A clear sky beckoned. Clouds dotted the blue sky above. Trails crossed the gaps, vanishing into nothingness. Great winged beasts filled the air with grey metal. This was Narita airport. It was as busy as it always has been. The passenger jets constantly landed and took off, there was no time for delays. Vehicles dashed along the buildings and resting planes, giving them gifts of fuel and packages. Each terminal had a plane there, or just coming in. Many darted for their flight, forgetting personal space and orderly queues to the wind. Such things had been thrown out as soon as they could board. The cycle repeated for every plane, every terminal, every day.

One such iron bird was leading for landing. Decorated in reds, blues and whites, it was an occasional sight among the bustle in the highways of the sky. Gradually, it fell from the great highways and made its approach. Touch down. The wheels screeched as the plane slowly slowed down, with some discomfort from some of the passengers. Whirring of the engines died off as well as the terminal approached. Then, it stopped.

Without hesitation, many climbed out of their seats. Some reached for their overhead luggage no matter the cost. Others merely waited for their turn to join in with the chaos. Soon, the doors opened. They could leave. Thus, as disorganised as possible, they filtered out of the aircraft, including one passenger with unstyled brown hair and an eyepatch. Much of his face was covered by a scarf, from neck to top of the nose. He was unphased by the chaos, there was other things to think about. Following the flow, he left the aircraft. 'This better be worth it. Spent a lot of money for that ticket, now all I need is a room for a few nights.'

As he passed a wide-open shop selling books, one magazine stood out. 'The Virtual World' it was called. It sat right at the front, huddled by others of a similar genre. They were plastered with reviews of the sudden influx of Virtual Reality games. Some were bound to profit from making articles on them. Yet, 'The Virtual World' had something else… Its cover was bright, colourful even. Full of life. He grabbed the magazine. It was Gun Gale Online. Yet another reminder of the third Battle of Bullets. With the sudden accessibility of AmuSpheres, more had started to play. This BoB could be the largest one yet. More mouths to feed, with the same rewards as before. 'Nothing I can't handle.' He placed the magazine underneath his shoulder and continued his march.

There wasn't much more to go. Only a few layers of security to pass through, then free to roam the country. He raised his head slightly, looking out of the glass wall. The plane that took him there, was still there staring back at him in silence. 'Almost feels like home. I'm back, Erika.'

Hours trundled past. Security was now behind. Now, he stood beside a conveyor belt. Suitcases filtered through at walking pace, slowly drifting past passengers that carefully watched with eagerness. Many came and went. Everything from the screaming children to stiff upper lip businessmen. Still, he waited. He waited until a single large suitcase funnelled through at last. Red and mostly undecorated, almost all wouldn't bat an eyelid at it. Yet he knew it was his. He reached for the case, lifting it gently then onto the floor with a little clunk. The handlebars were extended. He crouched down at the suitcase's height, and examined the handle. It was still there, a good luck charm. It had survived the journey unscaved. A single tooth, the size of a palm, hooked onto a chain. 'I must… No, 'Sabretooth' must prepare for the event. Just need to get rid of this jet-lag and get some proper food. They must've not changed their servings in decades.'

He removed his scarf, tying it around the handle. Sabretooth was ready. Rising to his feet, he grabbed the handle and pulled it towards the exit. Attempting not to bring attention to himself was difficult. Even acting just like the flow wouldn't work. He was just too different. His height was comparable to the tallest walking around and not many had a leather eyepatch. 'Just keep moving and get out of sight.' he kept repeating to himself as the exit grew closer.

Eventually, with some turned heads, he passed through the perfectly clean, glass doors and out into the open world. Sabretooth took a deep breath in.

"I love the smell of petrol fumes in the afternoon." he calmly said to himself, "Now for some wheels. I have the cash for second-hand. But what? I could go for a little hatchback and blend in perfectly. Or, something with some more power. Have some fun between the lights. Oh I'm liking that idea much better~"

After making his mind up, Sabretooth left the airport with suitcase dragging behind him. He approached a taxi, not too far from the exit. It looked just like the rest of them, bland cars in bland colours with bland interiors.

"This taken?" Sabretooth leaned against the roof, looking inside at the driver. Within, a small man stared back, mostly in surprise. It was doubtful anyone like him had asked for a taxi around these parts.

