Gremory's Black Knight Chapter 1

New story for the new year! Well, not entirely new, but soon enough.

It starts fairly clichéd but I'm planning to take it in a different direction from other SAO x DxD crossovers. So I hope you can bear with it for a few chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own DxD or SAO.

"Why?" Kirito asked himself as the vision of Sugou assaulting Asuna disappeared into an endless sea of white, "Why is this happening? Is this my punishment for thinking I was some hero? That I was the only one who could save her? For thinking I was strong enough..?"

"Are you giving up?" A voice asked him, and accompanying it were footsteps, "Giving up without even fighting?"

"I'm facing reality." He answered bitterly.

"So you are giving up." The voice replied back, "Giving up, even when you're faced with a system you've already defied?"

"What other choice do I have?" He asked, "I'm just a player, and he's the GM."

"Than what? Our battle was just a joke? Wasn't you who proved that the human will is superior to the system? Wasn't you, swordsmen, who showed me the endless possibilities of humankind?" His final words echoed in Kirito's mind as the emptiness collapsed around him. "Stand up, Kirito!"

'He's right.' Kirito realized as he struggled against the sword pinning him to the ground. Sugou turned back to him, a mocking smile still etched on his face, 'Something like this-'

Gritting his teeth to bare the pain, he muttered, "Your attacks are weak. The blades in SAO hit way harder, and it hurt so much more than anything you could ever do, Sugou!"

"Excuse me." Sugou grinned at Asuna, "It seems that there's a cockroach that needs to be squashed for good."

"Kirito!" She cried out as the Fairy King strode towards the Black Swordsmen and delivered a slap to knock him back to the ground.

Only he didn't budge. With every ounce of strength that he had left from the prolonged piercing damage and the effects of the gravity magic, he grabbed Sugou's wrist. The look of surprise on his face made the whole ordeal worthwhile. However, he wasn't done. At that moment, his mouth started to move of its own accord, and he could hear the words that he wasn't even consciously speaking.

"System Login. ID Heathcliff."

"What?!" Sugou shouted, "Who's ID are you using?!"

"System Command. Enable Administartor Privleges. Set ID Oberon to level one." He continued without acknowledging the questions. The overwhelming gravity disappeared as a system window appeared in front of Sugou.

"An ID that out ranks mine?" Sugou said in absolute disbelief, "That's impossible! This is my world! I am its creator! Its king! Its God!"

As soon as he regained control of himself, Kirito shook his head, "No, you're wrong, Sugou. You stole everything in this world, including its people. You're nothing but a King of Theives, sitting alone on your stolen throne."

"You little punk-! How dare you talk to me like that!" Sugou growled angrily, "System Command! Generate Object! ID Excalibur!"

As Kirito had expected, nothing happened. The sight of Sugou shouting at a system beyond his control anymore was almost too funny to not laugh, but there was something he needed to do before he could enjoy that small pleasure. Looking up at Asuna, he gave her a small smile, "Think that you can hold on for just a bit longer? This won't take more than a sec."

Asuna returned the smile with a small nodded, and the chains above her head rattled from the movement. Allowing himself to drown in anger was something that he'd only allowed to happen once, but it couldn't hurt to do it again.

"System Command!" He roared, "Generate Object! ID Excalibur!"

Sugou's eyes grew wide in horror as the pillar of golden light descended from the sky, and within the pillar sat a legendary sword. Turning the sword in his hand, Kirito remarked, "A simple command to summon a legendary weapon. Who knew?"

"Why you-!" Sugou started again, but this time he was cut off by Kirito tossing the sword to him. Hurriedly and clumsily he grabbed it out of the air, almost as though unsure what he was supposed to do with it.

Kirito lazily kicked his own sword off the ground and into the air, grabbing it without a care, "Let's settle the score, Sugou. The King of Theives vs. The Gilded Hero. System Command. Set Pain absorber to zero."

"N-No...' Sugou stuttered as he took a step back.

"Did you just flinch?" Kirito asked in the same mocking tone that Sugou had used in every encounter they'd had up until now, "Because that man never flinched, not even for a second. You know him, right? Akihiko Kiyaba!"

"Oh my god..." Sugou growled, "KIYABA! Now I see. That was his ID!" Angrily, he looked up, and screamed, "Why are you all ways getting in my way! You're ruining everything! Taking everything that was rightfully mine!"

"Sugou!" Kirito interrupted before the scene could get any more pitiful, "In a way, I get where you're coming from. I lost to him too, and than I had to go work for him. But unlike you, I never wanted to be him."

