Finally. The long awaited day was here. It would be glorious!
The day started with someone banging on the door of their room. Drifter had one foot on the floor, the other on the bed, ready to jump, and his spear in his hand before he opened his eyes.
"Wha..."
Yuna's reaction was more delayed, mainly because Drifter had rolled over her when he was startled awake. Nevertheless, she had one hand coiled in a fist. It didn't look threatening with her slender frame, but then again, most starting stances of Martial Arts were unassuming.
Her other hand was rubbing her eyes, feeling groggy, as she slowly blinked away the sleepiness.
"Drifter! Yuna! It's morning already! C'mon!"
"Yuuki..."
Drifter's voice came out in a low growl and he put his spear against the bedside table again. Yuna just dropped back down on the bed, face-first.
"You see what she wants."
His wife mumbled into her pillow, and Drifter scowled. It was 5:45 AM according to his menu.
Getting up, he stalked towards the door without even bothering to put on a shirt, and wrenched it open.
"You have 10 words before I stab you, Yuuki."
The purple-haired girl blinked. She ran her eyes over Drifter's bare torso.
"Is that how you look in real life? 'Cause I know Sin says she has the same proportions and let me tell you-"
"Yuuki!"
Drifter opened his inventory and grabbed the first weapon he saw. Yuuki jumped back from the lance while raising her hands in surrender. Both could hear Yuna's muffled laughter coming from inside the room.
"Sorry, boss! My mouth ran ahead of me! Anyway, it's fun-day! And it's morning already! When are we setting off? I'm so excited!"
A huge grin split Yuuki's face as she babbled, and Drifter raised his lance a little higher. The swordswoman ignored it completely, and winked at him.
After several seconds of trading stares - one amused and one annoyed - Drifter sighed and stored his weapon away. He rubbed his forehead.
"I can tell that, Yuuki. But it isn't even 6 yet. We are only set to meet Sasha at 9 AM. Like I said multiple times yesterday. So I'm going back to sleep."
The purple-haired girl opened her mouth to protest, but a glare from Drifter silenced her. She meekly nodded her head.
"Now shoo. Go bother someone else. Knock on our door before 8 and I'll hurt you for real."
He slammed the door shut in her face. Sleepy Drifter was cranky Drifter.
"Bad man. She didn't deserve that."
Yuna said as he laid down next to her again. Drifter snorted as one of his arms snaked around her and she laid her head over his heart.
"Yes, she did. She knew exactly what she was doing. And enjoyed it too, the cheeky brat. That was 100% revenge for all the times I woke her up early."
"In her defense, you do that a lot."
"Don't defend her!"
Yuna giggled, her breath tickling his chest. Drifter sighed fondly, and closed his eyes.
...
Sleep eluded him afterwards, although Yuna had no problems drifting back to the realm of dreams.
Drifter blamed Yuuki. He was going to put her through hell next training session.
Not that laying in bed while hugging his wife close to him was any hardship. Not at all. Still, it was the principle of the matter. He was the slave driver who woke up his guildmates at the crack of dawn to hunt and level. Not anybody else. That was just wrong.
He also really, really disliked waking up in any way that wasn't through his own biological clock. Even if the amount of sleep he got was the same, there was just something different about waking up on his own (good) or being woken up (really bad).
When the clock reached 8 AM, it was a much happier Drifter who woke Yuna up by gently running his fingers up and down the small of her back.
"Mmm... Is it time already?"
The songstress sat up, stretching her arms above her head and groaning when her joints cracked with a series of satisfying 'pops'.
"Unfortunately so. I fear we will have Yuuki banging on our door again if we delay any longer, threats of stabbing or not."
"Hm... You need to stop being so fixated on stabbing everything. It doesn't solve all your problems, you know?"
"Just most of them. Including people waking me up."
Yuna laughed, a hearty sound that she reserved only for Drifter, and kissed him a proper 'good morning'.
"Time to get up, dummy. We have a lot planned for today. Most of it your fault."
