Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Sword Art Online, its characters, or the franchise.
Story: Labeled as a hikikomori, Kazuta has had a hard time going outside her home and interacting with people. But somehow she attracts the attention of Akihito Kayaba, even at the beta stage. What happens when he parties with her during SAO's launch?
Set as an AU genderbending fic.
Spoilers: Most definitely for all seasons, even if this is an alternate take.
Warnings: Age disparity, child abuse, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…
Pairings: Main Kayaba Akihiko/Fem!Kirito, Kikuoka Seijirou/Kirito, probably tilt-your-head Suguo Nobuyuki/Kirito, either Agil/Asuna or Suguha/Asuna…

The Shadow Noir Nexus
Prologue

The little girl sat quietly on the chair, legs swinging back and forth. Her dark hair shifted around her chubby face, while she gripped the sides of her chair tightly.

"Kazuta?" a beautiful woman smiled sadly at her, kneeling before her to look her straight in the eye.

"My mom and dad are in that room," she told her softly. "I don't know when they'll come out."

The woman flinched. "Sweetie, you remember me, right?"

Kazuta vaguely did. Long ago, she remembered this woman had visited her house during one of her birthdays.

"Kazuta-chan, I'm your aunt. Your mother was my sister," she told her. "Sweetie…you're going to come live with me for now on."

Kazuta could feel tears prick her eyes. She knew what had happened. Despite what she was saying, she knew her parents weren't going to come out of that room any time soon.

"I know," she said to her aunt in a near whisper.

And she did know. She wished that she didn't.

Her aunt stood up and straightened, holding out a hand to her.

"Come on, Kazuta. I'll help you pack and we'll move everything right now, okay? It'll help take your mind off of things."

Kazuta wasn't sure it'll work, but she was young and probably didn't know better. Her aunt was older and would take care of her now.

But she still wanted her okaa-san and otou-san.

Aunt Midori was kind as she led Kazuta into the traditional home. It was not overly large, but it was much larger and traditionally-made than the house Kazuta had lived in with her parents.

"Your cousin, Suguha, will be happy to have you around. Right now, your uncle is at work, but Minetaka will meet you when he gets home. Your grandfather lives here as well, so you'll be around him a lot. He is very strict though, so remember your manners and behave, okay?"

Kazuta nodded and they walked further into the home, where she was shown a large room. Some of her stuff was already there, but she set down her duffle bag by the door.

"So this is the girl?" he heard a stern voice say and she shyly turned to face an elderly man, who was frowning down at her. She flinched, wanting to hide behind her aunt.

"Yes, Father. This is Kazuta. Kazuta, this is Ojii-sama."

Kazuta took small steps towards her grandfather, who looked very serious and kind of scary.

"Hello, Ojii-sama."

Her grandfather looked to Aunt Midori. "Have her enroll into kendo," he said sharply. "She's much too scrawny and timid."

"Otou-sama, she just lost her mother and father," her aunt tried to talk to him. "She's just a child. Give her some time —"

Her grandfather straightened up and glared down at Aunt Midori, who immediately quieted.

"The sooner she starts the family practice, the better. It is bad enough you and your sister chose to not learn or continue to practice it! I will not have another child in this house disgrace me."

"Yes, Otou-sama."

And it seemed her grandfather won that argument, and Kazuta didn't think she'd have a choice whether or not she'd be learning this kendo thing.

She quickly learned that kendo was learning how to use swords by practicing with bamboo swords. Or something like that.

It was hard since she was still a kid and really small. Compared to others in the class, she was the youngest and also the smallest. She hadn't minded at first though and it was even kind of fun.

But then her grandfather started to make her practice with him. He strictly ordered her to call him Haruko-sensei in their practices and Ojii-sama outside those times; Kazuta was quick to learn that her grandfather was a very strict and unforgiving man.

A mistake in practice would cause a sharp slap on the arm or leg with the shinai. Anything he felt was her talking back, even if she really wasn't, earned her punishment in the form of being disciplined with the shinai. She would have to kneel and sit up straight, and he'd strike her several times across her back and her shoulders.

If he found her slacking or even just thought she was, she would have to practice longer, even to the point it was extending past midnight. Sometimes she'd still be practicing into the early morning.

The only thing she really liked was when she was made to practice kata. It was a little relaxing and less taxing on her small, young body. And when she practiced them, her mind was able to relax and clear out. She felt like she wasn't being pressured or attacked, and was able to release the tension that she seemed to have all the time.

Those were the only times she was able to feel okay in her new 'home'.

Because she was always hurting or scared there.

Midori watched over her niece across the yard, who was currently —to her father's demands, practicing the kata for kendo in their dojo, window wide open. Suguha was with her, humming as she helped peel the vegetables.

"After you're done, remember to get started on homework, okay?" she said distractedly, still watching Kazuta.

"Okaa-san, why is Onee-san always practicing with the stick?" Suguha asked her.

Startled, she turned to her daughter with a grim smile. "Because Otou-san wants her to be good at kendo," she said, though she sighed to herself.

