Author's note: This story is based only on the anime. Though I'm certain the light novels have more information, characters, and back story, this only uses what is provided in the anime. I hope you enjoy it all the same. :)

Chapter One: A New Old World

Kazuto took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly as he fit the NerveGear machine around his head. Asuna and Sugu had asked him on separate occasions why he stuck with this clunky piece of hardware instead of investing in a newer, sleeker model. His answer had always been related to finances, but that was only part of the reason.

Sure, he didn't feel like dropping a few hundred dollars on a new model when he had a perfectly functioning one already. But in the end, it came down to comfort. Some would argue that being trapped inside that machine for two years should have scarred him. It shouldn't be a point of comfort for him. But the truth was that it had become part of him. Though his mind hadn't been aware of the NerveGear machine during those two years, his body craved its comfort.

So as he slipped on the machine and relaxed on his bed, he didn't feel as though he was putting himself into captivity. Instead, it felt like coming home. The way it perfectly molded to the shape of his head felt like it was caressing him. It was the warm embrace of an old friend.

"Alright," he murmured, his heart thundering in excitement. "Let's do this. Link start!"

In one moment, everything from the real world faded away. Bright lights zooming around him in all directions replaced the flat, dull colors of his room. Though he had done this so many times now, he still found himself captivated by everything he experienced in these few seconds between the real world and the virtual world. Though all he was really looking at was bits of data connecting and displaying images, it felt like he was watching a fireworks display.

But it didn't take long for the display to end and make way for his appearance in the virtual world. As he looked around and gazed at the familiar cobbled stone, he felt a fresh breeze that seemed to whisper its own welcome to him. He smiled and stepped forward, letting Kazuto disappear in the real world while Kirito took over.

The Town of Beginnings, just like every other town in the game, was exactly the way it had been for the two years he had been trapped in Aincrad. The shops sold the same items and were manned by the same NPCs. The sights, the sounds, the smells… they were all the same. In one moment, it was both soothing and horrifying.

Surprised by the foreboding feeling in Kirito's stomach, the black-clad youth shook his head at himself and headed towards the meeting place he and the others had agreed on earlier that day. Just a few blocks away stood a brick-and-stone inn that served as a convenient rendezvous point. As Kirito took broad steps in its direction, he checked the time. He cringed. They'd certainly mock him for being late for their first meeting.

It didn't take him long to reach the inn. By the time he got there, he could already hear the others talking and laughing. Five familiar avatars sat on the patio outside the inn, their postures relaxed as they all spoke animatedly to each other about their return to Aincrad.

Klein was the first to notice Kirito's approach. The red-haired, eager-eyed young man lit up as soon as Kirito came into view. "Oy! Kirito! There you are!" Klein stood up and met his old friend halfway, giving him a solid handshake in solidarity. "We had begun to think you would back out on us!"

"And give you a head start on defeating this thing?" Kirito responded with a roguish grin. "Not a chance."

"He still thinks he's going to be the first one to beat Aincrad," a deep voice rumbled in amusement just a few feet away from them. Agil's calm, laid-back grin greeted Kirito as he joined the group at the patio table. "We know you were a hot-shot the first time around, but the playing field is even now. We're all starting at level 1, and we all have the exact same knowledge of the game. You don't have any unfair advantages this time."

"And I'll still wipe the floor with you," Kirito promised, his grin widening. He looked down and took an empty seat at the table. His eyes landed on the one who he had been looking forward to seeing the most. When Asuna looked back at him, he felt the same surge of emotions that took over him the last time they had been in this game together. He couldn't stop the gentle smile that came to his face when he saw her familiar honey-brown eyes shining back at him.

"Welcome back, Kirito!" Asuna's voice chimed as she smiled brightly at him. "I ordered you some hot cocoa and black bread." Her smile faded into a teasing smirk as Kirito picked up the food and bit into it. "It's your fault if it's gotten cold. If you had been here on time…"

Kirito shrugged. "It doesn't matter. The bread tastes lame without cream anyway."

