Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this fanfiction, would I?

Edit: Thank you Render795 for correcting me on the logic of the cake scene. I rarely bake anything myself so I hadn't thought about it much. So yeah, guys... Don't put frosting on your cake before baking it.

Chapter 2: New Experience

It was pitch black as far as the eye could see. As Kirito looked around he could see nothing but a light fog underneath his feet. There was an eerie kind of silence that seemed to fill the place. Is this what happens after a person dies? Is this the afterlife?

Kirito immediately disliked this place. Something about it made his skin crawl. He felt alone in this desolate space which seemed to be void of all life. No, that wasn't quite right. Though Kirito couldn't see it, he was sure there was something there, watching him. Whether it was alive or not, he couldn't tell. He didn't know what led him to think that, but he was sure of it all the same. It was a presence that couldn't be felt with the normal senses. An intangible, almost ghostly, presence.

"Who's there?" Kirito questioned, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

He was answered with an empty silence. Kirito could still feel it, the strange presence still resided there somewhere in the surrounding shadows and hadn't gone away. It was almost as if the presence was the darkness itself. Suddenly, the floor beneath him disappeared. Kirito shouted in surprise as he fell into an eternal abyss of darkness.

·:·:·:·:·:·

Kirito bolted up, heavily breathing as he tried to remember how to perform basic actions like moving and thinking. What had just happened? After calming down a bit, he laid back down on the soft cushion of the bed as he tried to sort out his thoughts. Wait… Bed?

Once again, Kirito bolted upright. Where am I? He wondered as his memories from the previous day came flooding back. Taking a look at his surroundings, Kirito spotted an oil lamp, the bed which he had been laying on, one small table with a candle lit on top and a matching oak chair beside it. There was a single window in the room that allowed a dim light to brighten his surroundings. Judging by the brightness, Kirito assumed it was around mid-afternoon. Looking out the window, he noticed a potions shop he had once passed and was able to confirm he was again in the Town of Beginnings.

So, I'm still alive. Kirito's eyes lit up a bit as he came to the realization. His mind quickly filled with a multitude of other questions such as how he had gotten there and what happened.

Kirito's thoughts were cut short as the door to his room was opened and a familiar figure wearing a cloak walked through the door.

"Oh? So you're finally awake, Ki-bou," the figure said in an unconcerned tone.

"Glad to see you worried about me so much. It's been awhile, Argo-san," replied Kirito sarcastically.

Argo the Rat. She was a nimble-looking character with curly brown, auburn hair. Her most distinguishable feature had to be the 3 drawn whisker marks on both sides of her cheek. She was an information broker of sorts and one of Kirito's few friends in the beta. If there was something you needed to know, she'd be the person to go to. With her near photographic memory, Argo could give you any piece of information you wanted. For a price, of course. If she didn't know something, she could find out; if she didn't know it, chances were no one did.

"Heh, how'd you know it was me?" replied Argo with a grin.

"Those whiskers, that nickname, and your impassive way of speaking. Who else could it be?" Kirito replied playfully.

"Well you got me. You're more perceptive than I thought, Ki-bou."

"It wasn't that hard. Anyone who knew you personally could have guessed it. Now I have a question, how were you able to tell who I was? You shouldn't be able to view information like my Name or Level unless I allow you to."

"Hm… I'll tell you for 500 Col," Argo said smirking.

Of course that part of her never changes.

"I think I'll pass. If I paid you every time you piqued my curiosity, I'd be left with no Col and in debt," said Kirito with a sigh, giving up on getting any information from the acquisitive dealer.

"Then I guess I can't tell you," teased Argo.

Remembering his situation, Kirito asked, "How long was I out?"

"15 days. Honestly wasn't sure if you were going to wake up," replied Argo, with some actual concern in her voice this time. "What happened to you? There were no negative statuses on you, but it sure took you awhile to recover."

Kirito was taken aback. 15 days? That was over 2 weeks! So much for getting ahead of every other player…

Kirito explained to Argo about his body in the real world and told her he believed that was the reason why he suddenly collapsed and couldn't move.

"I see… That makes sense. Your body must've been in pretty bad condition in the real world then. How do you feel now?" Argo asked.

"Like crap," Kirito replied in exasperation, "I'm honestly worried. I was out cold for 15 days, no matter how bad a cold it is, that isn't normal."

