"Father..."

I remember... It was just like every other ordinary day. Just like the day before... And the day before that as well. For so long now, I was getting used to the routine: Wake up, eat, bathe, go to work or school (depending on the day), come home, lie in bed, and connect to the beta that I grew to love more than reality itself.

But then you got sick...

I dropped out of school to take care of you... I stopped getting on the beta. I distanced myself from everyone. All I wanted to do was to make you better... But... Cancer is a cruel... cruel fate...

And I could see it in your eyes dad... You were barely holding on... Was it because I wasn't ready for this? How could I be? You're all I have in this world. I may be nineteen... But I'm not ready to lose you... To be forever alone in this world.

But I can see it in your eyes... The pain you must feel...

You can't speak... Your last bit of energy was used just walking down the hall... You collapsed and I couldn't even pick you up... Even though you're barely just skin and bones...

"Dad..."

It's hard not to cry... I squeeze your hand, but hopefully it's not too tight. The nurses are waiting out in the living room. We all know that it's coming... But you're still holding on for my sake.

I have to be the one to send you off...

"I love you so much..." I finally make out the words, the tears forming in my eyes. "I know that there's so much in this world that you still wanted to do... You never got to walk me down the isle and give me away... You haven't gotten to see your unborn grandchildren... You never got to go back to your grandmas and go fishing with me... We never got to finish all the things we wanted to..."

I wiped some of the tears off my face before grabbing his hand now with both of mine.

"But dad... I know you're only holding on to those things for me... And I'll be okay... It's my turn to endure the pain... You've been hurting for far too long... And you know, I think it'll hurt more just watching you bare this all."

I took in a deep breath.

"It's time dad... You can let go. I promise... I'll be okay. That's what you're waiting for right? To know that I'll be okay? I promise that I'll go back to school. I'll get a job and be successful, just like you believed I will be. I'll get married and have three kids and tell them about how great of a man you were. Sure, I could have been a better daughter... But you will have always been the greatest dad that I could have ever hoped to have had in my life..."

I hope you can hear me...

"It's gonna hurt... And the pain of losing you will never go away, but I promise... I'll get through it. I'll be okay dad. It's okay for you to go... I'll stay by your side... And I know you'll watch over me... And I'll always know that you always were and will always be... proud of me."

I pressed my head down on the bed, rubbing it for a moment before looking back at him, kissing his forehead before pressing my own to his.

"I love you dad... please don't hurt anymore."

And for a moment he mumbled, taking in a deep breath.

"It... doesn't hurt... anymore."

"I know..." I cried more. "I know dad..."

He didn't say anything. He just closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

And that's how we stayed for the next five hours... Until his breath finally stopped...

It was the hardest day of my life...

But at least he finally felt no more pain...

Buzz... Buzz..

My phone was vibrating on my nightstand beside my bed.

Buzz... Buzz...

"A phone call... I'll just let it go to voice mail..." I pulled my covers back over my head.

Eventually, the vibrations stopped. But nearly two minutes later, it was going off again. I sighed and turned the opposite direction of the phone and was now facing the wall. After about three more calls, who ever it was must have decided to quit. I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep. It wouldn't work though. As an insomniac, I never fall asleep often. At least I can rest my eyes and my body by trying to sleep.

"REIN!" I suddenly heard my muffled name being called from outside my apartment.

I sighed, "You've got to be kidding me..."

"Rein!"

"Rein!?"

"They're both here?" I sighed and sat up, pushing off the covers from my head as I listened to them shouting. "They're gonna make my land lord mad..."

I kicked the blankets off and grabbed my phone. Sure enough, they were the ones who had tried to call me. I yawned as I walked to my bedroom door. Opening it, I turned right and walked down the hallway into the living room that combined with the kitchen and entrance patio. The door was locked, and I sighed. I walked passed it into the small kitchen and opened a cabinet just by the fridge. I grabbed a glass, and opened the fridge to grab the milk. I poured a glass and returned the milk to where it sat in the refrigerator door.

"Rein?! Don't make me barge in there!" Her voice was even louder.

"Ugh..." I didn't want that. So I walked over to the door, but passed it by as I sipped my milk.

"One!" I heard her start counting. "Two! ...THRE—"

"Don't you have a key?!" I shouted as I strode to the living room, sitting on the couch.

There was a silence for a few seconds. I could just picture her shuffling through her bottomless purse trying to find the keys. I set my glass down on the coffee table and lied down on the couch so that she wouldn't see me. Any second now, she'd barge in and shout my name, running to my room to get me out of bed. Any second...

And boom! The door slammed open.

"Rein!" She sprinted down the hall. "You promised you would play today!"

"Calm down Aiko!" He followed her in and shut the door behind him. "I'm sure she hasn't forgotten about SAO."

"Oh yeah... Is it that day already?" I sat up, peering over the couch. "Hey..."

"Jeez Rein," he smiled, "you know she worries about you."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I rubbed my eye as Aiko ran back into the room.

"Come on! We have to get ready—" She ran to the side of the couch and saw me. "You're not even dressed yet!"

"Huh?" I looked down at my attire. I was wearing nothing but panties and a t-shirt. "Oops..."

"Shou! Go wait in the bathroom!" She pointed at him as his cheeks flared with a blush.

"On it..." Shou said, walking down the hall way to the bathroom, which was just across the hall from my bedroom.

"Uhh.. Actually, I'll need in there. I need to shower still." I interrupted his walk.

"You haven't gotten ready at all!?" Aiko pulled me up from the couch. "The launch is in less than two hours! Go get ready!"

"Okay! Okay!" She started pushing me down the hall.

"Woah!" Shou was still in the hall and turned himself around so that he wouldn't see me.

Aiko continued to push me until we were in my room. "Pick out some clothes and go shower and I'll make you breakfast. Okay? You can brush your teeth after that and we'll have the pizza ordered to arrive around four. Sound good?"

