This is a Sword Art Online fanfiction. Trapped in a virtual world, ten thousand unwilling participants must clear all hundred floors of the floating castle, Aincrad, to return to reality. However, a death in SAO means the death of their physical body as well.

P.S. Slightly AU with respect to Suguha.

-!? Chapter 1 ?!

It crashed through my head like lightning, a mix of sound, force, and pain. My body was uncomfortably numb, tingling like a limb that had fallen asleep, prickling points of almost-pain flickering beneath my skin. Sensations began to filter in through the lessening static – the scent of dirt and leather, of the rough scratch of cobblestones against my cheek as my hands pushed ineffectually in their attempts to raise my quivering too-heavy body. I opened my eyes, fighting the sudden flare of nausea as the blurred images of thousands of shouting and crying players filled my sight. The volume of the chaos seemed oddly low, as if each voice was bubbling up from the depths of the ocean. "..to, Kirito!" I recoiled as if struck as my hearing returned, the plaza snapping into solidarity as the remainder of my eyesight returned with it. "It's me, Klein, let's get out of here." I said nothing as he lifted me to my feet. My eyes latched onto each person we passed as he led me through the tumultuous crowd, heart dropping as I noticed their imperfections.

Shortly before I had been struck into near unconsciousness I had taken out the mirror granted by Kayaba to each player shortly before the impending metamorphosis. As I stared into the crystal clear reflection my heart grew heavy as my avatar began to morph into the slightly feminine young-looking face I was always trying to escape. It had been only a moment before I realized something had gone terribly wrong. Had Suguha used my NerveGear? She must have, but what terrible luck had led to it failing to recalibrate correctly? No matter its cause, the face I now wore was a firm reminder that this world was not my own, and of the burden I would be if I lingered in this dreamworld.

Not noting the cessation of footsteps in front of me my nose bumped into Klein's chest. Hand flying up to cover it as I took a step back I got my first look at the changed Klein. He struck a pseudo-dignified pose, one hand on his chin. "So, what do ya think? Side burns are in, right?" I shook my head, lips crinkling upwards just a hair. "Man, I would have have never guessed you were a girl. Well, maybe a little. Actually now that I think about it..." I started to walk away, thoughts slowly gelling into a recognizable plan. "Hey, where are you going?" Klein called after me, running to catch up.

"To beat the game." It was a bold statement, I knew, but I couldn't just sit and wait for help to come from the outside. As insane as Kayaba now appeared to be, his genius was not something that should be underestimated. In this world of his own creation, he held all the power. For now, I had to trust his word that he would release us upon the clearing of the hundreth floor. Every day spent in this place would mean the slow withering of my true body, would mean an added burden on my sister. I had to escape as quickly as possible.

"What? You can't be thinking of going out there alone." Klein grabbed my arm, pausing me mid-step. "If you die out there it's over. Wait a few hours, I have friends in here with me. With you teaching us we'll beat this game in no time!"

"Let go of me." Twisting my arm in a small circle I broke his grip. My knees trembled as I walked towards the city gate.

"You're in shock, not thinking clearly. Please, think things over a little longer, Kirito-chan."

I wavered for a moment, but his use of -chan convinced me he wasn't ready. He still thought he was in the real world, couldn't fully grasp that his muscles in the real world meant nothing. He didn't accept in his heart that even what appeared to be a thirteen year old girl could kill him in the space of a heartbeat. "I'm sorry Klein, you're not ready to wak where I need to go. I'll try to come back for you when you're ready, if I can." With that I began to jog away, headed for the grassy hillocks that would lead me to the next town.

End Chapter 1:

Not entirely sure how far I'll go with this but it's likely the pairing will turn out to be Kirito/Sachi, if there's a pairing at all. This was sort of just a teaser chapter to see if anyone's interested. Sort of going for an adventure/drama/horror feel with this one. It's been so many months since I've written anything I felt I had to just write something to get back in the swing of things.