Summary: During times of struggle, people anchor themselves to a constant in their life. For me, that man…he was a beacon of hope, strong and steady, as he walked on a path far ahead of me. That's why – that's why I will always remember you Commander. Heathcliff…Akihiko.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Sword Art Online except my OC.

Just because I'm interested in exploring the depths of a rich character like Heathcliff/Akihiko along with a hopefully believable OC. And I'm a sucker for the strong, silent type.

Chapter One: Sunset

I was just one out of the many 10,000 people who logged in the first day the wildly anticipated VRMMORPG Sword Art Online opened. My life had been rather boring up until that point really, I was a fresh out-of-college graduate with no job prospects, living alone in some cheap apartment in Tokyo. Virtual reality was the most exciting thing in my life, the freedom to do what you want, say what you want, become the person you always dreamed of being. The idea of SAO and NerveGear, it was a chance to live without limits.

When the red dome started forming around the central plaza in the Town of Beginnings, well, that was the beginning of it all.

"For you players, this world is the only reality. The evidence is right in front of you. You will probably be wondering, "why?" Why is the creator of NerveGear and SAO doing something like this? Is this some kind of terrorist attack? Is he taking us hostage? I no longer have a reason or a purpose in doing this…if anything, it's because this situation itself was my ultimate purpose. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created NerveGear and SAO. As of now, I have officially finished the tutorial for Sword Art Online. Players – fight bravely."

I'm not ashamed to admit that in the chaos that followed after this announcement, I stayed rooted to the same spot for what felt like ages, shaking and feeling like I was going to be sick. And then I promptly went to an inn and was actually sick before I crawled under the covers and hid, like the soft comfort of the blankets would somehow protect me in this world.

I don't want to die. The thought of it scared me, repeating itself in my mind over and over. I don't want to fight, I don't want to leave the safety of the Town of Beginnings.

I wasn't ever a strong player in the games I had played before SAO, I was the definition of a casual player: one who played for fun to socialize with other players whenever I felt like logging on. I knew it was stupid, but even the thought of leaving this tiny room made me start shaking. 213 people had died on the first day of SAO opening from having their NerveGear forcibly removed, and since then the numbers had only gone up as players tried to clear floor one. Now it had been a month, and no one had even found the floor boss yet. Clearing all 100 floors, it was hopeless. These 10,000 people, we were all going to die. I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching onto my blankets like a lifeline.

"Excuse me, miss?" A gentle knocking broke me out of my depressing spiral of thoughts. Blinking, it took me a couple of seconds to register the words and get up, as it had been what felt like a week since I last left my room and talked to anyone.

"Ah, yes?" I opened the door to see the kind, smiling face of the inn NPC.

"Unfortunately the amount you left to pay for room and board will run out by tomorrow night. If you don't have any extra Col, then we will be forced to give your room away to someone else." That's right, I vaguely remembered shoving what had been all of my Col at the time to the startled innkeeper of the closest place I could find.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," I immediately apologized, bowing my head and feeling an immediate flush in my cheeks. I hated feeling like I owed someone anything, especially if it was money. "I'll go out and return tonight with enough money to pay in advance for another week." As I talked, I ran to my closet, picking up my beginner sword from where I had left it with only a second's hesitation. I can do this, I thought to myself, I had cleared the wild boars on the surrounding fields easily enough on the first day.

I couldn't do this. That was all I was thinking, as I frantically ran away from the enraged boar I had stabbed and the angry boar mob that followed. Things had gone as planned at first. Step one, I walk out of the Town of Beginnings. Step two, I stab boar. Step three, repeat step two and stab boar until it dies. Step four, kill more boars until I had enough money to pay for my room and board.

Apparently, the boar now had boar friends that would herd together if one of them was attacked. I could handle one, maybe even two easily enough, but five? At my low level, I could feel myself tiring. As I slowed down, I realized I wouldn't be able to make it back to the safety of the town without the boars overtaking me. My only option was to fight. Turning abruptly, I skidded to a halt and stood my ground, clutching my sword across and in front of myself.

"Listen up!" I screamed, feeling slightly foolish that I was now reduced to talking to a pack of wild animals, but mostly terrified out of my mind. "I'm not going to die here," my voice trembled, before gaining strength. "Do you hear me? I will not die!" Letting out a shout of desperation, I lunged forward recklessly at the boars, scoring a hit across one of them that made it burst in a shower of pixels. Panting in disbelief, I stared at the empty space for a second, a sense of victory and confidence emerging at the fact that I had killed one. It was just one measly floor one boar honestly, but for me, it was about more than that.

My short pause was enough for one boar to get close enough and headbutt me with enough force to knock me back into a tree with a considerable amount of strength. Wheezing, I clutched my chest to try and suck in precious oxygen for my winded lungs. Vision blurring, I could see my health bar dropping into the yellow zone, as the herd charged forward to finish me off. Was this the end for me? Death by boar, alone in a field, while my real body was wasting away in a hospital bed? My head fell back against the rough bark, tilting up.

So this is what sunset in Aincrad looks like, I mused, staring wonderingly at the beautiful sky of molten yellow and orange. I had almost forgotten.

I hadn't been outside since the rules of the death game had been announced that first day. Five days holed up inside that tiny room, barely moving from the comfort of the bed. I had completely forgotten how it felt, the fresh breeze of a summer's day, the vivid colors of sunset…

My eyes felt hot, tears threatening to fall again. My lip quivered, but my hand reached for my sword and clenched on the hilt. I had cried enough already to last someone a lifetime.

"I won't," I whispered, getting up painfully, my body protesting the action. "I won't die here," I told myself emphatically, without a moment to spare as the boars descended on me.

I don't want to die. I slashed down, stabbing sloppily into the sides of one of the boars. No, it's more than that, I thought, barely avoiding getting gored in the arm by a tusk, instead getting a deep gash that made my health drop in the red. I want to live. Because…even if I die tomorrow or the day after that, I want to see the sunset again. Just once more, I want to see.

Finally, it was just one boar left and me facing it, holding my bleeding arm to try and staunch the blood dripping from my wound. My head drooped. Maybe before, this would have been enough for me. Exhaustion and pain warred in my body, my hands shaking and barely able to hold onto my sword anymore. But now, I firmed my grip, and leapt forward, running headfirst at the boar. Because now, I had something to live for, no matter what.

"Thank you for taking care of me," I bowed politely to the innkeeper, after having laid a couple of coins on the counter. "I'll be taking my leave now."

"Ah, but you don't owe anywhere near this much, miss!" The NPC exclaimed in shock. "This has to be at least 20 extra Col."

"Think of it as a thanks then," I smiled, turning around with a wave to the protests behind me as I left the familiar surroundings of the inn. This time, when I saw the boars, I didn't hesitate. Slashing my way through the path to the next town on floor one, I couldn't repress the grin stretching across my face simply from the feeling of being alive.

I want to see it again. Everyday, for as long as I can, until the day I die in SAO. I want to see the sunset, and know that at that moment, I'm still alive.

Sort of short, I'll try to work in more dialogue for the future (the short length between these line breaks are seriously bothering me). Not sure if I want to stick too closely to canon timeline, since I don't think it would be possible, especially in the beginning with the focus on Kirito. Don't worry, OC will definitely be going through character development. Review and let me know what you think!