~Bleach/SAO A1 CH1

Ichigo was depressed.

After having lost his Shinigami powers and having gained his precious normal life back, Ichigo realized something. He didn't want a normal life. Normal was boring. How could he, a war veteran, live alongside normal students who hadn't ever fought for their lives before? How could they act so cheerily and mundane?

That answer was simple. Their hands were bloodless. They were innocent. They had only glimpsed Aizen's power when he had invaded Karakura Town. They were nearly cut down but because he had interfered, they had survived. That had made him happy. That he could protect his family and friends on both sides of life, the living and the dead.

But in the end, his normal friends didn't know what he had gone through. They didn't know he had actually died twice, once against Byakuya and once against Ulquiorra, only to revive stronger than ever and ready, always ready and willing to protect his friends. They didn't know that he had killed beings, beings that devoured souls, countless times. That he had actually slain a being that had more intelligence that the average, hungry Hollow.

No. He was no longer innocent. He had blood on his hands. He had experienced war. And he was okay with it. On some, deeper, instinctual level, he enjoyed fighting. He enjoyed proving his mettle time and time again even if he said he didn't. He enjoyed fighting though not solely for fighting's sake like Kenpachi Zaraki. Then again, he mused, Shiro was his Hollow and Shiro had enjoyed fighting.

But, more importantly, he fought to protect his friends and family. He fought to protect all whom needed to be protected. To protect was the cornerstone of what made him who he was. To protect was his actual self, not the side he tried to repress, it was a part that he shared with Zangetsu, who had only wanted to protect him.

Why hadn't he listened to Zangetsu when he had told him that he shouldn't try to learn the Final Getsuga Tensho?

But the answer was already obvious. He was just to stubborn to listen to the wise Zanpakuto spirit's advice.

He missed them. He missed Zangetsu's sage advice and calm words that could halt even his irritation and growing anger when dealing with assholes who wanted to kill him- like Shiro. Hell, he even missed Shiro. Fighting against him was always fun. He never had had to hold back in his spars against the bastard Hollow, especially since Shiro had always tried to kill him. He missed the bastard, dark side, badmouthing, and fighting, all of him. A part of him felt empty. He hadn't ever known of that emptiness they could bring until they were gone.

But, he continued with his life. It was what Zangetsu had always wanted for him. To abandon whatever fear plagued move forward and never stop. To never pull back. To never hesitate in his actions lest he die.

It was the least he could do for the man who had been his mentor and only wanted the best for him for the entirety of the time he had had his Shinigami powers.

Now then, Ichigo thought as he walked out of his house, I guess I should should head to Urahara's. I wonder why he called for me after nearly a year.

The date was November 6th, 2022. The time was 11:30 A.M.

…

Kisuke Urahara was slightly nervous, not that he would ever admit that to anyone but himself. He was nervous about the decision he had made to alter the virtual world of Sword Art Online.

Despite his nervousness, he giggled to himself, hiding his mouth behind his fan. Well, he thought to himself wryly, it can't really be called Sword Art Online after everything I did.

He was more nervous about what he was about to do to the young hybrid of Hollow, Quincy, and Shinigami known as Ichigo Kurosaki. His plan was to immediately cast him Bakudo #1: Sai on him. Without his powers, Ichigo would never be able to break free from the simplest of Bakudo spells. Then, he had planned for Yoruichi to touch him all around his body for the calibration of the spectacular, if deadly, device known as the NerveGear. But, strangely enough, she wasn't here at the moment.

How odd. She had definitely wanted to tease young Ichigo. Ah well, perhaps Ururu would like to do the honors. Though, Ichigo wouldn't exactly like that. Perhaps I should call a female member of Soul Society to do the job? They likely wouldn't get here in time. Perhaps that well-developed, buxom young girl that appears to have a crush on Ichigo? He frowned. She would disapprove. Ah well, I'll figure it out.

The third step of his master plan was to trick Ichigo into saying the words "Link Start" just as the time turned to 1:00pm, the beginning of Sword Art Online. Then, Ichigo would enter the virtual world and hopefully, save as many people as he possibly could.

As a reinstated Shinigami, despite being allowed to do his own thing, he could no longer interfere directly with human affairs. He was a good liar but even he would have trouble lying to the Captain-Commander if he disobeyed. However, if he sent Ichigo to do the job, then all would be okay since Ichigo was currently a human.

The door to his spectacular shop opened and Kisuke put on a wide grin at the scowling orange-haired teenage who walked up to his counter with a strangely defiant look in his brown eyes.

Ohoho, even as a normal person, you still continue to surprise me, Ichigo Kurosaki. I had thought that this little vacation I'm about to put you on would be what cured you of your depression. You truly are amazing, Ichigo.

"Tea, Ichigo?" Kisuke offered, his fan raised to cover his still smirking mouth.

"Do you really expect me to believe that after eleven months of no contact, you invited me over for tea, Getaboushi? Cut the crap and tell me why you called me here," Ichigo slammed his hand against the counter.

Kisuke's eyes narrowed in mirth. He snapped his fan shut and held out a single hand towards Ichigo. "Very well then, Ichigo. Bakudo #1: Sai!"

The moment Ichigo had heard the word 'Bakudo' pass Kisuke's lips, he had moved, sidestepping to the left so he would at least have a chance of getting out of the shop. Unfortunately for the former Substitute Shinigami, his current speed, while astounding for a human, was little more than a snail's pace for the battle-hardened, former Captain of the Gotei 13, Kisuke Urahara.

Kisuke grinned as Ichigo fell to the ground, unconscious.

I do so love it when things go according to plan.

…

Ichigo awoke with a pounding headache, forty-five minutes later. When he felt a hard, metal object on top of his head, he thought, what the hell is on top of my head?

The object was roundish, from what he could feel when he touched it with his hands. It was also humming as if it were alive. Strangely enough, his eyes were covered with a visor, that displayed the time in the top left corner and the battery level. So it was a machine.

He tried to remove it by lifting it off his head but his hands were smacked by something that felt like the end part of a cane.

"Kisuke," Ichigo growled. "What did you do to me?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. I simple decided to give you a little vacation," Kisuke said cheerily. "Have fun, Ichigo. Oh and by the way, link start."

"What the fuck is link start supposed to mean, ya damn bast-" To Ichigo, the world faded to black.

