It was a warm fall afternoon, fall's final elegy. For once, Suguha Kirigaya wouldn't mind if the air was a bit chillier. She runs down the street with the familiar unwieldy weight of her sword pressing down on her back. Sweat drips down her forehead and tickles her nose. If only the day was cooler.

Mother disliked the idea at first. She thought it would waste time and money. She's correct for the latter. Suguha spent her life savings… and some of her mother's… for it, but the girl still thinks it's all worth the effort. After enough late-night discussions, she secured her mother's blessing due to a simple statement.

"Mother, this might be my last chance to be his little sister!"

She and Kazuto drifted apart. Perhaps that isn't the best way to describe it. They were close at one point, up to four years ago, that was true. She wouldn't call them best friends, but they were damn good ones. Then, he just stopped. He stayed in his room whenever possible. He dropped out of kendo. He spent all his free time playing video games. Saguha had to spend all her time practicing kendo instead. It was the only thing that saved him from Grandfather's wrath.

Why am I doing this? She knows it's stupid and probably won't work. They'll just drift apart forever, like so many other brothers and sisters she knows. He'll do his thing; she'll do her thing. They'll grow up, move to different parts of Japan, and see each other maybe once or twice a year until they grow old and die.

But, I don't want that.

In kendo tournaments, some of opponents grew desperate. They realized she far outclassed them, and they'd soon lose. They'd do either one of two things. They played defensive, stretching out the match but sacrificing any chance of victory. Or, they'd do something crazy, a wild move that would end the game in a moment. She'd beat her opponent every time… except once. Once, that wild move beat her.

Right now, she's that desperate player and Kazuto is her opponent. She could either play it defensive, accept that they were drifting apart and mitigate the loses. Or, she could do something insane, a final attempt to be his little sister again.

That's why she's running home. She has the world of kendo, friends, and good grades while he has the world of video games. She will take the offensive and invade his weird world of virtual existence. This is her wild move.

The young girl stops in front of their house panting. She leans on her knees for a few moments to regain her composure. Then, she straightens her posture and wipes the sweat from her brow. Her house looms overhead without a single light on. Mother must not be home yet. Kazuto doesn't turn on lights when he's gaming.

She enters the home and glances at the clock. It's 16:45. People around the world have been playing this video game for hours already, nine hundred and ninety-nine of them. The other one stood in line since yesterday afternoon to get the game only to spend the first few hours after launch at kendo practice instead.

She runs up the stairs to the second floor and stopped by her brother's door. Peeking inside, she sees him laying on the bed with that helmet on. He was a beta-tester for the game, apparently a pretty good one at that. It's sorta why she bought the game, because of a chance conversation they had one afternoon.

He walked down the stairs that Saturday and opened the fridge. She sat on the dining table, working on her homework.

"This is the first time I've seen you today, brother. What are you doing up there?" She looks down at her work again, a confusing conglomerate of numbers and equations. The girl didn't expect her brother to respond. She was only making small talk anyway.

He closed the fridge door with a carton of milk in his hand. As he poured the glass, he answered, "Betaing a game." He gulped down the milk and wiped the residue off his lips. "You won't be able to talk to me while I'm playing it. It's fully immersive."

She scratched her head. Some of the nerdier boys at school were talking about some new game, fully immersive. "A VRNNO?"

He chuckled, something she hasn't see much anymore, and shook his head. "No, a VRMMO, Sword Art Online. Um, to simplify the specifics, you put on a helmet and get… sucked into the game. When you want to raise your arm, your avatar raises his arm. If you're a good swordsman IRL, then your character would have those skills too… I think."

She set her pencil down. "Oh, so if I joined, I'd kick your butt with my kendo." She smiled at that thought. It's been years since they dueled. Back then, she won more often than not.

He shrugged. "Maybe. The combat is a bit different with the gaming mechanics. I'm pretty good at it too." He stretched his arms. "Well, I guess we'll never know. Too bad you'd never come within a few meters of a video game, Sugu." Before she could say anything else, he walked back up to his room.

Suguha took a deep breath and muttered to herself, "Yeah… But, maybe we will know." She smiled at that idea.

Now, she closes the door to his room. She carefully puts her sword away and changes out of her sweaty clothes. That helmet sits on her bed, almost staring back at her with lifeless eyes. The girl shudders. video games exist in a lifeless world. No matter how real they might feel, they never will be like real life. It's a virtual outlet to escape from reality. In Kazuto's case, to escape from his family. From her. She doesn't like video games at all, but her brother lives in these. If she wants to become part of his life again, she'll have to start here. Maybe, just maybe, it will let them be brother and sister again.