"Kayaba did say time here was accelerated times seven. If that's true, your body was only out for about 2 days in the real world. By now, you should be in a hospital and the fact you're awake must mean your condition has at least somewhat stabilized. You should be fine now, Ki-bou," Argo stated with a reassuring smile.

"That's true… Well I doubt I'll be able to fight or even move properly with my body being this weak. I wanted to get a head start, too," Kirito complained.

Argo laughed at his predicament. "Well, get better soon. It's a pain for me as well to watch over you, you know."

"Sorry. And thanks," Kirito replied, feeling a bit guilty, "How much did this inn cost you by the way? I'll make sure to pay you back."

"It's not me you should be repaying," replied Argo honestly.

"Aren't you the one who bought me this room?" Kirito asked puzzled.

"If I were, I'd definitely make you pay me back tenfold, not including interest," Argo answered with a cynical smile.

"Haha that's a joke right?" Kirito asked with a forced smile, hoping even Argo couldn't be that heartless towards a sick person.

"Eh? When do I ever joke about things like that?" Argo replied with a straight face.

Kirito sighed in relief, Thank God she wasn't the one who rented this room for me then. He was still dead broke after spending all his money on equipment and potions. "Well, if it wasn't you who should I be giving my thanks to?" questioned Kirito. Just then, before Argo could answer, the door opened and another cloaked figure entered the room. The figure wore a hood, making it difficult to see the person's face. However, Kirito did catch a glimpse of brown, chestnut-colored hair.

Wait… Chestnut colored hair? Could this be her? Kirito thought as he recalled his last memories before falling into a state of unconsciousness. He had seen a female figure with hair colored exactly the same.

"Speaking of the devil," said Argo.

"You're awake," said the cloaked figure in a monotone voice.

·:·:·:·:·:·

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm clock sounded, forcing the girl asleep in the bed beside it to wake up and shut it off. Giving a quiet yawn, Asuna Yuuki got out of bed and prepared for the coming school day.

After she finished washing up, Asuna stood in front of the mirror with a smile. "Alright, I'm ready to go," Asuna said, satisfied with her appearance. Asuna left her room and departed down the curved stairway. As she descended, a maid of the house stood there ready to greet her. "Good morning, miss, breakfast has been prepared for you in the dining room," stated the maid with a bow.

"Good morning, Sada. Thank you for all your hard work, as always. I'll head there right now," Asuna said with a smile.

Entering the dining room, Asuna saw only her mother, Kyouko Yuuki. Both her father and her only brother were on a business trip overseas. They often had to go on trips far away from home for work. They were usually gone for weeks and occasionally, even months.

"Good morning, mother."

"You're up late today, Asuna," Kyouko stated nonchalantly. "I've already finished eating breakfast. It seems that you stayed up late last night studying. How do you feel?"

"Yes, I did. I feel fine," Asuna replied while taking a seat.

With seemingly nothing else to say, silence filled the room. It was Asuna who finally decided to speak up again, breaking the silence. "By the way mother, I placed first in the previous district mock exam and they will announce the midterm rankings next week. I've studied thoroughly so I'm confident in my scores," said Asuna excitedly, "If you score within the top ten, then you don't have to worry about the official test. You only need an A to pass."

Kyouko gave a sigh. "You. Why are you getting so excited about a high school mid-term exam? You're brother graduated top of his class, scoring at the top of your class on the mid-term is a given. The most important exam is the college entrance exam. You should hurry and consider which colleges you'll be applying to," Kyouko said clearly unimpressed.

"Yes, mother…" Asuna said, her voice changing from a cheerful tone into one of dejection.

"I expect you to attend the same school as Kouichirou. Traditional colleges are the better choice," Kyouko continued.

Kouichirou Yuuki. He was Asuna's older brother and she looked up to him. He was a kind brother and always the top of his class. Asuna aspired to be just like him.

"Yes mother," Asuna repeated, "I have also improved on my Math and English."

Asuna waited a moment to see if her mother would say anything else. Seeing that she seemed to be finished, sipping a cup of tea and reading the newspaper, Asuna gave thanks for the food. "Itadakimasu," she said, as she began to eat.

·:·:·:·:·:·

It was early in the morning. Asuna sat at her desk. She had some time to spare before classes officially started so she was reading a book from one of her favorite authors.

