"…And that's another level up for me. Hey, how did your swordsman get such high agility?"
"I told you Kaz, It's just R.N.G."
"Psh, yeah, whatever, you get all the lucky growths. My last few runs through this game have been so unlucky…" A young Kirigaya Kazuto sighed, setting his Gameboy down in the shade, and looked over at his friend.
"Oh yeah?" Aaron, one of Kazuto's gamer buddies replied, still keeping his eyes on the handheld screen.
"You know, you don't have to be such a smart ass."
"Hm? How do you mean?" Aaron's eyes peered above the miniature machine. His repeated usage of 'oh yeah?' almost always seemed sarcastic, yet it was his go-to filler response.
"Eh, nevermind."
Kazuto stretched out onto the grass, trying to keep his head in the shade. The rays of sunshine creeped through the branches when the wind blew just right, irking him when it shone directly into his eyes.
"Kiritoooooooo!" A young girl chirped, running towards the boys hanging out in the field.
"Great, here comes that little pest you let follow you." Aaron scoffed.
With a groan, Kazuto sat up, annoyed he wasn't able to catch a quick nap. He turned towards the sound and was met with a tackle hug from his neighbor, Asada Shino.
"Happy Birthday Kirito-Senpai!"
"Oi Oi, thanks, Shino." Kazuto replied, catching her and lowering her to the ground.
Asada Shino was 3 years his junior, making her 9 years old. 'Kirito' was her cute mispronunciation of his first and last name and developed into a permanent nickname.
"Guess what, guess what! We did so much cool stuff at school today!" She began to go on and on.
"Eh, I'll catch you later Kaz. Ciao." Aaron waved off, while Kazuto suppressed the kid waving her arms below him.
'Kirito' waved his friend off, and then began nodding while the girl spewed her entire days' worth of activities with excitement. He gave a bored sigh and zoned her out while beginning to walk her home, since his mother forced him to.
"And, and, the fish was GI-NOR-MOUS, and I SWEAR it tried to eat the other fish!"
"Mhm."
"Oh! Oh! Our instructor also gave us candy! Do you like candy Kirito?!"
"Yeah."
He kept his eyes firmly forward, on the sidewalk. He began to daydream about the video game he was playing.
Shino tugged his hand. For the first time that day, he looked over at the girl, her hair and eyes sharing a similar darker complexion, with a warm smile. She pushed up her glasses and offered him a piece of candy which caused him to smile.
"How's that Shinkawa kid? Is he still bothering you at school?"
Shino looked over to Kazuto, and shook her head no, still sucking on candy.
"I see, that's good. Where did you say we had to stop before going home?"
"Mum said to meet her at the post office, she'll give us a ride home from there. It's a few minutes from here!"
Kazuto sighed, then felt his ears twitch as he heard sirens nearby. Within a few moments, a police vehicle swooped passed them, and flew down the road adjacent to them. He continued to watch, but noticed even more vehicles in the distance after squinting.
"Ooooh, somebodies in trouble!"
"Quiet, Shino. Let's keep going."
They continued onward, sirens still blaring down the streets. They seemed to get further away. Kazuto felt a small trickle on his cheek, and looked up to see enormous gray clouds forming. Within a few moments, the rain gained momentum, and began assaulting the pavement around them.
"I didn't pack an umbrella today, did you bring one Kazuto?" Shino asked, tugging at his jacket.
"Nah, we're almost there though. Let's go." He nudged her along.
Arriving, he scanned the lobby for Shino's mother… to no avail. He sighed and plopped down in one of the chairs near the back of the room, as the line of customers continued to go about their business.
Shino was restless, climbing around in her chair.
"Oi, sit down, your mum will be here soon."
She huffed, and sat back in her chair, folding her arms.
He smiled and placed a hand on the top of her head, which immediately made her respond with a rosy smile. He gave her a playful pet, a common thing for him to do to her.
A few more customers walked in, causing Kazuto's gaze to briefly track them, then went towards his pocket as he pulled out his game again. He turned it on to reveal the level he was working on prior, attempting to get levels for his swordsman.
CRACK CRACK CRACK
Kazuto and Shino jumped, his game device springing out of his hands, breaking on the floor. People started screaming, causing white hot adrenaline and fear to fill his skull.
"NOBODY MOVE." One of the customers yelled, followed by a few more scarce whimpers from someone on the other side of the lobby.
Kazuto froze. He slowly turned his head to look at Shino.
CRACK CRACK
More screams.
He felt like screaming himself, for his mother, and like crying, and looked at the look of terror on his friend's face. She was trembling in her seat, witnessing the person who just tried to run getting gunned down by a second burglar. He did his best to slowly motion her to be quiet.
Kazuto slowly looked toward the commotion near the register, and it seemed like the burglars were getting what they came here for, money. If they just remained quiet, they'd be on there way-
Shino screamed, completely belting her lungs out. Kazuto immediately pounced her, ramming his palm over her mouth, as they fell to the floor. He heard their footsteps drawing closer.
"Get that girl to shut the fuck up, or I'm killing another one."
