Hello everyone, SNEAKYD here. This is something I've been working on for a while along side a couple other Fics. This Fic is mostly written but I'll almost certainly change or add things as I go back through it so don't expect the entire thing in a couple weeks. It took me months to get it to a point that I feel like I can start posting the chapters. I already have 100k+ words written and have finnished SAOI but I still need to go back and edit. If anyone want's to beta for me feel free to PM me.

I wrote this story for my own enjoyment first and foremost. With that said, I don't give two shits if you hate my story (Hopefully you don't). Flames will be ignored, though I do encourage CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. PM me if you have any advise or questions.

This story will feature an older and slightly different Kirito. He will be pretty OOC, but in a good way. Everyone else I tried to keep somewhat cannon aside from Asuna. I also tried to follow major cannon events pretty closely for you sticklers of cannon.

Finally, I own neither Sword Art Online nor any other Anime/Manga/Movie/Show I may borrow ideas from.

October 7, 2022

Japan

Kirigaya Kazuto sighed for nearly the hundredth time as he stared out the classroom window, it was going to rain. It wouldn't be the nice kind of rain either. It was cold out today, a bitter chill was in the air. It would be the kind of rain that only amplifies feelings of gloom and despair.

Fitting weather, for today… Kazuto thought sadly.

Today was Kazuto's seventeenth birthday. Most people would be ecstatic for their birthday. A birthday is a time to celebrate life, reflect on the past, and look towards the future. But, for Kazuto, October 7th only brought painful memories.

To most, Kazuto's life seemed almost like a dream. He had looks that men would kill for even at seventeen. He was tall, standing at six foot, and had lean muscle, gained from time spent in the kendo dojo. His sleek black hair cascaded down his head, framing his face and nearly shadowing his eyes. Last but not least was his regal looking face that was almost feminine in nature. Many called him a pretty boy behind his back, but most were secretly jealous of the attention he received from the opposite sex. What pissed them off even more was Kazuto's seemingly ignorance towards his effect on women.

Aside from his looks, Kazuto held top academic marks in school, out preforming kids several years his senior. He'd even been given the choice to graduate early and go to college, having already tested out of all High School courses. Kazuto turned down the offer, telling the school and his guardians that he was too busy with an unnamed project to bother with college, yet. That was a huge surprise to everyone. His guardians said nothing to him about his decision. They knew the work he was doing at the moment was much more important to him than going to college several years early.

Outside of the classroom, Kazuto had recently been nationally recognized as a master swordsman. He was reasonably famous for the kendo tournaments he'd won, a fame that he hated. It was annoying to be in public when so many people knew your face. That, combined with his good looks, had made a social life nearly impossible in his eyes. He didn't want to make friends with people who only saw him as a status symbol. That was where Kazuto's real passion came in, his saving grace; computers and video games, specifically virtual reality games.

Most of his classmates knew him as a computer genius. What they didn't see was what he did with that knowledge when no one was looking. Kazuto considered himself to be the best programmer and hacker in Japan, with the exception Akihiko Kayaba of course. In fact, the only reason Kazuto had not set down his swords to focus solely on computers was thanks to his grandfather.

The grandfather that was the source of his grief every year on his birthday. For 5 years he had been running from the memory of that day.

Flashback

Newly turned twelve year old Kazuto ran as fast as he could to reach his grandfather's kendo dojo. It was raining pretty heavily today and Kazuto was eager to begin training despite the in-climate weather. After his parents died, when he was very young, Kazuto spent much of his time with his grandfather. Rain or shine he trained with the old man.

In the beginning, the old man had been hard on Kazuto, the death of his daughter and her husband taking a great toll on him. Kazuto remembered how much he hated kendo practice back then. But he persevered so that his cousin, who was more like a sister, would be spared his grandfather's... 'attention'.

As the years passed by, Kazuto's grandfather warmed up to him a great deal. To the point that, by the time Kazuto reached the age of ten, he spent nearly everyday with the old man. His grandfather had always remained strict in his training, however.

'I wouldn't be where I am today without it.' Thought Kazuto gratefully as he neared the dojo.

He paused slightly as he reached the dojo, the door was left open. That was extremely out of place, his grandfather was overly meticulous even on a bad day! Kazuto narrowed his eyes as he heard the sound of glass shattering inside.

