Disclaimer:

I DO NOT own anything related to the Sword Art Online franchise in this story. I own nothing except for the plot itself and any OC that will be presented. Also in this story ALO and anything after the SAO incident didn't happen. Kazuto doesn't know that Suguha has started playing VRMMO.

Chapter 1

First Floor: Town of New Beginnings

…

"Are you sure they're already there?" Asuna asked. Kazuto simply smiled at her reassuringly while holding onto her hand. It had been a couple of months since they last saw their friends and now after a long time they were finally going to see each other again. They were all going to meet where everything started.

"I bet they're already messing around there." Kazuto reassured her. Knowing their friends they would have already logged in before them and are probably running around inside Aincrad. Klein would be hitting on the women he meets; Agil would be haggling with the NPC in the shops while both Lisbeth and Silica would be wandering around the town.

"Yeah, well we need to hurry. Yui must be already waiting for us." Asuna reminded him. This made both of them smile. They've been away for far too long from their in game daughter and being able to login and seeing her again was something they have been so looking forward to for a long time. Finally, after their long break they would see her once more.

…

The sun was already rising in the east when Kirito and Asuna's characters materialized at the plaza in the "Town of Beginnings". There were already a lot of people moving about as the most awaited moment closely approached. One-by-one familiar faces started to appear and gathered near the monument of swordsmen, each with a smile in their face and hope shining brightly in their eyes. Players both new and old have gathered for this one momentous day, the day in which the grand quest to conquer the floating iron-and-stone castle "Aincrad", arrives.

"I think we're kind of early." Asuna told Kirito as she observed their surroundings. Looking around she saw a couple of familiar faces but none of which were the ones they were looking for. Kirito looked around as well but found none of their friends among the crowd.

"They're probably playing around here somewhere." Kirito said nonchalantly. They had almost stopped searching when someone standing at the other side of the plaza shouted at them. Slowly, the image of that person became clearer as he walked towards them waving.

"Hey Kirito, Hey Asuna," Klein greeted the two.

"Hey." Agil greeted them from beside Klein.

"Hello, it's nice to see you two again." Asuna cheerfully greeted the both of them.

"So it's just you guys." Kirito said nonchalantly while looking if there was anyone else with them. After checking the area beside and behind the two, Kirito surrendered and accepted that it was just his two friends that were there.

"Why are you like that? We haven't seen each other in such a long time buddy." Klein replied before pulling Kirito into a one arm hug. The black haired swordsman tried to struggle free but Klein held onto him tight. This made Asuna giggle at them while Agil simply shook his head.

"He-he… Still as shy as ever I see." Klein joked before letting Kirito go.

"Now now… Don't tease him too much." Agil told them as he stood between the two.

Asuna giggled as she saw the exchange between the three friends. For others who didn't know them well they would think that Kirito and Klein where seriously going to argue but to their close friends, everyone knew that this was just how they greeted each other.

"Kirito! Asuna!" Two female voices called out to them. Looking around, the group saw both Lisbeth and Silica waving while walking towards them. They were almost complete and the only one that was missing was their special member. Kirito and Asuna both tried to look around the plaza while their friends waited for them but the person they were looking for was nowhere to be found. The two were starting to worry as they haven't heard anything from their in game daughter yet and the time for the game to start was slowly drawing near. They were about to go back to their friends when all of a sudden the sky darkened and a blinding light pierced the sky from the spot where the Monument of Swordsmen used to stand.

…

"Greetings to all and Welcome to the Aincrad." Yui greeted everyone that had assembled in the plaza. This caught everyone's attention, surprising them as they saw a little girl floating in the air and bathing in the pillar of light coming from the spot where the Monument of Swordsmen once stood. Kirito and Asuna both watched with pride as their daughter started to deliver her speech with confidence. She looked so cute in her white dress with her hair tied with a red ribbon that Asuna couldn't help but beam at her. Yui smiled at both of them and then continued on with what she was going to say.

"There are a lot of things that have been changed in the game to meet everyone's expectation and also to make the game more enjoyable. One of the most important changes is that all old characters have been reset to level one. All of their previous Col and items have also been removed." Yui started with her announcement. This caused a wave of murmurs from the old players in the crowd, most of them didn't agree with the reset while the rest didn't mind at all. Yui didn't let the discussion below affect her and instead she continued on with her announcement.