She lays down in her bed and puts on the helmet. It feels cold on her skin, like winter's dry breeze. She repeats his avatar's name in her head. She got him to mention it once, and she never forgot it since. He's Kirito in the game, not her brother. He's another life, another person. She'll find him. Maybe he'll be angry, maybe he'll be happy, but she's going to find out.

She's Suguha Kirigaya. She won't back down from a fight.

Taking one final deep breath, the girl initiates the game. Her head tingles for a moment, as if she drank too much tea. Then, her world becomes a dazzling display of colors. For a moment, she feels weightless, bodyless. She sees orbs. Five, one for each sense. They last for only a second before displaying ok in their place. At the very least, she'll be able to eat desserts now without getting fat.

It asks for her language and selects Japanese for her. Did it read my thoughts, or is that the only option for now? It asks for her login. Since she doesn't have one, she spends the next few minutes creating one, supplying an email, and finally making it past that stage.

Welcome to Sword Art Online it reads. She sees an overpowering explosion of blue before entering a dark room. Character Creation. Please Select a Name and Character.

The room lights up. Suguha feels overwhelmed by the options. Every corner of the room has countless choices. Hundreds of bodies, hair styles, even different noses. I'm not going to waste my time on this.

She selects female. Then, she selects a random option. It gives her a short, blonde girl with a nice enough face. Meh. That's fine. When it asks for a name, she inputs Leafa. It's fall, so the leaves are falling. Why not, right?

It asks her to confirm the choice, and she does. With that single click, her body no longer stands in the character room. She blinks.

She hears noises, the chatter of people. The air smells like a mixture between spring's excitement and baked bread. She licks her lips and feels the coolness of her spit evaporating from her skin. She raises her hand, but it's not her hand. She sees Leafa's hand.

Suguha giggles, but it's not her voice. She gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. Hearing whispering behind her, she sees two… people looking at her, a tall woman and a short man. The woman notices that their whispering reached Leafa's ears, so she waives at the newb.

"First time playing?" Leafa nods. The woman nods in understanding. "Well, you've started out with some cor. That's our currency. It's enough to buy a starting weapon so you can start grinding. Try that vendor." The points to an NPC sitting at a stall. "We're pretty sure that one has the best stats for a starter."

Leafa bows. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." The pair walk off to wherever their going. Leafa makes her way to the vendor. For a moment, she wonders how to buy something. Her eyes widen. She swipes her hand and opens a… something. A tab, display? Either way, she's glad she watched a few tutorials. Too bad her brother never made any. Then, she'd know where to look… Maybe she should've told him she bought the game instead of making it a surprise.

She shakes her head. No time for regrets. Knowing her brother, he must be in some distant corner of this level hacking away at random monsters. Every moment she wastes is a moment he gets farther and farther away.

She looks for a weapon that looks like her shinai. With all her kendo skills, it would be stupid to not use her talents. She finds one, an expensive one. It uses all her cor, but what else could she buy? Clothes? Food? Potions? Nah, she'd rather have a shinai.

She places her sword on her back. It is a sword after all. Hitting monsters with a bamboo stick would be laughably stupid. Even she knows that, but this sword has enough similarities.

She looks around the town. There aren't many people around her, real ones. They must be out grinding, like her brother. Since she can't contact anyone in-game without being in the same party or being friends, she'll have to physically find him. Either that or tell him to meet her somewhere when they have dinner tonight, but that would take away any surprise.

She runs. It she goes in the same direction long enough, she'll make it out of this town, a pretty town. It reminds her of an old medieval city. The walls are stone and wood, but vibrant colors decorate the drab architecture with tapestries and vendor stalls. Her feet clop on the stone roads, like shoes on concrete sidewalks. She even feels her body tire. Her legs give the slightest amount of ache, but this body seems to be more fit than her body. No, that isn't it. This body is older, but just as fit. Maybe she can run this much in a few years.

After exiting one of the city gates, she gasps in surprise. It's not real. It's all virtual, but… She spins in a circle, feeling the sun's warmth shifting around her body. Wind meanders through rolling, grassy hills like a lover's hand twirling through his darling's hair. The sky is a deep blue, like a painting hanging in a museum. This world is pretty. It feels pretty.

Realizing a few people give confused looks in her direction, she recomposes herself, but her cheeks turn red. Clenching her fists, she runs down a dirt path that winds through the hills. She doesn't know much about her brother's avatar, but he mentioned once how it's male with longer black hair. He probably thinks it looks cool too. Silly brother.

