Disclaimer: I do not own SAO or it's characters. The only things I own are the premise and some OCs that will appear along the way.

King of Beasts Productions Presents:

A New Dawn: A Sword Art Online Fanfiction

Chapter 1: A New Challenge

January 15, 2026. SBC Blocken, Gun Gale Online.

As per usual, the city that served as the main hub for players in the VRMMORPG known as Gun Gale Online was bustling with energy; players new and old were crowding the clouded streets, some crouching in the plaza peddling accounts and the like while others were busy getting from point A to point B.

Shino Asada, known best as Sinon in this game, was among the latter as her destination was the shooting range to get some practice done. However, her pace was more casual than that of the others. She was not clad in her battle fatigues today, and her infamous anti-materiel rifle was nowhere to be seen. All in all, she was no hurry to get into the battlefield today, if at all.

Ever since that fateful Bullet of Bullets tourney, life had been quiet for the ace sniper. Yes, she still cringed slightly whenever she sees a gun IRL, but it was not as bad as it was back then. Now that she had been able to make peace with herself, she did not feel the urge to prove herself as the strongest any more. Her inner demons have been silenced, all thanks to what Kirito and his friends had done for her.

That didn't mean that she was going to stop playing GGO anytime soon; she invested a lot on the game. She has a title to defend after all!

"But nothing's been happening so far." Sinon sighed aloud. It was true: while she still went on missions with Dyne's squadron, it had grown a little mundane. With the next BoB quite far away, what she needed was a fresh experience, something that will get the blood pumping once more.

As Sinon entered the shooting gallery, she let out a deep sigh before quietly murmuring to herself her epiphany:

"I need a new challenge."

As expected, Sinon wasn't getting much out of doing this either. She fired round after round with a new gun she bought from the shop. Ironically, it was a Type 54 Black Star, the very same model she used that fateful day.

Once she was done with the firing range, she put the weapon down on the table. The moment she let go, she found that the hand that held was trembling. She looked around and, to her relief, found that she was the only one in the room at the moment.

"So..." she mused ruefully "I suppose I'm not completely over it yet." As she gazed upon the gun, her mind trailed back to the specter of death she and Kirito had fought in the tournament. As much as she hated that phantom, especially since he used THAT gun, she hated the one behind the mask even more. After all, it's one of the reasons why her best friend was driven to madness.

"Shinkawa-kun..." she smiled sadly at the thought of her friend. Yes, even after all that, she considered him a good friend and was looking forward to the day she could visit him. She wanted to tell him everything she had learned from that experience and, maybe, he would listen.

For now, however, she had to wait. With a sigh, she stored the pistol in her inventory and was about to head out when...

"UWAH!"

To say that the shrill shriek surprised Sinon would be like saying that Suguha was too fond of her 'Oniichan'. At any rate, she quickly realized that she wasn't as alone as she thought. She immediately rushed to the far end of the room, the source of the noise, to investigate.

"Owowow..."

What she found was the most amusing sight she had seen in a long time: A girl few inches shorter than her was sitting on the floor with a sore bum. Her hair had a bubblegum pink tint and was tied in pig-tails. Her face was quite round with big, blue eyes and a button nose to match. Her attire brought back memories for Sinon, as it was the standard white coat and black pants all the newcomers wear, and it did well to hug her robust figure.

As Sinon examined the girl further, she saw the reason for her scream: in her hands was a Colt Anaconda, a handgun that uses .44 magnum rounds. While the kick of the gun wasn't as potent as the other Colt models, it was enough to knock a tiny girl like the one in front of her off her feet.

"Uhm..." Sinon chose this time to speak, a little concerned for the girl "Are you alright there?"

"Huh?" The novice perked up to see the other girl, her already wide eyes getting even wider, and raised a hand to point a finger at her "Y-Y-Y-You're..."

"Eh?" The sniper raised her brow with obvious confusion on her face.

"Y-You're S-S-Sinon-san, right?" The pink-haired girl said with a trembling, squeaky voice "The one they call 'The Goddess of the Underworld? Ace sniper and Co-Winner of the 3rd Bullet of Bullets? That Sinon-san?!"

"Uhm...Yes?"

"UWAAAAH!" Imagine Sinon's shock when the girl erupted with unbridled fan-girlism "I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M MEETING THE 'HECATE' IN THE FLESH!" The pinkette's grin was so wide, it would probably be the length of Sinon's Hecate "IT'S...IT'S...IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE! SOMEBODY PINCH ME!"

"...Thanks, I guess?" She didn't know what to make of this; while it was true that she's had to deal with rabid fan-boys, rabid fan-GIRLS are a new thing for her.

"Oh, where are my manners?!" the other girl bolted to her feet and gave a quick bow "My name's Momo! I just joined this game a two months ago!"