"God damn you!" Sugou shouted as he lost all control and started swinging the legendary holy sword wildly through the air. With the swing so weak and half assed, he didn't even bother dodging them and parried each without even moving. When a particularly wide swing was deflected, he casually swung the blade of his iron great sword across Sugou's cheek. Without the pain absorber, his mind took the full pain of the small cut, and he let out a yelp of pain.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Kirito smiled, before letting out all the anger and frustartion he'd been feeling for the past two months, watching Asuna in her hospital bed. The powerlessness he felt, and the rage he had towards the man responsible, "But compared to the pain you made Asuna feel, this is nothing. It's not even close!"

Sugou screamed in terror as he charged, and tried in vain to block the downward slash. Instead, Kirito took off his arm, and the holy sword with it. With Sugou crying in agony, Kirito slashed him in half at the waist and watched is lower body disappeared along with the arm.

With him finally feeling what it was like to be utterly powerless, Kirito decided to end it. Gripping Sugou by the hair, he threw his upper torso into the air and stabbed upwards, reducing his hit points to zero with one decisive blow through his eye. As the fairy king's body disappeared in a shower of polygons, Kirito turned back to Asuna, and with one swing, the chains that bound her snapped.

Tossing the sword aside, he held Asuna close, determined to never let her go.

"I knew you'd come for me." She said softly, returning his hug with every ounce of love she felt, "I have faith in you, Kirito. Always have, always will. I don't know whether you're a hero, but you are my hero."

"I don't have any powers." He cried, "But I'll do must best to be one, for you."

"That's my Kirito." she smiled brightly.

Nodding, he opened the system menu. "It's gotta be night time by now. But I'll be over just as soon as I can."

"I'll be waiting." She nodded as he tapped the logout key, "I want you to be the first person I see when I wake up."

Smiling, he brushed away her tear with the glowing tip of his finger, and she disappeared in a shower of light.

Before he could log out himself, though, he had one thing that still needed to be dealt with. "That's it. Game over." He sighed, standing again before he addressed the person he knew would still be nearby, "What do you think, Heathcliff?"

Blue lights gathered in the air above him, and from them a man descended. But rather than the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, it was simply the genius who had been the mastermind behind the Nervegear and Sword Art Online. "Good to see you, Kirito." Akihiko Kiyaba said as he stood in front of Kirito.

"So, you're alive?" Kirito asked him.

"In a sense, though I think it's more accurate to say that I'm an echo of the mind that was Akihiko Kiyaba. A phantom, nothing more. Just an endless string of ones and zeros."

"Still completely lost, but whatever." Kirito sighed, "But thanks anyway. I wouldn't have been able to save Asuna without you."

"No, I don't think we're on good enough terms to expect favors for free." Kiyaba shook his head, "No matter whether you're dealing with God or the devil, there is always a price. The question is how much are you willing to pay for her?"

"Which are you, and what's your price?" Kirito asked him, and a pillar of golden light descended from above him. Only this time, instead of the holy sword Excalibur, what was inside was what appeared to be an egg, with a clear crystal at the center. "What's this?" He asked the genius in front of him.

"The beginnings of a new world. I call it the seed." Kiyaba answered, "Once it sprouts, you'll know what it is. What you do with it is up to you. You can even get rid of it if you want. However, if you have even the slightest fondness for the virtual world, you'll keep it safe."

"Tell me why you're doing this for me." Kirito asked as the seed disappeared from his hands, "You owe me that much."

"Why?" Kiyaba asked, almost like it was meant more for himself than Kirito, "I don't think even I know that. Kirito, when I saw your name on the list of beta testers, I knew that you'd be the one to face me. However, the current you isn't enough. I look forward to watching you grow even more."

"Once again, what are you..?" Kirito started, but eventually just sighed.

Kiyaba chuckled softly at his response, "One day, you'll know."

"Do you have any regrets?" Kirito asked suddenly as Kiyaba was engulfed in blue lights.

"Only that I was never able to see my castle with my own eyes." He replied without hesitation, and he looked back to Kirito with sad eyes, "But that is not to be. Kirito, if it is you, than just maybe, there's still a chance..."

With those enigmatic words, Akihiko Kiyaba disappeared from that place, and the darkness disappeared.

After saying farewell to Yui, Kirito logged out of ALO and returned to the familiar sight of his own room, and leaning over him with his cousin, Suguha, who had an extremely worried look on her face until she saw him open her eyes. Hurriedly, she sat back down, "Sorry!" She said, getting out of his way as he sat up, "When you didn't log out right away, I thought that..."

"Thanks for all your help, Sugu." He smiled, and she returned it.

