Me: AYYYY! Hey guys! OKay, so, if you read the description, you already know what this is about, and that's generally what I note about, which means, congrats, you don't get a long A/N! Go ahead and read!

Chapter One: Beta

Kaori's POV

I ran my fingers through my thick, green hair, a frown twitching at the corners of my mouth. Staring down at the hunk of metal on my bed, I suddenly wasn't so sure that this was a good idea.

I'd seen the game produced. I'd helped with the editing, the options you had to make your avatar, I'd even created an entire level, including little Easter eggs I'd giggled over for days. I knew the experience, knew what was going to happen. It was an interesting concept, certainly, but I was sure some beta would come along and beat it in a year or so. No biggie.

So why was I so nervous?

"Kaori! The game goes online in a couple minutes!" My uncle popped his head in my door, giving me a small smile. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Uncle. I have my avatar ready. I just need to adjust something on the NerveGear and I'll be ready," I assured him. He walked in, bending down to plant a kiss on the top of my head. He crouched down to my level, eyes sparkling.

"This is possibly the greatest thing that's ever happened with technology. We've been blessed to be a part of it, Kaori. Remember, darling, everything that I have, you shall also. Anything you need, anything at all, just think it and the game will provide." he smiled at me, and I smiled back; the gaming fever my uncle had was contagious.

"Remember, we'll meet up in that special cafe I showed you on the first floor?" he said, standing and looking down at me. I nodded.

"Of course, Uncle Kayaba." My uncle clapped his hands together, something eerie glowing in his eyes as he turned and strode out the door. I sighed, biting my lip as I looked back at the NerveGear. Should I go into this world? I already knew everything, and I would have anything I wanted at my disposal. Would that be any fun?

"This is my greatest masterpiece. Immerse yourself in this world, Kaori! It will amazing, surprising, new. You will not be disappointed."

I took a step forward, crouching down to look at my NerveGear. It was as shiny as a new penny, a wonderful thing that cued a whole new world of technological advances being made. And my uncle had started it all; everything that resulted of it, good or bad, my uncle would be responsible. I smiled. As Kayaba's niece, I would have privileges in the game that other players could only dream of. Surely, it would be fun. Surely.

I grabbed the headset, laying down on my bed and putting it over my head, powering it up. The game was already set up for me, as the original beta. I had my avatar, who looked as different from myself as I could manage to make her look, already set up and waiting in the world. Of course, I'd used my true name; it would keep me, myself.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, a smile spreading across my face. There was no calming the butterflies in my stomach. They were fluttering around, banging against the walls of my stomach, and I felt nervous.

No.

Not nervous.

Excited.

I opened my eyes again, the clock in the corner of my headset showing 12:59. I bit my lip, my eyes widening as the numbers blinked continuously.

Soon.

Very soon.

13:00 flashed in the corner of my headset. I closed my eyes.

"Link Start!" I called out. A few seconds of tunneling later, the pregame sequence was initiated.

Touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste, all fine with myself and my system. Anxious now, I selected Japanese as the language, then inputted my oh-so-complex login data. The character registration popped up, asking me if I wanted to use my previous save data. Of course, I did. I selected my username: Kaori. I clicked the blue button.

Within seconds…

Welcome to Sword Art Online!

I smiled as the blue tunneling sequence took place, transporting me into the game.

This was going to be fantastic.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Amaya's POV

The shaking wasn't gentle, but not harsh, either. I groaned, batting the hand away and rolling over.

"No-oo, I'm tired." My mouth formed the words, my throat vibrating to indicate I'd voiced them. The shaking paused, then intensified. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. If I couldn't see her, she couldn't do anything about it.

It felt like I was in the middle of an earthquake then, both of my older sister's hands on my arm as she shook me forcibly. I opened my eyes in shock, flying up and getting tangled in my blankets. My head whipped to the side, where my older sister was standing, hand on hip. Her lips were moving, but she'd started too early, I hadn't gotten all of it. I shook my head.

Start over, I signed. She smiled faintly, her eyes softening as she looked down at me. I yawned, my jaw going wider than I thought it could. Lori waved a hand at me and I nodded, watching her hands.

I just got here and you were asleep. It is close to one. Were we going to log onto that game you beta'd? Lori signed, pausing every few seconds to make a face as she fingerspelled something out. She held up a case depicting two swords crossed and buried in the ground, with the title Sword Art Online in red at the top.

