Yoshi and Pals reunite with Kirito[]
(We open on a sunny day with wispy clouds flowing by. On a rocking chair on a wooden porch sits Yoshi, Kirito and Asuna, reading a book and enjoying each other's company. Soon, Asuna falls asleep and leans against Kirito's shoulder. Yoshi and Kirito reach around and brushes some hair away from her face with a smile. Inside, an apple falls out of a bowl and onto a countertop...and then to the floor, where it...shatters, for some reason. Suddenly, Kirito and Yoshi are in their battle clothes and Asuna is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the world, literally, starts to crumble around them.)
- Yoshi and Kirito: ASUNA! ASUNA!!
(Windows, the book he was reading, they disappear as if they are dying. Yoshi and Kirito's hearts start to race, like they have PTSD...which they sort of do. Their breath gets faster and shorter as their world disappears... Kirito wakes with a start in his bedroom at home, panting heavily. He holds his head...and looks over at the NerveGear on the shelf. He stands up off the bed and walks over to a wall clock/mirror, where it reads it's 7:15 in the morning. Looking in the mirror, he sees streaks of tears down his cheeks. He wipes the tears with his sleeve.)
- Kirito: Oh, Asuna...I've turned into the biggest crybaby, haven't I? (smiles a little)
{SAO Fairy Dance Opening Song: "INNOCENCE"}
[RETURN]
(Outside, Suguha is in her Kendo uniform, holding a stick. She looks down at a small half-frozen pond, seeing her reflection.)
- Suguha: Me and him...they look nothing alike.
(She stands and starts to practice her strikes...remembering "that day"...)
- Suguha: (yelling up the stairs to Kirito) I'm off to practice now. I'll see you later, OK?
(She gets no response. Another strike. She's running down the driveway and stops to look up at Kirito's window. More strikes. Kirito is in the hospital, NerveGear on his head. Suguha is by the bedside, realising she's lost her big brother. She cries on the bed. Another strike. Kirito is out of SAO and talking to his aunt and foster mother. As they hug, Suguha is nearby with a flower in a vase, smiling in joy. A few more strikes, and Suguha pants as she relaxes. She turns...and sees Kirito, sitting in a lotus position, on the porch.)
- Kirito: Good morning, Sugu.
- Suguha: (trying to bow with her stick still in hands) Ah, g-goo-good morning! (Kirito tosses her water bottle at her and she fumbles with it before catching it) God, seriously?! Instead of lurking, you should've SAID something!
- Kirito: Yeah, well,...you were practicing and I didn't wanna bother you.
- Suguha: (sitting down next to Kirito) I wasn't REALLY practicing. I guess it's just habit is all.
- Kirito: Oh. (picks up Suguha's stick and holds it) At least you've been keeping it up. (almost aside) It's light...
- Suguha: What?! It's NOT light. It's timber bamboo.
KAZUTO: Oh,...yeah, right. I meant, like,...it's lighter than I thought. (puts stick down) It's not as heavy as I'm used to. (downs some bottled water)
SUGUHA: (out loud, but to herself) What the heck's he comparing it to?
KAZUTO: (standing up) Hey, think maybe WE could give it a go?
SUGUHA: What, you mean a match? Like, seriously?!
KAZUTO: Yup. (stretches)
SUGUHA: A real match with pads and stuff.
KAZUTO: Mmmmmm...yeah, on second thought, no contact. I mean, I feel like crap if I ended up hurting you. (Suguha looks insulted) I still gotta dig out grandpa's old gear. How about we spar in the dojo?
SUGUHA: Whoa...you sound pretty darn confident for someone who's been asleep for two years. For you information, I was a quarter-finalist in the middle school nationals. Seriously, though, are you sure you're feeling up to this? You might want to take it easy.
KAZUTO: (smiling, grabbing an empty bottle) I've been doing rehab in the gym every day so I think I'm gonna be good to go. (crushes bottle)
(Later, in the dojo, both siblings are in pads and face masks. They do the traditional ceremony to start the match, then stand and prepare. Suguha holds her stick with both hands in front of her...and then she giggles at Kazuto's stance.)
SUGUHA: What kind of stance is that supposed to be?
KAZUTO: (standing while holding the stick in one hand and legs spread) Don't you worry about it. This is my OWN style.
SUGUHA: OK...ready?
KAZUTO: Uh-huh.
SUGUHA: (thinking as she examines the stance) His head's wide open; that'll be my first strike. (takes a few steps closer) Huh? It's an odd stance, but he looks composed. (Suddenly, Kazuto charges forward and swings, but Suguha dodges. After a few more swipes with each other, Suguha backs off a bit) OK, then...
