Kazuto's p.o.v.
I woke up the next morning with Asuna in my arms like she always was. She was awake and looking around. She looked like she was staring off into space and she was humming quietly under her breath. I scooted closer to her and leaned on my elbow so that my face was above hers. She snapped out of her daze and looked at me, then smiled. I smiled back, then kissed her cheek. She turned to lay on her back, then put her hand on the back of my head and pulled me down for a real kiss.
I broke off, then rested my forehead on hers. She smiled with her eyes closed. I got off my elbows and laid back down beside her. She stretched and turned over to face me again. She hugged me and cuddled up against my chest.
"Are you ready to start unpacking?", I asked.
She laughed.
"How about we just take a day off?", she suggested.
"Well I have to work tomorrow, so I might as well enjoy my time off while I've got it. What do you want to do?", I said.
"I don't know about later, but I think I could do with a little bit of cuddle time.", Asuna said.
I laughed and hugged her closer.
"You got it.", I said.
Asuna laughed, then got quiet and still. I would have thought she was asleep had her breathing not been too irregular.
"I have to admit that when you said 'cuddle time', this is not what I had in mind.", I laughed.
"I know. It isn't what I had in mind, either. I was just I just wanted to hug you for a minute.", she said.
I smiled, as she let go of me and then sat up on her knees. I smirked and scooted back so that I was leaning on the headboard. Asuna crawled up on top of me until she was inches from my face. I put my arms on her shoulders and kissed her, pulling her closer and slipping my finger into the collar of her nightgown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~And then a time lapse happens~~~~~~~~~~~(I have delayed writing that kind of thing from Kazuto's point of view for a long time.)
It was almost lunch time when we got up. I put on some regular shorts and a t-shirt, then walked into the kitchen to make lunch. Last night, we unpacked the fridge and put everything in the pantry, then gotten the kitchen at least partly put together. We decided it would be nice to be able to use the kitchen when we wanted to eat.
I got out the sandwich meat and some bread, then made ham sandwiches. They didn't hold a candle to Asuna's sandwiches, but it was better than microwave ramen. I put the sandwiches on a plate, then took them to the bedroom where Asuna had gotten dressed in a pink tank top and some gray shorts reading a book on the bed. I handed her the plate, then went around to my side and got into the bed beside her.
"Thanks.", she said.
"Your welcome.", I said, reaching for a book of my own.
I had been reading the Percy Jackson series. I was still only in the first book, but it was pretty good so far. I was almost done with it. I flipped to the page containing my bookmark, then continued reading.
Asuna and I read for a couple of hours until we no longer felt like it. We'd started reading a lot more than we used to. Now that Asuna was less active, she seemed to have more time for it and would pick up a book every time she got the chance. Sometimes, we would go out to the porch and sit in the rocking chair to read. We both fit comfortably in it and could easily share a book.
Asuna set her book down and stretched. She took her plate and my plate, then took them to the kitchen and came back a moment later. She got in the bed and sighed.
"You know what I wanna do?", she asked.
"What?", I asked.
"I wanna get on ALO.", she said.
"Ah. I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. It says on the warning tag not to use it if you're pregnant. You fit that description.", I said apologetically.
"I know. It just drives me mad that I can't do all the things I used to be able to do. Used to, I could put on tennis shoes and run, or use the Amusphere. Now, I feel really limited.", she complained.
"Well at least it will all be worth it.", I said.
"I guess.", she said.
"Don't tell me you're regretting this?", I joked.
"No. I'm not. I just wish that kids didn't come with so many requirements. Especially before they're born.", she said.
"I've heard that's the easy part.", I said, thinking back to all the talks that I heard my mom give Sugu when she was being rebellious.
'I carried you for 9 months and to think that that was the easiest part!', she'd yell. Sugu would just groan and roll her eyes. I laughed at the memory, then put my book down on the bed. I scooted over next to Asuna and put one arm around her shoulder and my other hand on her bulging stomach. I leaned in close and laid my head on the top of hers, pulling her into a hug.