"You remembered," I said, smiling. Lori frowned a little, touching her throat and running her finger down it, her mouth moving to form the words "Quiet down."

"Sorry." I tried to be quiet, but I couldn't really tell. Being deaf had its issues. A smile broke out on my face; that wouldn't be a problem in Sword Art Online! From my beta testing, I knew my hearing worked perfectly in the game, which was amazing. That was the reason I'd wanted Lori to join me in the game; I could hear her voice there.

I was one of the younger betas, at fifteen. A mere two days before Sword Art Online was officially released, I turned sixteen, and I was more pumped than ever by all I was reading about the game's database. Akihiko-san had released that there would be a twist to the game and that the betas might not recognize this new world they had to beat. That had excited me all the more for the release of the game, and, since I had preordered it, it got to me a couple hours before the game went online for all players. I'd convinced Lori to play with me after telling her a couple stories of one of my beta friends, a boy named Diesel. My older sister took the game as an opportunity to escape from reality, breaking down and buying it.

As much as I wanted my sister to join so she could have fun, it was also in part about me. Being deaf from birth, I'd never once heard my sister's voice, despite the fact that she'd been my primary caretaker for all sixteen years I'd been alive, my mother having died a year or so after giving birth to me and our father being shot after a committing the serious criminal offense of sexual abuse, and against his eldest daughter, no less.

When I'd beta'd Sword Art Online, I could hear. My hearing worked exceptionally, and it opened up an entirely new world for me. No longer was I restricted to reading lips and hands, if the person happened to know sign language. I could hear anything, and it was exciting. I'd convinced Lori to play Sword Art Online with me because of that. I was sure that, if my hearing worked in the beta, it would also in the real game. If that was true, I would finally be able to hear my older sister's voice. The thought made me giddy.

I stopped at the door atop the steps, whirling around to look down at Lori expectantly. I frowned; she was on the phone and, based on the look she was giving the glowing device in her palm, she wasn't liking how the conversation was going. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me, moving the phone so her shoulder was tilted and holding it to her ear.

One second. This is important. Go ahead and start it up. I nodded, turning around and opening the door to the bedroom, where two NerveGears lay on the bed and some sort of futon, respectively. A grin split my face as I skipped over to the futon, running my fingers fondly across the shiny blue surface of my NerveGear. It was a wonderful piece of equipment, powerful enough to stop all brain waves and translate them into a virtual database where you could move without the assistance of a joystick or anything so primitive as that. I crouched down to examine it, my excited face reflected in the face shield. I stuck my tongue out at myself, giggling.

Amaya? You ready? Lori's face appeared behind mine in the face shield, her lips moving slowly as I read them. I nodded, turning to face her. She pointed across at her NerveGear, her eyebrows pinching together. I picked up my NerveGear, placing it on my head and pointing at it. Lori walked over to the bed, sitting down on it and placing the thing on her head as well. I nodded.

"When you want to activate it, you just say 'Link Start' and it'll channel you into the game! You'll wanna activate it soon because you need to create your character. Make sure you name her 'Lori' or something like that so I can recognize you. You can look like anyone in the game, remember!" I cheered, pumping a fist in the air. Lori smiled, nodding. "We'll meet up in the center square. Don't worry about finding me, I'll just come to you. I'm pretty sure you'll stick out, being a newbie and all." Lori gave me an unamused look and I stuck my tongue out at her, giggling.

How droll. So, basically, just keep my real name and stay put? Lori asked, tilting her head to the left, her blonde hair swishing to the side and some strands falling over her shoulder. I nodded.

"Yep!" Lori grinned, her shoulders moving with what I assumed was laughter by the look on her face. "Oh, and it helps if you lay down, by the way." Lori nodded again, adjusting her position so she was laying down. She signed something I sloppily made out as a request to feed the dogs, my suspicions unconfirmed due to the NerveGear's face shield's shine, blocking Lori's lips from my view. I looked at the clock in the corner of my NerveGear.

12:55. I had time. I pulled the helmet off my head, jogging downstairs. I put my thumb and forefinger in my mouth, blowing hard and shifting my tongue around until I saw two dogs come bounding around the corner. I smiled, hopping the last three stairs and landing on the ground just in time to be tackled by a tiny Alaskan Malamute. The puppy's mouth opened and closed rapidly, his tongue slurping all over my face. I pushed him off gently, smiling, before getting to my feet.