(Suguha goes on the offensive, taking string strikes...that are evaded by Kazuto. They bang sticks together in a test of strength, locking eyes as they push. Then Suguha sees Kazuto's left foot is off-balance, so she pushes off hard and makes a strong strike that hits Kazuto right on the noggin! Kazuto staggers a little.)
SUGUHA: Oh...oh, my God...ar-ar-are you OK?
KAZUTO: (holds his head and shakes it) OK, OK, you win. You sure are strong, Sugu. You'd mop the floor with Heathcliff.
SUGUHA: (not sure what Kazuto's talking about) Maybe you should sit down or something.
KAZUTO: (standing straight) I'm good. Thanks for the match. (swings his stick like a sword and tries to re-sheath it behind his back. It take a few seconds (and a weird look by Suguha) for him to realize this and he rubs his helmet and chuckles innocently)
SUGUHA: Did...did I hit you too hard?
KAZUTO: (nervous) No! I'm OK! Just years of habit!
(Back outside, Suguha is washing her face with help from the outside faucet. Kazuto is wiping his neck with a towel and doing self-examination of the match.)
KAZUTO: Let's see. My footwork was OK but the attack sucked. I guess I can't use the Sword Skills I acquired unless I got the System helping.
SUGUHA: (standing up after turning the faucet off) I have to say I'm really surprised. I'm mean, how long have you been practicing behind my back?
KAZUTO: Oh, y'know. It IS kinda fun after all. But, y'never know. Maybe I'll take it up again.
SUGUHA: (excited) Really? Oh, seriously?!?
KAZUTO: Yeah, sure. You wanna be my teacher?
SUGUHA: Are you kidding?! Of COURSE!! We'll train together like we used t-
KAZUTO: (interrupts by patting Suguha's head) *After* I build up some more muscle, OK?
SUGUHA: (happy) I've been practicing, too. Wanna know what? (Kazuto looks oddly) Nope, I'll keep it a secret. (turns and heads for the house)
KAZUTO: That is SO not cool. (follows)
(Inside the house...)
SUGUHA: You going anywhere today?
KAZUTO: Oh....I dunno. I guess...the hospital?
SUGUHA: (turns, concerned) Oh, you are. That's nice. Her name's Asuna, right? You...visit her a lot.
KAZUTO: Uh-huh. As much as I can. It's the only thing I can do for her. (walks past Suguha and pats her head) Anyway, Sugu, it's MY turn to make breakfast today. It'll be ready by the time you finish your shower.
SUGUHA: (nods as Kazuto enters the kitchen) Okay. (just stands there, feeling a little dejected)
At the Hospital/Encountering Sugou[]
(Later, Kirito and Yoshi are bicycling over to a hospital, waving at the gatekeeper as they pass.)
- Kirito: (in narration) It's been two months since Yoshi and I beat Heathcliff...two months since we beat the death game. (He and Yoshi ride an elevator) When I woke up, I talked to someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I told them everything I knew about SAO. And, in exchange, they told me where Asuna was. (He gets out on the 12th floor and heads for the door labeled with her name: [Yuuki Asuna]) I found out she was nearby in Saito. Asuna's family admitted her to Tokoasawa General Hospital. (He swipes a card and enters the room) We also found out that, besides her, there's about three hundred other players who haven't woken up yet. Akihiko Kayaba's still missing and people are thinking he's keeping the players in their comas as part of his plan. SAO isn't over...not by a long shot!
(Kirito and Yoshi pull back the curtain to see Asuna in bed, the NerveGear still on her head. They walk up to her sleeping form.)
- Yoshi: (sad and quiet) Asuna... (holds her hand)
(Kirito and Yoshi then hear the door opening and looked up. A older adult man comes in, holding fresh flowers.)
- Shouzou: Kazuto. Yoshi. Sorry, I didn't know you two were here. Thank you for coming.
- Kirito: Hello, Mr. Yuuki. I hope it's OK I'm here.
- Yoshi: Mr. Yuuki. I hope you don't mind if we're here.
- Shouzou: (walking around to the vase while another man comes in) Please. You two can visit whenever you like. I know it makes her happy.
- Sugou: (walking in) Sir,...
- Shouzou: Oh, I don't think the two of you have ever met. This is Sugou. He's our company's director of R & D.
- Sugou: (smiling) I'm Nobuyuki Sugou. It's a pleasure.
- Kirito: I'm Kazuto Kirigaya.
- Yoshi Dinosaur: And I'm Yoshi Dinosaur.
- Sugou: (gasp) You're THE "Kirito" and "Yoshi"?! (steps up and shakes Kirito's and Yoshi's hands) You're both heroes! It's an honor! (Yoshi and Kirito look at Shouzou for an explanation)
- Shouzou: Oh, sorry. I know we're not supposed to talk about what happened inside the SAO server. But, he's my partner's son, so it's fine. Besides, I always thought of him as part of my family.
