Author's Note
Bit of a random upload here, but I couldn't stop the imagination once it started flowing. So here we are, hope you enjoy.
Uploaded
10/14/2023
LEGEND BELOW
"Welcome to Sword Art Online!" = Normal speech.
Chapter 1
A game of life or death
Rated-M
M rating for mature themes
It was quiet now, the walls of his house vacant with her gone. He didn't realize how much he appreciated her until she was gone, and now, everything just felt empty.
He was asleep when it happened, safe in his bed when tragedy struck.
Suguha had gone out for food late at night, as she was prone to do every once in a while. But this time, she didn't come back. He didn't even remember saying goodbye, just tossing a half hearted wave her way as she stepped out the door.
He'd wondered why she'd lingered there for so long, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
He should have paid more attention, should have asked her if everything was OK.
He should have noticed her last cry for help, but he was too up his own ass to see anything for what it was. And when he finally realized that she'd been late returning home, a strange sense of urgency had overtaken him. He'd been up and out of bed surprisingly quickly, grabbing his coat and shoes as she slipped out the door after her.
He had known her favorite place to eat, and knew of her typical route she'd take. Starting out slow, he began to pick up the pace as the night grew darker.
When he arrived at the restaurant and asked about her, the staff said that they'd not seen her at all that day. For some reason that made his heart drop, and he'd doubled back home, checking everything on the way.
And that's when he found her…
He'd passed a bridge he often crossed, a waterway underneath that people rarely treaded.
But his heart froze upon reaching the stone bridge, eyes wide in horror at the sight.
She was there, standing atop the edge of the railing. He felt his chest tighten, heart pounding in fear of what he was witnessing. Without warning his feet began dragging him forward, running full speed towards the bridge.
He remembered screaming out her name, begging her to get down, pleading with her.
But his voice was muffled from the sounds of the water, and from the distance she had not heard him.
Maybe if she had, she wouldn't have jumped.
When he finally reached the railing where she'd jumped, she was already gone.
For that moment, it was as if the world had frozen for him. Everything else just didn't seem to matter anymore, and his view of life became…
Skewed…
When the police and the emergency services arrived, it was already clear she was long gone. They'd questioned him, but thinking back to it now, he couldn't even remember what they'd asked him.
Even now, sitting quietly in his bedroom, house quiet and empty, he still couldn't get what had happened off of his mind. A month had passed, and it was still fresh in his head, the image of her falling to her death cemented in his memory forever.
Nothing he did seemed to make the pain go away, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't shake the sensation that it was all his fault…
His parents had returned from abroad to comfort him and grieve, but nothing they said made it any easier to bear. Because at the end of the day, he was alive, and she was not.
So distraught by the events of the past month, he'd found himself in her bedroom late one night, dark black eyes stained with tears that had long since stopped falling.
He found himself sitting on her bed, taking in just how empty the room felt now. Nothing would bring her back, this much he knew.
However, in the darkness of the room, he caught sight of her NerveGear headset laying on the ground, still connected to the power. In that moment, he thought that maybe he could get lost in a digital world to quiet the pain in his chest.
Without thinking, he slipped her headset on over his long black bangs, signing into her account. He noted with a cold tinge of amusement that she'd never learned to sign out of her account when she left, but then a cold dose of reality hit him when he realized that she probably didn't care in the end.
There was one game he had secretly been looking forward to play with her, and now the thought of venturing into the lands of Sword Art Online felt bittersweet without her by his side.
Yet even then, maybe he could find a nice quiet windy field to relax in, something to take his mind off of the pain…
Laying down in her bed, he closed his eyes. "Link start…" He murmured, voice hoarse. So tired by this point, he missed the warning the headset beeped at him.
"Warning, biometric scanner code read error, defaulting to previous biometric code. Launching Sword Art Online in three, two, one…"
By that point his mind had already been whisked away to the online gaming world…
After he'd gone through the character creator menu, in which he did not spend a lot of time, he found himself wandering the floating islands in the skies surrounding a floating castle in the heavens.
Most players would immediately take the time to venture out, explore the he world, see the sights, that sort of thing.
But this was not his first rodeo.
This world was all too familiar to him, as a beta tester for it, it was like he was back home after having been away for the weekend.