"Yeah. It snowballed a little from my original plan. Somehow... I can't seen to care, though."
Yuna laughed again, softer this time, as she put on her usual outfit. Drifter also wore his shirt before fastening his armor over it with a simple flick of his fingers. All those straps would be a pain without the system's assistance.
"Ready, songbird?"
Yuna finished tying her hair up in a ponytail and adjusting the tiara on her head - one of Liz's creations.
"Today will be fun."
...
For once, the couple was amongst the last to make it to breakfast. Yuuki was already there, obviously, almost bouncing on her seat, until a bleary-eyed Sinon dragged her onto her lap and stuffed a forkful of pancakes down her throat.
Griselda, Kirito, and Asuna were sitting next to the couple, chatting about unimportant topics. Nautilus and Ran were there too, but each focusing on their breakfast rather than talking - that was just how they were.
Silica was feeding Feredir strips of pancake with a lot of syrup, which couldn't be good for a wolf, but then again, it was all virtual, so it probably didn't matter? The pet certainly seemed to be enjoying it, even nudging Pina with his snout to get the sleepy little dragon to eat too.
Keita, Tetsuo, and Sachi were considerably more lively than the rest of their guildmates, bar Yuuki. There seemed to be a bet of sorts starting between the two men, over which of them would catch the bigger fish. Sachi seemed content to let the two make more and more fantastical claims at each turn, trying to outdo the each other.
Agil and his brother merchants weren't there. Drifter didn't know if they were still sleeping, or had already left to peddle their wares or whatever it was they did in their free time.
Surprisingly, three others who also weren't there were Kizmel, Liz, and Vallerk. The dark elf tended to wake up before the sun started to peek over the edge of Aincrad, to pray for the elvish deities she believed in. By now, she should already be back.
Thinking of that, the spearmaster made his way over to Silica. The young girl usually shared a room with their NPC companion, her and Kizmel having bonded over their love of animals in general, with the dark elf having basically adopted Silica - as a little sister or daughter, it was still unclear to all involved.
"Good morning, Silica."
"Hey, Sil. How are ya doing?"
"Good morning, Drifter, Yuna! I can't wait!"
The spearmaster chuckled and ruffled her hair. Silica shuffled over so she could lean on his chest, smiling happily when Drifter's arm went around her side to secure her.
"Yiiip!"
"Sorry. Good morning to you too, Pina, Feredir."
The little feathered dragon jumped up and flapped her wings twice, lifting herself in the air just enough to she could glide over and perch on Drifter's shoulder, nipping at his ear affectionately. Feredir made a rumbling sound in the back of his throat, and plopped his head on Yuna's lap, closing his eyes and wagging his tail when she started scratching behind his ears.
"Good boy. Where's Kizmel, Silica?"
"She went out early. Liz wanted to buy some low-level materials so she could forge something for the kids. Kiz and Vallerk are escorting her. Well... It's a morning date and she's chaperoning. At least that was what she said to annoy Liz."
Drifter and Yuna chuckled. They could imagine it well. Kizmel was a big fan of dry humor, and she could deliver the most outlandish lines with a completely deadpan look.
"I'm sure Liz took that well. Especially when I'm even more sure Vallerk nodded along."
He definitely did. Vallerk was a quiet, private person. But he never missed a chance to tease his girlfriend.
"Oh, he thanked Kiz for protecting his virtue. Liz turned so red I thought she would start steaming from the ears."
Silica giggled, and Drifter and Yuna joined her. Thatwas funny. The spearmaster wished he had been there to see it.
"And Agil and the others? Have you seen them?"
"They are out too. Wolv said they would meet us there."
"Well, then we can tell Liz, Vallerk, and Kizmel to meet us directly on the 22nd floor too. Unless anyone wants more time for breakfast?"
At that, Drifter quirked an eyebrow in Yuuki's direction, who had been growing steadily more excited since Drifter and Yuna came down. The look she gave him was answer enough.
"Thought so. Should we get going then?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go!"
