The first words heard outside of SAO's imprisonment was from a man she had hated almost from the moment she met him. Definitely within five minutes of talking to him all those years ago.
Even after four years she would recognize that voice anywhere. He hadn't tried to change it. Even if the form was different, dealing with Kayaba had taught her to never trust what she saw.
Sugo was a creep, to be blunt. She didn't know how no one else saw it. It wasn't just the superior attitude, which would have annoyed Asuna to start with. It was the malice he tried to hide beneath a fake smile. That was how he was at age nine, four years her senior. Telling her parents anything that age was mostly disregarded as her simply being shy around a new boy.
After a month of wanting nothing to do with him with no sign of her parents understanding, she accepted the situation. As much as possible she ignored his presence when his folks were near, or worse, the year he spent with the Yuuki family as his parents were in America for business.
When he hit puberty he went from malicious to out right dangerous. If he forced himself on her, which she couldn't discount as a possibility, she was afraid he could somehow make it look as if she had asked for it. Asuna got very good at being sure an adult was around. He was so good at playing innocent and history had taught Asuna that getting the adults to see behind the mask was impossible.
The warrior jumped into a fighter's crouch. Sugo knew her from before entering SAO. She wasn't that frail girl anymore.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCHYOynJAC
Always keeping an eye on him, Asuna looked over where she was. As she had known the moment she touched her ears this was another virtual world. A giant tree and a bird cage? A well appointed bird cage, but a cage none the less. The symbolism wasn't lost on her.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWK9Ue4vPMW
Sugo shook his head. "Titania, my love," he started. "You don..." he finished, as Asuna sprang forward, driving her knee into his gut and delivering an elbow to the back of his skull in a single fluid motion, wanting to drive home exactly the caged beast he had before him.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWJP6ps2bO
He was no Heathcliff. He didn't have the reflexes of a fighter. A fighter confident of his immortality wouldn't have reacted at all. A fighter who knew he was mortal would have been able to put up at least a slight defense. His reflexes were only fast enough to flinch.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hXPWKywrD
He was immortal however, and unlike Heathcliff he didn't get pushed by the impacts. After a second to realize what had just happened, he laughed. He had obviously expected her as she had been before entering the game. The laugh was more nervous than humorous.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ltojaRqnG
"That was foolish My Queen," he said.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeY3r76EAVw
Without further word from him her body stopped moving, at least of her own volition. Moving with a will of its own she stood up and slowly spun so Suko could see all sides of her. She could physically feel his eyes raping her. Instantly her need to fight her way free became a need to kill him.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHc0tYpgUyT
"Titania, you've changed," he said with amusement, his voice showing less of the shock from before as he demonstrated his absolute control over her. "You were never so assertive. Did life in that barbaric game affect you so badly?"833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzbFz47B0A
The game had changed her. Little did Sugo know how "assertive" she had become, as he put it. The thought of killing someone had never come so easily to her as it did now. If he had even a slight inkling of what was running through her mind he'd never let her move on her own again.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedMpWWnrRk
"Why do you keep calling me by that name?" she asked coldly, a bit surprised her mouth worked.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwVERwCVR9
"Because you are Oberon's queen. And I, of course, am Oberon."833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYYE0CraYQ
She couldn't help but snort at his stupidity. "Your queen, huh?"833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mCQIyPTUF
Walking up, he ignored her glare. "Oh, you are definitely my queen, in both this world and the real one." Reflexively Asuna took a step back as he entered her personal space, then paused as she realized he had allowed her to move again. She thought about attacking him, but there was no point. She wouldn't hurt him, and he would simply take control again to rub in how little power she had.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv78LWTRo2
"Oh, that face! So angry. I have looked forward to seeing those angry eyes of yours again, and they are more fierce than ever. The AI I had running that avatar could never match this." Sadly, she could tell it really was exciting him. "I love seeing you fight back with it, even knowing you cannot win."833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyB49PVqbLS
Fight back? If simply looking at him made him use those two words while he held her motionless he was truly pathetic.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCJZLRUNyg
Some of the disdain in her eyes must have registered. He backhanded her in sudden anger, or tried to as her reflexes went into play, blocking the attempt and retaliating with an elbow to his ribs.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlF1sbjIkR
That was as far as she got, of course. Once again her body stopped, and returned to a standing position. "You think you can look down on me?" he yelled. "I own you."833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kyKIBenJQ
He stopped and smiled, his composure returning quickly, as a thought occurred to him. "Let me show you."833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjVfqXO81W
Once stationary, her avatar began to slowly dance in a sensual manor. A style she wouldn't do for anyone except for Kirito in the most private of settings.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0j8rH1f3B
There was no point in saying anything. Any show of shame would encourage him, and showing him her anger would result in the same. Her very silence would tell him what she thought of him and his sad attempt to break her pride.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXpasE45rT
After a few minutes of her dancing Sugo smiled smugly. "Give it time Titania. I have waited four years for you. I can wait a few weeks until you to accept your place," he said. Seeming tired of her dancing he released her, as he turned and left.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZS1Y2x5Ov
For all the control he seemed to have, the door used an antiquated numerical keypad. She couldn't see what he had typed however, which again proved he had administrative level control over this world. Still, why have a code at all? So others could access the cage? It was the only explanation she could think of.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6HW19dKLN
