A/N
Wow, I don't know what to say. This chapter was enjoyable to write, and it flowed so naturally. I hope everyone likes it. Thank you!
Disclaimer: Tragically I do not own Kirito, Asuna, or any of the ideas used in SAO. All credit goes to Reki Kawahata.
The sky was translucent pink and spread out all around him, surrounding the boy on all sides. He was on a raised platform, looking down on everyone else. No, that wasn't right. He was in the sky. Was he a game maker?
Kirito looked down at the people below him, his aerial view allowing him to see miles away in the distance. But then, something caught his eye directly under him. There were two kids, a girl and a boy, standing on the edge on the bridge. They were holding hands. He bent down, trying the get a closer view of the two children. The girl had tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, Onii-chan, but I brought you here to say goodbye. I can't do it any more."
The boy looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry brother. I love you," the girl whispered.
The boy reached forward as if to touch her. But, she had already taken a step forward and hurled herself over the edge of the bridge. Within seconds an explosion of blue appeared, and the girl was gone.
Kirito awoke, and sat straight up, a cold sweat covering his body. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his irregular heartbeat. It was just a dream, he thought, just a dream.
Asuna was sleeping next to him, her face peaceful. The clock was glowing behind her. It was 8:25. He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair to brush it down. It was the perfect time to wake up because he would have enough time to eat breakfast and prepare to enter the new virtual world at 9:00.
"Asuna, wake up." Kirito whispered, kissing her temple.
She opened one eye and blinked in confusion. "Kirito?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness.
"It's time to get up," he said, a smile forming on his face. "We need to eat before we log into GHO."
When he said that she opened both of her eyes, excitement passing over her face. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning slightly.
"Let's get up. I will make breakfast while you wake up Sugu-chan."
Kirito nodded in agreement. "Ok."
He rolled off the bed first, and shivered slightly. He grabbed two sweatshirts from his closet and handed Asuna one. She pulled it on before sliding her legs out from underneath the covers and standing.
"I'll put the frozen waffles we have in the toaster," she mumbled as she slipped on her light pink slippers.
They left his room together and Kirito walked down the hall to his sister's room.
"Are you awake?" he asked, knocking and then opening her door.
The black haired girl was lying on her back and hugging a pillow. "Go away," she mumbled, tightening her hold on the soft object.
He chuckled. "Asuna is defrosting waffles. Just thought I should tell you that. ... And that it's 8:40."
Sugu froze before throwing off her blankets and leaping off her mattress. She checked the clock to make sure her brother wasn't lying before rushing to the kitchen. She stopped in her doorway for a second to hug Kirito.
"Thank you for waking me Onii-chan," she murmured in his ear.
She then brushed past him and he heard her say hello to Asuna in the other room. Closing the door behind him, he exited her room.
Asuna had already placed the plates with waffles on the kitchen table. They all sat down and wordlessly agreed to eat quickly so they could set up GHO. The waffles were finished in minutes, and Kirito brought the plates to the sink.
"Well, I guess we'll all see each other in the game soon," said Asuna cheerfully.
Kirito mumbled his agreement as Suguha left to go to her room. He then turned to Asuna. "I will put the game in our servers, okay?"
She nodded, "Be right there."
Kirito walked to his room alone, his feet quiet on the wood floors. Once inside, he didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead he just grabbed the games and took the CDs out, inserting them in the server.
Then, he layes down on the bed and placed his amusphere on his head. Kirito wondered if he should wait for Asuna, then he saw the time. It was 8:59. Hesitantly, he whispered the words, hoping that she would come soon.
"Link start!"
He was shooting through a tunnel, colors flashing around his body in a mismatched rainbow. After a few seconds he landed on his feet in a black room. A female voice started talking once Kirito looked around.
"Please enter your name for your avatar, gender, and any other MMOs you have played if you would like to transfer a character," the voice stated.
A keyboard and screen appeared in front of him so he could type his answers.
Name: Kirito
Gender: Male
Previous Games: Sword Art Online, ALfheim Online
He hit enter and waited for the information to load.
"Would you like to keep your avatar from Swort Art Online or ALfheim Online?" Kirito jumped at the woman's voice.
He thought for a second before choosing his SAO character out of the two options. He was comfortable in his own body unlike some people. As soon as he hit accept, another screen appeared in front of him.
He did not flinch this time when the voice explained, "Now you must choose your starting weapon."
Kirito looked at the options. There was only three of them. A basic sword, a rapier, and a dagger. All average blades with no bonuses. He chose the weapon he always used: a sword.
Nothing was said after he chose the weapon, and Kirito wondered if the log in process was done. But then he remembered the tutorial.
"GHO has 100 floors," the voice started. "You will start on the first floor in the Town of Blissful Horizons. To move up a floor, you must complete the main quest or challenge. There are minor quests to do for coins. Each time you move up a floor, you will get a bonus such as a weapon or special skill."
The screen popped up in front of him again.
End Tutorial: Yes
Kirito was surprised when the login process didn't start right away.
"One reminder before you are transported into the game is to exit the MMO every few hours. The food eaten in the game can sustain your real body, as can the sleep you get. However, it is recommended to log out after extended periods of time."
Then the voice stopped and the room was silent. The game was loading.
Data accepted. Commencing log-in now.
Nothing was happening. Kirito was still standing in the darkness of the room. Was something wrong?
Suddenly the ground fell away, and he was falling into a black hole. The uncontrolled descent continued for a few seconds.
Kirito was facing downwards as he tumbled through space. He could see a wall that enclosed the sprawling town below. Outside the wall on one side, the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. To the right, there were trees covering acres of land.
Kirito managed to straighten himself so he was heading towards the ground feet first. As he began to see some of the people below, his descent slowed, then stopped completely.
He was floating in mid-air.
But just as soon as he had stopped moving, he felt his clothes being tugged in all directions. His vision blurred, and he was weightless.
That feeling lasted for less than a second.
Kirito felt his knees buckle when he hit solid ground. Reaching around, he propped himself up against a wall, disoriented.
"Wow," he whispered once his vision cleared and the ground stopped spinning.
He was looking at the buildings surrounding him. The architecture was beautiful with thick columns remiscent of Ancient Greece, and structures made completely of stone. If the design was this realistic on the first floor, this game must be amazing.
Kirito turned around to see what he was leaning against. But what he saw in the glass caught his attention.
His reflection.
He had expected his avatar to change slightly because he had changed games. And really, the change was not too visible. It was just some small details.
Kirito now had navy blue hair instead of black, though it was the same length and cut. His dark eyes also had flecks of silver in them.
"I still have the same body type," he mumbled to himself. Lithe and muscular. "These clothes are different, but I knew that would happen."
Instead of his usual all black outfit, Kirito was wearing dark blue pants and a white v-neck. He also had a black leather jacket on, which was a surprisingly nice quality. Maybe it was a starting gift like the mirror had been in SAO.
Kirito knew he should probably go find the center of town and wait there for his friends. He hesitated, uncertain of which way to go. Finally, he spotted a girl standing nearby scrolling through her menu.
The girl had short sky colored hair and a thoughtful look on her face. He walked up to her awkwardly.
"Excuse me, do you know where the town center is?"