Her father was very strict and could be unkind sometimes. It worried her how much he was driving Kazuta with this, especially since the poor girl was still so young and even a bit on the small side. Kazuta had even missed her parents' funeral, but her father had said that it wouldn't help the girl to attend.

The Kirigaya family had always been a bit too traditional, and kendo was in their blood. When she'd been younger, both she and her sister had been made to learn and practice it. Soon it became too much and their father increasingly overbearing, until it came to a time where her sister had fled the family. She'd married, becoming Narusaka Aoi and having Kazuta soon after. Midori herself eventually stopped the kendo and earned their father's ire, focusing more on technology and becoming entranced with computers and the like.

Now Kazuta was suffering under Kirigaya Haruko's strict regimen, and Midori distressingly noticed how much more quiet and withdrawn she'd become. After her parents' deaths, Kazuta had already been quiet and a little withdrawn, but Midori still remembered the active and playful girl she'd met a long time ago. Now it seemed she was becoming almost like a ghost in their home, slowly not bothering to go out of their home anymore and not speaking up.

It had come to the point where she didn't attend school so much, and Midori's father had decided home-schooling was best. Her kendo practices had now even been completely taken controlled of by Midori's father, who was being even stricter and harsher on Kazuta than he had ever been with Midori or Aoi.

"Okaa-san, can I learn kendo too then?" Suguha asked innocently. "I want to play with Kazuta more."

She smiled solemnly at her daughter. Kazuta wasn't playing and her father would be upset to have kendo become mere play. Still, he'd been pushing her to have Suguha entered into kendo classes and if Suguha wanted to…

"I'll see about it. Right now, stay here while I go talk to your sister," she told her.

She and Minetaka had formally adopted Kazuta after the funeral, and she considered Kazuta as much her daughter as Suguha. So right now, while Suguha still had the freedom of her choice and could escape Midori's father's attention, she could at least try to do something for her sweet Kazuta, who was unfortunately practically under the direct attention of the Kirigaya patriarch.

"Kazuta!" she called out, earning the young girl's attention.

Kazuta hesitated, but Midori smiled widely at her and persistently waved her over. When she came close, Midori hugged her sadly.

"Sweetie, you've been working hard. Why don't you take a break?"

Kazuta gave her a wide-eyed stare. "I-I can't, Midori-obasan. Ojii-sama will get upset at me."

Midori swallowed and licked her lips, trying not to let tears cloud her eyes. She brushed back Kazuta's short hair.

"I'll deal with him," she whispered. "I promise. But why don't you play outside, do something fun? I'll even excuse Suguha from homework, so she can play with you."

Kazuta flinched. "I-I don't want Suguha-chan to get in trouble with Ojii-sama for getting bad grades and not doing work," she whispered. "And…" she glanced uncomfortably outside. "I don't really…want to go outside. I don't like going out."

Midori sighed and took her small hand, determinedly leading her to Midori's study.

"You know, when I was younger, I found I really liked computers and stuff," she smiled down at Kazuta, hiding her sadness. "I learned to have fun inside and on a computer, talking to people without being face to face with them, and doing all sorts of stuff with a computer. I even got into online gaming!" she laughed.

Kazuta gave her a small smile she was happy to see.

"Here, I'll show you and you can give it a try, alright?"

Midori didn't want Kazuta to totally withdraw into herself, or for her father to make Kazuta completely shut out from the world.

Kazuta had known that she would be in huge trouble after stopping her practice. But she had been happy to follow after Aunt Midori and for once in a long time, she ended up having fun and was enjoying herself.

Grandfather Hiroaki had been furious when he came back home.

He had shouted at Aunt Midori for what seemed like hours, causing Uncle Minetaka to step in as well and it became a shouting match. It suddenly came to an end, and her grandfather was storming into the dojo, where she'd been patiently waiting after he'd snapped at her to stay there when he caught her in Aunt Midori's study on the computer.

"Up!" he snapped at her. "We train all night," he ordered. "After the time you wasted and your choice to slack off, we must make up the time."

Kazuta scrambled to her feet, snatching up her shinai from the floor. Without warning, her grandfather came towards her, striking hard and fast. He was much more brutal than usual, and her wrists ached from taking the force from his hits when she blocked. The areas on her body where he struck flared up in pain and she cried out each time she was hit.

He relentlessly attacked and she continuously defended until it was the next day.

When she was finally allowed to leave the dojo, she tiredly trekked back to her room, only to stop by the kitchen when she saw her aunt and uncle sitting quietly at the table. Aunt Midori was hunched over and had her head in her hands, while Uncle Minetaka sat by her side and had one hand rubbing her back.

"Okaa-san," she spoke out, startling them. Her aunt's eyes widened at the new address, but Kazuta was aware that they'd adopted her and she wanted to respect that, especially since they were trying so hard for her. "It's okay," she moved closer to be in front of them.

She clutched onto the shinai in her hands, squeezing it painfully as she looked down. When she looked back at them, she was determined.

"Don't interfere," she said firmly and her uncle went to protest.

"But Kazuta —" he stood up. She shook her head adamantly.

"I don't want you to get into any more trouble with Ojii-sama," she said and she glanced at the bruise forming on Aunt Midori's face. She also knew that he'd threatened to kick them all out. "I don't want him to focus on Suguha too."

