Klein growled, trapping the stunned Kirito between his arms, the palms of his hands pressed against the wall that prevented him from making a run for it. The war was over, the shadows in his eyes were deeper, more haunted, and Klein hated it. Over and over again, he had allowed Kirito to make his own choices, to decide his own fate, but none of those decisions had ever made him happy.

He knew the younger player hadn't loved Asuna or Sachi initially… It was his fear of them dying that had him latching on to them with all his might. The one person that Kirito might have truly cared for, was Eugeo, a boy he had been trapped inside of a virtual world with. Only the boy had been an AI, created from another soul. Having the boy cruelly ripped away from him, unable to escape yet another death game, Kirito's soul had shattered almost beyond repair. He had no idea what had brought him back… However, there was no certainty that Kirito wouldn't do it again and Klein wished more than anything that he could redo it all, to make choices that would help save this man in front of him, to become a hero for the hero.

Klein knew that Kirito had always regretted walking away from him in the Town of Beginnings, never once considering that Klein had allowed it. He had seen Kirito hesitating; if he had pushed the issue, he would have joined their group, even if he was skeptical about keeping other players around him alive. Yeah, he flirted with other girls… He even pretended that he was desperate to find the perfect one. However, the one person that he couldn't do without, the one person that he'd move mountains for, help without hesitation, was right in front of him.

He wouldn't have considered that he was gay… The saying was true after all. You couldn't control who you fell in love with, regardless of how hard you tried to emotionally distance yourself. Heaven knows… This one man had caused him more grief than joy, but he never once blamed the kid for it. It was partially their fault for relying on a 14 year old beta tester to level and clear a game that the adults should have handled. Klein was an experienced gamer, having led in more games than he could possibly name on both hands. He had taken his friends, all average players and turned them into some of the strongest elite gamers the world had ever known. However, most of them had stopped playing. He continued because he was always afraid that Kirito would become unreachable if he wasn't around to hold him in place.

Kirito could have loved him… It was quite possible he already did; he knew that, but his guilt had kept him at a distance and he always ran back to one of the girls that hovered around him. Asuna would have possibly fallen for one of the other girls if it hadn't been for Kirito and almost everyone could see the possibility of someone else if things had been different, if events had played out in a way that didn't put all the blame on Kirito's shoulders.

Klein struggled to regain a sense of control, the anger and grief so strong that he had to close his eyes while he took one breath after another. Kirito knew the older man was furious with him and he wanted to say that he was sorry, but too much had happened over the years to even have a place to start undoing the damage caused between them. Kirito didn't even think he had a right to ask for Klein's love or forgiveness; so he cruelly rejected him at every turn, allowing himself to seek comfort with Asuna.

Kirito didn't push him away, but he didn't reach to pull him closer either. He expected Klein to pull away like he always did, to laugh all of this off and continue where everything had left off. However, the recent events with Alicization had proven too much, even for Klein. Red hair tickled against his throat, but Klein made no further advancement. He simply wanted to know that Kirito was there, present and alive, not the vegetable that had been lying on a battlefield, his enemies taunting and tormenting him, hurting him, his hands reaching for the broken sword of his best friend.

"How do I make it better?" Klein whispered. The raven haired man had no answer; how could he possibly have one when he asked the same question every day, having watched the people he had opened his heart to die? Walking away, he left Kirito's house, ignoring Suguha and the other girls. He had wanted to say how he felt, but he couldn't. Was he not just as guilty for allowing Kirito to reach this point?

Going home, he put on his head set, and lost himself in Aincrad, the place that was the source of so much heartache and joy. He felt more of the first emotion than the latter right now. Klein wanted to cry, but he held it back, going to the spot where everything had started. It was so hard to imagine that he could have been instantly killed as he had tried to learn how to use his sword and skills, but Kirito had taken great patience to let him figure it out, a system so unique to normal MMOs or RPGs. Kayaba had been a genius, there was no denying that truth, but the bastard still had a tight grip on Kirito, regardless if his young friend wanted to admit it or not.

