Chapter 6: The Past that has to be forgotten and The Present to be done

Koyero's P.O.V

Note: Koyero forgot about everything that happened before the car accident except his name and friend.

I couldn't sleep a wink that night every time I tried I just wake up. Maybe it was because of my troubled past… All I remember is the car accident, my parents, school and I. Why do I have the feeling that it is more than that? I thought about it and shuddered. I needed some sleep… Silica-chan was cuddling to me and I just looked up. What really did happen to me? I closed my eyes and finally slept.

The past/dream…

I am Koyero Okudaira, a brown haired person with blue eyes. I am part of the Okudaira family, a rich family but my parents don't really seem to like me to be exact, mother's fine but father's a different story… Anyways I was walking somewhere with a bodyguard beside me, I was in the middle of the town. Life of a rich man is a boring life… all you can do is study and get guarded… I wanted to go meet some friends but no, Mister Grumpy doesn't let me…

I managed to get away from him and I was in an alley and did I mention that I was ten years old now? I shivered as I went in and saw someone that looked about the same age as me. I didn't bother fix my clothing since I am not the 'rich' type; I'm more of trying to be sociable type. I coughed and poked his back and he looked at me immediately. He had black hair with some spikes, some formal and shavings of red, his face looked calm, cool and collected, He had red eyes that make you shiver when you see him.

"Who may you be?" He turned and looked at me. "I'm Koyero, and you?" I offered a hand for a handshake and he accepted. "I'm Hozume…" He shook my hand. "Why are you in…?" I got interrupted. "Tattered clothing? I'm a run-away, that's all." He muttered and sat on a barrel. "With my mind, I must say, you look like you want to do the same." He smiled a bit but was instantly replaced by a shadowy face. "I don't…" I answered making him sigh. "Change your mind, meet me near the forest." He walked away.

"Okudaira-sama!" One of my 'grumpy' bodyguards called. "Finally…" I sighed trying to not make them know about what happened which succeeded. "You're coming with us." They pulled me into my mansion… my home but doesn't feel like one… "About time…" My father went to me. "What now Otou-sama?" I walked around him. "Don't you know anything? Your grades are decreasing by 1%!" He slammed my head with a newspaper… luckily. "It was just 1%..." I protested making him angrier. "How do you think would your deceased mother feel if she knew that your average was just 89%?!" He kicked my gut making me groan in pain on the ground.

"Mother will probably feel just fine…" I coughed and a little blood went out. "How dare you!" He kicked me turning me over. "Otou-sama… you're overreacting…" I stood up groggily. "Overreacting? Get out of my sight!" He shunned me and went away. "I hate that guy…" I mumbled and went in my room still affected by his kick.

My room was as big as a normal rich person's is. The wall paper was sky blue with some things hanging on the wall, like posters. A simple bed since I don't think I really need a big head since well… it's only a bed for one person. I also have some drawers, a closet, a desk with a chair and a T.V at least I have a T.V but no video games though… I get grounded mostly so I'm used to it… but that kick on the gut was like the 5th time this week. I sat on my futon and began thinking about Hozume's offer. I don't think that's even his real name… I went out of my room secretly to get some snacks until I heard a conversation between father and a friend of his (who hates me too).

"What do you think we should do?" Father asked. "I'm thinking of you know… doing what I do." His friend recommended chuckling while drinking sake. "You mean kill them in their sleep?" Father drank some more. "Close, I'm thinking of either abandoning or selling or just plain killing, you decide." He laughed and threw a knife on a dartboard. "I don't know, there are so many things you can do." Father slammed the table. "Meh… Just do what you do, I'll sleep." His friend instantly got knocked out from drinking and so did father.

Shit… I was right… father really was planning for this… there's only one thing left to do now… run away with Hozume… I have no other choice. I took some clothes, some snacks, some drinks and placed them all in one of those sack things. I opened a window, went out then closed it. Goodbye rich life and hello my own life. I headed to the forest like he instructed.

"I see that you made up your mind…" Hozume walked from a dark area. "Where are we supposed to go then?" I questioned him with no regrets. "We should just go to the nearest town. Just through this forest and another 1 hour walk should do it." He answered with no hesitance. "That long?!" I jaw dropped. "Yeah… what did you expect?" He began walking and I sighed and followed. "I have a question." I walked beside him as we were in the forest late at night. "Hmph… What is it?" He shouldered me to hide and so we hid in the bushes.

"Careful, those people are what you call mafias, kidnappers, whatever…" Hozume pointed at them. "So what was your question?" He asked me. "Is Hozume your real name?" I questioned him making him sigh. "That's classified, my friend. Even for you." He answered as his red eyes looked redder. "Ok, ok don't be angry just by that." I whispered. "Anyway, let's go they're gone but we have to sprint from here…" He grabbed my arm and dragged me so hard I was on the ground while he was dragging. "Oww… Don't drag me like this… Ahh!" I complained as I almost got hit by a rock. "Be careful back there, would you?" He requested. "How can I be careful if I can't even stand up?!" I protested angrily.