And he would have if she hadn't come along. Someone in the family had to continue the kendo tradition, and she wouldn't subject Suguha to him.

She bowed then, her hands gripping the shinai tighter than ever.

"So please. Let me be the one to bear this burden and make Ojii-sama happy."

Her eyes were closed again, but she felt them hug her.

"I doubt anyone can make that man happy," Uncle Minetaka muttered.

"But thank you so much, Kazuta-chan," her aunt said softly.

When Kazuta was 13, her grandfather passed away suddenly after having a heart attack. After he'd died and his body was buried, she felt…lost. For most of her life, she had spent in his shadow and in his controlling presence. She hardly stepped out of the house and she'd always followed his command.

Now he was gone and she didn't know what to do. During his funeral, she'd had to be outside of the house and she felt unexpectedly uncomfortable. It became so bad that she was feeling miserable and wanting to rush back and hide at home. And the people! Every time they came close, she wanted to cringe away and she never knew what to say.

While still at a loss as to what to do with herself now that he was gone, she admitted that being inside her home was familiar and comforting enough that she could relax slightly, which led to her still not leaving the house. She knew it bothered her aunt and uncle, but Suguha was thankfully oblivious to her troubles…at least for now. She still didn't even know that Kazuta wasn't her actual sister but cousin, especially now that she'd taken to calling her aunt and uncle 'mother' and 'father' shortly after that time she was introduced to technology. But that was another matter entirely and not something that bothered her at all. Suguha was pretty much her sister anyway.

"Kazuta? Are you in here?" she heard her adoptive mother through the door.

"Yes, Okaa-san?"

The door opened slightly and her mom peeked her head in. She smiled slightly at Kazuta.

"There you are. I was wondering if you'd like to come with us? We're going to eat dinner at a restaurant."

Kazuta remembered the horrible feeling of being outside and flinched.

"No thank you, Okaa-san," she murmured.

Aunt Midori paused before giving her a sad smile. "Okay. Try to eat something while here then, alright?"

When she left, Kazuta fiddled around with her shinai, meticulously going over it. She stood up and left her room, finding her way to the dojo and beginning to practice her kata.

It was later than she thought, when Kazuta finally stopped and looked out of the dojo's window. Feeling the fresh air, she took deep and even breaths. She finally made her way back to her room, noting how dark it was around the house. They must've come back already and she'd been too distracted to hear them.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable again (her room was her best place, her safe place, aside from strangely the dojo), she sped up her steps so she could reach her room more quickly. While her home felt good for her to be in, she still got uncomfortable walking around and only felt at peace in her room or the dojo these days.

She blinked as she saw lights on in her room and pushed the door opened more. She gaped at the mess of wires around, but also the huge and complex computer system her aunt and adoptive mother was in the middle of setting up. Aunt Midori smiled sheepishly at her.

"I was hoping to be done before you came back in here," she said.

"What…what is all this?" Kazuta asked in amazement.

Aunt Midori sighed. "I know that, over the years, you've become withdrawn and unhappy being outside the house. It's even come to the point where you have trouble talking to others," she pointed out. "So I thought, after remembering last time how much you got into and had fun with my computer, that maybe I could give you a way to still interact with others and still be social. After dinner, Minetaka, Suguha, and I went looking around and found one of the best computer and gaming systems around to get for you. I love technology and thought I'd share that love with you too, especially since you seemed to be like me in how much technology interested you."

Kazuta bit her lip before reaching over and hugging her aunt tightly. "Thank you so much!"

"There's just one condition," Midori said as they pulled away from each other. "I want you to try going to school, a real school from now on. Even if you don't go outside for anything else, please go to school."

She felt unsure about it, but she was grateful for everything her aunt had done for her and ended up tentatively agreeing.

So together, the two of them finished setting things up and Midori let her enthusiastically explore it, despite the late hour. Kazuta had fun checking into online games, especially the ones her aunt had bookmarked, and then went searching for the latest on future gaming development and news.

She stumbled on something about NerveGear and FullDive and ran across the man who created the upcoming developing tech —a man named Kayaba Akihiko.

Started 6/17/18 – Completed 6/17/18

A/n: Finally posting my SAO fic. Would've been out sooner, but the last time I updated anything the response was rather lackluster on all sites I posted :( So motivation is low and sluggish. Ehh, I hope you guys enjoyed this prologue anyway. Cheers and please drop a review.

Quick Points:

1. Original Story: On Wattpad, I have an original story out that I'd appreciate you guys checking out. It's a teacherxstudent romance called "Autumn Leaves". Thanks a bunch, guys! Just type in wattpad etc. and then story/150768002-autumn-leaves-a-teacherxstudent-romance

2. New Stories: I just recently put out a Ready Player One fic called "The Cigarette Duet", and I have a few stories coming out soon. There's a Full Metal Alchemist story and there's also a Firefly fic coming out (not too sure when), and a Marvel's Spider-Man (2017 cartoon) that might be published tonight. Also a few one-shots, and definitely some Pokémon stories XD Please support them!