"Yuuki-senpai!"

Asuna looked up from the book she was reading. "Ah, good morning, Hina-chan," said Asuna.

Hina was one of Asuna's friends from her school. She was always cheerful and one of those happy-go-lucky type of girls.

"Good morning, Yuuki-senpai," Hina said cheerfully with a smile, "I heard senpai ranked first in the mock exam. Congratulations! I'm jealous."

"Thank you," Asuna replied with a smile, "Work hard and I'm sure you'll be able to do the same, too."

"Well, I'll do my best," replied Hina, "By the way, senpai, have you heard about Sword Art Online?"

"Sword Art Online? What's that?" asked Asuna confused.

Hina nearly face-palmed. "You really don't know? It's been all over the news for the past few months now."

Asuna shook her head.

Hina sighed, "You really are clueless about these things aren't you?"

"Sorry," Asuna apologized sheepishly, "I've been busy studying and haven't had time to keep up with the recent things going on in the world."

"Sword Art Online is the first virtual, reality video game using new advanced Fulldive technology. It'll be released to the public soon. They say the game sends stimuli directly to your brain. It's supposed to be super realistic. Some even say it's as real as the world we live in. I really want to try it," Hina told Asuna, obviously excited about it.

"Oh? As realistic as this world? I wonder if that's really true. I'm surprised they already have technology capable of doing that," replied Asuna.

"Right? Isn't it amazing? They say the technology is way ahead of its time!" continued Hina, "If possible, senpai, would you want to get the game and play it together?"

"No," Asuna said flatly, "Sorry Hina, I don't have the time. I need to study to make sure I can keep my grades up and prepare for exams."

"Awhh," Hina pouted, "Exams should be a piece of cake for senpai."

"Of course not," Asuna replied, lightly flicking Hina's forehead causing her to whimper, "I'm not special, the only reason I do so well is because I spend more time and effort studying than anyone else. That's not to say there aren't others working hard, too. That's why I need to keep my guard up otherwise I may lose my place as top of the class."

"Ehh? So, I guess it's really not possible for Yuuki-senpai to play after all," Hina stated, understanding Asuna's position.

"It goes without saying that playing a game is the same as wasting life," continued Asuna, "The college entrance exam is not the end, okay? If you play games all day like a child, you'll never catch up to those people in the traditional colleges. Next year you'll be taking the exams too. It's about time you graduate from those things."

"Understood!" shouted Hina in determination, "As expected from my senpai. I shall work hard!"

"Good girl," Asuna patted her head with a smile. "Class should be starting any minute now. You should head back to yours or you'll be la-"

Just then the school bells rung, signaling the start of class.

"Ah! Tomoyo-sensei is going to kill me!" Hina cried out in fear as she grabbed her bag and proceeded to run out of the classroom. She stopped at the door and yelled out, "I'll talk to you later, Yuuki-senpai!" Then continued to run down the hall.

Asuna smiled and waved. She was a good girl, though young and a bit naive.

I say all of that but even I want a break sometimes… Asuna shook her head, dismissing the thought. I'll just have to continue working hard. I'm not going to accomplish anything if I do nothing.

In the distance, Asuna could hear Hina being scolded by a teacher for being late and running in the halls.

Hang in there, Hina-chan. Asuna thought to herself as she got ready to start class.

·:·:·:·:·:·

Asuna gave a sigh as she plopped herself down on her bed. It was another tiring day today and she still had to finish up some homework and study.

Asuna went into the bathroom to prepare the bath. Bathing was one of the few things that Asuna did where she could relax and forget about her worries. The warm water surrounding her and touching her skin gave her great comfort. Asuna took off her clothes and entered the bath.

"Ah… This feels nice," stated Asuna with a content smile.

Tomorrow was a Friday but there would be no school that day because of a board meeting. Asuna was tempted to just relax the next day and forget about her worries for a bit.

A game, huh… Asuna thought to herself. She almost never allowed herself any free-time to enjoy herself. She was always studying and working. It was beginning to tire her out. The only video games she had ever played were a few apps she had on her phone and that was just during the train rides to and from school when she had nothing else to do.