With a sigh I nodded.

"And you can get back in the living room Shou!" Aiko turned around and was now dragging him down the hall to the living room.

I couldn't help but laugh. She was always trying to be so serious, but she was just too cute. It was hard not to smile when she's around. But she is my best friend after all. She always takes it on herself to make me feel better when I'm depressed. Besides, she just lost her mother seven months before I lost my dad... She knows exactly what I'm going through... Not that I'm not used to this. The only difference from the people I've already lost in my life is that they weren't my immediate family. My dad rose me to be there person I am today. He was my everything...

But I'm proud of who I am today... He rose me well.

"You going, hun?" Aiko peeked back in to check on me.

I walked over to my dresser, opening my drawers to grab some clothes. "Yes ma'am. I'm going."

I smiled over at her. "And... Thanks..."

She smiled back at me. "That's what I'm here for! Love ya' girly! Now go get squeaky clean!"

"I'm going. I'm going." I smiled again, grabbing the last of what I needed and headed across the hall.

It didn't take me long to get in and out of the shower. I'm always faster when I know there are people waiting on me, or if I'm running late. Though, if it were up to me, I would have much rather enjoyed just standing in the hot water for about 15 minutes before actually showering. Just as I was drying off, there was a knock on the door. I looked up as I had just gotten my foot into my pants.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Hey. Aiko went out to get some snacks. I just wanted to let you know." Shou said through the door.

"Thanks." I continued getting dressed.

"No problem..." He paused for a moment. "And... Rein?"

"Yeah?" I called back, strapping on my bra.

"I know we all haven't talked much since... well... You know..." He paused again, "But... I'm happy to see you again... I'm... I'm really sorry about your dad..."

I kept quiet, holding my shirt in my hands and staring at myself in the reflection. I had my father's eyes. I had his nose. His slightly rounded cheekbones. A spitting image of him, if he had been a younger girl. Even though he's gone, I had so many things to hold on to his memory. I carry some of his ashes in the necklace I wear; inside the heart shaped crystal pendant that has wrapped itself in silver wings. He would always be with me...

But it still hurt just as much.

"I know... but thanks..." Was all I could muster up before I pulled my shirt over my head and stuck my arms out through the holes.

"I hope that we can get you back to your old self again..." He sounded like he was holding back tears of his own. "I'll leave you alone now. I'll be in the living room."

I sighed and opened the door before he could walk away. "Actually, I'm done now."

He had his back facing the door before, so he turned now to see me. "Heh, your hair is in knots."

"It always in after I shower." I turned back in the bathroom and opened a drawer.

I rummaged through it until I found my hair brush. I grabbed it and shut the drawer before turning and walking out, shutting the light off behind me. I smiled to Shou, and he smiled back at me, a light red tone forming on his cheeks. I could tell his eyes were glassy. It's true, I pushed everyone away after my dad passed away. I'm sure I had everyone worried... But if it weren't for Shou and Aiko, I probably would have done something stupid to myself... They're all I have now.

We walked down the hall as I brushed my hair, the tangles coming out with ease. I always used a little too much conditioner, but I had naturally dry hair. It ran in the family. We got to the living room, where I could tell that Shou and Aiko had already started setting up for the LAN-Party. Not only that, but she had a plate of pancakes and eggs sitting on the coffee table for me. Aiko always said I had to have a good breakfast before a long day. And today was definitely going to be a long day. This day was one we all looked forward to for so long.

The day of the full launch.

We were pretty lucky that we all went to the same college. Not just any college, but a top notch game designing college. I had graduated fifth in my class at an art school. My specialty was animation and multi-media. I developed a story line and did all the concept art for a project that ended up becoming my class's end-of-the-year final exam. So, we all began bonding. That's where I met Shou, and my other friends there as well. But Aiko, I've known her since second grade. She was my first friend, and up until college, she was my only real friend. But I'm fortunate that we all were in that class. Not only was the school well known for the games the students created, but it was also well known for being one of the only universities chosen for testing out games for companies.

Our class were not only beta testers for SAO, but we were one of the firsts in the Alpha test. The graphics back then were poor to say the least, but when the beta came out, you wouldn't believe the difference. Playing SAO became more important than almost anything else. A fraction of every day went towards immersing ourselves in the world now known as Aincrad. When we first tested it, the name hadn't even been thought up. As I ate my breakfast, I thought about how fun the world had been. Maybe this would be good for my recovery.

I only wished that I would still be enrolled in the university. I was there on scholarship, but... Dropping out... I of course forfeited that over. But I have a promise to uphold to my dad. I'll just look into other schools, or even re-apply to the same university and start over. I'll just be a year behind everyone else. I know Aiko would be upset. She was a year older than me, and ended up waiting a year just so we could go to the same college. She would be in her second year if it weren't for me. At least things should balance back out now.

But none of that matters today.

Eagerly, I ate my breakfast, or at least what I could. I hadn't been able to eat as much as of recent: Where some people eat a lot when they're depressed, I do the exact opposite. I got used to eating a bowl of cereal and maybe a couple bites of something else for a while. I lost a lot of weight in the last few months, even before he passed on. But, I was at least back to two full meals a day. After all, it's been two months since that day. I couldn't just mope around forever. Just... slightly more often than the average human being.

After eating what I could, I offered the rest to Shou, so that it wouldn't go to waste. I finished my milk and we cleaned the dishes before rearranging my living room to fit a group of seven people for the LAN-party. So long as no one minded two people getting to have the couch, one on the love seat, one in the recliner, and the rest on the floor, we should be set. I had another computer set up in my room, so that's where I planned to be to avoid having 8 people crowded into the living room. Hopefully some pillows and blankets on the floor would suffice for everyone else though.

It wasn't long for Aiko to return from the store with a ton of snacks and soda. A few energy drinks were also brought over as our other friends began to arrive. Aiko's long term boyfriend also joined the party, making a grand total of nine. But I was late at being informed that Shou would have to be leaving for work.

