Disclaimer: Don't own Sword Art Online (any season), or the characters.

Rating: T (heavy hint of M at end)

Like I said, very likely hehe - enjoy.

For any newer readers, just in case, you'll want to read the original 'A New World' first. Here, minus the spaces/parathenses: h(t(t(p(s: / / www . fanfiction . n(e(t / s / 10712061 / 1 / A-New-World

RL

November 16th, 2030

"Well, that worked out well" she said in an interesting tone, at the wheel.

"Yeah, if you can call it that" Kazuto breathed, still a little dour, hand supporting his face beside her. "That glitch trapped me in place for more than two hours inside that game - I couldn't even blink, and I'm sure my eye is still twitchy out here!"

She giggled, making the turn with a smile. "Being a virtual beta tester again, you're bound to run into things like this" she teased him, before softening. "But it's to make sure no one else does when the new stuff goes live."

"Yeah, but it's still frustrating sometimes."

"But for a good cause" she pointed out sincerely, now going up their driveway and into the garage. "And I get to watch over you in real life, plus the monitor, and get paid to at that - the joy of joys."

"Okay, miss sarcastic" he fired back, getting out, turning toward her. "No need to say you're into me."

"Bite me" she teased, giggling - he chuckled in return. As they walked up to the front door, she clicked the garage door device over-her-shoulder. For some reason when they'd gotten this house, it didn't have a door that led inside to the rest of the house, which was a little inconvienent. Still, when Kazuto touched a hand to her hip, with a soft little smile, that thought faded to the back of her mind entirely. She smiled, touching her hand to his own, just feeling warm-

Up ahead of her though, a little figure in the window had jumped at their appearance, and quickly disappeared.

They slowed, hearing the distinctive clicks and sounds of the door being opened from the inside, before it opened with a little effort. "Mommy, daddy, you're home!" Yui breathed happily, running up to them, and pressing a hug against her waist.

She held Yui close too. "As we've done every day that we had to go to work" she said gently, stroking her hair.

Yui looked up at her, nodding with a smile. "I know" she whispered. "But it's still so new to me, how the real world works - this working to make money, to make sure all the comforts of home are taken care of in return for it."

"Well, it has only been a week or so" Kazuto added, but soft, getting down on his knee. "You okay, being at home by yourself?"

She nodded with a 'Mmh-hmm'. "I'm okay, daddy; I've had to wait before, when I was an AI" she said, but not in a bad way. "But I'm always glad to be with you two."

The warmth only got better. "As are we, Yui" she answered, smiling, "Especially so close to dinnertime."

"Ah! I always like your food, mommy!" she breathed happily, excited, hands in front of her.

Her husband chuckled, smirking a bit. "As do I, 'mommy'" he said, making her get a look for a moment. Then he just laughed, and Yui joined in, so she sheepishly did as well-

"Huh?"

"Yui?"

"What's that stuff?"

Seeing Yui pointing up, she looked up as well - overhead the sky was grayish, but otherwise still lit well enough, little flakes of- wait a minute. Oh yeah, they hadn't yet explained the seasons to Yui! Well, Yui might know about specific holiday events from ALO, but the general stuff? She remember Yui had asked why the trees didn't have leaves, and Kazuto had answered they were essentially getting ready to sleep for awhile, but none of them had answered/asked about the subject further.

She was beginning they wish they had; it seemed so strange that they hadn't.

Still, she smiled as she looked at the curious Yui, who had her hands out trying to catch them. "It's snow, Yui" she said gently. And when Yui looked at her, curiously confused, she tilted her head a little. "Little bits of frozen water."

"Frozen?" she wondered, looking at the flakes again, watching as one flew onto her hands - "Ah!" she jolted, as it melted against her hand, slowly but still. "But- why is the water in the air that cold?"

Kazuto stepped beside her, hands in his pockets, smiling. "It means winter's coming" he explained gently, even as flakes continued to fall around them, but very lightly. "Part of the changing seasons."

Yui tilted her head. "Huh?"

She took Yui's hand, drawing their daughter's attention. "Remember what your dad said about the sun, and how Earth circles around it?" she asked gently, Yui slowly nodding. "Well, while we circle around the sun, there are times we're closer than usual, and times we're farther than usual - this changes how warm or cold things get around here."

At that, her expression cleared, replaced by bright curiosity. "Oh, so this is the time where we're farther away?" Yui asked, she nodding in response. "So that explains why the real world feels cooler than in ALO! And it also adds to why the trees are going to sleep; they must not like cold!"

"Pretty much" she added, smiling. "And since each season lasts about three months or so, it's only gonna get colder around here."

"But we can still have fun, right?" she asked, a little worried... then Kazuto got down right down beside her.

