SWORD ART ONLINE: SHINIGAMI RISING

First thing I'd like to state. This is a reboot. After rereading the original I realized it was quite horrible. So I'd like to rewrite it. Adding new characters, plot twists, and feel inducing scenes. Too set the mood I like to suggest songs to listen to while reading and I hope you in enjoy them. All criticism is welcome. The more reviews I get the faster I write. Thanks, Now to the story.

P.S. Any questions you have will be answered in Pm. Enjoy the story.

November 29th 2024

Life can be unreasonably cruel sometimes. I'd thought so many times before. But I was wrong. It wasn't life that was cruel it was the world itself. Life was beautiful but it was harbored in an ugly restraint of a shell we called the world. So I laid here thinking about how much I hated this world. I had no right to be angry. People out there had it worse than me. Here I was under a budding tree moping because I wanted to go back to a game. But not just any game. No, sword art online was a whole new world where I could be anything. I wouldn't be held back by the restraints and taboos of the modern world. But hey I guess I was allowed my own dreams too. I came from a poor house as it was. A small 2 floor 3 room house that sat in a detraining neighborhood. It was a neighborhood that was already home to delinquents and thugs.

You know when I think back on it. I can't tell if that day was a blessing or a curse. If my phone hadn't rung that day at least 30 people would still be alive. But at the same time if I'd never picked that phone up that day I'd still be laying here under this tree whining about my life.

My name is Yuuki Tsutei. And I survived Sword art online. But I guess that's not enough to explain my story. To explain I'd have to go back to that time myself. Even if I could go back to that time and change it all. I'd be way to scared to do it.. So I guess I should start from the very beginning.

Born at 6 pounds 2 weeks premature…Okay maybe that's too far back.

November 5th 2022

I was at my favorite tree again when it happened. It was another day out late after school. I'd always sit under a cherry blossom tree and think. You could say it was a hobby I'd grown good at. I'd think of everything from sweets to new anime that had come out to the weather. It was scary…to think. You always thought of things that you didn't want to. You couldn't control it. I stared up at the dawn sky in which the sun had sunk just over the horizon leaving a pink-red trail behind it in the sky. It was by far the best part of the day. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Of course my first thought was to ignore it. But if it were home I'd be in for a serious nagging when I got there. I rustled in my bag for a second finally finding my phone. The screen came on and I read the name in surprise. Strangely enough it was my brother Kyousuke. He'd always been my hero. He'd done what nobody before in this down had done…he'd escaped. For as long as this small town has existed. He's been one of the few that made it out and succeeded at life. He was attending a college for medicine in Tokyo had his own apartment and car. He had a job as a nurse. My finger hovered over the answer button and I hesitantly answered.

"Yo" I chose my words very carefully so as not to sound annoyed or lazy. I went for a laid back stance with my words.

"Yuuki. I'm at home. I came by to visit and they said you hadn't gotten back yet. Your not still mad about that thing are you?" He asked.

"What's that supposed to mean? How am I not supposed to be mad about that!" I said.

"Oh. You must think I'm talking about…that. I was talking about not being able to pick you up from school."

"School?"

"Yeah. Didn't you get my text?"

"Must have been during class. I probably ignored it." I heard him sigh loudly over the receiver.

"I swear Yuuki, you're never gonna make it if keep being such a slacker" He said.

"I'll worry about that on my own. Wait, how did you get off work. I thought you worked the dead hour?" I could hear him sigh again.

"Do you know how many time's I've had to explain this already? 4 times in the past half hour, I've explained it. I took a couple vacation days. Honestly I wish peopled stop asking. Anyways. Do you have plans tomorrow?"

"Depends. What are we doing last time you made me watch a surgery." I said bluntly. Kyousuke had a horrible imagination and his ideas of bonding were usually illegal in some way.

"We're just going for a ride."

"You said that when you took us drag racing too."

"D-did I now? Well how bout' this. I'm hopeless and if you let me go off on my own I might get hurt."

"You're obviously guilty and who cares if you get hurt. But I guess I have no choice. I'll come. I'm on my way home."

As I arrived at my house I noticed immediate changes. For one there was a black car parked at the curb and my dog wasn't outside. Two the lights were on in all the rooms meaning Kyousuke was already here. I headed through the front door and was assaulted with all the smells from the kitchen.