Kisuke chuckled. "That was easier than I expected. I suppose I should get ready to call the authorities now. Better hide all my Shinigami items."

I wonder how long it'll take him to clear the game.

Ichigo was pissed. Why the hell did he have to create a username and password? All he wanted to do was get out of wherever the hell he was but as he soon discovered, he couldn't even move his body. What the hell, Kisuke?! When I get out of here, you're a dead man! He paused when he realized that Kisuke was a Shinigami. A deader man, he amended, if something like that exists.

His now white world came to a screen that told him to input a username.

Username? Is this some sort of game? Ah, what the hell, it's not like I'm gonna be here for long, anyways. Ichigo it is. If it works, stick with it, right?

"Please select the characteristics you would like your avatar to have."

A screen appeared detailing what Ichigo could change ranging from eye color to the size of his feet. Upon a closer inspection, he noticed an option that read 'Do not change anything.'

Well, I won't be here for long anyways. Might as well go with what I look like in real life.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online," a voice told him as the system materialized the virtual world of Sword Art Online.

"Whoa," Ichigo whispered to himself as he bore witness to the grand city known as the Town of Beginnings.

The Town of Beginnings, from what Ichigo could see from his vantage point before the teleporting of more players obscured his vision, was enormous. Easily large enough to hold several thousand people. Houses, shops, and other buildings both large and small were mostly made of stone in a beige-whitish colors though occasionally, there were buildings of other colors. The entire floor of the city was made of paved stone. Elegant and somewhat reminiscent of Soul Society, in Ichigo's opinion. He shook his head to rid himself of thoughts of the past and gaped some more. It was both amazing and impressive to see such a large city in wherever the hell he was.

The streets, four of them all heading in different directions, were all lined with people scurrying about and selling wares. Merchants shouted out what they were selling. Some played muscial instruments and others sung songs he had never heard of before today. Then, he saw them. Swords. Swords that he could use.

Ichigo smiled at the sight. Maybe I'll stick around here for a while after all.

"Good afternoon, Ichigo!"

"What the fuck?" Ichigo recoiled backwards in surprise that someone had greeted him, let alone knew his name. He hadn't even realized that he had taken a karate stance until he began garnering weird looks from other, recently arrived players. Slowly, he relaxed himself.

"Who said that?" He demanded.

"Down here, Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked down only to find a peculiar sight staring back at him. It, or rather he, was a tiny thing, hardly larger than six inches in height. He had blonde hair which was mostly covered by the green and white striped bucket hat sitting on his head, grey eyes currently rounded in innocence at him, and was wearing a dark coat, sandals, and holding up his typical if miniaturized fan which covered his mouth.

"Chibi Getaboushi?"

"Hello, Ichigo-kun. Fancy meeting you here," he giggled.

Ichigo was about to respond when he remembered something that he had nearly forgotten when he had found himself awestruck about the city he had landed in and when he had seen a familiar face.

Kisuke Urahara had put him in this virtual world. Forced him. Kidnapped him.

"Get me out of here, ya damn Chibi bastard!" Ichigo yelled, garnering a few more looks and whispers about his orange hair but not really caring about the passerby because he had managed to kick the Chibi Getaboushi in the face.

Chibi Getaboushi had been sent crashing into a nearby fountain. Then, Ichigo heard the whispers.

"Why is that guy talking to himself?"

"I'm scared of that strange man! Please protect me!"

"Maybe he's some sort of NPC?"

"Maybe he has a quest?"

"No way! He's a player, I saw him teleport in before he began talking to himself!"

"Have you finished yet, Ichigo-kun? Or do you need to kick me again? They can't see me, you know? I would have told you earlier but you kicked me." Chibi Getaboushi explained. "You better follow me otherwise you'll look like an idiot for talking to yourself."

Ichigo bit his tongue and followed the Chibi Getaboushi. It wouldn't to beat the crap out of him in front of hundreds of people. He knew it was best not to act crazy in front of people. So he wouldn't hurt the Chibi Getaboushi. Yet.

So, Ichigo followed Chibi Getaboushi through spiraling twists and turn, completely bypassing most of the marketplace and all of the sword shops Ichigo desperately wanted to visit to see if even a single sword remotely resembled his former Zanpakuto. Eventually, after much walking and silence, they came across a gate which displayed rolling plains, a wide open sky, and several purple furred creatures with tusks and red eyes. In some slightly cartoonish way, they resembled boars.

"Well then, Ichigo. I assume you have absolutely no experience with MMORPGs or even RPGs," Chibi Getaboushi finally spoke as they crossed the threshold of the gate and city and entered the wild.

"I know a little about them, played a couple when Keigo wouldn't stop complaining that I never did anything with him," Ichigo replied, staring at a distant boar. When he looked closer, he saw that above the creature, there was a name. «Frenzy Boar». "Why do you ask?"

"I ask because you are currently playing the first full dive MMORPG. Your consciousness has been transferred into this game. You can't even move your real body now unless you logout," Chibi Getaboushi told him.

"I see," Ichigo said. He had read once, if he recalled correctly, about such a thing a few months back in May when some hot, virtual simulation item was sold out the moment they hit stores. He hadn't really been paying much attention since playing games wasn't really his thing. Fighting for his life and for the lives of his friends and family? That was his thing. "Why am I here?"

"Nope, not yet," Chibi Getaboushi told him amusingly. And he was right to be amused. When had Chibi Getaboushi or even Getaboushi for that matter, ever told him his plan until long after it was in full swing? Getaboushi hadn't told him when he had put the Hogyoku in Rukia's gigai though to be fair, he hardly had known what a Shinigami was at that point. He hadn't told the former Substitute Shinigami that he had a Kido spell, newly invented, waiting to capture Aizen at his weakest. So, Ichigo resolved to wait. Hopefully, it wouldn't turn out too bad.

"I don't have much time before the «Cardinal» system detects me and eradicates my existence from this world because I'm too much of an anomaly for «Cardinal» to recognize me as domestic," Chibi Getaboushi said.

"How unsurprising," Ichigo smirked.

"Ohoho, I'm surprised, Ichi-kun," Ichigo scowled at the nickname. "You don't usually have a comeback ready. I'm also surprised that you're not threatening to beat me up. You really have changed, haven't you?"