"This is to balance the game and give everyone a level playing field. Do not worry because as compensation, one precious item that you have held onto during your first play through would be returned to you." Yui explained. This caused another wave of murmurs from the crowd, the old players were satisfied with her explanation but the new players were starting to complain that it wouldn't be fair for them. Again, Yui didn't let the new player's complains get to her and instead continued on.

"For new players, a reward system has been implemented. If you work hard then you will be rewarded with an item that will be specifically suited for your character." Yui explained the benefits for the new players. After her explanation all of the people gathered in the plaza fell silent. Everyone seemed to have been satisfied with her news because no one else said anything after that. Yui finished with her explanation about the changes and after that said her last piece.

"And lastly, to commemorate this special day, the previous Monument of Swordsmen will be replaced with this pillar of light, a symbol that promises that there will always be a better tomorrow, here in Aincrad." Yui said as she finished her speech. Once she had said the final words, the pillar of light bursted, scattering pieces of light towards the people that were gathered. Each person received two items in their inventory and upon checking it, saw that they were named as "Light of Salvation" and "Seed of Light".

Everyone cheered as they saw the gifts that they had received. Both were permanent items and were character bound. First, the "Light of Salvation" would send the owner back to the pillar of light in case his or her Health points reached zero, so instead of dying, one would simply be sent back to the starting point or his/her save point and incur only a slight deduction in their experience points and their Col. The second, the "Seed of Light" was an item that could give back an old player's most valued item from his/her first play through or for a new player, a fitting reward.

…

"We are so proud of you." Asuna told Yui before bringing her daughter into a tight hug. Kirito stood beside them, watching while his wife and daughter hugged. It had been too long since they had seen her and the performance she just did earlier really touched him dearly.

"Yes, so proud." Kirito seconded while patting their daughter's head. Each one of their friends had a smile on their face as they watched the scene in front of them. This was probably one of the few families that were formed during the tragic events of the SAO incident so it was heart warming to see how well they were bonded. After a couple of minutes of chatting between the three, Klein broke the silence by asking the group of what they wanted to do.

"So what do we do now?" Klein asked the group as he sat down on one of the benches around the pillar of light. Agil simply shrugged while the others tried to think hard of what they wanted to do. Kirito on the other hand already had already thought things through so it didn't take long before he voiced out his opinion.

"Since we're all back to level one, then why not form a party and go on an adventure?" Kirito asked while alternating his gaze among their friends.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Asuna agreed. Since they were all starting from scratch once more, they decided to form a party and level at the same time. During their first play through of SAO, they were scattered all over and levelled up with either a different party or went soloing. Now that they were all together, they could simply for a party and play together when they wanted or needed.

"If that's the case then I'll take Lisbeth with me and we'll take care of the equipment and supply." Agil offered them before looking at Lisbeth for confirmation. The other simply nodded in reply before walking over to Agil's side. This caused a smirk to appear on Silica's face.

"So, are you two together now?" Silica asked with a mischievous smile on her face. This made both Agil and Lisbeth blush. The two however quickly recovered and immediately denied everything.

"I already have a wife!" Agil exclaimed in his defence.

"As if I'd fall for him. You know I like someone else." Lisbeth added.

Silica giggled as the two burst out their defence. It was so fun to tease her friends because they were easy to stir up. She was still giggling because of her handy work when Klein suddenly stepped forward.

"Kids like you shouldn't be thinking about things like that yet." Klein scolded her before picking her up by grabbing the back of her clothes and putting her down far away from the two. The rest of the group laughed hard at this including the two that were the target of her mischief. Once they've all calmed down, both Agil and Lisbeth said their goodbyes before disappearing at the start of road that leads to the market.

…

Yui asked to be left at the town because she still had to attend to some tasks that were assigned to her by the system. She was now going to stand as a mediator between the game and the players, a role that she was originally built for so right now she couldn't freely go with both Asuna and Kirito. Asuna and Kirito were hesitant at first but after Yui's explanation that she would be able to join them once she was done, the two had no other choice but to let her go.

Once all preparations for the party's supply and equipment were complete, the group went out of town and headed for the nearest mob respawn point. Since there wasn't any real rush to complete the game, there weren't that many people moving around in the open field. Only a number of groups could be seen and most of them were composed noobies.

As soon as they saw one of the spots that was said to be a spawn point for monsters, the group settled down and waited for the monsters to start appearing. It didn't take long till the wild boars started to appear and one-by-one they took them down. Each player taking on a wild boar by themselves.

