They had just gotten off work, well, at least he had, since his partner was called for another photoshoot and a late night interview from a famous talk show, he simply told him that he would meet up with the other later at the younger man's apartment. After that conversation, Kotestu left Apollon Media in a rush.

He looked down at his watch and saw that it was nearly 4:20 pm and if he didn't hurry he would miss the server opening. After hailing a cab, he told the driver to drive faster towards the direction of his apartment. It only took an hour to before he finally reached his neighborhood, a record if you took into account how far Bronze stage was from his work place.

After paying driver, which was happy after receiving such a huge tip from him, Kotetsu ran to his place. He opened the door and hurriedly removed his shoes and tie before going straight to his bedroom. There he approached one of his bookshelves by the bed and pulled out a medium size rectangular box with the words: NerveGear engraved on the label. He opened the said box and pulled out a helmet-like object along with a cube-like box. He took the cube and pulled its plug and attached it to an outlet beside his bed.

Kotetsu then removed his shirt and got comfortable on his bed. He added more pillows on his back to add to his comfort before looking at his watched. He had estimated that he had 5 hours before bunny would call for him and ask him when he'd be arriving in his apartment.

A smile crossed his lips at the thought of his partner.

Despite all that has happened between them, Barnaby still tried everything within his power to make sure Kotestsu was still part of his life. From inviting the veteran hero to to his place and them having dinner and sharing a drink together, to letting Kotetsu join some of his photoshoots and interview gigs. Even letting him come with the younger hero during patrols in the city, which was a task the older one didn't have to do considering he was part of the second league, Barnaby tried to keep Kotetsu close.

It was both heartwarming and painful for the older man.

Heartwarming because he liked that bunny cared for him so much not to leave him in the dark. Painful because deep down he knew he was only holding his partner back.

Don't get him wrong. He loved being a hero, even though he was part of the second league ones. Okay, that was a lie, he didn't really get joy in being part of the second league as much as he did when he was in the first league, but beggars can't be choosers and he had accepted this fact the moment he came back with his Hundred power down to a minute. Anyway, he didn't really mind being a second-rate hero, he just didn't liked the fact that most of the first-rate heroes, particularly his partner tried everything to get him to be part of them when he clearly is not. He didn't belong in the first league, he shouldn't be part of their actions, even though he did enjoy fighting bigger criminals when he got the chance, but Barnaby didn't deserve to be dragged down by him and be forced to lower himself just to be with his washed-up partner.

It just wasn't fair.

That was why Kotetsu often did what he did tonight. Say no to his partner's invitations or any other invitations to do work together and come up with a whatever excuse he could come up that allowed him to do so. It has worked so well so far in the pass three months so he saw no reason to stop it. Sure, he was certain Barnaby would really get angry at him for it, but it wasn't like he was doing it for the purpose to hurt his friend. He was doing it to let his friend grow to be the great hero he knew he was. So he knew he would at least be forgiven for it.

Besides, it was not like he totally left Barnaby's life.

He was still accepting the younger man's invites for dinner and still hang out with him during their day off. They still chatted when they were together and he still shared most of the happenings of his life and the life of his daughter to the man. He still made fun of him and still made the younger man laugh at his amazing (corny) jokes. He cooks for him, trains with him and even go out with him when the man feels like talking a walk in the park in the middle of the night. Over all, he is still pretty much part of bunny's life. Just not the hero part, but he was okay with that.

Shaking his mind off his thoughts of his partner, the hero decided to focus on the task on hand. Two months ago, he joined a beta testing of a new video game that was about to be released in Sternbild. It was called Sword Art Online. A new online game that used a new type of gaming experience called NerveGear, which enable players to enter their minds into the virtual world of the game and become the players of the the game themselves.

It had first shock Kotetsu when he played it but he later found that he enjoyed the feeling of being in an alternate world, fighting off monsters and solving quests and altogether be an entirely different person, well not really too different, but he liked that no one really knew him in real life so he can act however he liked and not be judged by it. The game allowed him to forget all his problems in real life: like missing his daughter, his diminishing powers and sinking reputation, his rising star of a partner who doesn't want to leave him to go fulfill his own dreams and the other heroes, who continuously worry about him. The game became an escape for him and he really saw no harm in it.

It was only temporary

That's what he always told himself. He would play the game, escape a few hours of the tiresome life he lived before coming back and living the said life. An unhealthy cycle, but he wasn't planning on stopping it anytime soon.