"Thanks. I needed that.", she said, leaning into my embrace and putting her hand over mine.
"Any time you need me, I'm here.", I said reassuringly.
"I love you.", she said.
"I love you, too.", I said.
We sat in silence for a moment, then I recalled the song that had been stuck in my head. It was a song called So Ist Es Immer. I didn't know where I'd heard it, but it was stuck in my head. I began humming the slow tune and tapping the beat with my fingers on Asuna's shoulder.
"When do you think we'll be able to go back to that cavern and explore? The one in the lake?", Asuna asked.
I thought for a minute or two. I really didn't know.
"Well obviously after the babies are born, but then there's the problem of them being here for us to take care of. We won't be able to get much free time.", I said.
" Yeah, I thought about that. I was thinking that maybe when they get old enough, we could get a babysitter and have a date doing that.", she suggested.
"I wouldn't have thought about that. It's definitely a possibility.", I said.
"Man, I wish I could use the Amusphere.", she said.
"I know, but it uses microwaves in order to create the virtual reality, which is harmful to the babies. I don't want to lose them and I know that you don't either. That's a risk that you take if you use it before they're born.", I explained.
"How do you know all that?", she asked.
"I read the manual for the Amusphere when I bought one. I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't get stuck in another game.", I said.
"Oh. Aren't you thorough.", Asuna laughed.
I started humming again and closed my eyes. I thought about Asuna, the first time I ever saw her face. It was the middle of the first boss battle in SAO. I'd seen from her nose down, but until I saw her face, I wasn't completely sure she was a girl. She was just a figure in a cloak that happened to agree to partner with me.
I remember being momentarily mesmerized. The whole world seemed to slow down and stop as she came into view. I remember thinking that she was way out of my league and that I would never be good enough to get a girl like her to even look my way. Now that I had married her, it seemed surreal.
"Are you ok?", Asuna asked.
"Mmhmm. Why?", I asked, opening my eyes and looking down at her.
"No reason, I was just making sure. You got really quiet and I was going to make sure you were still awake.", she said.
I chuckled, then leaned over to the nightstand and picked up my laptop. I logged into the wifi, then pulled up Hulu and clicked on a movie. I set it on my lap, then positioned it so that Asuna could see it.
"Um, before you start that, I'm gonna run to the bathroom. I'll be right back.", Asuna said
I nodded and took my arm off of her shoulder. She got up and walked out of the room. I got up and dug my speakers out of a box, then sat back down and plugged them into the laptop. My laptop speakers weren't very good since this was a low-end laptop that I bought on a minimum wage salary. I couldn't complain, though. It got all my work done without very many problems and nothing that I couldn't figure out and fix.
Asuna came back from the bathroom and crawled back into bed with me. I hit play on the movie, then put my arms back around Asuna, as was comfortable for both her and I. The speakers played the intro music and the screen flashed with the opening credits, then the movie began. I'd picked an action movie, knowing that a chick flick might not be very good for Asuna right now. I loved her, but I didn't like to see her cry, even if it was over almost nothing.
After the movie, it was almost 4:00. I knew that I would have to get started on supper soon, but I still had plenty of time to just hang out around the bedroom. We hadn't arranged the living room yet, so we would probably do that tomorrow afternoon. I got off at around 4:00 during weekdays, so I had a little bit of time to spend doing things at home.
Asuna's phone rang from her purse by the bed. She got up and got it, then answered it. Apparently, it was Liz because she was getting really excited and happy. I smiled as I watched her talk on the phone. She was adorable and hilarious when she was excited about somebody else' love life.After about fifteen minutes, she hung up the phone, then squealed like a schoolgirl.
"What's up?", I asked
"Ok, so Liz admitted that she's going out with Klein and she and him are getting pretty serious. She said that they went on a date the other day and he held her hand, and oh my goodness, I'm so happy!", she said excitedly.
I laughed.
"What? It's cute! I can totally see them together.", Asuna said.
"It's not that, it's you. You get so excited and happy when you talk about your friends and their love lives.", I explained.