"Get on with why you're here," Ichigo ignored the Chibi Getaboushi's last rhetorical question. Of course he had changed. "You don't have much time, right? So put it to good use before I logout."

Chibi Getaboushi raised his fan before smirking at Ichigo's naivety. "In any case, this virtual world is known as Sword Art Online, however, I have made changes so that it isn't really a world of swords any longer. The people in here will need as many advantages as they can possibly get if they plan on surviving."

Ichigo frowned. "You speak as if they die for real if they die in the game, Chibi Getaboushi."

Chibi Getaboushi lowered his fan to give Ichigo a wide grin. "You catch on quickly, don't you Ichi-kun?"

Ichigo groaned. "Fuck you, Chibi-bastard! What the hell did you get me into this time, asshole?"

Chibi Getaboushi uncharacteristically turned serious. "The creator of this world, Kayaba Akihiko, has trapped twenty thousand players within the game. The moment a player arrives in Sword Art Online, they can no longer logout. There are only two ways to get out of the game. The first is to clear all one hundred floors of this castle, Aincrad. The second is to die."

"Why did you bring me here then, Kisuke?" Ichigo asked seriously. "Why didn't you just handle it yourself?"

"Unfortunately, I am no longer an exiled member of Soul Society but a fully reinstated Shinigami who just so happens to live in Karakura Town. As a Shinigami, I can no longer interfere in human affairs unless the reason is a Hollow," Chibi Getaboushi answered.

"That's never stopped you before. You tried helping the Visored even though you didn't have to, right? What's stopping you this time?" Ichigo questioned.

Chibi Getaboushi grimaced. "There are plans in motion, Ichigo. Well, really, just one plan by one man and an entire army at his beck and call. Needless to say, I need to be here so I can prepare for it and hopefully prevent the world from ending. You, on the other hand, are a human. A former Shinigami but a human now." Ichigo scowled at the mention of his lack of powers. "You can help them, Ichigo. Help everyone. Twenty thousand people is a lot but not nearly enough compared to the fate of the world. But I know you, Ichigo Kurosaki. I know if you had even the smallest chance of helping even one more person, you would take it. So take it, Ichigo."

Ichigo scowled at him. It was true that he would always try to help, always try to protect those unable to protect themselves, but he didn't actively go out searching for people to help. They almost always needed his help, whether they said it aloud or not. Well, he supposed, this time was no different. He hadn't been looking to help out twenty thousand people but since he was here, he might as well do it now.

"And what about my friends and family? What do you think they'll say when they find me unable to speak to them because you put me in this game?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm sure they'll understand," Chibi Getaboushi answered, somewhat nervous at the response he would likely receive for forcing Ichigo to play the game. Perhaps he could somehow blame it all on Ichigo?

As if he read the blonde's mind, the orange haired man told the chibi, "You take all the blame, understand?"

Chibi Getaboushi raised his hand to his face and fanned himself lightly while changing the subject. "Why don't I teach you how to play and what I changed in this new version of the game from the old game?"

Ichigo crossed his arms. "Start talking."

"The original version of Sword Art Online or SAO as the term goes, held only melee weapons such as swords, lances, daggers, spears, hammers, and axes as the game's main weapons. There were also some throwing weapons such throwing picks, darts, boomerangs, and chakrams. Obviously, that would make for a very boring game. So, while I was busy rooting around in the «Cardinal» mainframe, I took the liberty of changing some things using some pre-existing data I found deep within its servers," Chibi Getaboushi told the orange-haired man proudly.

"You're babbling, chibi. Get to the point," Ichigo told him bluntly, not impressed at all with his incredible and illegal hacking skills.

"I added magic to the game."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "And? You know I'm a sword and hand-to-hand combatant, chibi," Ichigo remarked.

"Well," Chibi Getaboushi began. "Think of this as what would have been the next part of your neglected training in the Kido aspects of a Shinigami! Because for you, I added some Kido spell I knew into your repertoire. Think of it as your unique brand of magic. Most magics in the game will have an elemental type but yours will be a lot cooler since Shinigami like myself use Kido spells."

Ichigo's eye twitched at the mention of his neglected training. Bastard. That would have been useful a year and a half ago.

"So I get to use Kido spells and everyone else gets to use magic. Anything else I should know?" Ichigo asked dully.

"Well, there isn't any reiatsu in the game, obviously, but there is something called mana that I added. And for you, instead of using those magic spells I added to the game, you get to use Kido spells. Both Hado and Bakudo spells. I didn't add all of them, only some of them. Like magic, Kido spells will rely upon you having the «Magic» skill. The higher you train your «Magic» skill, the less mana it will cost to use the spell. Simultaneously, as your train the skill up, your damage for each spell you use will increase." Chibi Getaboushi explained. "As an added bonus, I added incantations for some of the Kido spells. If you use the incantation, the damage would be twice what it normally would be."

"But it would take more time to use the spell. So it's a question of time versus power. I suppose it'll depend on the situation," Ichigo inferred.

"Correct. The second thing I changed or rather, added, were sword skills. Kayaba Akihiko has spent years creating this game. I have no doubt that he can perfectly counter each and every sword skill he had put into the game." Chibi Getaboushi smirked evilly. "Too bad for him that real life doesn't work that way."

"Don't I know it," Ichigo muttered under his breath, thinking back on all the fights against both Shinigami and Hollow he had been in.

"So, I created a skill already given to all players while not detracting from the total amount of skills a player can have. «Original Sword Skill». It does exactly what what it says. It allows a player to create any weapon skill they could possibly think of provided that they would actually be able maintain the speed, power, and execution needed to create the skill. I would recommend using both the original sword skills and skills of your own creation. Otherwise, when you eventually fight the creator of the game, you might find yourself outmatched," Chibi Getaboushi warned.

"What makes you think I'll end up fighting him?" Ichigo asked, honestly curious.

"Oh, please, Ichigo. Think about it for a minute. Why would he go through all this trouble to create this game if he didn't even participate in it. Think about your own experiences. Would you have relied on someone else to rescue Rukia or Orihime or would you have done it youself?"

"I would have done it myself, obviously. Oh..."

"Right. It's boring to only sit around and watch. Of course he'll participate in the game he created. He'll also probably end up doing something cliché like be the «Final Boss» of the game."

"I understand. Create sword skills. Got it."