"Oh yeah, forgot sorry." He let go of his grip and I was shaking on the ground. "Thank you!" I stood up and wiped dust off my clothing. "Anyways let's go already we still have an hour of walking. "Hozume helped me up and we continued going to our destination. "We're here… welcome to your new house…" He went to an alley and I followed. "Hozume, where were you?" A girl with blue highlights on her hair went to us. "It's ok, don't worry about me." Hozume smiled at the girl in front of me.

As I said, she had blue highlights on her hair. She had raven hair but she actually looks cute. She also looks like the same as my age but Hozume said that she's actually a year older than us. I was about an inch higher. She had cute big eyes which shows hazel brown eyes that well… feels alluring I guess. She was talking to Hozume so they went in some sort of improvised home, it was bigger than I expected. I went in and it seems it was filled with a whole lot of people. Hozume did say something about this place filled with run-aways like him but I never expected that it would be this much.

"What's that girl's name anyway?" I asked Hozume. "Oh… her name is…" He was interrupted by the same girl. "I'd prefer that you don't say my name to a newbie, Hozume-san…" She gave 'the look'. "Hai… sorry, it seems that I can't" He sighed and I patted his back. "Newbie, since you're new, you may gather some food with Hozume. It's his turn to do gatherer." She told me and I nodded. "Thanks for covering me for being co-gatherer… These things can get… well… intense…"Hozume thanked me. "How bad could it be?" I started thinking positive. "Believe me; this is going to mess with your mind sooner or later." Hozume stated as we walked into darkness.

The next morning…

Well the scavenging was a success and Hozume breaking in a bread store, seafood store, and stealing a chicken was a success but I was now so tired that people that fight all the time and grow tired will be thrown to shame. Hozume and I walked towards our… well new home I guess. We cooked a lobster since that woman said that we eat seafood every Saturday and it is Saturday when we came back. Hozume was eating the pincer I think? I was left with the meat inside since it was my first time. The girl looked at me with her hazel brown eyes that make me feel allured.

"Good job… I never actually asked but what is your name, newbie? I'm getting tired of saying newbie that's all." She asked me. "Ahh… Koyero!" I had a hidden fluster. "Well Koyero, welcome to our home… you may only explore the place outside every night… remember that…" She told me. "I will. May I know your name now then?" I gulped a bit. "My name? Fine it's Yumi." She smiled making my heart beat fast. "So what did I miss?" Hozume went to us with a pincer still being chewed by him. "Not much… I see your looting was a success Hozume-san." Yumi smirked a bit. "Anyway you should get some sleep, it's 7 A.M already." She pushed both of us to bed and we slept.

When I woke up it was already 6 in the evening, no one was there. Maybe it was because every night we do looting… I went out of the room and I went out of our home. All I saw were some dead bodies on the floor? What's happening?! I ran and saw Hozume and Yumi fighting some people wearing suits equipped with pistols. So far there were about four dead… two of them were 15 years old and the other two were 17 years old… It seems like the older ones took the first attack… I had to do something… I crept towards my family and went beside Hozume and Yumi.

"Finally you awakened…" Yumi said with a guy getting choked by her and Hozume kicking his balls so hard that he like… well… flew away being nowhere to be seen. "What was…?" I was interrupted. "Obviously a kick, what's wrong with it?" He asked and Yumi hit playfully. "Keep up the attack!" Hozume lunged quickly at someone who went near us punching his gut making me remember about… my father… "Hai!" All the other kids like us began charging. "Enough!" Someone shot Hozume on his right cheek.

"Kuso…" He touched his bleeding cheek. "Hozume-san!" Yumi screamed and shed a tear making the other kids begin to cower in fear for their leader was shot. "How dare you!" I stood up ready to fight. "A brave soul, I must say." He tackled me out of nowhere. "Don't you dare hurt anymore of my family!" Yumi bitch-slapped him making him just smirk. "Hehe… I am 'his father' what do you expect?!" He slashed at Yumi but I Hozume blocked it with an iron bar weakly. "Hozume, no!" I hit his father's head almost crushing it with my blow. "Nani?!" I shook from what I just did.

"Now you did it…" He tackled me to the ground about to shoot me. "I will not allow this…" Yumi threw a pipe at him and so he went towards her. "Run… Koyero…" Hozume muttered in a shaky breath. "No! I want to fight." I protested. "Don't be crazy… you're inexperienced…" He said pushing me away. "Do this for us… find us at our home one hour from now, ok?" He smiled weakly. "Hai…" I began running away. "Oh no!" His father tried shooting again. "I shall not let you do anymore damage and grief to them…" Hozume took the hit to his head and fell down to the nearby river. "Hozume-san… I shall do what you do…" Yumi began crying and took of a towel from something. "Sayonara…" She said and a dust of smoke covered my sight and so I ran.