"Do you not like it?", she asked
I shook my head, then caressed her cheek with the back of my hand.
"I do like it because I get to see you really happy, which makes me happy.", I said.
I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, which I could tell had surprised her a little bit. She closed her eyes and kissed me back, knotting her hands in my hair. I couldn't lie that it actually felt really good to have her hands in my hair. She was rough and passionate, but it wasn't painful. She was gentle and tender at the same time.
When the kiss ended, we were gasping for breath, but Asuna laughed a little. I smiled and then put my arm back around her, pulling her closer to me and hugging her. She buried her face in my shoulder like she always did. I could feel her smile even though I couldn't see it.
"Do you wanna put together the living room or the nursery tomorrow?", I asked.
"Let's go with the living room. We won't need the nursery for another six months. Besides, I can put the nursery together myself. We've got everything in there, and it's not like any of it's heavy. I could do that with little to no effort.", she said.
"If you do decide to do it yourself, just be careful.", I said.
"Of course.", she said.
"The one thing we do need to unpack tonight is our clothes. I need my suit laid out to wear to work tomorrow. I can do that after supper since it shouldn't really take that long." I said
"Yeah, I need to lay out some of my clothes, too. I'm supposed to go to the doctor this week on Thursday, and after that, Liz wanted to take me out to lunch.", Asuna said.
I nodded, making a mental note of the doctor's appointment since she'd probably want me there for that and so would her father. He told me the other day that if anything came up with Asuna, he would force me out of the office if he had to. I was sure this was one of those things that counted for that.
"Are you going to be there for the appointment?", Asuna asked.
"Yes. I don't think your dad would let me miss it.", I said.
Asuna laughed.
"Yeah, that sounds about right.", she said.
I glanced at the clock.
"You wanna help me make supper?", I asked.
"I can make it. What do you want to eat?", she asked.
"I was going to go make pizza out of things we have in the fridge.", I said.
"That actually sounds perfect. Let's go make pizza, then.", she said, letting go of me.
I took my arms off of her and we got out of bed. I wasn't used to the floor being wood, so I almost jumped out of my skin when my feet touched it. stood there for a minute, then followed Asuna down the hall. Boxes lined the rooms and there were different things that didn't fit in the boxes that were laid out on the couch or on whatever surface was handy.
I walked into the kitchen where Asuna was already getting out the ingredients. She set the pizza crust on the counter, then went back to the fridge to get out the cheese and meat. I got into the pantry and took out the tomato sauce. I set it on the counter with the rest of the ingredients, then took out a cookie sheet from the cabinet and set it on the stove.
Asuna opened the packaging on the pizza crust, then set it on the cookie sheet. I opened up the sauce and handed it to Asuna, who started pouring it and spreading it all over the crust. She used a baster to spread the sauce evenly, then picked up the cheese and put it on the pizza. She patted it down with her hand, making sure it was an even layer, then picked up the pepperoni slices and started spreading them all over the pizza.
Within a few minutes, we had it ready to put in the oven. I turned the knob on the oven, setting it to bake at 350 for 10 minutes. We waited a minute for the oven to heat up, then put the pizza in the oven. While we waited, I checked my phone for alerts and emails. I had one email from Asada. She wanted to know something about a bow on ALO. I emailed her back with all the information that I knew about it. This would be so much easier if Yui was here. I was still upset about losing her.
I remembered the night after they died. Asuna cried herself to sleep in my arms and she may not have known it, but I had been crying as well. You didn't just get over the loss of your daughters. I remembered how I would occasionally call Yui and she would help me with my mechatronics assignments. She was able to write algorithms like she could write a sentence. As for Thea, I might not have known her very well over the few months we had her, but you could never find anybody as sweet or kind.
Asuna put her arms around me and hugged me. I wasn't sure why, at first, then I noticed that my cheek was wet and so was my right eye. I didn't know how long I'd been crying. I hugged Asuna tightly and stroked her hair. I didn't know if she really knew what I'd been thinking about that made me upset, but I was glad she wanted to comfort me.
