Chapter 2.

Kazuto Kirigaya sluggishly opened his eyes, the NerveGear's visor stared back at him. The connection was terminated, and Kazuto soon realized why. Other than his NerveGear, all the electronics in his room were shut off. The power, he deduced, must have gone out. The NerveGear was spared only because it contained an internal battery.

Kazuto sat up slowly, thinking about his encounter with Asuna a moment ago. He had been resolved to finally speak with her, but fate would have him wait longer. He hated himself for not being man enough to talk, maybe that's why she left in the first place? She needs a man, not a younger guy, and she has made that clear. She is dating him now, after all. Kazuto's moaning and groaning was interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Kazuto, are you awake yet? It's almost time to go and you haven't eaten."

It was Kazuto's sister, Suguha. They were actually cousins, but Kazuto was adopted by his aunt after his parents passed away. He was too young to understand, so he grew up thinking Sugu was his sister. When he found out the truth, Kazuto distanced himself from his family, but has since reconnected with his sister. Despite this, Kazuto did not feel like talking just yet, so he simply ignored Sugu's question. Kazuto slung his legs over the side of his bed, and removed the NerveGear. It had a few dents, and the paint of the lettering was faded, but it still worked like the first day he got it. Plastered on the side was a sticker that says, "I survived SAO!"

He turned the NerveGear off to conserve the battery, and he placed it on the nearby desk. Polaroids were scattered across the desktop. Most were taken while in SAO, and saved to Kazuto's NerveGear storage. There were pictures of Kirito with various players, and many with he, Yui, and Asuna. One picture was taken in a bar, and Kirito was front and center among a group of jovial faces. He met them all early on, and even joined their guild: The Moonlit Black Cats. Of the five members, none survived SAO.

Kazuto spaced out staring at this photo. He picked it up, his grip tightening as he examined it closely. A drop fell, staining the glossy surface.

He couldn't help but think, "Everyone leaves me."

Realizing he was ruining the picture, Kazuto returned it to the pile and wiped his face. Not a moment later, his bedroom door was flung open. Standing in the opening was Sugu, clearly annoyed at being ignored. Before she could say anything, she realized Kazuto was not yet wearing a shirt, and her cheeks turned bright red.

Noticing how flustered she was, Kazuto decided to play along. He locked eyes with Sugu, and didn't break her gaze. He bent down, picking up a white t-shirt off the floor, his eyes still piercing into hers. Then he straightened himself, and tried to make himself as imposing as possible.

At the sight of her typically reserved elder brother behaving so boldly, Sugu could not help but get excited. "Ka.. Kazuto, what are you doing? We.. we need to go soon.." she managed to stutter, all the while her face emanating the shame she felt. She was much to happy.

Undeterred, Kazuto kept advancing, until his face was mere inches from Sugu's. She was utterly helpless to his onslaught, and ceded all control to him. Her eyes shut, and she braced herself for whatever Kazuto wanted. She could feel his breath, it sent shivers down her spine.

"Sugu…" he whispered.

"Y-yes Kazuto?" she moaned, her anticipation nearly at the limit.

"I want you…" Kazuto continued, taking a pause.

At his words, Suguha's head shot back as a torrent of blood gushed forth from her nose. Her overwhelming desires were just too much to contain. She collapsed to the floor, blood pooled around her.

"Sugu.. I want you.." Kazuto repeated. "to stop barging into my room, you pervert!"

After dealing out a much-needed head chop, Kazuto stepped over his sister and into the hallway. Putting on his shirt, he made his way down the darkened stairway to eat his breakfast, while Sugu laid there defeated, and yet victorious.

Kazuto stopped briefly on the bottom step. He always rejected Sugu, but now he had mixed feelings on why he continues to do so. It wasn't as if he didn't understand Sugu's feelings. They weren't really brother and sister, and she was quite attractive. During his years in SAO, Sugu had developed into a beautiful woman, and if it wasn't for Asuna, he might have noticed sooner. He couldn't help but wonder what it might be like to be with her. Would Sugu's mother approve? How would their friends react? Certainly, Lis would be upset, but would Asuna?