Quickly removing his katana from his bag he made his way inside. What greeted him would haunt his memories and dreams for years to come.

Laying on the floor in the center of the dojo was his 80 year old grandfather, struggling to get up. Broken glass littered the floor around him and some was even stuck to his clothing and skin. Kazuto easily deduced that his grandfather had been thrown through the nearby sliding glass door that separated the dojo floor from the sitting room.

He quickly hid as he saw a man dressed in all black walk through the remains of the broken door, a gun in hand. The man must have caught Kazuto's grandfather off guard because the old man was more than skilled enough to handle a lone gunman. At least, that's what Kazuto wanted to believe. The reality of a child doesn't always align with the truth.

"Where is the safe old man!" Yelled the gunman. "I have it on good authority that you keep a lot of yen here!" Kazuto gripped his sword tighter as the man aimed his gun at his grandfather. There was indeed a safe in the basement. Kazuto's grandfather kept most of his money in that safe, not trusting it to the banks.

Kazuto's grandfather looked up to meet the man's eyes but caught Kazuto's first. The old man's eyes widened slightly then a sad smile came across his face. He tore his gaze away from Kazuto and met the gunman's eyes with a look of defiance.

"What kind of example would I set if I allowed you to steal from me? If I allowed you to get away and harm others? No… I'd die before I gave you a single Yen!" The old man spat.

The gunman tensed slightly then relaxed. "So be it old man!"

Kazuto had already crossed half the distance between his hiding spot and the gunman when the gun went off. Kazuto screamed in rage as the world slowed around him. He watched, as his grandfather fell to the floor, struggling to breath with a gunshot wound to the chest. He watched, as the gunman spun around, a surprised look on his face.

In the future, when Kazuto would look back on his next actions, he would always view it from a third person's point of view. As if his body acted of its own accord, though he knew deep down he had made the decision with full conscious thought. No matter how clouded by rage he had been in that moment, it was a decision he would live with for the rest of his life. A decision he would make again and again no matter the consequences. A decision that would unknowingly prepare him for the future.

Kazuto's blade flashed out masterfully, removing the man's hand from his body before he could fire the gun a second time. Blood sprayed over Kazuto's face as the man fell to his knees, crying in pain. Going into a graceful spin, Kazuto reversed his grip on his katana and drove it backwards into the man's chest.

The man froze in shock as the razor sharp blade passed through his chest and out his back, slumping over dead moments later. Kazuto's eyes widened and he fell forwards onto his knees in shock. Tears fell from his eyes as he looked at his blood stained hands. He had the urge to throw up but pushed it down as he remembered his grandfather.

He quickly crawled over to the old man's prone form, trying his best to ignore the dead body lying off to the side. The elderly man smiled as he saw Kazuto kneeling next to him. "Kazu...to!" He exclaimed, coughing violently. Blood flew from his mouth and stained the front of his white kimono with even more of the crimson liquid.

Tears started to pour from Kazuto's eyes now. "It's going to be okay Jii-chan! You're not going to die, I'll go get help!" Kazuto made to stand but his arm was grabbed tightly.

He met the eyes of his grandfather, they held nothing but pride and acceptance. "No, Kazuto-kun….I'm going… (cough)...to die here…I'm proud…(cough, cough)...of you...Thank you…(cough)...for avenging an old man…Remember Kazuto…(cough)...never bow to the will of men like him!"

The old man's eyes closed and he let out one last, ragged breath. Kazuto's scream of anger and sorrow drowned out the sound of sirens in the distance. All he could hear was the rain pouring down on the roof above.

End Flashback

Kazuto looked away from the window and down to his hands. He washed his hands thousands of times since that day but he could still see the blood glistening on his palms. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He had gotten over killing his grandfather's murderer years ago. He would do it again without a second thought if someone threatened his remaining family. What he couldn't really get over, was his own indecision to act. Had he moved a second sooner his grandfather would have been alive today. It wasn't the blood of the murder he saw on his hands, it was his grandfather's. Kazuto shook his head to clear away those thought. It never did him any good to dwell on them. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

After that day he'd thrown himself into kendo and kenjutsu training as well as computer studies. In less than a year he had nearly mastered several Ittoryu and Nitoryu sword styles as well as becoming adept in martial arts. In addition he began to write code for a man known as Akihiko Kayaba.

