Sibling Steel: Chapter 2

A/N: Okay everyone, glad to see all the positive buzz my first chapter got. Many reviews, favs and follows are a good confidence booster for my continuing this series.

Now, one question that I have frequently got from both reviews and PM's is that if this is going to be a KiriSugu fic. I will tell you 100% that this is not one of those fics.

I have nothing against the people who ship this couple but as started in the chapter before, both Sugu and Kazuto usually ignored or were annoyed at the gossip that there was something going on between them. Their relationship is purely platonic and familial.

Sorry to those who wished to see this pairing but it will not happen in that way. Hopefully, you'll all still be interested where this story heads.

That being said, thank you all for your interest in this fic and I can only hope I continue to entertain you all with this story. Enjoy!

A myriad of colors flashed in Suguha's face once she activated the NerveGear with her shout. A screen appeared in front of her asking to confirm everything about her account as correct. With a few quick swipes, the menus were cleared away into a void of white that soon gave way into a blue flash. Once the light cleared, she found herself in the middle of a bustling town square.

Numerous merchants were shouting from every angle for people to try out their wares. Players of many shapes and sizes were all freaking out over experiencing Full Dive for the first time while others simply ran around observing everything they could. In that same vein was Suguha overwhelmed by the scope of everything happening around her. She was always jealous that she couldn't be one of the beta testers alongside her brother while he got to gush about how amazing it was.

'That brother of mine… He got to experience all this while I was stuck playing regular MMO's on my computer. He better treat me to something good to make up for this.' She thought while moving around the square.

She chatted with a few NPCs to see what items they had and where areas like the town's blacksmith and inn was located. Despite being called the Town of Beginnings, it felt less like a town and more of a city with all the hubbub around.

So enthralled she was about looking around about everything, that she didn't notice one person trying to get her attention until they flicked her in the back of the head. Sugu was about ready to shout this person a new one for being so rude until the hand was caught by a familiar smiling face.

Well, familiar kind of being a loose term here since her brother looked much more mature than IRL.

"Hey, I was trying to get your attention for the past five minutes." Kazuto laughed, giving a familiar pet to her head which eased the girl. "Didn't I say to wait for me in the square?"

"Can you really expect me to wait when I'm greeted by all this amazing stuff?" The smiled widely with a quick spin to take in her surroundings. "It's so lifelike! I can hardly tell the difference!"

The older sibling laughed at her enthusiasm. Clearly the euphoria of a first timer's Full Dive experience wasn't lost on her. "Sorry about my tardiness but I had to take a bit of extra time at the menus to confirm my beta account settings."

"Is there really anything all that important in doing that?" She looked to her brother's name above his head and saw he was the same as her. Just level 1 alongside his name, Kirito.

"Well I did get to keep a few items from the beta, like some armor and a blade or two." Kirito scrolled through his menu to check what was saved. He was disappointed to see the one sword he really liked in the beta wasn't there but it made sense. The developers probably didn't want beta players to start off with an unfair advantage over the rest of the player base. "Here, open up your trade menu Sug- I mean Leafa. That's gonna take some getting used to."

Leafa swiped open her own menu and accepted her brother's gift of a new sword and chestplate that was better than her current equipment along with a few healing crystals. With a blue flash, her armor and sheathed sword changed while the old ones went into her inventory. "Wow, that was quick! This menu sure is useful."

"Alright, now that we're both stocked up. Let me show you the ropes about combat."

"Hey, did you guys say combat?"

Kirito and Leafa both turned to see a male player approaching them. He had long red hair and was rather scruffy looking around the chin. Judging by his casual appearance it was clear that he recently logged in with the others. "Got room for one more?"

"I'm not sure…" Leafa started. It's not like there was any risk to joining up with this guy as he looked harmless enough. But there was the fact that she really wanted to spend some one on one time with her brother before going to chat with other players.

The man clasped his hands together and bowed his head slightly down. "Aw, come on! Please? I really want to know how to fight so I can show my friends!"

"I don't see the harm in teaching two people." Kirito concluded which surprised his sister. "Just be sure not to make yourself look lame."

"Ha, I'll show you dude!" The redhead smirked with a fistbump. "I'm the coolest guy I know!"

Leafa rolled her eyes at his overconfidence. "Must be very little competition for that milestone."

"Hey, that was rude little miss!"

"Wow, and here I had hope for you." Kirito said with pity after seeing the enemy boar nail him in the unmentionables.

"Shut up." Klein groaned as he held his hands at his groin while he laid on the ground.

Kirito let out a sigh. "Seriously man? You can't get hurt here in VR. The pain absorber's on."

Klein blinked his eyes in surprise. "Oh yeah, you're right."

"Try and remember what I said." Kirito told him. "The first move is the most important."

"Easy for you to say." Klein said as he got back up. "But the damn boar won't sit still."