"Ah!" Kazuto exclaimed, "What the hell am I thinking?"

From the darkness upstairs, he could hear his sister stirring, likely recovering from her nasal hemorrhaging. Kazuto laughed at the mental image, Sugu bathed in blood with a huge grin on her face. "Yeah right. The only way we would be together is if the world came to an end!" he said, stepping out of the dark stairwell and into the light.

Despite the power outage, the house was bright downstairs. All the windows were open, and natural light flooded the kitchen. Waiting for him was a plate of eggs and bacon, as well as a few slices of toast. Although he wasn't particularly hungry, Kazuto knew better than to refuse Sugu's cooking.

He ate quickly, just wanting to finish before Sugu returned, but alas, it was not meant to be. As he finished his eggs and reached for a slice of toast, she entered the kitchen. She pretended to be indifferent, and asked, "How'z ze fewd?"

Kazuto was almost certain it would have worked, if not for the wads of toilet paper stuffed into her nose. Of course, he couldn't just let it end there. He, as the elder brother, had the obligation to make things worse, and he knew just how to do it.

Rather than answer her politely, Kazuto opted to stick out his tongue, which still had chewed up egg on it. He then stuck one finger into his mouth and pretended to gag himself. It worked like a charm.

Anger swelled within Suguha, and her face became flushed with rage. She ran out of the room, likely to fetch her kendo sword. Sensing his impending doom, Kazuto snatched the last piece of toast and bolted for the door, grabbing his uniform and shoes in the process.

Flinging open the door, Kazuto hurried out into the street, still clutching his shoes. To be caught meant certain death, but for SAO's top player, the threat of demise was second nature. Sugu was in much better shape, and would reach him if he stopped. It wasn't until he started passing people that Kazuto realized he was doing something abnormal. Not only was he full out sprinting at seven in the morning, but he did it barefoot while laughing like a giddy school boy. He came to halt a few blocks away from home, his ears burning from all the looks he was getting. Embarrassed, Kazuto quickly put on his shoes and threw on his school's blazer. The condemnatory eyes of the pedestrians, upon seeing the school's crest: a shield with two swords intercrossed, averted their gaze. For some, it was a mix between shock and a disdainful understanding. There was little love among the community for Kazuto's school: SAO Academy.

Originally, the school had been an incomplete eye-sore set for demolition, but when the Sword Art Online survivors began to emerge from their full-dive, it was determined that they should be monitored. Many survivors were children, after all, and it was unclear what long-term effects SAO would have. And so, the abandoned structure was transformed into the main school building of SAO Academy, and the surrounding area was bought and leveled to develop additional facilities. The locals were shut out of the decision making, and went from one shoddy building to a shoddy building with a paint job. If that was not enough, all the Japanese survivors below the age of 25 were moved here to place them under surveillance.

The Academy accommodates every school age, from elementary school to university. The youngest children that were in SAO were only eight years old, and had missed two years of school. They all did. So even players like Argo, who was eighteen when SAO launched, could still attend the same school. Most of the older survivors that attended knew the purpose of the Academy, but they didn't care. It was nice to be with each other, even after having spent two years together.

Despite this, Kazuto understood the locals' resentment of the Academy and the students who now attend. The small suburb had exploded into a government run study, and not every student was fully functioning. PTSD was common among those who couldn't handle SAO, and was even more prevalent in those that took a life in SAO. Transitioning back to the real world has not been easy, especially for players that lived immorally in-game. Local shops report instances of theft almost daily, and some players are always getting into fights. The real identities of most players are easy to determine, but Kazuto knew there had to be red players among them. For obvious reasons, the red players' identities have been made classified, so nobody knows who were red players. Too many would seek revenge for the atrocities committed by members of Laughing Coffin.

Knowing this, Kazuto simply ignored the people passing him and kept on going, this time walking. He may have left his house and gotten properly dressed for school, but Kazuto had no intention of actually going to class. Asuna, despite being a year older, shared the same classroom. Kazuto got back into school quickly, once again achieving high marks in his classes, thus allowing him to skip ahead a year.

