Hullo readers! :)

It's nice to know that people out there actually like my writing :P so thank you guys for all the nice reviews :) Not to mention the Follows and Favs! All of this for a simple 2000 or so words. Thank you guys so much :)

I'm planning on (roughly) churning out a chapter every month. This is because of schedules (evil thingies :P) and writer's block (an evil-er thingie! XD) this way I can give you my best work. Also, could I have volunteers for beta readers (people who can put up with my writing :D)?

On the other hand, there were a few comment upon the originality of my story, or lack thereof. I must apologize, my story is (so far) quite like many other SAO Sinoto fics, but hopefully, I'll be able to come up with something that will set this story apart from the others. It would help me greatly though if you guys kept up your wonderful support, and even more so if you volunteered ideas. I can't think of everything :P

Thank you all of you who reviewed the first chapter, I greatly appreciated that.

The same things said about dialogue and private thoughts last chapter still applies. Btw, I still don't own SAO among the other things mentioned in this chapter :P ...sadly.


Fall. Why does it have to be so cold...?

The small girl wondered, walking out the school courtyard, and through ornately wrought gate.

Another day of school over. That means only 6 hundred and-

"Hey, Shino!" someone yelled.

What now? she wondered "Hmmm?" she asked as she turned to face whoever it was. Oh, it's Kazuto.

The boy, clothed in a black coat, shirt, and pants caught up to her. "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"...I guess." she replied evenly. It might keep Endou and her friends away. "Sure, I don't mind"

"Thanks" he said with a grin.

As the strange pair walked down the sidewalk Kazuto eventually had to ask. "So, those girls, yesterday..."

"What about them?'

"Well..." Kazuto scratched his head, "they aren't your friends, are they?"

"...No."

"If you don't mind me asking... what were they doing?"

Well, seeing as how he is the one who stopped them, I guess he kinda deserves to know... "They were asking for money."

"Oh, ok."

The odd pair continued on for a few minutes before either spoke again.

"I was wondering," Shino said, breaking the deafening silence, "why did you help me the other day?"

"Well..." Kazuto scratched his head. "I guess I hardly ever help others, so I decided to change that the other day."

I wonder if he would still help me if he knew what I've done- Something caught Shino's eye, breaking her train of thought. Someone was looking at her. One of Endou's cronies? I hope they'll leave me alone since I'm not walking alone... "Were are you going Kazuto?"

"Well, I'm heading to the game store over there."

... That isn't good...

"What are you doing there?"

"Well, I was going to get something there yesterday, until I saw you in the alley," he stated, "so I'm getting it today instead."

"Getting what?"

"NerveGear," he replied simply.

"Isn't that for the new game, the one that's been all over the news," Shino asked, "Sword Art Online?"

"Yep, I'm planning on playing it when it comes out."

Wait a sec, what if I went inside the store with him...


"Do you mind if I tag along?" asked Shino.

"Umm, sure," he replied.

"I'm a bit curious about NerveGear, and SAO in general."

Huh, I didn't think that she would like games. She doesn't really seem like the type... Thought Kazuto.

As he pushed open the store's doors he heard Shino go "Thank you," and several seconds later, "Why are getting NerveGear for SAO if it isn't out for another three months?" as the duo walked inside of a well lit store. Two of the walls were shelved, light grey boxes housing Nerve Gear and a number of games, ranging from the spaces reserved for the state of art SAO to the old retro games such as the "Halo" series, covered both of them. The third walls was the register, with more merchandise cluttering the remaining counter space. The middle of the store was commanded by a series of tables, counters, and small shelves, that were dominated by game related information.

How would she know that? Kazuto wondered, that was, until he looked up and saw the electronic countdown.

"I'm getting the NerveGear now because when SAO does finally come out, the stores will either be sold out or completely packed," Kazuto replied, trying to cover his embarrassment.

"Oh, makes sense," she said, "what's so big about SAO?"

"It's the first game to use Full Dive technology, basically meaning that the game uses all of your senses to make it seem more realistic, making the game into a virtual reality," replied Kazuto as he navigated the intricate maze of displays to the back of the shop.

"Wow..." Shino said as she followed behind him, "so that means that what you would do here your game self would do the same?"

"To a point, yes. The real you wouldn't do anything because of the Nerve Gear."

"Why? What does the Nerve Gear do?"

"It intercepts the brain signals you send you move your body and redirects them into the game," he said, gesturing to one of the models set off to the side, "and then to duplicate sensory input it sends the data through electromagnetic waves in replace of the incoming sensory input that your body sends to your brain."

"Oh... Other than Full Dive, what makes SAO different than other MMORPGs?"

"Well, for one, SAO doesn't have magic. Instead, it uses a skill system. It has a skill for practically everything, fishing, blacksmithing, knitting, and combat."


This game, SAO, sounds interesting... This was the rogue thought running through Shino's head.

Growing up in a small town, Shino had not grown up under the influence of games. And as such she believed that a world full of swords and magic, well, in this case, "Skills", belonged only in books. She wasn't interested in it, or was she...?

Maybe I'll have to try a VRMMORPG for once... I wonder... She backtracked to the display, which sported descriptions of the game's various features and scanned the columns until she found...

Avatar Creation, Shino read silently, SAO provides all players with a vast collection of different physical features for all-

An idea started to form then, an idea with cyan hair...


Unfortunately, this chapter was short... very short. Sorry guys (I hate writing stuff this short D:), but I felt that it was mostly key material explaining how Shino becomes Sinon, and how she's introduced to SAO. Not to mention I was a bit tired, which probably affected the quality of the chapter, sorry. :(

So, I hit writers block three days after trying to start the second chapter and came back almost a week later, it surprised me to no end the attention my story was somehow getting. I mean, the first two days the only reviews were criticism (thanks guys :D the opinions and critiques I got are vastly appreciated) so I kinda got the feeling that my story wasn't really going to get anywhere, sure the occasional reader, but not much else. So when I came back a week later, I was blown away. A lot more reviews, Favs, Follows than I would've ever expected. I can't say "Thank you guys!" enough (So I won't)!

Thank you guys! :)