Yo guys! Firestorm40 here. This is it, folks! This is where Aincrad comes crashing down- although it may be in a way that you didn't expect! Please be sure to leave a review when you are done reading, because I love hearing from you all- you guys are so much fun to write for and to talk with! Without further ado, let's finish this thing!

(Opening Theme: Crossing Field/ NateWantsToBattle)

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The fight was unlike anything Shoto, Kirito and Asuna had ever seen in all of their history on the front lines. The boss changed its patterns every time they drained its health bars, of which there were five, forcing Shoto to re-examine the patterns and weaknesses it might have. And it did so again when it got into the yellow zone.

It seemed like an eternity before Shoto looked up and saw that its final health bar was down in the red zone. Heathcliff saw it too, and shouted, "Everyone! Rush it, now!" The players seemed to catch on, for they all abandoned the careful patterns that they had constructed over the last hour or so, and immediately unleashed their most powerful attacks. The monster seemed to be overwhelmed and exhausted, for it began to sag to the ground, its stomach almost touching the stone beneath it.

But the fighters of Aincrad didn't let up for even half a second. They each kept slicing, hacking, bashing, and crushing until at last, the monster let out one final dry screech, and exploded into millions of blue and green polygons.

'Congratulations!'

As one, almost every one of the fighters sank to the ground, exhausted. Some were sitting, others were lying flat on the ground. Among those sitting were Shoto, Kirito and Asuna. Yui ran over to the trio to embrace them. The Yellow gave out a tired ginned and said, "Great job, guys."

"How many did we lose?" Asuna's voice could be heard echoing across the now-gray chamber. For a moment, nobody answered.

 Kirito opened his menu and said grimly, "Fourteen. Fourteen of us didn't make it."

Hearing this, everyone looked on in shock and horror.

"Holy crap..." Klein gasped. "We haven't lost that many since floor twenty-five when the army got stomped."

"And we still got twenty-five more floors to go..." Agil could be heard saying. "How the hell are we even gonna make it that far?" No one had an answer for him.

Shoto looked over at the only man still standing. There he was, strong and proud, still in the green zone. Shoto eyes narrowed at the health bar. After that disaster, he's still like a god amongst his mortal subjects- 'Wait!' Shoto's eyes widened. His subjects... That dry, mocking voice of his... He felt his blood freeze.

Nudging Kirito with his elbow to get his attention. "What's up, Sho...?" The other boy said quietly?

Shoto turned to face his best friend and mouthed, 'Back at the arena. His block.'

"What of it?" the Black Swordsman asked softly with a frown.

Shoto jerked his head at Heathcliff, who was still unmoving, looking up at the ceiling in contemplation. Then he mouthed, 'Too fast. He was being protected.' Kirito's eyebrows down as he recalled the moment and played it back again his mind. Then he looked over at Heathcliff, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Protected by what...?" He murmured. Then he had it, and he looked over at his partner as they nodded at each other. Moving as one, Shoto dashed around to the left of Heathcliff while Kirito went right for him full-on.

"Heathcliff!" Shoto roared as he leaped at the man with his sword in hand. The paladin moved to block- only to leave his back exposed to Kirito's straight thrust that took him in the back. Or rather, it would have, if not for a purple hexagon that stopped his blow. Following that, which confirmed the two boys' suspicions was another hexagon that appeared above the man's head that read 'Immortal Object'.

"Kirito! Shoto!" Asuna cried. "What are you two-?!" Her voice caught in her throat as she saw the hexagon, as she recalled Yui having one. "Wha...? Commander Heathcliff...? What's going on?!"

"We have the answer to that," Kirito said while Shoto kept his sword at the ready, the sheer fury of the his gaze threatening to burn holes in Heathcliff's head. "The reason his health never drops into the red zone? It's because he's been protected this whole time. By the system itself."

"By the system...?" Asuna repeated. "How is that possible? Is that part of the Divine Blade?"