"If you do your initial motion right, and activate a sword skill at the right time, the system almost always guarantees you a hit."

"Initial… motion?"

"Here, let me show you." Kirito said as he reached for a pebble off the ground. Before he could grab it however, he felt his sister grab his arm. "What?"

"Uh uh, no way. I am not listening to another one of your Pig Smiting Pebble stories again." Leafa sternly told him.

"Come on, I don't do it that often."

"Not! Happening!"

Kirito let out a disappointed sigh. "Fine then. You show him how it's done, little miss expert."

"With pleasure." Leafa said as she stepped forward. She took a stance and aimed her sights of the Field Boar in front of her. Slowly, her sword began to glow. With one swift motion, she sprung forward and thrust her blade. "Hyyyaaaaahhh!"

As Leafa's blade cut through the boar, the animal let out a cry of pain before shattering. She turned around to see Klein with his mouth wide open, and Kirito with a nod of approval.

"There, now you try." Leafa said with a smug grin.

Klein mumbled something under his breath before continuing. It took another hour or so, but both Klein and Leafa were managing to get the hang of combat in the virtual world. With a good amount of training done, the three of them decided to take a break.

"I still can't believe it." Klein said. "We're inside a game."

"And you kept this all to yourself during the beta." Leafa pouted. "You're treating me to something nice later."

"Seriously? How is it my fault that you didn't get a slot in the beta?" Kirito argued.

"Don't argue mister!"

Klein looked at Kirito and Leafa, noticing how casually they talked between each other. "You two sure seem close. You dating or something IRL?"

Kirito shook his head, quickly correcting the red haired man. "No, we're siblings you see."

"Oh. Brother and sister. I see." Klein said. "Hard to tell since you don't look anything alike here." Slowly, a grin came to his face. "But hey, siblings can still do some nasty stuff. I don't judge."

Before Kirito could say anything, Leafa quickly drew her sword and pointed it at Klein. "Care to repeat that?"

Klein gulped and quickly shook his head. "Got it, nothing going on between you. Loud and clear."

"Good." Leafa said as she put her blade back into its sheath. Suddenly everyone heard a growl come from the girl's stomach.

"Someone sounds hungry." Kirito said with a grin.

"Yeah… maybe a little." Leafa admitted.

"Me too." Klein said. "That's why I ordered a pizza for 5:30." He got up and looked at the sibling duo. "I'm gonna logout now. Don't want that pizza to get cold."

"Have fun." Kirito waved.

"You know… I'm gonna be meeting up with some friends of mine later if you wanna join." Klein offered. He quickly noticed Kirito and Leafa gave each other nervous looks. "Hey it's cool, no pressure. You can meet them another time. Anyway, see you."

Kirito and Leafa watched as Klein began to walk away. "He seems nice." Kirito said.

Leafa nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. Kinda weird though."

"Hey guys. You got a second?" Klein called back. "I think something's wrong with the menu. The logout button is gone."

"Seriously?" Kirito asked. Both he and Leafa looked at each other with narrowed eyes. They each swiped their menus open to check for themselves. Just as Klein had said, the logout tab was missing, left completely blank.

'What's going on?' Kirito wondered.

Before anyone could say anything further, the sound of a bell echoed throughout the area. Kirito, Leafa, and Klein all paused and listened to the bell. Then, before they knew what was happening, each of them became surrounded in an azure light.

"Kazuto!"

"Sugu!"

When the light finally died down, Kirito found himself back in the square of the Town of Beginnings. Several lights appeared around the area, teleporting player after player in.

"Brother!" a sudden call came. Kirito turned and saw Leafa and Klein standing near him. Leafa looked at her brother worriedly. "Kirito, what's happening?"

"I'm not sure." Kirito said. "I think everyone went through some kind of forced teleportation."

"Hey! What's that up there!" someone shouted.

Simultaneously, Kirito, Leafa, and Klein all looked up at the sky. A blinking red message was seen above them, reading 'System Announcement'.

"Is this some kind of tutorial?" a player asked.

Soon, the message multiplied around the sky, turning the entire sky into a bloody red color. Ooze dripped down from above, forming together into a single figure. It formed someone in a giant red robe.

"Greetings players." the robed figure spoke. "I welcome you all, to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, head programer and developer of Sword Art Online."

Several gasps followed after what the person had said. This was Kayaba, the creator of the very game they were all in at this moment.

"I'm sure many of you have noticed an item missing from your menu by now. The logout button." Kayaba spoke. "I would like to tell you all that this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was originally developed."

"What… what's he saying?" Leafa asked, as her body began to shiver in fear.

"As of this moment, you will be unable to logout of Sword Art Online. There is another important detail I would like to mention." Kayaba added. "If anyone attempts to remove the Nerve Gear, the device will send an electric signal that will fry your brain, ending your life."

