Alright, SAO fanfiction time as I am currently going cold turkey due to a lack of the anime, none of my followed FF being updated and the game being pretty far from release. This is slightly AU, but it's still KiritoxAsuna, except for a difference reason. Also, main pairing is OCx?, just who ? is? Well, you'll find out as you read on. Reviews are appreciated, though flames not so much.

Enjoy!

Aincrad 1st Floor, November 21st 2022 4:51 PM

Yami was sitting down on the floor with his back to a tree, his health bar showing barely a pixel of health as the numbers showed he had 1 out of his 342 HP left. He knew death was immanent, but he simply sat in the forest, surrounded by monsters he could barely fight one on one. His scythe propped up against his shoulder as he opened his menu and from his inventory he materialised the first item he had obtained beside his starting equipment. The mirror that Kayaba Akihiko gave to every player after his opening speech was a pretty little thing, plain but with a strange curved hexagonal shape.

The glass itself was a plain and simple mirror, but it had more of an effect on him than anything else before. Because instead of seeing his avatar, it only reflected his face. The sandy blonde bangs and his short ponytail, his large, bright blue eyes, his calm expression and the slight smirk his lip was curved into. Even down to the slight scar under his right eye. Kayaba's Pandora's Box had recreated him down to the very minute details, and recreated him polygon by polygon.

As the moments went on he still hadn't died, and eventually his health began rising as his Battle Healing Skill kicked in, the reason he had survived in the first place. He had expected to aggro some monster by now, but as he stashed the mirror he didn't see a single monster nearby, and only one cursor which was a pure green, indicating a player.

Using his scythe like a cane he pulled himself up and looked in the direction of the player, only to see two who were travelling one after another. One was a boy, barely old enough to be playing this game, maybe a little younger. He had a bit of a feminine touch to his features, but his hard eyes and manner was distinctly male. Both his hair and eyes were the darkest shade of black, and his attire was compromised of dark blue underclothing and a light chestplate. Behind him was a hooded figure, though the figure was more feminine than masculine. She looked slightly older, just because her height was about the same as the boy's, and the rapier at her side gleamed as she sheathed it.

"Hello, I take it I have you to thank for saving my ass from these plant mosters. The name's…" he cut off as he realised he was about to introduce himself by his real name. "Yami, my name's Yami."

He had expected death, perhaps even welcoming it, but right now living seemed a much better prospect to him.

Aincrad 3rd Floor, December 15th 2022 3:35 AM

A shrill cry broke through the dense forest, announcing yet another death. The shouts were not human, or even animal, in nature. They had a hard sound to it, like wood being sawed through. What followed was a dull thud and slow clapping.

"Well done Yami-kun. For being the only ever Scythe user you're learning fast."

"Yeah, very good work Yami-san. Since helping us clear the first floor you've improved so much."

"Well, I have a pair of brilliant teachers."

The three talking were standing in a small clearing in the woods, well two were standing, the third laid down on the floor. On the opposite side of the clearing was a corpse of a dead plant monster, reminiscent of a massive cluster of moss with tendrils coming from under it, slowly falling apart into light blue shards of data and rising up into the sky.

The two who were standing, a boy and a girl, had been helping in Yami's training. This is because along with Kirito and Asuna he had been branded SAO's unique insult, a beater. This was due to his Unique Skill, the Scythe Weapon Skill. In fact, Yami was the only one of the trio to not have participated in the Beta of Sword Art Online, and his expert knowledge was only due to having tracked Kirito's blog of the Beta.

He and Asuna were the leading players in the Beta, both reaching to floor 10, four floors higher than anyone else managed to reach. Thanks to their expert knowledge Yami was able to train up faster than most, despite not having a skill anyone was familiar with or had any information on. Even when he questioned Argo the Rat, the claw user and information broker, she had nothing for him.

Aincrad 35th Floor, February - 2024 -

Yami looked down on the crying girl from his perch in the trees as his partner was dispatching the apes that surrounded her, but she wasn't his main focus. He was mainly looking at a flamed haired, femme fatale was the best he could come up with. She was smirking as another player came up to her and whispered something which Yami couldn't catch. Her smile only widened and she replied equally quietly, but from her hand gestures he could guess it had something to do with the young girl and Kirito who had just come to save her. They then split off, the woman going deeper into the forest as the other player stayed, watching Kirito and the girl until they departed and he followed.

Yami sent Kirito and message about what he saw and then swiftly, running along the trees with his near mastered Acrobatics Skill, he too disappeared.

Aincrad 47th Floor, next day

As Silica and Kirito were returning from the Hill of Memories Yami was hidden among the flowers. The fact he had to buy a very flower cloak to blend in wasn't his own choice, but the way Kirito and Asuna laughed he guessed that this wasn't necessary and they just felt like making him suffer. Despite this, he was very still as he watched the exit of the hill, and had sent Kirito a message that a group of players was hiding in the row of trees between the river and the entrance to Floria.

As the whole scene played out Yami couldn't help but smirk as the Orange Guild members unloaded all their attacks on Kirito without any effect. While that was happening Yami snuck up behind the red haired female player and placed the tips of his twin scythes at her neck, pressing just too light to cause any damage, but in the real world she'd be very uncomfortable breathing. The rest went very smoothly, the Orange Guild complied and walked into the portal created by the Corridor Crystal.

Aincrad 74th Floor, October 10th 2024 6:43 PM

"This game…will not have me!" Yami shouted as he poised his twin ended scythe behind his back, the double blades giving off a radiant white aura reminiscent of angel wings. "I…am…the ANGEL OF DEATH!" The twin ended scythe broke into two smaller ones as he whirled them around himself, striking every one of the five armoured lizard men that surrounded him, shattering them into glass like pieces of data.

Yami slumped against the wall and slid down, reaching into his pouch for a blue crystal. "Teleport…Algade." The health bar in his upper right corner of vision once again showing only one hit point left.

And that's a wrap. I thought I'd tease you guys a little with the scene switching, but I guess I did a lot less teasing about the sheer power of Yami, or Lucas as his RW name is. Anyway, nothing much more to say except expect updates to not be regular, so maybe add this to your alerts if you're interested, slap a review on this if you have something to say, and give my other stories a read if you like Romance or Pokemon.

Luca out!