"Are you ok?", she asked.
"Yeah. I just was thinking about Yui and Thea.", I said.
"Oh.", she said sadly.
Out of all the people who knew Thea and Yui, Asuna was hit the hardest when they died. It was hard for me to watch her go through such an awful thing. I could always tell she was crying, even though she usually would have denied it. She would smile, but her eyes were red and there was just disguised sadness in her face.
The timer on the oven beeped and Asuna and I both were startled. I got out some hot pads, then took the pizza out of the oven and set it down on the stove. Asuna got out the pizza slicer from the knife drawer, then handed it to me. I cut into the pizza and Asuna took slices off and put them on two plates for each of us.
I took my plate and we went back into the bedroom to eat since that was really the only place we could sit down at. After setting down my plate on the nightstand, I went back into the kitchen to get a drink. I got Asuna and I both a water bottle then brought it back to the bedroom. We sat down on the bed and ate our food in silence.
It wasn't awkward, sad, or creepy silence, just a peaceful silence. Just the two of us enjoying each other's company. The pizza was pretty good and it had a bunch of cheese, which made Asuna and I want to go back and get more. After a second helping, I threw my plate away and then walked back to the bedroom.
I felt perfectly happy staying there the whole day with Asuna and not going anywhere. I would do it again tomorrow if I could, but I had to go to work. Asuna crawled back into bed and tried to get comfortable. She was currently on her left side, facing me and squirming a little. I looked at the clock and understood why she was trying so hard to get comfortable. It was almost 8:00.
"Ugh, this is useless. I'm gonna go get a shower, then I'll see about getting into a comfortable position.", she said.
I nodded, then started going through the boxes to find some clean clothes to change into. I found my suits, which I took out and hung in the closet. I only had two real suits. I technically had three, but the other was a school uniform, which I only kept because Asuna wanted me to keep it. She said it would be nice to have for our high school reunions.
I hung up some of Asuna's clothes, which I found in a box beside mine. Asuna had already gone through one box, gotten some clean clothes, then went to go get a shower. I heard the water turn on and the curtain being dragged closed. This was only because we had a bathroom in our room, now. Plus, she'd only halfway closed the door.
Asuna was humming in the shower. I recognized her favorite song, Viva Happy. She'd been listening to it one time when we were on a picnic. We'd laid down on the grass and each put in an earbud. Asuna had fallen asleep and the song happened to come on. I laughed at the memory of her waking up in the middle of the song. Her face turned as red as a tomato and she scrambled for her iPod to change the song.
While Asuna showered, I continued unpacking the clothes and putting them in the closet. I only got around to the hanging clothes and some of my clothes. I figured I would let Asuna do her own because she had a system for her drawers and I didn't really know how it worked. I knew what went in which drawer, but she had a system of folding them that I would never understand.
When Asuna got out, she walked in wrapped in her bathrobe and her hair up in a towel. I already had a stack of boxes that I'd put in the corner, by the dresser. She smiled, then walked over to me and put her arms around my neck. I returned her smile, then she spoke.
"Thanks for unpacking the clothes. I'll do my own drawers. I know you don't know the system I have.", she said.
"No problem. I already had to find my suits, so I just figured I'd go ahead and do the rest while I was at it.", I said, clasping my hands behind her so that we hugged.
Asuna kissed me on the lips and then laid her head on my chest. I laid my head on hers. She was just the perfect height for that, which made a lot of things a lot easier. The hug was brief but nice. Asuna took off her bathrobe, revealing her blue and white pajamas. I picked up some clothes that I had set aside, then went into the bathroom to get a quick shower, which ended up quicker than I expected.
As soon as I got out of the shower, I put on my fresh pajamas, then joined Asuna in the bedroom. She was sitting up waiting for me in bed. I crawled up in bed next to her and waited for her to get comfortable before pulling her against me and cuddling her.
"Goodnight.", I said.
"Goodnight. I love you.", Asuna said.
"I love you, too.", I said, kissing her ear.
I laid my head back down on the pillow, then closed my eyes and then went to sleep.