Disclaimer: Sword Art Online belongs to Reiki Kawahara, including Yuuki Kouichirou. I'm just fleshing him out for this story. Yukimasa and Yukimura Ikuruga belong to Centurious the Azure.
Flash Siblings
By Storm Wolf77415 and Centurious the Azure
Prologue
(October 27th, 2022 AD)
On a desolate hill with the sun slowly beginning to dip in the west, two warriors clashed in a fierce battle. Wearing bronze armor over blood red tunics, they engaged each other with a Dory spear and a large, circular bronzed shield with the Greek symbol of Lambda emblazoned on the front. The Xiphos sheathed at their side banged against the leg as the two warriors slammed their shields against each other, one of them took the blunt his Dory, slamming the end into his opponent's gut.
This caused the other warrior to stumble back, using the spear to support himself, quickly raising his shield to avoid getting by the incoming spear thrust; he leapt to the right, letting the weapon glance off the very edge of his shield. He kicked his opponent in the hip, before using his shield to flip the other guy over his head, his shield and spear hitting the ground with sharp metallic clatters.
"Yield now or meet your end!" the victorious soldier uttered a sharp command, pointing the tip of the spear at his opponent's throat for emphasis. His opponent sighed, pushing the weapon aside.
"Okay, I yield, just get that thing out of my face!" the bronze helmet came off, revealing a man in his mid twenties with Japanese features. He sat up, breathing heavily, as sweat poured from his short cropped brown hair, threatening to get into his gray eyes. "Damn Kouichirou, if you're this brutal during a simple sparring match. I hate to actually have to fight you for real!"
The other man laughed, pulling the helmet off, revealing a second Japanese man, brown hair a shade lighter than his friend, hazel eyes dancing in amusement. "Sorry Kimura, but that's how my sensei taught me. You either go all in or not at all." Yuuki Kouichirou held his hand out to his childhood friend, Sugou Kimura, helping him to his feet. "You have no reason to complain anyway. After all, you asked me to train you in Spartan combat techniques for research purposes."
Kimura winced as he rubbed his hip from where he got kicked earlier. "I wasn't aware research would be so painful! If I knew that, I would have asked you to draw me a diagram!"
"Oh grow up. You're not your cousin!" Kouichirou huffed as he removed his armor. "Nobuyuki whines if he has more than par three on the golf course!" He shivered. "Not to mention he has a serious gland problem when he starts sweating."
Kimura cringed, recalling the last time they had gone golfing with his cousin, Sugou Nobuyuki and Kou's father, Yuuki Shouzou. "Yeah, it never took much for him to break out." He grunted, punching Kouichirou in the shoulder. "Thanks a lot for that mental image. I'm going to be scrubbing my brain and eyes for the next two weeks now!"
"Just don't use too much brain bleach, we need your mind in working order." Kou said, putting his gear into the trunk of his 2021 Dodge Challenger, painted a deep royal blue with a white racing stripe down the center. "I need to go pick up Asuna, Kimura. I'll catch you at the office tomorrow." With that the two men said their farewells.
Kouichirou arrived at St. Hebijo Academy, where his younger sister, Yuuki Asuna, attended classes. Befitting one of the most prestigious all-girls schools in Japan, they had top of the line facilities as made his way to the pool where the swim team was practicing. He paid no mind to the amorous glances the girls sent his way. Kouichirou had dealt with far worse. His gaze fell on a young woman sat at the side of the pool wearing a racerback style swimsuit in the school colors, red with silver sides, a red swimcap on her head. "Hey Kimiko!" He called out.
"Oh, hi, Kouichirou!" Asuna's best friend, Hattori Kimiko waved. "I'm guessing you're here to pick up Asuna?"
He nodded. "You guess correctly. Where is she?"
"Tearing up the lanes as usual!" Kimiko pointed to lane two where a sleek figure cut through the water with a precise movement. Kimiko whistled. "Wow, she shaved three tenths of a second off her best time!"
Yuuki Asuna gasped as she touched the side of the pool. She pulled off her swimcap while climbing out, water dripping off her lithe body; shaped by her time on the swim team and dance lessons since she was a little girl. Toweling off her hair, she heard applauding. She saw her brother and best friend standing there.