"Next is Shunpo. In this world, it'll be an advanced version of the «Sprint» skill. You can still traverse long distances as «Sprint» would do, but you can also increase your movement during combat to get behind an opponent. Of course, I'll also give you some Shunpo techniques. It'll be up to you to unlock them." Chibi Getaboushi told him slyly.

"Gee, thanks, Chibi Getaboushi."

"Finally, your Zanpakuto."

At this, Ichigo perked up. He was wondering if he would have to buy some sword as his melee weapon. Or if he would have to rely solely on Kido spells. That would suck. Especially since the only experience he had with Kido spells was being assaulted by those spells.

"You already have the unreleased version of your Zanpakuto in your inventory. It will not have a name until you initiate Shikai, and later on, Bankai. Your powers will be similar, of course. It'll be up to you to discover how exactly this translates to SAO." A moment's pause. "Well then, lets see how you do in practice. Why don't you open up your menu?"

Ichigo stared at the Chibi Getaboushi. "There's a menu?"

Chibi Getaboushi sighed. "Honestly, what would you do without me, Ichigo?"

"Not get into messes like these," Ichigo retorted. "Now, you gonna tell me how to open up this menu or not?"

"Put your right index finger and thumb together and move the two connected fingers downwards," Chibi Getaboushi put his own two fingers together and moved his fingers downwards as an example.

"Whoa," Ichigo said as he heard a ringing sound followed by the appearance of his menu.

His menu had five major categories: inventory, friends/guild, communication, maps/quests, and settings/main menu. While curious about the maps/quest and settings categories, he did as instructed and selected the inventory category. Then, three sub categories appeared, equipment, items, and skills. He selected the equipment icon which further offered three more subcategories, weapons, armor, equipped, and accessory. Since he had nothing but clothes equipped and did not currently own any accessories, he selected the weapon icon. Within, he found only the unnamed sword in his weapon inventory.

It had the «Zanjutsu» typing.

"Oi, Chibi Getaboushi. Why does this sword say «Zanjutsu»?" Ichigo asked after equipping the sword.

"It means that your sword requires the «Zanjutsu»skill. Why don't you open up your skill list and add that to your skills?" Chibi Getaboushi suggested.

"Right," Ichigo said as he opened up his menu once again and selected the skills icon.

"What the-" Ichigo began. "Oi, Chibi, why the hell do I have so many skills already?"

His current skill list contained the skills «Shunpo» 0/1000. «Magic» 0/1000, «Original Sword Skill», and two blank skill slots. Clicking on one of the blank slots opened up an additional menu that held various skills. Scrolling to the bottom, right after the skill «Yodeling» was the skill «Zanjutsu». After pressing yes to the confirmation screen, he finally had the «Zanjutsu» skill.

"Ah, well, I wouldn't want to put you at a disadvantage, Ichi-kun. I might as save you some slots. Maybe you'll find something you like doing in here. After all, you may be here for a while." Chibi Getaboushi told him cheerily.

Ignoring the chibi, Ichigo instead focused upon the sword in his right hand. He swung it around a few times skillfully, impressing the Chibi Getaboushi with the slowly growing masterful display of sword wielding. His skill hadn't rusted too much. All he needed to do was to was brush off the rust on his skills and he would be good to go.

"All right, this was nice, Chibi. What about Hakuda? I don't think I saw it when I was scrolling through the list of skills," Ichigo wondered.

"Ah, well, I can't give you everything, Ichi-kun. I will give you a hint though. You'll find the skill on the second floor of Aincrad."

Ichigo filed away that piece of information for future reference. Hakuda would be useful to have if he was ever disarmed or low on mana. That line of thought brought another question to his mind. "How do I check my level, health, and mana, Chibi?"

"Haven't you noticed it yet, Ichi-kun?" Chibi Getaboushi asked him. "All you have to do is look in the top right corner."

Ichigo looked there, having never really paid attention to it because of having to deal with the Chibi Getaboushi and later on, getting an explanation from. He first noticed his name, Ichigo. Then, he noticed his level, 1. Finally, he noticed his red health bar and blue mana bar underneath it. Underneath that was a green experience bar. Health: 250. Mana: 6500. Experience: 0/200.

"Oi, Getaboushi, why the hell do I have so much mana?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, I tried to mimic your reiatsu reserves when you had just recently entered the Shinigami life. Your reiatsu reserves were monstrous. So, I made your mana that way too. Aren't you grateful, Ichi-kun?"

"Ah, shut the hell up, Chibi-bastard," Ichigo said, as he turned his eyes once more to the «Frenzy Boar» in the distance. "Guess I'll try a Hado spell first."

He stepped forward, holding out an outstretched palm in the boar's direction before loudly shouting the words he knew all too well. "The seeping crest of turbidity! The arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt the sleep! The crawling queen of iron! The eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hado #90: Kurohitsugi!"

The ensuing silence was broken by Chibi Getaboushi's loud giggles. "You didn't honestly believe that you would get that Kido spell from the very beginning, did you?"

"Shut up," Ichigo's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "That was the only Kido spell I knew and that's only because it's been used against me by a bunch of times, mostly by Aizen. Besides, you told me that I would have to figure them out myself, right?"

"I suppose I could give you the first two. The Bakudo spell is Bakudo #1: Sai and its Hado counterpart is Hado #1: Sho. Neither of them have incantations so why don't you try attracting of the boar and then using one of the spells. By the way, if you select your «Magic» skill, a screen will pop detailing your current spells and incantations, if they have one." Chibi Getaboushi added with a grin.

"All right already, Chibi-bastard, no need to rub it in," Ichigo said as he began walking towards the boar.

He swung his sword a few more times experimentally as he approached the boar. The boar perked up as it detected a player. It pawed the ground once, twice, three times, before it began its speedy charge.

Lets see, if I remember correctly, Bakudo #1: Sai can halt someone in their tracks. Or in this case, a boar.

Ichigo held out his empty hand, his middle and index fingers outstretched. "Bakudo #1: Sai!"

There was no color to the spell to determine when exactly the spell would hit but the effect was evident nonetheless. Immediately after calling out the name of the spell, the «Frenzy Boar» tensed up, immediately coming to a stop. Ichigo took a glance at his mana bar. 6400.