"Hah!" Shoto scoffed. "There is nothing 'divine' about this man whatsoever, Sis."

"He's right," Kirito nodded as he looked up at the ceiling, much like Heathcliff had just a few moments ago. "One thing bothered Shoto and I these past two years. 'Where is he?' we wondered. Where is he hiding as he controls everything in this world? The answer was staring in the face the whole time." He levelled his gaze to look at the man in the red armor, who had yet to speak or move. "We were working ourselves up so hard that we forgot a basic psychological fact- one so simple, any child would know. There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play a game of any kind."

Shoto grinned toothly as he finished the build-up with the words, "And why not get in on the greatest game ever created? Isn't that right, Akihiko Kayaba?" The chamber burst out in gasps at those words.

The only reaction in the room was Heathcliff's frown. "For my curiosity's sake, would mind telling me how you came to that conclusion?"

"The first clue we really noticed was in the final moments of our duel," Kirito replied evenly. "That last move was way too fast. Most people couldn't tell because of all the dust in the air, or their AGI stats weren't high enough to keep up with us. And I almost even passed it off as a glitch. But Shoto noticed it too, which meant that there wasn't any lag on my part. You did that yourself."

"Hmm, yes, that was a painful failure for me," Heathcliff nodded. "You were so strong and fast that I had no choice but to engage my assist mod."

"And that's not all," Shoto said, interrupting the man. "Although I should have recognized it sooner, your voice remains unchanged. I can't prove that point, but unfortunately for you, I happen to have a photographic memory should an event or person hold my interest. You really should have modified your character's voice, not just your face."

Heathcliff closed his eyes and smiled in amusement. "You have a good point," he said. "And your observance is even higher than I had anticipated anybody could have. I had planned on remaining silent until the boss had been defeated on floor ninety-five. But alas..." his smile grew slightly wider and smugger as he said, "Yes. I am Akihiko Kayaba. And now that my identity has been revealed, it should come as no surprise that I am the final boss that will await you all on the top floor."

The troops assembled reacted with shock and horror. Asuna swooned slightly and had to lean on Kirito. "So the most powerful player in the entire game turns heel to become the final boss?" Kirito scoffed. "Seems kinda cliché."

"Actually, I kind of like that angle," Heathcliff/Kayaba chuckled.

"You bastard..." Raphael, Heathcliff's right hand man, was getting to his feet slowly, trembling with anger. "Our hopes... Our loyalty... All for nothing... How dare you? How dare you?!" He leaped at his commander, sword coming up to strike at his head.

Heathcliff sighed in annoyance and entered a command into his menu. Raphael suddenly dropped like a sack of potatoes, paralyzed. A few more commands later, and the same thing had happened to everyone but Shoto and Kirito. Even Asuna was taken by the poisonous effects.

"Mommy..." Yui said as she tried in vain to reach Asuna. Kirito gently laid them close to one another and then stood up to face the enemy.

"So what now?" Kirito asked as Shoto stood next to him. "You gonna kill everyone here to cover it up?"

"Oh god, no," Kayaba said with a strong shake of his head. "That wouldn't be very sporting of me. No, I have a better idea. I think I'll head up to the Ruby Palace and wait for you all there. It's a shame that I have to leave you all so soon- I've spent a lot of time building up the Knights and several other strong players. Oh, well. You're all quite strong, so I'm sure I'll see you all up there- eventually."

He smiled as the Yellow Fang and Black Swordsmen. "To be honest, I had expected that one of you two would be the ones to face me. Dual-Wielding is what I awarded Kirito after seeing him in action because of his incredible reflexes. Limit Break I allowed the system to give out at random, to the player with the strongest stats. But I honestly expected for Shoto to be able to use it that well when I saw him in action during the Laughing Coffin Raid. As a matter of fact..." He jammed his shield into the ground where it stuck fast.

