23 Dream

After some discussion, we have come up with our usernames for the game. I stuck with Rejected_Goddess as I couldn't think of anything better, and it didn't sound too bad. Yuki decided on Tainted_Snow_Goddess she wanted to have a name matched mine, and she thought it sounded cool.

Alex was a different story. We spent about an hour trying to convince her to choose a username seriously. She was always trying to turn hers into a sex joke. We almost settled for PeachesNCream until we found out that her in-game character name was Algea Hedone. We didn't think she would resort to Greek mythology for her name, so we opted for a compromise. Her username is now LadyMisery.

"I wonder what these spark things are supposed to be?" I had asked while drinking my non-alcoholic tea.

"They probably wanted to change how users accessed their menu and wanted to a cash grab too." Yuki was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "By the way, mom, you better hope they don't nerf your OP skill.

"Oh? What OP skill did your mother get?" Alex looks towards me with a look of curiosity.

"She's got this totally broken skill that like multiplies the XP she gets. The higher that skill is, the bigger the multiplier. I wouldn't be surprised if she could hit the soft cap in like a week or two."

Alex looked over in my direction with wide eyes.

"How the hell did you get a skill like that?"

"I just asked Eri to be my friend, and she gave me some stuff."

"I should have guessed it was something that ridiculous. Leave to you to befriend the game intro VI."

Virtual Intelligence or VI was designed as a pseudo-AI. Still, the AI were not able to develop any kind of sentience. They were used in many different machines, and they were mostly implemented in robots like delivery robots.

"I guess I'll find out when I log back in."

"I'm more interested in the streaming part. I could create my own channel and make some money that way too." Yuki had flipped herself into a sitting position facing us.

"That's a good idea too. You should give that a try too, Sarah."

"Maybe…I don't know how I feel about live streaming in front of people."

Alex briefly had a sad look on her face before changing it to her smile.

"The Sarah I knew was an outgoing person who wasn't shy."

I stared at the floor for a moment, thinking about my past.

"The past me was also a naïve girl who didn't know hardships. Once we log back in, I think I will go my own way for a bit. I…need some time to myself to think.

Yuki had a glimmer of sadness in her face for just a moment.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. If Emiko asks, do you want me to explain?"

"If you wouldn't mind. I'm sorry."

It's ok, I'm sure she will understand. On a different note, though, you should consider streaming at some point. You can earn some good money from it. The more followers you have, the more you can make. Which reminds me, I need to get my Spasm TV account set up for streaming.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out and watching movies while I tried to ignore the awkward tension between Yuki and me.

I stood up from the couch and stretched, feeling the bones in my spine pop. Something about the sound that makes is relaxing. Of course, feeling the bones pop is also relaxing.

"It's getting late, and I am getting tired. You can take my bed, Alex. I will sleep on the couch tonight."

"You will do no such thing! I will sleep on the couch. I'll be fine, go take your bed."

"You are a guest. I will not let you sleep on the couch."

Hearing our back and forth, Yuki interjected her thoughts.

"Why don't you two just share the bed? It's big enough."

We both nodded at her idea. I felt kind of dumb for not thinking about it, but I am probably more tired than I realized. We all walked to our rooms for the night with Alex following me. I changed into some pajamas since I couldn't sleep in the buff tonight. I gave Alex a long shirt I also use sometimes to sleep in. We both crawled into bed, I turned off the light and stared at the dark ceiling until sleep could take me.

"Sarah…I know you probably don't want me bringing this up, but are you considering Yuki's feelings seriously?"

She was right. I didn't want to think about it. I mean…I don't even know what to think. After a moment of silence, I spoke up.

"I am thinking about, but the thing is, I don't know what to think. We are family. We aren't supposed to have those kinds of feelings for each other."

"That is only partially true. You know there was that billionaire that married his sister, right?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. I met him a few years ago when I was… Anyway, the point is, he is weird, to begin with. Both him and his sister."

"That's not my point, Sarah. It's true it used to be taboo to have familial relationships, but that was mainly because of the birth defects children would have. With the new gene clinics popping up, that isn't such a big deal anymore. If anything, it now holds a similar stigma same-sex couples had several years ago."

"I know that, but still…"

"You are just using that as an excuse to run away from your feelings. You are afraid of getting hurt again, so you cling to any excuse to avoid any chance of happiness. You know just as well as I do, there are many people out there already in these kinds of relationships. You are just disgracing Yuki by thinking she will do the same thing as Kaito."

I laid there in silence with Alex's words ringing in my ears. I hated knowing how right she was. I love Yuki very much, and I know she would go through hell or high water for me, but…I just can't.

*Sigh*

"You are right. I will think about this properly. I will have to apologize to Yuki tomorrow. I just need some time to sort out my thoughts."

"That's all I ask. Whatever answer you come to, I want it to be because you truly want that. Not just some excuse or wishy-washy answer."

"Thanks sis. You always did know what to say to me."

Alex pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead.

"Idiot. You know you think too much at times? Now let's get some sleep."

***

"Mommy! Look what I found!"

A cute girl about 8 years old with messy short brown hair, pointed ears, and large green eyes stared up at me in excitement. She was holding a horned rabbit in her hands as it struggled to free itself.

"Kairi! What are you doing with that? Give it to mommy. Those things are pests and destroy the garden."

The girl looked up at me with sadness in her eyes.

"But I want to keep it. It's cute!"

Those eyes get me every time, but I must remain strong. Just then, a voice rang out from behind me.

"Sweetie, you have to listen to mommy. Ok?"

Lenora came from behind me and was patting the girl on her head.

"If you want a pet that badly, mommy and I will go catch a kirin for you."

The small girl immediately perked up to that.

"Ok, mommy. I won't catch any more rabbits."

The girl skipped away with the rabbit in hand back to the tree line near the house.

"Thank you, dear. She always listens to you better than me."

Lenora motioned me to come near her. Once I did, she pulled me into a deep kiss. Several moments later, we finally separated.

"Nonsense, babe. She listens to you plenty. She is a good girl."

"Yes, she is, but you spoil her too much."

"I know I do, but every time I look at her, I just think about how our love created her."

Giggling, I give Lenora another kiss.

"Come one, Lenora, let's grab Kairi and go inside. Emiko probably has lunch ready."

***

The sunlight was creeping into the room, waking me up. I look over and saw Alex was still deeply asleep, partially drooling.

I sat in bed for a moment, thinking back on that dream. It was a really nice dream, and it filled me with happiness. Yuki and I had a daughter together, and we were with Emiko. It was all so real, but I am not sure how I feel about it. This will need more time to process.