He picked up the helmet-like object and placed it on his head. Pressing the button on the side of head gear, he felt his mind be transported to the virtual world of the game.

(O.O)

A scream was heard as the last of the tentacle monsters were slain the small party of 3. A dark brown-haired swordsman sheathed his long katana. The wind blew on his shoulder-length hair on one direction all while he kept his eyes closed in concentration, thus adding to the cool-look effect that radiated from the man. He looked liked in his mid-thirties. He had a small faded goatee on his chin, wore a simple black turtleneck shirt coupled with a grey jacket, and brown fingerless gloves adorn his hands. There was dark blue chain-belt attached to his hips that served to hold his two swords. He looked liked a simple low level character based on the attire he was wearing, but his companions knew that he was simply wearing them just so he can help real newbies like them fit in the game.

He then turned to face his companions and gave them a goofy smile.

"You guys did great!" he told them, "And earlier you were all so reluctant to team up with me because you said you were all still new to the game."

"We were only able to survive the game this long and finished that quest because of you, Tora-san," a blue-haired woman said. She wore a white button-up shirt with with brown leather straps on her chest and animal skin pants with a black hip belt were her Aurelian dagger hung loosely.

"Yeah, it is all thanks to you that we survived. You were a really great help Tora-san!" the other members of their party said. He was a large man with indigo hair, spiked up in the most unrealistic way. He wore slightly heavy armor that definitely did not fit his current character level.

He must be rich, since that was Tora's only explanation why the guy had the items he had. He could obviously purchase them with real Stern-currency.

"Naw, I didn't do much other than explain to you how to play the game," Tora told them humbly, "And showed you the ropes. You two did all the fighting and I simply assisted."

"Whatever you say, Tora-san, we owe you. Hey! How about we exchange contact info so we can contact each other whenever we want!" the blue haired woman said.

"That's a great idea, Mikamika-chan!" her companion said before turning to face Tora and ask for his contact number and added him to their friends list.

After the exchange, the two left to make their own journey while Tora said he was gonna fight more monsters thus the three went their separate ways.

Ones the two left, Tora opened his server link and looked at the time.

Dang! It was already seven in the morning. He totally missed his meeting with bunny. He had been playing nonstop for more than thirteen hours since he had been so engrossed in trying to help newbie players like those two all night. Damn him and his overly helpful tendency. He was sure to earn a glare from his partner for skipping out on him.

Although, if he was honest, bunny hadn't called him thus could mean that the man had been too busy last night and decided to immediate rest after whatever publicity stunt he had been through. This then could give Kotetsu the excuse to say that he decided not to come and meet up with the younger hero. Shaking his mind and deciding to find an excuse once he was in the real world Kotetsu opened the main menu of his server but noticed something strange. Below the main menu, where the log-out button was suppose, Kotetsu saw that there was one missing icon.

"The hell?" he uttered noticing that there was no log-out button for the game. Immediately Kotetsu tried calling for the game master to report and inquire about this latest bug in the game. But no one was answering on the other line. A feeling of dread crossed the veteran hero's heart, but he shook it off to try and find a solution for his predicament. He was in the process of calling the game master again when he felt himself be teleported to a different location without his consent.

He was surprise when he found himself standing inside the shatter dome found in level one of the game. He looked around and saw that there were a lot of players who were there with him.

"Attention. players. I welcome you to my world," a man in a red cloak announce on a big screen above them. Kotetsu immediately recognized him as the game master.

A lot of the players immediately reacted to this new information and began wondering why the man was looking the way he did.

They didn't have to wait long for the man in the screen explained their situation.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus - the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how "Sword Art Online" was designed to be," the man said, "You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the "NerveGear" from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life."

Kotetsu couldn't believe his ears at this. Kayaba Akihiko. He was the kind man who talked to Kotetsu when he first appeared to beta test the game. He was also the guy who helped explain to him how NerveGear worked. This man and the man he met could not be the same person. He just couldn't fathom it.

"He's joking, right?" a young woman beside him said. The fear in her voice was quite adamant, making Kotetsu's hero instincts go wild that he wanted to comfort the other player.

"He's not. The transmitter's signals in the headgear work just like microwaves. If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain," a man beside the woman stated, earning him a glare from the veteran hero.

Can't he see that the woman doesn't need to know that?!

"C-couldn't people just cut the power or ..?" the woman asked still dawning the fearful expression.

"That won't work. The NerveGear's got an internal battery," the man answered with a grim tone.