Just as he was ready to log out, an image began to form in front of him. He was about the same age as Kirito, with blond hair and bright blue eyes. His facial expression was gentle, full of love and compassion that Klein instantly had an idea of who this was. Asuna had told all of them about the boy, an AI that Kirito had grown up with during the Alicization project.

As far as Kirito had been concerned, Eugeo had been his best friend… They had trained together, bled together, cried together… And when they were faced with a powerful enemy, Eugeo had sacrificed himself in order to save both Kirito and the world they were living inside of. Rising to his feet, Klein held his breath, not sure if he was imagining Eugeo, as if he had made him up in order to see the boy that had shattered Kirito's iron will and soul.

"We finally crossed paths," he greeted. Klein couldn't help but like him. He had an open and honest personality, one that anyone could trust and believe in. "It's taken me awhile, but I finally found you. You're the link that stretches back to the beginning."

"Link?"

"Kirito will forever find himself trapped within Kayaba's creations and experiments, all of which were started a year before he was discovered. If he continues, Kirito will not only continue to lose pieces of himself, but it will claim his life."

Klein was aware of that, but stopping Kirito was like trying to jump in front of a category five typhoon. There was no stopping Kirito, not now. If he had just gone with him that day… He knew Kirito hadn't wanted to link up with people he hadn't known… For whatever reason, Klein had connected to the boy… There was no doubt in his mind that Kirito had accepted him and the fact that he had offered to take him along when their world had turned upside down, spoke volumes.

"Aren't you dead?"

"Yes and no… My physical body is gone, but what you refer to as the human soul was absorbed into the Cardinal System. I'm what you might consider an error in the system and I have managed to evade and avoid deletion, looking and searching for a chance to fix the mistakes and crimes that Kayaba and the government has committed."

Klein couldn't believe that everything was still so complicated. When would it stop? He already knew that Kirito wasn't going to get the happiness and peace he desperately needed and deserved.

"I hate that bastard with every fiber of my being," Klein hissed through clenched teeth, his fingers curled together into two tight fists.

"Believe it or not, Kayaba built Aincrad as an experiment. He believed that the human mind and spirit was far stronger than any machine, but the government was convinced otherwise. To prove them wrong and to fulfill a childhood dream, he created Sword Art Online as a way to not only control the people inside of it, but to observe the players as they made their way from one floor to another. Other than that, he did nothing more than to observe and guide the players to their ultimate goal."

"He could have done that without risking our lives in the real world! Even if our avatars were deleted, it shouldn't have extended past that."

Eugeo shook his head, trying to make Klein understand, regardless of the moral implications of right or wrong. "If players were able to escape through death, every one would have simply done just that and the game would have ended. Kayaba ensured that he would get the data he needed and his system was so complex that no one had the ability to break through the security system or firewalls he implemented."

"His experiment would have failed…"

"Are you so certain of that? Out of the 10,000 applicants that requested a slot in the live beta tests, he personally investigated and hand picked each one. When running an experiment, you need specific types of people, all of them pulled from the population. Kirito was like finding a rare diamond, so unique that everyone else would find themselves eclipsed by him. You weren't one of the original applicants, so he never knew that another player like Kirito might have existed or if he did, you were for whatever reason, weren't available to snatch up."

"I'm nothing like Kirito…"

"And again you're underestimating your value, Klein. I've been in his mind and out of everyone Kirito surrounds himself with, you're the one he looks to when he needs a reliable second. You were the one that when he spotted you, he could sleep a little bit better at night, knowing that you had somehow made it to another floor, or survived another raid boss. He never doubted your abilities, but he was afraid of what would happen if he had to take responsibility for nine other players that you cared for."

"I wouldn't have blamed…"

"You wouldn't have, but what about your friends? Kirito was thirteen when he participated in the beta and fourteen when the game launched. Do the math? At sixteen, despite the emotional trauma caused by other players and the losses of people he had attempted to open his heart to, Kirito stopped Kayaba. You never did tell him… did you? Kirito still wonders how he came back to life when the system should have deleted and killed him."