"Looking good as always, little sis! You beat them by a mile!" Kouichirou called out.
"Uh, thank you, brother." She blushed slightly. "Is it time to go home already? I haven't been keeping track." Kouichirou gently patted her on the shoulder.
"Yeah, go and get cleaned up. We don't want to keep Mom waiting now, do we?" Asuna grimaced at the mention of their mother, Yuuki Kyouko, by far the least warmest person on the planet. She went to the locker room to change. It wasn't long before the Yuuki siblings left Hebijo, walking out of the school gates to Kouichirou's dark red Dodge Challenger. The meaty engine of the muscle car started and drove toward the manor that was their home.
"Thanks for coming to pick me, Kouichirou. It always makes it better when we go home together." Asuna smiled, taking hold of her brother's hand.
"Anything for my little sister." The elder Yuuki sibling gave her a brotherly pat on the cheek. "Oh that reminds me. How did your big history exam go?"
"Aced it of course," Was Asuna's plain response. "The girls were all congratulating me in their usual way." While St. Hebijo had a reputation for excellence, it was off put by a cold and austere atmosphere. The girls all jockeyed for the top spot, and would do anything to get there, whether it was giving their academic rivals snide, passive-aggressive putdowns or even actively sabotage them. For Kouichirou and Asuna, it was little wonder their mother was hailed as one of the academy's finest alumni. She fit right in!
They soon arrived at the Yuuki manor, driving through the gates up to the door. The siblings entered, only for Asuna to freeze up slightly as a man in an expensive suit with slicked back hair emerged from the front door. "Ah, welcome home you two." Sugou Nobuyuki said, the light reflecting off his steel framed glasses "Ah, Asuna." He drew out the S in her name, running his fingers along her cheek, causing her to visibly flinch. "You look lovely as ever. We haven't seen each other in a while, perhaps we can have dinner some time?"
"Sugou, don't you have somewhere to be? I'm sure our mother had you come by for some business reason, it's the only reason you'd be at our house anyway." Kouichirou spoke in an even tone, but there was no hiding the quiet venom in his voice. There was no love lost between the two men, due to a marriage contract brokered between the Sugous and Yuukis that would see Nobuyuki and Asuna wed. Kimura had also voiced his disgust for the entire arrangement, asking if this was still the sixteenth century, but the protests fell on deaf ears.
The two squared off for a few seconds, before Sugou relented. "I do wish you wouldn't be so hostile to me, Kou. Asuna's hand is mine. Our parents did agree to it, and it's all legally binding. One day we will be married, and then we will call each other brother-in-law." He took a handful of Asuna's hair, giving it a lecherous whiff before departing. "Until then!" He got into his expensive Lexus, driving away.
Asuna shivered all over. "Great, now I'll need another shower!" She whined.
"Yeah, that makes two of us." Kouichirou said. He smirked. "Next time he does that, I'm siccing the garden hose on him. Maybe it will get some of the grease out of his hair." Asuna giggled. He put an arm around her. "Don't worry, little sister…no matter what happens, I will always protect you. As an older brother always should be for the ones who come after him." Asuna let out a small sob, embracing Kouichirou. It was moments like this that made her life bearable. Knowing her big brother would always be there for him.
(Sky over Pacific Ocean, October 17th, 2022 AD)
"I'm telling you, this will be great for the company." Yukimura Sanada rumbled in his deep baritone. As Chief Executive Officer of Digital Escape Technologies, he was one of the wealthiest men in the entire United States, if not the world. He certainly cut an intimidating figure at six foot three, and two hundred thirty five pounds of lean muscle in a tailored Armani suit. He assumed his favorite pose, fingers steepled in front of his face. "I've been wanting to expand into Japan for the better part of eleven years, now all my hard work is about to pay off!"
