Light

March 24th, 13:00 PM

"Ugh... what... happened?" I ask myself before waking up from an unknown slumber. Looking around me, I notice that I'm in a room filled with a white color. I then realize, that I am in a hospital bed!

"No time for this... I have to find... Tetsuhiro.." I softly shriek. There is still an ongoing pain going through my entire body. I attempt to lift myself up, in order to get out of the hospital bed. But things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. When I try to use my hands to get out of bed, there originates an inevitable and unbelievably amount of pain in my entire hand and wrist. I had no control over my shouting, and I shriek out of pain.

"AAAAGH!"

I yell, through the entire room. I am pretty sure that maybe some doctors and surgeons have heard my yell as well, so it wouldn't take long for them to arrive. Besides, I can't locate any button to call for aid, so shouting would be the only way to call for help anyway. Hopping out of my bed was useless, so I decide to lay back again. Tetsuhiro can wait, first I have to patch myself up.

"Shoji! Are you alright?" A bunch of worried voices ring my ears. My sight was completely normal again, so I could easily see who were in front of me. These people were Asuna, Lisbeth, Silica, Shino, Suguha, Kazuto and a nurse whose name is unknown to me. Assuming they were awaiting my awakening, I am very happy they are all able to visit me. But I don't understand anything else after I most likely passed out.

Did I pass out due to Yuna's... disappearance?

"I'm fine, that shriek was mostly out of sudden fear." I kind of lie to them, who all seem really worried regarding what happened. The nurse walks towards me, checking my left hand that I just hurt. I can remember how that wound originated. Eiji tried to pierce a sword through my skull, and the only thing I could do to counter his move was to grab the sharp edges of his blade. That's how my hand wound came to exist.

"Are you able to tell what happened yesterday?" Kazuto asks me. I did not expect him to talk to me at all. It seems like Suguha passed my message over to him, and that he was able to find peace with my apology. As a response to his question, I shake my head and point my finger towards my Augma that I can see in the far end of the room. Silica walks over to my Augma, and gently grabs it. She also equips it to see what I was trying to tell Kazuto. I could tell by her facial expression that she saw what I asked her to find, since she covers her mouth with one hand before letting tears flow down her cheeks.

"Keiko? What's going on?" Kazuto asks her, before approaching her himself. Keiko...? That's the name Yuna gave her personal mascot. That must be a great coincidence! Silica hands the Augma over to Kazuto, who seems the very same thing. It surprises me that the two immediately know what Yuna's Heart would mean. It almost feels like they have had a similar experience before. With everyone wondering what Kazuto and Silica are sniffing about, Kazuto asks me with a simple glare for confirmation to tell them.

I gently nod.

"Asuna, Shino, Rika, Sugu. Yuna... died." Kazuto tells them before showing them the item that I had previously seen, when Yuna's body disappeared. It was indeed, Yuna's Heart. Asuna seems to got the biggest impact by the sudden reveal, since she shows the exact same reaction as Silica.

"Kirito... it's just like when... our daughter.."

"Yeah... just like Yui.."

It's obvious to me that Asuna and Kirito have experienced the exact same thing before, but the thing that shocked me the most was something regarding... a daughter..?!

"You've got a what now..?" I ask quite boldly. I suppose both of the teenagers understand where I'm coming from. After everything that happened with us in ALO, they shouldn't expect me to be surprised regarding that he two got... a daughter? At the age of 17 and 18?