Chapter 11 / Paths:

Anxiety. It crept up inside Kirito as he stumbled out of the castle spire, his feet moving on their own. He was exhausted, all he wanted to do now was curl up and cry. Emotions swirled inside of him as he walked out onto the battlements, the setting sun blinding him for a moment. He was scared, unsure as to what he was about to find.

When his eyes adjusted he was greeted by the sight of Asuna. She was knelt on the ground where Adira had been, the only remnant of the other woman now was her sword, which Asuna held in her hands. The Lightning Flash swivelled her head to look round at Kirito as he approached, tears in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away, he needed her to be strong.

Kirito tried to speak, but his voice failed him. His mind could barely form words as all of his suppressed emotions came forth to the surface, overwhelming him. His eyes met Asuna's, who gazed at him with a look of pity. He stumbled past her, desperate to get away from her, from the castle…from everything. His shaking legs gave out, sending him tumbling to the floor.

Asuna watched as Kirito fell to the ground, tears silently running down his face. He was sprawled near the edge of the battlements, the beautiful scenery of the sunset contrasting starkly with his inner turmoil. She slowly got herself to her feet, making her way over to him.

She stood behind him as he refused to turn around, eyes fixed straight ahead. His lips quivered as he attempted in vain to get some sort of control over himself.

Asuna could hear Adira's voice in her head. Her final request. "I need you to do me a favour, okay?" Adira had croaked, her time almost up. "I need you to look after him. He needs you. He won't admit it…but he does. Just…take care of him…please!"

She sat down on his right, gently resting her hand on Kirito's shoulder, comforting him. Of course she would, she'd have looked after him whether Adira had asked her to or not. She sat by him in silence, giving him time to grieve as he tried to process words, his mouth opening slightly before closing when nothing came out.

When she felt that Kirito had calmed down slightly, she spoke. "I sat with her in her final moments…" Asuan began, her voice as soothing as she could make it. "She said you didn't want her to die alone…she…she didn't…" Asuna gazed at Kirito as he continued to look out across the horizon, his eyes unfocused. "She wanted you to have this…her sword…she called it…" Asuna faltered for a second. "…she called it the Dark Repulser…"

Asuna gently placed the blade on Kirito's lap, watching as his head dipped to look at it. He gently gripped it in his right hand, holding on to it as if itcould shatter at any moment, leaving him with nothing left to remember her by. Asuna regarded the weapon, noticing its odd design. The sword was tinted a fitting teal colour, with a diamond-esk design and a dark handle. She committed the beauty of the blade to memory, promising herself that she would never forget it or its previous owner.

FLASHFORWARD! -TWO MONTHS FROM NOW-

Kirito was unconscious, wiped after defeating the 74th floor boss. Asuna ran up to him, checking to see if he was still alive. His health bar had settled on a mere 2%. That was a close call. She knelt before him, inspect his new sword that he had recently withdrawn. The sword was tinted a teal colour, with a diamond-esk design and a dark handle. She smiled to herself. So hadn't seen that blade in a while.

Asuna thought back to that day. The day of Adira's death. Kirito had never been the same after that. He'd become inconsistent, drawing close to her one day whilst withdrawing away from her the next. She'd decided that it was because he didn't want to be alone, yet was too afraid of getting close to her, in case he lost her. That was why she had forced this little team-up between the two of them. So she could finally show him that he was better of with her…together. Doubt suddenly entered her stomach, sickening her slightly. What would he do after a close call like this? Would he pull away again?

Asuna's face dropped. She could see Klein's reaction out of the corner of her eye. He had noticed. She ignored him, focused only on the figure in-front of her. She wouldn't let him pull away this time. She'd leave the guild if she had to. Whatever it took to be with him. She was pulled out of her thoughts as the Black Swordsman stirred, beginning to wake up…

FLASHBACK! –BACK TO THE CASTLE-

Asuna watched Kirito as he tried to speak again, his voice failing once more. He locked his eyes back on the horizon, visibly shaking with emotion. She reached across and placed her hand atop his. She felt him grip the sword tighter. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak.

"You…you're going down a path I cannot follow Kirito…I can't say I understand how you're feeling or…or what you're going through right now, but I'm here for you…and when you're ready to come back….I'll be here…" She trailed off into silence, unsure of what else she could say.

Kirito slowly lowered his head, gazing longingly at he hand atop his, seemingly finding comfort in that simple touch. He composed himself slightly, his body shaking less and less until he became still, breathing deeply as he once again looked out over the sunset. Asuna twitched in shock as he readjusted his hand to fit her own inside of his palm. A smile crept up on her face as she mirrored his reaction, staring out over the horizon as the sun set. Maybe he was finally ready to let her in. Maybe there was hope for them after all…

THE END!

Final Notes:

-Thanks for sticking with this fic until the end. Please let me know what you thought of the ending and the story as a whole, feedback is greatly appreciated!

-I have to say I enjoyed writing this a lot more than I expected. I might write some more fics, although I'm not sure what on. I have an idea for a Star Wars fic, as well as a possible extended version of the Daredevil/Jessica Jones crossover one-shot I wrote. If you have ideas of something you'd like to see, it doesn't have to be from SAO, then let me know and I'll see what I can do!

-Musical Choices:

#Every Christmas is Last Christmas / Murray Gold

#Daredevil / John Paesano