Author's Note:

-I tried to make this story as fandom-blind as possible, since it was made for a contest judged by people who may not have read (or watched) the source material. However, there are a few things I mentioned in the text I will explain here for those new to the fandom.

-+-Kirito and Asuna had an online marriage while they were still trapped inside Sword Art Online (they were trapped in there for over two years, just for reference, and this online marriage occurred near the end of that period). This story is set on the one-year anniversary of that online marriage. (Note: they have started dating by now, but have not gotten married in the real world.)

-+-In Alfheim Online, players select a "race" for their character when they first start the game, with each being oriented with a specific type of in-game magic. Spriggans, Sylphs, and Undines are three of the available options (oriented with illusion, wind, and water magic, respectively).

-+-+-Furthermore, the lone spell used in this story is not a canon spell. I made it up for the sake of plot convenience (and because I figured there would be a spell like that in a game that if not encourages, at least condones PvP combat).

-+-In Sword Art Online, teleport crystals are consumable items that teleport the user (as well as anyone holding them, presumably) to a location whenever the user equips it and says, "Teleport," plus the name of the location they wish to teleport to. (It doesn't always work, as the game has these things called "Anti-Crystal Zones" which block these effects, but that doesn't come into play here.)

-That's all for now. If there's anything else you feel like I missed, just notify me in a PM or review and I will add it to the top ASAP.

-With that out of the way, onto the story we go, and I hope you enjoy it!

Requiem of a Honeymoon

October 24th, 2025

Anyone who was even slightly into the gaming scene could have identified everyone in the party of three marching through The Ancient Forest.

Kirito, the boy in the center, was the famed hero known as The Black Swordsman. When he'd become one of the ten thousand players trapped inside Sword Art Online, he'd risen to the challenge and become one of the game's most powerful players despite being a solo player for almost the entire game. In Alfheim Online, he'd chosen a Spriggan avatar, and thus had pitch-black hair and clothing to match, just like he'd had in Sword Art Online.

To his right was Leafa, the Alfheim Online avatar of Kirito's sister, Suguha. Even before Kirito had entered Alfheim Online, she'd become a famous player in her own right, rising to a position of power amongst the Sylph forces. But once Kirito had arrived and made his intentions clear, she'd been one of the players chiefly responsible for helping him get to the top of the World Tree, as close an achievement to beating the game as was possible in this world. She wore a green, somewhat open dress- standard clothing for female Sylphs- and her blond hair cascaded well down her back.

And finally, to his left was Asuna, Kirito's girlfriend. She'd been trapped inside Sword Art Online alongside him, and before the two of them had ever been a couple, she'd risen to the second-in-command position of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the most powerful guild in Sword Art Online. But when the two of them had become a couple (even having an online marriage), everyone had seen them as unstoppable, a dream team, a match made in heaven. Here in Alfheim Online, she'd picked an Undine avatar, and thus the hair which was even longer than Leafa's was blue, and she wore a white-and-blue dress, although this one was much less revealing than Leafa's.

For Kirito, Asuna wanting to have anything to do with this place was a massive shock, considering she'd been one of the three hundred players who hadn't been freed when Sword Art Online was cleared- instead, she'd been trapped in here for several more months in the clutches of a man both terrifying and depraved. But despite that, she'd made an avatar- and a name- for herself in the handful of months she'd been playing this game.

"So, Kirito," Asuna said, "you ready to be surprised?"

"Uhhhh, sure," Kirito managed to squeeze out. Asuna had mentioned that she wanted to do something special for the one-year anniversary of their online marriage, but up to this point, Kirito had been left in the dark as to exactly what she was planning, probably on purpose.

Then, the trio emerged from the forest, and a sight Kirito had found both comforting and haunting floated on the horizon.

After clearing Alfheim Online and rescuing Asuna, the floating castle that Sword Art Online had taken place in (known as Aincrad) had been placed in the skies of Alfheim Online through a series of events even Kirito couldn't fully explain, despite having been part of it. He'd occasionally flown up and attempted to get back into the game, but the place held so many terrible memories for him that even when he could convince himself to go there, he was just going through the motions, not enjoying a single second of it.

