"What time are you coming back, Onii-chan?" Suguha asked, leaning on the kitchen door, staring at her cousin.

As usual, Kazuto's mind already wandered off to Asuna and his friends. It had already been about a year since he had escaped from the death game Sword Art Online, and he had rescued Asuna from Alfheim Online. He put on his coat and opened the front door.

"Mmm, probably after lunch? Latest I'll be back should be around 4.30pm, I suppose... Anyway, take care, Sugu. Don't overstretch yourself," he said, turning his head back to reply before closing the door and leaving her standing at the kitchen entrance.

"...Onii-chan..." Suguha whispered to herself.

The bamboo sword fell quickly and proceeded to a series of lightning quick attacks.

Still, not fast enough... Suguha thought to herself as a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek and she returned to her original position. If she was in Alfheim Online, she wouldn't have stood a chance against...

"Kirito-kun..."she whispered unconsciously. Then, she sighed in resignation and walked back into the house to wash up. There was no point in training if she was not going to focus.

As she entered the house again, she left her sword at the side, too tired to place it at its original position. She removed her footwear and headed towards the bathroom.

When Asuna was trapped in Alfheim Online, the only thing Suguha thought about was the fact that her beloved Onii-chan had returned, and she was so eager to spend time with him again. He was also friendlier towards her, as if something in the game made him realise that she was someone important. But she noticed the sadness in his eyes. Every time he went to the hospital to see her, he would seem like he was not there any more, but in some other world. Finally, when Suguha had the courage to follow Kazuto to the Hospital to see Asuna, she was in a mixture of feelings, not knowing if she should feel happy for Kazuto, that he had such a beautiful girlfriend, or if she should feel sad, knowing she would never be able to be with him.

Suguha took off all her clothes and stepped into the bathtub, turning on the warm water. She cleaned herself, trying not to think of anything that might have distracted her. Maybe Onii-chan would pay more attention to me if I... she looked at her chest, and her face turned red, shaking the thought out of her mind in sheer embarrassment. After completely soaking her body, she added soap onto herself, and continued with her thoughts.

Admittedly, she missed the times when she and Kazuto would play about as children. But after quitting kendo, he seemed to distance himself from her. She was so sad, that she used to cry about it all the time, wondering when was the next time he would run around with her again, pouring cold water onto her back and watching her cringe in shock. After the SAO Incident, even when it was just the two of them at home, he barely talked to her. He would stay in his room, thinking about what to do in order to rescue Asuna. If not, he would either be at the hospital checking on her, or he would be in his room, probably using the NerveGear. In order to overcome her sadness, Suguha completely indulged herself in kendo, hoping one day KAzuto would notice her efforts and pay some attention to her.

Enough... she thought, turning on the water again to clean the soap off. Maybe I'll dive today, it'll make me feel better...

"LINK START!"

Instantly, the AmuSphere activated and Suguha was brought into Alfheim Online. the bright flash of light faded, and Suguha-, no, Lyfa, found herself waking up in an inn, somewhere inside Arun. She got up and left the room, to see the world outside.

Lyfa walked down the street, slowly making her way to the outskirts of Arun.

As she walked down the rows of houses and shops with stone pavements and unlit lanterns, her shoes met with the slight crisp of fresh grass when she passed the gates. She turned around to take a look at Arun. There were countless numbers of houses and shops, ever-rising and getting taller as they reached the centre of the city. Among all that, was the World Tree, or Yggdrasil, standing proud and tall, reaching beyond the clouds and into the skies. Her mind went back to when she had helped Kirito clear the Tree to save Asuna. She vividly remembered watching him fight so skilfully in the air, using all his might just to reach his love. Of course she was happy to help him, but...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a roar behind. She spun around to see a monster glaring right at her. The huge demon boar was glaring at her with red eyes, and it suddenly charged. Completely taken aback, Lyfa barely had time to draw her sword at block the strong monster's attack. The two recoiled, and Lyfa took the opportunity to attack, moving faster than the monster. With two quick slashes, the monster stumbled back. She smiled to herself. This will be easy. She thought before charging forward with a barrage of blows. Despite the monster's high level and level, its health still decreased rapidly. Kendo had truly given Lyfa an upper hand when it came to sword duels, and this led to her being one of the best fighters in the Sylvian territory. Finally, with a long horizontal slash as she lunged forward, the boar squealed once and burst into flames before disappearing. Lyfa released a breath and carried on with her journey on foot, watchful for monsters.

The journey took her about ten minutes. Lyfa stood at the edge of her favourite cliff, her arms spread wide as she closed her eyes, embracing the wind as it blew at her face. She opened her eyes to the sun's warm glow made her feel comfortable and at peace. Although not being able to spend more time with Kazuto was upsetting to her, this was an escape for her, where she could be free to do whatever she wanted, especially flying.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Lyfa got into a subtle take off position, knees slightly bent, wings out and at the precise angle of flight. She closed her eyes once again, for concentration, and opened them, full of determination and will. She kicked off the ground and left a trail of dust behind as she sped upward into the sky, not wasting any time for a gentle ascend. She sped upwards, already past the first thin layer of clouds within ten seconds. As she got caught in the second layer, she arced downwards and flew just above a forest, her small figure over a vast, beautiful green canopy. Then, she caught sight of a wide lake somewhere in front, but quite far away. She decided she wanted to do it again.

