So I rewatched SAO yet again and played SAO Integral Factors, that game had me itching to write a SAO fanfic and so here we are. Though I'm replacing Koharu (Your partner in the game) with another OC, Aliff or Lif, her brother.

Their real names are Ainul Mardhiah Binti Yakob and Aliff Aiman Bin Yakob.

Naming custom is where the first two is their own name, Binti & Bin is a gender label where Binti means Ainul is the daughter of Yakob while Bin is Aliff being the son of Yakob, Yakob is their dad's name.

Ainul's Player ID is Lunia since well, she never thought she would be trapped in the game and was lazy with names when making it.
Allif's ID is Franco, though Ainul will still call him as Lif.

Though to follow with Anime setting, they both will be addressed as their player ID by other people.

Ainul is 21 while Lif is 13

Ainul wondered once again why she had given into Lif's pleading in the first place. Oh right, his puppy eyes.

She didn't even manage to argue with him over it before he pulled out the trump card. And being the doting sister she was, she folded in like wet tissue when faced by the full force of her little brother's begging.

So with a put upon sigh, she put on the Nerve Gear helmet to join him in the new VRMMORPG called Sword Art Online.

Going through the process of basically recreating how she looked was an off-putting experience, especially when she can feel the change as if it was real. So she just resorted to keeping her appearance as it is and merely changing the colour of her eyes to a deep garnet since she always thought having red eyes to be neat.

Much to Lif's chagrin, who had increased his height by leap and bound to tower over her and a shock of electric blue hair along with mischievous amethyst eyes. That was very much unnerving to see her midget of a brother who barely reached her chest in real life to loom over her like that.

The world that greeted her when she opened her eyes was simply surreal. Everything was so bright and vivid. It was the first time she could see things clearly without the help of her glasses and thought that she could get used to it.

Ainul had allowed for herself to be guided by Lif on how the game worked, humouring him all the way because she didn't have the heart to say no at the face of his unbridled enthusiasm. She knew he was one of the betas for this game before its official release but he had surprised her by buying another set just so that she can join him too.

Playing game together had always been their method of bonding, much to their parents' irritation because the two of them could spend hours in front of the screen and not be doing the chores they were supposed to do.

But ever since she got accepted into University, they rarely ever have time to play together anymore, what with Ainul's busy schedule and pilling assignment. Other than the prearranged time for MMORPG, they barely ever played together anymore.

So that was why Ainul had let herself be convinced by her little brother to play the new VRMMORPG when she came home for the holiday.

And it was a decision that she would later both regret and glad that she had made.

Because in the blink of an eye, the world of fantasy they found themselves in soon turned into horror.

It all started when they couldn't log out.

Ainul had set a time limit of two hours for exploring the game before they log out because she wanted to surprise their parents of her return with a nice dinner already prepared.

But when she flicked on the menu for the log out button, she couldn't find any. The slot where it was supposed to be was blank.

Lif's was the same too and the two of them had puzzled over it for a while before he decided to call the game master. The call went unanswered as they were forcefully teleported toward the plaza.

The teleportation was disorienting and if she hadn't been holding tight to Lif's hand during it, she would have lost him to the crowd of spooked players that filled the plaza. She pulled him close despite his protest because something about this doesn't seem right to her.

What kind of game wouldn't allow a player to log out? Especially during its first launch day.

And her apprehension was proven true when red hexagons filled the sky, staining it with an ominous feeling that sat heavy in her stomach. Her grip on Lif's hand only tightened further when red blob slipped in between the cracks of the hexagon, pooling together to form the hooded figure of what she assumed was the Game Master.

The announcement made by the GM who claimed to be Kayaba Akihiko was not helping her feeling of dread because what kind of fucked up game would make the inability to log out from the game as a feature of it. It was sounding more and more like the plot of some bad sci-fi movie.

"What is happening?" Lif whispered to her in hushed voice as he hunched over her.

"I don't know." She whispered back as she gathered him into a tight hug.

Because she really don't know what was happening.

The event happening after that was pure madness as every player was forcefully reverted back to their original appearance. While it was comforting to see the familiar face of her little brother amidst the sea of panicking people, the fear in his eyes make Ainul pull him closer, hiding her own face in his once again black hair.

"Oh God…" She gasped out, unspeakable fear gripping her heart tight.

Why did this happen?

They were only here to have good time, to make up for all the time they had missed out ever since she got admitted into university.

What kind of fucked up irony was this?

They were only supposed to be playing for a couple of hours to test it out. They didn't mean to be trapped in a game where the only way out was completing it or die trying.