So, he instead just stood there, taking the opportunity to take in the air, the cool breeze touching his skin, the warmth of the artificial sun on his bare arms.
Everything about this game was an advancement on deep dive virtual reality technology, and the details were so realistic that everything had been accounted for.
He sat down, finding solace in the minuscule amount of comfort the field of grass offered him, taking this opportunity to relish in the silence.
Not for the first time, he wished that he still had her by his side to experience it.
He closed his eyes, and just, lay there in the grass.
This was a starter area, and there were few things to see or interact with. The only thing that could come through the area would be new players, or the lowest level monsters around. Either way, it didn't bother him too much, it was a PVE zone, no one could bother him if they tried.
A few hours passed, nothing but the warmth of the setting sun and the coolness of the breeze the offer him company. But it was miles better than the cold silence of his home, and he wouldn't go back unless he was forced to.
He was content to lay there until the server disconnected him for inactivity, but unfortunately for him, he wouldn't be so lucky…
"Oh God, help me! I'm not ready, someone help me!" He was awoken by the sound of a man shouting in alarm, screaming frantically as he ran along the dirt road. "I don't have a weapon, I'm going to die!" He whined pitifully, screaming like a clown.
As much as he wished to be left alone, he knew that leaving the guy to fend for himself was probably just going to lead to even more drama. So, sitting up, he turned his attention to the source of the voice…
Only to find the man in question getting his ass handed to him by a large boar…
He blinked, heavy tired eyes almost not believing what he was seeing. Letting out a quiet defeated sigh, he bent down and procured a sharp but small rock. Just when the stranger was about to be gored, he tossed the rock, shooting it straight through the side of the creature.
It felt to the ground dead, a critical hit ending the low level beast. With the threat ended, he found himself wandering over to the downed man, no words to describe the embarrassment he'd just witnessed.
"Oh thank god, I thought he was going to kill me! How'd you do that?!" The man exclaimed, going to stand up, adjusting his mangy red hair.
Kirito felt like rolling his eyes, but decided to humor the man anyway. Maybe talking to someone would take his mind off of her…
"It's a beginner skill. It's in the guidebook the beta testers wrote… Didn't you read it before trying to start a fight with the first beast you saw?" He said tiredly, eyebrows raised in question.
The man blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed nervously.
"Hah… oh yeah… the tutorial book… right…"
"You didn't read it, did you…" Kirito muttered dryly, expression faltering.
He really should have expected as much.
And, as much as he didn't want to continue wasting his time with random strangers, he decided that he'd help this poor inexperienced guy out before he made an even bigger fool of himself.
That's how he justified it, at least.
"Come on, I'll show you the way around…" He muttered lightly, turning away. Without waiting for a response, he began walking off, eyes lost in the sea of clouds that surrounded the floating landscape.
A few moments passed in silence, before the man gathered himself and ran to catch up. "H-Hey so… I'm Klein. I know this is kind of embarrassing, but I'm new to this kind of game. I only recently got into it from a recommendation from a friend."
"Kirito." Kirito muttered in halfhearted response, not even bothering to look at the guy. His tone was distant, off.
Something about it didn't sit well with the red haired man, not at all. Compelled to push on ahead, he made sure to keep pace with the black haired quiet guy. "S-So, I was thinking. At least until I can find my friends, do you mind if I stick around with you?" Klein asked suddenly, glancing at the shorter guy from the corner of his eye.
Kirito didn't say anything for a moment, before he eventually shrugged. "Do whatever you want, I won't chase you off…" He murmured, continuing endlessly down the road.
Klein pumped his arms.
He had to take the little victories as they were.
Kirito didn't notice the actions of his companions, instead kept along the path. Some distance ahead he spotted a group of wolves, an entire pack wandering the dirt roads looking to prey upon any unfortunate soul wandering by themselves.
"Hey Kirito, maybe we should avoid the wild wolves… Hehehe… I did almost die to a boar…" Klein laughed nervously, afraid to approach the wolves yet also similarly worried about leaving his newfound friend behind.
"It'll be fine." Kirito sighed, waving off the concerns. He stopped suddenly, reaching into his bag. Klein watched on in intrigue, before stumbling backwards as the black haired young man suddenly tossed him a short sword, iron in make. "Here, take this. Don't want you dying to some wolves, that would be too embarrassing to live down…." He said halfheartedly.