Instead of class, Kazuto decided he would find a nice spot on campus grounds to nap, just as he would have done in SAO. Just as he began thinking of where the ideal destination was, a shadow engulfed Kazuto from behind, and a hand clasped onto his shoulder.

"Ah! I'm sorry Sugu!" he yelled, turning, and dropping to his knees, his hands bound together pleadingly. "I'm sorry, don't kill…"

He stopped, having cracked one eye open to see the incoming blow only to not see Suguha standing there. Instead of his sister, Kazuto was confronted by a mountain of a man, who carried two large sacks slung over his shoulder.

Relieved, Kazuto sighed. "Oh. It's only you."

"Is that how kids these days say 'good morning'?" the behemoth inquired.

"Ah, no. Sorry, Andrew. Good morning!" Kirito said, bowing respectfully.

Andrew, known as Agil in SAO, was a shrewd business man on the outside, but a total softie on the inside. In fact, he used all the profits he made to assist the weaker players. Now free from SAO, he closed his bar and came to SAO Academy to assist in whatever way he could. Unfortunately for him, all he gets to do is work in the cafeteria. Lunch lady Andrew is always a riot to behold.

"Hey, c'mon now. None of that bowing crap."

Kazuto laughed, "Alright alright, Ms. Lunch lady. By the way, what is for lunch?"

Almost as if he knew Kazuto planned on cutting class, Andrew said, "Hey now, lunch is only for students, not some freeloader. Oh, and for that 'Ms.' Comment, you've gotta carry one of these bags."

Andrew gracefully removed one of the bags from his shoulder, and handed it over to Kazuto.

"Pfft, as if that's a punishment." He said, reaching out and taking the bag into his hands. It was then Andrew let go, and the full weight of the sack came crashing down. Nearly dislocating his arms, Kazuto held tightly to the sack, and was pulled down with it.

"What do you have in here, phone books?" Kazuto asked angrily. "It feels like it weighs a ton."

"Well, it really only weighs 100lbs, you just haven't been raising your strength stat." Andrew jested, bellowing at his own joke. "Now get moving, these potatoes aren't going to peel themselves."

Moving past Kazuto, Andrew made the 100lbs he still carried look weightless. Kazuto wanted nothing more than to call him a meat-head, but he did not want to carry two bags. He went to follow, but was immediately stopped. Something pulled him back. He tried to move once more, but was stopped again. The bag would not budge.

"Kazuto! Hurry your ass, we're going to be late." Andrew called out from up ahead. In the small amount of time, he had already moved a hundred meters, and Kazuto had moved half an inch. It was also then that Kazuto realized he was on a hill, and Andrew was already at the top.

"Great." He mumbled, clearly at a loss for what he should do. Summoning all his strength, Kazuto pulled with all his might and slowly began lurching forward. One step at a time, he inched closer and closer to the top. Sweat and tears streamed down his face, and he turned blue from exertion. Finally, he was barely a few feet from the top of the hill when he came to a stop, needing to catch his breath. Andrew was keeled over from laughing so hard. Having seen something as absurd as the hero of SAO struggle with a sack of potatoes, he asserted that he could die a happy man.

"Stop sneering and take this damn thing!" Kazuto panted, still out of breath.

"C'mon, it's just a few more feet. I feel karma has bitten you in the ass long enough, just get to the top and I'll take over"

Rejuvenated by Andrew's promise, Kazuto reared his head and readied himself for the final push.

Ready.

Set.

Go!

Kazuto once again pulled with all his might, but all he could hear was the sound of burlap ripping. Suddenly, he fell forward, flat on his face. He held the bag up: it was empty, and the potatoes it once contained were rolling down the hill.

"Eh?" Kazuto whined. Every potato was gone, and he could feel the malice resonating from Andrew.

"I gotta go, just let me know when lunch is served!" Kazuto yelled, having ran past Andrew as fast as he could. "And I'm sorry!"