He smiled, ruffling her hair (to her playful annoyance), chuckling. "Sure we can, but we just gotta be careful - too much cold isn't good for us, so we gotta bundle up and stuff" he merely said. "But we'll still have fun somehow."

Flattening her hair a little, Yui made a sheepish smile, just happy. "Okay, daddy."

"Now then" she said, taking Yui's other hand. "Why don't we go inside and get that dinner?"

A resounding chorus of 'Yes ma'am!' rang out.

"Mmh, delicious as usual" he said, eating his heart out.

"You can say that again, daddy!"

"At least enjoy the taste before you wolf it down over there" his wife said, a little exasperated.

"Oh I am" he said with his mouth partly full, chuckling heavily, to her further exasperation - luckily for him, Yui was too busy enjoying her own food to notice. Still, after a few bites, even he couldn't help but notice how Yui's attention was suddenly occupied by the window (which she was sitting right next to). "Yui?" he asked after a moment.

She leaned closer, hands pressed against it as she looked, before back at them. "The snow, it's falling more heavily than before" she said, curious and smiling. "The ground is almost completely white now, like it was in that Jotenheim quest."

He smiled as well, nodding. "And only more snow will fall" he said gently. "It'll be a white wonderland out there soon - a little chilly, but still good."

Eyes sparkling a little in excitement, she giggled a little, before making a little 'Oh' as she remembered her food. She quickly went back to eating, to which they both laughed at a little, and Yui smiled. "Will it really get so cold though?" she asked, slowly eating again. "That we'll have to wear even more?"

"Oh yes, Yui" Asuna answered (he just continued eating for now). "If we didn't bundle up, we'd shiver and freeze out there."

Yui tilted her head. "Shiver?"

"Well, if we get too cold, our body instinctively makes us shiver to get warmer" she explained. "Moving does make us heat up after all, at least a little."

"And it would look something like this" he added, waiting till Yui's attention was on him before he started... afterward though, he felt it was weird; kinda like being a vibrating spring. "Anyway, being too hot has a similar reaction, allowing us to sweat."

Yui gasped a little. "Whenever players were fighting, I always noticed they had water coming out of their skin" she breathed, very thoughtful. "That must be why; you were moving fast, and thus heated up, so your bodies tried to cool themselves down. I always saw the vitals, but I never understood the exact reason until now!"

"Well, now you do" she said, patting Yui's hair, which she liked.

He smiled, just enjoying the sight of them both so happy, then continued to eat his chicken.

For the most part, this was how it went; a normal little family dinner. However, at one point, he caught Asuna's eye - looking Yui over discreetly, quite seriously, then she looked at him. He slowly put down his fork, knowing that look and what she was thinking about... he could tell thanks to the fidgeting, and the worry over Yui's reaction. With her eyes only, she seemed to be asking him if now was the right time. The right time to ask Yui about the sibling issue.

He slowly gave her a little look. "Can I at least finish my dinner first?" he mouthed to her.

A little roll-eye, but amused. "Okay" she mouthed back.

/

"Oh, that was so good!"

"Of course it was" he said, getting down beside her. "Your mommy's a very good cook."

Yui giggled, nodding, before he touched a hand to her shoulder. "Huh?"

He smiled gently. "And also-" he breathed, "Asuna and I want to talk with you, about something important. Okay?"

She got a little worried. "Is it something bad?" she whispered, hands in front of her.

Asuna stepped forward. "No, but it is fairly serious, and it will affect you too" she said, slowly sitting down at the table again. "That's why we wanted to talk to you about it, Yui."

"Okay" she breathed, holding onto his arm. "What is it, mommy?"

When Asuna hesitated, he picked up the slack: "Well, to put it simply" he said faintly, but gentle. "Yui, how would you feel if this little family... got a little bigger?"

She gasped, blinking several times, hands in front of her mouth. "Y-You mean-" she breathed, in dawning wonder and (slight) confusion. "Daddy, mommy... you're asking if I want a brother or sister?"

"Well, yeah" he breathed.

Asuna made a sound, touching her belly, but still her expression was soft. "Yes, Yui, we are" she whispered gently, "What do you think?"

Breathing out, Yui slowly looked down, her hands together. "I- I don't know" she admitted, before looking up. "I'm honestly really happy just being here with you two!"

He smiled, slowly touching a hand to Asuna's, to which she gave him a soft look. "We know, Yui, and we're glad that you're finally here with us" he assured, reaching forward with his arms. When he nodded his soft ascent, Yui was quick to come over, quickly hugging him on his lap - Asuna lay a hand on Yui's shoulder, which she also liked. "But if you're worried that we won't love you with another child around, well-"

"T-That's not it!" she breathed quickly, looking up at him, slowly smiling. "I know you, daddy, mommy" she breathed softly, head on his chest. "Even if I wasn't your only daughter, you'd still love me just as much as you do now."