"I feel that the two of you deserve a reward for guessing my identity, so... I'm going to give you a chance- and a choice." Kayaba smiled theatrically as even Shoto was taken aback.

"A chance at what?" Kirito asked.

"A chance for one, or both of you to fight me right here, right now," Kayaba replied simply. "Defeat me, and you will have cleared the game- thereby freeing everyone trapped in the world of Aincrad. Oh... And my immortality will be deactivated, of course." And he awaited their answer without another word.

"Deal," Shoto said shortly. Kayaba turned to face the young man, who promptly sheathed his blade on his back.

"You will fight me?" the man asked with a cocked head.

"Only if Kirito doesn't," Shoto said, surprising everyone there, save for one. "He has the best chance of defeating you, because he has the greatest drive out of anyone in this game. He has the most reasons to win. He is the true master of the Law of the Sword."

Kayaba turned to face the boy, who was glaring at him with fierce resolve. "Very well," Kayaba said. Then he paralyzed Shoto, who sat down before it took effect.

"No, Kirito, please don't," Asuna begged. "We need to regroup. We can take him later."

"No," he said, his voice low and hard. "I can't run from this. Not if it means a chance at freeing everyone."

Seeing that his mind was made up, Asuna gave in, "You better not die, you hear me?"

"I won't," he said with a smile. "I love you, Asuna. You too, Yui." Shoto didn't need to see the boy's face to know that he was lying. And could he blame him? Kayaba was the most powerful person in the game, second to none. Kirito would need luck to beat him- there was no guarantee of him winning.

Kirito stood before the man that had held everyone trapped for two long years, but then he turned around as Klein and Agil both shouted protests. "Thanks for all of your support, Agil," he said with a grin. When the bald man gasped in surprise, Kirito's grin widened and he added, "Yeah, Shoto and I knew. You act like you're all about the money, but we know. You spent every spare bit of col that you could on helping the intermediate players level up.

"And Klein..." Kirito's voice went very soft. "I regret bailing on you that day. I think about it all the time."

"No, don't you apologize!" Klein shouted angrily, pounding his fist against the stone, the only thing he could do with the paralysis effect. "I won't accept it! I'm not accepting an apology until we've met up on the other side, and you're buying me dinner, damn it!" He began to sob as Kirito forced himself to smile and salute with his sword.

"It's a deal," he said. Then his gaze fell on Shoto and he couldn't keep the tears from forming, though he kept his voice strong. "You guys were a great pal to me, Sho. You made it worthwhile to live through the two years in here and the years in the real world. You helped me find Asuna and our daughter."

"Fight hard, Bro. Waste his smug ass." Shoto said, straining against the paralysis so that he could look his best friend in the eye. "I expect to see you again soon."

Then the Black Swordsman turned to fully face his enemy. "I have one last request to make," he said in a flat voice.

"And what is that?" Kayaba asked patiently.

"I'm not going down easy," Kirito said. "But if I do die, I want you to fix it so that Asuna can't kill herself."

No, Kirito, that's not fair!" Asuna screamed. "You can't do that! Kirito!" Both men ignored her pleas.

"Very well," Kayaba nodded. "You deserve that much. You have my word that she will not be able to harm herself in any manner." Kirito nodded and drew his swords as Kayaba manipulated his menu once more. Above his head appeared a message on a red hexagon. It read, 'Changed to Mortal Object'. Then the demon king drew his sword and hefted his shield into position.

Both men stared at each other for a long, tense moment. Then, just as Shoto thought he would, Kirito was the first one to act, throwing himself at Kayaba's massive shield with brutal force. As soon as the fierce battle began, Shoto jerked his head over to look at Yui, who had her eyes glued to the fight.

"Yui," he whispered. The girl looked over at him with fear in her eyes. "I have a plan."