"I'm glad to see how excited you are, honey." Hitomi Sanada, his wife and Chief Operation Officer said, patting him on the arm. Digital Escape had gone from a small business running out of Yukimura's basement to becoming one of the largest tech conglomerates in the world. They had already managed to expand into parts of Southeast Asia, and now they were ready for the next step. The Sanada family was currently on their private jet to Tokyo to over see the opening of the company's first branch office in Japan.
"I still don't see why we all had to go." Yukimasa, their second born son grumbled. "Kuro and I could have easily stayed in San Diego with Mori while the two of you got the new office set up."
"Yuuki Shouzou is our main partner in this new enterprise, Masa." Hitomi said, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's thanks to him we were able to make a foot hold in Japan to begin with. Not to mention he and your father have been friends since they were both boys. The two of them haven't seen each other in how long, dear?" Hitomi said.
"It will be nine years next month." Yukimura said, the light reflecting off of his steel rimmed glasses.
"No offense, Mom, but there are aspects about my ancestral land I'm not that enthused to see." Yukimasa said. "Let's face it, guys like Kuro and I aren't exactly welcome in Japan." He had heard the stories from his father growing up of how half-blooded Japanese were often looked down upon with scorn.
"That will only happen if you let them get to you, young man." Hitomi's voice was firm. "It's bad enough you got into fights back in San Diego, we're going to a foreign country and they won't look kindly if you fall into that kind of behavior again, and if you do, the police will be the least of your worries." All three men in the small cabin winced a little; there was nothing more terrifying than Hitomi Sanada when she was pissed off.
The middle Sanada son just sighed in resignation. He didn't have the energy or desire to fight. "Whatever you say, Mom…" and went right back to looking out the window at the endless expanse of clouds. There was a certain peace that came at being thirty thousand feet in the air. It wasn't that Yukimasa didn't enjoy going to Japan, he could recall a few summers when he was younger at the Sanada's ancestral home just outside of Kyoto, but for him home was back in California, where his friends were.
He felt an elbow gently dig into his side, he turned, red eyes meeting the steel gray of his younger brother, Kuro Sanada. "Relax, Masa. It won't be so bad." Kuro shrugged. "I mean, all the negative stuff aside, Japan has plenty of cute girls in cosplay. Maybe we'll get a chance and one of them will dress up like Hatsume Miku, and then I could ask her out on a date…" He grinned, it was long known that the youngest of the Sanadas had a crush on the Vocaloid.
Yukimasa cracked a wan smile, just patting Kuro on the shoulder. "Never change, little brother, never change."
Kuro lightly punched him in the arm. "Well someone has to cheer you up, otherwise you'd be Mr. Gloom and Doom for at least a month after we arrived, and I don't have anyone else to hang out with. So you really don't get much say in the matter, Masa."
His brother burst out laughing. "So glad to know you have your priorities straight!" After he had finished with his giggle fit, Yukimasa went back to cloud gazing. "Maybe your right, Kuro. Perhaps I am just being a big old sourpuss. Japan does have some pretty cute girls, plenty of targets for a couple of aces like us to engage."
"Now you're talking!" Kuro grinned.
(Kirigaya Residence, November 1st, 2022 AD)
It was an unseasonably warm day for November, but one young woman was taking advantage of the weather, working out in the back yard of her home. She wore the traditional garb of a kendo practitioner. Kirigaya Suguha was only thirteen years old, but she was rapidly climbing through the ranks of her age group on the kendo circuit, her friends at her school's kendo club said she was a shoo-in to reach nationals.
It wasn't hard for anyone to see why, as Suguha swung her bokken around, every step was crisp and sharp, Every strike dead on, and every parry and block would ensure no one would score a hit on her at all Not a single movement was wasted as the pants her dark blue hakama rustled every time she stepped. To those watching, it would appear she was dancing. Once she had finished her practice kata, it was time to take a breather.
She slumped down on the porch. "Well, at this rate, I should be ready for our next competition." Suguha said, when something cold touched against the nape of her neck. She almost leapt up when she saw her older brother, Kirigaya Kazuto, standing over her with a bemused grin on his face, holding a water bottle in his hand. "Don't do that! You almost scared my pants off!" She huffed, taking the bottle. "What do you want, anyway?"