"Brings back memories right?" Klein asked Kirito while slashing one of the wild boars close to him. The latter simply nodded while he himself swung his sword against one of the monsters beside him. The rest of the group did the same and charged at the remaining mob, gaining experience and items as time moved on. Everything seemed to go on smoothly until a large shadow appeared before them.

"No way," Agil muttered in disbelief as he looked at a six foot tall, half human-half wolf monster that stood in front of him. It has a huge body and carried a massive sword in its right hand while it's left held a buckler. It wasn't something they had ever seen before and probably something that should only exist on a higher floor.

"A field boss this early in the game?" Klein asked out loud.

The monster immediately noticed their party and started to charge directly for them. Everyone was temporarily stunned by the field Boss' discover that they weren't able to immediately move to block or attack the monster. Kirito was the only one that wasn't affected so he was quickly able to run towards the field Boss' path, blocking its attack and giving his party mates a time to move into position.

"No time to think about it." Kirito told them as he positioned himself for a counterattack on the Boss monster.

"We'll take him on as a team." Asuna shouted at him. Being away from the game didn't seem to have changed her at all because as soon as they found their first Boss monster, Asuna quickly changed into leader mode. She barked orders to each party member, using them as the situation calls for.

"Klein, switch," Kirito shouted as he moved back from his target. Klein charged forward his sword glowing with the skill that he was about to unleash.

"We're not done yet. Lisbeth, Silica, quick switch." Asuna ordered as she immediately lunged forward towards the monster, charged Rapier in hand. Silica and Lisbeth followed behind her, releasing their charged skill, one after the other. In quick succession the three women launched a volley of attacks. The Boss monster's health bar dropped significantly after their continued attack but it still had one life bar that was full green.

"So tough and we're still on the first floor." Klein complained.

"You must be getting old." Agil joked.

"No time to stop. We'll rest once this one goes down." Kirito told them before charging once again. Klein and Agil followed behind him ready to switch when the opportunity came. After a couple more minutes of non-stop attack the field Boss finally fell and bursted into dust of blue light.

"Finally," Lisbeth and Silica both said in relief as they fell on the grass covered earth.

Everyone was already exhausted but they all had a huge grin on their face. They all felt contented, the satisfaction of fighting a tough opponent, the rush, and the enjoyment one gets when one fights with their friends at their side. This was something they didn't have when they were still fighting for their lives during the SAO incident. Now however, they can finally take their own pace and enjoy the game as much as they want.

…

The party was already resting a good distance from the monster respawn point when another party arrived. From where they were seated they couldn't tell who it was but they could see that the leader of the party was a good strategist. He was able to use his party members efficiently, giving direction as he see fit while still maximizing their strength.

"He's good." Asuna observed.

"Yeah and those two swordswoman with him aren't half bad as well." Kirito observed as the two he mentioned lunged forward to strike the monster. The two made a good pair as they were able to keep on switching without giving the enemy a chance to recover. This made him watch them more closely earning him Asuna's jealous stare.

"I mean they're good but not as good as you." Kirito saved before giving off a nervous chuckle. The rest of the party laughed as they saw Asuna's blushing face. Everyone agreed that it was a good save and just in the nick of time as well or else Kirito would have gotten it. They were so absorbed with their conversation that they failed to notice another monster appear near the second party.

A loud scream shattered the silence of the surrounding as one of the second party's member fell to the ground. This caught everyone attention in Kirito's party making them turn to look at the source of the scream. The second party that was earlier holding its ground against the mob of monsters was now being pushed back by a large monster, the same monster that they had just faced earlier.

"They need help." Kirito told his companions before running towards the second group. The rest of his party followed behind him, weapons ready in hand.

"Fall back!" The party leader of the second group ordered. His party members didn't need to be told twice so they slowly retreated while avoiding the field Boss' attacks. These seemed to have been a good tactic but the boss monster was too quick for them. It raised its sword high up above its head as it aimed to attack the grey haired swordswoman from their party. The leader quickly dashed in her defence, shielding her from the Boss' attack, taking in the full damage himself. Luckily for him before the monster could ready itself for another attack, Kirito and his party arrived.

"Retreat!" Asuna shouted at them while she and Kirito took the lead in attacking the field Boss. Klein and Agil were not far behind, sword and axe ready they waited for the signal from the first pair so that they could immediately launch the second volley of attack when the two were ready to switch.

"Kirito? Asuna?" Thinker said in disbelief. He and his party were already a good distance from the fight so now he could already see clearly who it was who save them. Relief washed his body as he saw the familiar faces of his friends coming to their aid.