"Of course we would" Asuna whispered, gently leaning forward, kissing Yui's forehead (to her little happy blush). "That will never change. We're just thinking, there could be another child, for all of us to love."

Against his chest, Yui hugged him closer.

"What would it be like?" she asked, curious. "I know that I won't just magically get a brother or sister as big as I am, but little else."

At that, Asuna glanced at him, and he knew what she was thinking; how much would they tell her? Well, he knew they couldn't/wouldn't give every single detail about the processes, because she was still a little girl at heart. However, they also knew for a fact that during her A.I. routine, she'd seen many horrible and disturbing things happening in SAO, the least of which was general violence. So he thought she could handle the actual facts... at least, part of it, for now.

"Tell her the truth" he mouthed to Asuna, this getting a little reaction out of her before: "Not all the details; just the gist."

A slight red came to Asuna's cheeks, and she was fidgety, but she slowly nodded.

"Well, uh" she began, Yui's attention fully on her, even as he still held her close in his lap. "*cough* first, me and Kazuto would get a few things in order- t-then, your brother or sister would start growing, right here."

Yui breathed, curiously confused when she gestured to just near her stomach. "In there?" she wondered, before becoming a little worried. "Wouldn't they be too big?"

Asuna slowly made a sheepish sound. "Well, they start off really small, but they do get bigger... and when they're big enough, they start to be born."

"It's not the most pleasant thing, ever, but in the end it's worth it" he slowly added, smiling at Yui. He was aware of the mildly miffed expression Asuna was giving him, but hey, ignorance is bliss or whatever they say. "And you're right; the baby doesn't start as big as you are, and can't even talk or walk yet."

"Oh" she breathed, curious before she tilted her head. "But what about their gender?"

He slowly glanced at Asuna, who's miffed expression was slowly becoming embarrassed again. "We... don't have control over that part of the process" he admitted sheepishly, slowly rubbing his head. "No one does."

A little thrown at that, Yui still considered things for a little. "But, if the baby can't even talk or walk, how do they learn?"

"Well, that's our job, as parents" Asuna breathed gently. "Just like we're taking care of you, Yui, teaching you about the real world."

Even without looking, he could tell Yui had that sparkling happy look in them - he just held her closer to him.

"And anyway, it'll be a lot of work at first; I can't deny that whatsoever" she continued, but with a small smile. "Because the baby can't talk for a few years, until we teach him or her so, the only way they can get attention is by crying. Really loudly... and sometimes at night too."

"Why at night?" Yui asked, a little worried, no doubt about what he'd said about not getting enough sleep being trouble.

"Well... it'll take awhile for the baby to learn how to 'go' a-as well."

Yui made a sound, partly disgusted, by the sound of it - well, he couldn't blame her for that; it was a reality for all of them, but it was still disgusting.

"But it'll all be okay, Yui" he said gently, assuredly. "Despite the work cut out for your mommy and me, the baby will learn, and soon you'll have another playmate. You know, if you want to; we won't do anything until you decide" he added. "There's no rush."

She was silent for a little, before she slowly looked up, smiling a little. "Well, if there's no rush for me to decide" she breathed gently, "daddy, can you take me back outside?"

"Hmm? Why?"

"I want to look at the snow again, up close" she said, a little excited. "And I want to feel what it's like to shiver; my pixie form in ALO could never be affected by such things. Maybe it won't be pleasant after awhile, but it's better I experience it now, right?"

He slowly looked at Asuna, who looked a little worried, but she still stepped forward. "Well, okay, Yui; just for a little while" she said, getting down beside Yui. "But the moment it looks like it's really affecting you, you'll find a really warm coat wrapped around you."

Yui just giggled, nodding.

Outside

She had to admit, letting Yui out in this weather dressed like her usual, her first instinct had been to say 'no way'. When she realized this, that her instinct had been a motherly one, she had slowly begun to feel warm and happy - maybe she's been one to Yui for five years, but the little girl could handle herself well in virtual reality. Here, Yui needed their guidance, and she was loving the instinct.

And so, here she was, holding a spare thick winter coat for herself, just a bit smaller than Yui herself. Next time they go shopping, Yui was gonna need one (embarrassingly, they'd forgotten to get one in her size; slipped their minds).

"They're so pretty, haha" Yui breathed, slowly twirling around on the spot.

"You know, they say no two snowflakes look the same" Kazuto added, nearby but not in Yui's way.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah" he said softly. "It's hard to see with our eyes, but snowflakes do have this pattern to them - but they're all so different."