"Oh, just checking in on you. I know you've got that competition next week. I heard if you do well there, then you go to Nationals, that's only another two months away." Kazuto said, taking a seat next to her. "I caught your kata just now. It looked really great, made me think of the days when I was still taking."
"Are you…thinking of getting back into it? That would be so great!" Suguha didn't want to believe her ears. Her brother had become very distant and aloof in the past couple of years, it had vexed her to no end, considering how close they had been as children. The notion Kazuto would want to resume his training made her feel better than she had in a long while.
"Whoa, chill out. I said I was just thinking about when we used to train together." Kazuto held his hands up defensively. "Tell you what. You do well at this next meet, and then…we'll see, how's that?"
"I'm going to hold to you that!" Suguha said. Kazuto patted her on the shoulder before going back in the house. He walked up to his room, looking out the window where his sister resumed her practice. He sighed, lying back on the bed.
"Well…I took the first step." He said. "I'm at least talking to her now." It had only come to Kazuto's attention a year prior that he and Suguha were actually cousins and not actually siblings, having been adopted by his aunt, Kirigaya Midori, and uncle, Kirigaya Minetaka, when his parents had died. It had shaken the foundation of his entire world, and so he had withdrawn into his own little world of games and computers, avoiding Suguha any chance he could.
Midori had seen the effect it had on both of her children, and decided enough was enough. Midori sat Kazuto down, telling him in no few terms that no matter what happened, they were still family, and what he was doing was not fair to either him, or Suguha. She asked Kazuto to at least start talking to his sister again, to which he agreed, albeit reluctantly. On the other hand, it did feel as though a huge weight had lifted off him. He sat down at his computer, turning on his favorite podcast, where he'd remain for the rest of the night.
(Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Yamato, Kanagawa Japan. November 4th, 2022 AD)
"Kotone! It's breakfast time!" the room was fairly normal itself, with a feminine air if the pictures of sunflowers and lacy curtains colored a light periwinkle blue were any indication.
The door swung open, admitting a man in his late forties, who was most assuredly American, with his fair skin and light brown hair, framing chocolate brown eyes. He wore the khaki duty uniform of an officer in the United States Navy. A pair of silver stars on his collar. His nametag read 'M. Lamperouge.' Rear Admiral Mark Lamperouge sighed, once again trying to get his daughter up. "Felicia Kotone Lamperouge, I'm not going to tell you to wake up again, young lady."
He pulled the blanket off, revealing the occupant of the bed, a young girl of mixed Anglo-Japanese descent. Mark gently poked her, finally causing the girl to stir. She sat up yawning, her shoulder length red hair, looked like a dandelion. "Morning Dad." Kotone said in English, with only the slightest hint of an accent.
"You're going to be late for school. Get moving!" Mark ordered. She let off a cute pout. "You're fifteen, not five. It's not going to work on me the way it used to. Be downstairs in ten minutes." He said leaving the bedroom. A career Navy officer, the man known as the Crimson Fox was about to deploy on the USS Abraham Lincoln for a three-month wargames in the North Pacific with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Still, he was a devoted father to his adopted daughter, Kotone.
He entered the kitchen, where he found his senior NCO, Master Chief Petty Officer David Bourne sitting with his protégé and apprentice, Lieutenant Commander Graham Aker. They both stood up at attention. He gave them both a salute. "Good morning gentlemen."
"Finally get our little dandelion girl to wake up?" Graham asked. Graham was like a son to Mark, and thus saw Kotone as a little sister.
"Yeah. There are days I still marvel that Naomi left her in my care. But then again, she said there was no one else she would trust Kotone's upbringing to." Mark smiled bemusedly. "It doesn't help there's so much of the mother in the daughter. They're both stubborn."
"But it's all the more rewarding to watch her grow." David said as he swigged down his coffee. Even an old salt like him couldn't help but be charmed by her. They all saw Kotone as a part of their family and would do anything to protect her. Kotone came down the stairs, wearing a deep blue hoodie over a green sweater and pink and white striped top with a yellow plaid skirt and long black stockings.
"Morning Graham, Morning Uncle David." Kotone said, buttering some bread to make toast.