---------------------

Kirito threw everything that he had at Kayaba, but to no avail. Suddenly, he realized why. 'He designed the dual-wielding system,' he thought grimly. Which means that he knows every one of its attacks. The only thing he can't know is how high the skill has been developed'. So his only hope was to unleash his full power and hope for the best at this point. If he didn't get past the shield or break it, he was going to tire out. And that would be the end of him.

'Alright, then,' he thought as his swords both glowed bright blue. 'Let's go for it: Eclipse!' And he unleashed most powerful attack he had: a twenty-five hit combo that was only unlocked once the skill had been maximized.

Then he saw something that crushed his hopes completely: Kayaba was smiling. 'He knew,' he thought with dread that quickly melted into dull acceptance. Of course he did. As he landed the last attack on the massive shield, his Dark Repulser broke. And since he would receive a five-second penalty freeze effect from having his attack blocked, that meant-

"Game over, Kirito," Kayaba said with a wry smirk. His sword glowed red and slashed down at Kirito. The Black Swordsman almost shut his eyes against the end, but then there was motion. A flash of dark red with a hint of blonde.

Shoto stepped in between Kirito and the deadly blow, and the sword slashed into his body, trailing a red line that ended with the blade being jammed in his chest, much to the shock of everyone present, including Kayaba.

"How...?" he murmured as Shoto's life drained away.

The Yellow Fang smirked and turned his neck to look painfully at his killer. "Come on... Kayaba," he grunted. "Surely... you knew... You're not the only one... with administrator privileges... She... used them... to counter... your poison." 

"What are-" Kayaba's gaze snapped over to lock on the little girl next to Asuna, who had an admin's window open. "Yui," he said, seeming truly shocked for the first time since SAO had begun.

Kirito saw all of this happening around him, but he could only see Shoto, with Kayaba's sword through his chest. "Sho...why?" he couldn't speak.

"I told you... I'd... have your back, Ki." Shoto said with a pained grin. "Though, it looks like I won't be going back to the real world with ya. I was really looking forward to Robert making cheeseburgers for me."

"Dammit Shoto don't you dare do this to me!" Kirito yelled in anger and sadness.

Shoto coughed as he started to glow "Hey Ki' remember that place where we met for the first time?" He asked quietly

Kirito sniffled and nodded his head.

"Think you can put a little stone there, the stone is underneath my bed in a small box. Don't worry about the lock, I lost the key in the store of wonders. Besides I never locked it anyway."

Kirito began to cry and nodded once again.

"And promise me one more thing," Shoto said as he glowed brighter. "I wish I could've got more time to hang out with you, Asuna and Yui...I also wish I could've seen my parents and Robert one last time. So do me a favor: Take care of Asuna and Yui, and tell Robert, and if you see them, my parents, that I love them. Okay bro?"

He thrusted something into Kirito's left hand and then grinned toothly, peace settling on his face. Then he shattered into thousands of shards. Kirito could only look down at his hand, dumbstruck. There, in his glove, was his brother's sword.

"Now this is a surprise," Kayaba chuckled. "How on earth did you manage to- urk!" He looked down to see a teal blade protruding from his chest. Holding it in his back was Asuna, tears running down her now-fierce face.

"For Shoto," she said quietly.

Kirito suddenly snapped, and a wordless bellow erupted from his lungs as he ran Kayaba through with Solar Heart, eyes colored gold. Far from seeming surprised or enraged at this point, Kayaba simply smiled as he accepted his fate. The second sword ran him through and depleted the last of his health.

Kirito looked down at Solar Heart and smiled slightly. 'We showed the world what two people could do, didn't we?' he thought.

Asuna and Kirito stayed motionless as Kayaba shattered into thousands of pieces. Instead of disappearing, though, they floated up and then through the ceiling, to the skies beyond. And they all knew that finally, at long last, it was over. A voice began to echo throughout Aincrad, saying, "As of today, November seventh, fourteen fifty-five, Aincrad standard time, the game has been cleared. I repeat, the game has been cleared."