Kazuto met the man in an online programming forum and had impressed him with his knowledge of computer programing. Kayaba had been so impressed, he let Kazuto take a look at the VRMMO he'd been developing for the past few years. At the time, VR games were highly cutting edge, only existing in arcades and such.

After that day, Kayaba would occasionally email him a coding problem. It was never anything too revealing about the game, nor anything the man couldn't handle himself. It was mostly things to do with the game's combat system. Likely due to Kazuto's status as a kendo prodigy at the time.

Kazuto felt as if Kayaba was testing him, but for what reason, he wasn't sure. What he did know, was that he respected and looked up to Kayaba; so he would jump at a chance to assist the man. He also made quite a bit of money.

Kayaba began paying him millions of yen (AN: Thousands of US Dollars) per portion of code that he completed after the first year. That, on top of the prize money from kendo competitions, made Kazuto a pretty wealthy kid. Not that he spent any of it, though. He was content living how he was at the moment and had no need to spend his money.

Eventually Kayaba began delivering the money in person, much to Kazuto's surprise. During those visits they had talked about everything from Kazuto's schooling and the code that he'd been writing to his study of the blade. Kayaba would share information about SAO with Kazuto, never too much though; just as it had been before they'd met in person. The older genius became a mentor and a role model for Kazuto, some would say the closest thing he had to a friend at the time. Secretly, the man was like a father figure. He even slightly filled the void left by Kazuto's grandfather's untimely death.

But, despite his closeness with Kayaba, Kazuto still couldn't get past his grandfather's death. Everyday felt as though he was simply going through the motions. The only thing holding his interest for long being kendo, computers, and videogames. All ways for him to escape the boring reality that was his life and the troubles of his past.

A few months ago Kazuto was invited, by Kayaba personally, to beta test the game that he'd been writing code for over the past few years. Kayaba had delivered his copy of the game and NerveGear personally. They talked about the game over dinner and Kayaba explained more about the game than he had at any other time during their lengthy relationship.

Sword Art Online was a masterpiece and Kazuto instantly fell in love with it. Only stopping to eat and practice kendo, Kazuto leveled extraordinarily fast in the beta; reaching level 22 and floor 16, solo, by the end. He attributed his success to his grandfather's training, no one could cross blades with him unless they significantly out-leveled him.

He also had an admin ID during the beta so he could edit code and fix bugs in the game. As far as he knew, he was the only beta tester with such access. He knew more about the game at this point than anyone other than Kayaba himself. It was unfair, but if there was one thing Kazuto knew, it was that life is rarely fair.

Playing the game had an unintentional side effect, however. The NervGear somehow made him smarter, faster, and more precise. His memory was becoming eidetic and he could perceive the world around him with many times more clarity. He assumed the NervGear was affecting him on a neural level but said nothing any anyone, not even Kayaba. It wasn't hurting him, yet, and no one else had reported anything like it.

The changes still paled in comparison to being in the actual game, though. He never felt so free then when he assumed his online persona. He couldn't wait to go back. Kayaba had emailed him at the end of the beta and thanked him personally for all of his help. Saying that he couldn't have done it without him and he would play an important role in things to come. He also said that he was sorry for not coming in person, that he had too many preparations to make.

The email had slightly bothered Kazuto. It seemed almost like... like a foreshadowing. The way Kayaba had worded his message was just… off. He wondered what the man was planning and the more he considered the possibilities, the more concerned he became.

The bell rang, bringing Kazuto out of his thoughts. As he stood to head home, he could only think of the month or so before the game became active. He had preparations to make as well.

SAO Day 0

Nov 6, 2022

Kazuto placed the NervGear on his head and laid down in bed. He looked at the clock, only a minute to go. It had been a long wait, but he was finally going to go back. The clock changed and Kazuto took a deep breath.

"Link Start!" He exclaimed with a smirk.

Instantly, the familiar falling sensation was felt as he logged into the game. It was the feeling of his brain syncing with the NervGear's neural net. Thankfully his character, Kirito, had carried over from the beta. Though his stats would certainly have been reset.

Kirito quickly manipulated his menu to view his stats. As expected they were set to level one, except for one. His perception skill, the skill governing reaction time, basic sight, basic hearing and, even the games added sixth sense for danger.

