Sword Art Online: On Crow's Blackened Wings

An impossibly huge castle of rock and iron, floating in an endless expanse of sky. That is the entirety of this world. A tireless,month-long survery by a team of fanatical experts found that the base floor of the fortress was more than six miles in diameter, just large enough to fit the entire Setagaya ward of Tokyo inside. And considering the ONE HUNDRED floors stacked one on top of the other, the sheer vastness of the structure beggared the imagination. It was impossible to estimate the total amount of data it ALL represented.

Inside the castle were several bustling cities, countless smaller towns and villages, forests, plains, and lake. Only ONE staircase connected each floor to those adjacent to it, and these staircases were located within dangerous mazes filled with monsters of all types,shapes and sizes. It was difficult just finding them, much less reaching them, but once someone had cleared the stairs and arrived at a major city the next floor up, a teleport gate liniiung the two floors would open in every city below, allowing ALL players instantaneous travel among the various levels of the castle.

This castle's name was AINCARD and this world is Sword Art Online. This is the story of Asuna, Kirito and their friends and their struggles as they try and fight their way through all ONE HUNDRED floors and escape from this world they become trapped in. Here is how it began...

Asuna's House November 6th,2022

"Helena-chan! We're going to be late if you don't hurry up!" a fifteen year old woman with hazel eyes and long orange-brown hair that reached her waistline exclaimed at her older sister dubbed Helena.

"Meh-meh it wouldn't kill us to take our time little sister. You need to finish your meal first or else mother will be angry with me for not taking care of you properly." Asuna's sister nonchalantly.

Helena stood at 193cm and weight 61kg, the woman appeared skinny under her clothes although she had quite a form that most women would kill for. She wore pale foundation with a dark look along with what people called a deathhawk although the mane was a bright crimson red and her sides were incredibly short almost completely shaved but black.

A few decades ago she may have been labelled as a goth or deathrocker, not that she minded what people called her, she was used to it.

Asuna sighed as she ate her meal of steamed rice,nori and tamagoyaki that her sister Helena Yuki made for her with a slight pout most boys and some girls would find cute and adorable.

Helena giggle slightly at her sister's reaction, she oh so much loved to tease her little sister every chance she got. The young adult couldn't blame her sister though. Her mother was incredibly strict on her for almost no reason saying that "You must get good grades to succeed and go to college!" Helena would have none of that. She adored her little sister and wanted her to not have the stress she had growing up before she made a name for herself in the audio engineering career.

Helena was part of the development for the senses at least of the sound and vibrations that a player would feel once they would go into what the company calls a "full-dive" As a reward the company gave her four of the ten thousand NerveGear available with the new VRMMORPG Sword Art Online.

She decided to keep three for her brother, herself and her sister to use and gave one to a little boy she met in the store to pick it up for the beta test. The boy was cute and though he'd like to meet her sister one day if he ever got out of his house neverless his own room.

For some reason she had a bad feeling about this in the back of her mind but she shrugged it off nonchalantly, she was confident enough she could protect her little sister from anything.

She would be eating her own thoughts later that day.

Kirigaya Kazuto's House November 6th,2022

Kazuto couldn't believe his luck a couple months ago. Some random woman gave him a NerveGear for free, FREE! That was unheard of, those pieces of gear with the software need to run it was expensive even for those with good jobs.

He did eventually find out her name. Yuki Helena. What a weird name. She seemed to have a German background from her facial features not to mention her body. He shivered slightly at the thought of the beauty. He wasn't an idiot unlike most boys out there though he was still shy and withdrawn.

Helena did want him to meet her younger sister who ironically was a year older than him. She even showed him a picture of her and he couldn't help but mumble out beautiful to which Helena gave him a wicked grin, for what reasons he doesn't know, but nothing malicious from what he sensed.

He actually met Asuna a few times in the beta test of Sword Art Online who used a rapier of all things, nothing wrong with that but he preferred a sword with more weight and dexterity.

Getting out of his thoughts, he wished his sister Kirigaya Suguha luck in practicing her kendo techniques for the day as she usually did after school. Wasting no time he set up the NerveGear correctly and prepared for the first day of Sword Art Online. Little does he know that he was in for a long ride that would change his life forever.