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Shoto opened his eyes to find himself standing upright. However, he was disoriented for a moment when he looked down and found himself standing on a clear platform, with the clouds lit gold by the sunset below him. "Uhh...Where the heck am I?" he asked. Looking at himself, he was dressed in his battle gear, minus his sword and scabbard. 

"Am I still in Sword Art Online? Or is this Heaven?" he murmured aloud. Swiping his fingers, he was somewhat surprised when a menu appeared. But instead of the options that he was used to, only a panel that said, 'Initiating Final Phase: 54%' appeared to him. While he was staring at it, the counter ticked up to fifty-five percent. Shrugging to himself, he let the menu close. "Nah, Heaven wouldn't have a loading screen. This is probably the other place."

He had a feeling that once it hit one hundred, he would die. It was likely that the timer represented how long it would be before everyone was allowed to log out of Sword Art Online. "Well, I guess my time is up," he said quietly. "It won't be long now. I'll be flying among the clouds and eating mountains of cheeseburgers." He smiled at the thought. "I just wish I had more time with everyone... " And then he was silent for a moment, letting his eyes wander the skies.

"Shoto?" another familiar voice reached his ears, and he froze.

'No way...' He thought as he forced himself to turn around. To see his family, all standing there. Kirito, Asuna and Yui. All smiling. All with tears in their eyes. He smiled at the sight. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you guys follow me so soon," he said, still smiling. Then they all rushed him, forcing him into a bear hug.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled  as they squeezed him tightly.

"You should be," Asuna said as she pulled back slightly.

"You made everybody cry, Uncle!" Yui said accusingly, and Shoto had to laugh, despite his own tears. He picked the little girl up and hugged her close.

"Sorry, but I had to save your idiot father," he chuckled as Kirito's jaw dropped. "I think he's a little more important than I am. He needs to take care of your mother and you when he leaves. And they both have families waiting for them back there. I have family waiting for me, but I guess I'll wait for them on the other side of eternity."

Suddenly they caught sight of something odd. It was a massive steel castle, floating in the sky below him. They recognized it as Aincrad, but it was crumbling from the bottom up. "And so ends the reign of Akihiko Kayaba," Shoto said quietly. Soon they all watched as Kirito and Asuna's house was destroyed, and they all felt sad about, but Shoto forced himself to smile at the happy memories that he had of that place, and the family he made along the way.

"A stunning view, isn't it?" said a familiar voice. Shoto, Kirito, Asuna and Yui looked over sharply to see Akihiko Kayaba standing in a white lab coat, looking exactly as he had in the real world. His appearance was very different from Heathcliff's save for two things. His voice was just as dry and modulated as ever, and his gray eyes only reflected a dull interest in the things around him, despite his words.

"Akihiko Kayaba..." Kirito said, surprised to see the man.

"So does this mean Aincrad is done for?" Shoto asked.

"Yes," Kayaba nodded once. "Back at Argus headquarters, five stories beneath the street, the SAO mainframe is deleting everything in its memory banks, bit by bit."

"And the players?" Asuna asked, worried about them.

"You don't need to worry about them," Kayaba replied evenly. "All six thousand, one-hundred-and-forty-seven surviving players were logged out about five minutes after I was defeated."

They all nodded in acceptance. They also knew that there was no need to ask about the fallen. Sociopathic as he might be, Kayaba was not a liar. Every word he'd made, he had stayed true to, and every promise he'd made, he had kept. Which meant that as surely as he had honored the terms of his duel with Kirito, those that had died up until now would never rise again.

"I just have one last question," Kirito said.

"Name it."

"Why did you do this?" The tone he used was not angry, accusing, or sad. It was a question of curiosity, plain and simple.

Kayaba finally turned to face the young man as he smiled softly and said, "That's a good question... To be honest, it's been so long, I had almost forgotten." He took a deep breath and said, "I wanted to see a new world. One with a different set of rules than earth's laws and restrictions. I wanted to see what people would make of my new world, my steel castle that floated in the sky. And you know what? Kirito, I want to believe it's still out there. That somewhere in some other world, my castle is still standing, taller than ever." Kayaba said

"Yea... maybe it still is." Kirito said mumbled.

