All I Need

Happy New Year!

"NO! Come back! I have to know what happened! What kind of show is this? I hate it, but I love it!", she said. 

"Yup. I watched that yesterday. I didn't like the ending. I stood up on the train and thought about throwing my phone down and just walking away. I didn't, but I thought about it.", he said. 

Asuna looked over at him. She was still reeling from the emotional hurricane that was just set off in her brain. She wanted to go and punch the T.V. Instead, she just fell over on the couch and dug her face into the nearest throw pillow.

Kazuto laughed and then fell over on top of her. She groaned and moved. Kazuto suddenly remembered her arm and got up off of her. He felt horrible for having done that. 

"Are you alright?", he asked quickly. 

"Yeah, you just landed on my shoulder. It's alright, but it hurt a little. It feels fine, now. Don't worry. It was more discomfort than actual pain.", she said, trying to comfort him, but feeling like she was just making things worse. 

Kazuto was frowning. He obviously was at war with himself. 

"I just don't know that I'm the one for you. When I'm with you, you keep getting hurt. I hate that. I just want to keep you safe and happy, but every time I'm with you, you keep getting hurt. I don't know if I'm really the one that you're supposed to be with.", he said. 

Asuna felt like a knife had just been pushed through her heart, and then twisted. She couldn't even believe that Kazuto would have these thoughts. She hated that he felt this way. 

"You could not have known that would happen. Why are you beating yourself up about it? It would have happened regardless of if we had gotten together or not. I never wanted to bring this up again, but do you remember what I told you all those years ago in Sword Art Online, the day that we ended that game?", she said. 

Kazuto let his head sink further towards his knees. Asuna saw tears fall from his eyes between his hands. She stood up and went in front of him. She got down on her knees and looked into his face. He had his eyes clamped shut and looked like he was in the greatest pain he'd ever been in. 

"I told you that if you went into that battle and didn't come out, I would kill myself. I would have no reason to live anymore. The same goes for this. If I lost you, I would jump right off the roof of this building because I wouldn't be able to cope without you. You are my world. If you start having second thoughts about being with me, then my world crumbles apart. I can't lose you. If I do, you'll be attending a funeral the next day.

Don't ever think that you are responsible for me getting hurt. Unless you pushed me in front of a moving car, or did something intentionally, then there is no reason for you to blame yourself for me getting a little hurt. If anything, you saved me. Because of you, I have a reason to fight for my life. Now, don't ever say anything like that again, or I will hold true to my words. If you ever leave me, then you won't ever see me alive again.", she said, very seriously, not faking a single word of it. 

Kazuto's tears had started to fall harder. She put her arm around him and hugged him, putting his head on her shoulder. He hands went around her and pulled her in close. Asuna felt his body shake with sobs. She just hugged him until he stopped crying. 

This wasn't the first time she had ever seen him cry. He'd cried when Yui disappeared from SAO, he'd cried when he rescued her from Alfheim, and he'd cried when his uncle had a heart attack and they weren't sure if he was going to make it. 

Asuna had cried in front of him more than he'd ever cried in front of her. She new that, but he had always been there when he was in tears, so she planned to be there for him when he needed a shoulder to cry on.