A Renegade of Reality

Chapter 12: Consolation

31th March 2027, Wednesday, 3.10 AM

My eyes flew open, panting heavily as if I just had a nightmare. I tried looking around at my surroundings with my tired and dazed eyes but my vision remained blurry. I was sweating profusely, causing my clothes to cling onto my body uncomfortably.

In my memory, I could've sworn I saw my friends and Asuna and even heard her voice. I was beginning to feel fearful that all of that was nothing but a dream and that I was still alone, suffering from Watanabe's torture.

I whimpered and trembled slightly at the thought and tried to move my body. When I moved my right hand, I felt a warm grip and weight on it. I shifted my gaze and saw a blurry yet familiar blob of hazelnut. My heart slowly calmed down as my vision cleared up, revealing a sleeping beauty with her head on the side of my bed, her hand covering mine. Out of relief, I turned my body towards the side to try and touch her with my other hand, only to regret when a sharp pain on my chest caused me to yelp in agony. My right hand instinctively tightened around Asuna's hand, seeking comfort for the pain.

The strong grip, sudden movements and painful cry stirred Asuna awake from her rest as she shot her head up in alarm. My eyes were closed as I took deep breaths to cope with the pain. She was quick to register the situation, stroking my head with her left hand and soothingly pat my chest to calm me down.

"Shh...It's alright. Breath slowly and try not to move your body too much." She cooed at me with the loveliest voice. I slowly opened my eyes once more as I felt the pain slowly died down, shifting my gaze to meet her beautiful hazel eyes. My eyes immediately felt hot as I saw her tender smile.

"Asuna...You're here. You're really here..." I said with a voice filled with emotion, her hand slid down from my hair to cup my cheek. I lifted my weak hand up to grab her hand and brought it to my lips, kissing her palm and breathing in the sweet and refreshing aroma lingering on her skin that I had missed so dearly.

"Of course I'm here. I will always be by your side. I'm so glad you're safe and awake." I could hear her choking back her tears as she said so. She leaned down towards me and nuzzled our heads together, missing these sweet moments we used to have so much of. We stayed like this for a few minutes before Asuna stood up and turned to the nightstand beside her.

"You must be thirsty. I'll get you some water." She said while pouring the jar of lukewarm water into a glass, placing a straw inside. She carefully adjusted my bed so that my upper body was lifted up slightly for ease of drinking. She brought the glass of water to my mouth, gently supporting me with a hand on the back of my head. "Here. Drink some."

Seeing the liquid in front of me, my thirst was immediately triggered and I sipped on the water hastily. However, my extremely dry throat and weak body were unable to accommodate so much intake at once that I choked on the water and coughed. Asuna quickly placed the glass of water back onto the nightstand before patting my back gently and grabbing a napkin to wipe my chin.

"Geez. You're so reckless, Kirito-kun. I know you're thirsty but you need to take it slowly." Asuna pouted and I returned her an apologetic smile. She then grabbed the glass once more but this time with a teaspoon. "Here. I'll feed you so you can sip on it slowly." Asuna said, bringing the water-filled teaspoon to my lips. I blushed at her actions but ended up accepting it anyway. At that moment, I was filled with bliss being nursed by Asuna like that. After my thirst was quenched, I laid back down onto my pillow but I was still feeling restless. I shifted my body, trying to get comfortable but Asuna stopped me.

"Kirito-kun! Stop moving around, you're going to open up your wounds." Asuna nagged at me.

"But it's too warm and my clothes are sticking to my body. It's so frustrating." I whined weakly. Listening to my complaints, Asuna put her hand on my forehead to check on my fever. She then turned to her phone on the nightstand to check the time.