AN: Hey guys! So, this is my first attempt at anything other than Bleach when it comes to fanfics, so I just needed to take a break while I collect my thoughts on the others. This is also my first true attempt at a first person POV style of writing, so bear with me a bit. I just recently got into SAO, so I hope that this turned out okay. For this first part, it kinda follows the same pattern as the LN, but I promise it will not be the same. So I hope you enjoy, and please review to let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own the SAO LN, anime, manga, characters, etc, etc.
«Chapter One: Link Start!»
The breeze blew through my hair, making my clothes sway as I looked down at the floating world before me. In front of me hovered one hundred floors of steel castle, a stark contrast to the empty sky around it. The dark shape loomed out of the clouds, a threatening air about it. But I couldn't see it as threatening. It was something I considered a home. The warm breezes that would drift by when the weather setting was perfect, the snow that fell during the holiday seasons, my house on the 22nd floor, surrounded by a beautiful forest and nestled next to a shining lake; they were all part of what I considered my home now.
As I gazed at the mass of steel, warm fingers intertwined with mine, and I looked over to see Asuna, her chestnut hair gently blowing about her and her warm eyes looking at the castle with the same confused affection that rested in my heart. I tightened my grip on her hand, not wanting to let go of any part of this world, including her. She glanced over, a smile lighting up her face. I felt warmth rush through me, but suddenly it was yanked away. I looked at the small flashing red box that now blinked rapid between us. "System Warning." I looked around as the whole sky was swallowed by the system warning boxes, blocking out the sun and the clouds, leaving only a threatening reddish glow.
"Kirito-kun?" I looked back at Asuna, expecting to see her worried face, but what I saw was only a shadow of her as her form faded quickly, and the warmth from her hand became almost non-existent.
"Asuna!" I tried to grab her other hand, but my fingers passed through her as if she were nothing. I struggled to find a way to hold on to her, to keep her by my side, but as I gazed at her dim image, it shattered into pieces, the same way it does when a player dies.
"ASUNA!"
I desperately looked around for any sign of where she might have gone, but the only thing I saw was the castle that still floated before me. Yet, as I looked around, I saw that even the castle was beginning to collapse, crumbling and dissolving from the bottom up. In a matter of seconds, the only thing that remained was the final floor.
"No…" I fell to my knees, clutching my hair as I watched the world collapse before me.
"This can't be happening…" The palace that acted as the final floor split in two, the halves falling away from each other.
"Not again…" The air grew cold as the last pieces of the world that had acted as my home, my life, shattered away into nothingness.
«»
I woke with a start, cold sweat dripping down my face. This was a new one. A new dream. A new nightmare. Why could I never get rid of them? How many months had I been having these dreams that leave me shivering and frail? The only salvation I had from the world of «Sword Art Online» was in my waking hours, but even as I awoke from one nightmare, I was sent into a more real one: the world where I couldn't save Asuna. The one where, just like in my dreams, she was so close, yet I could not reach her. I looked down at my thin hands that still had yet to fully recover from the two years I spent lying on the hospital bed. How is it that I can wield so much power in a game, but I have nothing in this world?
I looked over at the «NerveGear» that lay on the shelf across the room. It had transported me into a world that I thought I could use as an escape, as a refuge from the real world, even if that world had been many times more deadly than this one. And yet, even though that world was so perilous, I couldn't help but feel attached to the floating castle «Aincrad» Since I had left, I felt empty and out of place. Asuna had yet to wake up, and there was nowhere for me to escape from the troubles of this reality.
I sighed and swung my legs over the side of the bed, resting my elbows on my knees. I had been more attached to the word of MMORPG than this reality for a many years now, but it wasn't until «SAO» that I had truly felt that I belonged in those other worlds in this one. I pulled myself up off the bed and walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall. Ever since I had returned from the «Death Game», I had a habit of looking in the mirror every morning, and every morning I would see the same pitiful image looking back at me: a slim face with pale skin from so much time spent inside in the hospital and before that from playing games, dark eyes slightly sunken in due to my loss of weight, black bangs that hung messily down over my face. Looking at me, no one would ever expect anything remarkable or even remotely special from me. And no one would ever believe that I, Kirigaya Kazuto, was Kirito the «Black Swordsman» who cleared «SAO».
After I was dressed and ready, I walked down stairs and headed to the back door. Sliding the shoji style panel open, I let the sunlight and cold air wash over me. As usual, Suguha stood swinging her shinai over her as practice, forming perfect arcs in the chilly air and her breath forming clouds before her. I walked over to the edge of the porch, the icy surface of the boards chilling my feet. I sat down with my legs crossed and put my elbow on my knee, resting my chin in my palm.
"Good morning, Sugu," I called, making her spin around quickly mid swing. She dropped the shinai and quickly tried to catch it, but ended up knocking it further away, a dark blush appearing on her face.
"Y-you shouldn't surprise me like that!" Suguha complained, quickly going over to grab her shinai off the ground.
I chuckled and cocked my head slightly before replying. "Didn't you tell me to say something if I was watching?"
"Th-that's true," she replied, walking over to the edge of the porch to join me. "What are you doing up so early, anyway onii-chan?"
I frowned at the question. It was indeed earlier than I normally like to get up, but how early was it really? I looked up at the grey clouds that blanketed the sky, rendering it impossible to tell what time of morning it was. I looked back at Suguha, who was looking at me with a mix of curiosity and concern in her dark blue eyes. I forced a smile and shook my head.