"You mean I'll have to start up the guild without my second lieutenant?" I made a fake sad face at him.

"Now—don't worry. I just have to go in for a presentation and catch up some associates on what's going on for the week." He explained, trying hard to please me. "I'll be back in time to grab the pizza and jump right in."

"Just gotta make sure we power-level ya'!" Our classmate and friend, Shinji laughed at him. "Ain't that right?"

"Why do you have to talk like that?" Miaki, another girl from class giggled. "You have such a thick accent sometimes."

"Well, it's not like I can help it." Shinji stuck his tongue out at her.

"Well, I just hope that we can get you leveled up to match us fast!" I smiled to Shou. "It's hard running a guild with only one lieutenant. Especially when you're first lieutenant is Aiko."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" She squeaked, causing laughter among everyone.

"You're just so A.D.D. hun." Kaito hugged her tightly. "Rein says you're far worse in the game!"

"Am not!" She smiled as she argued, pouting and crossing her arms.

"Are too!" Hiro, another member from school joined in the laughter, making a childish joke.

"A.D.D. or not, she's still really good with a chakram! Or just a regular sword at that." Minoru, another guy from class praised her. "I mean, have you seen her in battle?"

"Yeah, but nothing beats the one and only Feral." Shou smiled over to me. "You're something else in there Rein."

And the last member of the group, Shou's younger brother Talon shook his head. "That's hard to believe."

"Don't worry. I'm not as good as they make me out to be." I smiled to him. "Oh yeah, this will be your first time playing Sword Art Online, isn't it Talon?"

He blushed heavily and hid slightly behind Shou. Though he had always been rather shy, Talon had always opened up more to me. Shou said he had quite the crush on me for a long time now. He was a cute kid, but still in high school. It's not like I was much older than him, but I didn't think of him that way. He was pretty mature for his age though. We also had a lot in common, one of those facts being that we were bullied in school. I typically go and pick him up just to make him look like he has a college girlfriend. At least the kids in his school seem to get jealous looks over it. But, I worry that I'm teasing him too much when I do. And it's not like I mean to tease him either.

"Yeah, it's his first time." Shou stepped aside, letting his brother stand there looking bashful as ever. "But I told him that we would make sure he gets the best experience of his life in our guild. Not to mention, we can level him up real fast."

"Don't worry." Miaki jumped at Talon, nearly knocking him over from behind. "You're in good hands! Especially with the Feral here!"

"So... the guild is named after your character?" Talon asked, averting his eyes and shaking off the rather "too outgoing" Miaki.

"Yeah. I actually came of with the guild name before I could come up with a character name. But, I couldn't think of anything else, so I stuck with the theme. 'We are the Feral and there's no taming us now!'" I popped open a bag of chips, and started munching on them.

"Oh, Shou," Aiko interrupted. "If you don't get going now, you're gonna be late."

"Ah, thanks." Shou stood from the couch. "I knew having you remind me would pay off. Well—I'll be back in a couple hours. Try not to miss me too much!"

"Later Shou!" I said, pointed to the key bowl on the table near the door. "Take my key so you can let yourself in."

"Thanks! See you!" He smiled before grabbing the key and taking his leave.

"Lets hope we don't need to go any where before the launch." Miaki laughed. "Otherwise, you won't be locking up!"

My expression went blank. "That's my spare. I have another key on my key chain..."

"You know what I want to see?" Minoru butted in, redirecting the conversation "I wanna see Aiko and Rein in battle!"

"Oh! That would be cool!" Hiro lit up. "You two should totally deck it out in the arena!"

"No way!" We simultaneously were quick to decline.

Hiro frowned, "You two are no fun!"

And the whole group laughed, though Talon was a little lost in understanding. I couldn't help but smile over to him. I stood, and walked to the kitchen. Grabbing a couple sodas, I carried them back to the group, setting them on the table. It was hard to maneuver through all of the wires that were littered across the floor from the multiple computers.

"I just hope my wifi holds up for everyone!" I laughed, sitting now next to Talon. "I'm not paying for the highest grade internet for nothing!"

He immediately blushed. I personally handed him one of the cans of soda. Where everyone else was eager to grab one, he was hesitant. I felt a little bad knowing that Shou wasn't going to be here to help show him around. The only ones he knew in the group now were Aiko and myself. And he didn't even know Aiko all too well.

"Hey." I smiled at him, while everyone else conversed about how excited they were. "I'll help you get the hang of everything. Okay?"

"It's not my first MMO..." He finally took the can from my hand. "Just my first virtual one..."

I couldn't help but giggle. "Still. I know it's a little overwhelming. Especially diving in with people you don't really know."

He was quiet while he opened the can up and took a drink.

"Just know I'll stick by your side. No matter what!" I smiled.

He averted his eyes and held his soda to his lips. "Yeah..."

I knew that was his way of thanking me, and that was good enough for me. I looked around to the other members, smiling as I saw how much fun they were having. Aiko and Kaito were cuddled up on the couch, looking at something on her laptop. Miaki, Hiro and Minoru were discussing something. And Shinji was looking through some of his notes from the beta test to refresh himself for the launch. I looked over to the clock that I had sitting by the TV. We were nearly to the launch. Less than an hour away.

I was finally getting excited.

"What's it like, Rein?" Talon asked me, his tone quiet so he wouldn't draw everyone's attention.

I looked back to him. "SAO?"

He nodded. "It can't be that real... Right?"

I couldn't help but rub his head. "It's very real. Sometimes, I would mistake Aincrad as the real world and this one the fable."

Talon swatted my hand away. It made him feel like I saw him only as a kid when I did something like that, but it was a hard habit to break. He looked like he wanted to ask something else. At one point, he even opened his mouth to speak again, but then he bit the inside of his lip and chugged down some of his soda. Talon sure did blush a lot. That moment had his face very red.

