Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

    So it is well known that Asuna's apartment is in Mac Anu. She really loves the feel of that city. The canals, the little boats, it's cute. But these days, she doesn't really spend a lot of time there. She's in Tolbana, among her alliance members. Her and Klein living together is not exactly a secret, nor is it a secret that when smoke is coming out of her chimney, good food is available to be had. And she loves guests. And there is smoke coming out right now.

    Stabled not far away is Asuna's trusty steed, Tomoe! A dire red panda renowned for its general lack of ferocity. But being a monster, it is dangerous after a fashion. Assuming it does not come face to face with its greatest adversaries: butterfies, rocks, leaves, and the shadows of butterflies, rocks, and leaves. Fortunately right now, the creature is doing what it does best: sleeping.

    The front door of the house is open and a small Lander is sitting out on the front porch, staring at the sky. In front of her there is a stack of papers. The top of these is currently being drawn on. It's not high art, of course, but Asuna loves everything Yui makes for her.

    "Honey! Food is almost ready!" Asuna calls out. A moment later she steps out of the house. She's hardly dressed for battle, though. She's wearing an apron and has her hair up in a bun, held in place by a pair of chopsticks.

It's....been a long time.

Too long. So much time had passed that Kirito would not be surprised if he had been forgotten. His enemies had been monsters and creatures of all varieties and sorts, of lately now Landers with a gripe and occasionally other players. Yet he had heard something....

That she and Klein had found some measure of happiness.

Maybe he'd stayed away because of Asuna. Purely because of Asuna. Because now she had a life that he couldn't give her. He was so focused with taking care of /everyone/ that he couldn't bear the thought of settling anywhere because if felt like giving up.

Maybe he was wrong.

One guesses he'll never know.

But all the same, there's steady footfalls approaching as he looks at Yui. The trench coat that enshrouds him and the twin blades strapped on his back announce who he is before he can even do anything. He looks at Yui for a moment, his hair much longer than Asuna might remember and his features more...worn.

"Hi.."

Kirito hums. "Uhm...is your mom home?"

He hears the voice of Asuna calling out and she sees him.

"Hi Asuna."

    You ever see a ghost?

    ... good. Neither has Asuna! Or she'd probably have to run screaming. But this is close. She's surprised. Very surprised. There's a moment of suspense, where it's not clear at all what her reaction will be.

    But it's not long, really. She smiles suddenly and clears the space between them to hug Kirito. "You're back!" She pushes away a moment to look at him, "You are back, right?" A pause and she says more sternly, "Where the hell have you been?! I've been worried sick about you! We all have! You look... hm."

    She steps back. Arms are folded under her breasts. Her look is serious.

    "You're staying for dinner."

"I know you're probably-"

The impact of Asuna's body with Kirito's own is enough to make him stumble backwards for just a few steps as she hugs him. The distance closed within a heartbeat span of a second. Far too fast for Kirito to have done anything about it, and for a moment, she pushes off of him to investigate him before he could really return the hug.

"I'm back."

Kirito's confirmation is a warm one, a softness on his face and in his eyes. Where has he been? "On the front. Where I've been needed...Trying to get everyone out of here is...really hard work." Kirito tells her with a soft smile. "You seem to be doing well."

She steps back and she crosses her arms and demands he stay for dinner.

For a moment, Asuna sees perhaps a small fear in Kirito's eyes. "Yes ma'am."

    Asuna tries so hard to maintain her stern, warrior princess expression. It lasts perhaps three seconds. It really has no chance, because the little Lander is right behind her, peeking around her mother to look up at Kirito.

    "I heard about you!" she says suddenly. She's excited, eyes going wide. "You are mama and papa's friend!" She takes a step forward, her eyes looking up into Kirito's. Then she notices the swords. "Wow."

    Asuna laughs, her expression giving way to playful joy. "Yes, this is Uncle Kirito! Kirito, this is Yui, though in private you'll probably hear Klein and I call her Taka. Our treasure." She pauses to measure the man and asks, "Are you doing well? You look like you've seen... a lot." She realizes they are just standing outside and quickly amends, "Sorry! Come on in!"