"Ah, I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Nothing to worry about." Doubt flashed on her face, but Suguha slowly nodded. Then a strange look crossed her face, and she glanced away.
"Um, onii-chan… do you have anything to do today?" I frowned at the unusual question and the small pink tint that had appeared on her cheeks, but I nodded.
"I was going to go to the hospital later to see Asuna. Why?"
Suguha shook her head rapidly, her short black hair flying. "N-no reason." After a short pause, she looked back over at me, averting her eyes when they met mine. "Hey onii-chan… could I come with you?"
I paused. My initial reaction was t say sure… but when I thought back to that man from the other day, Nobuyuki Sugou, I didn't want to risk Suguha coming in contact with him. I clenched my fist slightly. There was no guarantee that he would be there, right? So why was I worried? Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that taking Sugu would be a bad idea. I sighed and sent a sad smile towards my cousin.
"Sorry. I think I'll go alone. But I will be back soon." A pained look shot across Suguha's face, but as soon as it came it disappeared, and I wondered if I had even seen it.
"Oh. I see. Good luck, onii-chan." With that, Sugu stood up quickly, grabbing her shinai and running inside.
As the door closed behind her, I stared at the spot where she had been sitting. What was that about? I shook my head and stood up, getting ready to go back inside as well. Before I could turn around though, something grabbed my attention. A white speck floated down from the grey sky, quickly followed by another. I glanced up at the sky to see hundreds of flakes drifting down. Snow? I reached out my hand and caught a flake on my fingers, watching it melt into a small drop of water and glide through the gap between them. I knit my eyebrows slightly. Yet another thing that I couldn't hold on to. I shoved my hands in my pockets and turned to go inside.
«»
I slid my visitors pass through the card reader and twisted the door handle as it beeped. It had been a few days since I had visited Asuna, since the twentieth actually, the day that I had found out that Nobuyuki Sugou planned to marry her in her comatose state. For the past two days I have been desperately following a lead that placed Asuna's virtual self in a game called «ALfheim Online», a Virtual Reality MMORPG game, but so far, I've had no luck making it to the top of what was known as the «World Tree», the location where Asuna was supposedly being held prisoner.
I sighed as I walked into the room and looked at the curtain that blocked the bed from the rest of the room. As I saw that the light from the window casting shadows on the curtain, I stopped in my tracks. Stopping over the shadow of the bed was another shadow. A cold feeling arose in my gut as I saw the shadow, and I had a very good idea of who it might belong to. Slowly I reached out with a slightly shaking hand and moved the curtain back a little to see the man whom all my hatred was directed toward. Sugou stood, bent over, sniffing a strand of Asuna's hair, a disgusting smirk appearing on his face as he saw me appear. My fists clenched of their own accord and I could feel my hand shaking slightly in disgust and anger.
"Ah, Kirigaya-kun. How nice of you to pay us a visit."
I grit my teeth in an attempt not to say anything.
"But if I remember correctly, I told you to stay away," he continued, standing up straight and walking over to the end of the bed.
I lowered my head so that I couldn't see the twisted smile that spread across his face. What can I do? If I do anything now I might not be able to save Asuna.
"I'll let it slide this time. I should give you time to say goodbye before you see her in the dress," Sugou said, walking toward the door. As he passed me he bent down that he could whisper in my ear. "And I'm sure she's glad to know that you support her decision to marry me." With that he walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.
I stood there for a full minute, trying to get my hands to stop shaking in frustration. Was there really nothing that I could do? Was it hopeless to even try? But as this thought occurred to me, I thought of what Suguha had said to me the night that I had found out about the marriage.
"You can't give up on the one you love so easily."
I quickly shoved the thought back into the depths of my mind. I had to do something. I couldn't let him take Asuna away. I looked up at the girl lying on the bed, her long brown hair spread around her and her mouth slightly open in her sleep. I walked over to her and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Reaching out gently, I touched her icy hand, softly rubbing the back of my finger against the cold skin. The bulky grey shape of the «NerveGear» was still in position on her head, the green LED indicator lights still blinking slightly. Taking hold of her hand, I looked at her peaceful face. To think that such an expression can exist on someone's face even when they are trapped in another world. I closed my eyes for a second and took at deep breath. When I opened my eyes again, I felt my determination return again. I will get you out of this, Asuna. I promise.
«»
I opened the door to the house, stepping in out of the cold and snow. As I slipped my shoes off, I called out to Suguha, but there was no response. I hung my jacket up and walked up the stairs, finding no lights on in the dark hallway. Seeing her door closed, I gently knocked.
"Sugu?" No response.
Did she fall asleep? I shook my head. It wasn't even afternoon yet, how on earth did she manage to get back to sleep? I walked over to my door and slipped inside. Walking over to the clock, I saw that it was 11:43. Lyfa told me to meet her around 12:15. I walked over to the «NerveGear» sitting on the shelf. Maybe I should log on early and try to get some new equipment. I picked up the «NerveGear» and walked over to my bed to sit down. Looking down at the strange helmet like object in my hands, I silently sent out a prayer for it to lend me strength. I plugged in the system and laid back, placing it over my head. As I felt the familiar presences back in place, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second. I turned the system and opened my eyes, an excited grin spreading across my face. With one last check of the battery life and the time setting, I got ready to dive into the world of «ALfheim Online».
"Link Start!"
AN: The next chap is where things really start to deviate from the LN/anime story line. I hope you guys enjoyed this chap, and feel free to leave a review or hit that little follow or favorite button!