I slapped my leg, a huge German Shepherd trotting out and picking the little Malamute up by the scruff of his neck. He trotted to my side, whacking my legs with his tail and smiling a doggy smile up at me.

I skipped into the kitchen, grabbing the bag of dog food Lori's new boy had gotten and dumping some food into a big bowl for Myrrh and a smaller bowl for Rosco. Myrrh dropped Rosco, padding to his food bowl arthritically and eating out of it carefully; Rosco, on the other hand, galloped clumsily over to his bowl, shoving his face into it and nearly inhaling the entire bowl. I chuckled, going over and rubbing both doggies' heads.

Rosco jumped up into my arms, his pink tongue slurping my face and his fuzzy cheek nuzzling against mine. I kissed the top of his head and set him down, kneeling down to rub behind Myrrh's ears. He rumbled at me, even the back of his neck vibrating to show his affection. I hugged him around the neck, kissing the side of his soft, furry face.

"I love you two so much. You're the best friends a girl could ever have," I hummed, looking at my two hearing dogs with a smile. Myrrh shoved his head into my stomach, rubbing it back and forth as Rosco chomped onto my knee lightly. I smiled.

"I have to go log on now, okay boys? I'll be back to feed you in a couple hours. Wait for me, don't go anywhere," I chuckled, giving both of them a bout of final scratching before heading back upstairs.

The door creaked open and I slipped into the room, trotting over to the futon-like thing and shoving the NerveGear onto my head. I looked at the clock in the corner of the device.

12:59. So close.

So close.

13:00.

"Link Start!" I squealed, closing my eyes. Everything was a blur as the NerveGear went through the preliminary status checks. Touch and sight turned green, clicking off to the side. The hearing option popped against my screen, and everything seemed to freeze for a second.

My NerveGear was stuck. The 'hearing' selection was frozen, not turning green like two others already had. It was just sitting there. It wasn't turning any different color, wasn't blinking off to the side like the other two had.

Finally, it turned red, everything bursting back into motion. I frowned. What did that mean? The hearing selection had turned red while the rest had turned green just fine, no complications, please and thank you.

I didn't have much time to think about it. That screen cleared, switching to the language selection screen. I selected Japanese quickly, and the screen went to my login screen. I entered my user and password eagerly; if I still had control over my body, I would be twitching and squirming nonstop. The character registration popped up, stating that I had saved data still. I selected it and pressed the blue button, officially entering myself in the game.

Welcome to Sword Art Online!

I swallowed thickly as the flashing blue lights transported me into the world I'd come to know and love over the last month. If this experience was anything like the beta test, with the steel castle and lovely players I knew so well, it would be money well spent.

My vision went black for a moment, then slowly, slowly, the black faded away, being replaced by brown squares and tiles. A smile stretched at my mouth as I brought my hands up to my face, stretching and flexing them. My old, black gloves were still on my hands and my smile stretched wider. They didn't look any worse than the day I'd first bought them in my beta test. I clenched my hand into a fist.

I was finally back. Back in Sword Art Online.

My head snapped up and I scanned the crowd for the distinctive red-tipped blonde hair of my sister that I was sure she would've kept. Instead, I first noticed a player standing the middle of the square, her dark blue eyes flicking all around. I pulled up my menu, biting my lip as I scrolled down the options bar. I came to what I'd been looking for, something Diesel and I both had installed after hacking endlessly at our games. Data.

Data was the most valuable thing in an online world. It was manipulatable and could be changed, deleted, restored, switched, or really anything to get you what you desired. Once you could access the data records, you knew what happened and when, and you knew much, much more than any other players could. I grinned as I pulled it up, scanning upwards of two hundred entry names before hitting upon people that had logged on minutes ago.

The username Lori struck my eyes and I tapped the name twice, waiting while the game pulled up the avatar. The woman was almost an exact replica of my sister, from the mischievous way of holding herself to her curvy body to the long, red-tipped blonde hair. There were few differences; her eyes were a deep blue instead of rich gold, her arms a bit more muscled, her face a bit rounder than in real life. But, overall, Lori had chosen to remain practically the exact same. I chuckled. I hadn't known she'd wanted blue eyes. How interesting.

My eyes trailed from the data to the woman in the center of the square, fidgeting nervously as she looked around. That was Lori, alright. No other player would look so uncomfortable. I swiped my data fields away, skipping up to the woman and tapping her on the shoulder. She whirled around, her hair a blur as it whisked over her shoulder in protest of the sudden movement. I smiled.