"Same to you, Dandelion Girl." Graham said, putting an arm around her. "Hard to believe you were the same little thing that came into our lives so long ago. You've grown into such a fine young woman, Kotone. I'm surprised you aren't fighting off the boys with a stick at school."
She started blushing, "Stop that, Graham!" pushing him away. He let out a hearty laugh, causing his CO to begin glaring at him.
"Oh come on, Admiral. You can't deny she's grown up quite well. It's just a matter of time before boys come knocking at the door, sir." Graham said, causing Kotone to blush even more.
"Not if I can help it." Mark grunted, resolving to sit around cleaning his gun whenever Kotone brought a boy home.
Kotone cleared her throat, clearly wanting to change the subject. "It's going to be quiet around the house without you guys around." Mark got up, giving her a deep hug.
"The Vashtis are just a phone call away, honey. I'm sure Christina, Feldt and Mileina would be happy to have you over for a couple nights a week." Mark said. He pulled out a square box wrapped with a ribbon. "I have a little going away present for you. Something to keep you occupied until we get back." Kotone took the gift. She opened it, tearing off the paper, revealing a sleek dark blue helmet.
Her green eyes widened in surprise as she realized just what she had been given. "Dad?" she looked to Mark, who just nodded in acknowledgement. She let out an earsplitting squeal, leaping at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Daddy!" She cried in joy. "Tell me…did you get it?"
"Look inside." Mark said with a knowing grin. She dug into the box further, finding a game cartridge, causing another high-pitched squeal of delight. "Took me pulling quite a few strings, had to contact a friend who knew a friend, but I got you one of the first 10,000 copies. Just make sure you don't spend all your time playing it. I'll be very disappointed if your grades suffer because you slacked off, do you hear me, Young Lady?"
"Yes Daddy." Kotone said, giving her foster father another kiss. "Thanks, this is the best!" she looked at the cartridge, clearly labeled "Sword Art Online."
(November 6th, 2022 AD)
It was a day many gamers across Japan had been eagerly awaiting. The first ever Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, known as Sword Art Online, was just hours away from going live. Kouichirou nervously paced in the bedroom of the penthouse suite he lived in. His eyes flickered to the digital clock on his nightstand, currently reading 12:48 PM.
His Nerve Gear and copy of SAO were currently sitting on his bed, waiting for 1:00 PM, the moment service for the game officially opened. "Not much longer now." He whispered, every nerve in his body alight with anticipation. Kouichirou had managed to be one of the privileged few who got accepted into the beta for SAO. The eldest Yuuki sibling was eager to see what had changed since he last logged in.
"Uh, Brother?" Asuna asked from the living room. She was currently inspecting the second Nerve Gear her brother had appropriated. Asuna had been rather surprised when Kouichirou had picked her up in his Challenger, saying he had a treat for her. This weird gadget was not what Asuna was expecting. The most experience she had with video games was playing Bejeweled on her phone. "I'm not sure about this whole thing."
"Relax, sis. It will be just fine. Aincrad is a magnificent place. You could relish just walking through the towns and fields. It may just be a virtual projection, but it really does feel like you've stepped into an entirely different world!" Kouichirou urged, putting his hands on Asuna's shoulders. "All you have to lose is a few hours of your time, sis. That's all I ask, a few hours of your time. I can teach you how to play the game, and if you still don't feel like it. No harm, no foul."
Asuna sighed, letting her shoulders droop. "Okay, bro. I'll try it out. If just to make you happy." She smiled.
"That's my little sis! Trust me, Asuna. You will not regret this at all." Kouichirou checked his watch. "Ooh, it's 12:58! Two minute warning! We're almost at Zero Hour! We best get ready!" He made for his bedroom, giving his sister an anticipation fueled grin. "See you in Aincrad, Asuna!" the younger Yuuki sibling picked the Nerve Gear and game cartridge, inserting the latter into the former. She made herself comfy on her brother's couch, watching the clock projected on the screen.
It clicked over from 12:59 to 13:00 Yuuki Asuna then uttered the two words that would change her life forever. "Link Start!"