When Kazuto was long gone, Andrew still stood at the top of the hill. He was infuriated, but at the same time was glad. It had been a few weeks since he's seen Kazuto acting like himself. Relaxing, he smiled softly as he made his way down the hill again.

Meanwhile, Kazuto kept running until fatigue overtook him, and he was gasping for breath. He looked back, confirming that Andrew was not in pursuit. He breathed deeply, slowing his racing heartbeat. Returning his look forward, Kazuto realized he had run too far too fast, and was confronted with the main gate of SAO Academy. Other students were already arriving, some walked and some were dropped off. He's never arrived so early, and yet he feels that he's late. Standing at the gate, arms crossed and with a kendo sheathe slung across her back, was Suguha.

"You still mad?" Kazuto asked rhetorically.

Much to his surprise, Sugu said, "No, I'm not still mad."

"Oh, well that's good." Kazuto timidly replied.

He wasn't quite sure how he should navigate this conversation, so instead he opted to go on ahead. However, as he went to pass, Sugu stepped in front of his path.

"I knew you were still mad." Kazuto said softly, so that only she could hear.

She sighed, relaxing a little. "No, I'm not mad. I've just been waiting for you, and I don't like to be kept waiting." She explained.

"Ah. I see. Sorry about that." Kazuto said while scratching his cheek.

Sugu beamed happily, "Apology accepted! Now, tell me what you really thought of breakfast."

'Oh, here we go' Kazuto thought to himself. 'This is clearly a trap.'

Kazuto looked at her for a short while, pondering what to say. Finally, he decided politeness was the best approach. "It was great, Sugu. Thank you."

However, Suguha was not prepared for such kindness from her brother, and very quickly started blushing. This was not the time or place for her to swoon for Kazuto, so she gave him a jab to the ribs and turned to leave.

"Oww!" Kazuto exclaimed, recoiling from the blow. "What was that for?"

Sugu stopped, and looked back over her shoulder.

"For being a jerk." She said, her cheeks red and her grin wide. She turned once again and made her way through the gate.

"Ugh, bro-con." He whispered, smiling.

Even though she was not in SAO, Suguha still attended SAO Academy. This was due to the students who struggle to transition back into the real world. The government felt it prudent to enroll students unaffected by SAO to serve as examples. However, this has only made non-SAO players outcasts that don't really fit in. Fortunately for Sugu, Kazuto's friends were very accommodating and welcomed her with open arms.

Following Sugu's example, Kazuto also passed through the gates onto the school grounds.

"Where to go?" he wondered. "I'm not really tired enough for a snooze, so maybe I'll head out onto the balcony."

And so, Kazuto made his way through the sea of students into the school building. The main building was the high school, as the majority of SAO players were not yet adults, but neither were they little kids. Of the three floors, Kazuto's class was on the second floor, just off to the right of the main stairwell. Hiding within a group of students headed for the third floor, he snuck past the second floor altogether.

Safely beyond the possibility of running into his teacher, Kazuto walked down the hall towards a set of doors that led out onto a balcony. From there, he would be able to view the whole campus and just let his mind wander. When he opened the doors, the sun temporarily blinded him. Unable to see, Kazuto stumbled forward looking for the railing. He latched on to the railing with his right hand, and brought down his left hand to stabilize himself. However, his left hand did not touch metal, but instead landing on something soft and warm.

"Ahh!" a voice cried out, clearly startled.

Still unable to see clearly, Kazuto murmured an apology, "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting someone to be here."

"K.. K.. Kazuto!?" the quivering voice asked.

'Hmmm?' he thought. Kazuto began to rub his eyes, and after blinking a few times, his vision began to clear. Standing before him was a girl with short brown hair that had a single hair clip. She had some freckles beneath both eyes, but he could hardly see them due to her face being bright red. Her eyes were watering a bit, and it wasn't until Kazuto looked down that he realized he was holding her hand by mistake.

Then his vision fully came back, and he understood who he was holding hands with.

"Ah, hey Lis."