Maybe a break once in a while wouldn't be so bad. Asuna shook herself trying to clear her head of such thoughts. No, I have to work hard. Otherwise how can I get into a good college? I can't afford to slack off. Mother is expecting me to do better, I can't disappoint her.

With that, Asuna got out of the bath and dried herself. She moved to her desk where she proceeded to study for the rest of the day. After a few hours of studying, however, she finally passed out on her desk, exhausted mentally.

A few minutes later, the silhouette of a man walked into the room. Seeing her asleep on her desk, he smiled, "You work yourself too hard, Asuna." Picking her up, the man laid her down on her bed and tucked her bed sheets in. "You should take a break from time to time. Always studying isn't good for your health you know. You need to rest and enjoy yourself sometimes. Knowing you, I bet you probably already forgot what day tomorrow is, too." The man chuckled to himself a bit a bit, "Well I'll see you tomorrow in the morning. Get a good night's rest, Asuna." The man proceeded to walk out the door leaving Asuna alone in her room to sleep.

·:·:·:·:·:·

The next morning, Asuna awoke in a panic. It was 8 am and school was about to start soon! Why didn't the alarm ring?! Asuna thought to herself. Then, she remembered that there was no school today. Feeling relieved, Asuna looked around and saw the mess left on her desk. I must've fallen asleep, she thought. Asuna took extra care to always keep her room nice and tidy. She couldn't remember when she fell asleep but realized she must have otherwise the mess on her desk would've been cleaned.

Asuna wondered who had carried her to her bed. She assumed that it was probably Sada who had done it and decided she would ask and thank her later.

Asuna gave a yawn and groggily got out of her bed. There was a sweet aroma coming from the kitchen. Suddenly, her stomach growled. Though no one was around, she blushed, embarrassed.

"I should eat breakfast. I'll finish getting ready after," she said to herself. Asuna walked outside her room and down the stairs.

Odd. She thought. Sada would normally come to greet her by now. She's probably busy preparing the breakfast or something.

Asuna walked heavy-eyed into the dining room, "Good morning, brother. Wait… brother!?" Suddenly Asuna was no longer tired but rather quite awake and surprised.

"Oh? You're finally awake, Asuna," her older brother replied with a smile.

"W-wait why are you home? Weren't you on a business trip? Where have mom and Sada gone? Welcome back!" Asuna asked cheerfully. She was happy that her brother had finally returned, as the smile planted on her face clearly showed.

"Woah, woah, calm down there. One thing at a time," Kouichirou replied laughing. "Mom and Sada have gone out shopping. As to why I'm home, surely you haven't forgotten what today is, have you?"

"Eh? September 30, 2022 right?" Asuna said puzzled. Was there something important on this day that I forgot? Wait isn't today…!

Seeing Asuna's face change from puzzlement to one of realization, Kouichirou smiled, knowing she must have finally remembered.

Asuna was shocked for a moment. "Did you come all the way back home just for that...?" Asuna questioned, still surprised.

"Of course, how could I miss my precious, little sister's special day?" Koichirou said, still smiling.

Asuna ran up to hug her older brother, "Thank you, brother!" Asuna cried out in happiness.

"Happy birthday, Asuna."

The two siblings continued to talk and catch up with each other since both of them hadn't seen each other in some time. "Oh wait I almost forgot," Kouichirou said, apparently remembering something, "Hold on, I'll be right back."

He walked into the kitchen. Asuna tilted her head to the side slightly, wondering what her older brother was doing in the kitchen. Kouichirou walked back into the dining room, holding a cake. It was a little messy, but it looked delicious nonetheless. The cake was covered with plain white frosting, nothing too fancy. On the cake read "Happy Birthday Asuna!" in red lettered frosting.

So that's what smelled so good, Asuna thought.

"I made it myself. I followed the recipe in the book, but it didn't quite turn out looking the same as in the book," Kouichirou said sheepishly, "We can go buy one from the store if you don't like it."

Asuna shook her head. "No, thank you. It means a lot to me that you'd do all that work just for me," Asuna said happily.

Just then, the two siblings heard the front door open.

"Is that father coming?" Asuna asked hopefully.

"Actually Asuna," Kouichirou started with a saddened expression, "Father-"

"Asuna, you should understand your father is a very busy man," Kyouko interrupted, walking into the room.

"Sorry Asuna, father couldn't make it," said Kouichirou sadly.