Aincrad Floor 1 Town of Beginnings 15:00

Helena and Asuna were in the shops looking at the current equipment being sold, as a major developer for the NerveGear technology, Akihiko Kayaba gave her a quite a bit of Col on her SOA account as thanks so she didn't need to worry about funds in the game for awhile though she knew to spend it wisely.

Asuna decided to go simple with her outfit; white dyed cooper breast plate for her top, and black leather pants and combat woman's boots along with a dark crimson red tunic. She got tired of boys trying to hound her. She was one of the few SAO players who decide to keep the facial features the same as she looked out of the game.

Helena decided to go a bit more her style. Somehow her usual hairstyle was in the game which irked Asuna to no end. Helena donned a black trench coat with black fur on the cuffs and collar, crimson breastplate, black leather pants along with black combat boots. She decided to carry a scythe on her back. How she could weild such a weapon was beyond Asuna's understanding.

While shopping Asuna noticed that a avatar with black hair with a sense of purpose was running of out the Town of Beginnings.

"Meh he looks like one of the beta testers from where he's going." Asuna mused out loud only vocal enough for her sister to really hear her.

"You seem interested in that boy Asuna-chan. Wanna see where he's going?" Helena suggested with a small grin on her face.

"Not really but he seems familar, why not? We should try to grind our levels anyway and get some progress." Asuna retorted as she bought a steel rapier for 100 Col and shealthed it to her side.

Helena said nothing as she led the way out of the town.

Outside of The Town of Beginnings

Kirito was having a bit of a fun time trying to teach this guy that followed him how to fight properly. Course who wouldn't when you're a beta tester? It was amusing to see a fellow player learn his first VRMMORPG.

On his way out of the town, Kirito got stopped by a rather tall man with a scruffy beard reading a red bandana like a samurai would. The man begged him for him with learning some tricks and tips. Being a nice guy Kirito offered to help him.

Klein was having issues fighting a boar no matter what he just couldn't seem to hit the damn thing. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Kirito picking up a small rock before it glowed brightly for a second as he launched the pebble at the boar distracting it from Klein.

"You need to use your Sword Skills Klein. It will help with your motions with battling enemies who are difficult to defeat using your basic skills. How do I explain this..." Kirito stated and mused as he guarded against the boar's charge.

Little did the two know, Asuna and Helena were coming towards them.

"Oi, little one you need help with that big bad boar?" Helena shouted over the hill top.

Kirito's eye ticked a bit. He hated being called little. He was average sized for a male his age damn it!

"I'm fine Miss! just teaching Klein here how to use Sword Skills." Kirito replied before turning his attention to Klein. "Alright! Here's how you do Sword Skills You don't just hold the sword and just swing randomly one,two,three... You have to pause just enough in your first motion to fgeel the skill cue up, then BAM! it activates! You try!" he explained before countering the Frenzied Boar to Klein.

As Asuna watched carefully with a steady eye, she raised her eyebrow as Klein successfully used his Sword Skill: Tsumuji Guruma(Revolving Wheel) to slash through the boar in one sweep.

"Huh... quick learner that one is. I can tell he's new to this type of game. Though that boy is interesting enough I think he was about to get to level 8 in the beta test." Helena mused to herself.

The two ladies walked the way down the hill into the plains. Kirito raised his eyebrows a bit, he wondered what the two ladies wanted though they seemed familar to him.

"You seem to be quite knowledgable with the game's system Kirito-chan. Got far did you?" Helena smirked a bit as Kirito sweat dropped a bit.

"Wait you seem familar... You wouldn't happen to be the lady that gave me the software a couple months would you?" Kirito guessed.

"Correct Kirito-kun. Though I must say why the change in structure. You are quite cute outside of the game." Helena replied with a small giggle.

Kirito sighed and shook his head while looking at Klein practicing his sword skills stuck in his euphoria of how it felt before turning his attention to Asuna.

"Oh? I wasn't expecting you here Asuna." Kirito stated.

"Well I was a wee bit excited to start playing this. Although my slow poke of a sister wanted me to eat first." Asuna grumbled while crossing her arms in a small pout.