The red haired man caught the blade, swinging a few times to tear the feeling of it in his hands. It felt empty without something to back it up, like a shield, but it was better than nothing at all.
Grinning in a sudden wave of, as he would soon learn was misplaced confidence, Klein rushed in, screaming wildly as he attempted face the wolves alone…
"Kirito help me!!!" The battle, if it could even be called that, had quickly devolved into Klein being mauled by the entire pack, the creatures taking chunks out of his health.
As for Kirito, who'd been standing patiently on the wayside, he decided it better to let the red haired man learn his lesson before he went in to save him.
In a brief but exciting moment, Kirito leapt into action, and cut the four wolves down with surgical precision. Once again Klein found himself in the position of being rescued by his newfound friend, this time with a few more bite marks to show for it.
"What did you learn…?" He asked knowingly, a hint of a smirk on his lips.
Klein flushed in embarrassment, accepting his defeat as he allowed the younger man to pull him up to his feet. "That just because I have a sword doesn't mean that I automatically have the advantage…?" He tried, raising his eyebrows in question.
Kirito rolled his eyes, turning away with an amused sigh. "Maybe there is luck for you after all…" He muttered under his breath, a hint of a smirk breaking through his tired expression.
Klein grinned behind his back, laughing heartily as he patted the shorter man on the shoulders. "That's the spirit!" He laughed, acknowledging his failure like a true man would.
Kirito sighed, shaking his head.
From there the duo wandered the beginner lands that they'd found themselves in, resting in many battles against low level monsters, most of which Kirito was forced to intervene and rescue Klein as the red haired man continued to get in way over his head.
Eventually, however, they reached the point where the day had begun to draw to a close. Hours after he'd first logged in, the artificial sun was finally beginning to set, the hour of twilight upon them. Klein seemed intent on keeping the pace up, but he paused when he noticed Kirito slow down behind him.
Kirito stopped, finding himself once again staring off into the clouds. Although this time, he wasn't alone.
Klein didn't say anything, but he was quick to notice the shift in attitude. Instead of saying something, he just stood back and watched as the younger man got lost in the skies.
"You know… This game really is beautiful… I really wish I had someone to share this view with." Kirito murmured, not even aware that he was speaking aloud.
It quickly became apparent that his hero was both sleep deprived, and in an empty emotional state. He did suppose that he'd first seen him laying down in the grass, so it made sense. But his words just then made him worry.
"W-Well hey man, I'm here…" Klein tried, sliding up next to him. Kirito's eyes widened in surprise, as if he'd forgotten that he wasn't alone. He glanced back to Klein, vulnerability open on his face for but a brief moment, before it was smothered underneath a look of total indifference once more.
"Oh, right, of course…" The young black haired man sighed as if it was obvious, turning back to the clouds once again.
Klein knew that it wasn't his place to ask, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Kirito alone. He barely knew the guy, having just met him a few hours ago, but he was the only guy he'd met in the game so far, and he was inclined to call the brooding recluse his first online friend.
And friends cared for each other, and the look in his eyes pained him.
"You lost someone…." He spoke quietly, putting a hand on the other guy's shoulder. He'll give Kirito something, the guy barely reacted to the statement, but the small flinch was enough for the man to catch when up close.
Kirito didn't say anything for a long, long moment, choosing to stay silent in leu of responding. But his silence was all the answer that Klein needed, as he gripped his hand around the younger guy's shoulder just a bit tighter.
When he first ran into the stoic cold and quiet guy that saved him from the boar, he'd quickly jumped to the conclusion that Kirito had been one of those quiet types that was posing to try and be cool. But now he knew, at least just a bit more, that it wasn't an act.
It was a defense mechanism.
And it was one that the guy had been using for a while.
Instead of being open and showing his feelings, he would hide behind a cold outward appearance and silence instead of showing his emotions. But that small glimpse he caught of what was hidden behind it worried him.
Then finally, he spoke.