"Oh! Everyone!" Aiko suddenly blurted. "Does everyone plan on keeping their same user names?"

"Good point." Shinji looked up. "I was going to change mine. But I can't really decide."

"Just remember to leave 'Slyph' for Shou." Miaki smirked. "I'm sticking to KaiRay."

"I'll keep my Ludo name." Hiro said.

"Double X, Ludo, X." Miaki laughed.

Minoru thought for a moment, "I was thinking of changing mine. But I'm in the same boat as Shinji. I'm not sure what I want."

"You still going to play as a girl, Minoru?" Shinji asked.

He nodded. "I just like the armors for women better. Plus... You know... I meet more guys that way."

"I like your name being 'SakuraMino!'" Aiko squeeked.

"I plan on keeping in 'Sakura.' But... I want something prettier." He blushed a bit. "Not that I'll lie to anyone about actually being a boy... Just... Yeah."

I suddenly felt Talon pulling on my sleeve. I looked over at him, and he put his hand in front of his mouth before leaning close to my ear. "I have a friend he may like to meet... Had I known sooner, I would have tried to introduce them... I'll have to get his user name next time."

I giggled a bit as he went back to sitting normally. "I'm sure he'd like that."

"I got it!" Miaki yelped, "Why not just like... Saku—Raaah! You know, drag out that 'Ahh—' sound."

Minoru seemed to actually take it into consideration. "Actually, I really like that. When you guys look for me, look up 'S-A-K-U-R-A-A-H.' And I'll probably be in the main plaza until we can all meet up."

"You haven't played, right Kaito?" Shinji looked over to him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah that's right." He wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation as he stared at the laptop.

"What will your user name be?" I asked.

"PhantomHawk. I use it for every game." He replied rather quickly that time. "If it's not taken that is. Otherwise, it will have the roman numeral thirteen behind it."

"Gotcha." Shinji wrote that down. "And you, Talon?"

He cowered away a bit and averted his eyes away. "Well... I still don't know... I want something simple..."

"Why not stick with Talon?" Minoru gave his input. "It's unique. Most people wouldn't realize that it's your real name."

"I... Would like to stay away from that..." He covered his mouth with his hand.

"Your so freaking cute kid!" Miaki teased him. "Well. You at least know who we're gonna be. So make sure to find and add us, got it!?"

Talon was now looking down at the floor. He was so red. I'm sure he was too bashful to speak after being called cute.

"I'll be sticking with him to show him around. So no worries!" I smiled, and put a hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

"I think I'm just going to stick with 'Shinko.' I can't think up anything." Shinji drew attention his way. "So does that mean everyone is settled except for Talon then?"

Everyone nodded or gave a yes.

Time began to pass by faster after that point. Everyone was talking about he world of Aincrad, questioning what would be the same and what changes would be made to the game. I was listing in just as much as Talon was. Even though I had been a part of the beta test, I had stopped playing when my dad fell ill. I devoted all of my time to taking care of him. Up until the very end...

So I was just as curious as to what the other floors would be like. I barely made it to the third floor before I stopped getting on. I can still picture the world clearly in my head. I can't help but think about what all has been added, and all the differences that we can compare from old to new. I wonder what types of monsters we will be fighting as well. Just to have fun again... To live in a world where I don't have to worry about the stress of every day living.

This could really be the thing I need to get me away from my depression.

"TheRaven...?" Talon whispered to himself, though I happened to over hear.

"What's that?" I turned to him, asking him to repeat himself.

He looked back at me, bashful like usual. "N—nothing..."

He was still thinking of his user name, even though we were reaching ten minutes until the launch.

"Ugh! I'm so anxious! Can we just start getting our helmets on?" Miaki was lying on the floor, already trying to find her spot to relax.

Minoru laughed at her. "I mean. If you want to lay there for ten minutes waiting, then go for it.

"So we decided that Aiko and Kaito get the couch?" Shinji was figuring things out again. "And we're giving the love seat to Talon. Rein will go to the computer in her room and then Miaki, Minoru, Hiro, and I will be on the floor? And then Shou will be on the floor when he gets here too?"

"He can hook himself up in my room if there's not enough space on the floor out here. I was only planning for eight of us originally, so I didn't think about space." I looked to Aiko. "No offense! I'm not upset or anything. I just didn't know you were bringing Kaito!"

"It's okay!" She pouted. "Though, if you answered your phone once in awhile, you would have know."

"Got me there..." I sighed. "You know what, I'm gonna save Shou the trouble and hook up his stuff in my room."

"Sitting in a tree." I heard Miaki whisper into Hiro's ear, though she wasn't that quiet about it.

I rolled my eyes and started gather up Shou's equipment.

"I'll help..." Talon stood up, eager to help me out.

His cheeks were a bit red. I'm sure it was from the comment Miaki had just made. I knew Talon had a crush on me, and I didn't want to say anything to the others so that they wouldn't tease him. And everyone was already teasing me for the fact that I was so close to Shou. They were always trying to push us together.

But... We were just friends. Besides—If I get into a relationship before I graduate, I'm going to lose focus on school and work. I do it every time I'm in a relationship. So, I decided not to look for a relationship until I graduated and was on my way to working in the career of my dreams. But who knows what the future will hold any way?

So Talon and I brought the equipment to my room, setting everything up so that we he could log in as soon as he got the pizza. He could get his character booted up and find us easily. He knows exactly who to look for. And then we could all log out to eat and take a break before going back in. It's the weekend after all. And I'm pretty sure the majority of us all have the whole weekend off for the full dive. Especially me... I need to start looking for a new job. My savings can't pay rent for ever... Nor the money that my dad left me.

"Maybe I should buy a house..." I thought out loud accidentally.

"Could you afford it?" Talon plugged his brother's computer tower into the outlet.

"Huh?" I hadn't realized that I had spoke that aloud. "Oh. Sorry. I probably couldn't. Especially going back to school. I need to get a job... But, I don't think I can afford this apartment now that..."