"It's not my fault that he forgot about the revival item he gave me."

"Kirito isn't the only one with a wounded heart, but what separates the two of you is that your main focus has always been him and only him. While you formed and guided your guild, you always kept an eye on Kirito, stepping in when necessary, withdrawing to give the space you thought Kirito needed."

"Eugeo, why are you doing this? There's no changing the past, so why bring it up?"

"Actually, there is a way."

Klein gaped at the AI, his mind reeling from shock and possibilities. "You can change the past? Is that possible?"

"Yes, I can send you back to when all of this started. Klein, you alone will retain the memories of everything that happened. However, Kirito won't know you and you will have to find a way to convince him that you must travel and fight together. Both of you have regrets and wounded hearts, but Kirito's love for the virtual world has the Cardinal System and myself agreeing to grant you the power to help him set us all free."

Klein already knew that he'd do it; there was no doubt or hesitation in his mind. However, what about Eugeo? If he did this, wouldn't that risk Eugeo's existence? Wait… Asuna said that the Alicization project was based on copying another soul. Meaning, that the original baby existed. How would the government get access to a baby like that? Unless… Klein paled. He had no choice… If he refused, the government would succeed with their new weapon of war and unless their enemies had something similar, Japan would become the dominating country around the world. It wasn't that he didn't love his country, but that kind of power shouldn't exist.

"I'll do it," he said.

Eugeo smiled in relief, a large system appearing in front of him. Klein couldn't describe what was happening other than that a barrage of colors began to form and swirl around them, spinning in a counterclockwise motion. At first it was slow, building and building, the scenery around him beginning to phase and shift. When they were done, Eugeo was nowhere in sight.

Klein was standing in his room, minutes before he would put on his nerve gear and log into SAO for the first time. There was one major difference though… His nerve gear was like the one he had had in the future, not the one that Kayaba had originally designed and sold. He had no idea what that meant or what the differences would be once he made the dive. His friends were currently in class still. Once they were out, they had all planned on meeting up with him.

Glancing at his calendar, he had to sit down for a second and breathe. He didn't have long before he had to put the head gear on, especially if he wanted to run into Kirito. Still, there was something he could do… It would keep his friends safe and give him the chance he needed to accept Kirito's offer to go with him. If it hadn't been for them, he knew Kirito wouldn't have had an issue with Klein tagging along, he was certain of it.

Reaching for his phone, he sent a group message. Let's meet up at twenty-one hundred hours; I have something I need to take care of before I can link up with you guys.

Does that mean we can go to that mixer first? Dale shot back.

I supposed; why do you always go to those things?

You never know… We might luck out and find a cute gamer.

Keep dreaming! Whatever… Have fun.

Are you okay? All of them knew how much Klein hated mixers and blind dates. The fact that he was encouraging them to go instead of trying out the new game they had spent hours in line for surprised them. He wasn't acting like himself and the fact that they had all picked up on that in a text message only proved how well they knew him. He remembered when he had met each one of them, playing a variety of games over the years, bringing them together and becoming some of the top gamers around the world. SAO had been no different, despite the fact that none of them had been in the beta.

Klein didn't bother to answer. He was far from okay. The thought of re-living SAO again, especially without his friends, was terrifying, but he couldn't let the government or Kayaba make their goals become a reality. Lying down on his bed, he let his fingers glide across the old satin sheets, having almost forgotten what his old room and apartment had looked like. "Klein…"

Startled, he could easily hear Eugeo talking to him through his gear, but no one else could see or interact with him. "You're still here?"

"Until you've successfully altered the future, I won't disappear. Your inventory will show nothing unusual, meaning that unless Kayaba inspects your head gear, he won't realize that I'm the one helping and guiding the two of you through the game."

"What do I tell Kirito?"

"Everything has a time and place Klein. I'm not saying to withhold the truth from him, but in the beginning, he'll only want to focus on getting stronger and surviving. If the question comes up, don't lie to him. I can't explain it, but he has a radar for that kind of stuff."