Kirito looks at Yui.

In the span of a vastness of space and time, there is a moment where Kirito wonders....

No. Impossible. So instead, after taking a mometn to close his eyes, he puts on the strongest face possible for the young girl, kneeling down so he can look at her in the eyes. "You must be Klein and Asuna's little girl. You look just like your mother." He offers Yui his gloved hand, fingertips exposed to the cold.

"I'm Kirito."

He introduces himself properly, before he looks at Asuna. "I'm alright." A complete lie. But when was the last time that Kirito was ever alright? When was the last time /any/ of them were actually okay? At this point, Kirito is just going with the flow and doing the best he can. It's all anybody can do.

"Both are good names." He tells her, before he's invited inside.

"Sure."

    Kirito's answers do not put Asuna at ease. They make her worry. She's really bad at hiding her worry. But she does her best. She leads the way to a nice dining room. Cozy and perfect for entertaining a few friends. There are little drawings pinned up in several places. All Yui's work, proudly displayed.

    "I'll only be a second. Taka, can you show your uncle where to wash his hands?"

    Menu cleaning is a thing for adventurers, but Landers like Yui have no such abilities.It also gives the child a chance to explain. Because of course she is not the biological child of Asuna. The child speaks softly, as if it were a secret just for Kirito's ears. "Mama is my second mama. My first mama and papa are gone." There's a moment of sadness that washes over her face, but the pain is more distant now. And she's found a way to sooth herself a bit, "My first mama and papa would really love my mama and papa now. They would all be friends."

    She leads the way to a wash basin, where soap and water and towels are available, allowing guests to refresh themselves. Yui makes a point of doing exactly what her mother said, and even demonstrating how she washes her hands.

"Sure."

Instructed to follow, Yui, Kirito's eyes look at Yui as she speaks softly, as if to tell him an important secret meant only for him. He slightly leans forward to offer the little girl his ear to hear what she has to say. The words she speaks are heartbreaking. Among the chorus of everything he's heard. WHile Kirito has become a legend....he's failed to /live/.

He turns his attention to Yui, lifting his hand to pat Yui's head. "I'm sure we'll meet them someday. I think they're always watching us and always smiling over you." Even if Kirito doesn't believe it at times, it puts people's hearts at ease.

And something so innocent will only spur imagination and hopefully....hopefully...not resentment.

Kirito looked as if he was just one bad day away from shattering, the great fortress he's made himself to be for others can only hold for so long. But he follows Yui to the wash basin, moving past Asuna without another word quite yet.

He watches how Yui instructs him in washing his hands, a soft warmth towards her as he reaches for his gloves...taking them off with shaking hands and puts them under hot water. Hot water he hasn't experienced in...oh god, how long has he been away?

A year at /least/.

He washes his hands all the same, muscle memory guiding the way where all else fails. "Thank you, Yui. You're a good one."

    Yui smiles at Kirito. "That would be nice. To have everyone together. Everyone I love." She holds up her arms. "Now carry me to the table, uncle!" Being only around six years old, an very lithe, she's as light as feather to any adventurer.

    Her expression is serious as she studies his face. "Did you lose someone, too, uncle Kirito? If you did, I'm sure they will be with you again someday too, right?" She is notably different from other Landers. She has no reaction to Kirito being a Spriggan. She's warmer, gentler, and more complex than a Lander child usually is.

    In the kitchen, Asuna is working her magic. The smell of pizza is pouring through the house. She has the table set with salad, small bowls of pasta, and a meatball pizza that is far larger than the situation demands. And it's deep dish. It's an offering to the goddess of calories. She has chilled barley tea and oolong tea as well.

"I think that'd be really something."

Hope for everyone else. None for himself. Then she's holding up her arms to the scary Spriggan, asking to be lifted up and carried to the table. With perhaps a look of endearment, Kirito happily leans down to pick Yui up into his arms as he slowly walks with her back towards the kitchen area.

He stops in his tracks when she asks that question: Did you lose someone too?

So, so many. The night has been long and so many have fallen. Some have even lost their memories and their will to fight, or simply abandoned him altogether.