- Sugou: (grins) Uh, actually, sir, speaking of "family",...if I may, I'd like to make it official as soon as possible.
- Shouzou: (surprised) This IS sudden. Are you sure this is really what you want? I mean, you're still young. You have your whole life ahead of you.
- Sugou: Thank you for your concern, but my heart's set on it. (adjusts glasses) It sounds strange but, even though she's like this, she's still beautiful. I'd like to see her in that wedding dress.
(Kirito and Yoshi gasp quietly and look up in horror.)
- Shouzou: You have a point. The sooner we prepare ourselves for the inevitable, the better. (Sees the time on the headrest of the bed: 15:01) Sorry to cut the conversation short; I have a meeting to get to. (walks around the bed) We can talk more about this later. Kazuto, Yoshi, take care.
(Kirito and Yoshi can't speak; what Sugou just said had them stupefied. Shouzou leaves the room, leaving Sugou with Kirito and Yoshi.)
- Sugou: (walks around the bed) I heard you both and Asuna were lovers in the game. Is that true?
- Kirito: Uh-huh...
- Yoshi Dinosaur: It's true...
- Sugou: That is unfortunate. It's going to make for one complicated relationship between you two and I. (picks up strands of Asuna's hair, smells them...and sounds a bit aroused, which disgusts Kirito and Yoshi) In case you're both curious, her father and I were discussing her marriage...to me! (licks his lips, making Kirito and Yoshi clench their fists)
- Kirito: No way! You CAN'T do that!
- Sugou: (sits on the bed) You have a point. It's true we can't LEGALLY marry. But, if the Yuuki family adopts me, it'll be as if we are...on paper, that is. Just like we're married. (strokes Asuna's cheek with a finger) The truth is, she's always hated me, every since we were kids. Neither my parents nor hers know that. If I proposed and she could speak, I'm pretty sure her answer would be "no". For me, this situation is...VERY favorable!
- Kirito: (grabbing Sugou's wrist, keeping him from stroking Asuna's face anymore) STOP IT! (Sugou yanks his wrist away) Who do you think you are?! You CAN'T take advantage of Asuna like this!
- Yoshi Dinosaur: Kirito's right! Who do you think you are to do that?! Asuna's already given her heart to two people she loves the most! You can't take advantage of her when she's like this!
- Sugou: "Take advantage"? Oh, please. If anything, I have a RIGHT to her. Perhaps I should explain why. Any idea what happened to Argus? They're the company that developed SAO.
- Kirito: I heard they closed it down.
- Yoshi Dinosaur: Me too, a friend of mine told me the company shut down not long after SAO was cleared.
- Sugou: Very good. The lawsuits and damages they had to pay took their toll. The company was forced into bankruptcy. But the maintenance of the SAO servers was given to another company, an electronics manufacturer where Asuna's father, Shouzou Yuuki, is the CEO: RCT Progress. (stands and walks towards Kirito and Yoshi) And 'I' work for the company's Full-Dive Technology R & D Division. In other words - and without getting into specifics - you two could say I'M the one keeping Asuna alive! Now I ask you: is it WRONG for me to expect a little compensation for my trouble?
(Sugou walks past Kirito and Yoshi, leaving them speechless)
- Sugou: I don't know what kind of promises you made to each other in the game and I don't really care. But I don't EVER want to see either you here again, understood?! And, from now on, stay away from the Yuuki family! We're having the ceremony here on January 26th, a week from now. Save the date. Even though you're both not welcome here anymore, you two SHOULD come to the wedding. No need to thank me. (stops before he leaves) Well, Mr. Heroes, you've got the room all to yourselves now. Say good-bye and get out! (leaves)
(Kirito and Yoshi just stands there. Stunned, horrified, saddened...they have ALL the feels!)
Never Give Up/Usagi and Chibiusa encourage Yoshi[]
(Later, back at the Kirigaya house, Suguha is standing outside Kazuto's room, in pajamas and with a towel on her head like she just got out of the shower.)
SUGUHA: Kazuto! The bathroom's all yours! (When she doesn't get an answer, she opens the door. The room is dark and cold and Kazuto is sitting on the bed, feeling the same as he did at the hospital) Geez, what's wrong?! Why didn't you SAY something? And turn on the heat; it's FREEZING in here! (walks over to turn the heat on)
KAZUTO: Sorry...I just...wanna be left alone.
SUGUHA: (turns to Kazuto) Hey, how come you didn't turn the heater on? (notices Kazuto's look, walks over and kneels to look Kazuto eye-to-eye) What's wrong?! Are you OK?!
KAZUTO: Yeah, it's nothing...
SUGUHA: (holding Kazuto's hand) OK, but...you're freezing. You're gonna catch a cold. I could run you a hot bath if you want.