The perception skill in the game was unique in that it began based on the player's initial potential in real life. Basically, the more intelligent and the faster your brain worked in real life, the higher the skill. The skill could be increased by leveling up, giving the user a sort of superhuman perception within the game.

Kirito's had started at 220 in the beta and increased to 350 by the end. From the data he'd seen concerning the other beta's stats, 150-180 was a good baseline. Kirito knew that he was smarter than most people, so his initial stat came as no surprise. He did have a genius level IQ and insane reaction speeds thanks to kendo and martial arts training, after all.

He could barely wrap his head around his score now, though. He was at 430 base perception! That shouldn't be possible, unless the NervGear had affected his brain more than he initially realised. It actually gave a quantitative value to the increase in his brain function over the past few months. It had nearly doubled.

Did the NervGear really affect me that much? Will it affect me even more as I continue to play? I plan on putting a lot of hours into this game… what kind of side effects could that have? Kirito thought with a slight amount of worry.

He shook it off and quickly closed his stat window, lest someone catch a glimpse at it. No need to raise unwanted questions. He quickly went into his skills menu and scrolled down the list. Everything was the same as in the beta until he reached the bottom.

Two skills had been grayed out and their names displayed as question marks. Kirito's eyes widened slightly. No other skills were supposed to be added to the game, he should know, having coded much of the combat system.

Though, it's highly possible that Kayaba added a number of special combat skills without my knowledge. He only shared what he wanted to, after all. Kirito thought with slight resentment as he pressed the first skill and a message appeared over the skill screen. The contents only served to further astound him.

«Unique Skill Locked»

Requirements:

500 STR (Strength)

750 PER (Perception)

500 AGL (Agility)

He pressed the other skill and received a similar message.

«Extra Skill Locked»

Requirements:

300 STR (Strength)

300 AGL (Agility)

600 1HC (One-Handed Curved)

Kirito quickly closed his menus and smiled. He had been given a gift, probably from Kayaba himself. "You will play an important role in things to come." Kirito remembered the words from Kayaba's final email. The man was setting him up for something, but what? Taking off in a sprint, he headed for a monster farming area. As he rounded a corner he was called out by someone.

He stopped and turned to see another player running up behind him, clearly out of breath. It still amazed Kirito that the NervGear could cause a player to feel fatigue and pain. Sure he understood most of the science behind it, but it was still impressive. Kirito raised his eyebrows, the man seemed to understand the silent question.

"Uh...hey. You seem to know where you're going, like you've been here before. You were part of the beta test weren't you?" The man questioned quickly. He seemed a little nervous, speaking about the beta test but that was to be expected. The beta's were mostly elite MMO players hand picked by Kayaba himself.

Kirito nodded his head a little reluctantly. He could see where this was going and didn't really want to deal with it. It wasn't that he didn't want to help people, he just didn't want to do so on his first day back. None-the-less, Kirito answered affirmatively. "Yeah… I was."

The man smiled brightly. "Ah, I knew it!" He exclaimed boisterously. "My name is Klein. I was hoping you could show me around?" He questioned almost begged, almost.

Instead of instantly turning the man down, Kirito actually thought about it for a moment. He had always been a solo player and helping Klein would hinder his progress at the start. Not to mention probably ruin his first day back. But, he already had a major edge on most of the people in the game anyways. One day wouldn't hurt his progress much at all and there was always tomorrow to enjoy the game solo.

"Sure… I guess. My name is Kirito. Follow me, I know a good spot to level up." Kirito replied after a tense few moments. Without another word he turned and resumed his previous trek towards the farming area.

Klein jumped for joy and followed Kirito out of the town.

Several Hours Later

Klein and Kirito were currently resting on a small hill near the clearing they had been killing boars in. It had taken Klien some time to get the hang of the «Sword Skills» used in the game but he was coming along nicely. Kirito had yet to even use a «Sword Skill», much to Klein's confusion.

"Ne, Kirito?"

Kirito looked away from the setting sun to regard Klein. "Hmm?" He hummed lazily in response. He was pretty relaxed at the moment; despite his earlier fears of helping a newbie player ruining his first day back. Helping Klein had actually been enjoyable, it gave him a new objective. Like a self-made quest to train a player weaker than yourself. It was uniquely satisfying.