Nervously, she asked, "So... is it... is it really over now?"

"It's over." he nodded, "She's back. And Sugu, I couldn't have done it witho-"

"Stop right there!" Sugu protested, but with a small smile, "You can thank me all you want later. Right now, I think that there's someone you need to go see."

"Right!" He said, getting up so quickly that he got dizzy. Sugu hurried to help him regain his balance, and as soon as he had, they ran down the stairs. Kirito threw on a pair of shoes, grabbed a jacket and was out the door within five minutes of logging out of ALO. This late, Buses and trains wouldn't be running, and he did have time to wait for them anyway. So, he ran to the side of the house and grabbed his bike.

Inside the basket was a single leaflet that he couldn't remember getting. The only thing printed on it was a bizarre red occult circle and the words 'your wish shall be granted' written in black ink. Smiling he couldn't help but whisper, "I've got everything I need."

Thrusting the leaflet into his coat pocket, he got on his bike and took off as fast he dared to go in the snow.

"Say hi to Asuna for me!" Suguha called after him, but he was already too far away to respond to her.

Even he didn't know how fast he was pedalling. He probably could've given a car a run for its money. Finally, just as he felt like he didn't have the strength to keep pedalling, the hospital came into view. Pushing forward that last inch, he stopped in front of the gate and placed his bike to the side. From memory he knew exactly which room was Asuna's. The light was still off, so the nurses hadn't gone in to check on her yet. Maybe he really would get to be the first person she saw.

He was so focused on getting to her that he didn't even notice someone step out from behind a van in the parking lot, or the knife that he held in his hand.

Even before he noticed that pain, he felt the warmth of his blood running down his arm. Coming to a halt, he turned around and saw that man, Sugou Nobuyuki holding the knife that was dripping blood onto the asphalt

"You're late, Kirito." He said harshly, holding the knife casually in front of his face while the blood dripped off, "I've been out here so long, I might catch cold. Wouldn't that be tragic?"

"Sugou!" Kirito growled, but the sight of Sugou's right eye unnerved him more than the knife in his hand. It was bloodshot and wide, likely as a result of the final blow in the game without any pain absorber.

"You did a very bad thing." Sugou said as he turned the knife casually in his hand, "Even with so many drugs numbing it, I can still feel the pain."

"It's over, Sugou." Kirito said without taking his eyes off of him, "Just turn yourself in."

"'Over'?" He grinned, "Hardly. There are plenty of companies that would kill to have me and my research. And once its completed, no one would be able to get in my way. I will become the God of this world!" Holding the knife even more tightly than before, he added, "A bit early, but I think this world's God's first act will be to kill you!"

Kirito jumped to the side to dodge the quick stab, but the snow caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Sugou towered over him mockingly, "Come on, get up." With each word he kicked him in the ribs, and at least one of them had probably broken before he finally stomped on him and held the knife steady in his hand, "Did you think that a piece of trash like you would slow me down, Kirito? There's only one punishment for someone who defies God. Not to worry though. She'll join you soon."

He could only watch powerlessly as the tip of the knife zoomed towards him, and as he closes his eyes to pray, the blade hits the ground beside him. Sugou withdraws the blade calmly, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "My right eye's all foggy. It threw off my depth perception. But not to worry. I won't miss again." For some reason, Sogou's steady arm suddenly started to shake uncontrollably, "You worthless piece of trash! You don't have any real power!"

"And neither do you!" Kirito replied, forcing himself into a sitting position and grabbing Sugou's wrist with both hands to stop the blade of the knife from killing him. Kicking his legs out from underneath him, Kirito grabbed the knife from Sugou's hand as he toppled back, and held it at his side. "Such a weak weapon. Too light. No reach. Still more than enough to end this here and now!"

Sugou's eye widened for the second time as Kirito walked menacingly towards him, knife held steady and pure rage in his eyes. The only thing on his mind was to get away, but even as he crawled Kirito grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face against the side of a car in the parking lot. With the knife in his hand and Sugou passed out in front of him, Kirito moved the knife to put an end to everything, once and for all. But he was better than that.

Dropping the knife and Sugou's unconscious body on the asphalt, Kirito limped towards the hospital. The guard at the front door only took a single look at his bleeding arm before ushering him in. Weakly, he told the guard about Sugou, and he immediately called for security and the police. Telling Kirito to wait for a doctor, he ran off to secure Sugou. Ignoring the order, Kirito slowly worked his way across the hospital to the elevator, than up to Asuna's room.