"So," Leafa said. "I know you and Asuna have something planned for today, but why couldn't either of you let me in on it before bringing me here?"

"I didn't want to give the surprise away," Asuna said.

"I had no idea there was even going to be one," Kirito added. "Us grinding for XP together and Asuna sending me the message asking us to meet here had nothing to do with each other."

"Oh well. I guess that at least makes a little sense," Suguha conceded.

Kirito hadn't taken his eye off of Aincrad since it had come into view, but that changed when he heard a rustling noise behind him. Kirito spun around and readied both his swords, knowing an enemy mob could be right behind them, but it turned out to just be another player. He was a Spriggan with a similar hairstyle and stature to Kirito but wearing a gray cloak instead of a black one. Kirito didn't know him by name, but based on his attire (which was pretty hard to get in-game) he assumed the guy must have been a pretty high-level player.

Before Kirito could react or even say a word, though, the other Spriggan pointed at Kirito before shouting, "Shitsumei!"

Suddenly, Kirito's field of vision went black. In place of his surroundings, there was only a text box stating, "You have been afflicted with 'Blindness.' The effect will wear off in ten minutes." That time was steadily ticking down, but in this position, if the three of them were ambushed by a monster, he'd be useless.

The guy who'd just blinded him (or at least, he assumed it was him since he was the only other guy in the vicinity) shouted, "Sorry, Kirito! Asuna asked me to do that for her so her surprise for you wouldn't be spoiled!"

Kirito turned in the direction he thought Asuna would be in, saying, "Seriously, Asuna?"

"Sorry, it was all I could think of to make sure you wouldn't peek," she said before he felt someone grabbing him by the hands. "Now come on, let's go! This effect doesn't last forever, you know!"

"What do you mean, let's-"

Kirito was cut off when Asuna took off flying while still holding onto him, somehow not wrenching his arms out of their sockets in the process. Kirito had no idea where they were going or what Asuna had planned, but he could still feel the wind whipping around him as Asuna soared higher and higher, taking him along with her.

He heard Leafa calling out, "Hope you enjoy your surprise," and then her voice was lost in the shrieking wind.

After what felt like no time at all (but was approximately six minutes according to the timer that was his entire world for now) he felt his feet hit solid ground. They'd barely descended the entire flight, so even though they could technically be anywhere in the game, to Kirito it was pretty obvious where Asuna had landed. But why the heck did she want to take him back here?

Suddenly, a rush of icy air enveloped him. He recognized this feeling before- it was the sensation you got when using a teleport crystal inside Sword Art Online. Somehow, Asuna had managed to state where she'd wanted to take them quietly enough that Kirito hadn't heard it, which, once more, was probably on purpose.

From there, Kirito felt Asuna pulling him along as she walked (for while you needed wings to get anywhere in Alfheim Online, they de-spawned on Aincrad unless you fell off the edge to prevent players from getting any unfair advantages). The ground started out soft and lumpy, nearly causing him to trip several times, but soon evened out, with every step he and Asuna took making a clunking noise. The air was clean and pure in this area, and a cool, fresh breeze was blowing.

Suddenly, Asuna stopped pulling him, and thus, Kirito stopped walking.

"We're here," Asuna said. "Has the 'Blindness' curse worn off yet?"

"Nope, still got a few more seconds," Kirito said, just as the timer counted down to zero and vanished. When his vision returned, the sight in front of him brought back so many memories he merely stood still, gaping, for upwards of fifteen seconds just to take it all in.

To other players, the beautiful log house with a porch that faced a glittering blue lake would have simply been a nice place to unwind after a long day of grinding for XP. But for Kirito and Asuna, it was so much more than that.