It began raining… it was muddy wherever I stepped… the rain became a storm… All I heard was a thunder and a scream… from Yumi… what's happening? I must go… this is the last wish of Hozume… I ran faster, the mud sinking me in but I managed to get free… I ran towards a highway and the last thing I saw was a flash of light… and feeling a big pain in my stomach… I guess this is it… Gomenosai… Hozume… Yumi… After this… I was on the ground… unconscious.

The next thing I saw were 2 people looking at me with worry in their eyes, a man and woman. "Where am I?" I groaned from the pain on my neck. "In the hospital… we're very sorry we crashed you…" The woman shed a tear. "It's fine…" I sighed. "Where's the meat?!" I looked around. "N-Nani?!" I slammed my head confused. "The doctors say that you got brain damage… do you remember anything?" The man asked. "Now that you mention it… all I remember is that my name is Koyero. I only remember two names… Hozume and Yumi… my friends?" I got a headache.

"Son, as an apology, how would you like to be in our family as an adoptive son? You don't even remember much… and we'll be blamed for it… we don't want to give any burden and we're sorry if we can't get you what you want." He offered me. "…It's a deal…" I answered since they were right… I forgot almost everything… "Good, welcome to the family then!" He smiled making me have a mild headache like I heard that from before… I wonder… what is my past? "You are now Koyero Yanaihara." He hugged me and so did the woman. They were my parents now… father and mother…

A few years later…

I heard of this famous game all my friends were talking about! It's new for the nerve gear, it's called Sword Art Online so what the heck, let me try! I went to my room after eating lunch and put on my nerve gear. It was a blue one since I really liked the color blue. I put the charger on just in case and closed my eyes as my helmet was on and did I mention I was 13 now? "Link Start…" I muttered and one of those log-in things appeared. This is what I answered:

Username: Koyero

Password: Mood Swings FTW!

Language: Japanese (obviously)

I was now in the game. I am just slightly experienced in gaming but I'm good ya know! I went to fight some of those boars, TIME TO GET DINNER! Anyway my weapon of choice is a Zweihander. I closed up on one of them making it tackle me slightly reducing my life. I love these things… I then used those classical skills I think. Well I heard this from a message so I tried it. "Embracer!" I punched the pig making it snort and making me slash it, killing it. I just killed a boar! Now where's the meat! It dropped nothing… That boar cheated… there's no meat… well try and try again I suppose! Before I could attack another helpless boar I was teleported… seems like everyone teleported. After the announcement from Kayaba I looked around. I saw a girl that caught my eye. She had I think brown hair… like me!

I didn't bother talking to her; it seems she was quite occupied right now. I also saw a guy with black hair… why does he give me a bad omen? I decided to walk out since crowded places isn't my thing or is it? I had to be careful… This thing is now a death game… After a few months, no one has cleared the first floor yet… well… I am quite in fear since one kill your really dead. There was a meeting about it where I just skipped the details and followed them.

Let's see all I remember is me dodging and slashing, Diabel died, oh no! And that guy battling that thing. I managed to land some good hits and dodge fatalities but that thing pinned me down on the floor. I was just level 5 I guess so I had a large decrease in HP... I was going to die until I heard a hopeful voice. I wish that guy would save me… "I will not let you!" A black haired guy that I finally knew who he was, Kirito made that boss stagger going back. After a few minutes, I was healed and the boss was killed. After a few moments the other people started insulting him… I hate these people already… but Kirito just said some words and told them to call him 'beater' instead. Sounds cool to me! After this, I went to the inn and slept.

Back to the present…

Kirito's P.O.V

It was late at night but I had to be sure if the rumours were true, about a new red guild… I don't know their name but it said that their members were numerous… I don't know the guild name but it has to be known by someone already… it 'is' just rumours so it couldn't be true but at the same time it could… I went to their most recent location as said in the news and found two players beating up one. I went towards them slowly and cautiously then went to them.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded for an answer with my two blades on their neck as a warning. "Isn't it obvious?" The first man said giving the final blow while the other took what could be taken. "You better answer me." I tried threatening them. "Hehe…" They chuckled. "What guild are you from?" I asked the first question that came in my head. "We are from the red guild…"

End of Chapter 6

It seems there's an antagonist now! Will this affect their progress towards the further floors? Or could they actually help? What is Koyero's past going to help in when he wakes up? What is the name of this mysterious red guild? Read the next chapter to find out!

Next Chapter: The Red guild and Blademake!