But what waited inside wasn't what he was expecting. She wasn't awake or alert. In fact, she didn't seem to have changed at all. The Nervegear was still attached to her head, and the two lights were lit on the fron-

His face paled as he realized there were supposed to be three light. The third wasn't lit. The first two were for internet connection and whether the machine was active, but the third would have meant that it was receiving power via an electrical outlet. If that light wasn't lit, than the Nervegear wasn't receiving power and was using its own internal battery. If Asuna wasn't logged out, and the Nervegear's battery reached critcal, than Asuna would-!

Running over to her bedside, he saw the reason. Someone had cut the power line.

"She'll join you soon..."

Kirito repeated Sugou's final threat and gripped the edge of her bed as tightly as he could. Because this time, there was nothing he could do. Putting his hand inside his pocket, he felt the flier that was in the basket of his bike. 'Your wish will be granted.' he read again before throwing it on the ground behind him. It couldn't help him. Reaching over to the side of the bed, he was about to press the help button, in the hopes that someone in the hospital would be able to save her when the room was illuminated by a brilliant red light.

"Speak your desire." A voice said as a beautiful red haired girl with two batlike wings and wearing what seemed to be a school uniform appeared in the center of what he now realized was an enlarged version of the circle from the leaflet, "And if you are willing to pay the price than I, Rias Gremory will see it done."

Kiyaba's warning came back to him at that moment. "No matter whether you're dealing with god or the devil, there is always a price. The question is how much are you willing to pay for her?"

The answer to that question was obvious.

"Save Asuna." He answered immediately, "And you can have whatever you want."

"I can do as you ask." The girl smiled, "However, the price may be steeper than you are prepared to pa-"

"I accept." He said, bowing his head again. It didn't matter what the price was. He'd pay it if it meant he could save Asuna.

"For a life to be saved, another must be taken." She said, reaching a hand into the pocket of her skirt, "Knowing that..."

"I accept." He repeated himself.

"Than accept this." She said, handing him what seemed to be a single crimson chess piece. A knight, "And your life will belong to me. You will serve me as a knight of Rias Gremory. In return, I will swear on the name of the House of Gremory that I will save this girl."

"Alright." Kirito said, reaching forward and taking the piece from her. The Knight started to glow as it sunk into his body, and he could feel two wings appearing out of his back.

"Our pact is sealed. Now tell me your name."

"Kazuto. Kazuto Kirigaya." He introduced himself.

"I am Rias Gremory." She smiled and a red aura surrounded her hand, "I look forward to talking with you at greater length later. For now, I believe I have something to do, don't I?"

Kirito watched as the red haired woman who called herself Rias stepped over to Asuna's bed, and she placed the glowing hand onto the Nervegear. He was about to warn her not to take it off when the Nervegear started to melt. He could see the small electrical components exploding in on themselves as the device seemingly destroyed itself without harming Asuna at all. Within a minute, there wasn't even a trace left of it.

"There." Rias said, and the aura around her hand disappeared, "That will do it. Her consciousness is already starting to return." Looking back at Asuna, she gave a small, pained smile and said, "For now, I'll leave you two alone. Kazuto, I'll be sending someone to have a talk with you some time over the next few days, alright?"

Before he could respond, she waved her hand and disappeared into the red circle on the ground.

Kirito looked back to Asuna's bed where, true to her words, she was starting to stir. He hurriedly drew up a chair and sat at her side. When she first opened her eyes, she looked utterly shocked, but than she reached her hand towards him and mouthed his name. Smiling, he nodded and took her hand, "Welcome back, Asuna." He said before wiping away his tears.

"How did it go, President?" Akeno asked as Rias reappeared into the old school building of Kuoh Academy.

"It was... unexpected." She answered, accepting a cup of tea from her queen, "Akeno, is Kiba still around, or has he gone home for the night?"

"I think he wanted to get some training in before he left." Akeno answered, "Shall I call him?"

"Please do." Rias nodded, "Tell him that I've chosen my second knight."

Here's my next new story! I posted the first chapter a while ago in my Crossover ideas story, but I've been continuing it and finally decided that I had enough progress to warrant posting it. It's been edited and beta'd to the best of my abilities, though I've never actually been well known for that particular skill...

Anyway, before I leave you to post your reviews, I'm going to be publishing a new poll that will effect this and any subsequent SAO stories.

Should Kirito always (with a few exceptions, such as introductions, etc) be Kirito or should he be Kirito in game and Kazuto IRL? I'm pretty fine either way, so let me know what you think. Obviously, this would be apply to other SAO character like Klein and Leafa.

With that out of the way, Review and let me know what you think on the poll.