"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Silica asked as she and Lisbeth examined Thinker's party members. Thinker told them that he was okay and that they should check the others instead of him. While the two women were busy attending to the wounds of the rest of the party, Thinker was beside Yulier, making sure that she was alright.

"I'm alright. Good thing they arrived." Yulier told him while watching Kirito's party take care of the field Boss.

Kirito and the rest of the group continued to switch places, hitting the monster with everything that they got. He and Asuna attacked from the front while Klein and Agil both took the Boss Monster's left and right flank, attacking whenever there was an opening. Everything seemed to be going smoothly when all of a sudden the field Boss changed its target and immediately launched its special attack towards Kirito.

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted as she tried to run and shield Kirito from the Boss monster's special attack. Death seemed imminent until a white flash erupted in between Kirito and the Boss monster. Surprised, Kirito saw that it was the blond swordswoman that was fighting the monster earlier instead of Asuna.

"Switch!" Asuna shouted to the blond swordswoman. The latter fell back while Asuna charged forward towards the Boss monster with her strongest skill. She quickly launched it, sending a volley of thrust towards the body of the field Boss. In an instant the Boss monster vanish leaving only blue dusts of light that were scattered by the wind.

As soon as they were sure that it was already safe, Kirito plus the rest of his group along with the blond swordswoman lay down panting on the grass covered field. It was just as tough as the first battle they had only this time they were lucky that they got help from the second party.

"Kirito." Thinker called out.

"Thinker? Yulier?" Kirito muttered in disbelief when he saw the pair. Who knew that they were going to meet two old friends this early in the game? They tried to reach the married couple in real life but due to Thinker and Yulier's busy work schedule, Asuna and Kirito weren't able to verify if they would still be able to play with them.

"Can you stand?" The blond swordswoman asked. This made Kirito turn to look at the person as she extended her hand to help him stand. Kirito took it and stood up while dusting himself. The rest of their parties gathered around them and formed a circle so that everyone could get a good look at the others.

"Thanks." Kirito said to the blond swordswoman as he shook her hand.

"You're welcome." The blond swordswoman replied with a smile.

"Good thing you guys came in the nick of time." Thinker said with a smile while scratching his nape. Yulier and the rest of their party stood beside him and bowed respectfully. Though there was no fear of actual death, it was still a good thing that they were saved.

"We just happen to be here." Asuna replied shyly while Klein and Agil simply grinned from behind her. The two parties joined together and walked towards the spot that Kirito's party was resting at earlier before they had to come to the second party's aid.

"By the way, since you guys already know us let me introduce you to the rest of our members that you don't know yet. This is Leafa and Asuka." Thinker introduced his two other party members to Kirito's party. He introduced the blond swordswoman from earlier and a raven haired one that stood at the back quietly. After that they celebrated among themselves and enjoyed their rest before heading back to the field to level up.

"It's completely different from the SAO that we used to play." Kirito said to Thinker as they walked towards the next Monster respawn point. The latter agreed and started to tell them about what he learned about the changes that were implemented.

"For one thing. It seems that there will always be field Boss monsters running around the fields until the next floor is opened or the Boss monster of the current floor is killed." Thinker explained to the group of his observation. The rest of the two parties nodded in understanding. Since there was no fear of actual death then it means that they could spawn more monsters and make the game a little more challenging. This would also encourage players to bond together and take on challenges as a team.

"Yeah, and since there's no fear of actual death, the monsters that are spawned are tougher than before." Klein added.

"Well it's not like we should complain about it. More monsters mean more items and more money. Ha-ha-ha." Agil interjected.

"If things will get tougher as we ascend the tower, then I guess its best we keep our party. Soloing might not be possible anymore." Kirito told the group. The rest of the group agreed with him. Kirito should know best since he was the only one who ever played solo in SAO before. If he thinks that it would be difficult for a player to solo or be in a small group then they should take his word for it.

"Well I think being in a party is better." Asuna commented before hugging onto Kirito's arm. The black haired swordsman blushed due to their contact. It wasn't because he was embarrassed, on the contrary he was rather proud. He just isn't used to people seeing them like that.

"I agree." "Me too," Both Klein and Agil said at the same time.

"If that's the case then since there are two parties here, why not form a guild? So in case your current party members are not available, you can invite the others from the other group." Thinker suggested. The members of the two parties agreed with his suggestion. It was a good idea and since they all now know each other, it would be beneficial for them to form a guild.

