DISCLAIMER: I do not own SAO nor Persona 3. All rights go to their respective creators.


He wasn't quite sure what to make out of his predicament.

One moment, he was being ushered into a room by his mentor, Akihiko Kayaba, and was asked to use the prepared Nerve Gear and test out the newly released VRMMORPG that was Sword Art Online—the brainchild of Kayaba and his explorations deep into the technology of that encompassed the use of the senses in a different plane. The next, he was already exploring some fantasy world of blades and skills, only to find out that logging out was impossible, and that his mentor had managed to trap him and a multitude of people in a death game.

He did not feel rage, however.

Somehow, he had understood why Kayaba did the deed, and turned what was supposed to be a breakthrough in gaming into a place of potential carnage and despair. Kayaba had very limited regard for the world of the real, and wished to see his ambitious castle "float", above all else—and what better way to see this spectacle happen than in the virtual world?

"Minato, say I give you some sort of 'skill' to overcome as many obstacles and challenges in real life. How would you utilize such a thing?" Kayaba once asked him. He eyed the deadpan that clearly painted the visage of his mentor, sighed, and decided to humor the man.

"I would use it just as you have said—to overcome troubles in life."

Kayaba raised an eyebrow, an amused spark glinting in his eyes. "Then, let me amend my query—given the choice, would you use it for yourself, for others, or a different cause altogether?"

". . . Why curious?"

"Why answer with a question?"

Back then, he had only waved it off and dismissed it as another one of those idealistic discussions he had often held with the man. Thinking on it now, he was quite confident that on the three years he had spent working under and with Kayaba, he had grown to understand the man's beliefs and thoughts regarding the way people went on to chase after ambitions or succumb under the despair that embraces life so closely. It was similar to how he had understood his peers of many years back, his Social Links being the tool that allowed him a better grasp of the friends he held close to heart like family.

For what those three years were worth, he even considered Kayaba part of the family that nurtured his heart. The man may rival him in keeping emotions under the hood, but he knew enough to read that even Kayaba could develop some worldly attachments such as bonds.

Swiping his hand down from the air, a menu manifested itself in front of him. Remembering the mechanics of the game from the beta test he was forced into, much to hi chagrin, he made his way into the contact list and wasn't surprised when he had found one user name that couldn't hide any identity from him.

He tapped on the singular name that bore "Heathcliff".

I understand why you did this, but let me get some things straight. Meet me at the gate leading out of the Starting City.

Tapping on 'send', he then closed his menu and decided to chuck down a few of the boar-like monsters that seemed to be grazing at the open fields outside the walls of the town area. A good fifteen-minute grinding sounded perfect to him, as it was one of Kayaba's bad habits that he would always arrive 15 minutes past an appointed meeting, which Koujiro Rinko had always berated him for.

Drawing out the short sword sheathed on his back, he rushed towards one of the unsuspecting beasts. As his blade shone into a menacing shade of crimson, he spun forward as he slashed, turned, threw his sword in midair and caught it with the other hand, then hit the beast's snout with the pommel of his weapon. As it drew back, flinched from the blow, he wasted no time completing his technique's form and rammed the length of his blade straight through the boar.

Gale Slash .

The sword skill was a low-level slash-type attack that his Personas had used back when he had just been starting out in SEES. He remembered the speed of his movement as he executed the slashes with help from Shiisa, each slice moving as fast as gale force winds.

His lips unconsciously curved upward as stared at his pale reflection on his sword, remembering Kayaba's reaction the first time he tried summoning a Persona in this world. Never has he seen such an expression of shock, wonder, disbelief, and curiosity mix itself perfectly onto one face. The man demanded an explanation from him about how an incarnation of the fearsome Greek death god Thanatos was lounging on his favorite spot on the couch in his laboratory. Recalling the memory, it was his first summoning without the aid of his trusty evoker, but nevertheless it had gone quite well.

After a few more rounds and a level up later, a ping alerted him to a message in his inbox. He smirked after having read the message, and decided to forestall his trip to the gate and instead sit by the grassy slope.

I think it inappropriate to meet by the Starting City. Wait by the grass and save me a boar, I would like to monster-hunt for a bit with you before I churn out the answers I know you need.

Closing away his menu, he then spotted a muscular man in starting gear trudging up the small slope, and smirked as he thought the avatar far too unfitting for Kayaba.

"You gave us mirrors that showed who we truly are and you appear as some suave-looking hero? Did you seriously think this through?"

'Heathcliff' returned his smug sentiment.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I did think this through."


A short idea that snuck into my brain and gave me a slight productivity incline today. Not sure if going to continue this. We'll see. And if anyone asks, no, this is not yaoi, and yes, Kirito will not be here. Why? Because I would like to explore a world where instead of him, Minato will be our protagonist.

Like it? Read and review? Dislike it? Move along to a new fic and don't even bother wasting on hate-mail or hate-reviews. Until next time.

~AkaiArsony