"This is crazy! It's totally crazy!" the woman said, tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world," Akihiko said.

"Two hundred thirteen?" this time Kotetsu could not help the horridied look from forming in his expression. This man killed two hundred and thirteen people?"

"No way... I don't believe it!" the girl beside him screamed.

"As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape now - you must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"That's impossible!" Kotetsu said. Even the most experienced beta testers he knew couldn't go beyond level 20, and he during his time as a tester could only reach level 8.

This man was crazy. Not only had he killed more than two hundred people, he was planning to kill more of them by giving them an impossible task of clearing a game that was hard to defeat without dying yourself.

"Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look," Kayaba said.

"A mirror?" Kotetsu asked as he stared at the object in his hand. A scream brought him out of his musing as he saw what the mirror had done to the other players of the game.

One by one, all the players in the dome turned into different people before his eyes.

"You a guy?!" he heard on player shout at his companion.

"And you're not seventeen!" said another player.

He looked to the two people beside him and was surprised to find that the woman beside him turned out to be not a woman but a young girl, probably even younger than his own daughter. Kotetsu could no longer stop his protective instincts from taking control when he saw that the girl was downright crying when she saw the transformation that happened to everyone, including herself. An hand reached out to the her and pulled the frightened child into his arms.

"Hey, hey, it will be alright," he whispered. This only made the girl cry harder.

"How is this possible? How on earth could he know what we looked like in real life?" the girl said in between sobs.

"The scan. There's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear. It can see what our faces look like, but how it knows my height and body type, I am still not certain," the know-it-all man, who looked a couple of years younger than bunny and was a bit of the tall side and had curly dark hair and wore glasses, answered.

As much as Kotetsu was hating the man for his informative nature that was one of the source of the nightmares of the child in his arms, he could not help but answer the man's own question. "When you first put the NerveGear on, it had to do this... calibration thing. It asked us to touch our bodies all over like this, remember?" he said.

"Oh, yeah, you're right," the man said, giving Kotestsu a once over look before looking back on the screen, a thoughtful expression dawning his face, "That's where it got our physical data!."

"But, this is... What's the point?! Why would anyone do this to us?!" the child in his arms screamed stand back up to yell at the man in the screen.

"I think he's about to tell us," Kotetsu said, looking up to face the screen again.

"Right now, you are probably wondering why. Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design.

"Akihiko-san..." was all Kotetsu could say. He was confused, shock, hurt and most of all afraid of what was happening to him. This man who had welcomed him in this wonderful virtual world was going to keep him and many others prisoners in this so-called paradise he created.

"As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck!"

The screen disappeared and in that moment many people in the dome started panicking. Players started screaming and running exit the place. Pushing each other and even trampling on the players who fell on the ground. Normally, Kotetsu would try and calm the crowd, at his that was his hero instincts were telling him. But at the moment, his fatherly instincts were taking over him as he saw that the child beside him was experiencing the same panic as everyone was at the dome.

"This is not real. That man had to be lying! He can't do this to us! This was suppose to be just a fun game!" the little girl said looking fearfully at Kotetsu and the man beside her.

"It's not a game anymore. It's real. Kayaba Akihiko created a virtual world. He designed the NerveGear rig. The man's a genius! I've been a fan of his for a long time... so I know... everything he just said... is the truth! If we die in the game, we'll die in real life."

"My god... No!" the girl fell on her knees and began to cry harder.

"Stop scaring her, would you?!" Kotetsu yelled at the man and gave him a hard shove before taking the little girl in his arms once again.

"I am not scaring her. I am simply telling the truth of things. There is no need to disillusioned her from the reality that she can die in this game," the man said in a sardonic voice.

If looks could kill then the man would be six feet under because of the glare the veteran hero sent his way.

"Even so, you do not need to cause too much panic to an already frightened child, you heartless bastard!"

"Heartless or not, I still think that she needs to learn the gravity of the situation. As do you," the man said giving Kotetsu a pointed look.

"What do you-" he didn't get to finish as was pushed by one of the panicking players trying to escape the dome.

"We need to get out of here or we will be crush by these hysterical crowd," the man said, "It is too young in the game for us to die this way."

Kotetsu had no choice but to agree with the man. He can get angry at him later, for now they needed to leave the dome.

"I have a transporter stone. I can get all three of us out," he said before getting the said item from his inventory. He pointed the item at the three of them and a bright light was the only thing left that signified they had been in the area.

TBC

(O.O)