Equis Art Online II

Asuna sighed and turned out the light in her bedroom. Tonight was the Ball, the thing she had been waiting for all week. She smiled as she laid down on her bed. She placed her AmuSphere on her head, and closed her eyes.

"Link Start!"

As her eyes opened, she smiled at the familiar location of her and Kirito's cabin. She ducked inside and checked the time.

9:20

She smiled and ducked into the bedroom and closed the door. Opening her inventory, she smiled and sighed. Then she heard a knock on the door.

"Asuna? You in there?"

Asuna smiled at hearing Kirito's voice.

"Yeah, gimme a sec! Wait on the couch, will you?"

"Sure!"

Asuna opened her inventory and changed into The Maiden's Tear. As it materialized, Asuna sighed, pleased with how it fit and felt. She slipped on her shoes, her tiara, and her gloves. She walked out to see Kirito waiting on the couch. He smiled upon seeing her.

"You look like a princess." he said, and Asuna blushed.

"I feel like one too." She replied.

"Let's get going then, milady." He said with a smirk, and Asuna took his hand. Opening their inventories, they activated their invitations. As they teleported to the ballroom, Asuna focused on one thought in her head.

"Let's dance...Kirito."

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Asuna and Kirito walked into the ballroom and both gasped. There were at least fifty players already present, all in dresses or suits. Then, they saw the group waving, and they settled themselves down at a table near the dance floor. Kirito looked around and smiled. Silica was wearing a dress similar to her dress from Rarity, but gilded and more ornate. Liz was wearing a pink suit with a small skirt. Leafa was wearing a Ivory and Green yukata, with her hair done in a bun. Alice wore a white dress with blue sleeves, and like all of her attire, it was based off of her Underworld armor. Klein was wearing a suit of beige and red. Twilight wore her Gala dress from Equestria. Aries wore a black suit with a Green sash, and a small shoulder epaulet. Sinon was wearing a yellow dress with a small rose corset. Runa was wearing a blue dress with a small sash, simple but elegant. Asuna sighed and put her head on Kirito's shoulder.

"Hey guys. Glad that we all made it." Kirito said.

"Yeah. Not many occasions real or virtual we get to black-tie dress." Aries quipped.

"I agree." Agil said, walking up. He was wearing a tan suit with a black set of monograms.

"Totally." Liz said. "By the way, the food's great!"

"Well, that settles it, then." Klein said, getting up.

"Not so fast, Klein. You do know that you're supposed to dance, right?" Silica said.

"Yeah. I really don't know If I can though." Klein admitted.

"I'll partner with you." Twilight said. "We can learn as we go."

"Thanks, Twi. Lifesaver." Klein said, sitting back down.

"You do know the floor's not open yet? So, what now?" Sinon asked.

"Silly! We talk, of course."

Kirito turned to see Yuuki walk up with the Sleeping Knights. Though Yuuki had changed considerably in terms of her avatar. She was still an Imp, though her hairstyle and features had changed to be more pointed and less feminine. She had also changed her hair color from black to a more gray, plus, her name had changed.

"Yuzaki?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah. I decided to retire my old account and make a new one from scratch and move all my items over. I kinda like starting over again, you know?" Yuuki replied.

"I see. You all look great, by the way." Asuna replied.

"Yeah." Siune replied. As the Sleeping Knights sat down, the next to arrive was the unlikely couple of Sakuya and Eugene.

"Wow, I didn't think you two would partner up." Kirito said.

"Well, it's a funny story. Wanna hear?" Eugene asked.

"Sure." Asuna replied. As they sat down, Sakuya smiled.

"You wanna start, or should I?"

"I'll start. So, I walk into my favorite coffee shop." Eugene said. "And I notice the waitress has a t-shirt on with the Sylph logo. We chatted, and we eventually recognized each other. I was never so embarrassed IN MY LIFE." Eugene said.

"Yeah. And things kinda went from there." Sakuya said.

"Wow. That's lucky." Kirito said.

"It is. Kirito? Can I ask you something?" Sakuya said, and he nodded.

"Back in Old ALO, when we first met, you said the reason you were playing was to find someone. Was that someone Asuna?" Sakuya asked. Asuna and Kirito both flinched, then they nodded.

"I see. Asuna? What were you doing in Old ALO?"

Asuna sighed and told them about her captivity while leaving out a few parts, and at the end, Sakuya sighed, and Eugene gasped.

"I'm sorry." Sakuya said.

"Thanks. It's all over now, and that's what matters." Asuna said. "To be honest, it's not something I like to remember."

"That's okay. Hey, it's 10:50. Wanna dance, Sakuya?" Eugene asked, and she nodded. Kirito turned over to Asuna, and she smiled. As they stood up, Leafa looked over at Aries, who was standing next to her nonchalantly.

"You wanna dance?" She asked.

"Sure. I mean…" Aries said. "Yeah."

"Okay." Leafa said, taking his hand and leading him to the now lit dance floor. As the two pairs stepped on, an NPC band, with ballroom instruments, appeared. A conductor appeared, and they began to play a waltz. As the dancing started, Asuna placed her head on Kirito's chest.

"To be honest...I'm really enjoying myself." Asuna said.

"Me too." Kirito replied. As they waltzed, Asuna felt warm and at peace. Runa watched from a distance, with a smile on her face.

"Runa? You okay?"

Sinon walked up, and Runa sighed.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You ready to start on Friday?"

"Ready. I'll be there about thirty minutes after you get home, from what your mom and I talked out."

"Great." Runa said, leaning on Sinon, who placed her arm around her. As they watched Kirito and Asuna do another round, Leafa and Aries finished their first round.

"You know, Leafa? I really am enjoying this." Aries said.

"Me too. I'm really content right now. Just right now, here in the moment."

"Yeah."

As the dancing continued, and the laughter continued to resonate, the moon came out from behind a cloud, illuminating the hall with rays of moonlight.

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One hour later

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Asuna sighed and placed her head back on Kirito's shoulder. They had finished their third round, and Asuna was getting tired. Kirito wrapped his arm around her and smiled.

"When we log out, do you want we to spend the night with you? The rest of it, I mean."

"That would be nice." Asuna replied. "We should log out, anyway. It's getting late."

"Agreed. See you soon."

As they two of them logged out, the moon shone brighter than before.