Chapter Text
Kirito held the door open as everyone walked into the room. The group of Asuna, Silica, Liz, Leafa, Sinon, Yuuki, Alice, and Eugeo had returned to his and Asuna’s temporary residence in Yggdrasil City at his request. While everyone else toured the room and prepared snacks and drinks, Kirito started to interface with his menu in front of the main room’s holoscreen while simultaneously messaging someone. After a couple minutes (and many muttered curses under his breath), the screen flickered briefly with the RATH logo before fading to a pulsing yellow color. This caught everyone’s attention as they migrated to the couches and chairs surrounding the screen.
“So what did you setup here, Kirito?” Alice asked curiously from the couch, her Cait Sith ears and tail matching her tone.
“I saw the RATH logo.” Liz said flatly from her seat at the bar counter. “Don’t tell me something crazy is gonna happen.”
Kirito rolled his eyes. “Relax, Liz. This is just software, so it won’t interface with anything or anyone in here.”
“Yup, I can confirm that!” Out of the screen flew Yui in her navigation pixie form. “Papa, I finished double checking all connections. The beta hardware Kikuoka sent you has been successfully linked to the holoscreen.”
Asuna’s eyes narrowed as Yui flew around to roam the room herself. “Kikuoka contacted you?"
“And gave you hardware?” Liz continued, tone dripping with exasperation.
“That’s already suspicious.” Leafa’s eyes mirrored the Undine sitting next to her as her fingers instinctively ruffled through Yui’s hair.
“Tell me about it.” Sinon’s fingers moved to her temple immediately.
“Whoa, whoa, cut me some slack.” Kirito defended, raising his hands. “I wouldn’t have agreed to his experiment of his if I had the slightest hint of something going wrong.”
“I can confirm it’s all safe!” Yui affirmed, raising her hand.
Eugeo sighed. “Well, you never really answered Alice’s question. What is this?”
“Well,” With a few more taps of his menu, a band of light that glowed the same color as the screen materialized around Kirito’s head. “Why don’t I show you?”
Everyone’s attention was turned towards the holoscreen as Kirito took a seat on the other side of Asuna. After a brief load, the image changed to the exterior of cafe in Tokyo. The building has glass windows and red awnings. Sitting at one of the outdoor tables was Kikuoka and Kazuto, the former in incognito clothing.
“That’s the Anniversaire Cafe in Minato Ward.” Asuna remarked, recalling a date that Kirito and her had gone on around the time of the Death Gun incident.
Yuuki’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she looked at the static image. “Wait, who recorded this? Both you and Kikuoka are at the table, probably talking about something confidential. How did you get this footage?”
With one last button press, the scene started to move as Kirito hit some sort of play button. People started moving again and the ambience of the peaceful Tokyo street filled the room. The shot refocused itself on the table as the conversation started.
“What kind of tech is it?” Kazuto inquired, eyes filled with suspicion.
If Kikuoka noticed his expression, he didn’t show it. “The Recollection Band. It’s a derivative of the surveillance system we used in Underworld with a touch of Soul Translator technology. Essentially, it would allow the user to recall memories with increased accuracy.”
Kazuto scratched his chin at this interesting proposal. “Memory recollection… In Underworld, the Armament Full Control Art involved invoking the memories of the weapon to enhance it’s offensive abilities. It had two stages.”
Kikuoka nodded. “Enhance Armament and Release Recollection. A partial and full awakening of the memories within the weapon. Alice told me about the art in one of our conversations. This technology would be akin to… five to ten percent of the first stage. No memory, no matter how ingrained or tragic, would manifest itself in any dangerous capacity. In addition, rather than being channeled into a weapon or object, the information is transferred to a screen or projector. The end result is basically a movie or television show of your memories from an unbiased, third-party perspective. The “perspective” even changes on it’s own, so in that way it is really like a TV show.”
“A third-party perspective? For personal memories?”
“A consequence of using the Ocean Turtle’s software, though not necessarily a negative. Also, without proper Incarnation, the memories lose part of their individuality or identity when being recalled as well. At least, those are our working theories. We’re still tweaking some things behind the curtains. But it is especially useful when two or more people are using it at once, as there is no need to choose a perspective.”
