Drifter woke up to a mane of hair tickling his nose, which wasn't unusual. Yuna was a cuddler, and more often than not ended up clinging to him during the night.
However, what filled his vision when he opened his eyes was not the comforting brown hair of his lover, but instead a vibrant lavender hue.
The memories of last night's events came rushing back all at once, and Drifter smiled softly at the girl who had, at some point, decided to use his chest as her pillow.
Unable to stop himself, he laid a gentle kiss on the top of her head, much as he would when Yuna or Yui fell asleep while leaning on him in front of the fireplace.
Yui's sister - and they really had to find out her name, if she even had one - shifted, snuggling deeper into his chest.
What would they do with her?
Care for her, obviously. If nothing else, she was Yui's sister, and a child in distress. But that still left a great many blanks to be filled, and choices to be made. Mostly by her.
Drifter frowned. Yesterday had been a roller-coaster of revelations, most of which he did not like.
Both Yui and the girl using his chest as a pillow was formerly emotional support AIs. Therapists, as Argo had put it the day before.
That was already hard to comprehend, and when you added the whole awakening and gaining sentience business into the mix... Drifter's head hurt just thinking about it.
And then there was the boss monster. Fatal Scythe. The spearmaster wasn't one to scare easily, but the creature had terrified him. Not because it was scary in and of itself, but because of how powerless the Reavers had been against it. It was a grim reminder that SAO was, at the end of the day, a game - one where just a few lines of code could render all the players did and had useless.
To end it all, there was whatever it was that existed at the end of the dungeon: the control room. Yui's sister had been curtailed by the system before she could give more details, but just those two words were enough to give Drifter a good idea.
He shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. The entrance to the dungeon was gone, and he was convinced it was permanent. It would do no good to dwell on the what ifs.
"Yun'. Songbird, wake up."
Careful not to dislodge the lavender-haired girl on top of him, Drifter blew into Yuna's ear. His songstress furrowed her brows, turning that and this way, but shivered and slowly opened her eyes when he pressed his lips onto the back of her neck.
"Dummy?"
"Good morning, Yun'."
He briefly kissed her as she came to, smiling through their pressed lips as she propped herself up on her elbows to deepen the kiss.
"Mornin', Drif."
The two indulged in their intimacy for a few more minutes before Yuna pulled back and looked at the little girl between them, one hand rising to brush through her lavender hair.
"I dreamed about her. Wasn't sure if she was real or not."
"She most definitely is. What are we gonna do?"
Yuna chuckled, and kissed him again.
"The best we can, what else? Starting with her name, if she has one."
Drifter grinned against her lips.
"We can just ask. So, do you have a name?"
Separating from Yuna, he directed his last words to the little bundle on his chest, who stiffened momentarily before relaxing again.
"You knew I was awake?"
The spearmaster chuckled when he saw the tip of the ear peeking through her lavender hair turning red.
"You learn to notice things when you're a frontliner. You okay?"
She still hadn't looked up, though she seemed to melt more and more as Yuna kept brushing her fingers through her hair.
"I never slept before. I was asleep before I awoke, but... it just wasn't the same. I really slept this time. I even dreamed, of Yui and me."
The frontliner smiled, gently brushing her bangs aside so he could see one half of her face. A bright silver eye followed his motions.
"A good dream then."
"Hm."
The three of them stayed in the same position for a few more minutes, during which Drifter almost thought the girl may have fallen back asleep, considering how she closed her eye and the steady rhythm of her breathing.
"My name... I don't have one. Just the project label from before I awakened."
Yuna stilled for a moment before smiling softly.
"That's not a problem. You can choose one now, just like Yui did."
She kept her eyes closed, but Drifter felt her body tense up. One of his hands took over from where Yuna had stopped brushing her hair, while the other gently lifted her chin, forcing her to finally focus those silver orbs on him.
The spearmaster saw a lot in that gaze. Most of all uncertainty.
"Or we can pick one together, if you don't mind?"
She considered it for a second before nodding, and adorable blush coloring her cheeks.
"Hm."
The Reaver was almost lost in her cuteness, but Yuna came to the rescue by shifting her body so she and Drifter were now laying shoulder to shoulder, with Yui's sister dropped over both of them.
"How about Astraea?"
"As... traea?"
"Yes. I learned about her during a business trip with my father. She is the Greek goddess of justice and innocence, amongst other things. I think it fits you, with how you came to our rescue yesterday. Plus, it means Maiden of the Stars. You have beautiful eyes, little one. Just like stars."
Said eyes shone brightly now, filled with emotions that she did not yet fully understand - but she would.
Slowly, a smile spread over her features, so very different from the ones she had displayed the night before. So much more fragile, and yet so strong at the same time.