"You don't have to explain to me." Talon finished setting up the tower. "But hey, Shou and I are looking into moving when I graduate this year... Maybe we could all find a place together?"

I smirked, "Then we'd really be like a married couple!"

His face immediately became red. "N—no..."

I laughed a bit. "I'm just teasing... I'm sorry... But hey, I may just take you up on that offer. If you're serious, we'll talk about it in the next couple months. Plus, you'd graduate about two months before the lease is up here. I'd still need to find a temporary place to stay."

He scratched the back of his head. "You could always rent a storage unit for the two months, and I'm sure Aiko would let you stay with her."

"Nah." I finished setting up my end of Shou's things and took a seat on my bed. "Now that Akio is living with Kaito, I doubt there's be any room for me. Plus, she has cats. I'm allergic."

"But you love cats." He stood, his hands sliding into his pockets. "That sucks."

"Right?" I laughed, inviting him to sit next to me. "Did I ever tell you about how my family used to breed Akitas? And even though I'm also allergic to dogs, all the puppies slept in my room with me?"

He chuckled and took his seat by my side. "As awesome as that sounds, I'm sure you had a rough time."

"I woke up every day with red, itchy eyes and my cheeks a little bit swollen. But, it was so worth it." I smiled and stared to the wall across the room.

Talon also smiled, though his eyes stared down at the floor. "Do you really like Shou?"

The question caught me off guard. "As a friend, yes."

"You know that's not what I meant..." He looked away, surely hiding a blush.

I had to think about how to word my answer. Of course, there was something between us. Romantic feelings? I wouldn't go that far. He was very dear to me, but I couldn't exactly explain what it is that we share.

"I... Don't think so?" He now stared up to the ceiling. "I don't really think I have feelings like that for anyone at the moment."

I'm sure that my answer wasn't exactly relieving, but at least that gave him some reassurance that he wasn't second to his brother.

"Thanks..." He cupped his hand over his mouth and kept his eyes averted away from me before he stood back up. His hand then rose and ran through his hair. "We should get back in there. We've only got a couple minutes."

"Indeed." I stood after him, leading us back out of the room. "Every one ready?"

Entering back into the living room, everyone was already getting into their spots and putting on their nerve gear.

"Ready!" Miaki and Hiro both shouted at the same time.

Everyone else either gave a thumbs up or a nod.

"You two get set up! Count down is less than two minutes!" Aiko said, getting settled on the couch.

"On it." Talon sighed, walking over to the love seat. As he sat down, he threw his feet up to where he was now lying down.

"Alright. See you all in Aincrad!" I smiled and turned back to get to my room.

I walked down the hall, looking back over my shoulder at everyone. As excited as I was, I just had a feeling that something was wrong. Maybe I was forgetting something? I couldn't be to sure. I brushed the feeling aside as I got into my room though, jumping onto my bed and lying down on my back. I grabbed my nerve gear from the floor and placed the helmet on my head. I let out a sigh and stared at my ceiling.

"I really hope that the wifi holds up for us all. It may be difficult for us all to connect at the same time." I started thinking aloud again. I chuckled when I realized. "I guess I'm so used to talking to myself that I can't stop..."

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. It wasn't long before the others in the living room began their count down.

"10! 9! 8!" The shouted.

"So loud..." I smirked. At least it wouldn't be for long.

"7! 6! 5!"

What was this feeling that was building in my chest? Anxious? Nervous? Excitement?

"4! 3! 2! 1!"

And the time had finally come, "LINK START!"

We all had shouted together, the first battle cry we would have of our full dive. My helmet sprung to life. An array of colors filled my vision as my physical body fell limp on my bed. My mind raced through the log in sequence with ease. The user name "Feral" was already preregistered in my character creation. The pop ups asked me if I wanted to use the same avatar or make any changes. I decided to keep the same thing—it would be best if we met up with any of the other beta testers who had joined the guild after all. A familiar name and face would make it easier for them to find us. The settings ran through their sequences, going just as fast as it would if I had been the only one connected to my wifi.

In the flash of an eye, the pixels were forming into pictures. And finally, I could see the world that I had once come to love so dearly. I blinked a few more times, adjusting my eye sight until my vision was no longer blurred. I tested out my mobility, checking to make sure there weren't any malfunctions with the start up. I was nearly startled when my hair fell over my shoulder and swung low by my breast. I had completely forgotten that my hair was long and black in this world.

Black hair with golden eyes. If you're going to be feral, might as well look the part. It was a good change for me. I looked taller, and more at the weight I should be. I could stand to gain a few pounds in reality, since I lost so much weight after losing my dad. I looked at my skin, no longer pale in this world. If only I could be this beautifier in the real world.

I smile lit up on my face as I began to look around. Players began filling the area. Some names, I recognized immediately. The majority where all strangers though. That was to be expected though, since there had only been one thousand beta testers, and now there were at least ten times that amount.

I swiped my finger in the air, the familiar actions came with my muscle memory—as much as that would make sense. Everything we did was through our minds after all. But it still felt so real. The main menu popped up, and I was already finding my path to the friends list. I guess Aiko had already beat me to it, since she had already sent me a request. I hit accept and began typing in the names of everyone who's bodies were lying in my apartment. The only other one I didn't type in myself was for Talon, in which he did add me after a couple of minutes.

It's exactly what I had heard him say in the real world—RavenClaw.

Now that everyone had been added, we all decided to start collecting all the quests. It was a good way for us to gain experience since we were all back to starting at level one. While gathering the quests, I found the guild board for recruiting and creating your own guild. The rules had changed, and you had to at least reach level 10 before one could be created. All the more reason to level up quickly.

"Wonder if I can be the first this time." I smirked and turned quickly, ready to take off and find the others.

But, the moment I had turned, I bumped into another player, my face hitting their chest.

