A/N: Today is the day that SAO officially released, so, here's the first chapter of my own SAO story. One more chapter will come out in December, but after that, no promises about when the story will continue.
Reforging Connections
Chapter I: World of Swords
Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan-Nov 6, 2022
"Are you sure about this? I mean, you said you've never played a MMORPG before, and this one's a hardcore one to get your feet wet in," the brunet said.
"I'm sure. My brother has obsessed over this game ever since it was announced, he even made it into the beta test. I have to know what the appeal is. Besides," she continued with a suspicious look, "what would you do with the extra copy that I paid for? And how would you pay me back for it?"
Tsuboi Ryoutarou just smiled. "That's easy, I'd sell it to the highest bidder and then we'd split the profits. What do you say to that, Suguha-kun?"
Kirigaya Suguha smiled at the older boy's ingenuity but turned him down. "Sorry Ryou-sama, but I insist you hand it over. I already have the NerveGear, I just need the game."
Ryou reluctantly handed the game over. "Hey, when you log in, how about you look me up? I usually call myself Klein in MMORPG's."
"I'll do that, Ryou," Suguha agreed.
At 1 o'clock, the Kirigaya siblings were both laying on their beds with their NerveGears on their heads, and in unison (not that they knew it,) called out "Link start!" And like that, they joined the other 11,000 lucky people in the world of swords that was Sword Art Online. But like 10,000 of those players, Sugu had to set up her avatar, (which could actually look like anything so long as it was within the walls of human potential,) and she eventually chose to go with a girl that, for the most part looked like her, but she was older, taller, had a larger bust size and, just to be unusual, she became a blonde. That just left a name for her avatar, and that left her a little stumped. What could she go with? The game was about to forcibly log her out for inactivity when she finally decided on Ronin, the title for a samurai without a master. She had been trained in kendo for years, making her very skilled in the samurai's traditional weapon of the katana, and she was determined to never join a group of players for any reason … well, outside of temporary groups for those areas that a single player would never survive. (Hey, she'd done her research on MMORPG's!) So really, Ronin was a perfect description of what her play style would be: a samurai without a master.
With character creation completed, Suguha was pulled into a swirl of colors before arriving in the Town of Beginnings in Aincrad. When she looked around, she could hardly believe her eyes. She had seen the commercials of what SAO would look like, but she had never believed the hype. Looking at it now however, she realized that if anything, the commercials had understated how realistic the game would look! Fortunately for Sugu, Ryou had created an avatar that looked pretty similar to how he really looked, (though he looked more like a traditional samurai,) so it was easy for them to link up, and for Ryou/Klein to start teaching her some online etiquette, like only referring to people by the name of their avatars. They were just looking at buying new swords (rather than use the ones they were automatically given by the game,) when Klein spotted someone he figured had to be a beta tester, a young man with long black hair that looked like a traditional hero from a fantasy anime. Fortunately, Kirito was nice enough to agree to help them, including helping them pick out new swords, including one that would help Ronin go on to gain a katana in the later game. After that, he led them to a field where he said he was going to teach them a key part of SAO.
Klein took a while to get started. It took him some work just to kill a pig, and when Kirito told him just how weak it was, Klein complained about it feeling like a mid-level boss. "They don't seem that hard to me," Ronin said as she killed her fourth boar without a sword skill.
"How are you so good?" Klein demanded.
"I'd guess it has something to do with the fact that I've been doing kendo for years," Ronin guessed.
"Huh, my sister does kendo," Kirito said. "Just remember, no matter how real it looks, it's just a game."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Klein asked.
"Do you believe that us being faster or stronger is about muscles in this place? Do you think that's air you're breathing?" Kirito asked with a smirk.
Ronin just groaned. The Matrix was one of Kazuto's favorite series from the turn of the century and was always watching it, thus making her an avowed hater of the series. But the unpleasantness of the series was soon forgotten as Kirito explained just how many skills SAO had (enough that one didn't even need to fight a single monster and could still live a decent life,) and then invited them to keep working with him for the rest of the day.