"Two months ago?" The sniper raised a brow at this "But why are you still wearing your starter outfit?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Momo gestured to her attire before laughing sheepishly "I didn't play that often until a month ago you see. I was having a hard time fighting the mobs and kept dying to them all the time."

"No one helped you?" Sinon dared to ask, getting her answer when Momo shook her head.

"There were those squadrons that recruited me, but all they wanted was a 'mascot'." The pinkette smiled sadly "I never did any actual fighting, they never let me. I felt like I was just a burden, y'know?"

"I see..." Sinon listened to her story with a tinge of regret in her heart. Part of her thought that if she hadn't been dwelling on her self-doubts, she would've been able to assist the girl in some way "I'm sorry. Had I known-"

"You didn't, but that's okay!" Momo countered with a huge grin "After all, you inspired me to keep trying just as I was about to quit!"

"I did?" The sniper said in a tone that showed amazement.

"Yup!" The girl said with an earnest smile that the bluenette found refreshing "I was watching the Third Bullet of Bullets. I figured that if I was gonna quit, I might as well do it after watching the tournament. For dramatic flair, y'know?"

"...Okay." Sinon felt herself sweatdrop at that statement "But what does it have to do with everything?"

"It has EVERYTHING to do with everything, Sinon-san!" Momo burst out passionately "I was watching you and Kirito-san fight in the tournament. As I watched, I thought about how strong you were, and-"

"You thought I was strong?" Sinon interrupted the pinkette.

"Yup, and I'm not talking about stats, skill or weapons." Momo giggled "I'm talking about the kind of strength one has against adversity; the kind that shows that even if everything else is against you, you'll still keep fighting. I...I wanted that kind of strength. I still do."

"That's why..." Momo concluded with a wide grin "That why I didn't quit GGO. I wanna become strong like my hero, Sinon-san!"

"Hero, huh?" Despite herself, Sinon was smiling; she wasn't exactly what many would call heroic (As much as she hated to admit it, that title belonged to Kirito), but for someone to think that of her, even when even she didn't think so...it was uplifting, to say the least.

"Momo."

"Yes, Sinon-san?"

"That gun you're using..." The sniper said as she glanced at the Colt Anaconda "Mind if I borrow it?"

"Uhm, sure!"

Momo enthusiastically handed Sinon the weapon, who took aim at the targets with practiced grace. As the novice watched intently, she notice that the way she held the revolver with two hands showed her experience as a marksman within GGO.

After taking a deep breath, Sinon fired and found her arms jerking slightly from the recoil.

"Wow, this gun's got a lot of power." The bluenette said with a smile "If it hit another player in the limbs, I don't doubt that he'll lost that limb for a few hours.

"Cool!"

"However, I don't think you have the STR requirements to use that properly yet."

"Really?!" the pinkette said in amazement, her expression matching that of a surprised puppy.

"Yeah. Revolvers are known for their stopping power and the recoil that comes with it, if the way it knocked off your feet is any indication. Even my arms are still shaking." Sinon explained with a giggle "You'll probably be better off with something else for now. Here."

Momo saw a trade window suddenly pop up in front of her. She peered into it and saw a single item inside.

"Type 54 Black Star?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

"It's not as powerful as your Colt Anaconda, but it should be a suitable replacement until you build up the STR needed to keep yourself on your feet. Also,"

Another window popped up in front of Momo, and this time it was a friend request. From Sinon.

"If you need my help for anything, message me and I'll come right away, alright?" The BoB champion said with a warm smile.

"S-sure..." Momo said with a shaky voice, unable to believe that her idol was doing this "But why go so far for me, Sinon-san? I'm just a novice..."

"You are, but you have more heart than most players I know." The sniper said with a sincerity that matched the pinkette "You'll go far in this world, Momo. I know you'll put that gun I gave you to good use, so don't give up, alright?"

"S-Sinon-san..." Momo was ready to break down in tears, and for good reason: her idol, the reason she decided to stay in GGO, was offering her support. So moved by the bluenette's actions, she raised her arm in a salute "Y-Yes, ma'am!" she said in a choked voice "I promise you, I won't let you down!"

As she watched Momo run out of the shooting gallery with her new Type 54, Sinon felt that she made the right choice.

"May the ghost of my past do some good in her hands." Sinon smiled before making her way out herself, feeling no regret over helping a novice with big dreams.

For one thing, at least she can say for certainty that she helped a fellow girl this time.

Chapter 1 End

A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the King of Beasts and welcome to the first chapter of A New Dawn, a fanfic that will focus on everyone's favorite GGO sniper, Shino Asada a.k.a Sinon!

Sinon: So I'm really getting a fic now, huh?

Indeed you are, Sinonon! We'll also be seeing more of Momo and other denizens of GGO as well as ALO, old and new, so keep your eyes peeled for them!

Momo: Hooray! More me!

Well, I guess that wraps things up for now. Kindly leave a review because reviews are love. See ya next time, readers!

Sinon and Momo: Next time on A New Dawn: Heartseeker!