"I have NOOO idea what you mean Little Sister." Helena laughed.

Suddenly the Town of Beginnings Bells started ringing. The group all looked towards the town with concerned looks.

"Really? A notice already? That is suspious... " Helena mused though she was glad that her part in the sense development of the NerveGear was up to snuff with her standards in sound engineering.

The group was teleported together into the center of the town as red caution started blaring and a hooded figured started to materialized before all 10,000 players of SAO.

Below the Town of Beginnings

"What do you mean you want me to not come into contact with any of the players?! I though my job was to help their psychological state if there were any negative effects Cardinal?!" A small girl wearing a white dress with long purple hair exclaimed at the tall man.

"Normally I would gladly let you do your job however... this MUST be done for the sake of the project Yui-chan. I'll know if you try to interfer and trust me when I say. You won't like the consquences." The man stated harshly before disappearing from the white room they were in.

The little girl now called Yui had a confused look on her face before she went back to her screen, on the screen were four people, Klein, Asuna, Kirito and Helena. She couldn't help but feel like those four would be important to this game's story. But what does she know? She's just an AI. She doesn't have feelings or a soul right?

Back to the Town of Beginnings

Kirito and Helena were glaring at the hooded figure. The both of them knew that was the usual avatar for a GM of SAO. How something was wrong. Why would nearly 10,000 users be collected here? Something was adding up. Helena unconsiously held her sister close as of sensing horrible news about to be released.

"Greetings Sword Art Online Players, I assume many of you are wondering why I have brought you here." the GM stated as players were yelling out differing statements.

"Why can't we log out?!"

"I was in the middle of grinding boars you asshole!"

"Hurry it up!"

"What's going on?!"

"First let me introduce myself, I am Kayaba Akihiko the creator,developer and ONLY GM of Sword Art Online!" he paused to let the infomation pass through.

"OI! I did the sound engineering asshole! At least give me credit!" Helena screamed out at the top of her lungs.

Kirito,Asuna and Klein looked over at Helena before facepalming at her antics. Asuna was used to this since she knew that her sister like to crack jokes at inapporiate times.

"My apologizes, Miss Yuki but I did give you four copies of said NerveGear as thanks didn't I?"

The crowd was stunned at this women who had the well lack of better word, balls to yell her voice against the GM.

"Continuing on... I'm sure most of you have noticed that there is no log out button, this is not a bug this is part of the game mechanics." Kayaba Akihiko explained nonchalantly.

Thousands of faces were suddenly frozen in fear,nervousness,anger and a range of other emotions. Kirito,Asuna and Helena all check their main menus and saw that he was right the log out button was NOT there.

"From this point forward, you will be unable to freely log out of the game until the game is conquered."

Kirito was stunned into silence, all 100 floors of Aincard? That would weeks,months, maybe even YEARS to get through all 100 levels of the game even if all the beta testers joined up together on the front line to take on all the bosses with the infomation that they gathered over the past two months about the game.

Helena meanwhile was gritting her teeth as she held her now scared sister close to her and Klein was freaking out trying desperately to log out for his pizza that he ordered that night.

"You bastard... IS THIS SOME KIND OF GAME TO YOU?!" Helena roared in rage at Kayaba Akihiko.

He ignored her rageful statement and moved on with his speech after all one had to maintain professionalism with his world that he worked so hard to create.

"Also the NerveGear can NOT be removed from the outside world. Doing so would activate the microwaves in the software to scramble your brains and leave you Brain Dead. Another point is that you will no longer respawn unless you collect a extremely rare item in the near future. So just like in the real world you have ONE life so use it well.

"What about the battery power!?" Klein asked outloud in the silent crowd.

"Ah a fine question Klein. Do not worry about that. To be more specfic the brain frying will not commence unless there is no external power for 10 minutes,two hours of network disconnections; removal,dismantling or destruction of the NerveGear. The authories and media have already announced the details of these conditions to the general public. At present, the firends and family of several players have already ignored these warnings and atempted to forecfully removed their NerveGears the reason being..."

"That sadly two hundred and thirteen players have permanently retired from both Aincard and the real world." Kayaba Akihiko stated solemly like he was actually saddened by the fact that so many players have already died before the tutorial even ended.