After five seconds, the «Frenzy Boar» struggled to his feet before repeating the same tactic it had used moments earlier. A charge.

This time Ichigo called out the other spell in his repertoire. "Hado #1: Sho!"

This time a spark of white energy formed quickly from his finger tip before shooting out rapidly at the boar. The «Frenzy Boar» found itself pushed back a couple feet and knocked to the ground. It shook its head as it got up before charging a third time at the strange player.

This time, Ichigo raised his sword and prepared himself to attack the «Frenzy Boar» head on. Damn it, Getaboushi, you could have at least given me an attacking spell. Then, he noticed something strange. He had noticed the green health bar of the boar before he had tested out the two spells. Now, he noticed that the boar's health had gone down by a little. Hopefully the next spell I learn will do some more damage. He checked his mana level. 6250. So it takes a little more mana to use a Hado spell than it does to use a Bakudo spell.

Ichigo easily dodged to the left, the charging boar passing him by a wide margin. It soon slowed down before stopping and turning around. The purple furred creature pawed the ground three times before charging once more at the orange haired man.

This time, Ichigo charged as well, the tip of his sword brushing against the grass, as he held the sword in a loose stance. As soon as the boar was about to headbutt him, he quickly flicked his black sword against the boar with enough strength to knock it off course, completely avoiding being damaged.

Ichigo swiftly spun on his feet and noticed that the side of the boar had a deep, red gash. I guess nothing actually bleeds in this game.

Ichigo smiled slightly to himself as he noticed that the boar's health bar had gone down significantly. He held out a hand. "Bakudo #1: Sai."

Ichigo wasted no time. "Shunpo!" Within the blink of an eye, Ichigo had crossed the rather short distance between himself and the boar, and began hacking at the hide of the boar, scoring five gashes on the fur of the boar in the time it took for the boar to recover. Ichigo immediately jumped backwards, avoiding the boar's white tusks.

The «Frenzy Boar's» health bar was in the red. It slowly got up to its feet, desperate for one final charge against the human player. It pawed three times before charging one final time at the orange haired player.

Before it could even get into its full run, Ichigo appeared on its left flank and stabbed the boar quickly, ending its virtual existence and shattering into countless, blue polygons. A screen appeared informing him that he had gained 24 experience and 30 col, whatever the hell that was.

So that's the death in this world, Ichigo mused. How...humane.

In the real world, death wasn't like that at all. Some deaths were quick, yes, but all deaths were not as simple as the one he had just witnessed. I guess death is like that to get people used to the idea of killing.

"I would have laughed if you had been hurt against something as simple as a boar, Ichigo," Chibi Getaboushi said as he walked up to Ichigo.

"It looks like I need to get stronger. I would have killed that boar with a single strike if I had attacked it when I was a Shinigami," Ichigo said aloud.

"Anyways, Chibi, you never did say why no one could see you back then." Ichigo said, remembering back to when he had kicked the chibi in the lake.

"Oh, that's because only you can see me, Ichi-kun. I didn't want to attract any attention. You must have looked pretty weird in the eyes of all those players when you were talking to me. It must have looked like you were talking to yourself when you were talking to me." Chibi Getaboushi grinned at him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He doubted he would be remembered for making a small disturbance when they had all of Aincrad to explore. Or when Kayaba Akihiko tipped his hand and revealed his plot.

"This is goodbye, Ichigo," Chibi Getaboushi interrupted Ichigo's thoughts. "I'm out of time. Do be careful. It would be a shame if you died because of a simple thing like this game."

"There's nothing simple about this, Kisuke. Anyways, you better take care of Yuzu and Karin while I'm gone since it's your fault I'm here. If they die, if they're harmed in any way," Ichigo cracked his knuckles threateningly, "you're a dead man when I come out."

"Understood, Ichigo," Chibi Getaboushi saluted. "Then, see you when you get out."

He disappeared in a shower of blue polygons.

Ichigo looked around the rolling, grassy plains, until he found a «Frenzy Boar».

Well then, I guess I should start leveling up.

…

"What the-?"

Ichigo hadn't expected being forcefully teleported after just having finished killing another boar. He certainly hadn't expected to be surrounded by thousands of people. Likely, the entirety of the players that had logged in to SAO, if he thought about it for a moment.

He supposed he should act confused since he wasn't supposed to know what exactly was going on yet. He spotted two players, one with long, black hair reaching to his shoulders and wearing a blue shirt and black pants, and the other, a red head wearing a bandana, a beige shirt and brown pants with some sort of reddish leather armor on top of his shirt.

"Hey," Ichigo interrupted the duo's talking. They both turned to face him. "My name's Ichigo. I was wondering if you two knew what was going on."

The two of them stared at him for a moment, taking in his appearance. He was tall, taller than both of them and had spiky, eye-catching orange hair, brown eyes, and a small scowl on his face that looked like a grimance as if he were forcibly repressing what his usual scowl looked like. He was wearing a black leather armor piece on top of a white shirt and black pants. To the two of them, he was an intimidating man.

"I'm Klein," the red head finally said, pointing to himself before pointing to the black haired boy, "and that's Kirito. And no, neither of us know what's going on."

"I think," Kirito spoke, looking at the sky, "that we're about to find out."

The sky filled with a red, cubic shaped signal that had only one of two phrases inscribed: Warning and System Announcement. The red warning signs descended from the sky, coloring the entire sky red. Murmuring filled the colosseum where all the players had been forced teleport.

Without warning, a blood colored liquid dripped down from the top of the warning signs, coalescing just before the liquid would hit the ground, and forming a red cloaked figure whose face was covered by a hood. All Ichigo could see was a black void in place of a face.

"I think that's a GM," Kirito said.

"GM?" Ichigo asked.

"Game Master, one of the people you usually call when a problem arises. Maybe he'll tell us why the log out button is missing," Kirito explained.

"Attention players, I welcome you to my world." The red figure held his hands out. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba and as of this moment, I am the only person able to control this world."

"I'm sure most of you have already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu." The figure's voice turned sharp. "Let me assure you this is not a defect of the game."

Whisperings filled the crowd, much of them panic-driven.

"I repeat... this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be."

"You cannot log yourselves out of Sword Art Online of your own free will. And no one on the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear. If anyone attempts to do so, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit powerful microwave radiation, destroying your brain and ending your life."

