The Gunpowder Blade

Epilogue

"Open one for me?" Asada asked, leaning by the corner of the room. I went back over to the fridge and opened the secret door, taking out another beer. I opened it the same way I did mine and shut the fridge. Asada walked over and took the beer, taking a small sip. "How's the studying going?"

"I just have to add a couple more things, then it'll be ready for tomorrow," I answered. A shiver shot up my spine. 

"Scared?" She asked. I nodded. 

"What if it flunks? The VRMMO community can't take another hit, they'll shut it down completely." I asked. 

"Hey, the NerveGear 3.0 went viral. They were all sold out within a day. You've been working on this for years. And besides, the first guy purposely fucked it up." She replied. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." I muttered. 

"Just make sure you don't miss any bugs," Asada joked. 

"Don't crush my confidence, please," I chuckled. We laughed for a minute, then went silent. 

"I love you," She said. I smiled.

"I love you too," I replied, placing my beer on the counter. She did the same. I placed my right hand on her waist, and my right hand behind her neck. I looked into her eyes for a moment before leaning in, conjoining my lips with her. I pushed into the kiss a little, getting into it. Asada pushed back, but stronger. I grinned, slipping my tongue inside her mouth. She was defenseless, especially when I did this. I spun my tongue in circles, making Asada practically melt in my arms. But she wasn't going to be a victim of my dirty tricks. She backed away for a moment, teasing me. I leaned back in, hoping to reconnect, but Asada had other plans. Just before we closed the gap, she placed my bottom lip between her teeth and softly pulled, causing a chill to run throughout my body, making my knees weak and head spin. I regained my senses and fought back. I drove my tongue back in her mouth, being more forceful. I roamed every millimeter in her mouth, making her want more. I laughed and continued, sliding my hand down to grab her ass. She moaned softly with pleasure and ecstasy. We backed away from each other. Strands of mixed saliva still connected between our tongues. We stood there in each other's embrace for a few minutes, allowing the adrenaline to wear off. Asada looked up at me. 

"Come to bed," She said with a hint of lust in her voice. I chuckled and placed both of my hands on her hips. 

"Maybe I will," I said, following her down the hallway and into the bedroom. Just before the bedroom closed, I thought I could hear it. The ringing of a doorbell down the road. A drop of condensation from a cold beer. The beeps and boops of retro video games like Galaga and Pac-Man. The ding of a microwave telling you that your Hot Pockets are finished. The crash of waves against the rocks on a shore launching saltwater into the clear skies. The startup beeping from an old-school NerveGear. The clanging of swords crashing against each other. The sounds of squelching blood and cracking bones. But in a swift second, those sounds disappeared. And at the moment, it was only us. Asada and I. Just us. Only us. No one else. Not Suguha. Not Asuna. Not Rika. Not Keiko. Not Andrew. Not Minetaka. Not Midori. Not Haruki. Not Kenichi. Not Yui. Not Kayaba. Not Klein. Just us. Kazuto Kirigaya... and Asada Kirigaya. 

***

(The Next Day) 

With the soft whirring's dispersing, I opened my eyes. I scanned the room, concluding that I was in my Home Lab. I took the NerveGear rig off of my head and placed it on the table next to the cot I was on. I sat up and grabbed my laptop which was open on the same table. Cords were hanging out of my laptop that led to separate, unknown places throughout my lab.