“More than one person can use it?”
“Well they’d need separate hardwares but yes. Multiple people can interface at once, and as long as they are recalling the same event, it will sync their memories. With that, I think I’ve covered all the features, though this is all a road map. The current versions we have developed are still in early beta without a lot of the real-time functionality.”
After a couple of moments, Kazuto asked the big question. “And why did you make something like this?”
“I’m sure you have already thought of the benefits this would have. The judicial system could use this for accurate testimonies and alibis. It can help a therapy patient recall experiences that may have been buried from trauma. It could even be used in the treatment of Alzheimer patients. The soul doesn’t forget, after all.”
Silence followed Kikuoka’s final statement as Kazuto drained the rest of his coffee and sat in contemplation. After another few minutes, he looked up and nodded. “Okay, I’ll bite. What would I need to do to test this?”
"I’ll have the hardware shipped to your house. It’s a simple attachment to the Amusphere.” He pulled out his phone and brought up a photo of the hardware. A band that looked exactly like the one on Kirito’s head in-game was wrapped around the Amusphere. “The version that I’ll be sending will unfortunately be a bit limited. Rather than real-time memory analysis and showcase, they will need to be uploaded to the cloud and processed. This is a passive process, but may take a bit. In addition, I’ve included a small program that can take more… creative liberties with the memories. One of the uses I didn’t mention earlier is for the entertainment industry. It will divide memories into a rough sectioned timeline and generate music videos, as well as add music to the memories as a whole.”
"Music videos from our memories, huh.” Kazuto deadpanned, eyes rolling.
Kikuoka sighed, body language betraying his own reluctance. “We don’t exactly have the luxury of being picky about the features we want for our funding. Just think about this beta like it’s really leaning into the ‘reality’ part of reality television. And at least they provided us with professionally sourced and properly licensed music. This sponsor seems to be quite high up in the music industry.”
“Fine, sure. But you better not go through with fully committing to this in the full version.”
“I had no intention of doing so. As for using it, I’ll arrange a place in ALO. The room your friends watched the Bullet of Bullets should suffice. I’ll ensure that you have safe and secure access, private from any potential outside influence. Once you are ready, I’ll help you setup over chat.”
“Fine. That works for me.” Kazuto stood up, preparing to leave. After pushing in his chair, he stopped for a second. “I might ask for a couple more Recollection Bands if you have them.”
A look of mild surprise and interest took Kikuoka’s face. “And why might you need those?”
Kazuto shrugged. “Just a thought that came into my head. I’ll tell you later if I need them. Goodbye, Kikuoka.”
As Kazuto left, the scene slowly faded out and was replaced by the yellow light from before.
He looked at his friends, all of them in deep thought with mixed looks of concern and intrigue. “So, what do you think?” The room fell into silence as each of them contemplated Kikuoka’s words and what the Recollection Band was capable of.
“Well, in terms of positives, I think those are some pretty good use cases.” The first to comment was Yuuki. “Plus, I’m sure that’s just the surface of what it could be used for.”
“The problem I see, at least from a technical standpoint,” Sinon said, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “is what it would do with memories that are completely ingrained in personal perspective. How would the Recollection Band perform with a sociopath? What happens when the identity that gets removed from the memories is heavily tied with the memory itself?”
Alice frowned and nodded. “To add on, I know firsthand how powerful the Armament Full Control Art can be, as do Kirito and Eugeo. Kikuoka said five to ten percent of the strengthening phase, but even that output might have the potential for damage depending on the person or memory.”
“But there would have to be something to channel that dangerous power, right?” Silica questioned. “As long as it links to something like the holoscreen, that power couldn’t be unleashed and do harm, right?”
Leafa sighed. “The problem is when someone attempts to interface with something that’s not a screen. I’m sure RATH has already considered the possibility and taken countermeasures, but no plan is foolproof.”
“Still,” Eugeo stood, drawing everyone’s attention. He thought back to his and Yuuki’s meeting with Cardinal and information regarding the Medicuboid and how it was created. “if this technology can be developed to help people, I think it’s worth giving a chance.”