Asuna looked down, disappointed. She really missed her father and wished he could be here for this day. "Although he may not have been able to come, he sent this in the mail," her mother continued as she pulled out a stuffed animal and handed it to her.

"You're 15 now, I don't think your father realizes that his daughter's growing up," said Kyouko.

Asuna smiled brightly, "It's fine, I love it. I still wish he could be here but he got this for me even though he's busy. Father took his time buying it, so I'll make sure to treasure it!"

Asuna received a new hairbrush from Sada and a necklace from her mother.

"Thank you so much, both of you," Asuna said joyfully.

"And lastly, Koichirou, what did you get her?" their mother asked.

"Erm…" Koichirou scratched the back of his head nervously, "Sorry Asuna, I just got here last night and I didn't have time to grab a gift on the way."

Asuna shook her head and said with a reassuring smile, "It's fine, you don't have to be sorry. I'm just glad you came all the way here just to celebrate my birthday."

"But I really should get you something! I have to leave for my flight in about an hour though, so I won't have time to go shopping…" Koichirou said.

"Wait, you have to leave so soon? Can't you stay a bit longer?" Asuna said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Asuna. I really do need to go. Coming back here in time for your birthday was the best I could do. I can't stay very long," Koichirou replied with a frown.

"I… I understand. Well thank you for coming brother and do your best working," Asuna replied with a forced smile, still wishing he could stay longer.

"Wait. Before I go, I just thought of something!" Koichirou said excitedly.

"What is it?" Asuna questioned.

"Have you heard of that new Fulldive game coming out in a little over a month? The virtual gaming world called Sword Art Online?" Koichirou asked.

"Yes, what about it?" she said in a puzzled expression.

"Well, it just so happens I spent a lot of money to pre-order a copy and it should be arriving in the mail soon," Koichirou said.

Huh? Why would brother buy a video game? He's a busy man. Asuna thought to herself a bit puzzled.

"However, I won't be here when the game is released," he continued, "Would Asuna play it in my place? I think it would be a good experience for you. You need to take a break once in awhile."

"Eh? You want me to play a game?" Asuna questioned, surprised, "Why would I bother myself with such a waste of time? I have studying to do."

Koichirou gave a sigh, "You were always like this. You need to loosen up and relax sometimes, you know."

"If I may, I don't disagree with him, miss. Though studies are important, it's bad to overwork yourself," Sada agreed.

Asuna stared at the both of them, perplexed. "I don't know…" She looked over at her mother who was silent this whole time.

"Just take it as a birthday present from me. Sadly, I don't have anything else I can give you at the moment," Koichirou replied, "If you choose not to use it, I won't force you. But your older brother's giving it to you. What you decide to do is entirely up to you."

"I'll think about it," Asuna replied hesitantly. She still wasn't sure she should waste time like that.

"Alright, I do hope you'll accept my gift to you," stated Koichirou, "Well I must be going now. Take care of yourself Asuna, mother. Sada, please continue to watch after them for me."

The three of them nodded and said their farewells back.

·:·:·:·:·:·

Asuna stood in the bullet train that was bustling with people. It was uncomfortable, being trapped in that small confined space with so many people. She had just gotten back from shopping for a few items since it was a Sunday and there was no work from school to be done. It had been a little over a month since they took the midterms. As always, Asuna managed to score top of her class causing her to be the envy of all her classmates.

She looked up and decided to watch the television to see what was on.

"On today's MMO stream, we'll be covering the worldwide renowned game, Sword Art Online, or SAO for short. SAO was created by Kayaba Akihiko..."

Sword Art Online again? Asuna thought to herself. That's all everyone's been talking about lately.

"With only a million copies of SAO, the game was sold out instantly! As you saw earlier, if you're looking to get a copy last minute, you won't have much luck…"

A million copies already sold out? Didn't they just begin selling the game in stores today? That's crazy! Just how much do people want to play this game? Asuna thought about it and wondered how much her brother probably paid to pre-order a copy.

"The SAO servers will be opened at 1 PM today; so gamers, get ready to game!"

Asuna sighed in relief as she heard her stop being announced. She got out of the crowded train and started walking home.

As soon as she got home, she went straight to her bedroom. She saw the Soul Translator helmet resting nearby her bed and looked at it for a moment.