"I was just wondering… why I haven't seen you use a single «Sword Skill»? Not that you needed it!" Klein rushed out with a laugh. Kirito was amazing in his eyes; Easily killing several boars with pure skill in the span of time it took him to kill one with a «Sword Skill».

Kirito was about to answer but paused for a moment, mulling over what to tell him. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell him some of the truth. "Well in real life I'm very proficient with a blade….or two. You see, most enemies in SAO have a weak spot or several. A player skilled with a blade has no need for sword skills. I can do more damage without a sword skill than with one so long as I get critical hits." He explained sagely.

It's a little more complicated than that. Kirito thought to himself. But, Klein doesn't need to worry about that at this level. Until a player reaches level twenty, the sword skills they have access to do less damage than a non-assist critical hit. In addition, critical hits can be chained together, whereas sword skills have a cool down period. Meaning that I can do an exponential amount more damage with critical hits than with sword skills at this level. As long as I level my speed, I can probably continue to do so until level one-hundred. Possibly even create artificial sword skills. The possibilities are endless. Kirito thought, still in slight awe at the game that he help create.

Klein's eyes lit up. "Awesome! So... do you know of Kirigaya Kazuto? That guy is amazing with a sword. Some say that he's never lost fight! He also has to be drowning in money, and women!" He finished with a perverse giggle.

Kirito almost choked on the bread that he was eating but quickly collected himself. Well, he got the money part kinda right at least, though I'm not that wealthy by any means. I try to actively ignore fan girls as well. "Ah… well yes, he is very good, probably the best. But, I don't know him Klein-san, sorry."

Sorry for the lie Klein-san, but it's too early for someone to discover who I am. Every swordsman in the game would be out for my head. Though that might prove a nice challenge. Contemplated Kirito with an inward smirk. The truth was that he loved fighting and the harder the challenge the better. Several thousand people trying to fight you would prove quite a challenge to anyone.

Klein just laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Hehe… Sorry about that. I got carried away with the fact that you're a swordsman in real life also. I just admire the guy, you know? To be a master swordsman at his age..."

Kirito looked out over the horizon at the setting sun. "Yeah, I know." He said barely above a whisper. A lot of people admired him, in school and out of it. He hated it but he never said a word. Kirito didn't see himself as worthy of their admiration and affection. He was a killer and a loner, both by choice.

The duo sat in silence for a moment until Klein jumped up with a yell. "Ah! I didn't realize it was so late. I have a pizza coming any moment! Will you be on tomorrow Kirito?"

Kirito stood gracefully and nodded. "Yeah, though I may have to leave you on your own tomorrow."

Klein looked a little put out but quickly covered it with a shrug. "Ah that's okay, you helped me a lot today. I can share what you taught me with my friends tomorrow." He exclaimed with a fist pump, regaining his slightly over the top attitude.

Kirito suppressed a laugh at the older man's zeal and smiled slightly. He watched as Klein manipulated his player menu to log out. At least he would have, had the logout button been present. "Eh, Kirito, there's no button to log out."

"What?!" Kirito exclaimed in surprise before opening his own player menu. He found the same thing, the logout button had been removed.

"I'm sure it's just a bug. Probably a server glitch." Kirito said reassuringly, though he knew his words were lies. He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. Like something bad was about to happen. The same feeling he had when he read Kayaba's final email. Is this your doing Kayaba? This is no glitch, someone had to forcibly remove access to the button.

All of a sudden, both players were enveloped by a bright blue light. They appeared with thousands of other players in the center of The Town of Beginning.

"Ahh! What the hell was that Kirito!" Klein exclaimed loudly as he rubbed his eyes from the flash.

Kirito looked around calmly. He was used to the teleports, having used many a teleport crystal during the beta. "Remote teleport. Probably part of some kind of opening event. It would also explain the disabled logouts." He reassured him despite not believing it himself. I don't want to worry him, but this isn't right. Something is very, very wrong here.

Suddenly a strange mirror appeared in everyone's hands. Almost simultaneously the collective of players looked into their respective mirrors. In less than ten seconds the whole crowd had been changed to look exactly how they did in real life.

"Kirito! You...You look like Kirigaya Kazuto!" Klein exclaimed in awe. It was no wonder he was so good at the game! To a master swordsman a game like this would be child's play.