"Yeah, the more the merrier." Silica added cheerfully.

"If that's the case then back to town." Lisbeth exclaimed as she pointed towards the town using her mace. The rest of the group laughed at her enthusiasm. It was very out of character for Liz to be this way but times are changing and so should they.

…

Once they got back into town, the group headed for the pub and got themselves a table they could use for their meeting. It was rowdy and crowded but they were still able to find a quiet spot at the back of the pub in the form of the corner table. Everyone took their seat and their informal meeting started.

"First of all, we should decide on what to name our guild." Thinker suggested.

"That's right. We should get a name that would easily be recognized by others but still represent the players in it." Agil added. Everyone agreed and they soon started pitching in the names they wanted their guild to be known. Every name was as good as the first but none of them were the ones the whole guild agreed upon. An hour passed and they were still to decide on the name they wanted to be known when all of a sudden Lisbeth came up with a name.

"Why not Silver Fangs?" Lisbeth asked the group.

"Silver Fangs?" Silica asked from beside her.

"Yeah, swords represent our weapons and Fangs, well every one of our front liners are ferocious so that should describe them right?" Lisbeth told the group.

"That could work." Klein commented while rubbing his thin beard as he thought about it.

"Yeah." "That sounds like a good idea." Both Thinker and Yulier said at the same time.

Kirito and Asuna didn't pitch in much with the discussion at hand but thought that Lisbeth's suggestion was good as well. After a couple of minutes of talking about it, the group finally agreed that that was the name they were going to use for their guild. Since they agreed, Thinker opened the second topic for discussion.

"So Silver Fangs it is. Now for the next order of business would be to pick who our Guild Leader would be." Thinker said while looking around the table.

"It should be Kirito." Asuna, Silica and Lisbeth said in unison. This surprised the rest of the group but most of all, the person who was being nominated himself. Silica and Lisbeth blushed when Asuna turned to look at them. She knew that the two looked up to Kirito but she didn't expect this level of enthusiasm from them. Silica simply continued to blush as Asuna looked at them while Lisbeth mumbled some sort of explanation that none of the people around the table understood.

"I envy you buddy." Klein joked while poking Kirito's side with his elbow.

"Wow, lucky bastard." Agil joked.

Thinker, Yulier and Asuka simply laughed at their jokes while Asuna continued to question Silica and Lisbeth. After a couple more jokes from both Klein and Agil, the meeting finally continued on. Other names were suggested like Thinker and Klein but both, like Kirito declined the position. Since all of the players from the front lines declined the position, everyone turned their attention towards Asuna.

"Asuna can do it." Kirito proudly said out loud. He pulled her into a one arm hug and smiled at the rest of the group to show his support of her. The rest of the group nodded in agreement and from what he could see, it seemed that it was going to be a unanimous decision. Asuna however didn't want think it was a good idea.

"Kirito." Asuna told him off.

"That's right, she's a good choice." Klein agreed.

"There's no one better." Yulier commented.

"Since you led the front lines most of the time before, then there's no one else better." Agil commented. This caused a number of heads around the table to nod in agreement. Asuna blushed because of their confidence in her but still had doubts.

"You can do it." Kirito told Asuna while holding onto both of her arms. He looked into her eyes and smiled at her. This melted Asuna's heart making her accept the position without any further resistance. There really wasn't anything she could do once Kirito asks her like this. Everyone shouted and cheered when Asuna accepted her position. There really wasn't any better candidate than her because she was the one who was able to hold the highest position among them. Once the other guilds and players learned that she was their Guild Leader, their Guild would instantly become famous.

Since they were already able to decide on the name of their guild and their Guild Leader, the whole group shifted into party mode. Orders of food and drinks started to arrive and fill the table in front of them. Everyone happily chatted with one another while the others sang to entertain them. Their party continued on until the moon out and the stars accompanied it as they twinkled in the sky. They were already in the peak of their enjoyment when Kirito suddenly stood up from his chair and called their attention.

"To Silver Fangs!" Kirito shouted as he raised a toast for their Guild.

"To Silver Fangs!" The group all shouted in unison.

"For our journey towards the top!"

Author's Note:

My first ever SAO Fanfic.. I've just recently finished watching the whole season 1 and it got me thinking of trying to write my own version of the story after the SAO incident.. I really liked the part of the anime that focused on the character's life inside Aincrad because it had a lot of interactions and interesting stories/side stories.. Well that's it for now.. More chapters to be uploaded later.. I hope you liked my first chapter..