For the next four hours, the trio trained, leveling up their sword skills until Klein's stomach started grumbling. Fortunately, Klein was forward-thinking enough to order a pizza for 5:30. When Kirito hesitated about SAO waiting until after eating, Ronin decided to but in with her own quote. "What's wrong, Kirito? Did you forget what Groucho Marx said: 'I'm not crazy about reality, but it's still the only place to get a decent meal.'" Kirito and Klein both laughed at that until Klein went to log out, and discovered the button was missing. Kirito and Ronin also went to log out, only to find that their log out buttons were also missing, and they both knew that there was no other way out, not until someone from the outside interfered. Kirito had a mother and sister waiting at home, while Klein lived alone, but the news about Kirito having a sister made him so excited that Kirito pulled a move that Ronin thought only girls used: he kicked Klein in the balls. With that done, Kirito got serious about the log out problem again.
That was when the bells started ringing and all three were instantly enveloped in the blue light of a teleport that brought them back to the central plaza of the Town of Beginnings. Within seconds, all 11,000 players of SAO were in the plaza, and the entire sky went red with the repeated message Warning: System Announcement. Then the gaps between the messages started dripping a red liquid like blood that eventually formed into a robed figure with no head, and his first words confused everyone: "Attention, dear players. Welcome to my world." How could any one person say SAO belonged to them? "My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and as of this moment, I am the only human in control of this world. I'm sure most if not all of you have discovered that the log out button is missing from your main menus. Let me assure you, this is not a defect or a bug. I will say it again: this is not a defect or a bug. This is how Sword Art Online was designed and always meant to be played, a key feature you could say. From this point forward, you will be unable to freely log out until the summit of Aincrad has been conquered. Furthermore, the NerveGear cannot be removed or shut down by external means. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, frying your brain and ending your life." Ronin paled, as she knew all too well that he wasn't joking. Between the battery that made up one third of the NerveGear, and the microwave signals that allowed for a full dive, he was definitely telling the truth. "To be more specific, the signal will be sent if the battery power drops below 25%, two hours without an internet connection, or if the NerveGear is forcibly removed or damaged in any way. Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted to remove the NerveGear, and as a result, the game currently has 213 less players than when it was launched. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."
Kayaba then revealed dozens of news outlets that were covering what they were already calling "The SAO Incident," including the death count and warnings about the NerveGear and made sure that they moved close enough to the players that they could read them in Japanese and English. "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." Ronin scoffed at that, doubting anyone was comforted at anything Kayaba said. "Remember this going forward: Sword Art Online is no longer just a game for you, it is your reality. If you die in the game, you die in reality. One minute after your HP drops to zero, the Nerve Gear will destroy your mind. The only way to escape is to clear the game by beating all 100 floors. Right now, you are on Floor 1. Find the dungeon and defeat the boss, and you will be able to move on to the next floor. Once you defeat the boss on Floor 100, you will all be automatically logged out of SAO. Finally, I have given all of you a gift to help you accept that this game is your reality now. You will find it in your item storage."
Curiosity got the better of the players, and they all opened their inventory, only to find a single new item, labelled The Mirror of Truth. A few seconds after they looked in the mirror, everyone was enveloped in a white light, similar to that which had teleported them to the square. When the light cleared, no one had moved so much as an inch, but things had certainly changed. Kirito and Ronin looked at each other, only to yell in shock "Kazuto?!"
"Sugu?!" Klein was shocked to see that the rugged hero he'd been training with looked nigh on identical to the girl he had bought SAO for and was pretty enough to easily be mistaken for a girl. In the square, everything had changed, as the gender ratio had dropped from about 1:1 to about 2:1 in the guys favor, many had been revealed as adults rather than teens or young adults, and dozens were revealed to be heavier than they had portrayed with their avatars. Many were confused as to how it was possible, but between Kazuto's tech knowledge and Sugu and Ryou being new to the NerveGear, they figured out how it had happened: a facial scan by the NerveGear, and the body calibration that Sugu had done fifteen minutes before SAO launched. Kayaba had done as he had promised: he had made Sword Art Online their new reality.