I guess it couldn't hurt to use it just for a little bit. Brother paid a lot for this after all and he's giving it to me.

Looking at the clock, Asuna saw that it was 12:56 PM. Only 4 minutes until the servers opened. She didn't know much about games, but figured that meant that 1 PM was when she could enter the game. Browsing through the instruction manual for the Soul Translator, Asuna learned how to use the basic functions like powering it on and starting the game. She inserted the Sword Art Online game into the helmet and put the helmet onto her head. Using the small digital clock that was inside the helmet, Asuna saw it was 12:59:30. Just 30 more seconds until the game started.

Asuna tried to recall what she just read in the instruction manual. The digital clock read 1 PM. "So to start the game I have to say… Link start?"

Suddenly, there was a flash of colors. Asuna was surprised as she found herself standing with a holographic keyboard in front of her, prompting her to enter a username then password. Using the keyboard, she entered in her first name and a password. The next step was to design her character. After pondering it for a bit, she decided it would be weird walking in a body that wasn't hers and made her character similar in appearance to her real-world self. With a satisfied nod, Asuna completed the character design prompting a message to appear in front of her reading, "Welcome to Sword Art Online!"

In another flash of colors, she found herself in the world of Aincrad.

·:·:·:·:·:·

Asuna stared in awe. She was beginning to understand what all the hype was about. The world around them was beautiful. It looked like one of the worlds she could only read about in fantasy books. A world you could only enter in dreams. And the best part was that it all felt so real. No dream could compare to this. She took a deep breath of the refreshing air and touched her characters hands, unable to feel anything fake about it at all. It felt just like a real hand would. There was nothing that would even slightly show that this was a virtual world. She couldn't believe that modern technology could create a world so perfect.

Asuna ran around the town joyfully as she looked at the various buildings and structures. There were minstrels playing music, shops, fountains, and even a few wandering, stray animals. Asuna ran up to a dog she saw and pet it.

"Awh aren't you a cute thing," Asuna said with a smile, "Are you lost? Do you have a home?" The dog, noticing its owner, ran after her and started barking, running around in circles happily.

"Is that your dog?" Asuna asked.

"Yes, he is. He's quite the energetic one," the woman replied with a laugh.

"Indeed, and he's just so cute. I'm a bit envious," Asuna said, returned the laugh.

The woman had some errands to run and returned to them with the dog following. Asuna continued looking around like a child, amazed at everything. She caught the scent of a delicious aroma in the air. Deciding to follow the smell, she entered a bakery.

She saw many different pastries and asked the man selling them how much everything was excitedly. The man smiled and told her the prices of each and every one. Asuna asked for one of each and was about to get her money to pay. Suddenly, Asuna looked down dejectedly as she realized she didn't know if she had any money. As she looked down, she finally noticed a small bag that had been attached to her belt the entire time. Opening it, she saw what looked to be coins.

"Hey would this be enough to pay for everything?" Asuna asked eagerly.

The man looked into the bag and began counting the money, "Hm... well it isn't enough to buy one of everything," the man said, "But I'll throw in the rest of it on the house. You almost had enough, anyways," he finished with a smile.

Asuna thanked the man with beaming gratitude and began tasting each of the pastries she had bought. They were all delicious. Asuna was overjoyed knowing she could eat as many pastries as she wanted without gaining weight in her real life body. Asuna thanked the man once more, before leaving the shop and going out to explore more of the town.

She came across a clothes store and saw an outfit she wanted to try on but realized she was now penniless.

"Hm… I wonder how someone is supposed to get more money in this game," Asuna said to herself.

Deciding it would be best to ask someone, Asuna walked up to the first person she saw.

"Excuse me," Asuna said, looking terribly embarrassed and confused. The girl that stood before her turned around and looked at Asuna in question.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm new to this game and thought you looked like you knew what you were doing," Asuna continued bashfully.

The girl said with a smirk, "Well you've come to the right person if you're looking for info. Argo's the name. And yours?"

"Ah, Yuuki. Yuuki Asuna." Asuna replied.

Argo nearly face-palmed. Did this girl really just give her real life name?

Argo shook her head, "No, your in-game name. You really shouldn't give your real info here in the virtual world. Who knows what creeps may try to stalk you? You see, I'm an information dealer of sorts and I sell and make use of any information I can get. That would include your real name, which you just told me. However, I'll take pity on a newbie and keep what you just said confidential. Just be careful not to tell anyone else."

