Oh How We Tried {Kirito X Asuna Short Story}

2: The News That Shocked The World

Seconds seemed to tick by as minutes as the nervous man paced around the room. Fear encased his heart in steel, and breathing was a feat that deemed impossible.

His hands unconsiously raked through his hair, and his heart didn't even settle down when a rapping at the front door tore him away from his thoughts.

Numbly stumbling down the hallway, Kazuto yanked open the front door, and there stood medical personnel, stoic faces and badges and all. Kazuto couldn't find any words to fit his fear, and so he raised a shaking hand and gestured towards the bedrooom.

The medical personnel buzzed around their home, dragging in a gurney as their siren blared and flashed outside, sending the neighbors to part their curtains.

As a medic loomed over Asuna with her gloved fingers searching for a pulse, Kazuto stood in the doorway of their bedroom, and he hadn't even realized tears were falling on his shirt as they slipped down his cheeks.

The medics nimbly strapped Asuna into the yellow gurney, and even with all the jostling, the girl stayed quiet and unresponsive. They shouted things to each other, though Kazuto couldn't decipher what.

The thick metal legs of the gurney folded and the black wheels rolled as they placed her into the ambulance. One of the medics looked at Kazuto straight in the eye. Silently asking if he wanted to ride in the back with his wife.

Kazuto numbly stumbled through the wet grass, the blades leaving wet trails of dew on him. He situated himself in the ambulance along with the medical personnel, then wiped his face with the back of his hand.

He gently reached out and grabbed Asuna's hand, her fingers cool in his sweaty, clammy ones. He tried not to stare at the medics who were ripping plastic bags open and placing a breathing mask on her.

Asuna physically went paler and paler as the siren droned on, and her chest rose unevenly, one side then the other. From where he was sitting, Kazuto bit his lip, for even her breaths sounded painful.

And at that moment, he wished for absolutely nothing else than for her to be okay. He prayed that this was a horrible nightmare, and he would soon wake up, his arms around his wife back in their bed.

Though fate wasn't on his side this time.

He felt more steamy tears wash his cheeks and lick his chapped lips, though this time he made no move to wipe them. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, it took one of the medic to physically shake his shoulder to snap him out of it.

"Kirigaya, is she allergic to any medication that you are aware of?" The medic asked, her voice hard yet somehow compassionate. Another medic ripped open a bag of clear liquid, which Kazuto was guessing was some medication of some form.

He shook his head to the first medic, then proceeded to answer all of the yes or no questions, like is she allergic to anything, her medical history, what medication she was on or what it was called.

Finally, after seeming that a small lifetime had passed in the metal box, Kazuto's hand was ripped away from hers as the Personnel wheeled the gurney through two double doors.

Doctors flocked the bed, like setting out a meal to hungry animals. The medics and Doctors all talked in rhythm, since this hasn't been their first time with an unresponsive patient he was sure of it.

One lone doctor hung behind and turned around to face Kazuto, his eyes soft along with the smile that crossed his face. He approached Kazuto, then placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"You can wait in the ER waiting room, we'll be sure to give you any updates." He said simply, then walked down the tiled hallway, snapping on a pair of gloves while he was at it.