"Oh! I—I'm sorry!" I looked up to the player.

He was rather tall. His avatar had silver hair and red eyes. His starting armor was dark red, with a silver chest plate. The character seemed dark in a sense, but had a familiar feeling to him. That's when I read the name. "RavenClaw."

"There you are." He looked down at me. "I thought you would still look like the real you... I probably followed at least two girls with short red hair before I realized that the names are floating above our heads..."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You can turn that off in your settings. And also, since we're on each others friend lists, we can message each other and track one another."

"Sounds stalker-ish." He thought about the term for a moment. "How do I pull up the menu?"

I laughed some more. "Like this."

So I showed him the basics, explaining everything as I did. A few people passing by also stopped to watch. It took me a few to realize that there was nearly a whole group of new players watching me and learning the basics.

"Woah, were you a beta tester?" A younger looking woman named Summa had asked me.

I smiled. "I was. I'm the leader of a guild called 'The Feral.' Once I'm level ten, I'll be staring it back up and recruiting anyone who wants to learn the ropes and help out others."

"Good advertisement!" A character named Sakuraah ran up to me, her pink hair in a short side pony tail with purple eyes.

Though the avatar was a cute smaller girl, I knew that it was Minoru. I smiled. "God you're so cute Sakura!"

Following her was the rest of the group, though not including Aiko and Kaito. I really hope they don't turn this into a couple's thing. We're here for a LAN-Party after all!

"Alright! Let's get our party formed and get to questing!" I rose my hand, forming a fist and punching towards the sky.

"Wait! We gotta get our weapons set up!" AkiRay tugged on Hiro to get him to go with her to the black smith.

"That's a good point." I said, while also pulling up the menu and forming a party. "There. I'm sending the requests. Everyone gather all your quests, set up your armor and weapons, and don't forget to get some potions. We'll meet up at the west gate once everyone's done and before we head out."

"Hey, Miss Feral?" Other newer player grabbed my attention. "Do you mind if we tag along?"

I smiled. "I don't mind. I can't add you to the party though, since we're full. But at least watching can be a good learning experience!"

The small group smiled. "Thanks so much!"

"You guys should follow the others and stock up on potions and pick a starter weapon at the black smith. Also, there's an armory shop down that alley way. Don't get anything too expensive. Most of the starter quests are going to give you enhanced armors anyway."

"Got it!"

"I'll wait for you guys at the west gate, okay?" I scratched the back of my head. "We'll be heading out in about ten minutes!"

"Right!" And they were off following AkiRay, Sakuraah, Shinko, and xXLudox.

That left me and RavenClaw. "So I'm gonna call you Raven for short. If that's okay."

"Sure." He yawned. "So, where should I start?"

"Let's get you to the black smith. We'll get you equipped with a weapon that suits you."

"I think I just want a sword." He stated as we began our walk. "It is 'Sword Art Online' after all."

"It's not that simple though. There's plenty of swords for you to choose from. I typically start out with an ax though. It's got really great stats for a starter weapon. Plus, they work well for people like me who like to be right in the action." I explained.

"I think I'll play it safe while I'm still learning. A sword and shield should be good for me." He thought about it as we approached.

"Then I know the perfect one for you." I smiled, before we spoke with the NPC.

Some time had passed, and the party was grinding on some of the starter monsters. Killing quests were much easier in parties. We even helped out some of the newer players, including the small group of three that tagged along. Eventually, Aiko and Kaito caught up with us. They formed their own party, since the one I had formed was already full. The other four joined her party, and it was just like battling with the guild once more.

"Hey, I'm at my limit for storing the wolf fangs. Who's lacking some?" I asked around.

Shinko rose his hand. "I'm two short. I keep getting pelts though. I'll trade you so you can work on your armor."

"Thanks!" I opened the menu, requesting a trade.

As we went through with the trade, I had realized that there were a few messages in my in-box. Finishing up, I waved the rest of the group to continue hunting. I opened my in-box, seeing that there were four messages. They all were from some of the newer players that I had met back in town. All of the messages were similar. They all asked one thing:

"Where's the log out button?"

I typed out to them the step by step directions on how to find it, copying the text and sending it to each of the players. I waited a minute to get a reply, making sure they each found it. The first message I got back stated that it wasn't there.

"Strange..." I said to myself, being joined by Aiko.

She looked over my shoulder, "What's up girly?"

She looked almost like the real her. She kept her long brown hair, and her eyes were a dark pink. More magenta if you asked me, but she still called it dark pink.

"Well. Apparently these players are having trouble finding the log out button." I decided to look for it myself as we chatted.

And to my surprise, it wasn't there. How had I not noticed before?

"Hey, my health is getting low!" xXLudox had shouted, running over. "But my inventory is full too, and I don't want to waste my potions. I'm gonna port back to town and turn in some quests."

"Okay. That's probably a good idea for all of us. How is everyone else doing?" I closed the menu, deciding not to worry about it right away.

"They're still working at it. Hey, how close are you to level ten?" He asked before swiping his menu up to find the port option.

"I'm at six. But it's only been a couple hours..." I looked at the time. It was actually a lot later than I had thought it would be.

That's when I realized something... Shou should have been in the game by now. The pizza should have been here over an hour ago. And now the log out button is missing... Is there an error with getting in game? And we can't log out without it being in the menu.

"Hey. Let's all get back to town. Let's rest up and clean out our inventories. We should be able to upgrade our storage at this point. Plus, with turning in the quests, we may be able to hit level 8 before we get back to girding.

"Hmm. Looks like they got rid of the fast travel." xXLudox informed us. "I'll go to the others and we'll set back on foot."

"Got it. Thanks." I took as seat on the ground as Aiko and I waited for the others.

I'm sure AiAiUta could see the concern on my face. "Feral?"

I smiled over at her. "The game must be glitching with it being the release. I'm sure that with ten thousand people on all at once, it's gonna have a few bugs for a while. But I've never seen the log out button missing before..."

