Crimson Rosario - An SAO Fanfic - Yuuki Konno X OC

°•¤●Invaluable Independece●¤•°

Disclaimer

My doctor said "writing too much" isn't a medical condition, I proved otherwise... This chapter is a continuation of the previous one and happens to be just as long. I think the music I have prepared for this suits it very well. It's not necesarry, but its a really nice addition.

That being said, enjoy!

[Chapter 56]

"What a troublesome girl..."

The heavens of yellowish gradients painted the clouds as dawn began to settle. The worn-out colour of his red hoodie started showing its age as the morning sunlight shone its rays while he gazed upon the horizons that stem further beyond the city skylines.

Winds failed to cease their whispers amidst his contemplation of the events that took place yesterday, for he faced the girl who had struggled with unspoken horrors. Even at this moment, he still wonders if his approach to helping her was the best thing he could've done.

That reaction of hers... it was bewildering, aggressive, and nothing short of offensive. The lines between herself in the virtual and real world blurred seamlessly at that moment, almost as if one was protecting the other desperately.

Asada couldn't have known, but she was slowly losing her freedom to move further in the world due to an engraved fear of amenity. She was spiralling into a life of loneliness, the inability to meet other people, to love someone who would love her back.

Akashi knew this to be the case. The way she reserves herself is not simply an act of habit... it's nature.

As humans, we are prone to socialize. It's a method that was developed throughout millennia to survive. But what if one were to disassociate themselves from others because of a past experience? Abandoning all forms of intimacy with ones closest to them?

"Of course," Akashi thought.

"It would lead to loss."

Or, as history has shown time and time again, death.

Having one hand rest inside the pockets of his hoodie while his glasses begin to condensate the air, Akashi started sighing in remorse.

"I'm overthinking it, aren't I?" He spoke, eyes narrowed as he stared outside the pedestrian bridge where the view was most pleasant. "There's no reason for me to prematurely assume she won't be able to survive out there. Asada would still have a happy life ahead of her, with someone who'd be able to be there for her when she needs them most. She can finally bear her burdens with them and heal on her own."

As he said so, a looming contradiction moiled in his heart, making him feel uncertain.

"... She would... wouldn't she?"

...

"No."

He knew deep down... that the likeliness of that happening was beyond his calculations.

Akashi tried his best to develop wishful thinking, but it was impossible so long as his sentience continued to plague his mind.

"That's not what will happen. Asada's future is undoubtedly bleak... She's clinging onto her saviour, Kirito, so helplessly that she has no initiative to stand on her own anymore. She can't keep living like this. Not when it's him she's attached to."