With every step she takes, other players move farther away. Within a few minutes, she's alone. How big is this world? The tranquility ends with a squeal. Turning her head, she sees an ugly boar with red eyes. It stands a dozen meters to her left and clomps its hoofs on the grass, creating ruts in the pristine earth.

I came here to play with my brother. I might as well know how to kill stuff when I meet him.

She unsheathes her sword and rests in a familiar stance. Her kendo instructor would be proud. "Come at me, uh, piggy!" she shouts. Perhaps the AI understands the challenge or maybe the boar attacked because she yelled. It doesn't matter. The boar charges.

She feels power, an unnatural power. At the edge of her vision, she sees a curved red bar filling up. Oh, that fighting mechanic thingy. When it fills to the max, she attacks. It took a moment, but she lunged forward, swiped her blade down, and dodged the tusks of the boar. The line between the game mechanics and her skills were blurred in that moment, but as the pig exploded into tiny shards, she felt satisfaction. A window popped up showing what she earned. Some exp, cor, and items. Though, pig skin doesn't seem to have much use. Maybe she's supposed to sell that in a town.

"Well Sug- Um… Well, Leafa. That wasn't too bad." She sheathes her sword. "At this rate, maybe I could beat my brother. That'd be fun." She looks into the distance and sees another pig. She smiles and charges to her next opponent. This world is too big to wander into her brother by chance. She'll have to tell him when they're done playing. Until then, she might as well show him she's serious about this game… serious about being his little sister.

The sun moves from the very reaches of the sky to resting on top of the hills. Leafa's stomach grumbles, reminding her of real-life dinner. She checks the in-game clock. 5:29. Damn it! Mother will need help with making the meal. She's gonna be pissed.

She opens the gaming menu and clicks the logout bu- She tilts her head. Where is it? She knows it should be right there, but it's just a blank space. She sighs. Someone in town should know how to logout. Still, she could've sworn it should be right there.

Bells right. Is it an in-game event? Her world shifts to white. Then, she sees stone. She's back in the starting city. Looking around, she's apparently not the only one. Hundreds, no thousands of avatars appear around her. Each has the same look. Confused. Scared. Jumpy. They didn't expect this to happen either.

On the bright side, Kazuto must be here too. She searches all the faces for one that could be him. The bells still ring on a clocktower in the center of wherever they're at. The town square? It sits up there ringing, an ominous tone while it seems to tiny on top of the tower. It's as if it's a god staring down at them. It beckoned, and they arrived. Then, it stops. Leafs only hears the hushed murmurs of other players now.

Everything takes a red tint. Some people scream. Leafa looks up and sees the once beautiful sunset skies now plastered with red warning tiles. Blood drips down and converges into a single entity hanging above them. A hooded figure stares down at the avatars. I don't like this game.

"Attention, players." The voice booms and rattles her insides. "Welcome to my world." He raises his arms and the length almost seems to spam the town square. "My name is Kaybaya Akihito." Isn't he this game's creator? "As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world. I'm sure you've already noticed, but the logout button is missing from the main menu."

He opens his own main menu and shows his too is missing. "But that is not a defect of the game. I repeat… this is not a defect of the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves." WHAT?! "And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. If anyone attempts to remove the gear, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and ending your life."

Is this a joke? She looks around. Almost every face she sees is twisted into one of pure horror. This can't be real. It's a video game, not real life. We… we can't die here.

"Unfortunately, several players' families and friends already tried to remove the NerveGear despite my warnings. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world."

Leafa gasps. A tear falls down her cheek.

"As you can see…" Various news sites pop around the cloaked figure. "News outlets are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is minimal. But, I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone in the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost, and simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

I'm going to die.

"There is only one means of escape, to complete the game."

Leafa's legs give way. She sits on the floor. This game was supposed to take time to complete. Brother mentioned that. A year, two years. She'll be trapped in a game for years? No, she'll die. She'll make a mistake. Everyone does. Then, she'll die. She'll never get to see her mother again. She'll never get to grow up, go to college, get a job, and marry some nice man. She'll never get to see Kazuto again. He'll die too.

She sees other players opening their inventories. All of them are. She wasn't paying attention to what that murderer was saying. Maybe it was a trick. Maybe an item in their inventory is the way out. She opens hers and sees a mirror. She taps it. A mirror forms in front of her, so she grabs it. She sees her face and blonde hair. Is that all?

Her world becomes glistening white. When it fades back, she sees a different face staring back, her face. She drops the mirror and it disintegrates on the floor. People scream around her. Everyone seems less… fake. She swallows. We're all us now. She smiles. But, I can find my brother easier. But.. we're going to die!

