Sometimes, love is enough

Asuna

By Goa1aso

All of a sudden, she could move again. She didn't know why. Perhaps Kayaba wanted this to happen and released her enforced paralysis. But all that mattered was that the sword swung at Kirito was moving too fast, and he was about to be overwhelmed and dealt a decisive blow.

The Flash moved, to the surprise of the hapless players around her, beelining straight towards the black-clad boy like a meteor.

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-Love is patient, love is kind-

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Her Linear flew straight and true with speed rivaling that of a meteor, finishing off the monster with aplomb

A surprised cough to the side caught her attention.

She looked at the intruder on her monster-killing ritual with dead eyes.

'Leave me alone. I choose to fight and die here. Better this way than rotting away in an inn.'

But yet he stayed. Even after she collapsed from mental exhaustion, he carried her out of the dungeon, sticking around to see if she was alright afterwards. The swordsman was even considerate enough to understand her feelings, choosing to be ruthlessly pragmatic when she didn't want to hear empty encouragement.

That was when hope bloomed for her in the jail cell of Sword Art Online.

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-But it can really hurt sometimes-

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The beautifully crafted green-sheened blade in his hand shattered, leaving him open for the follow-up backswing.

'I need to move faster!'

Steeling her mind for what she was about to do and offering a silent goodbye to everyone she knew, she lunged forward, throwing her body in front of the Black Swordsman-

-just in time to intercept the incoming blade with her body.

The boy caught her in his arms and watched with wide eyes as her health bar dropped steadily to zero.

'I love you, goodbye.'

When her heart felt like it would explode from the teary-eyed expression he beheld her with, her body shattered into a million pieces.

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-Love does not envy, nor does it boast-

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The white-clad fencer watched in awe and trepidation as the boy she admired deeply (no, it wasn't that word that started with an L) fought alone against the gigantic Minotaur of a floor boss.

'He can do it,' she wanted to believe but the speed at which his health was depleting was worrying.

Her hand twitched restlessly as it rested on her sword. She really wanted to go help but it just wasn't possible to go help him without getting in his way at this point.

She continued watching uneasily as he unleashed a huge combo-count skill, his dual swords flashing in patterns, dancing against the skin of the boss, leaving red trails wherever it went.

The final stab with a loud battle-cry ended it all.

'Congratulations!' the system message read, as the demi-human giant minotaur turned into a shower of blue, the dual-blade wielder staggering and falling to the floor.

She sprinted forward, catching him as he fell, hugging him for all she was worth.

The non-existent sliver of health that she could see at the top left of her vision was a painful reminder of what she could've lost.

The girl vowed to never let him go again.

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-It'll be there when you need it most-

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She didn't know how long she stood on the glass-like plane in the clouds, staring at the massive, floating, steel castle with a never-ending sunset serving as its backdrop. It was a beautiful view, but she couldn't feel at ease at all. How she was alive still was a mystery in itself, compounded by her current location.

The chestnut-haired girl had expected to feel a brief headache before she was rendered a vegetable, but this was a slightly better alternative she supposed.

With nothing to do but look at the scenery, her mind wandered.

'I hope Kirito-kun is okay'

'It's kind of lonely up here'

'I hope he comes to me'

'Wait no, that would mean he died. Stay away from me!'

'It really is lonely here…' she sighed.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, he appeared a few feet away from her, his back turned to her while he stared at the same scene that greeted her not too long ago.

Tears of relief and sadness welled up in her eyes at the sight.

'You died too… but I'm glad you're here with me.'

Running forward to hug him, she rested her chin on his shoulder, her heart content for the moment.

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-It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres-

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She wasn't sure when she fell so hard for him. Maybe it was because of the scarcity of their meetings after she'd joined her guild, after romping around in the lower levels with him for so long. Absence makes the heart fonder and all that.

She'd always thought herself to be an independent, self-sufficient girl, who could go through life at her own behest. But kneeling in the middle of the canyon, near the place that two of her guild members had died, with her arms around the boy she loved, she felt complete.

Thank goodness she had decided to follow him. If she'd been a second later, he would've died to the Laughing Coffin member…

She shivered at the thought. Pulling away from the kiss, she stood back up, offering her hand to him. He took it without hesitation, using it to pull himself up.

They walked back to the guild hand in hand, the near-death experience uniting them once and for all.

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-Never letting up through all your years-

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The pair sat together hand in hand, legs dangling over the edge of the plane, watching the world crumble around them, ready for the unknown.

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-Because sometimes, love is enough-

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What is love?

Love is patient, love is kind,

But it can really hurt sometimes.

Love does not envy, nor does it boast,

It'll be there when you need it most.

It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres,

Never letting up through all your years.

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'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.' (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

A/N: It really was a struggle to write this. I deleted what I wrote countless times, not liking the direction it was taking nor how long it would've been if I continued down that route. I hope you enjoyed what I finally decided on!