DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SAO OR IT'S CHARACTERS

"No."

"W-what?" Kyouko said, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at her daughter.

"I will not marry him. I will not marry Tosomaru Dengen," Asuna said plainly as she held out her hand for her mother to see. The plain metal ring gleamed in the sunlight of the courtyard, a simple but bold statement that nearly caused her mother to faint.

"A-Asuna-kun-" Dengen started to say, only for the girl to turn her head from him and stare off at the dying light of the evening sun.

"I do not love him. I care only for Kirito." Asuna said again, her eyes glinting with determination as she faced off with her mother—an indomitable force rivaling with her time fighting her cage in ALO—while the Tosomaru's watched from the side. "I will not marry him."

"This is an outrage!" Dengen's father barked as he stepped forward, "She is a woman and has no say in a matter concerning her future estate and fortune!"

Kyouko's eyes narrowed briefly at that statement—though more for it's unintended duel edged meaning than for intended result—and rested her hands on her hips.

"You will marry him. This is not a discussion we will repeat." She said harshly as she stared at her daughter.

Asuna opened her mouth to say something she would undoubtedly regret.

"Excuse me."

Everyone turned—the Tosomaru's, Kyouko, and finally Asuna—to face the archway that led into the courtyard to find Kirigaya Kazuto walking towards them with that same comfortable stride that Asuna had intimately come to know and love. Her boyfriend had Yui's camera on his shoulder and her father was trailing behind him.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" Dengen's father demanded as he glared at the young man. Dengen, likewise, was glaring at this new arrival and sizing him up like a dog about to fight over a scrap of meat.

"Apologies!" Kirito said with a playful—almost girlish—snicker and wave, "I am Kirigaya Kazuto," he said and then glanced at Dengen with a very pointed look. "I am Asuna's husband," he said as he indicated the plain metal ring he wore on his finger.

It was exactly the same as Asuna's.

"W-w-what is the meaning of this! Do you take me for a fool!?" Dengen's father's face was an unsightly mix of purple and black as he all but breathed fire while turning to stare at Kyouko's astonished form.

"You have no end of shame to bring upon our family's name..." Kyouko muttered as she glared at her daughter. It had been a hot argument between the Yuuki's about Asuna and Kirito's "marriage" in SAO. It had only gotten worse after Kirito had given her a ring that was almost an exact replica of their wedding bands from the game. Her parents refused to acknowledge Kirito as a romantic partner for Asuna—well, at least her mother refused—and this had only led to more infighting.

Asuna's mother had pulled a quick one on her daughter when they had attended a national kendo match earlier that day and brought before her the reigning national champion. Tosomaru Dengen was still sweaty and glowing from his victory, his muscles prominent in his loose undershirt and pants.

Instead of drooling, Asuna had zoned out thinking about whether Kirito could handle cooking by himself with just Yui to watch over him through her virtual gateway.

And now, like always with the black haired game master, Kirito had appeared without forewarning or even notice of being in the loop and he appeared to already have the perfect plan. It was like she was back with the sleeping dragons outside the boss's dungeon once again.

"I understand that you have an interest in Asuna-kun." Kirito began as he turned towards the kendo champion. "I can understand that feeling very well. Perhaps better than you yourself can," a small secretive smile towards his girlfriend.

"I have never heard of the Kirigaya's," Dengen said pompously as he tried to push into Kirito's space and glare down at him aggressively. Kirito remained impassive—possibly even bored—as he stared back up at his would-be rival.

"We are not a family of prominence in this world." Kirito said with a sly smile as Dengen's face contorted in confusion.

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"I challenge you to a duel." Kirito said simply, though his voice rang with authority and his eyes shone with a strength that almost made the Tosomaru heir back off and run far, far away.

"A-a, I, y-you, what?!" Dengen was too flustered to form complete words as he stared at the younger looking man before him.

"I challenge you to a kendo match, my sword versus yours. The winner has the right to court Asuna. The loser will forever remain out of her sight."

Asuna gasped in delighted shock. Kyouko and both of the Tosomaru's stared at him as if he had both grown a third head and given them everything they had asked for on a silver platter. Shōzō just looked concerned for the entire ordeal. He had made it no small secret that he considered Kirito his daughter's best chance at happiness, however social and political pressures from both his wife and community had strained that stance.