Suguha doesn't notice what the floating demon says. She clutches her head and cries. She's a girl, a young girl now thrust into a life or death situation. She's surrounded by strangers, people she never met. She curls into a ball. Never has she felt so alone.

She doesn't move until someone trip on her. Then, someone steps on her hand. She forces herself to stand. Some people run. Others scream. It's chaos.

Remembering her brother's avatar name, she screams, "Kirito!" He's her lifeline, the one person in the real world in this one. "Kirito!" He's a gamer. He might be able to survive. Maybe he'll help her. "Kirito!" Even if she dies, maybe he could give her dying words to everyone in the real world. "Kirito!" That way, she won't die alone. "Kirito!" She won't die among strangers. "KIRITO!" She'll die among family.

She screams his name until her voice becomes hoarse. No one answers her. She sobs alone in this game o death.

She sobs until she feels a hand on her shoulder. Her voice croaks, "Kirito?" She looks up but sees a stranger's face. He smiles a toothy grin and his reddish-brown hair looks unkempt. Behind him stand a few other men. She swallows. What are they going to do to her?

"Did you say Kirito?" The speaker looks worried. "Skinny guy, dark hair for both avatar and irl?" She nods her head. "You know him?"

"He…" She swallows. "He's my brother. He doesn't know I'm here. This is my first video game. Do you know where he is?"

He holds out a hand. She takes it, and he pulls her up. "The name's Klein, beautiful."

She narrows her eyes. "I'm thirteen."

He lets go of her hand. "Sorry. Um, Kirito went off to the next town. We'll point you in the right direction, but it'll be dangerous. You any good at this game?"

"I'm level two." She smiles at Klein. She might be able to find her brother thanks to him.

"Already? Yeah, like brother like sister I guess." He shrugs. "This is me and my buddies. We're going to stay around here for a while, better safe than sorry. But, come on."

He walks out the western gate. She and his friend follow. Klein still talks. "He's a quiet fellow, but he's clearly a badass at the game too, you know? I guess you would know actually. Anyway, he went to the next village since this one will get picked over pretty soon. I'd be willing to bet he'll stay in one of those hotels. Hang around that town. You should be able to spot him tonight or when he leaves in the morning. Spread the word around too. People will be happy to help. You're a chick."

She clenches her fists. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He laughs. "Over half the female avatars were dudes. You're in a game of young men as one of the few young women. Most guys will bend over backwards for a simply thank you."

She smirks. "Like what you're doing now?"

He scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stops walking. They reached the edge of the city. Pointing down a dirt path, he says, "That'll take you directly there, miss. What's your name?"

"Suguha."

"No, your avatar one. We're not supposed to use irl ones."

She blushes. "Oh." She glances back at his friends. They seem to be smiling but not in a condescending way. "Um, it's Leafa."

Klein opens his menu. He taps something, and she sees a friend request form in front of her. "This way, we can message each other. If we ever spot Kirito, I'll contact you to get your family reunion underway."

Leafa accepts the request. "Thanks, Klein. Really. I… You don't know how much this means to me."

He gives her a wide smile and a thumbs up. "No problem. If you ever need some help, give me a shout. Okay?" She nods. He exaggeratedly points into the distance. "Now, go find thine brother, young maiden!" She glares at him. "Sorry, but go get him. Okay?"

She nods and waives goodbye. Then, she runs down the path.

I'll find you brother. I promise.

One month later, two thousand people died. None of them were her, her brother, or Klein. Yet, she hadn't seen either of them since.

Floor 1 had yet to be cleared, but she believes Kirito will be there when it does. That's why she works to become the best swordswoman in the game. He'll be a high-level player. So will she. It'll give her a better chance to find her brother, apparently a solo and unbearably elusive player.

No, he's a solo and unbearably elusive and solo person. Well, she'll break into his world somehow, and nothing will stop her.

Yui's Comments:

Hi, I'm Yui! I'll help the author at the end of these chapters. Since I can access the code, I can tell you things like expected publishing dates, in-game information, and what the author plans for the story. I know this won't be a harem story, but some things are unclear. Especially pairings, even if there will be any at all.

I'll also reply to your comments in this section. Isn't that nice?

Some of you might question why Leafa couldn't find Kirito after a month of searching. Even though she knew where he would initially go, Kirito quickly went to the secluded portions of the game. Not many people have seen him, so he never learned that Leafa wants to meet him.

It's okay though! They'll meet next chapter. I think you know why.

Also, some of you might wonder why Leafa picked up SAO so well. She was able to use her real life skills effectively in the game despite the differences.

Anyway, have a nice day! I'll be seeing you early next month… Well, probably. Goodbye!