"Hey!" Asuna shot back, frowning. "That's no fair! We haven't gotten to a town that sells it yet!"

Kirito laughed and shook his head, waving his free hand dismissively. "I'm just teasing. The bread tastes great," he assured her as she raised her eyebrow questioningly at him. "It's strange that I've missed this taste."

"Yeah," Agil agreed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I know what you mean. We were held prisoner here for two years, so it seems like these little things should only trigger bad memories. But…" he added as he lifted his own hot cocoa mug. "But somehow it's pleasant. You know?"

Kirito smiled and nodded back at him. "Exactly." He turned to look at the other two members of their gathering, smiling in greeting. "Hey Silica, Lisbeth," he said, nodding to each one respectively. "Long time no see."

Lisbeth frowned. "What do you mean by that? We saw each other at school today!"

"Erm…" Kirito said, suddenly embarrassed when he realized that she was right. "I mean… I haven't seen you two here in a while."

"None of us have, moron," Lisbeth responded, looking away from him. "This is the first day of the re-launch of Aincrad. Geeze, don't say such useless things."

Kirito forced a laugh, wondering if he was only imagining the icy way the girl was treating him. Then again, she seemed to have a knack for being particularly distant whenever the mood happened to strike her. He decided not to read too much into it and instead turned to Silica. "Hey, where's Pina?" he asked, looking around for the girl's familiar blue companion.

Silica smiled brightly. "Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed at the mention of her friend. "I haven't converted her over to this game yet. I figured I would do that before we started our missions today." She waved her hand in the air, engaging in her player menu. Within a few strokes, a bright light appeared over her shoulder. Seconds later, the feathery dragon crooned happily at its owner. Silica laughed joyously. "Welcome back, Pina!"

"Speaking of companions," Asuna said, capturing Kirito's attention again, "did you bring Yui with you?"

Kirito nodded. "Of course," he answered with a tender smile. He, too, brought up his player menu and extracted Yui's data. Soon, the tiny girl appeared beside them, smiling brightly at the two players. Kirito placed a hand atop the girl's head. "Welcome back, Yui!"

"Hello, Papa! Mama!" she giggled happily, gazing at her parents. "I've missed you!"

Asuna wrapped her arms around the AI child and smiled warmly. "I've missed you, too."

Lisbeth cleared her throat, bringing everyone's attention to her. "If we're done resurrecting children and pets, can we get on with this mission? I don't have all night."

The rest of the group exchanged glances, and Kirito realized he wasn't the only one picking up on the girl's cold demeanor. He nodded uncertainly and stood up from the table, finishing the last piece of bread and his cocoa. "Lisbeth's right. Let's get moving, everyone. Other groups will have already begun working on this level. We should get started if we hope to get ahead of everyone else."

Everyone's uncertain expressions turned to excited smiles as they joined Kirito and left the inn. The black-clad swordsman felt Asuna's warm hand encase his tenderly as they headed towards the town's exit. He smiled down at the girl in response. "Are you ready for this?" he asked.

Asuna nodded. "I am. Though, to be honest…" she responded as she watched Yui play with Pina while keeping up with the group. "It's difficult to describe. I am so excited to be able to come back and defeat this game. But at the same time, I'm terrified." She looked up at him, her eyes troubled. "Is it strange for me to be scared when we have nothing to fear now? We can't die here. It's like any other VRMMORPG. Still, I can't get rid of this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach."

Kirito turned his gaze forward, his own expression pensive. "I know what you mean," he admitted grimly. "When I first entered this world, I felt the familiar pang of dread that I woke up with every day when we were trapped here before. I felt the same fear of death, even though I know it's not the same now."

Asuna's hand tightened around his. When he looked down at her, she smiled warmly back at him. "Well, at least we have each other. And we have our friends with us, too. We'll all be going through this together. Before you know it, we'll be flying past levels and defeating this game once and for all."

Kirito raised an eyebrow wryly. "What do you mean 'we'?" he asked with a smirk. "I'm still a solo player. I'll finish this game before any of you get to level 50."