"Alright…" Taking a deep breath, he said the dreaded words that would pull him into Aincrad. It was 1300, four and a half hours before they were going to find themselves teleported back to the Town of Beginnings.

Kirito breathed with excitement as he dashed through the town square, turning down a side alley, heading straight for the shop that he wanted. Everyone had just enough money to buy new weapons or potions. If used correctly, they could easily deal with the level one boars that were just outside the city limits, scattered across the fields that stretched between here and the staircase that would lead them to the second floor.

So focused on getting to his destination, he didn't notice the player chasing after him until he was almost on top of him. Skidding to a halt, he turned around, coming face to face with a tall redhead, a bandana wrapped around his forehead, and ceremonial red robes that reminded him of the warriors of old. "You're a beta tester aren't you?"

Klein still remembered what he had said when they first ran into one another and it worked again this time. As they stood in the alley, they could hear the sound of more and more players appearing around them. "Were you looking for a weapon's shop?" Kirito was hoping that Klein might think of him as an NPC, but Klein simply smirked, as if he knew he was being played and settled a hand on his left hip.

"Nope… You're not an NPC. They generally don't leave their specified locations and you have a player icon over your head. All I wanted to ask, if you are a beta tester, is if you could teach me how the system works and how to play? Please…." he begged. There was a flicker of uneasiness in the boy's eyes, a sort of fear that he thought was unseen or unnoticed. Klein had to tread carefully. He had been lucky the first time… It was obvious Kirito was afraid of other people and sudden movements had him flinching or shying away.

The boy backed away. Not everyone had a high opinion of beta testers, calling them cheaters because of the special access and knowledge they had before anyone else. Kirito had kept his mouth shut about being a beta tester in the real world, especially at school. There were so many that had tried getting one of the valuable slots and they were furious when they hadn't been picked. They called it an unfair advantage to those that had been allowed access to one of the first VVRMMORPGs ever created. Klein knew this wasn't Kirito's first full dive, but this was the first game where it combined all the effects of virtual reality, online gaming, massive multiple player interaction, and role play gaming.

Klein didn't think of beta testers as cheaters… If Kirito hadn't managed to snag one of the prized spots, someone else would have. What bothered Klein was that Kirito had been scouted by Kayaba in the first place; he doubted the kid realized it either. There were other issues as well. According to some of the interviews that beta testers had given about the game, they said that it was difficult, resulting in them dying and reviving several times as they tried to get a feel for the mechanics and rules.

A lot of beta testers had declined personal interviews, afraid of being put in the spotlight, or having their photos being made public. The problem with beta testers was that not all of them would take their roles seriously. Some would only put minimal effort into the game so that they can maintain the excitement for when the game actually launched. Some, as they leveled, would want to explore every aspect of each floor. Those were the people that Klein called the completionists. Other people would have no idea what to do in a game like this, but if Kayaba hand picked the beta testers, that type of group was probably non-existent.

Klein, despite his rocky start the first time, had easily adapted after Kirito had taught him the basics. This game, virtual or not, was just like any other RPG and MMO; something they had both excelled in. It was amazing that Kirito was as good as he was for only being fourteen and that was where people's expectations of him had gone horribly wrong. Kirito was a child and the adults should have had more pride in themselves than to rely on the younger players to save all of them.

Kirito slowly lowered his guard, the fear in his eyes fading. How did Klein miss this the first time? Something about Kirito had Klein studying him with concern, but he remained quiet for now. There was no way the kid was going to talk about his personal life to a complete stranger. "I'm Klein."

"Kirito," he finally answered, a hesitant smile starting to form.

Klein relaxed, content that he had managed to convince Kirito to teach him. The funny thing about time… If you change anything, even slightly, you could create an entirely different scenario or outcome. In this case, it had been Klein's friends that had caused Kirito to take off on his own. Klein wasn't going to let Kirito do this alone, not this time. Where Kirito went, Klein would follow and he was determined to save this boy from not only himself, but the government that was going to want him once this game was cleared.