"I see, thank you for the advice," Asuna nodded in understanding, "I'll be more careful from now on."

"Alright, let's try that again. I'm Argo. And you are?" Argo asked once again.

"Asuna," Asuna replied.

"...Didn't I just say not to use your real name? What's your in-game name? You know your username?" Argo replied barely holding in the urge to face-palm.

Asuna scratched her head, giving a nervous laugh, "That is my in-game name."

Argo couldn't stop herself this time and face-palmed.

Argo sighed, "Okay, Asuna-chan, what'cha need?"

"Umm…" Asuna replied hesitantly, "Well I have a lot of questions. I don't know how most of the things in this world work."

"I did mention I'm an information dealer right?" replied Argo, "If you want to know something, it'll cost ya. My info doesn't come cheap, either. I'm not completely heartless, though and since you're a noob, I'll give you a large discount."

"Ah, about that. One of my questions was how do you earn money?" asked Asuna.

"You can't be serious," Argo said, but one look at Asuna's blank face was all it took to get an answer.

Argo sighed again, "I'll tell you for 1 Col. That should be cheap enough, right?"

"I can't really pay even that much," replied Asuna sheepishly, "The reason I was asking was because I have no money on me."

"Every character should start off with 500 Col. That bag on your belt there, it should be filled with some coins," Argo stated, pointing to her bag. "It's put there by default. You're able to move the bag to your character's inventory at any time."

"Oh, about that…" Asuna opened her bag to reveal it was empty.

"...The game started 10 minutes ago. As far as I can tell, you don't have any new equipment or even a weapon. What could you have possibly spent all 500 Col on?" Argo asked in a deadpan manner.

"Pastries?" Asuna replied with a nervous smile.

"...Have you ever played a game before?" Argo asked in disbelief.

"Of course I have!" Asuna replied somewhat defensively. "I've played plenty of games on my smartphone. I especially like the one where you have to slide your finger across the screen to cut vegetables. It was called Vegetable Ninja, I believe..."

Argo sighed, realizing this girl was a complete and utter noob. "Look, I don't make a habit of giving out free information, but you're a complete noob and if I just left you alone like this you'd probably take weeks to even obtain a basic sword. This game is called Sword Art Online, right? You use swords to fight here. There are enemies that you must defeat and by doing so, you can complete quests that will give you money. Quests will give you money and you gain EXP from training and killing monsters. The more EXP you have, the stronger you'll become. Does that make sense?"

Asuna nodded, "So I have to learn how to actually wield a sword then?"

"Yes. But you don't need to be an expert at it just yet. I do recommend you practice since you'll have to learn later. For now, just using sword skills should be enough to get by," replied Argo.

"Sword skills? What are those?" asked Asuna as she tried to make sense of the lengthy explanation.

"For crying out loud, did you even read the manual?" Argo said exasperated.

"There was a manual?" Asuna asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

Argo lost it.

·:·:·:·:·:·

Asuna gave a shout as she used the one-handed rapier sword skill known as «Sword Skill: Linear» to attack the frenzy boar. It was a basic sword skill that could be performed with a rapier. Argo, taking pity on Asuna, had bought it for her. Asuna was allowed to choose whatever weapon she wanted and found the rapier to be to her liking.

Turning around, Asuna saw the boar getting ready to charge at her again. Asuna got ready to strike as she used «Linear» to attack the boar again. Giving out a cry, the boar's hp depleted to 0 and the boar fell to the ground, bursting into shards of blue light.

Asuna turned to Argo and shouted out joyfully, "Argo, I did it! I beat my first monster!"

Argo was shocked for a moment. Was that really the speed of someone who had never played a single video game in her life? She's almost as fast as me, Argo thought to herself.

"Congratulations. Your movements were a bit sloppy, but your speed was incredible. Are you sure you're new to this?" Argo asked.

"Positive."

"Guess you're just a natural. Keep training like that and you'll become one of the strongest in no time," Argo said truthfully.

"Oh, I don't have time to play this game much. I need to focus on my studies. I have to admit it was a nice experience though," Asuna said with a smile. Maybe… Just maybe taking a break and playing this from time to time wouldn't be so bad.