After the two of them had their online marriage, they'd spent their honeymoon here. During the day, they'd taken long walks through the forest right outside and along the boardwalk by the lake, always keeping each other in sight and talking all the while. At night, the two of them had often fallen asleep holding each other in front of the lit fireplace. It was a place where things never seemed to go wrong, where the pressures of escaping Sword Art Online seemed faint and distant. The two weeks they'd spent inside that cottage had been the closest thing to paradise they could have gotten in the game.

"Oh… oh, my…" Even after he regained the ability to speak, Kirito still wasn't doing much more than stammering.

He could still hear Asuna loud and clear as she started trying to bring him up to speed on how she'd gotten here, though. "The second I heard the 22nd Floor was open, I traded out everything valuable I had for Yrd," Asuna said, referring to Alfheim Online's in-game currency. "I wanted to make sure I could buy this place before anyone else got to it, just because I know it's one of the few places in the game that the two of us both treasured. Then I flew up here..."

Before Asuna could finish her sentence, Kirito embraced her tightly, eliciting a slight squeak from her. "It's perfect."

For him, this felt like every birthday present, every holiday gift, everything he could have ever wanted or asked for rolled into one. Aincrad might have been a place with a lot of bad memories attached to it, but Asuna going to such lengths to preserve one of the few good ones meant more than any physical object ever could.

"Let's go inside," Asuna said. "You didn't think I was done, right?"

Now Kirito was starting to feel a little awkward. All he'd managed to put together for their anniversary was a card and a plate of cookies (which Suguha had helped a lot with, since his ability to cook or bake anything was mediocre at best), and from what he could tell, she was doing everything in her power to reconstruct their honeymoon. For lack of a better term, he felt inadequate.

Nevertheless, he followed Asuna inside the log house, quickly noticing that the lights were on (although the fireplace wasn't lit yet), even though they were seemingly alone in there. Kirito didn't hold that notion for long, though- once the two of them entered the dining room, Kirito noticed a vase filled with flowers now occupied the center of the table- bright-pink carnations interspersed with a handful of roses.

"Wait," Kirito said. "Those are Yui's favorite-"

It was his turn to get cut off mid-sentence, this time by a joyous shriek of "Papa's home!"

Kirito only had a split second to register Yui dashing out of the bedroom before she'd wrapped his arms around him. Despite her small stature, she could give rib-crushing hugs; Kirito could barely breathe for several seconds before she finally let go.

"Yes, sweetie, I'm home," Kirito said.

Yui tied into many other fond memories of this place- they'd found her wandering alone in the woods outside their house, and after confirming that she had no parents, the two of them had taken her in as their daughter. Later, she'd revealed herself as something other than human- instead, she was a fully sentient AI who'd been programmed into the game but had only been released upon Kirito and Asuna's arrival at this very log house.

"Don't worry, I'm not done," Asuna said. "There's still one last thing I'd like to do, just to make this feel… well, complete."

"I can't wait, Mama," Yui said.

It already felt way more than complete for Kirito, but he didn't say anything. Once Asuna got an idea into her head, no amount of cajoling or convincing would get her to stop.

Asuna moved into the kitchen, opening her menu as she did. Once she'd gotten to a counter, she placed down a hunk of what appeared to be some kind of meat, as well as a handful of different vegetables. With a few more waves of her hand, the meat was suddenly cut, the vegetables washed and peeled, and several different herbs and spices had appeared on the table.

"I'm thinking of making a stew, just like what we had when you first visited my house," Asuna said. "Unfortunately, Ragout Rabbits don't spawn down here, so I was forced to compensate a little on that part of the recipe. Hopefully, it'll still taste good by the time I'm done with it."

For the next few minutes, Kirito watched, spellbound, as Asuna whipped up a frenzy in the kitchen, trying to keep track of a million different things at once and still managing to get everything done. By the time she'd finished, a thick stew and several side dishes were sitting on the table, Kirito and Yui were sitting in chairs at said table, and a multitude of heavenly smells was filling the room.

Quick as could be, Asuna took off the apron she'd used to cook the meal and sat down. "Nothing says 'happy anniversary' like a nice family dinner," she said, right before the three of them tucked into the delicious meal.