The only concern that Klein had was that if something happened to him, it would hurt him far more than what had happened with Sachi or Eugeo. "I'll teach you…" Kirito bit at his lower lip, wondering if he had made the right choice. Most people didn't like how obsessed he got, and his personal expectations as a player was often considered brutal and unrealistic.

Kirito was naturally anti-social; that hadn't changed when he had become a beta tester. If anything, he had gotten worse. Despite having teamed up with beta testers when he couldn't get something done on his own, he never stuck around and he didn't friend a single one of them. He sensed that Klein was different. It's like he slipped past your defenses, regardless of how strong or tight they were and latched on, instantly making friends with anyone that met him. Kirito had a strong feeling that he could easily accept someone like Klein as a leveling partner; that baffled him a little, but he didn't find any major objections to it either.

Klein tried to make it seem like he was brand new to the game, but that wasn't possible as they progressed from one trash pack to another. It was thirty minutes before everyone would find themselves back at the town of beginnings and Kirito watched Klein with growing suspicion. It wasn't that Klein was a bad guy or anything; it was just the opposite. However, there was no way that Klein didn't know what he was doing.

It had taken a lot of the beta testers almost two to three days to figure out how to activate their sword skills and kill a monster. Granted, none of them had had anyone to show them how to activate their stuff either. It was all trial and error. Still, something about Klein seemed off. His act was almost convincing, but Klein was making it all seem far too easy. It was possible that he was an adaptable and an exceptional player, making him an ideal party member to level with. He wasn't into guilds, but one extra person at his side was okay so long as they could come to an agreement on gear, leveling, and money.

Klein could never get enough of how the sword in SAO felt, loosely spinning the weapon in his hand before putting it away. Again he waited for Kirito to decide their next move, giving away nothing more than he had too. The boy was giving him uneasy glances, but there was no way Klein could completely hide how much he knew or how his body instinctively moved despite being level one again. He had forgotten that the boy had a sixth sense for lies or deception, regardless if it was for his own benefit.

"Want to keep going?" Kirito relented. Without proof, Kirito couldn't call Klein out, but as they continued to kill low level monsters, he noticed that Klein was adapting his play and fighting style to Kirito's. "Did you practice sword fighting in the real world," he finally asked. It was too much to ignore any longer; he had to ask and he was carefully watching Klein's eyes and facial features for any hints that he was lying.

"My family comes from a long line of samurai. I'm the last one and the game was the closest I could get in order to experience what that feeling was like. What about you?"

Kirito sucked in a terrified breath, the color in his cheeks draining. "Kendo." The boy said nothing more as they continued, not until it was the exact time where everything would begin. When the sun started to set, Kirito paused, surprised at how far they had gotten.

When he first met Klein, he thought they would have made slower progress, but it was the opposite. Just as he started to say something, a bright light surrounded and transported them back to the Town of Beginnings. "Someone forced a teleport?" He whispered.

Kirito glanced at Klein and flinched. The redhead was looking at the sky, rage radiating around him like a thundercloud. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but something about all the SAO players suddenly appearing in the town plaza had him on high alert. This hadn't been in the beta and Klein was furious, his gaze focused on something in the air above them. Kirito couldn't make anything out at first, but then something began to form, a large cloaked figure with no face or skin. All they could make out were white gloves, a cape, and a black void beneath it.

You're going to have to tell him and soon, Eugeo's voice echoed in his mind. He knew it was because of the nerve gear attached to him, but it was still an unsettling feeling that Eugeo was watching everything they said and did.

Klein wasn't sure that he wanted to just yet, but Kirito was hyper aware that Klein was more than a beginner, and his reaction to Kayaba's sudden appearance wasn't like everyone else. Damn it… I thought I could control my emotions and my reactions, but I can't. I hate Kayaba and a lot of these players made his antisocial personality worse!

You need to trust him, Klein.