Kayaba explained that he did this so that he could create and control a world of his own, and now that he had succeeded, he would sit back and watch. With that, he announced the end of the SAO tutorial, and his avatar collapsed into pixels. Those stuck in Aincrad then began to panic, or rather, most of them did. Kirito was quick to grab Ronin and Klein and run into a side street before explaining his plan. "Listen, we need to leave for the next village. The only way we can survive is if we get stronger, and all MMORPG's are a battle over system resources. The Town of Beginnings is going to be picked clean, so our best bet is to move on. Even with us at level one, I'm sure I can get us safely to the next village."
Klein apologized, but decided he'd stick with his friends, even claiming that between his experience with other MMORPG's and Kirito's help, he'd be fine. Before he left though, he turned back and said that Kirito was cute, just his type. "Really? I didn't realize you swung that way, considering how excited you were to meet me," Ronin said with a smile. Klein just laughed and was about to run off when Ronin called back. "Two things, Klein. First off, don't think I forgot about that talk a few minutes ago." Klein was confused, until Ronin pulled her sword and pointed it at his crotch. "If you even think about asking me out on a date again, you lose that, got it?" A very pale Klein just nodded, while Ronin started smiling at him again. She quickly put her sword away before stating, "Second, you did say there's a friend system that allows us to message each other, right? So, let's be friends." That put a smile back on his face, and the three parted ways. Turning back to her brother, Sugu simply said "I know we have a lot to talk about, but since we're going to stick together, we can talk along the way." Kazuto gaped at her but followed her out of the village.
Kazuto spoke first. "What are you doing here, and how did you get a copy?"
Sugu considered what she should say but stuck with the truth. "Honestly, it's because of you, big brother. You pulled away from us and got into games, then you went and obsessed over this game. I had to understand why, so I found Klein via an online chat about the game and gave him the money to buy me a copy of SAO while I bought the NerveGear."
"So, it's my fault you're in danger," Kazuto said, obviously taking the blame.
Suguha growled at her brother before slapping him hard enough to actually lower his health bar. "Baka! I could have done one of a thousand things different, Kazuto. I chose of my own free will to get this game." After a few minutes, during which they had to kill a few mob wolves and pigs, she finally asked "So, why did you pull away from us?"
Kazuto hesitated, but decided to explain. "Because I found out that we're not brother and sister. I'm actually your cousin, and our moms were sisters. I didn't feel like I fit in anymore."
"Well, that doesn't make any sense," Suguha said. But then she realized something. "That's why you got into RPG's, isn't it? Because while you felt like you didn't fit in, you wanted nothing more than to be what you appeared to be: part of our family. In games like this, you are exactly what you appear to be."
Kazuto simply smiled at his sister/cousin. "You always were the brains of the outfit." Sugu smiled back at him, certain that no matter what, the two of them would be fine, and that they would survive this death game so long as they stuck together.
And so, the death game started, however, there were a few details that Kayaba had forgotten to mention about Sword Art Online. First, what had once been known as the Castle of Resurrection now contained a wall of names, listing every player in the game, and so far, 213 of those names had two red lines going through them. Second, the SAO website now listed every player of SAO with a picture of the player next to their username. (The picture having been taken in-game by the Mirror of Truth.) Also, if you clicked on one of the names, you could watch them play the game, though none could hear a word they said, one of Kayaba's concessions to their privacy, the other being that outside observers couldn't see what happened inside homes or hotels. The death game and its' highlights would be news from launch until someone defeated the game.
A/N: Okay, a quick note on the names. While for the most part I will be using Ronin and Kirito for the cousins, when they are alone or IRL, they will be using their real names. And yes, Suguha is not going by Leafa, that works for a true fantasy game where magic and elves do exist, but in something more … shall we say grounded like SAO, no, it doesn't work. Once ALO shows up though, she's going to Leafa though. Second, like most of my works that are in multiple media forms, this combines both the light novels and the anime.