He had admin privledges, that was obvious. He had gone so far as to call this reality "his" world. That could mean he was in charge of this VRMMO, every bit as powerful in this world as Kayaba had been in his. The difference is Kayaba had taken a passive roll in SAO for the most part. At least when it concerned her Sugo was going to be much more active.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlMsKRUVSn
Another thing he said bothered her. "Oh, you are definitely my queen, in both this world and the real one." 833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzDMBl3Zh9
He couldn't have married her, could he? The law required that she say "I do," which she obviously could not. She couldn't help but shudder. Whether he had legally married her or not didn't matter. He thought of her that way. What had he done to her physical body. What had he done to her avatar if he had used an AI to control it. What was he going to do now that she was nominally the one in control of it?833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPAn9nqHK1
Shaking off the fear, anger, and revulsion, those thoughts caused, she looked over her new prison as a distraction and some thin shred of hope of finding a way to escape. 833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty7GPcdvFl
A gaudy, oversized bed was the prominent piece of furniture. It didn't take much to guess why that was there. A desk and a set of table and chairs finished off the meager furniture. The chairs all looked purposely uncomfortable, leaving the bed the only pleasant option, physically.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSXWQfznQd
He really was pathetic.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGgpr6uC8U
Looking outside the cage she saw that many of the branches had trails grooved into the top, forming a network of paths for people to walk. The tree's trunk was huge. The Town of Beginnings probably could have fit within, but most impressive was the castle on top. From her perspective she guessed it was about twenty stories and just as wide as the trunk that supported it.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd58iikd5F1
Looking downwards she saw a city. It was more distant than the castle above her, so catching details was difficult, but using the trunk as reference it was probably one-third the size of the ninety-eighth floor of Aincrad, maybe a bit smaller.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65cRIMEzKk
Judging by the rising smoke the city was in ruins, large white giants, big enough to be seen despite the distance, was walking among the shattered buildings. Some were swatting at something she couldn't see, apparently in combat.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqKBfF9vOn
The last thing to assess was herself. Looking into the mirror she was surprised by what she found. It was her, but it wasn't. She was older. Was this what she looked like IRL now? It had been four years in the game, and in that time avatar had never aged. With a change in worlds perhaps Sugo had updated her avatar to match her appearance. Honestly that surprised her. She always thought he liked young girls. Very young.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3KpbLxTFT
She also took in that she wasn't human. Along with the ears she had already found, she had light gossamer wings, so thin she could see through them. They hung down without any control. At first she would have taken them as a cloak. Sugo's avatar had been a fairy, so this wasn't exactly a surprise. It was curious. What was their point of wings? Could she control them somehow? It seemed likely. Having them just for looks didn't make any sense.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF80zcCSwC
This was a new game. How much, if any, of the game mechanics had remained the same as SAO? 833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNXFh9IvDH
The first thing that followed that question was inevitable: would dying here kill her in the real world? Not likely. Sugo wanted her to remain for his sick pleasure. So even if her avatar could die, it was likely to respawn within the cage. 833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6CzZbM4nL
If this was a true VRMMO, which it might not be, what were her stats? Did she still have the high agility granted by SAO? It had felt like it during her brief moment to freely attack her tormenter, but they could be the same as her IRL stats and skills.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCzqzKHvBL
Taking a moment to sit at the table, the chair even less comfortable than it looked, she attempted to pull up her game menu. She made a swipe of her right hand that had become second nature to bring up the menu, but nothing appeared. It was possible that gaming convention was different. She tried again with her left hand and got the result she expected with the other.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXnx9JXPfw
The menu system was identical to SAO, so out of reflex, but without hope, she checked for the log out button that had been missing before and found it remained missing. Again, that was to be expected. He wanted her, and he wanted total control over her.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxuUUQbW0E
Checking her stats next she noted that all of them appeared normal and at the level of her previous avatar. Her duel-wield ability was missing. It was a unique skill, so perhaps that was simply not translatable? That was as good of a guess as any she supposed.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2rqRjwHqW
With that thought she checked her inventory next. If the skills not used in this world were missing, what about her items? All she saw innitially was errors where the items should have been. Panicked, she scrolled through the copious error entries to see if it was still there.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwa68PGzaJv
As a married couple all of Kirito's items not equipped to him had been transferred to her when he had died. That had included Yui's Heart. It was her last real connection to her husband and the idyllic life they shared. It was her most treasured item. Only when she had shut down completely after her fight with the not-Kirito did she not clutch it at night. 833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdu4JiHJCO5
With a sense of relief she found it. Clicking on it to prove the pendent was still the same, she was shocked when what formed instead was her dead daughter.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBpvCSB7ca
She wasn't dead any longer.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1kOIrJJyf
For the second time since killing Heathcliff Asuna cried. This time tears of forgotten joy. 833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7BWkJOSXO
"Mommy!"833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsChsFs0pr
Author's Note: I have no idea what the age difference is between Asuna and Sugo (A quick online search came up with nothing), so this is purely a guess. I think it's fairly obvious he is the older of the two, so no matter the difference it fits my storyline. If anyone knows the actual age difference I'll happily change it.833Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHxGKJuzZ5