"I'm back!" I yelled as I set my bag beside the door and took my shoes off.

"Kyousuke's in your room!" My mom yelled from the Kitchen.

"Where's Father?" I yelled back. She stood in the kitchen doorway with her hollow smile.

"He's working late tonight." She said. It was something I always respected about her. She could stay strong no matter life threw at her. I realized Kyousuke was in my room and my mother saw my demeanor change.

"What's wrong?" She asked. I couldn't tell her of course. But Kyousuke had a small O.C.D like hobby. No matter where he was he'd go through your stuff. I thought to the small sheet folded and hidden in the loose board at the back of my closet that held my dirty magazines.

"Nothing's wrong mom. But thanks for the concern." Sweat broke out on my forehead as I approached my room. I slammed the door open. In the middle of the room stood Kyousuke holding one of the many dirty mags I had hidden. I slowly closed the door. Surely my life is over. There's no way I'm going to live through this. Mother and Father will disown the second they find out about this. I heard the door slide open behind me and shakily turned my head. Kyousuke stood in the door way as menacing as ever.

"Yuuki… I think it's time we had…the talk…"He said

"No! Not happening. I'd rather die" We both stood there in silence faces down shrouded by shadow for a minute.

"Don't worry I won't tell mom" He said.

"Tell me what?" We watched in horror as her shadow appeared at the end of the hallway. Rolling pen in hand she approached us. "What are you hiding?" She squinted down her glasses at me.

"I have dirt-" Kyousuke cut me off.

"Dirty clothes. His room is a wreck." He said.
"Oh. Why didn't you just say so? Oh! Look at the time, I'm running behind on dinner already!" She rushed off down the hall again.

"Oh thank god, I was sure we were dead." I sighed

"Don't worry, I've got your back. If we head out back and start a bonfire, I'll tell you about our plans tomorrow."

"Deal! But there are no tree's around we have no tinder."

"Don't worry I'm taking out the trash, we can burn that."

We headed out back where the moon begun to rise upward into the sky. Kyousuke set the trash bag and box on the ground and threw a match in. The flames spread slowly, melting the plastic and paper first. I became curious and look into the box and my heart dropped 3 feet.

"M-m-m-m-m-m-my mags! Kyousuke! Quick get water. They can still be saved!"

"Whatever do you mean." He flashed his quaint smirk.

"I'm never gonna get used to you." I sat on the ground a bit away from the fire and let the heat wash over me.

"Say Yuuki."

"Yeah"

"Tomorrow we're going to play a game."

"What kind?"

"A VRMMORPG"

"A what?"

"A virtual reality massively multiplayer online role playing game."

"Say again?"

"We're playing a game where you fight with swords."

"Oooooh. Cool. What's it called?"

"Sword art online…" He said. The silence was Palpable. I stood up and walked over to him, putting my arm on his shoulder. He never saw the headlock coming.
"Who'd you steal that from! I know you didn't buy two nervegears and the game!" I yelled.

"Well I was a beta tester so I got one of them free and bought the other one for you." "That makes no sense" I thought to myself "He has a nurse's salary he'd have to save up for almost a year for that."

"How'd you get the money?"

"I worked two jobs."

"Thanks Ky. I never saw you as the generous type. Maybe I've misunderstood you this whole time…"

"What are you talking about? I only got this game so I could kick your ass a couple times."

"You couldn't go with the moment!?"

"Come on let's head in. Dinner will be ready soon."

November 6th, 2022 Exactly 12:55

"Don't worry mom we'll be out before Dad get's home okay. Let's say about 17:00? Deal?" Kyousuke said. He'd been trying to get our mom off our back for the past hour. She sighed and waved at us halfheartedly.

"Fine, fine go play your little game. I'll see you later." She leaned over the bed and kissed Kyousuke's forehead. He blushed, pink in the cheeks.

"Mom I'm too old for that. Besides it's not like we're leaving for good. Y-Yuuki! Hurry up and put your nervegear on. It's 12:59!" he yelled. I slammed back into the bed and positioned my head comfortably in the nerve gear helmet. The clock on the inside of the visor slowly counted down.

5...4…3…2…1… "Link Start!"