Not willing to give a second thought, she kicked off in mid-air, speeding upwards once again, much faster than before, passing through the clouds as the cold moist droplets stuck to her face. She laughed at its realism, despite it being only a game. I wish this would last forever... Finally, she passed through the clouds and into the sky. The sun's warmth bathed her once again. She was free, just like a leaf in the wind, a fish in the vast ocean, no restrictions holding her back, nothing could stop her...

Except...

As Lyfa advanced higher into the clouds, she looked to her left, and she saw Yggdrasil. The World Tree was surprisingly huge, even from here. Nonetheless, she felt herself go higher and higher, the ground leaving her. She looked down, past the clouds, and noticed she was just above the lake. Perfect. Looking up once again, full of fearlessness and hope, she picked up speed, the wind already howling past her ears, but she continued. Then, it happened.

At last, the invisible pull held her back. It felt like ropes bounded to her legs, allowing her to fly anywhere but up. The red warning at the top right of her vision pulsated quickly, warning her to stop, but she carried on. Lyfa, she wanted to fly to infinite boundaries, to be free and be able to look at the world below, admiring its beauty. But this was a game, and this was its limitation.

Finally, the game realised what she was trying to do, and deactivated her wings. She fell backwards. She smiled to herself. One day, one day, I will be able to past that... She passed the clouds quickly, and she was in a head first position, the tiny lake getting wider and wider. She closed her eys and braced for whatever came. Death, or just cold, emptiness.

Just at that moment, a strong wind blew from her right, and she stopped moving in mid-air. No sense of falling. She was momentarily unbalanced as she realised she was now sideways, not head first, and a hand was on her back, another one her legs. She opened her eyes and gasped.

"Ki-Kirito-kun!?" she exclaimed as the Spriggan's mischievous eyes met hers. "What are you doing here?!"

He laughed at replied, "Gee, that's no way to greet your Onii-chan..." He pouted his lips and smiled again. Lyfa blushed. "Anyway, I decided to come home, since it was 3.30pm..."

Lyfa gasped and checked her menu. He was right. It was already 3.30pm! She must have spent so much time earlier practising Kendo that she lost track of time.

"How...How did you know I was here?" Lyfa asked.

"I noticed you were using the AmuSphere, so I assumed you were flying again. After all, everyone else is out. You know, if you keep falling like this, I fear one day you'll really teleport back to Sylph territory and we'll have to bring you back here..." Kirito grinned. "C'mon, let's log out. I have a surprise for you."

Within 15 minutes, the two of them made it back into Arun and logged out at an inn.

"What is it, Onii-chan?" Suguha asked Kazuto.

"Close your eyes...and stick your hands out," He had something hidden behind his back, and he was quite excited. Apparently more excited than the curious Suguha.

Without any other choice, Suguha closed her eyes tightly and did as she was told, unsure of what awaited her. Then, a weird cylindrical object was thrust into her hands. She gasped at its surprising heaviness and opened her eyes. Her mouth opened in extreme excitement and happiness as she saw her present.

"A new shinai! And it's nano carbon!" she gleamed with delight. "How, how did you know I always wanted it?"

Kazuto scratched his head, smiling. "Mmm, you left a pamphlet on the lunch table last week... And the only thing you circled was this shinai... You like it?"

"I love it!" Suguha squealed as she embraced her beloved cousin tightly. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. Happy birthday, Sugu," Kazuto whispered into her right ear as she realised. It was her birthday, and she forgot.

Then, Kazuto placed a hand on her head and smiled at her again. "So, I'll treat you to dinner tonight! Where do you want to go? Maybe that new restaurant in town?"

Suguha recovered from her shock and smiled back. "Of...of course! I'll go get ready!" She squealed and turned to head back to her room. Then, she stopped in a half turn. This was her only chance, and she could get away with it.

Heart beating faster, Suguha turned back to face her Onii-chan. Already blushing, she closed her eyes and went to his left cheek, pressing her lips on it. After three seconds, she let go and looked at the ground, face burning. 'Thank...thank you, Onii-chan!" Then, she sped up the stairs and into her room, not willing to see the look on Kazuto's face.

I can't believe I did that... she thought to herself as she started changing. I'll probably regret that tomorrow, but let's enjoy in the meantime...

Kirigaya Kazuto stood at the front of the steps, still in slight shock. Did...Did she just do that? She kissed me on the cheek... His hand moved to where Sugu's lips touched him and he felt a warmness spread in his heart. She smelled...just like lavender...

He shook his head, coming back to his senses. Whatever it was, he knew Suguha was probably just playing around. He walked up the steps to his room and went to get ready as well. After all, it was his beloved cousin's birthday.

(Author's Note: I am aware that many people find Suguha's love for Kazuto disgusting, the fact that they're cousins. Nonetheless, I find it quite amusing, so I decided to put it in. My first fanfic, huh, never expected to write about this. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!)