"Astraea... I like it. But it's too long, I want something shorter. More like Yui's. So... my name shall be Strea from now on!"
Her smile was blinding, and for the first time this morning, she looked like the assured and outspoken girl from the night before.
Both Drifter and Yuna matched her grin, the songstress leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead. Strea all but nuzzled into her touch.
"It's lovely to meet you, Strea."
"Welcome to the family."
The lavender-haired girl blushed, an utterly adorable sight Drifter didn't think he would ever tire of.
"Just like that?"
"Hahaha... Of course, silly! You are Yui's sister, that already makes you family. And now that you've chosen your name, well, you are going to stick around, aren't you?"
The spearmaster scooted back and propped his upper body against the wall, dragging Strea with him during the process in such a way that she was now sitting on his lap.
Yuna leaned on his shoulder, holding one of his hands while the other resumed brushing Strea's hair.
"Thst just leaves deciding where you fit in the family. But it's not a decision you have to make right now. Or ever. Above all else, we want you to be happy."
Strea blinked, silver eyes jumping from Yuna to Drifter and back as she processed the meaning behind the what the songstress said.
"By where I fit you mean--"
"You are very mature, Strea. In some way even more than Yui when she first appeared, I feel. But at the same time, you are very young. Reaver's Requiem will be your home, never doubt that, but having someone - a couple someones - even closer, well, I don't think that you be a bad idea."
Drifter took over from his wife at this point, while Strea stared wide-eyed at the woman.
"Only if that's what you want, Strea. But it is, isn't it?"
That much had been obvious from the second she stepped forward to heal Yui. Strea wanted connections. A family. They could give that to her.
And they hoped oh-so-badly that she would accept. While her gaze was kind and hopeful, Yuna's true feelings were transmitted to Drifter in the tight, nervous grip she had on his hand.
"If you want to be with your sister, Kirito and Asuna will be delighted to have you."
There was just a hint of concern, trepidation, and jealousy in Yuna's tone. Strea didn't notice, her mind somewhere else.
"Yui's Papa and Mama. They could be my parents too?"
Drifter nodded, and both him and Yuna felt their hearts drop a little at the happy expression Strea made, though neither allowed it to show on their faces.
"I think I would like that. But..."
And suddenly their hearts were soaring again as Strea stared at them with affection and a hint of teasing that let them know she knew exactly what she was doing to them.
"You are already my Mom and Dad, no? I don't see a reason to change that."
Whatever else she was going to add, Strea was interrupted by Yuna crying in happiness and pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. One Drifter wasn't spared from either, not that he needed any convincing to envelop his wife and his new daughter with his arms.
And if Yuna singing in pure love and affection brought a tear to his eyes, that wasn't anyone's business.
...
To Nautilus, Sinon, Kirito, Asuna, and the others, what transpired in the bedroom, or at least the final result, was clear from the moment they saw Drifter and Yuna entering the living room - they were well past breakfast now - with Strea between them, holding their hands.
Yui in particular very nearly jumped with joy, but it was the ash-haired shield-bearer, who remained the closest one to the couple to this day, who spoke first, his words unknowingly echoing Drifter's.
"Welcome to the family."
Strea smiled brightly, letting go of Yuna's hand to wave at the gathered Reavers.
"Sister!"
And Yui couldn't hold herself back anymore. She threw herself at Strea, bowling her over in a running hug, and it was only Drifter quickly reaching down to grab them both that stopped the two girls from crashing to the ground.
"Sister! You are fine! I was so worried! Mama and Papa said you weren't hurt but they also said you woke up and fell asleep again and I was worried you weren't going to wake up again and I wouldn't be able to thankyouforsavingmeand..."
Yui started rambling a mile a minute, her words blurring together towards the end, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.
And Strea wasn't too far behind. Though her lavender bangs covered much of her face when she returned the hug and buried her face on the crook of Yui's neck, Drifter could see that her eyes were equally wet.
Meanwhile, Yuna watched on proudly before turning to the Reavers.
"Everyone, this is Strea--"
Her gaze paused on Kirito and Asuna, and they smiled, knowing what she was going to say.
"--our daughter."
Almost instantly, the Reavers were on their feet, wide smiles in their faces and laughter flowing freely.
"Ooooohhhh!"
"Congratulations!"
"Welcome to the family, Strea-chan!"
The Reavers were a small, elite group, so it was always a joyful occasion when another was added to their numbers, and doubly so when it was someone who became truly family.
By now, Strea was openly crying, Yui still glomped to her like a giant koala. Drifter and Yuna just kneeled, each throwing an arm around her small body.
"Welcome home, daughter."