I didn't want to mention anything about how it was already passed time for us to be back in reality eating and resting. But even I couldn't wrap my hand around it.

"I wonder if we should message a GM about it?" She looked up at the sky.

"Maybe." I then fell back, lying in the grass as the wind grazed across my skin.

"Look out Ludo!" That new player, Summa, had yelled at him, as one of the wolves attacked him from behind.

"Ahhh!" He shouted, as his health bar hit zero.

AkiRay laughed, "See you back at town!"

Even though he looked like he was in pain, he gave a thumbs up, and smiled before he suddenly shatter into a flash of colors.

Shinko killed the wolf that had gotten Ludo from behind. After that, we all grouped up and prepared our walk back to the town. But, as we began our march, I was suddenly ported.

My vision went white as I ported, coming to by the fountain in the middle of the town. "Wh—what the—?"

I freaked out for a moment, but then the rest of my party and Aiko's were also teleported not soon after me. The same shocked expressions spread across their faces just as mine had.

"What's this all about?" RavenClaw asked.

"I'm not sure." I looked around, watching as more and more players were being ported to the town. "Maybe an event quest? Or an announcement since it's the first day for the full launch?"

"Maybe it's about the log out button?" PhantomHawk asked.

I assumed that he was Kaito, since he had been hanging around AiAi the like a lost puppy.

"What about it?" Shinko asked.

AkiRay looked around hesitantly. "Where's Ludo?"

"That's weird..." Sakuraah pulled up her map, trying to see where he would be placed. "He's not coming up as though he's in town?"

Shinko nudged my shoulder. "No seriously, what about the log out button?"

"It's not there..." I was not to thrilled on answering.

"Not there?" Summa asked, looking at her other friends in her small group with concern in her eyes.

One by one, everyone started opening their menu, looking for it. The spot where the log out should be was blank. Thinking it was some kind of joke, they all started looking in other parts of their menu. It has to be a joke that the Game Masters did to mess with the newer players. It would be easy to trick them being the first day of the launch.

"Why can't I find Lduo?" AkiRay was frantically searching for him on her map. "His name is faded out on my friends list... Did he log off?"

"How would he do that?" Shinko closed his menu and looked to to. "There's no log out button. Unless when he died it logged him out. Maybe he's trying to log back in right now?"

"I don't think there's any reason to freak out, Aki." I smiled, though I felt very hesitant with my choice of words. "Look, let's just get to the storage, and empty out everything. I'm sure that there will be a GM here in a few to let us all know what's going on."

It didn't seem like anyone was really listening to me. So with a sigh, I strolled along on my own to the storage. I did however noticed AiAiUta running to catch up with me. As she got to my side, we strode together.

"What are you doing!?" She jumped in front of me, bringing me to a halt.

I rose a brow, "Exactly what I recommended to everyone else: Go to the storage and empty it out. If there's a bug, then the GM's are fixing it, and I'd rather not waste time worrying about nothing."

Was I trying to convince her that? Or myself?

"You can just admit that you're scared too, you know..." She pouted, and walked passed me, back in the direction of the others.

I stood there for another second. I took in a deep breath. Though she's my best friend, she always had a way of getting under my skin. Usually, I only got mad because I know that she's right. And that's probably the case here. But, I'm much too stubborn to admit that. Not to her, myself, or anyone for that matter. Besides, if I'm to be a leader in this world, then I can't show any fear or weakness.

With another sigh, I continued forward, in the direction of the town's storage keeper. After storing everything, I'm sure that would complete my quest with the keeper, and he'll expand my inventory anyway. I'm also prepared to purchase more storage. At least my bank account his linked with my character. When I reached the storage keeper, I started my chat with the NPC, and deposited what I didn't need at that moment. And just like the beta, I was correct in completing the quest. My inventory was expanded, as well as my storage expanded too. I was happy with that add on.

And just as I was about to accept the next quest from the storage keeper, he backed out of the chat. "Sorry. There's an announcement. Please stop back by one the announcement is over."

I had never been kicked out of a chat before... So I sighed and decided to return back to where the other party members were. On my way walking back towards them, I noticed more and more people were being ported back into town. It got to a point where I couldn't walk passed anyone. The group was within my site, so that would have to do until after the announcement. I sighed, and stopped trying to walk forward. Summa looked back, and saw where I stood, so I waved. At least that would let them know I wasn't far away.

"What's that?" I heard a near by player ask, as they pointed towards the sky.

I stared over to them, and then followed the finger tip up to where they were pointed. It took me a while before I was actually able to see what it was that they were seeing. But there was something there. It was blinking. Whatever was going on, this was definitely something that I had not seen before... And I doubt that the others had witnessed something like this either, considering that they made if farther in the game than I had. But they were still looking up, just as confused as I was at the red, blinking light.

I tried to get a better look at the red flashing light, and I could barely make out that it had text in the middle of it. Dark red text, darker than the red light it was flashing in. But what did it say? I couldn't see that far. I could somewhat make out the first few letters.

"W-A-R?" I questioned allowed. "War?"

The player next to me was also staring up, and spoke without changing his view. "Warning..."

I looked at them for a moment but then looked back to the red flashing light. It did say warning. It was flashing a warning sign at us. Warning for what though?

And in a split second, more red lights began flashing next to it. Each said something different. It began multiplying out of control. It kept growing and growing until the entire sky was covered and the town was enclosed in a sphere cage of warning signs. My heart immediately felt like it had stopped... My stomach dropped and my chest tightened. I felt myself becoming shaky. Something felt wrong... Horribly, and terrifyingly wrong.

"Maybe... it's an event?" I whispered to myself, trying to rationalize things again.