Kirito sighed. Oh well, hopefully no one else would notice for some time... "And I would assume that you look like yourself Klein-san. Please don't tell anyone about me. I want to keep my identity secret for now. I may not be that famous but enough people know who I am to cause me problems in this world."

Klein nodded quickly. He could easily hear the imploring nature in Kirito's voice. "Of course Kirito. I won't tell anyone. You might want to get a cloak or mask though. You are pretty recognizable." He paused for a moment to contemplate. "Actually you probably want both." He finished with a grin, holding up two fingers representing both articles of clothing.

Kirito nodded. "Way ahead of you." He said as he quickly equipped a black cloak and face mask. The cloak covered his whole form and the mask covered everything but his eyes. Both had dropped from a boar earlier. How lucky of me. He thought dryly. The only thing visible was the curved scimitar on his back. Kirito would have preferred a straight blade but he wanted to unlock that extra skill ASAP.

The curved blade was growing on him though. It was similar enough to a Katana that it didn't feel completely foreign in his hands. The problem was that the blade was too light, too short, and too wide. Kirito shook his head, now was not the time to dwell on his choice of weapon.

Klein was about to ask a question when a giant red warning field sprung to life over head. The gathered crowd watched in awe and a bit of fear as a massive cloaked figure appeared in the air above them.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba and, as of this moment, I am in control of this world." Said the cloaked figure in a booming voice. The creator's statement was met with loud murmurs and shouted questions.

He continued on, completely ignoring the players below. "I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus: the logout button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be." Kayaba explained, shocking every last one of the players below him.

Kirito's eyes widened at that, so his suspicions were confirmed. "What is the meaning of this Kayaba…" His voice barely a whisper. Klein looked at Kirito quizzically, having heard the boy's whispered words. Kirito ignored the look, trying to figure out Kayaba's game. The more he thought about the possibilities the more worried he became.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NervGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NervGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life."

Kirito listened as Kayaba explained his plan. How 213 people had already died. How the only way to leave the game would be to clear all 100 floors. As the man spoke Kirito descended slowly into a calm, calculated rage. He hadn't felt this way since the day his grandfather died.

The last time he felt this way his hands had been stained by the blood of a murderer. Kirito looked down to his hands and back up to the floating avatar of Akihiko Kayaba. My hands will be stained with the blood of another murderer before this is over. I will not die in this game. A game that I helped to create. Finding his resolve Kirito made a decision that would be looked back on as a defining moment in the death game that was SAO.

Kirito looked to Klein. "Stay here, there's something I have to do." Klein nodded reluctantly. He was wary of leaving Kirito's side, he felt totally out of his depth. It was a feeling mirrored by 99.9 percent of the players around him.

Kirito ran to the center of the Town Square as Kayaba's avatar disappeared. The crowd was already going into a panic, he had to be quick. He scaled the clock tower in the center of the town square and opened his inventory. Quickly manipulating some settings, Kirito set his voice to project across the wide area. It was a scarcely known trick even among the betas.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled out, his voice echoing through the entire town center.

Everyone froze and looked up towards the source of the voice. They were surprised to see a figure standing on the clocktower. His black cloak billowing in the wind. Black eyes looked down on them from above the black face mask concealing his features. He looked ominous and powerful standing above them.

The figure spoke in a calm and soothing voice. "I know that most of you are afraid, scared of what is to come. I share your fear, but we cannot allow that fear to control us. We must be strong in the face of death. Do not lose hope, do not falter, and we will clear all 100 floors." Kirito paused as excited murmurs broke out among the crowd.

"For those of you that don't believe his words, I assure you, this is no longer a game. This is our life now and we cannot afford to lose. I call upon the beta testers to help those who are lost. Guide them until they can stand on their own. You know who you are and you should know who I am, so please, heed my advice. Good luck everyone, stay safe and don't lose hope. We will clear this game!" He finished confidently.

Kirito used his already impressive speed to disappear from the top of the tower. He landed next to Klein and grabbed his arm. "Come, we're leaving." Was all he said before once again disappearing with Klein in tow.

Once out of the town center, Kirito stopped and turned to Klein. He pulled his mask down and removed the hood of his cloak to speak face to face. "I'm sorry but we have to part ways here." He explained regretfully. He really didn't want to leave Klein to fend for himself, but he had to move forward on his own for now.