Kayaba then turned to face to Yui, "And...I'm sorry, Yui. I never got the chance to get to know you more. I left you alone because of what I asked the Cardinal system to do so long ago."

 "It's ok." Yui responded, "The probability that I would have met Daddy, Mommy and Uncle if you had done something would have been less. I'm grateful for meeting them and being with them." The trio looked to her, smiling kindly. Kayaba smirked a bit. "It guess that makes four people that have surpassed my expectations." he stated. "Well then, I should be going. But before I forget- congratulations on helping beat the game, Shoto, Kirito and Asuna. I hope I'll see you again someday."

"Maybe we will," Shoto chuckled to himself as Kayaba vanished in puff of white vapor. Looking back at Aincrad, he was intrigued to see that about half of it still remained.

"Well," Shoto sighed. "I guess the course of life has run out for me, I'm afraid."

"Yeah..." Kirito said, as being alone without his best friend was crushing him. Soon, tears start rolling down his face. "Damn it, Sho! Why did you do it? Why did you have to go off and sacrifice yourself? You weren't suppose to die! Why the hell do you always do the stupidest things!?"

Shoto was silent for a minute before looking out at the sun. "Because, that's who I am, Ki. Yeah, I may act goofy and do dumb things, but I'm also one of the most loyal people out there. If push comes to shove, I would put myself in harm's way for family and friends in a heartbeat. Sure I may have people missing me in the real world, but if it means that I can protect those that I care about, then dammit, let me be there to do so. Besides you would've done the same, right?"

"Yeah, if this was only a game that an idiot would play! But it wasn't!" Kirito exclaimed.

Shoto shrugged "I know that this game wasn't a normal game. It's just like the time when I fought off the three idiots."

As the two were talking Asuna jumped in with a question, "Hey I have been meaning to ask you two on something." Kirito and Shoto looked at her. "How did you two meet, exactly?" Kirito and Shoto looked at each other and smiled, "It started when we were kids." Kirito started, "I found this lake just outside the school grounds, hidden by trees." 

Shoto jumped in "Without realizing that it was my kingdom."

Kirito looked at him blankly "Anyone could've taken it Sho."

Shoto shook his head "Nope! You remember where I live?"

Kirito was silent for a moment "God dammit. Guess it was your 'kingdom'."

Asuna jumped in "Umm...the story?"

Kirito steered to Asuna "Right sorry. Any way I was fascinated by the scenery that I didn't realize that I was being followed until I felt a push on my back and I landed in the water. I resurfaced to see three of my classmates laughing at me, they would always do that not just to me, but to everyone who they consider 'weak'. They kept on calling and laughing until-"

"Until I The Great King of the Forest came to stop the followers of darkness, and save the poor innocent boy!" Shoto said with pride.

Asuna looked at him with a questionable look then turned to Kirito "Is he going to be doing that for the rest of the story?"

"Yep." Kirito said reluctantly.

They asked me 'Who the heck are you?!' And I was all high and mighty and said 'I am the King of this Forest! And you have trespassed into my domain! I am going to ask you three idiots to leave, or face the wrath of the Forest King!'."

Kirito jumped in, "Sho, you skipped a part you came out of nowhere covered from head to toe in dirt, calling out 'leave him alone!' While carrying a stick that was thicker than your arm, but short enough for you to carry."

Shoto shrugged "I know, I just want to get to the good part."

Kirito sighed and continued "starting off from Shoto' part. I didn't know why for whatever reasons but I face palmed my self for how stupid he looked while doing it."

Shoto was shocked "WHAT?! EXCUUUSE ME! BUT I WAS AWESOME!"

