Quick authors not here, wanted to let you guys know a few things; this is pretty much an intro chapter, the story takes place pretty much just after Alicization, and italics, in quotes and more than like one or two words, denotes thought. Have fun, and drop a review if you feel like it!

o0o

No sooner than the clock on his bedside started blaring it's 6:00 alarm, Josephs ears where greeted by his friend Hastune and her routine morning greeting. "Atropos! Get your lazy ass outta bed, or you won't get any breakfast before school." Groaning into consciousness, Joseph gave a groggy reply.

"Hatsune, it's been... like... atleast a year of me telling you every morning. My name is Joseph here, we aren't in Aincrad anymore."

"Oh but Joseph is such a boring name compared to Atropos. I mean, would you rather be-"

"Whatever, whatever, now please. Out. So I can put clothes on and crap."

"Whatever, grumpy face" and with that, Hatsune had skipped out of his room to do whatever she did in the morning.

"You can do this Joseph, only another week and a half until a month of Christmas break" Joseph rolled out of bed, grabbed a clean uniform, and headed to the bathroom for a shower "besides, you know it's only her way of coping. I'd rather her be super... her... than depressed. One of us has to be the over optimistic sailor mouth. I'm just the normal sailor mouthed one" Thoughts of the upcoming school day flooded the young mans mind as he let the warm water further awaken his senses, taking just a bit to enjoy it before actually getting clean. Soap, check. Shampoo and conditioner (2 in 1!), check. After one final rinse, Joseph stepped out of the shower and shoved his face into the fluffy towel he had on standby. Drying quickly and pulling on his clothes, he looked in the mirror. Light brown hair hung into equally brown eyes, and the ever present smirk greeted him back as he put on his glasses and began brushing out his thick hair. "Maybe I should get it cut," he mused to himself, "or not. Haircuts are expensive as shit." Done with cleaning himself, he walked out into the combined kitchen and living room in the basement of St. Wolfgang's orphanage. The younger children lived on the upper floors while the older kids, as in Joseph and Hatsune, had the small basement mostly to themselves assuming they followed the rules. They had pretty much given up on being adopted once fourteen hit and they were allowed to move to the basement. Then the SAO crisis hit, and further deterred them. They had pretty much all they needed here anyway, beds in their own rooms, food, and family. Granted their family was a big one consisting of the whole orphanage, but it was still family. They had no desire to move out until they decided to on their own in a few years, and the Sisters who ran the orphanage and their helpers had no intention of putting them out on the street. "Say, Hatsune, did you eat the last of the Strawberry Smiggles?"

"Nope," the girl said around a mouthful of cereal, "But I'm about to, nii-chan"

"One, how'd I know? And two, don't call me that. I've lived here fifteen years, and my Japanese may not be the best, but I know I'm not your brother, and I know you don't respect me as one."

"American blood runs deep I s'pose," the girl shrugged, "besides, you aren't speaking Japanese anyway, this story is in English."

"What?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you breaking the fourth wall again? I fucking hate it when you do that, creeps me the hell out."

"I've no idea what you mean nii-chan" the Japanese girl teased her friend with a wink.

"Ugh, this is gonna be such a long day" the teen slammed his head on the small table "and I didn't even get my Strawberry Smiggles."

"I told you," Hatsune offered with a rub to his head, "that if you didn't hurry you ass up, you wouldn't get any breakfast."

"You mean those weren't just the last Strawberry Smiggles, but the last of our breakfast food?"

"Ha!" The girl chuckled, "breakfast food? Don't be silly, that was the last of all our food!"

"Why do you eat so goddamned much? Whatever, I'll just get something out of the vending machine at school."

"You can't eat in class though dude." Hatsune countered in her possibly-a-plot to starve her friend.

"I've got Mr. Mathews first period," he shrugged, "he'll be cool with it"

"Dammit"

"We're you trying to starve me Hatsune?"

"No, but now I'll have to think of a new way to annoy you, this one obviously won't work.

"Fuckin knew it."

"Oh would you look at the time nii-chan, I need to catch the bus for school, bye!" With that the black haired girl rushed up the stairs and out the doors.

"I may as well get there early as well." Getting up from the table, the boy threw on his worn brown trench coat, and headed up the stairs.

"Off to school Joseph-chan?" Asked Keiko, former resident and now worker at the orphanage.

"Mhm, sorry I didn't say good morning Keiko-san, I'll talk after work, I promise."

"Alright, just be safe. And for heaven sake, wear a helmet."

"Mhm, bye Keiko-San!" Not wanting a lecture on motorbikes to make him late for being early, Joseph ran out the door and into the crisp November air.