"My sister committed suicide a month ago…" He finally spoke, refusing to face the taller man. Faced away from him, Klein couldn't see the emotions crossing the younger man's face, but he could make a fair enough assumption. "This was… This was her favorite upcoming game, she was so excited to play it… I just wish we could have played it together." He trailed off, voice cracking, but he didn't cry.
It's not that he didn't want to, but it was as if he couldn't, as if he didn't feel like he was allowed to. It was almost as if his body wouldn't let him…
"Hey I'm… I'm sorry man, I really am." Klein muttered lamely. After all, what was he supposed to say to that? He wasn't really good with these types of things, so all he could really do was his best.
He was sure the young man would appreciate that at least.
"Kirito… Listen, don't take this the wrong way… But you should get some sleep, you look dead on your feet." He muttered, patting the other guy on the back like a good friend.
Kirito sucked in a slow breath, as if finally realizing just how exhausted he was.
Maybe now he could finally get some sleep.
"Yeah… I suppose you're right…" The young man in question sighed quietly, a yawn threatening to burst free from his lips. He swiped his hand up, bringing up the character menu. Thinking for a moment, he glanced back to the red haired man, staring at him from the corner of his eye. "Here, I'll send you a friend request before I go…" He muttered quietly, this time the yawn bursting free.
"Thanks man, I appreciate it." Klein said genuinely, cracking a real grin. Kirito didn't respond, instead sending the invite through. The moment it was done, he swiped down to access the log out button…
…
…
…
"That's odd…" He murmured lowly, head tilted in confusion.
His questioning tone and statement quickly drew Kline's attention as he leaned over to view Kirito's menu. "What's up?"
"The log out button is missing."
"What? What do you mean it's missing?" Klein chirped in question, bewildered.
"Well, it's supposed to be at the bottom of the menu here, but all that's there is an empty button…" Kirito explained, pointing it out for emphasis.
"Well, I dunno, just reach up and take off the NerveGear or something." Klein tried helpfully.
"It doesn't work that way. The NerveGear disables your motor functions, you can't move your outside body when in game…" Kirito explained dryly.
Klein blushed, realizing the error of his statement pretty quickly after having said it. "Yeah, dumb idea…" He murmured dryly. "Well, isn't there any other way we can log out? Maybe it's just a bug, can you report it somehow?" He tried, deciding to scroll through his own menus to help try and find a way out. That's when he realized that his log out button was gone as well.
"Something's not-" Kirito went to mutter, but trailed off when a strange sensation began to overwhelm him. Looking over to Klein, he found that the other man was also under the same effects. Before either of them could question it further, they were teleported, vanishing into thin air.
When the two came out the other side, they found themselves nowhere near where the floating starter islands had been, instead in some form of massive arena.
"K-Kirito?! What's happening?!" Klein exclaimed, glancing around frantically.
"I don't know, but stay calm. Freaking out won't help you." Kirito quickly said, grasping the other man by his arm to reassure him.
All around them players began appearing in-mass, until the entirely of the players currently online were gathered in one single place. Whispers and voices echoed around the arena, the level of stress quickly rising across the board.
Suddenly in the skies above an in game barrier appeared, the words 'warning' written all across the sky. Out of the warning signs came a massive pool of blood which eventually formed into the form of a robed figure.
Then he spoke.
"Greetings, and welcome to the world of Sword Art Online. My name is Kyaba akihikp, creator of the NerveGear and Sword Art Online." The figure introduced, his tone echoing throughout the arena.
All in attendance were forced to watch as the genius inventor of the technology that even allowed them all to be there that day described the events that were soon to take place. Panic quickly took over all in attendance when it was revealed that no players could ever log out of the game, and more then that, if any of them were to die in the game…
Their real bodies would die as well.
And, to add even more to the panic he had created, he disabled all changes made to the players, reversing every player in attendance to a body that perfectly reflected their real bodies.
Men pretending to be women were revealed, people that had made themselves taller, more handsome, more attractive, were all reset to normal.
Kirito stumbled back as he watched everyone around him change into people that didn't even resemble the players that had been there only moments ago. Thinking quickly, he realized that if he lost Klein now that he may never find him in the mess of new faces. "Klein, on me, now!" He exclaimed frantically, turning to the red haired man standing a short distance away.
"Y-Yeah!" Klein shouted, rushing to his side. The moment they were together Kirito grabbed his hand, refusing to let go.
