Chapter 1:

Disbelief bubbled up inside her chest, painfully entwined with the beginnings of terror. Rin's hands shook as she gripped her tunic, her knuckles white with pressure. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't! Tears welled in her eyes as she continued to listen to the giant hooded figure that claimed to be Sword Art Online's creator.

'I'm stuck….in a game…..I'm stuck in a fucking game!' She thought, hysteria threatening to send her into a break down. Screams and protests filled the air, jerking her out of her fear-induced stupor. She twisted around, trying to figure out what to do now. There was no way she would stay here; too many people were panicking and she did not-could not-want to get caught in it.

As she desperately looked for a way out of the city square, Rin caught the gaze of a strange boy. While others had terror in their eyes, his were filled with determination. The unyielding obsidian gaze spurred her to action even as they moved on from her and towards an alleyway. Rin watched the boy take off into the side streets, ignoring other gamers' terrified questions. Swallowing heavily, Rin sprinted as well. She had to get out of the square, had to find some better weapons and gear, and had to get out of this already fucked up game.

Rin kept running, doing her best to force her burning lungs and legs from her mind. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but it would be better than the mayhem pulsing in the center of the city. Pale brick and dark wood blurred past her in her dash. Cursing as her foot slipped out from under her, Rin grasped at the corner of a building and swung around, fingers scrabbling for purchase in the cracks of the cool stone. Her back slammed into the unforgiving stone, forcing the breath from her body all at once. A choked sob escaped before she could stop it, prompting her to slap a hand to her mouth. Rin slid down the wall, hands pressed tightly over her mouth in an effort to not draw attention.

'What am I going to do!' Tears dripped from her chin as she broke down under the shadow of an inn. People were going to die. The game was no longer a game and she had no way to go home other than to beat the game or wait for someone to do it for her.

'Mom…Dad….' What were they going to do? Would they try to take off the NerveGear? It would kill them if they accidentally killed her. Should she just wait it out in this city? Or should she go outside and try to level up? Terror spiked through her at the thought, choking the breath from her. Rin curled in on herself, trying to regain some control over herself, and gasped for air. The world seemed to spin around her as her heart forced its racing beat to the fore of her mind, second only to the all-encompassing fear that threatened to suffocate her very being. She stayed that way, uncaring of the time and unable to take note even if she had wanted to.

Her heart had finally slowed and her breath had returned when Rin began to pay more attention to her surroundings. She was still in the alley beside the inn. She shivered and looked up, trying to figure out how much time had passed. The bricks were now stained with shadow, with the occasional pool of warm orange breaking night's hold. Rin shivered and smiled wryly at the thought of being cold in a computer game. She hugged her chilled body and shuffled onto the road and into the inn.

'Food then sleep…I'll figure this out later…' She promised herself as an NPC escorted her to an open table.

Author's Note:

So this will be my first published story. I'm not sure how frequently I'll update but I do intend to add to it at least once a week. (We'll see how long that lasts with school contending for my time!) I'm trying to make this fic as accurate to SAO as possible, so please tell me if I have incorrect information of some kind. Read and Review, please!