Many of the players couldn't believe it, they stood there emotionless trying to make process and resist his explainations but what could they do?

The word reverberated over and over in Kirito and Helena's ears as Klein fell on his ass in disbelief and Asuna was crying into her sister's chest.

Something finally snapped in one of the other players.

"How do you expect us to conquer the game?! You can't just expect us to sit back and enjoy the game when we can't even log out?"

"Now I have a gift for you all, there is a mirror in your inventories. Open them up and take it out."

As all the players did so there was a bright light. All the customization that the players did were cancelled out and formed to their true height,weight and facial features.

Kirito was baffled how could the NerveGear do this? Klein and Helena seeing to read their thoughts explained unknowingly.

"There was a pre-setup before we could log into the game... We had to touch current parts of our bodies. A calibration..." they stated solemly.

"Now I will answer a question I heard earlier. 'Why am I doing this?' Why would I developer of SAO and the NerveGear unit, do such a thing? Is it and act of terrorism? An elaborate kidnapping to extract ransom money?"

The crowd fell silent as Kayaba Akihiko made his final statment known.

"What I seek is neitherr of these things. I have no goals or justificaitons at this moment. In fact this very situation was my ultimate goal. I created these products to buld this world and observe it. I have now acheived this aim."

"This concludes the tutorial phase of Sword Art Online I wish you all the best of luck,dear players." Kayaba Akihiko stated as the GM avatar vanished into nothingness and the barrier keeping all the players where they were disapated.

Suddenly there were screams. Rage. Shrieks. Insults. Pleading and Roars. In a matter of five hours Kayaba Akihiko had turned a fun VRMMORPG into a death battle for their freedom it was unnerving to many of the players, almost all of them in fact.

Kirito got out of his shooked up state and grabbed Klein and ran for the exit almost at the exit Klein stopped and Kirito explained his thoughts.

"If what Kayaba Akihiko said is true we have to get stronger in order to survive here. I'm sure you know that MMORPGs are a battle over system resoruces. There's only so much gold,loot, and experience to go around, so the more you win, the stronger you get. Everyone is going to have the same idea, so the fields around the Town of Beginnings will be bled dry in no time. You'll be forced to wander around, endlessly waiting for mobs to repop. We need to take this opportunity to set up base in the next town. I know the way, and I know which spots are dangerous. I can get us there safely even at level one." Kirito quickly explained.

Klein shook his head and chuckled a bit.

"I can't just leave my friends I stayed in line with to get this game Kirito... You go ahead and go." Klein replied to the short black haired swordsman.

Kirito's body shook as he turned around and ran out of the town. Feeling the brutality of the situation he was dealt. He saw a dire wolf up ahead, he drew his blade and activated his Sword Skill slicing through it with ease. He panted heavily as he looked on towards the path.

Suddenly two ladies appeared behind him. The taller one with a hand on his shoulder.

"Now where do you think you're going Kirito-chan?" the tall one stated with curiousity.

"I need to go alone-" Kirito began to say before seeing it was Helena with Asuna on her shoulders knocked out.

"We all know that is bullshit Kirito. Solo Players don't do that well. Even one as talented as you. There is strength in numbers. Klein asked me for a favor and I plan to go through with it." Helena explained with a serious look on her pale face.

Kirito looked at his main menu as he saw 3 invites.

Asuna and Helena sent a friend request.

Asuna and Helena want to form a party with you. Do you wish to accept?

Greetings readers, Helena Costello here I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fanfic. Now this story will mostly follow canon. As you can tell I have a made an OC to play Asuna's sister, I may add a few more but it will focus more on Kirito and Asuna than my OC I promise you that. The pairing in here is Asuna and Kirito and ONLY those two together. As a warning this fanfic will be rated M for a reason. I plan to take this darker and more in depth. I do take critism well so feel free to leave comments on the chapter review it but keep things like "you're writing sucks lol" away from it. explain why it sucks and I may revise the chapter for better quality.

Italic are text,places and important terms/skills

Bold is yelling or asserting a certain word in the sentence

'Italics with apostarphes are thoughts'