"Yes....I think they will, one day. Even when we lose people, they're never really gone."

He can smell Asuna's cooking as Hd brings Yui in, the young girl in his arms as if she were his own. He smiles at Yui. "You're my favorite niece, you know that?" She's his only niece!

"It smells good, Asuna."

    Yui is happy to be carried by this new heroic adventurer. Her new uncle, with such very sad eyes. The child doesn't understand details, but she understands loss and sadness. She says quietly to Kirito, "You came to a good place. This is where mama and papa helped me to start feeling happy again. Maybe if you stay, I can help you. We can go exploring and see pretty things."

    Asuna watches Kirito and Yui enter with a smile. Oh, certainly there is concern in her eyes, too. Kirito does not look right to her at all. When she last saw him, things were so different. And then he just.. left. Left so they could all get home. But Asuna wanted to be home now, not later. The Flash can't live just a tomorrow. She lives in the day.

    She speaks tentatively. "I.. don't really know where to begin. I'm honestly still a bit in shock."

"....."

Kirito's silence is almost deafening. The child claims to understand such a concept as sadness and loss, yet Kirito's eyes are worn and exhausted. Physically, emotionally, spiritually exhausted."I don't think they can help me, Yui. But your parents like telling me I'm wrong." He sets Yui down.

Slowly, Kirito sits down in a chair. He doesn't say anything. How could he? He sat across from the only woman, the only person he ever loved. And she loved someone else.

This woman, who had often been the reason for Kirito to keep going even when it felt like one more step would end his life. Her bravery made him brave. Her spirit gave him heart.

But her heart was never his.

Where to begin? How can he begin? He left to bring them all home. They made homes to survive. Life goes on.

"Yeah. Me too."

    Yui, not fully aware of what is going on, starts working on her salad. Asuna always gives her vegetables to eat. It's not bad, but it's hard to work through that part of the meal when pizza is so close. But it's also impossible for her to avoid the awkwardness of Kirito and Asuna that is unfolding right in front of her.

    The child has a very thoughtful expression. She remembers something she heard in school. Another adventurer said it to her once. She remembers it well, because it seemed very funny. And now she sees the truth of it.

    Yui's soft voice says, "Did you ever notice that when people need to talk the most, they never know how to start? I think it should be simple. I think if you don't know what to say, you should play a game or do something you like."

    Her bright eyes turn to Kirito. "What do you like to do, Uncle Kirito?"

    Asuna is too flabbergasted to respond to all this. She knows that the school is a good one. She didn't realize that her daughter was going to be this insightful at her age.

Supremely awkward. Borh of them are speechless for completely different reasons. Yui was young but her powers of observation were far beyond what she should be able to accomplish. So much so that Kirito actually gasps when she asks the question, surprised by how sharp it struck.

"...fishing." Kirito hesitates, good untouched. "Your mom and I used to fish when we had time." he remarks softly. "...but things are different now." He tries to tell Yui.

"Your mom and I are...too busy to fish."

    "There are places to fish not far from here," points out Yui casually. The child, seeing how distracted her mother is, does her best to hide some of her salad under the piece of pizza on her plate. Pausing to see if Asuna reacts, she seems to have gotten away with it. "And you are both here, so that's easy."

    Asuna hesitates, looking at Kirito for a while. She finally laughs softly and shrugs, "Well, dishes can always wait. I haven't gone fishing in a long time. I'm not very good, still, but it does sound fun. Do you still have your fishing rod, Kirito?"

    The Flash remembers she's supposed to be eating. And so she works on doing that. It's best to eat things when they are still hot, after all. She thinks of fishing. It's been a long time.

"Yui..."

Yui points out there are places to fish. But she makes a point. Fishing is a favorite past time AND they could always use more food. Kirito seemed to have noticed her food truck, but he says nothing.

Snitches get stitches

Yet it's Asuna actually agreeing that gets Kirito's eyes on her. A flush appears and disappears quickly and swiftly, before he clears his throat.

"I can show you. I still have my rod, yes." Kirito FINALLY takes a bite of her cooking, a satisfied hum coming from him as he starts to eat more and more of it.