Klein was taken back by this. "Wha!? But, you just said..."

"I know what I said!" Kirito snapped, surprising Klein with his outburst. He'd been nothing but calm in the short time Klein had known him. Kirito took a deep breath to center himself. "You don't understand my situation. It would be dangerous for you to travel with me right now." Kirito looked away, not really wanting to say more. He hoped Klein would just drop the matter and leave him be.

Klein was confused and had no intention of letting Kirito go off on his own without an explanation. "Why? You seem to know more about this game than anyone."

Kirito met Klein's eyes and the older man recoiled slightly. Kirito's eyes were hard as diamond and held a stone cold rage. "I don't know why I'm telling you this." He began softly. "But it cannot be shared. Keeping my identity secret pales in comparison to this..."

Klein nodded seriously and Kirito sighed heavily. He turned to look out at the sun which was barely peaking over the horizon at this point. It would be dark soon, not a good time to be in the wild at such a low level. Many monsters grew in strength and numbers at night. He had to be quick if he wanted to be out there to help those foolish enough to venture out at night.

"Several years ago, I met a man on a programming forum." Kirito began. "He was impressed by some of the programs I'd written. He asked if I would like to take a look at a project that he'd been working on for some time, a VRMMO."

Klein's eyes widened as he stared at Kirito's back, putting two and two together. "Over the next several years the man would send me emails containing coding problems for me to write and or solve. It was never anything that he couldn't really finish himself, mostly things related to in-game combat. He was testing me, I know now that he was also preparing me. You see Klein, that man… was Akihiko Kayaba. So go back into town, hate me for my part in this mess, but I must clear this game." Kirito finished remorsefully as he hung his head slightly.

Klein stood in shock for a moment before grabbing Kirito's shoulders and spinning him around. "This isn't your fault Kirito, unless you can tell me that you helped Kayaba make this a death game." Kirito shook his head vehemently. He never would have helped create this! "Then you hold no more responsibility than anyone else who may have worked with Kayaba." Klein told him sternly.

Kirito sighed and stepped back. "Thank you for believing in me Klein, but I don't think most people will be so understanding." Klein nodded, it was very doubtful. Kirito would have a target painted on his back if such knowledge got out at the moment.

"That's why I'll keep your secret, Kirito." Klein assured him. "But, what will you do on your own? How can you make a difference solo?" He asked, worried for his new friend's safety. This game was no joke, even for someone like Kirigaya Kazuto.

Kirito gave Klein a faint smile but it held no happiness, it was empty and seemed to be an attempt to cover Kirito's pain. "It may be my own doing, but I've been solo for a long time Klein. I've gotten pretty good at it over the years. The people trapped in this game need a symbol for hope. I will be that symbol, Klein. I never liked fame, in real life or games. But, people will lose hope with no one to look up to. I am in a position to become strong enough for everyone, I can't run from that." Kirito said with passion. He exuded confidence as he spoke which made Klein feel better in turn.

It'll also get me one step closer to my true goal. Kirito thought. I will kill Kayaba and atone for my part in this. No one will stand in my way!

Klein opened his menu and sent Kirito a friend request while holding out his hand. "Friends?"

Kirito hesitated for a moment before accepting the invite and shaking Klein's hand. "This is goodbye for now Klein. Keep in touch and don't hesitate to call me if you need help. We are in this together after all. Maybe, in time, I'll even form a guild." He mused as he turned to walk away.

"Of course! The same goes for you Kirito, farewell. Oh, and save some positions in your guild for my friends and I." He said with a wave. Kirito paused for a brief moment to wave over his shoulder before disappearing in a burst of speed.

I believe in you Kirito, good luck. Klein thought with hope as he turned to head back into The Town of Beginning. He had some friends to find.

And that's a wrap for the first chapter of SAO: Dragon Knight. I hope you enjoyed what I've written so far. Please review. Tell me what you like and what you didn't like. Tell me what I could do better in the future for later chapters. I'm bad about replying to reviews so if you want to discuss the story or ask questions feel free to PM me. I can't say when the next chapter will be ready. It's technically "finished" but I'm not confident it's ready yet.

See you all next time, peace.