Yuuki and Silica were out of the inn before their voices died out, making the others laugh.
Drifter shook his head and followed them out, the other Reavers in tow. The two girls happily skipped through the streets, drawing many curious eyes from onlookers. It was rare to see someone this openly happy in SAO.
Slowly, so very slowly, the SAO players had learned to live, instead of just surviving. But to admit you were happy even inside of a death game, and to show it off like this was something most still couldn't do.
A few even frowned and prepared to say some harsh words - it was grating to see others joyful when you were unhappy yourself. But they stopped and turned away. Because if there was anyone who could laugh, it was the frontliners.
Silica and Yuuki didn't notice any of that. Drifter did, but he ignored it with practiced ease. As the saying went, misery liked company.
"Alright, we'll gather Sasha and the kids and meet you at the exit of the 22nd safe zone. Don't cause trouble."
Standing in front of the teleporter, Drifter gestured with his free hand, the other being held by Yuna's. He stared at Yuuki as he spoke.
"I would never?"
"Why was that a question?"
"Hehe."
The swordswoman giggled, and Drifter slapped his forehead with a sigh. Still, he couldn't stop his lips from curling. He wasn't worried about Yuuki, obviously. This was just harmless banter.
"I'll keep her on a leash, Drifter."
"Hey!"
Sinon used both hands to hold Yuuki by the shoulders, keeping her girlfriend from jumping her, and ignoring her indignant squawk. Drifter chuckled.
"Thanks. Now, away we go. See ya soon. Town of Beginnings!"
The last part was said as he stepped into the teleporter, and the familiar weightless feeling took him. Then, a second later, he was standing 40 floors below.
"This place's as full of life as always, huh?"
Yuna, Nautilus, and Ran stepped out of the teleporter after him. The songstress couldn't help but comment at the sight of hundreds of people, NPC and players alike, bustling about.
A few players glanced over at the teleporter in idle curiosity, their eyes widened when they saw the 4 Reavers. While frontliners weren't a rare sight in the Town of Beginnings since it was the biggest safe zone in Aincrad, it still felt a little like encountering a celebrity.
"Let's go."
The 4 Reavers ignored the stares they were getting, and quickly left the main plaza. To all who saw it, they looked just like any other two couples out on a double date.
In a matter of minutes, they arrived at the church. A knock on the door later, and Drifter was almost bowled over by 3 pairs of arms wrapping around his waist.
He didn't even need to look to know that the arms belonged to Shun, Lala, and Yuka, the oldest kids of the church - not orphanage, Sasha was insistent they didn't call it that.
After nearly 2 years in Aincrad, they had all grown a lot. Shun and Lala were nearly 12, while Yuka was already 13. Even the other kids were nearing 10 or there already.
"Hey, guys. How y'all doing?"
"Drifter! I'm so excited!"
"We've got everything ready already!"
"You are almost late!"
The spearmaster snorted in amusement. They were, in fact, almost 20 minutes early. But he had the feeling he could have arrived before the daybreak, and they would still say the same thing.
"Well, we are here now. Where's Sasha?"
"In the back courtyard. With Mister Thinker and Miss Yulier."
"Oh? It will be nice to finally meet them. Let's grab Sasha and the rest of your friends, and then we can get going."
Yuka, being the oldest - by a few months, but still - shepherded the other two kids, making an effort to look poised, as if she hadn't been clinging to Drifter too just a moment ago.
The spearmaster exchanged grins with his guildmates. Yuna especially was struggling to contain her laughter.
Yuna had always liked kids. Before Sword Art Online, her dream had been to be either a singer or a music teacher - preferably both. She couldn't think of anything better than to teach children the joys of music.
So really, it was no surprise Yuna could be found at the church once a week, like clockwork. And Drifter too, although he would privately admit he did it mostly to be with his lover.
Regardless of their reasons, it was a fact that the couple were constant visitors of the church. So even when Yuka, Shun, and Lala disappeared through the corridors, they managed to find their way to the back courtyard just fine.