KAZUTO: (smiling a little, but sadly) I'm so hopeless...and weak...I didn't want you to see this...I swore, no matter what, you'd never see me as such a crybaby. (starts to cry)
SUGUHA: Is it Asuna? Is she OK? Did something happen to her?
KAZUTO: (through the tears) She's leaving...somewhere far away...and I'll never...I'll never gonna see her again... (breaks down into sobs)
SUGUHA: (hugging Kazuto close) Hey, hang in there, OK? If you really love someone that much, even when things look hopeless, you can't give up. (looks away and thinks) I know *I* can't...and I won't lie to myself anymore.
(Flashback to a time, nearly a year after the SAO Incident started. We're in Kazuto's hospital room, and Suguha and her mother, Midori, are talking about him.)
MIDORI: Gosh, I remember it like it was yesterday. Kazuto stood there looking at me and then he told me he wanted to know who his real parents were. I was so shocked, I didn't know what to say. He was only ten but, here's the thing: somehow, he logged-on to the Citizens Registration Network and found the file!
SUGUHA: (giggles) That figures. Sounds JUST like something he'd do.
MIDORI: I was so stunned, I couldn't think of a way to deny it. (pulls the covers up over Kazuto's chest) So what do I do instead? I tell her how my big sister and her husband are her real parents. Wow! (both girls laugh)
SUGUHA: Mom, I was wondering.
MIDORI: About what?
SUGUHA: I guess about the way he's been since middle school. He'd go into his room and play games online for hours. You think it's because he found out about his real parents?
MIDORI: No, not at all. He was ALWAYS into computers and technology. By the time he was six, he had already built his own computer out of spare parts. If anything, he's like that because he's a huge computer nerd like me...or so he thinks. (stands and gathers her purse) Well, I'm heading home to get dinner ready. (pats Suguha's had) Don't stay too long, OK, Suguha?
SUGUHA: Don't worry, I won't.
MIDORI: (looks back at Kazuto) Happy birthday, kiddo. (leaves)
SUGUHA: (looks down at Kazuto) He's my cousin, NOT my big brother. I still have a hard time believing it. My "big brother". (pokes Kazuto's cheek, hoping he'll wake up)
(Back in the present, Kazuto has fallen asleep and Suguha helps him onto the bed. He pulls the covers over him...and then lies next to him, looking at his face.)
SUGUHA: (thinking) But, in the end, your heart...in the end, your heart...belongs to her. (tears fall from her eyes and across her face)
(Fade out)
(Fade in to the next morning. Suguha is asleep in Kazuto's bed...and Kazuto is sitting beside it.)
KAZUTO: (singsong voice) Come on. Wake up, Sugu. It's morning. (Suguha rolls over, Kazuto pokes her cheek, which she swats away and rolls back over again. Kazuto pulls her back and pinches her cheek) I said you gotta wake up now. You're not gonna have time to practice if you don't wake up.
(Suguha groans and opens her eyes, seeing Kazuto's face.)
SUGUHA: (groggily) Oh, hey. Morning.
KAZUTO: Rise and shine. (Suguha sits up, rubs the sleep from her eyes and yawns) Hiya, sleepy.
(Suguha then looks around...and it slowly dawns on her...that she slept in Kazuto's room...in his BED...NEXT to him! She gasps and turns beet red!)
SUGUHA: Um,...I...OH, MY GOD!! (runs out of the room and into her own, slamming the door)
KAZUTO: (clueless) As weird as ever.
(Then Kazuto remembers last night, and Suguha's words to him...)
- Suguha: Just hang in there, OK?
- Kirito: (smiling) She's right. Yeah, she's right.
- Setsuna Meioh: Okay, now let's go over what we already know what's happening. We currently know that Asuna and 300 other former SAO players haven't woken up yet, even though the game has been cleared.
- Chloe Cerise: Right, and people are speculating that Akihiko Kayaba is the reason, but there's gotta be more to it. My dad looked into it and he says that it's possible that something bad is going on.
- Sachi: More importantly, we've gotta find out why and who is doing this before January 26th or we're never gonna see Asuna again.
- Yoshi: Right, we just need some kind of clue or a sign. Something that can get us started on the right track.
(Just then, his monitor starts to beep. Upon looking, it shows [You have new mail] on the bottom. He clicks it. The mail says "[Subject:] Look at this!! [Sender: Agil]" <Yes, the "Look at this!!" is in English> Kirito scrolls down to a picture someone took. It's not very clear, but it looks to be a girl in a cage...and the girl...looks familiar...)
- Kirito and Yoshi: (gasps) What the hell?! (Kirito opens the picture wider...and he and Yoshi stagger back. The girl looks an awful lot like...) Asuna!
{SAO Fairy Dance Closing Song: "Overfly"}
[NEXT TIME: THE LAND OF THE FAIRIES]