If they were going to be stranded in a game of life or death, surrounded by thousands of people they didn't know, they were going to do it together.
The moment they were together again they were illuminated in a blue light. In an instant they were changed, reverting to their original bio scans.
When the light dissipated, they found themselves still side by side.
Klein looked strikingly similar to his character did, standing at the same height, with shorter hair of the same shade of red. His physique was less than his character, but otherwise he looked just the same.
"Kirito!? Oh thank god, we're still here! Listen man, I think we should stick together, what do you think?" Klein exclaimed, grasping the other guy's hand just a bit tighter.
…
…
…
His eyes widened when instead of a man's hand, he realized that the fingers his were currently wrapped around were far more dainty than the guy he remembered. Slowly, his gaze turned from the crowd and to the young man beside him.
The young man who he had befriended early into the game.
The young man who had saved him multiple times now in a game that he realized could have very well resulted in his death before the announcement was even made.
"K-Kirito…? Is that you?" Klein muttered, eyes slowly growing wider.
The black haired young man in question blinked in confusion, hand still clenched around Klein's. His eyes followed said hand to his arm, noticing that it did not resemble his own. His eyes slowly widened when he followed his arm to his chest, two large breasts protruding from the front of his leather chest plate. His breath hitched in his throat, the sudden action of pulling away from Klein had his suddenly long black bangs hanging in front of his eyes.
"W-What…? What's going on?" He muttered in shock, before nearly choking on his tongue. His voice was feminine…
No…
Not feminine…
It was as if he was hearing a ghost.
He didn't just sound like a woman.
He didn't just look like a woman nor feel like one…
His body…
The body he'd just been transformed into…
"Kirito are you…?" Klein murmured in disbelief.
"M-Mirror…" Kirito muttered, a shaking hand reaching out to the redhead.
"W-What?"
"Mirror!" Kirito snapped frantically.
"O-Oh sure!" Klein squeaked, tossing his mirror to the guy…
The girl…?
Kirito caught it, shakily holding the object up to his face. With a slowly dawning horror, he stared into the mirror, and what he saw in it, what it reflected back at him…
Was the face of his dead sister…
The mirror dropped from his hands, shattering against the hard ground below. He felt his world crumbling around him, the weight of everything slamming into him with the subtlety of a nuclear bomb.
He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't see.
He wasn't only trapped within a virtual world that could very well kill him, but he was trapped in it within the body of his dead sister, wearing her face…
He felt like he wanted to throw up…
"H-Hey! Kirito wait!" Klein shouted as the girl suddenly took off running, vanishing into the town just outside of the arena. Not willing to let him…
Her?
Not willing to let her go, he ran after her, concerned over his new friend, and unwilling to lose the only person he knew within the death game. No matter what, they needed to stick together if they were going to survive.
When he eventually tracked her down, he found her leaning against the side of a wall near a local tavern, throwing up everything in her stomach. Unsure of what to say that would help, and still unsure as of exactly what was wrong, he instead chose to kneel down beside her and pat her on her back.
She seemed to freeze when finally aware of his presence, but didn't immediately move to pull away. Instead of asking her what was wrong, he just stayed there by her side.
Once she finally got herself under control, her turned to face him, the light in her eyes gone, replaced with a dreadful silence.
Then Kirito told Klein, told him who his body was, who it perfectly resembled. And the look of horror that crossed the redhead's face was palpable…
So stunned by the revelation, Klein nearly missed the girl…
The guy, begin to leave, cold eyes blazing.
This time, however, he wasn't running away.
He was running ahead, cold gaze set on the horizon. He wasn't going to die here, he wasn't going to lose to this virtual reality.
He was going to make it through this world, and even this…
This horrible situation he'd found himself in wouldn't stop him. He'd failed her in the real world, and she had died alone and feeling unloved…
But here?
Here he was going to make her a legend. He he would make Suguha the Hero who saved everyone and made it to the final floor. She would be remembered as a hero…
He felt it was the least he could do for having failed her in life…
Then maybe…
Maybe he could forgive himself…
"K-Kirito! Wait up, I'm going with you!" Klein exclaimed, stumbling after the guy turned woman who had saved him previously.
Chapter
1
End