"That can't be possible, right?" Klein asked in horror. "I mean, if we just unplugged the NerveGear, we would be fine, right?"

"The NerveGear has an internal power that can last for hours on end. I think he's telling the truth." Kirito answered the red haired man.

"Unfortunately, many people have ignored my warning and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. Regretfully, the game now has 213 less players. They have exited permanently from both Aincrad and the real world."

"What?!"

"That can't be possible!"

"As you can see, international media outlets across the world are reporting on the situation," the GM displayed various screens revolving around him. His voice turned ominous. "and have reported the deaths."

"At this point, it is safe to assume the likelihood that a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game."

"It is important to remember the following. There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system." The screens revolving around Kayaba Akihiko disappeared. "Forever."

"And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

The crowd went quiet at the declaration.

"The one condition for your escape is to complete the game. Right now, you are gathered on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you can get through the dungeon and clear the boss, you can advance to the next floor. Defeat the final boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game." A hologram appeared showing the floating castle of Aincrad.

"That's impossible!" Klein shouted in anger. "The beta testers didn't even make it past Floor 10!"

"Now then, finally, I have placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please see for yourselves."

One by one, players slowly accessed their inventory and accessed their equipment. They all noticed the «Mirror» in their inventory and materialized it in their hands.

"What the heck is this?" Klein asked, touching the mirror with a single finger. He was suddenly engulfed in a blue light.

"Klein!" Kirito shouted before he, too, was engulfed in a bright, blue light.

One by one, players were slowly engulfed in the same light. Ichigo looked at his mirror in confusion after the light that had enveloped him faded. Was this supposed to do something? Nothing had happened to him. He still had the same, short orange-hair, brown eyes, and small scowl. He was still the same height and still wearing the same clothes. He quickly accessed his inventory. He still had his sword. He checked his skills. His four skills were still there.

"Hey, Kirito, are you okay?" Klein asked.

He looks about the same as he did before the light show, Ichigo thought.

"Who the heck are you?" Kirito asked.

Kirito's hair had shortened dramatically and his height had dropped several inches but he was still recognizable as the figure he had seen before though some what more feminine-looking.

"K-Klein!" Kirito shouted, pointing at the red head man.

"Kirito!" Klein said at the same moment, pointing at him in realization.

"Oi, oi, don't be so dramatic about it. It's not like you both look completely different from your avatars," Ichigo interrupted.

"I-Ichigo!" The two of them faced him. "You don't look any different."

Ichigo shrugged. "A... friend of mine asked me to play this game. I thought I'd humor him for a few minutes so I didn't bother customizing my avatar." Ichigo looked at them intently. "Doesn't really matter now, I guess, since I think that those mirrors reverted everyone's image to their real life appearance."

"But how did these «Mirrors» change us to our real life appearances?" Kirito asked.

"The NerveGear! It had us touch our bodies for calibration!" Klein shouted.

"That makes sense," Kirito admitted. "And we had to input our hair color, eye color, and so on. I guess we know the reason why now."

Ichigo clenched his fist. You're a dead man, Getaboushi.

"Right now, you're probably wondering, 'why'?" Kayaba said. "Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do such a thing?"

"My goal has already been achieved."

"The reason I created Sword Art Online was to create this world and meddle in it. As you can see, I have achieved my goal."

"This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. I wish you the best of luck, players."

A stunned silence descended upon the gathered players as Kayaba Akihiko vanished from view. For several seconds, there was absolutely no sound, no movement, nothing but the whistling of the wind.

Shit, now's my chance! Ichigo realized.

Ichigo raised his left hand and pointed it to the sky. I'm glad I managed to reach Level 4 otherwise getting everyone's attention would have been difficult.

"Hado #4: Byakurai!"

From Ichigo's fingertip, white energy condensed into a single, minuscule, white sphere. Then, not even a second later, a thin stream of white lightning tinged in blue exploded from his finger and shot upwards into the sky. Seconds later, long before it would crash into the barrier that pronounced the end of the virtual world, the thin stream of lightning faded from sight. It was a thin, nearly negligible sight but against the sunset sky, it caught the eyes of every player.

Kirito and Klein stared at him in awe. Neither of them had known that magic would be a part of the new SAO. Then again, neither of them knew Kisuke Urahara.

"I'm glad I've got all your attention," Ichigo spoke loudly as he strolled to the center of the arena, where a platform and tower with a bell at its top existed.

The crowd parted for him, all unsure of what exactly he was going to say but interested nonetheless because of his casual display of an unfamiliar and exciting technique. Despite having been told that SAO was a death game, many were still interested in what the orange haired man had to say. Maybe he would teach them how to use magic like he did? They were especially interested simply because their mentality had changed when they had been told that they were currently in a death game. It was, at the moment in time, easier to grab their attention.

Shit. What the hell do I say? Ichigo asked himself as he slowly walked through the crowd and up to the platform. Do I just start talking about how we shouldn't give up to some asshole who thinks he's a god? Or should I break the tension? Well, obviously, I need to break the ice, so to speak.

Ichigo was nervous as he faced the sea of players all staring at him. His skin itched and his palms, which were at his sides, began sweating. Shit. This is a lot more intimidating than facing off against any of the Espada. Give me Ulquiorra any day of the week over this. Right, can't complain now. Gotta say something. Now!

"First off," Ichigo spoke clearly, easily heard over the silence. "I would like to start by saying that yes, this is my natural hair color! So don't ask!"

The silence continued. Then, after several seconds, a girl began giggling. That giggling spread across the crowd turning into smiles and raucous laughter all throughout the crowd. The nervousness and fear had been replaced by the orange-haired man's random statement.

The heavy weight Ichigo felt on his shoulders of saying the wrong thing and the butterflies in his stomach that had accumulated because he had been about to speak in front of twenty thousand people, visibly left the orange haired man. He took a deep breath and stood straighter.

The laughter faded as they all listened intently to the man's next words. "As you all probably saw, I used a spell to get your attention. Magic exists in this game. For some reason or another, Kayaba Akihiko didn't tell us but as you can see-" Ichigo whispered the incantation and a second thin stream of lightning emerged from his fingertip where it soon faded into the sky, "magic exists. I don't know if anyone else found it yet but there's a blue bar between the health bar and the experience bar that says mana. Also, there's a skill on the skill list that says «Magic» so if you're interested in that, you should check it out."