"Only after you called them and I quote 'Two-toned-zebra headed-slime coated-pimpled-farmin' paramecium- munching on their own mucus-suffering from having friends envy.'"

Shoto was surprised that he actually remembered that, "Wow."

"And That is how Shoto got them mad and charged right at him. But he just smiled and zigzag through them hitting them in their calves and laughing at their pain."

"Well normally I would have pulled out my chair, cracked out the popcorn and watched as they cried out in agonizing pain." Shoto told him.

Asuna put a smile. "Hey, before we part ways, I'd like to make a request."

"Name it," Shoto said, as he 

"Tell me you real names," Asuna said, looking at both boys. "I would like to know who both of you really are before we say good-bye. So I can say it properly."

The two boys smiled at her in return. Kirito was the first to speak, saying, "My name... It's Kazuto Kirigaya. I just turned sixteen last month."

Asuna turned to her husband with some surprise and a hint of a blush. "So you are younger than me," she giggled. "My name is Asuna Yuuki. And I'm seventeen now." Turning to Shoto, she said, "Now it's you turn. What's your name?"

"Me?" he smiled back. "I'm Saito Hisaki. I'm also sixteen." Looking up at Kirito and Asuna, he said, "Kazuto Kirigaya. Asuna Kirigaya." They both flushed as he substituted her maiden name for his surname. "Live long and happy lives, do you hear me? Raise Yui well, so she can be happy with you. Promise me, before we part ways."

"We promise," they said in unison.

"Good," he nodded approvingly. "And you, Yui Kirigaya? Be a good girl for your parents, understand? And keep on smiling."

"I will," she nodded fiercely. "I promise, Uncle." Then she managed a smile, despite her tears. 

They laughed together as the family gathered in a warm, tight embrace for what would be the last time in that world. As they did, the last of Aincrad was destroyed. Everything began to glow white, and they all shut their eyes together. Their souls touched briefly, and merged before they were cast about, scattered.

'Good-bye,' they all heard the Yellow Fang say in their minds. 'I will miss you all. But know that I will love you no matter how far apart we may be... My family.' Then...Silence.

-----------------------

XXX

In The Real World/ Hisaki Hospital

Kazuto slowly opened up his eyes to see that he was somewhere else. He looked around to see that he was in the hopsital. Kazuto put his hand in front of him to see they were old looking. Instead of healthy, they looked tense, lacked excercise and weak.

Kazuto looked tried as he was awake. He then brought on the NerveGear but than had a image of Asuna smiling and Shoto grinning. He started tearing up. ""A... su... na..." he said, as tears threatened to roll down his face. "Sai...to..." He muttered, as he covered his face with his arm.

Little did he know, lying in a bed beside his own was his best friend, Saito Hisaki. As said blonde groggily opened his eyes, looking around in an unfamiliar room. Suddenly, his senses went haywire, as the smell of the hospital, the sounds of the life support system and the feel of the bed were new to him. He instantly rose "Kirito! Asuna!" he yelled, panting. 

The shout startled Kazuto, as he sat up and looked at the person who did. When he saw who it was, he froze and his eyes widened. "S-S-Saito?" He muttered out.

Hearing his name, Saito looked over to the other bed and saw his best friend looking at him with shock. "Kazuto...?" he asked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The two looked at each other in an awkward slience, before it was broken by a certain blonde. 

"Wow," Saito began, rubbing his head. "It looks like we made it." He said with a cheerful grin. "And it seems like I didn't die after all, huh?"

"..."

Saito then took off his NerveGear and placed it at his side, before chuckling a bit. "Looks like you won't have to worry about putting the stone there. Cause it looks like- AUGH!" He was stopped in mid sentence because Kazuto, despite his weaken state, tore off his NerveGear, and grabbed the blonde and placed him in a head lock.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" Kazuto exclaimed angrily, glaring at his friend.