"I am the national kendo champion for all of Japan. How could a nobody like you hope to compete with me?!" Dengen demanded angrily as he glared at his opponent.

"Years of training," Kirito said mysteriously as he held out his hand. "Do we have a duel?"

Dengen spat on his hand and shouldered past him, "I will not sully my hands with yours, but I will beat you into the floor. My father will contact you with a date-"

"We will duel here. Now." Kirito interrupted abruptly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Unless you need time to train,"

Dengen spun around, fire in his eyes. "I will obliterate you." He promised while turning to a passing servant, "clear the main hall and have my bags brought to it as well."

The servant bowed deeply and quickly took off.

"Enjoy your last few moments with her," Dengen stated, "I will make her mine after this."

Kirito, having serious deja vu, smiled at Asuna as she helped him put his bōgu together.

"This feels just like when I was getting ready to face Heathcliff," Kirito commented as they connected the dō to his body and began to fasten on the straps keeping the men on his face.

"Please don't let it end with the same result," Asuna requested with a giggle, though there was real fear in her gut as she imagined Kirito failing here. Whether they would actually never see each other again was in question of course. Deep down she knew he would honor the agreement and never come before her eyes again.

But deep down, she also knew he would never lose. There was not a single living thing that could best Kirito when he was determined. Be it man or machine, avatar or AI. He had won two impossible duels already by sheer force of will.

A pompous man with a wooden sword was hardly something to get worked up over.

"I promise." Kirito said and leaned forward and kissed her gently. Asuna melted into his arms and they remained like that for several minutes. Eventually they parted and the face guard was fitted onto the men and Kirito stood up off the bench.

"Let's go settle this then."

The two men sat before each other on the floor of the arena. Their hands were folded on their laps and their head were bowed. The crowd—because a crowd had gathered—was sitting silently on all sides as they waited for the match to begin.

It was incredibly uncommon for a match to be announced with such little preplanning. It was even more uncommon for such a personal match to be held so publicly. It was unheard of for a man who had only registered in youth tournaments to be challenging the ranking national champion of a professional league.

Yet here they were. As the kendōka and the kenshi sat up and slowly rose to their feet, a crowd wide silence fell across the room.

The two men bowed to the other and drew their shinai.

"I thank you for this, Kirigaya-baka," Dengen said simply as he readied his blade. "If you had not done this, I doubt Asuna would have seen merit in marrying me."

"I'm always glad to be helpful," Kirito said evenly, "but I must inform you that you will not win this bout."

"You're overconfidance is astounding," Dengen replied, slightly shocked that such a man could walk so calmly onto the floor and act like he had nothing to worry about.

His father had researched the man and found that with the exception of a younger cousin who was rapidly climbing towards his pedestal, Kirigaya Kazuto had no real standing in the world of the kendōka.

"No...you're lack of information is far worse." Kirito said, that same damnable tone of mystery tickling Dengen's mind as if there was some great secret he knew nothing of, but should know.

"KIIAAAA!" Dengen roared, starting the match, as he flew towards his opponent. The national chamion's form was flawless and his speed was near blinding, but Kirito simply smirked at his charging form and vanished.

Dengen stopped short and knew it was not just his imagination, the man had literally diss-

The soft click barely registered in his mind. Yet it boomed across the room, the statement echoing in the graveyard silence covering the arena. Kirito's shinai rested peacefully against the side of Dengen's dō.

"Point Kirigaya!" One of the judges shouted out as the cut was taken down on their scorecards and added to the score.

"BAKA!" Dengen spat and snarled as he returned to his starting position. His voice was low enough to where only Kirito could hear him, but it was clear by his stance to the crowd that he was furious. Throughout the entire national championship, Dengen had only been dealt two blows the entire time and neither had happened within the same match.

"You will lose. Simple as that." Kirito said calmly.

"I will snap your neck."

"KIAAA!" The two moved as one and Dengen brought up his sword to block Kirito's own attack. The force of the blow was astounding and he nearly flew backwards, though his arm buckled violently.

Dengen shoved Kirito back and lunged for him, though the kenshi ducked out of the way easily and dodged the follow up attack without so much as breaking a sweat. The champion growled and swiped three times in quick succession, but these attacks failed to land their marks as well.

