(Asuna's POV)
I felt as if I was just being clingy, but I couldn't help but worry. Kazuto wasn't answering my calls lately, but maybe I just had the worst timing and always called at the wrong times. I had to tell him about what had been going on recently. He's seen that I called and heard my voicemails though, so can't he just call back?
And that threat...I shouldn't let it get to me, but...
"Kazuto is mine. If I were you, I would back off before it's too late."
I couldn't get it out of my head. How would she reach him anyway? He's in Tokyo...does she have connections? I couldn't help but wonder.
Anyway, I should just focus on what's happening now. Today I was able to leave my campus since we got the day off. I had plans to meet up with Lisbeth since she had the day off too. Now I was getting ready to go.
I took a quick shower and blow dried my hair, then brushed through it carefully but quickly. I decided on wearing a light pink dress with white sandals, and a cute pink flower hair pin. I looked in the mirror when I was all done, satisfied with the outfit.
It felt good to be home again. Everyone was so caring and nice, I missed it. My mother was currently on a business trip, so many of the staff got the week off and were visiting their families.
"Miss Asuna, are you about ready to leave?" Ai said from out in the hallway. She was still here, which I was glad for. I had tried to persuade her to take a few days off earlier, but she insisted that she couldn't. I'm happy that she's here, but she needs a break.
"Yes, I'm coming," I replied. I made my way to the door, and greeted my maid.
"Oh, mistress, you look wonderful! Too bad it's not a date with a boy~" she gasped as she saw me.
I shook my head, "Kazuto has college to attend to. Well, at least I think he does..."
She looked at me with concern, "Why aren't you certain? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, don't worry about it. I'm sure everything is just fine..." I looked away. Everything was fine, right?
She escorted me to the car, and as we walked there we chatted. My mother appointed Ai to tend to me since I was little, so she was like a big sister to me. I missed getting to talk to her like this.
"Are you sure you don't need me to drive?" She asked.
"Yes, I don't want you to push yourself any harder. Will you promise me that you'll take breaks?" I opened the door of the car.
"No need to be so considerate, Miss Asuna. I deeply appreciate it, though. I promise that I'll take care of myself as I always have, so you needn't worry," Ai smiled. I nodded, and pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you for everything, Ai," I hugged her and closed my eyes.
"Take care, mistress," Ai smiled. With that I was on my way, and I left home once again.
* * *
(Kazuto's POV)
"Hey Kazuto-san! Mind if I join you?" Asada asked as she brought her lunch tray over to me.
"Not at all," I replied. Then she sat down across from me and we began to eat. The cafeteria's food was a lot better than the food that I had at my high school, but it was more expensive too. Today we got pork cutlet bowls with rice.
"So...what's up?" I casually asked.
"Oh you know, just the usual.." Asada answered, eating her rice. She didn't seem as into it today, so I just had to ask.
"Hey...is something going on? You don't seem as into it today," I frowned.
She looked up at me and blushed slightly, then looked away quickly, "U-Uh no, everything's just fine..."
"Okay! Well, if you ever need anything I'm here. We're friends, right?" I smiled. Asada was a good person, and a good friend. She was kind, helpful, smart, so I didn't want her to be troubled. Plus, she was really the only person I knew here...
She got that distant look in her eyes again, but it only lasted for a second, "Yeah, friends..." she smiled.
We finished eating our lunches, then headed back to our next classes.
(Asada's POV)
I walked beside Kazuto to my next class, and my heart was racing. Why was this happening though? I also felt a different emotion inside of me, one that hurt my chest. I had felt similar back at the aquarium. I felt as if I had just been rejected or cast out, but why was this?
When I glanced over at him, my face felt hot. I couldn't look at him without feeling this way, is this what it feels like to be in love?
Then an idea popped up in my head. I thought of a way to hang out with him, and it was a good excuse too!
"Um, Kazuto-san. We should hang out together tomorrow, since I need help on a project anyway. Would that be okay?" I asked with a little confidence.
He smiled, "Sure! We can meet up when we both have a break. Let's do it in my dorm, if that isn't too weird."
I blushed. His dorm?! Was he so dense? I mean, he has a girlfriend and everything! I guess he does think that we're friends though, so..
"Ah, sure. Sounds good," I grinned. Yes! Finally I got a chance to spend alone time with him...