"Yeah, I'll bring her. Tell that bitch behind the counter to hurry up."
Kazuto jumped, a massive hand came and grabbed Shino by the hair and dragged her down the lounge. Kazuto did nothing but freeze and watch as his friend, kicked and scream while an armed burglar forced her towards the counter. His rage fueled when he heard a loud thud, followed by a yelp, and Shino no longer crying. He had hit her with the butt of his pistol.
"I want that money in this bag within 15 seconds or this little girl is next."
The attendant frantically threw money into the pouch, dropping wads all over the floor.
CRACK
More screams, Kazuto flinched, as the second to last employee behind the counter hit the ground with a thud. He saw Shino bleeding on the floor, causing him to vault over his seat, barreling towards the armed gunman. His partner smirked, as the gun was aimed at Kazuto's head.
"Kids are dumb these days." The man said, pulling the trigger.
Click.
Kazuto barreled into him full force, biting his arm as hard as he could. He had been counting shots, the man needed to reload.
"RUN, SHINO!" Kazuto yelled, being thrown off the burglar, who quickly wrestled a fresh clip into the gun, kicking Kazuto in the face.
Before the gun was able to go off again, Kazuto's adrenaline rammed him into the gunman one more time, causing the weapon to fall to the floor, as the man began to beat and batter the boy senseless, and stabbing his chest.
"Move the fuck over, I'll just shoot him!" The second man yelled to his partner.
CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK
The two wrestling bodies went to a standstill, the man collapsing onto Kazuto.
"Oh fuck me… Dalton!" The remaining gunman yelled, eyes darting around left and right, beginning to panic.
He flew into a rage, grabbing Kazuto by the neck, and squeezing as hard as he could. Kazuto's feet kicked and wrestled, and slowly began to submit as the man choked the life out of him, slamming his head into the floor over and over.
Exhausted, and in a haze, Kazuto began to lose vision, his eyes becoming bloodshot as the man squeezed the life out of him. All resistance ceased, as the man's muscles flexed harder and harder crushing his windpipes.
CRACK CRACK Click Click Click Click Click
A trembling Shino, sobbing, continuously squeezed the trigger over and over, aiming the tool in her hand at the man killing her best friend. Within moments, nearby bystanders jumped the final gunman, and brought him to the floor.
Footsteps filled the room.
"Are they alive? Check that one!" Dozens of voices filled the lobby, as people from the street and behind the counter began to fill into the room, as well as officers. Shino remained trembling, holding the gun.
"Easy now… It's alright." A strange man in a hat said in a comforting tone, approaching Shino.
She jumped, pointing it at him causing him to flinch. She looked over and noticed Kazuto lying face up, eyes wide open, motionless. The gun hit the floor with a thud, as she quickly crawled over to him, trying to see if he was okay.
A pair of hands scooped her up, prompting her to begin screaming and crying again, but they continued to hold her and carry her off, as she could do nothing but extend her hand toward the boy on the floor.
Six Years Later
Asada Shino woke up in a cold sweat and looked at the alarm clock. With a groan, she worked herself up, and towards the washroom.
'First day of high school, and I already feel like shit.'
Her morning ritual consisted of showering, brushing her teeth, and nothing out of the ordinary for a girl her age to prepare in the morning.
Shino looked into the mirror, adjusting the two bows in her hair that fell to the sides, and adjusted her black rimmed glasses. She straightened her skirt one last time and gave a confident smile.
"Okay."
Making her way outside, she took notice of her friend waiting for her on his motorcycle, she waved nervously.
"Nope, jacket. You should still have mine in there somewhere." Kirito ordered, pointing her back to the door.
"O-Oh, right, sorry!" She quickly went back inside, and pulled the black hoodie over herself, and made her way back to him.
"Freshman eh?" Kirito stated, working his helmet onto his head. "One more year for me. You good?"
She took a seat behind him, fastening herself on the back of his bike, and putting her arms around his chest.
"Mm!"
On their ride, her head rested on his back, as she daydreamed while the houses and shops zipped by. The night she was supposed to get extra sleep, she ended up getting next to zero due to those horrible recollection of memory dreams…
"Thanks again for taking me to school, I know it's out of the way for you."
Resting at a red light, he looked behind his shoulder. "Aye."
The rest of the trip they remained silent. Rather than awkward tension, it was relatively normal for the friends to spend time together relatively quiet. They didn't need to fill gaps with filler to be content in one's company.
Pulling into the school's parking lot, Kirito grabbed a spot and worked himself off the bike and popped his helmet off.
"Nervous?"
Shino looked at the floor of the parking lot and gulped.
Like he always has, be placed a hand on her head and pet her.
"You'll be fine. First class?
She smiled and suppressed a giggle. "Uhm, English." She rifled through her bag, and double checked her schedule. "Yeah, English."
The two made their way in the front doors of the school, as many talkative upper and lower classman nervously made their way inside. Baby-faced freshman gave Shino odd looks, the ones that recognized her at least. A tall senior dressed in black escorted her inside, prompting people to start asking questions.
She nervously tagged alongside him, trying not to bump into people in the halls. A familiar face appeared, one that Kirito particular detested.