The warning signs stopped flashing, as a red liquid substance seemed to poor from the sky through the cracks of the barrier. It looked a lot like blood... Like the sky was bleeding. As we all stared, I felt someone grab onto my arm. I looked over, to see that RavenClaw had made his way over to me, and was grasping my wrist now tightly. I took in a deep breath and pulled my wrist out of his hand so that I could hold onto his hand instead. He looked me in the eyes with concern before we both stared back up at the bleeding sky. Though, the bleeding didn't last long, as the liquid began the form into some kind of solid form. From that form emerged a figure, cloaked in red.

"Attention, players." The figure started, stretching out his arms. "Welcome to my world."

I took in another deep breath, holding the air in my lungs.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko."

The... Creator of the game?

"As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."

I felt RavenClaw tighten his grip on my hand, causing me to lace my fingers with his.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the log out button is missing from the main menu. ...But this is not a defect in the game."

No... you can't be serious.

"I repeat; this is not a defect in the game."

My free hand clenched itself into a fist.

"It is a feature of sword art online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves, and no one on the outside can shut down our remove the Nerve Gear."

"But... then how will we leave?" One of the girls near by asked aloud.

"Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the Nerve Gear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

Again, my heart stopped. Truly... he wasn't serious... right? There's no way he could keep us trapped in this game... right?

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the Nerve Gear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, fro both Aincrad and the real world."

No way... This isn't real.

"As you can see," the figure swiped his hand, bringing up videos of news casts, online reports, and names of players and their user names who have been counted as deceased. To our terror... xXLudox was among that risk, the name Hiro Ludo was next to it. "news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths."

Hiro... What is going to happen to all the real bodies? What is happening to you lying next to us Hiro? Are you even still lying in that room? Did Shou hear and get us all to help? Are we being taken care of? I Shou trying to get in to help us? Will they not let him?

Hiro... you're gone... I'm sorry... I should have protected you...

I felt tears forming in my eyes and I stared down to the ground, holding tightly onto RavenClaw's hand. "Hiro..."

"Thus, you can assume that the danger of a Nerve Gear being removed is minimal. I hope that you will relax, and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly:"

I braced myself.

"There is no longer any method to revive someone with in the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. And simultaneously,"

Please don't say it...

"the Nerve Gear will destroy your brain."

Stop it...

"There is only one means of escape; to complete the game." Again, he swiped his hand through the air. A tower map appeared before him. "You are presenting on the lowest floor of Aincrad: Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeons and defeat the floor boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100 and you will clear the game."

So in order to live... we must first complete the game?

"Finally—"

No more... please no more...

"I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

As if I was put on cruise control, I let go of Raven's hand, and swiped it through the air. I couldn't bare this any longer. It was almost as if I began running purely on instinct. I had been standing still for so long, listening to such terrifying words from the creator that I couldn't bare to stay still any longer. Opening up my inventory, I started looking through the items that I had already, and there was in fact an item that I didn't recognize. "Mirror" is what it read. That wasn't there when I was emptying my inventory into my storage, so that has to be it. I was hesitant, but I did press the button to open the item. It appeared before me, so I closed my menu and grabbed a hold of it.

"Feral—" I heard Raven say my name.

But as I turned to look him in the eyes, I was suddenly engulfed by a bright, colorful light. Yet, it was so bright that all I could see was white. But I know that even for a moment, there was an array of color. It was a split second, but it was there nonetheless. As soon as the light had swallowed me whole, it disappeared into the air. I could see the world around me again, players also being taken over by the light of the mirror. Raven, too, was surrounded in the colorful white light. I reached out, wanting to grasp the light... But it shattered.

Before me stood no longer the avatar Raven. Before me was no longer the silver haired man with the blood red eyes was gone. Instead, before me stood Talon. The dark brown haired young adult just fresh from being a teenager. His eyes a bright blue, brighter than my own real, blue eyes. Even though the name above him still read RavenClaw, this was the Talon I had only known in reality.

"R—Rein?" He looked at me in shock.

"Talon..." I was confused as I looked back down to the mirror.

My eyes opened wide as I stared back at my reflection. Red, short, choppy hair. Blue eyes with a golden ring surrounding the pupil. Pale complexion. I was not the Feral who had entered the game. I was the weak, feeble Rein Shizuku who could barely make it through her day to day life.

I couldn't help but ask aloud, "What the hell?"

I turned quickly back to get a good look at the rest of the guild, as all of the bright flashes of light seemed to be completely different. They, too, were back to looking like their real selves. They were no longer the avatars that I was familiarized with. They were the faces of whom I came to know in reality. Looking around the crowd, they were all faces of who they truly were back in the real world. Men who played as female avatars stood wearing the armor of women and vice verse.

"Feral!" AiAiUta called out to me in the distance.

I looked in her direction, seeing the tears streaming down her face as fear overwhelmed her. "Ai!"

At this point, I shoved through the crowd, running to her. Aiko was like a sister to me. Even though she's older... I have to protect her! I ran as fast as I could, and nearly knocked her down as I wrapped my arms around her. Her body shivered and quaked with fear. Talon was not far behind, catching up and grabbing onto my arm.

Tears filled my eyes as I heard everyone starting to panic. My guild looked to me for support. The new players who we had been so kind to called to me, asking if this was a joke. Everyone was trying to figure this out. They all looked to me... They figured I had all the answers...

But... even though I'm the leader... I'm scared. I don't have the answers. I don't know what's going on. I don't... have a fucking clue what to do.

"Right now," The massive figure in the sky began to speak again, causing us to all look back up to the sky, "you're all probably wondering, 'why?' 'Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the Nerve Gear, do all this?' ...My goal has already been achieved.."

"What?! That you're a sick psychopath!?" Someone near by in the crowd shouted to him.

Some people in the guild and also out in the crowd began shouting other things out to him, their voices filled with anger and rage.

"I created Sword Art Online for one reason... To create this world and intervene in it." Was his reply.

I... Don't understand. My mind felt empty.

"And now it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch."

And the last words anyone would ever hear from Kayaba Akihiko were spoken:

"Good luck... Players."