"OW!!! HEY, EASY!!!" Saito yelled, trying to escape, but to no effect. "I JUST REALIZED THAT I DIDN'T DIE! I'M NOT TRYING TO DIE FOR REAL!!!

" GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T KILL YOU MYSELF?!" Kirito yelled.

"HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT I WOULD WAKE UP HERE!? IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Shoto tried to escape but to no effect.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I SHOULD JUST LET IT GO!"

Suddenly, two nurses entered the room, as they heard the commotion and saw the two boys wide awake. "Oh my!" One of the nurses said, her hands covering her mouth.

Both boys paused and looked at the nurses, staring at them in shock.

"Oh! You're awake!" The other nurse cried out.

The two looked at them for a moment until Saito called out, "Yeah, only for my roommate has gone completely mad! HELP!"

But before anything else could happen a murmur came out of Kazuto's mouth, and Saito could barely understand him. "What did you say?" Saito asked him but the only thing he got from him was "Asuna" he froze realizing that if they were back, then hopefully she was too.

As tried as he might Saito tried to get out of the headlock but to no avail. "What are you two doing?" Asked one of the nurses, "Asuna Yuuki" Saito said. "Where can we find her?" The nurses looked thoughtful for a minute until it signed on them, "I'm not sure if that name, but we could bring you two there if you like." Kazuto and Saito were relieved of the news but it still didn't help both of them they were too afraid of what has become of her and wanted to go immediately. "We will also let your families know that you're both awake."

"However," said the second nurse grabbing both the boys' attention, "We will do that after you; Mr. Kirigiya let go of Mr. Hisaki from that weak headlock of yours and once the both of you regain full strength. Do we have an agreement?"

The boys were reluctant but had to obey, even if Kazuto wanted to continue to strangle Saito for the stunt he pulled in Aincrad. Saito couldn't thank the two nurses enough for now he was able to breath finally, before they walked out the room. But he knew that it was going to be a while for them to be released from the hospital. So he waited and asked if there were any other people like them here, and to his surprise everyone was waking up some were cheering like there was no tomorrow and some were crying that they were finally free from the death game.

This eased Saito's mind a lot, but what about those who died during the two years in the fantasy coated darkness game? Did they get a better funeral that shattering into millions of pieces? Cause now Saito was thinking on throwing a huge funeral for those who died in the game.

But he can plan that later, as he shook his head and looked over at Kirito. "Well, as much as I'd love to get some more, I think I've I had my fill for two years."

"How can you be so relaxed?" Kirito asked Saito, looking up at his friend. "Even though we made it back, there's no telling where Asuna is." He then clenched his fist. "I just hope she's alright."

"Aw, c'mon, Kazu." responded a grinning Saito, "You've been hanging out with me long enough to know, that you gotta try and think positive!" He then looked his body in the mirror. His muscles were tense, lacked exercise and looked weak. He still maintained his muscle type, but he looked weak. He clenched his fist, but he couldn't see his muscles tightening. He frowned, before checking a small decoration, that looked like a sword handle. He held on to it, smirking as he saw veins unconsciously appearing on his fingers. "I mean we're not exactly in the best shape to move right now, but let's consider it excerising."

Kirito looked to Saito, stunned at his optimism. "That's just like you, Sai." Kirito snorted amusingly, "But then again, thinking positive isn't always a bad thing, right?"

Shoto grinned and stood up. "Yeah. Now come on, let's go find our Vice Commander." He took Kazuto's arm, wrapped it around his shoulders, and brought Kazuto to his feet.

Kazuto looked down for a second, then looked up at Saito again. "Sai?" he started, "You lead." "Got it." Saito answered, and the two boys started walking out the room and down the hallway, with smiles on their faces.

 (Ending Theme: Sayonara Moon Town)

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FINALLY DONE!!!

That's the end of the Aincrad arc. I hope that you all enjoyed it, and I hope that you'll continue on with me in the next part of this story... When I bring the Fairy Dance arc into the story! 

See ya!!!!