Klein didn't have a choice and he stood helplessly next to Kirito as Kayaba turned a new adventure and experience into a hostage situation. To Kayaba, all they were, were experiments in a world that he alone could control. They didn't have to play along, but they were trapped until the game was cleared. Whether that was in a year or two… Kayaba didn't care. His only desire was to see what the human will was capable of and no one on the outside was going to interfere until he had the results that he wanted.

Everything was happening the same way as the last time, only Klein didn't bother pulling out his hand mirror. He waited for the lights to fade and the true faces of each player to reveal themselves. Some were older, shorter, younger, rounder, skinnier… It was proof that Kayaba was in full control and they had one of three options. Stay in the Town of Beginnings and do nothing, play the game and try to defeat the final boss on floor 100, or kill yourself.

Now that Klein had a chance to rationalize what was happening, he broke out in a cold sweat. The first time, when he had been learning how to fight, neither Kirito or himself had known that if he had died trying to kill boars, he wouldn't have come back to life. Kirito had pushed both of themselves back then, letting Klein get a feel for his sword and skills, both excited to absorb their surroundings and the feel of a game that had finally launched, months after it had first appeared in gaming magazines… If they had taken on too much with thoughts of reviving, they wouldn't have even been teleported to the Town of Beginnings for Kayaba's tutorial and warnings. "Damn that bastard!" He swore.

Klein already knew what was going to happen before Kirito reached for and dragged him to the very edges of town. "We need to leave town right now!" he spoke, keeping his voice low so that the ones panicking in the square wouldn't hear. Klein took a glance behind them. They were screaming, fighting, and irrational. He started to slightly understand why Kirito hadn't wanted to risk taking anyone else. He had no idea who Klein's friends were or if they would have listened to what he had to say. There was also the possibility that if any of them had died, Kirito would have shouldered the guilt and it would have been far too much pressure for someone that was naturally a loner.

Kirito felt confident enough that he could keep Klein alive, especially with how adaptive he was. He couldn't say that about other players. Klein remembered what Kirito had originally told him and he had learned the harsh reality of how right he had been. Due to going back for his friends, by the time they had managed to leave the Town of Beginnings, every boar and monster had been annihilated. The spawn rate didn't equal the amount of players that were wanting and needing the kills, experience, and the money to buy what they wanted or needed from the merchant shops scattered throughout the town.

Going to the next village had been the smartest move back then and it was now. Klein checked his friends list and saw that none of his friends had logged in. They were most likely still at that mixer and it would be a long time before any of them saw the news or realized that they weren't capable of logging in. Klein was okay with this, even if he had fond memories of their time in SAO. This way, Kirito and himself could grab the quests that they wanted, kill anything and everything along the way, and use the money from what they sold to buy stat upgrades, potions or whatever. The one thing that this game had that a lot of other online games did was that almost every profession was available: tailoring, blacksmithing, jewel crafting, cooking, fishing. With the exception of magic, whatever they needed to survive, the game had it.

"Klein!" Snapping back to the present, Kirito was glaring at him, trying to emphasize the seriousness of their situation. Klein did know and he shook the past from his mind and focused on the present. That past that he had known no longer existed and as time passed, the future that was trying so hard to take Kirito away from him would vanish as well. If we don't take this chance, we're going to have to wait hours, perhaps days for enough mobs to spawn that we can move on. We need to get to the next town, set up our base there and level for a while. I know which spots are dangerous and safe, even at level one I know we can make it!"

"I'm not against going with you Kirito, but why?"

"I don't understand."

"You know the dangers of taking someone along with you. Teaching me how the game works was one thing, but are you really okay with having me tag along? Beginners make a lot of mistakes…"

Kirito raised his hand and cut Klein off, his head tilting to the side. "Klein, I have no idea who you are, but I know one thing for certain. You're not a beginner. I don't think you're my enemy, but your reaction to Kayaba was far too calm in comparison to the other players… It's like you knew that this might happen. I'm not going to ask for an explanation right now, but I would hope that you'll eventually trust me enough with the truth of what's going on and why."