" Not yet lad. Where do you want to go?" a reply came after a few seconds of silence, endlessly scanning Sabre.

"Funabashi, please. I can find my way around after that."

"Climb in back and we'll be off."

The rear door opened and he quickly entered, luggage afterwards. Seatbelt on, he was ready to go. Thus, the car pulled out of the airport and onto the open was quite heavy but moving at normal pace. Cars, vans and lorries came and went; they blasted down the long straight roads and shallow corners. A sea of metal and rubber flowed like an incoming tide, nothing could be done to stop its march. Beside the multi-laned road, houses of various shapes and sizes stretched for mile upon mile. Their days continued like any other, nothing had changed. Nothing would change.

Within the back of the grey car, Sabretooth opened his luggage, removing a thin grey laptop. He opened it and immediately started typing away.

"You here for business or something?" The driver asked, "Not many would type away like that unless they have meetings 'n' stuff."

He looked up, facing the traffic ahead of him. "Nah, I'm here for sightseeing and a certain competition: The Battle of Bullets in Gun Gale Online. I'm aiming high."

"Oh, one of those VR games that came out over the last few years, right? I've heard a little about them. They are safe to use now, aren't they?"

"As long as you don't have a Nervegear, you are fine. They've all been handed back in. Anyone still holding onto one would be charged, and endangering their life as well. The 'SAO incident' is behind us all. No one wants a repeat of those events."

The car switched lanes, slowly passing a large lorry carrying cargo. Upon the sides, a white background was decorated with a AmuSphere here and there. "The future is here, and it's affordable." The slogan that ran along the sides and rear of the container. They passed through the lorry's shadow before returning to the Sun's domain.

"Besides, give it a few years, they'll take over the global markets." Sabre continued, still keeping an eye on the white lorry now behind them, "The media will have to pick up on it soon. I can picture a lot of games being converted to this new hardware. Maybe a new generation can be brought closer together through a more connected network. Not only through gaming, but in other fields as well."

"G-glad to hear sir," The driver answered, unsure what to make of his passenger, "I know some special schools and other places have been formed to help those SAO survivors. A few of my daughter's friends were affected by it. They got out, thankfully. How about you? Had anyone affected by it?"

"Thankfully, not. Not directly anyway. I've replaced a guy for the job, who I do not know fully, who was. All I know he did great things."

Upon the screen, a loading bar had just reached 100%. Files opened up in a list. Each name was in alphabetical order; they were named after mythical creatures, ranging from Sea Serpents and Dragons to Orcs and Onis. He scrolled down. The names simply flew past. Then, the scrolling stopped. The cursor drifted over to a single file named: Pegasus. Next moment, the file was open. Numbers and letters filled a document that sprang into life, as if startled. Sabretooth smiled. 'Just what I needed. He who controls the past, commands the future. He who commands the future conquers the past.'

Meanwhile, across Tokyo, another journey was underway. A taxi pulled to the side of a thin, single-laned road, its grey paint glistening in the little light that squeezed through the gaps between the high-rise buildings. A person stepped out from the back. They carried a black bag, small enough to not get in the way, yet big enough to carry the essentials.

"Thank you, driver."

"No problem, young lady! Take care!"

With a sudden jolt, the car drove off in a rush. It could smell the money of central Tokyo and would not wait for anything. A few seconds passed. The car was long gone; it had joined the endless flow of vehicles only a few dozen metres away. Quietness settled once again. In front, a single workshop among flats huddled together. She reached for a pocket, gently putting on her glasses. Asada was finally at her destination.

"This was the place Zero said," Asada spoke quietly to herself, "Akiyama 'n' son's, that's on the note. Doesn't look like anyone I know is within a few miles of this place. Still, it wouldn't be her to lie. If this will truly help, I cannot back down."

So, with a deep breath, she crossed the road and entered the workshop.

It was very open to the outside. A single large garage door separated the main workstation to the outside world. Within, two vehicles were being worked on. The one on the right (a MPV) was lifted by a crane, oil dripping extremely slowly into a small bucket. Drips echoed gently. Yet, this was vastly outshadowed by the work done to the coupe on the left. Decorated in red, it lay motionless and its bonnet up. Between the engine and the raised bonnet, a person sat. He had a hand upon parts of the engine and a spanner in the other.