Remembering the man's words on how having the Nerve Gear removed from them would end up with their death, Ainul could only wish for once in their life, her parents wouldn't forcefully remove the game from them.

It wouldn't be the first time her parents would turn off the power in sheer exasperation at how consumed the two of them were with game but let this be the exception.

Please God.

Let this be the one time their parents would leave them be and heed the warning of the man who trapped them in this hell.

Ainul doesn't know how long they had been sitting on the pavement, holding each other close in sheer desperation and fear of losing the other but she was pulled back to the reality (this new fucked up reality) by someone shaking her shoulder.

She looked up to the person who had shaken her and saw that it was the same red haired man who had joined them during Lif's impromptu tutorial session but the black haired youth who had been with him was not there anymore. Sure he looked different with short hair and a more scruffy beard that looked unkempt but his demeanour were all the same. Besides, his clothes were the same.

"Klein…?" She said his name, quickly wiping away her own tears (Tears. She would have marvelled over such fine details but oh God- they're trapped) because letting strangers see her tears never sit well with her.

"Are you okay, Lunia?" It took her a moment for her to process the fact that Klein was calling her by her player ID and while she knew how uncreative of her to just simply flip her name over, she hadn't been meaning to play this game forever.

Now she would be stuck with that name for how long it would take to clear this game.

"Depends on how you deems okay." She knew her irritation was uncalled for, especially when the man was merely expressing his concern over her but she couldn't help it. Everything was finally coming down on her and the fact that she and her brother were trapped in a death game weighed heavy on her mind.

She can't even imagine what would have happened if she hadn't given into Lif's insistent begging. Her thirteen years old brother would have been trapped in this godforsaken world all by himself and Ainul could have accidentally killed him when she finally go to wake him up from the game.

That particular dark thought was quickly pushed to the back of her mind because now was not the time to think about the 'what if's.

"Sorry…" She apologized because no matter how stressful the day had been, it doesn't give her the right to be an asshole to someone who was also in the same place as her.

"Don't sweat it." Klein waved it off good-naturedly and Ainul couldn't help but feel grateful for his easy-going personality. It helped numb some of the shock and hysteria bubbling at the back of her mind.

"You need help with that?" He offered instead, motioning toward the unconscious form of Lif in her arms. While Lif had grown too big for her to carry with ease anymore, the thought of letting him go, even if it was only to be carried by someone else, caused the fear in her gut come back full force.

It felt too much like he would disappear into particles like the boar they had slain previously.

"I…I can handle it. Thanks anyway."

Ainul expected to struggle with his weight but apparently such thing wasn't taken into consideration during the initial creation of this game. Besides, the accursed Nerve Gear wouldn't be able to collect that particular data because it wasn't included in the calibration they have to do before beginning the game.

So she held him close, the only piece of her shattered reality that she still have left.

"What do we do now?"

Ainul turned toward him in askance because she herself doesn't know what she have to do now with the death sentence hanging over their head.

A single misstep and only death awaits.

"For now, we rest."

She blinked, not expecting that but Klein soon explained it further.

"It had been a stressful day for everyone. We can talk more after we all have a good rest."

It took her a moment to realise that he had led her to the inn and sure enough, looking around, he was not the only one who was leading shell-shocked players to the inn. Her heart clenched at the sight of children younger than her own brother crying out for their parents but her priority lies with her brother now.

She doesn't want to leave him, especially when he's unconscious like this.

"Thanks Klein."

This time, her gratitude was genuine.

If he hadn't approached her like he did, she would have stayed rooted at the plaza, still in shock over what had happened. Now with Lif unconscious, she would have the time to sort over this herself and to come to term with it before her brother could awake so that she can help him through his own hysteric.

She knew Lif would be blaming himself for dragging her into this but Ainul can't have that. She wouldn't allow for her brother to blame himself over something he has no control over.

It was not his fault the creator of this game went off his rocker and decided to turn this into a death game.

"No problem. See you tomorrow, Lunia."

"Yeah. Night Klein,"

He smiled and Ainul tried to return it despite how it would have looked more like a grimace on her face. She watched him walk away, no doubt going off to help the next poor person who were still trapped in their own shock.

Ainul went to the NPC who manned the inn and booked a room for Lif and herself. While Lif would later grumble about how he was big enough to sleep on his own, Ainul needed the comfort of knowing he was still alive by having him close.

She sets him down on the bed and pulled the cover over him, tucking him in much like she would do when he was younger. After making sure Lif was comfortable, she settled herself on the other bed, sagging into it like a puppet with its string cut.

Now what to do.

So I hope you liked it! Leave a review on the way out.