Klein couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He's kidding… right?"

"This has to be a joke, right bro? Right?" Leafa asked pleadingly as she looked at Kirito.

"... It's true." Kirito admitted. "The inside of the Nerve Gear is built just like a microwave. Without the safety, it can easily kill you."

Leafa and Klein both gasped in fear. Kayaba continued on with his speech. "Despite my warnings, several people have already tried to remove the Nerve Gear. As a result, the game now has two hundred and thirteen less players than before. In addition, you should also know that if your HP reaches zero, you will die in both the real and virtual world."

At the mention of that, every single player in the square fell silent. None of them could believe this was happening.

"There is only one way to escape. You must beat the game." Kayaba explained. "You are all currently gathered on Floor 1 of Aincrad. If you find and defeat the boss of this Floor, you can proceed onto Floor 2. Continue to defeat the boss on each floor and make your way up to the top on Floor 100. Do so, and you will clear the game and be able to escape."

"We have to clear all 100 floors? That's freaking impossible." Klein said. "Even the beta testers never even made it that high!"

"Lastly, I have placed an item inside the storage of every player." Kayaba said. "Please, have a look."

Kirito and Leafa did as they were told, each of them finding a mirror. Before they could ask what it was for, everyone found themselves engulfed by light once again. When they could see again, Kirito looked over at Leafa, only to find that she looked nothing like her. Or rather too much like her. Her appearance was exactly the same as how she looked in the real world.

"Suguha? Is that you?" Kirito asked.

Leafa looked at her brother and gasped. "Kazuto?! How come you look like you do in the real world?!"

"I… I don't know." Kirito said. Looking over at Klein, they noticed he seemed different as well.

After giving the players a moment to realize what had happened, Kayaba continued on. "I'm sure many of you are currently wondering "Why?". Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online, do all this. Ultimately my goal was a simple one. Simply put, my goal was to be in control of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved that goal."

"Kayaba…" Kirito growled.

"It is important to keep the following in mind. There is no longer any way to revive someone. There is no longer any way to logout. And if your HP reaches zero, the Nerve Gear will fry your brain, ending your life. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

With that said, Kayaba vanished into thin air, letting the players have reality slowly sink in. Slowly, and gradually, people slowly began to panic.

Kirito quickly acted and tapped Klein and Leafa on the shoulder. "Follow me."

The trio quickly made their way away from the square and into an alleyway. "Listen, we need to get moving. The longer we wait, the faster all the hunting spots and item drops will be taken up. Since I was in the beta, I know my way around the area. I can lead us to the next town easy, even if I'm level 1."

Leafa nodded her head in agreement. "Alright, I'm with you brother."

"Umm guys?" Klein spoke. "I'm sorry but… I can't go with you."

"What?!" Both siblings exclaimed.

"You know those friends of mine I mentioned?" Klein asked. "Well they're all still back at the square. I can't just leave them like that."

Kirito and Leafa both looked at each other. If it was just Klein, then they'd be fine. But having to carry even more players?

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." Klein assured them. "Besides with all the stuff you taught me, I'll be fine."

Kirito hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "Alright. Leafa and I will be in Tsolvana. It's two towns over from here. If you want, message me when you're there and I'll teach you and your friends some more stuff."

Klein nodded his head. "Got it. See you around, you two. Oh and Kirito?"

"Yeah?"

"You look… better like that. Way cooler than your avatar."

A small smile came to Kirito's lips. "Yeah and that scruffy face fits you ten time more too."

Klein let out a chuckle. "And Leafa. Those things definitely look bigger than bef- Oof!" Klein was cut off as Leafa shoved her fists into his gut.

"Don't make me regret befriending you Klein." Leafa sternly told him.

Klein let out a weak chuckle as he got back up. "Guess I deserved that. Anyway, see you around."

Kirito and Leafa watched as Klein ran off back to the square. The two looked at each other and nodded, running off towards the town gate.

The sun was starting to set as the sibling duo ran out of the Town of Beginnings. They ran together towards the next town. As they did, a wolf spawned in front of them. Both Kirito and Leafa each drew their blades.

'I'll protect you, Kazuto.'

'I won't let anything happen to you, Sugu.'

They each let out a cry as they slashed through the wolf and moved on. 'We're going to survive in this world!'

A/N: Well now the adventure begins proper. Needless to say that things are going to be majorly different than how it happens in the canon show. With Leafa's inclusion, we have many new doors for stories and moments that weren't possible before. Now as for the length of these chapters, I am going to be sticking to my Grimmborn rule of usually no more than 4k words at a time unless it's for an important story moment. So that I may keep these chapters coming at a consistent schedule. Next update will be for Grimmborn so look forward to that. Drop a review if you liked it and have a nice day or night, time zones depending.