Kirito let this go on for several more moments before effortlessly dropping into a crouch and rolling behind Dengen. He brought his blade up and connected all the way from the bottom of the tare to the top of the men.

Dengen fell to his knees in shock as he realized he had just had his second defeat. The crowd was even more deathly silent as they watched the impossible become cold hard reality.

"Point, Kirigaya!"

Kirito returned to his spot as Dengen remained on his knees, eyes wide.

"You...you can't be that good..."

"I never said I was good." Kirito pointed out.

"Who are you?" Dengen demanded as he glared at his opponent.

"Like I said, nobody of prominence," Kirito remarked as he readied his blade.

Throwing ceremony and tradition to the wind, Dengen launched forward with enough speed to stun several in the audience. Though he should be disqualified and forced to forfeit for breaking the traditional starting ceremony for kendo, it couldn't be denied that this was a national champion rushing towards Kirito.

The fire in his eyes, the spirit of his will, and the speed and movement of his blade spoke of an existence entirely dedicated to kendo. Dengen's entire unorthodox attack proclaimed mastery of the shinai.

Kirito turned his head away from the charging champion and grinned at Asuna. Her heart stopped and several incredulous shouts were sent Kirito's way.

Then his blade flipped over and he now held in backwards and at an angle. This position wasn't even heard of in Kendo. It more resembled a ninja or assassin.

Or a legendary swordsman turned Spriggan.

Kirito parried the massive attack with an ease so unbelievable that gasps shook the stadium like a storm. The kenshi beat back his opponent and locked blades with him.

"It might be a good time to mention this," Kirito said, smirk in place, "but I'm a master swordsman that cleared the death game from the SAO incident. Stronger men than you have tried to take Asuna from me. I'm going to kick your ass now." Dengen—who was not a gamer but knew of the incident's notoriety like most Japanese—felt his gut go cold and his eyes go wide as Kirito moved.

What happened then would go down in the history books of kendo. It would go viral on the internet. It would even make an appearance on MMO Tomorrow until the GM's took it down.

Kirito moved with such speed and skill that the judges couldn't even call the point before he had hit both the dō in three places and the men in two.

"KIIIAAAAAA!" Kirito roared as the game master spun and executed an upward reversed slice that sent Dengen sprawling to the floor while his men cracked and flew off.

The crowd erupted in stunned shouted and roaring approval as the entire room exploded in noise. People leapt to their feet. People fell to their knees. The Tosomaru patriarch sat in stunned denial. The Yuuki's stared at the boy they had been denying for nearly two years in sheer dumb amazement.

Asuna was already half across the arena floor.

She slammed into the black swordsman with such fierceness that Kirito scooted back several inches. He dropped his blade and wrapped his arms around her as she hugged him tight.

"I knew you would win Kirito-kun," she cried happily.

"Like I would lose you a third time," Kirito commented humorously.

"Baka!" She teased tearfully while leaning forward and kissing his cheek happily.

Kirito smiled brightly and reveled in the victory and Asuna's kiss. Minus a fully realized Yui—who was sitting on Klein's shoulder by Asuna's parents—he had everything he could want right now in his arms.

"CHEATER!" Dengen roared as he flew at the couple, shinai in hand as he prepared to bash Kirito's head in.

The judges rushed forward to stop him, but they would never make it in time.

WHACK!

The room fell silent for the hundredth time that day as the unbelievable happened again. Tosomaru Dengen was on the ground and dazed, defeated once more after winning a national championship with only two one point hits against him only hours prior.

Asuna spun the shinai in her hands experimentally as she watched Kirito catch Dengen's own blade as it fell back towards the earth.

"You're right, these things are lighter."

"Told you," Kirito said as he came to stand beside her, both now holding shinai as they waited for a stunned Dengen to make his move.

It would still be several more weeks before Asuna and Kirito would be allowed to officially refer to each other as a married couple before the Yuukis, but Shōzō would later admit that Kyouko admitted to him after the match that she knew they were meant to be.

She told him that she came to that realization after the match and that she could not deny that the two of them were truly in love, and truly meant to be, and truly married after she witnessed them standing together so in sync and close, shinai in hand, as they waited to face a foe together.

After that, Asuna and Kirito wore their rings with that much more happiness and pride.