"Asada-San! You made it, oh I can't wait to spend the year with you!"
Shinkawa Kyouji slithered into the fray, glaring at Kirito.
"Hello, S-Shinkawa-kun." She gave a nervous wave.
Kirito ignored him and kept walking.
The strange teen followed them like a dog, to her first class.
"I'm gonna' go. You good? Need anything Sinon?" Kirito looked her up and down quickly.
"N-No Kirito, thank you so much." She bowed, blushing at the pet name he gave her when they were younger.
"K." He walked off getting a nudge from a few of his friends, leaving the two freshmen to their class.
"So, Kaz, the fuck you doin' with that freshman still? She your girlfriend? Talk about cradle robber." Aaron teased, elbowing Kazuto.
"Eat shit Aaron, and no, she's a friend. I'm still trying to get with that Asuna girl. How you been?"
"Eh not bad, been on the SAO beta grind, game's pretty dope."
The two turned into their first class, Physical Education. They both saved it as an easy credit for their last year.
Aaron had curly brown hair, with a never-ending shit eating grin. He was in better shape than Kazuto, despite being rather fat in his childhood. Despite his immaturity, he was a good friend when it mattered.
"Other than games, did your family ever make it to America this summer?" Kazuto asked, taking a seat in the gymnasium.
More students began to pile in, varying from various grade levels.
"Yeah we went to Florida, the food was pretty good, and the babes."
"You're an idiot. Speaking of which." Kazuto waved at the girl approaching them.
A chestnut-haired Junior approached giving a warm smile and hug to the both of them.
"Hey nerds, how you been?"
"Hey Asuna."
"Hi Asuna."
"I'm fine. We were just chatting, Aaron here made it to America after all." Kazuto mentioned, flipping out his phone briefly.
"Yeah we were just talking about the food."
"…And the nice babes he found, apparently." He added, still sifting through texts.
Asuna rolled her eyes.
"Y'know, you two are lucky that this is your last year."
The three continued to catch up, and the day dragged on. Kazuto's friend group had been dabbling lately in VRMMOs, particularly the critically acclaimed S.A.O. beta. Unfortunately, Aaron and Asuna were the only ones interested, as everyone else was more into shooters.
…
School Lunch Room.
At lunchtime, Kazuto and Aaron sat at a corner table on Aaron's laptop, working on theory-crafting S.A.O. builds, while Shino uncomfortably made her way towards them, accompanied by her leech.
"…Yeah, I don't think putting your points into that would ever be correct, because you're 'gonna use it anyway, you know?" Aaron pointed.
"Yeah I'll probably spec into something else, did you ever try out the PK perks? How many kills did you need to get the thermal vision?"
"It was like 3 I think-
"H-Hey guys." The freshman squeaked.
Kirito looked up quickly, and waved, and averted his gaze back to the laptop.
"Man that gear you found looks so fucked, haha." Kazuto chuckled, looking at Aaron's appearance in game.
"Oh yeah?"
Shino cleared her throat.
"Kirito, err- Kazuto, is that the new Sword game coming out?" Shino's head tilted in curiosity, unpacking her lunch.
"It's Sword Art Online." Aaron teased.
"Hush, Aaron. And yeah, that's what we're looking at, S.A.O."
The leech Shinkawa, also sat down, next to Shino.
"I see. Would you mind showing me after school? You've been talking about it so much lately."
The gnat-like freshman next to Shino stammered:
"D-Didn't you want to come on a date with me after classes, Asada-san?"
'God what a beta.' Kirito thought.
"Um, s-sorry Shinkawa. I already had plans, like I said." She responded, leading to the boys pouting.
After an awkward pause, Kirito looked back to her.
"Yeah no problem, right to my place after class or do you need to stop by home?"
"I don't need to be home until tonight, so we're good." Shino smiled.
…
Kazuto's House
The two teens made their way inside, both waving to Suguha, Kazuto's sister.
"Welcome home!" She chirped, accustomed to welcoming her brother's friend as well, since she's known her for so long.
After greetings, they made their way up to his room, which always gave Shino slight butterflies. He closed the door behind her.
"You remember nerve-gear, right?" Kirito asked, untangling the cords for both of his systems.
"M-Mm!" She nodded.
"K, put this on." He handed her one of the helmets and let her get situated. She got onto his bed, which also gave her butterflies, and waited for his instructions.
He gently pushed her over, making room for himself on the bed with his own nerve gear. He thought nothing of it, despite her blushing slightly.
"Okay, I'm going to select Sword Art Online, right?"
"Yeah, go ahead. It's just the beta, so make your character et cetera."
"Link Start!"
The two of them were then thrown into the User interface of Virtual Reality.
AN: 1. I dislike AN's, don't get used to them.
2. Rated M for a reason. (Language, violence, sex, etc).
3. Review if you get a chance, negative/positive, idc.
4. If you have plot related questions ex: "Will this have a death game arc in it?" Feel free to ask, I'll give general spoilers so you can decide if this is worth your time, just pm me.
5. Thanks for reading.