"Lori?" I froze. "Lo-ri. Loar-ee. Lori Lori Lori Lori?" My field of vision expanded as my smile transformed into a perfect 'O' shape. I could feel my mouth forming the words, could even feel my voice box vibrating...but...nothing. I heard…nothing. Lori looked down at me, her eyebrows pinching together.

Amaya? Huh, I did not think you would keep your real name. Good for you, little sis. Lori smiled, then paused and frowned. Her features blurred, and I lifted a hand up to my cheek, feeling something not quite definable I knew was water from past experience in the game. I blinked several times, shaking my head. The blurring cleared, as well as more water spilling onto my cheeks. I wiped the water away. So that's what tears felt like in Sword Art Online.

What is wrong? Lori asked, tilting her head. I shook my head, putting a smile back on my face and shrugging.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. C'mon, let's go find my friend. His name is Diesel. See if you can help me find him! He said he'll be out hunting in the southernmost field to gain some early EXP," I said. I had said it, I knew that much. My throat had moved in a way that only talking felt like. It wasn't quite realistic, but Akihiko-san probably didn't spend much time on feelings of throat movement.

Not many people were going to be playing deaf.

I felt Lori take my hand and looked up at her. She smiled down at me, her now-blue eyes sparkling in a way similar to in real life. Alright, little sis. Lead the way!

I guided Lori quickly and easily to the field Diesel said he'd meet us in. I stopped shortly after entering the field, my eyes sweeping the area for the distinctive long, purple hair of my gaming buddy. It went everywhere when he fought unless he had it carefully tied back, which, as it was the beginning of the game, I doubted he would have it tied up and back. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I looked back to see Lori pointing further out into the field, squinting.

Does that look like him? I smirked, shaking my head as a redhead dashed by, silver dagger glinting in the artificial sunlight.

"Diesel's character looks more like a girl. He has long, purple hair and orange eyes, if he hasn't changed from his beta avatar," I explained, running my fingers through my long, white-blonde hair and grinning. Lori made a face, rolling her eyes.

You are friends with a guy who looks like a girl. That is not a good sign, little sis. Lori signed, looking down at me, her lips twisting in a frown. I grinned, shaking my head.

"He's a good guy, really. He's just a little...odd," I said carefully. A flash of purple caught my eye and my head snapped to look at where it was. Out of the tall grass, a purple-haired person leaped up, his sword held loosely at his side and flashing forward in a shining display as he slashed it forward, a red, digital mark appearing quickly on a beast's chest, the beast disintegrating. I smiled. That was Diesel, no doubt about it.

"Diesel! Diesel!" I tugged on Lori's sleeve, pointing. "That's him." Lori nodded, cupping her hands over her mouth. I assumed she'd shouted out for Diesel, because the instant he landed back on the ground, he turned to face us, lifting a hand up to his face and squinting in our direction. I waved animatedly and his face lit up with a smile. He took off at dashing pace towards us, a record amount of dust kicking up behind him as he nearly tackled me in a hug, picking me up off the ground and swinging me around.

He set me down and the world was still spinning. His lips were moving so fast they were blurring and I couldn't read them, try as I ight. I frowned, waving my hand in his face. He focused in on me, his orange eyes dancing happily as he wiggled around.

"Can you slow down? I can't read your lips when you're talking so fast," I said, giving him an apologetic smile. Diesel's eyebrows shot up near to his hairline as he tilted his head to the side.

You can't read my lips? Why can't you just listen? He looked confused. I smiled sheepishly; I'd neglected to tell Diesel that I was deaf in real life, mostly because I hadn't assumed it would matter. I tapped my pointer fingers together innocently as I looked at the ground.

"Well, see, in the real world, that is, in real life, um..." I trailed off, looking up a Lori. One of her eyebrows was arched as she looked down at me, her arms crossed.

You didn't tell.

"Well, no, didn't think it would matter! I could hear in the beta test!" I argued. I looked back at Desel, who looked more confused than before.

You could hear in the beta? he asked.

"In the real world, I'm actually deaf," I said carefully, offering him a small smile.

His jaw dropped to the floor.

Me: LOL. Aiight Foxtail, your turn! Have fun from there! *snickers* For you readers, I love each and every one of you, and I especially love on the ones that review because that way we can strike up a conversation and I don't have to track you down to thank you for favoriting or following or reviewing! Thanks fr reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Bye~