"Alright…" Klein conceded, tucking his hands deep into his pockets. "I can agree to that. As much as I want to explain, now isn't the time. Let's focus on leveling and getting to a good stopping point. There's no telling how many of the beta testers will try to do what you're doing, but I promise that I won't slow you down."

Kirito nodded, praying that he wasn't wrong to believe in Klein. Even if he was withholding information, Klein really seemed genuine in his answers when Kirito asked a question. "How many RPGs and MMos have you played in, Klein?"

"Do you want a list? It might take awhile..." Klein taunted, crossing his arms as Kirito studied him. "Look, just because I never tried a virtual game before SAO, doesn't mean that I don't know how to play a game like this. It's the same as something like World of Warcraft. The main difference is that we're the ones that can die instead of an avatar on a screen."

"So if I say switch, you'll remember that it means to shift in front and start attacking? It's a key tactic that you would use on high level monsters and raid bosses."

"Kirito, I trust you to lead... for now. If you run into a wall, I'll help you climb over; it's that simple."

"Is there a reason you singled me out?"

"Yes, but it falls into that category of I'll explain later. I'm not your enemy, Kirito; far from it. I know it's hard to put your trust in someone, especially after what Kayaba just did, but I swear that your survival is my only priority. I'm a top ranked gamer in every MMO and RPG that I've ever been in. I've led guilds in a lot of them, found and helped players that most would have tossed aside."

"Are they here now?" Kirito demanded, concerned that Klein was leaving them behind in an effort to help him. He didn't want that kind of guilt on his conscience and he wanted Klein to go to them rather than stay with a kid he had just met a handful of hours ago.

"They're at a mixer and safe."

Kirito scrunched up his face, a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. "I'm not so certain that I would call a mixer safe. Isn't that a place where a bunch of sharks circle around someone, waiting to take a bite out of some poor bastard that's desperate for a companion?"

Klein roared with laughter. He couldn't have explained it better if he tried; "You know… I think you and I are going to get along."

"Minus the fact that you're keeping one hell of a secret… I suppose you're okay."

"You suppose?"

"If you're a red player in disguise, I will run you through," Kirito warned.

"I guess it's a good thing that I'm not." Tapping him on the shoulder, the two players took off, leaving through the northwest gate of the Town of Beginnings, a vast field, a deep forest, a tiny little village… Klein and Kirito refused to slow down, determined to survive, but unlike the first time, Klein refused to let Kirito feel that bitter loneliness that he had embraced for a good portion of the game.

Kirito, as they ran, gradually relaxed. Never once did he have to tell Klein when to draw his sword, or what enemy to attack when they were faced with multiple opponents. He honestly had no idea who Klein was or what his purpose was inside of SAO, but it seemed that Kirito surviving was the truth. He tried to recall anyone in his life that resembled Klein, but he drew a blank. It was hard to believe that a player like Klein existed and if they had crossed paths in the beta, he knew they would have had an instant connection.

When they took a small break, Klein glanced at the moon hovering above them. This was the point when they should have settled down for the night, but they were both too wound up for one reason or another. For Kirito, it was his will to survive, even if it might take several years to achieve. For Klein, it was his iron will to prevent Kirito from going through the same tragedies as the first time.

"Thank you," Klein spoke, his brown gaze settling on the younger player.

"For what?"

"You're taking a huge risk with bringing me along, but you did so anyway."

"It wasn't a hard decision, Klein. Regardless of your reasons for singling me out, you're the perfect leveling partner and my best chance for surviving this nonsense."

"Do you think the other beta testers have a chance?"

Kirito thought about it and shook his head. "If they were like me, thinking that they could revive, they probably headed out as soon as they logged on. I hate to admit it, but when you asked me to help you learn the game… You more than likely saved my life."

Klein froze, the color draining from his face. Was Kirito exaggerating? He covered his face, trying not to reveal more emotion that he should. This was too much, even after he had already done this once before. Kirito had always kept a lot of his emotions bottled up, never once talking about what he had endured… Even when they cleared the game, Kirito kept silent, suffering and hurting.

"Klein? Are you okay?"

"No." it was the only thing he said for the rest of the night.