"Anyways, I didn't come here to tell you all about that. I'm here to tell you that we shouldn't panic."

"Why the hell shouldn't we panic?"

"We're in a death game!"

"Panicking has never solved anything." Ichigo told them all calmly. "There's no reason to simply because it's a useless thing that does nothing but create hysteria and causes you to make decisions you wouldn't normally do. So don't panic."

"I'm sure that all of you, like me, want to survive. Of course we want to survive, we have things to do, friends and family to see. But you heard Akihiko. He's trapped us in this game. He's spent most of his life on Sword Art Online, or so I've read, so there's only one thing to do. Beat the game. That is the only way we survive this game and the only way to beat the game is to work together!"

"It's impossible!" A player shouted at him. "Even the beta testers never made it past Floor 10!"

"Impossible? Who the hell said that? Never mind, I don't care who said that. Shouldn't it have been impossible to trap us in here in the first place?! Well, if some bastard who thinks he's a god just because he can meddle in the world can trap us in this virtual world, then I say that it's equally possible to get the hell out of this shitty world! You think it's impossible? Then, just watch me as I clear this game, with or without your help!" Ichigo roared passionately. He had been told that many things were impossible like a human having a large amount of reiatsu or achieving Bankai in less than three days or defeating Kenpachi Zaraki without his eyepatch or going toe-to-toe against Aizen in his final evolution and coming out on top. "Impossible is a word used by those to weak to take action! If you don't know how to do something, ask someone for help. If can't do something, try until you can. You say that it's impossible to beat the game. I say, how do you know until you've tried to beat the game?"

"I'll be honest. I don't know how to play this game. A friend just handed me a NerveGear, the game, and told me to have fun." Ichigo scratched back of his head. "Hell, I didn't really even know about this game until he told me about it. I'm not really one for games but now, this game became a battle. A battle to fight for the right of your survival. That's something I'm good at. I will help you as much as I can but in the end, I can't be thousands of places at one time so it'll be up to you to help yourselves. Level up. Train. Fight. And survive. If there's anyone that can help us to fight in this world, I'd be grateful if you helped as many people as you can."

Kirito hadn't been sure what to make of Ichigo at first. He was definitely unique with his orange hair. And a little scary, if he was honest to himself, with that scowl. Ichigo hadn't really shown any emotion even when Kayaba Akihiko announced Sword Art Online to be a death game without any form of escape except to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad or death. It was as if he had faced death before. It was strange.

But when Ichigo had done something he himself had wanted to do as well but hadn't had the courage to, he thought he knew Ichigo a little better, even if he hadn't known the orange-haired man for that long. So, he decided to help him out even it meant outing himself as a beta tester.

"I'm a beta tester!" Kirito yelled in the silence, raising his hand and astonishing many of the people around him including Klein. "Please come to me if you need help with the game!"

His words echoed around for a moment before another person, this time a man with blue hair who looked as if he had found a blue dye that he had then used on himself before being teleported and having his true appearance revealed, shouted, his arm raised proudly high into the air, the same words Kirito had chosen. The same words were repeated by hundreds of other players, their arms all raised into the sky.

People began following the beta testers out of the arena and out of the city, into the plains where «Frenzy Boars» roamed in huge populations spread around an even larger space.

Well then, I don't think that turned out half bad, Ichigo thought as he spotted Kirito and Klein moving with a large crowd out of the arena. I guess I should follow them. I still don't know how to use sword skills.

...

"Yo, Kirito, Klein," Ichigo greeted with an uplifted palm as he walked towards the duo who were standing a distance away from people who were practicing how to use their sword skills.

"Oh, Ichigo!" Klein raised his own hand in greeting. "Nice speech. You really saved a lot of people today."

"Yeah, good job, Ichigo," Kirito said. "That was pretty courageous of you. I wouldn't have had the courage to do the same thing if you hadn't been here."

"I just didn't want everyone to think we were in a hopeless situation," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders.

He had tons of experience of dealing in near-hopeless situations ranging from his invasion of Soul Society to rescue Rukia to facing off against Grimmjow for the first time to going against Aizen without his Dangai training to utilize Mugetsu. Each time he had been bested but had eventually bounced back from his depressive state to try again. Most people, however, weren't like him. They couldn't simply bounce back like he could. If they had been allowed to wallow in pity, he was sure that many of them would have simply given up hope and would have done absolutely nothing for the entire game. He had given them hope- even if it was only a small glimmer. At the very least, they could learn how to fight to protect themselves and people they cared about.

"So, do you need help with something?" Kirito asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Ichigo materialized his black, unsealed Zanpakuto and rested it on one of his shoulders. "I don't know how to use any sword skills. I mean, I used one once, accidentally against a «Frenzy Boar» but I haven't had a chance to try it again since we were all force teleported. I was hoping one of you could help me, if it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all," Kirito replied as he equipped his own sword. "The first thing you should know is that these sword skills are preprogrammed. All you have to do is put your sword in the correct stance and the «System Assist» will take care of the rest."

Kirito demonstrated with his own sword. He stood straight, one hand gripped firmly on the handle of his sword. It soon glowed a bluish color, demonstrating that a sword skill had activated. With a swift slash of his sword, the sword skill ended. "Like so. Of course, different styles have different sword skills. What kind of sword style did you choose?"

"Sword style?" Ichigo asked, somewhat confused at the term. After all, his style was simply built upon his numerous experiences in battle. Did SAO offer kendo or something?

"For instance, I'm using the «One-Handed Straight Sword» skill to use my weapon." Kirito said.

"And I'm using the «One-Handed Curved Sword» skill," Klein chimed in, walking towards after having dealt with a «Frenzy Boar» that had spawned near them. "I want a katana! Samurai are so cool!"

Shinigami are cooler, Ichigo thought childishly before responding. "I'm using Zanjutsu. It sounded pretty cool and I practice something similar to what its description said so I chose it."

"Zanjutsu?" Kirito rubbed his chin. "I don't think I heard of that in the beta test."

Kirito opened his menu to the skill selection screen and scrolled down to the letter 'Z' and read the description on Zanjutsu.