"I see. Well, if you ever need help, feel free to call me. Info won't be coming free from me anymore, though," Argo said smugly. Argo did a swiping motion with her hand and sent Asuna a friend request.

After accepting it, Asuna asked, "So, how do I leave the game?"

"...You're kidding right? I know you're new to this and all but you entered the game without knowing how to logout?" Argo asked, expressionless.

"Kinda…" Asuna said averting her eyes in embarrassment.

"You just need to open your main menu like this," Argo said while putting her right thumb and index finger together and pulling downwards.

Asuna mimicked the movement and was surprised when a window popped up. "Woah, Argo something just popped up!" Asuna said amazed as she played with it a little, closing then opening it once again.

By this point, Argo was used to the fact that Asuna knew nothing about the game and didn't bother making a comment on her not knowing how to open the menu.

"After that, select the «Settings and Logout» button. Then you just press…" Argo paused, "Huh? It isn't here."

"What isn't there?" Asuna questioned.

"The logout button…" Argo continued.

"What?" Asuna asked a bit panicked, "How am I supposed to get out, then?"

"Wait let me contact a GM to see what's going on," Argo replied.

Asuna was planning to ask what a GM was but decided it would be best to keep her mouth shut, seeing the serious expression on Argo's face.

"Ugh, no use. The GMs are getting too many calls, it won't put me through. Players are probably calling for the same reason we are," Argo deduced.

"So we have no choice than to just wait then?" Asuna asked.

"I suppose so. In the meantime how about we- Whoa, what is this?"

"A-Argo, what's happening?"

A blue light had enveloped both of them and in a sudden flash, they were both transported back to the Town of Beginnings.

"Players, I welcome you all to my world."

·:·:·:·:·:·

The ghostly, sanguine cloak melted back into a liquid and rose back into the sky. Seconds later, the crimson hexagons disappeared in the same manner that they had appeared, leaving behind a familiar, normal afternoon sky. The minstrels began playing their music again and there was a silence among the crowd.

Asuna looked into her mirror. Though her game character had looked similar to her, there were still slight differences. But now, her face was exactly how it was in the real world. Just what was happening?

Suddenly, a girl screamed in the distance, dropping her mirror. That was all it took for all order to degenerate into chaos.

The crowd was in a panic and everyone was shouting, yelling, and screaming.

"H-hey… Argo… this is all part of the game right? Just part of the storyline… It's not real, right?" Asuna asked.

"No… Everything he said was true. The soul translator could essentially fry your brain. This never happened in the beta and there is no way to log out. Either this is one sick joke," Argo paused hesitating, "Or we really are trapped in a death game."

"That can't be…!" Asuna said. This was too much for Asuna to bear.

"Asuna, we need to get out of here. It may become dangerous soon. We most likely won't be attacked in a «Safe Area», but Kayaba said there were many changes to make this world as realistic as possible. There's no telling what might've been changed just now, so we have to be careful," Argo said, "Safe areas may no longer be safe and if the people are already this out of control, there's no telling what they might do."

"Y-yeah… Right…" Asuna replied weakly as she started swaying, unable to walk stand straight.

"Hey, Asuna, get a hold of yourself. Asuna? Asuna!" Argo ran over to catch Asuna as she fell to the ground.

"The mental shock must've been too much for her. I need to get her out of here," Argo said, worried.

With that, Argo carried Asuna and ran as far away from the crowd as she could.

Author's Note: So what do you guys think of this chapter? Liked it? Hated it? Leave a review! Too many characters falling unconscious maybe? I don't plan to make them do that much more in the future if that helps at all. Still open to any suggestions. If any of you catches a mistake, please let me know. Almost no Kirito this chapter -insert sad face- I figured since Kirito took the spotlight in the first chapter though, Asuna should get more screen time.

So do you guys think Asuna was too much of a noob in this chapter? I was trying to get the point across that she had 0 experience at gaming. Worry not, though, she'll become strong in the future. Almost as strong as Kirito. Maybe even stronger… or not, who knows. Guess you'll just have to see!

Also, someone suggested that I do a Eugeo and Yuuki shipping. I'm considering it since I don't think that'd be a bad idea but I'd like to hear the thoughts of the viewers, too.

Anyways let me know what you guys think in the reviews or feel free to message me too!