The virtual world was unique in the aspect that if a player didn't want to sleep, they didn't have to. Yes, they could get tired, but it wasn't the same as if you were in the real world. When the two finally collapsed, it was because their minds had reached their absolute limits. Kirito no longer felt as if they were two people, but one entity moving in perfect harmony. As more and more players left the Town of Beginnings, they started to realize that some of the quests were completed, some of them one time events. In addition, there was a lack of rare and high level monsters. Every new town they arrived in was the same, but they never encountered the players that were always ahead of everyone else. It wasn't until a list of players appeared on a wall in the Town of Beginners, that people identified at least their names. When they went to Argo, a former beta tester and information broker, all she could say was that Kirito was also a beta tester. Klein was the real mystery to all of them and none of the beta testers could say that they knew him.

The virtual players were not the only ones to take notice of Klein and Kirito. Pulling off his head gear, Kayaba rose from his tiny cot and went to his files and pulled out a folder. Opening it, he glanced at the high school photo of Kirito, a.k.a. Kazuto Kirigaya, age 14, former beta tester. Most of the beta testers weren't anything special, but he had had a feeling about this particular kid and he hadn't been wrong. He had intended on allowing the beta testers to explore for a while longer, but Kirito and a couple others were progressing far too fast that he had had no choice but to launch the game.

Kirito had no real life friends, and his real parents were dead. He was the ideal test subject, isolated from his aunt and cousin. A lot of that had to do with what was going on with Kazuto's grandfather. His curiosity about Kirito was at an all time high, but it wasn't him that was the real treasure. It was the unknown player that had paired up with him. In the beta test, Kirito rarely teamed up with anyone and it was only when he wanted to complete a quest that was far beyond his abilities that he made an exception. Having access to a large criminal database, Kayaba looked up the player identification attached to Klein.

There was nothing really out of the ordinary about him. His real name was Tsuboui Ryoutarou and Kayaba rubbed at his forehead, a growing headache starting to form. That name seemed familiar and he did another search in the online gaming databases that only video game developers had access to. It was a way for them to find qualified beta testers to stress test new games and his eyes widened in shock. He had been one of the gamers he had originally wanted to scout, but because he didn't have the required hardware to play, Ryoutarou hadn't been one of the 1,000 beta testers for Sword Art Online.

Perhaps his experiment would prove successful after all. Too many believed that there was a limit to what a person could do in a virtual world, but it seemed that Kirito and Klein were surpassing all of those expectations. Not only had they left the Town of Beginnings after his speech, but they were sticking as far away from the other players as possible, relying on hardened battle and game instincts that only top players would have. Kirito was a new addition to the gaming world, having perhaps only a year or two of experience. His one quality was that he had had more time in virtual games than Klein, but the older one was a hard core gamer that had been a top rated player for well over a decade. Anyone that was associated with Klein were also labeled as top rated gamers, but only because he had mentored and guided them. Without them, they had been ordinary players, nothing special.

Kayaba carefully studied the stats on all the other players. They were so far behind Kirito and Klein that he had to re-evaluate his thoughts on them. These two were not normal, often referred to as abnormalities. Some scientists would want to remove people or unknowns like them, but Kayaba was truly curious to what these two were capable of, especially as they got further and further into the game. Would they cause the other players to adapt their way of playing, would they eventually team up with anyone else, or would they continue to go it alone?

Walking over to a separate gaming console, he pulled up Klein and Kirito, both taking a much needed rest in some remote cave, as far away from civilization as you could get. Their stats, for floor one, were maxed out, to include hiding, detection, tracking, trapping, cooking, and potion making. Kirito also knew about how to enhance their gear. "You two… What will you achieve in my experiment, I wonder?"

He's tracking and observing you. Klein opened his eyes with a start, Eugeo's voice echoing in his mind. He didn't have to ask who…

Are we in danger?

I don't think so, but you've definitely caught his attention. You need to be careful how you reveal the truth to Kirito. Kayaba cannot find out that you're from another timeline.