Zanjutsu: The Art of the Sword. It is said that this sword style was once used by a race of supernatural beings that helped spirits pass on to the afterlife. It is said that if one were to learn the name of their sword, they would unlock a mysterious power. Be warned! Only one with the strongest of wills and the greatest of hearts can unlock the full potential of this style.

"Huh, that's pretty interesting." Kirito said after reading the description. And it was. How would Kayaba Akihiko design the SAO mainframe to determine who had a strong will or a great heart? How would he let a person talk to a sword? Perhaps some type of quest? "Unfortunately, Ichigo, since this skill wasn't in the beta test, I wouldn't know what sword stance you would need to take to use a sword skill. Thankfully, though, if you select the «Zanjutsu» skill on your menu, it'll tell you what starting skills you have and what stance you would need to take to activate the skill."

Ichigo sighed in relief. "Thanks, Kirito."

"No problem," Kirito responded as Ichigo selected the «Zanjutsu» skill screen.

Another screen popped up detailing the list of moves Ichigo could currently use with the «Zanjustu» skill. Two skills were currently available to him. The first was «Slant», a simple sword slash that cut diagonally though, being a sword skill allowed the move to deal more damage that a non-enhanced diagonal strike. The other was one Ichigo was intimately familiar with, having avoided it while training with Getaboushi. «Cheek Stroke» did superficial damage and had a cool down time of approximately one second. Still, the price was fair considering the movement speed bonus of 1.5x. Though a second meant a huge difference between life and death, Ichigo was confident that even if he couldn't move for that second, he could certainly react before any weapon actually hit him. This move would be good to get behind or around opponents that he wouldn't normally be able to unless he used «Shunpo». His current mastery of «Shunpo» was 1/1000, having not used it much as he leveled his way up to Level 4.

Ichigo sighed. It would be a long while before his «Shunpo» was around the speeds he could normally travel at in his Shinigami form. He supposed that he would have to use it as often as possible to level it up as quickly as possible.

"Something the matter, Ichigo?" Kirito asked, having finished instructing a player in the proper use of a «One-Handed Straight Sword» skill.

"No, nothing. I'm just getting ready to try a skill," Ichigo replied as he took a stance in which his non-dominant foot was ahead of his dominant foot. His sword was on his left hip, gripped by his right hand.

He breathed in slowly and let loose that same breath before he pushed with his right foot. His sword glowed with a bluish-white tint as he ran a fair distance which left Kirito and Klein gaping in disbelief at the distance he quickly covered. It was impressive for a beginner. With his right hand, he lifted his sword, slicing through the air, until his sword was fully raised and held in place by his arm. That was the «Cheek Stroke» skill, only capable of dealing superficial wounds, with a cool down cost of one second, and a movement bonus of 1.5x.

A second later, he turned around and walked back to Kirito and Klein.

"Wow, I didn't know that there was a skill so early in the game that could let you move that fast," Kirito breathed.

"Yeah, that was the «Cheek Stroke» skill. It has a 1.5x movement bonus so I'm a lot faster than I normally am," Ichigo said, sheathing his sword in the strap across his back.

"Not bad at all, Ichigo," Klein gave him a thumbs up. "So I guess that means you'll be using a sword instead of magic?"

Ichigo shot him a quizzical glance. "Why wouldn't I use both?"

"Well," Kirito began. "In typical RPGs or Role Playing Games, the main classes can be divided into melee, magic, and ranged combat. It takes a lot of effort to level up just one class. I mean, it's possible to level up two or even all three at once but you'll be a lot weaker in the end. Lets say you're level 50 and you train both magic and melee. Essentially, you would be level 25 in both melee and magic for a grand total of level 50. You would be a lot weaker against someone who is level 50 and trained only in melee or or only in magic."

Ichigo frowned. Chibi Getaboushi basically told me to train up my «Magic». But he also gave me the «Zanjutsu» skill. Did he want me to choose between one of them? But why go through all that trouble then? I think I'll stick with both of them. I guess this means I'll have to train twice as hard as everyone else if I want to keep up.

"I'm sticking with both of them," Ichigo told the two of them. "I'll just have to train twice as hard as everyone else then."

From the tone of his voice, both Kirito and Klein believed he could actually make it work.

~Bleach/SAO A1 Ch1~

So, I was rewatching the first season of SAO (haven't watched the second season yet since I'm waiting for it to finish so I can have an SAO marathon one weekend), and I thought, I'd like to write another SAO fic. Then, I thought about Kisuke and how it would be easy for him to hack into the «Cardinal» system and change some things even if he couldn't directly interfere. And throw poor, poor Ichigo into the thick of things.

As you might of read, there's magic, Shunpo, Zanjutsu, and the Original Sword Skill. Hope none of you mind since it'll be there to stay. It seemed like a Kisuke-like thing to throw a wrench in someone's plans. And by someone, I mean Kayaba. Also, I really liked the fact that someone could create a sword skill if they were skilled enough so I threw that in there too.

I added magic, partly because of Kisuke's madness, and partly because Kayaba Akihiko said he was inspired by the game called Wizardry. It would be pretty strange of him not to add magic, even if he was tring to imitate life as closely as possible in terms of getting close with your enemy, so I had Kisuke add that hidden, buried program in the «Cardinal» system to the forefront of the game.

Bleach timeline has moved up. So as of November 1st, 2022, Ichigo has lost his powers for roughly 11 months, if I'm doing the math correctly. That means, according to canon, which I'll follow for this case, he has six months left before he starts regaining his reiatsu. Won't that be interesting.

Kirito is paired with Asuna, of course, and still keeps his dual blades since I'm of the theory that Kayaba planned who should have the dual blades in the beta and just waited a while before giving them to Kirito. Ichigo is technically faster in reaction speed, having actual experience in combat and being able to react to Lightning-Fast Tenjiro, who Soifon supposedly couldn't see but you know, this works for me. And he doesn't have a reforged Zanpakuto so no dual blades for Ichigo.

Pairings are up in the air for Ichigo. It can be anyone (female) of both Bleach and SAO universes. Do keep in mind that Ichigo is currently 16 at the start of SAO. Also, if you do happen to make a recommendation, please explain why the pairing would work.

This'll be a low priority fic and also, 10k words, woo!

As always,

Thanks for reading!

Edited: 10/20/14 since apparently italics don't carry on if you copy and paste. That's gonna be a huge pain later on.