Yui just giggled, unconsciously rubbing at her arms, which she noticed after a moment. "Hmm? My skin, it looks like..." she said, looking closer. "Little bumps?"

She breathed out, moving closer with the coat, but not ready yet. "Those are goosebumps, Yui" she said gently, getting the little girl's curious attention. "The name's a little silly, but this is a small attempt by the body to show that you're getting cold."

"Ah, that's so cool, mommy!" Yui breathed, giggling - she just shared a look with Kazuto, happy to see her enjoying their world, before "Oh!"

"Yui?" she asked quickly.

Yui looked around at herself, arms partly wrapped around herself... then her shoulders moved a little, followed by another 'burst', which included her head. "Wow, that's so weird!" Yui breathed, interested. "This is shivering, right!?"

"Mmh, yes, quite" she said, opening up the coat, ready.

Another (bigger) burst of shivering, and Yui's giggle. "Wow, that's so involuntarily, and fascinating!" she said cheerfully, before she slowly stepped toward her. Yui instinctively held her arms up for the sleeves, but she gently said that was okay, before wrapping the coat around her body.

"Oh, it's so soft" Yui breathed, rubbing a section against her cheek.

"Why thank you, Yui-"

"Ahh..."

"Huh?" she breathed, confused.

"Ahhh" Yui breathed, looking a little worried, her nose twitching. "Ah- ahcoo!"

After a moment, she slowly giggled, even as her husband came over closer. "What was that?" Yui breathed, worried, until she noticed her dad bent down beside her.

"That was a sneeze" he said mildly. "It's pretty normal, and can happen for many reasons - though, if you start sneezing several times in a row, that's not really good."

Yui breathed out. "You mean, that I'm 'sick', daddy?" she asked, worried.

"Not yet, but now we really must get you back inside, before you do" she said, gently-but-firmly leading Yui inside. "It's impossible to avoid getting sick forever, but it certainly doesn't do any good to be sick all the time.

"But, if I do get sick, that means I have to go to the hospital again?" she asked, looking up, even as she was lead inside.

"Depends" she said gently. "Some sicknesses are only bad enough to annoy you slightly, some confine you to your bed here in the house, and then it starts getting bad-"

/

Several hours later; nighttime.

Yui lay curled under the blankets, head to one side, mouth opening and closing as she breathed in and out softly.

Despite herself, it brought tears of happiness to her eyes, just to see Yui here with them. It had been more than a week, and she still couldn't believe it sometimes - now she was truly a mother, in all senses of the word! Even as she wiped at the tears, her fingers curled around the doorframe, looking at Yui the entire time.

"Got side-tracked?"

Despite the soft, low tone he'd used, she was still startled to see Kazuto right beside her - but only for a moment. "How'd you guess?" she asked, just as soft and low, so as not to disturb Yui.

He slipped a hand into hers, which she squeezed. "Well, it took awhile before you got back... even half-asleep, that's noticeable" he said, but mild. "But, I understand why now" he added, slowly touching a kiss to her cheek.

She blushed a little, leaning her head against him, both of them looking at the sleeping Yui. "I just- I can't quite believe it" she breathed. "Even now, it still feels like a dream at times!"

A moment, then his other hand came up... touching her chin, gently pulling her face toward his.

He smiled, exactly like his usual. "I know what you mean" he breathed gently, touching their foreheads together. "But, Asuna, it's just-"

Instinctively, she kissed him, much to his surprise - but only for a moment, as he returned it. "Just what?" she asked.

"It's real."

If anyone else had said that, someone who hadn't survived being trapped in a VRMMORPG for two years, it might have sounded corny - and maybe it still did. But right now, all it did was send a thrill through her system, along with massive warmth. Gasping a little, she kissed him again-

-and boy did she let it go on, no matter how surprised he was at first.

When they finally let go: "As usual, you're so cheesy" she told him, really breathy and still low.

He slowly chuckled a bit. "So I've heard" he whispered, getting closer and saying it in her ear, giving her another little shiver. After that, he touched a kiss to her neck, which also made her feel warm, but otherwise she held him like usual... well, except for her toying with his waistband.

Still working her usual playful spots, he didn't pause, but still clearly felt it: "Yui hasn't decided yet-"

"I know" she whispered, really soft. "But today's safe; trust me."

"Mmh-"

After a moment, she squeaked; he'd just picked her up. Unlike in ALO, he was straining a little, but managed to hold her up well - instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips, and then she kissed him.

She didn't let go, even as he slowly turned back to their bedroom.

Well, things are moving along nicely for the family, in several ways XD