Asuna nodded. “Well said, Eugeo. While the risks are high, it doesn’t sound like any of those concerns could appear in testing. RATH would still have plenty of work to do after the test to address those issues and more as they come up. The music and video stuff is definitely weird but I trust that Kikuoka wouldn’t have added that feature if he didn’t have to.”
“I guess that makes the most sense.” Silica mused hesitantly.
“Plus,” Asuna’s expression darkened. “I don’t think Kikuoka is stupid enough to mess with us right after the whole fiasco with the Ocean Turtle.”
Liz coughed, quickly trying to move on. “Anyways! I agree! Also, I would be lying if I wasn’t curious about the music stuff.” She turned to Kirito. “What was that bit at the end about getting more Recollection Bands, though?”
“Well, that was the part I wanted to talk to you all about.” Kirito scratched his head, but his expression was serious. Yui left his pocket and transformed into her child form, turning to face him with a worried look. “Kikuoka said that multiple people could interface at once. I thought that we could all test it together. We would upload our memories together, creating a sort of TV show that tells the story of our lives and the journey we took to get here.”
“The story of our lives…” Leafa echoed. “S-so like our past secrets, trauma, everything?”
"That’s a bit invasive.” Sinon’s cold tone snapped. “I’m not sure I’d be too comfortable with that.”
Yuuki and Eugeo were deep in contemplative silence, knowing their fate that they had miraculously been freed from. Yui’s gaze focused on the two of them, her mind thinking back to what had happened underneath the Town of Beginnings.
“Please, hear me out.” Kirito pleaded. He took a deep breath to collect himself, then faced his friends. “I know it’s a big ask but I wouldn’t do this with any other group of people, not even my mother or father. I have full trust in every person here and I know that nothing in our memories would break the bonds we have. Even though I can’t recall all the things that happened, I remember how I felt when I realized I would have to stay in Underworld for 200 years. I was devastated at the thought of being separated from my friends, my family, for all that time and it nearly broke me. Of course I had Asuna and everyone I met in the Underworld, but I don’t know how I would have been happy had she not been there. In that moment, I realized just how important you all are to me.” He looked down, shrinking into himself as he finished his speech. “I want to use the Recollection Band to tell my story and show you all of me. The person I am and how I got there. Even if none of you want to use it, I still want to show you all how much I love all of you by sharing the story of my life.”
He suddenly felt a warmth wrap around his tensed body. He opened his eyes, not realizing that he had them squeezed shut, and saw Asuna’s shoulder. A mass ruffled near his chest as Yui was comfortably sandwiched between them. “Kirito, we all love you too. I will share my memories as well. All of you are my closest friends and I trust you all with the world.” Eugeo and Leafa got up and joined the group hug.
“Me too. I’ll share my memories with my brother’s group… that has also become my group too.”
“I’ve been given a second chance to be with you and meet wonderful people. I would love to share my story with them.”
A heavy bump was felt by the group as Yuuki, Liz, and Silica tackled into the group.
“Boooo, Eugeo stole my line. The Sleeping Knights was founded as a way to leave our story to the world. Of course I’ll share too.”
“This group is my family too, Kirito. I trust all of you with my life.”
“I feel the same way. I wouldn’t give anyone here up for anything.”
After a small minute, the final two people joined the hug. While they weren’t the most keen about physical touch, Sinon and Alice joined the hug.
“You guys were the first people to accept me. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t scare me, but if it’s just us, I will share my story.”
“I share the same sentiment as Sinon. Even though I am an artificial being, you all treat me the same as anyone else with a soul. I will share my memories.”
“Everyone…” Kirito let himself be swallowed by his family’s embrace, tears of relief streaming down his face. “Thank you all so much.”
Yui giggled. “Papa, Mama and everyone love you so much. We’re all here for you, always.”
They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the embrace. It didn’t matter that the heat radiating off of everyone’s avatars was a digital recreation. Their love was real. Their family of trauma-bonded misfit young adults meant the world to each and every one of them, and they would support each other through thick and thin. Revisiting these memories, whether they are happy, sad, or painful, will only strengthen the connections they share.