"Fire it up again!" He boomed, leaning towards the cabin, "See if the new belt does the trick."

The engine burst into life. Plumes of smoke rushed out of the exhaust like rapids. A great rattle rocked the car back and forth. Suddenly, a huge boom. A piece of metal flung from the engine bay as smoke filled the workshop. Nothing could be seen except thick smoke.

"Apparently not."

In a flash, it vanished with the help of a small fan upon the floor. Vision returned at last. Asada turned around. Something had flung past her as the smoke smothered the area. Now, she could see it. A single shard of metal. It had embedded itself into a pillar right next to her. Curious, she approached the pillar and attempted to remove it. No luck. It resisted from being removed from the place of its rest.

"Don't touch! It's sharp!"

The person appeared right in front of her, removing the shard straight away before placing it within his pocket. Something about him was familiar… But what?

"Damn thing refuses to work! This is gonna be an expensive one," he grumbled to himself before turning to Asada, "What brings you here, madam?"

There he was, Akiyama. His short red hair had been ruffled from the sudden small explosion beside his face. Through the patches of black soot, green eyes focused clear as day on the damaged engine. His attire had seen such occasions many times before. Old oil and grease swirled randomly from the very top to tears upon the bottom. Freckles dotted the cheeks, barely visible from the black markings.

"Oh, I was told to come here. Came to look for a 'Kujo Akiyama'."

"That's me all right. What's the problem? Severe misfiring? Exhaust issues? Piston eating away at the engine? Hit me!"

"It was a request from," she had a quick peek at her little note again from her pocket, "from a 'Yamamoto Kei', she said to come speak with you about Sabretooth."

Akiyama's face lit up, his bright smile shone brightly through the thick oil. "That means you're Sinon! You look awfully similar to your avatar. So much for randomised avatars…"

He turned back to the wrecked car, smoke still seeping out from the engine bay. A man stepped out of the drivers side, face completely covered by soot. In fact, not much else could be seen through soot and smoke.

"Dad, I'll have a quick break then get back on it. May have to look at the pumps, too much oil probably."

He only nodded in reply before slamming the bonnet shut.

Akiyama and Asada made their way just outside of the workshop. The peaceful silence returned once again, traffic was just a murmur far away. No wind blew, time had come to a stop. Trees hugging the pavements remained still as the still air settled for a quiet nap. Akiyama, attempting to brush out some dust and soot, looked back at the workshop with a sigh.

"So, what do you want to know about this cruel sea?" he began, finally shattering the silence since they exited the workshop, "You'll get a lot more than Liopleurodons if you dive in. Sabre is unusual to say the least. I've guessed you have spoken with Zero about him, she knows much more about him than me. I can't help you anymore than she could. But, what do you want to ask?"

"I want to surprise him." Asada cut to the chase straight away, "Something so unexpected by him, it will help him open up a little more. You're one of his closest friends, yet even you know very little about him."

"I guess so… It's more of keeping personal stuff out of the game, I'd say. An unwritten rule. Yet, you do have a point. Of what anyone really knows about him is more outdated than flares. Doesn't help he doesn't live in Japan."

"I knew something was off about his accent." She remembered back a few days, to where it began. Sabretooth reaching out with a helping hand by being used as bait. Then, the item. It shone as bright as it sold for. A fraction of that profit could buy grand guns and equipment, which she did. Some of those credits made it into the real world as Yen. Plenty for sandwiches or a drink. "Where's he from then?"

"Best guess, UK. The time zone was definitely at GMT last I checked. One of the few things that slipped through was a single time: twelve thirty when it was nine thirty. I did my research, 'kay?"

Akiyama took a peek back at the vehicle. The smoke had vanished along with any oil spilt upon the floor. It was ready for another go. Hopefully no metal shards don't learn to fly this time.

"Listen, stay a while. The Battle of Bullets don't start for hours. We can contact 'Starbug', or Ahmya as I know her, and discuss plans for the qualifiers. Seiba will require less talking to. Though do explain your fascination with him. No one has tagged on as quickly before."

"Well… It is a long story..."