"Cool! See you later then," he said and waved.
"Yeah! See you..." I waved back. I sighed. What am I doing? Kazuto doesn't even think of me in that way. Plus he's dating Asuna-san, so I don't have much of a chance. I can still try though...
* * *
(Asuna's POV)
"Asuna! There you are," Rika(Lisbeth) exclaimed when she saw me. I waved back and walked over to her.
"Hey Liz. How's it going?" I asked.
"Great! It's so good to finally see you again!" she gave me a quick hug, then put on her signature Lisbeth Look. "So...update me on your relationship with...y'know...Kazuto-san~!"
I chuckled. Classic Rika. "Fine as usual, though I guess he hasn't been answering my calls lately."
Rika sighed, "You should talk to him then! Text him and figure things out! His phone probably isn't working right or something."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Well, should we go in then? I've actually never eaten here before," I smiled. We met up at a cute little cafe in Kyoto. I had been thinking to go here for awhile, but I never did.
We walked into the building, immediately smelling coffee and sweets. A few couples sat at tables for two, but there weren't too many people here. Me and Rika sat down at a table, and waited for our waitress to come.
"So, what have you been doing since we graduated?" I asked. I knew she didn't go to college right away, but me and Rika didn't get to see each other much.
"Well, a few weeks after we graduated I helped my dad with his tool shop as his assistant. I've been doing that for awhile but I'm thinking about getting a degree in business so that I can start my own. Since we're on the topic, how's it been going for you?" She explained. I told her about my college life, until our waitress came.
"Welcome to Shiawase Cafe~! What can I get for you two today?" Our waitress, a girl with short orange hair and bright brown eyes asked. She smiled.
"I'll have a strawberry lemonade and your sakura cheesecake special," Rika answered.
I smiled and answered as well, "And I'll just have a milk tea, please."
She nodded and then hurried off. Me and Rika continued our conversation. It felt good to get away from school and meet up with a close friend, especially since me and Rika don't meet up a lot. Then a topic came up that I wanted to avoid.
"Asuna, how has everything been since Kirito moved? I feel like you mentioned some girl..." Rika brought up the topic. I didn't want to talk about it too much, but at the same time I felt like Rika should know about it.
"It's definitely been harder on our relationship, and there have been some misunderstandings. I think we are mostly keeping up though, since texting and FaceTime make it easier. At his new home though, there's this girl that has her eye on him. Her name is Akiko. Just recently she actually came back and threatened me, since she goes to the same college as me now. I honestly don't know what to do," Rika nodded and gave me an understanding look.
"And now you haven't been able to check in with him much, right? If she goes to the same college as you, how can she do anything though? That doesn't seem right..." She crossed her arms on the table.
"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it. She told me to back off before it's too late...I wonder what that means.." I sighed. It was still bothering me, and I was a little nervous to be honest.
I told her more about what had been happening in the past year, and we both agreed that I should do something about it. I had to confront Akiko, that was probably the first thing I should do. When our waitress came back we got our food and went on to talking about something else.
"To be honest with you Asuna, I had feelings for Kirito back in high school. I kept them a secret since you were dating him, but I really wanted to do something about them. After I graduated, though, I started to think about it and realized that it was only a small crush, and I mostly liked him from when we were in SAO and he helped me. I really hope things work out for you two, and that girl backs off. I mean it," Rika smiled, taking a sip of her pink lemonade.
"Oh, really? I would have never guessed. Thank you for saying that, I hope you find someone soon too, Rika," I smiled. I still wondered why she hadn't found anyone yet, she definitely had charm. It would probably help if she dyed her hair to pink again, since it brought lots of guys to her blacksmith shop.
"Yeah...Thank you. Well, where should we go after this? We can't just go to a cafe after all."
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Hey guys! It's been awhile, hasn't it?
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed ^^ I'm sorry if the characters seem a bit out of character, since I haven't watched or done anything related to SAO in awhile. To be honest with you guys, this fanfiction will probably be the last thing I make and do for the Sword Art Online fandom, I'm just not really into it anymore. This was one of my first anime, but now I've watched a lot of others as well. I'm sorry if you guys were expecting more, but I've moved on.
I won't stop writing this though! There will be at least 3 more chapters, I assure you! Thank you for reading this so far, ~Ashlie