It was all Kirito could do to not scarf the food down. As was the norm for Asuna, everything she'd made was among the best things he'd ever tasted. He didn't stop eating until there was simply nothing left to eat, and based on the expressions he saw on Asuna and Yui after the meal was done, they'd followed the same logic.

"As usual…" Kirito's speech was slow since a massive food coma was starting to kick in. "...that was amazing, Asuna. I can't say it any other way."

"I agree, Mama," Yui added.

"Thanks," Asuna said, blushing furiously as she did. "Now, what do you two want to do before we have to log out?"

Kirito tried to think of something he could do for her to try and make it up for everything she'd done for the two of them so far, but he was drawing a blank.

"Well, we have a while," Kirito said, trying to stall for time. "It is Friday, after all."

"I know that, but I have a bunch of exams next week that I need to study for and I already have cram school on Sunday. Plus, my mom's not going to be happy if I fall asleep with this thing on again," Asuna said.

"Ouch," Kirito said. "Cram school is a pain, and trust me, my parents don't like it when I forget to log out before I fall asleep either," he added.

"Wait," said Asuna. "I've got the perfect idea. I just need to get the fire going..."

Less than five minutes later, the three of them were sitting in front of the roaring fireplace. Yui dozed in a chair close to the fire, whereas Kirito and Asuna sat together on a sofa that was a bit further away.

It didn't take long for Kirito to try and subtly scoot closer to Asuna. However, to Kirito's surprise (and delight) it didn't take long for Asuna to notice, laugh, and quickly close the distance between them.

Soon, they'd moved past just being curled up next to one another and had started cuddling.

"Well, I don't have much to say about today, except this was the best anniversary I could have asked for," Asuna said.

That did it. The churning sea of regret Kirito had been feeling all afternoon finally overflowed.

"Okay," Kirito said, moving away from Asuna so he could make eye contact with her. "Sorry for saying this, I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but this has been bothering me all day and I have to bring it up; why?"

Asuna froze up for a second, her expression flickering between amusement and confusion faster than you could blink. "Uhhh… what do you mean by that?"

Kirito paused to draw in breath before continuing. "You had to basically give up everything you ever earned in Alfheim Online to get this house back, you made dinner for all of us, you went to a ridiculous amount of effort setting all of this up for me and making sure it was all perfect… and here I am, having barely done a thing for you in return. I didn't even think to get you something nice from one of the shops back in Alfheim! I just don't get it."

"Don't worry, you don't have to," Asuna said, pulling Kirito close again. "You want to know the reason I enjoyed this anniversary so much?"

She leaned over after saying that, whispering it right into Kirito's ear.

"I enjoyed it because I got to spend it with people I care about, in a place that matters to me. Everything else doesn't matter. In the end, this isn't anywhere close to reliving our honeymoon, but why should I care? If it got us together somewhere that both of us remembered fondly, that was all I needed to enjoy our anniversary."

It wasn't the greatest explanation of all time, or one that Kirito would remember for years to come. But that didn't stop him from finally smiling an easy smile, a huge weight having just been lifted off his shoulders.

Just like that, the two of them had covered quite some distance in resembling their older selves who'd once resided here- a pair of teenagers madly in love with each other, trying to advance their relationship further without having the slightest clue of how to do so.

But now, their relationship could only move forward. And statements like that were part of the reason why.

"I love you, Asuna," Kirito said, right as the two of them resumed cuddling.

"I love you too, Kirito," Asuna replied, pulling him in for a kiss, which Kirito gladly accepted, smiling ear to ear as he did.

With that, they quietly relaxed against each other, each holding the other tight while they watched the dying fireplace in front of them.

They knew that soon they'd have to log out. They also knew there would still be more steps, more obstacles, more everything before they'd be able to do this in the real world.

But in this house, they had privacy, they had freedom, and best of all, they had the memories of times gone by.

And no matter how far along their romance was (or wasn't), all three of them working in in unison was a beautiful thing.