Eventually, they broke the hug and spent the rest of the night eating and enjoying one another’s company. Silica started talking to Eugeo about a rumor she heard about a new treasure hunt quest, intriguing him since he hasn’t been on many quests in ALO. Alice and Liz were listening to Leafa recounting her latest kendo match, the Integrity Knight aptly absorbing every detail as she thought back to the “duel” she had with Kirito in the Kirigaya’s dojo. Asuna had her eyes closed on the couch, lying peacefully as Yuuki braided her hair, tongue sticking out in concentration. Sinon and Kirito’s glasses clinked at the bar counter as the former discussed the details of the second Squad Jam and her interactions with the winners SHINC.
Before logging off for the night, Kirito told everyone that he would give everyone instructions once he made contact with Kikuoka again. With that, a series of goodbyes and logging outs left Yui, Eugeo, and Yuuki in the room.
Yui hesitantly looked over at the two. “Auntie Yuuki, Uncle Eugeo, are you okay?”
"Huh?” The two of them responded in unison, surprised at the question and its asker.
“Well, you two looked really deep in thought when Papa first brought up the idea of everyone using the Recollection Band. I can tell that your suppressing your emotions and just want to make sure everything is alright.”
The two stared at the young girl and her determined face. After a moment of silence, Yuuki let out a shaky laugh. “Hahaha, that’s Yui for you! I forget that you were supposed to be a mental health counsel program.”
“I still am, you know? That part of my programming hasn’t gone anywhere.” Yui pouted.
Meanwhile, dumbfoundedness temporarily pushed Eugeo’s worries to the side as he looked at Yui as if she grew a third eye. “Wait, what?”
Yui looked over at the blond. “Did Papa never tell you?” After a lifted eyebrow and a deadpan stare, she let out a sigh. “Well, let me formally introduce myself. Uncle Eugeo, I am Yui-MHCP001. I was designed to monitor the mental health of the players of SAO.”
“She had been shut off from interacting with players once the death game started. Asuna and Kirito found her on Floor 22 and took her in as their adopted daughter. She was transferred here to ALO, where the system regarded her as a Navigation Pixie.” Yuuki summarized, while Yui nodded along.
“Papa was able to remove my programming from his NerveGear, so now I can interact with not just VR, but some devices in the real world, like his cell phone.” Yui finished, pride imbuing her words.
Under normal circumstances, Eugeo would be shell-shocked. However, with years of experience dealing with Kirito’s shenanigans, plus the massive info dumps that have been relentlessly sent at him since his revival, he simply nodded along. “Okay, I think I understand. So you could tell that Yuuki and I were uncomfortable at first about using the Recollection Band?”
“Yes, I could. But that’s not the only reason.” Yui looked down with a somber expression that was completely out of place on her. “I went through something similar in Aincrad.”
Eugeo’s mind stopped. He once again looked at this young girl. She couldn’t look any older than Alice was when she was taken from Rulid. The idea that she suffered a similar fate to himself, even if she was an AI…
“I understand.” It was Yui’s turn to be shocked as Eugeo knelt down and embraced her. As he hugged the girl and felt her small arms wrap around his waist, he felt something bonk the top of his head before another embrace enveloped the two of them.
“Stop beating me to these things, Eugeo!” Yuuki complained, though her hug still radiated the same love as it did before.
Eugeo smirked as his eyes started to well with tears. “Then be faster, Zekken.” He shot back with a shaky laugh. The three of them took the time to once again be enveloped by the warm hug. All three let their tears fall freely.
Yuuki spoke up quietly. “Are you sure you two want to watch everything?”
“I am.” Yui nodded, sounding determined through her tears. “I want to know the full story of how Papa and Mama came to know such amazing people.”
“So do I. And we’ll do it together. We can all lean on each other and cry on one another’s shoulders.” Eugeo comforted not just the two girls, but himself as well. How fortunate was he that he not only got a second chance, but with such wonderful friends. And he was sure that the sentiment was shared among them.
After a bit more hugging, the three said their goodbyes. Yui entered sleep mode, leaving the two to rest in the room for the night. As Eugeo laid down in bed, he felt an itch in his brain, like he was forgetting something. After a bit of thought, he couldn’t place it. Well, no use in pondering all night. I’m sure I’ll remember it soon if it’s important. It wasn’t long after that sleep took him, his dreams filled with companions old and new.