"So, what are we doing here Kirito?"

They were currently standing in the middle of a run-down street at the far side of town.

"Yui helped me find this place. We're going to need to pick up a few things before we can go through with training." After their reunion last week Aizawa had offered to train both Izuku and Yamada.

"Yui!? How are you two communicating? Aincrad isn't even back up yet!"

"I connected the system to my phone so we'd be able to communicate in the real world"

"Uh...what's a Yui?" Aizawa looked lost as he waited for someone to explain.

"I'm not an object!" A tiny female voice called out from Izuku's pocket.

If Aizawa wasn't so used to keeping his expression passive he would've jumped up in surprise. To say he was startled would be an understatement.

"Midoriya... why did your pocket just speak?"

Izuku and Hizashi couldn't help but burst into laughter. Izuku pulling out his phone to show Aizawa that he was currently on call with a person called Yui.

"Don't be rude Shouta! Yui is Kirito's daughter!" At that statement, Izuku seemed to go bright red, his appearance reminiscing of a strawberry.

"Aren't you like thirteen, kid?" Aizawa looked mildly surprised and bored at the same time. Izuku couldn't fathom how he managed that kind of expression. The man looked so done with the world.

"For your information, I'm fourteen!" Izuku replied, frustration evident on his features. "Yui isn't my actual daughter... I adopted her in the game. She's an AI."

"Dad and Papa took great care of me!" The voice, now known as Yui exclaimed.

Aizawa wanted to ask about 'Papa' but Yamada's pointed glare made him decided otherwise.

"Yui! How are you? It's been so long!" Yashi asked excitedly as he snatched the phone from Izuku's grasp.

"I'm good uncle Yashi! Did you know I helped dad locate you!" Pride was evident in her tone as she boasted to the older man.

"Ah... so that's how you found us." Aizawa seemed to be speaking to himself more than to the two others next to him.

"Well, anyway!" Kirito interrupted the conversation, wanting to get to the point of this outing. "The store is about to close soon, so let's go, shall we?"

"Where are you taking us, problem child?" Aizawa asked as Izuku led them into another deserted alley.

"Ah, well you'll just have to wait and see!" The boy stopped in front of a metal door. The thing only noticeable if you were looking for it. "This way guys!" He called out as he opened the door and took a step inside.

Walking in felt as if they'd traveled years into the past. The hallway they took was dark, the only source of light being the torches that hung in every corner.

Bricks lined the walls and the deeper they walked into the building the hotter it got.

However, at the end of the hallway, a room could be seen. The light emitted from said room, illuminating the path towards it.

"Woah..." Yamada was the first to exclaim his wonder. "This looks just like in the games!" The room they walked into was a perfect replica of the weapon's smith's rooms in the game. The walls were aligned with swords and weapons of all kinds.

"Yeah... I think Kayaba took the designs from here." Izuku replied, his eyes flitting through the room's content, desire and curiosity overwhelming him.

"May I help you, gentleman." A voice called out from behind them.

Looking towards its owner, the man had broad shoulders and grey hair. A small clean-shaved beard adorned his face.

"Hello!" Izuku spoke as he gained the man's attention. "I believe I ordered three things from this store a couple of weeks ago?"

The man's eyes widened in realization. "Ah, so you're Kirito, I presume."

"Ah yes, that's me... and you must be Dave. So, are they ready?"

The man looked uncertain, but replied anyway. "They are, it's just- wait here for a second."

Dave then proceeded to go into the back room, emerging with one box tucked under his arm.

"Here's the Axe you ordered." He was about to hand it to Kirito but a gesture from the latter had him give it straight to Yamada.

In turn, the voice hero didn't even think twice before ripping the wrapping paper off of the item.

"Oh my god... it's a two-handed battle axe!" In his hand was the exact replica of the ground gorge axe he used in the games. "How did you manage to find this?"

"He had it specifically made actually" It was the store owner who replied this time.

"I figured you'd want something familiar if you wanted to train again. Although you don't have the same stats as the game. It's going to be much harder to use it."

"What about you? Are you getting a sword?" Aizawa asked out of curiosity, his eyes not leaving the axe held in his best friend's grasp.

"I am actually." He looked towards the clerk, nodding in response, the man went back into the storage room. "Dave's quirk allows the weapon wielder's powers to be transferred into the actual weapons." The two heroes seemed to realize the implications of his statement. The blond perking up in response. "The moment he handed you the weapon it answered to you and only you. Your power and strenght will now be shared with it as you see fit."

A minute later, Dave walked out of the storage room, this time two long thin box were held in his arms.

"Are you sure you can handle these types of weapons kid?" The man's uncertainty came back at full force as he handed the sword to the teen.

Not paying the man any mind, Kirito unwrapped the sword and held it in front of him. The Elucidator's pitch black metal gleamed in the light.

It felt perfect in his hands, the balance, weight, and power exactly like it was in the game. Dave's quirk was a godsend.

Gripping the sword in his hand, he fell back into the stance that was carved into his mind by now.

Yamada seemed to get the message. The man motioning for the two next to him to take a couple of steps backward.

He drew the sword back. Exhaling slowly, he made sure to make the moves perfectly. As if on autopilot, his body moved swiftly, his limbs falling into a pattern he's come to know by heart. This was what he excelled at. This was what he loved to do.

The sword slashed the air horizontally, the blade immediately going in for another slash afterward, followed by two more. His skill erupting to the surface as Kayaba's words resounded in his mind. This was his powers. They were all there. This was real.

The skill's four swings resulted in a square of light expanding outwards. Wind blowing in response and making the room's occupants gasp in surprise.

Once done, he made a move to stash his sword back in his holder. His arm reaching for empty air at his back.

Oh...

Drawing back the sword to his front, he smiled bashfully at the shop's clerk.

"Nevermind then..." The man's eyes were as wide as saucers. "I won't even ask you to try out the other one."

"Kirito! That was awesome! I knew you still had it in you!" Yamada, having seen Izuku use his skills countless of times before was quick to jump out of his stupor. Aizawa was a different story.

The man stood there, unblinking as he watched Izuku's every move. He supposed it's only normal for someone who has never been in the game. Who never seen him fight before. To Aizawa, Izuku was just a kid. He wasn't the black swordsman. He was just Midoriya Izuku.

"Hey Zashi, can you do that too?" Aizawa asked after a few seconds of silence.

The blonde shook his head in response, a proud grin adorning his features nonetheless.

_______________________________

"I still can't believe you cleaned this whole beach by yourself kid." Aizawa spoke as he stared at the now cleared beach.

"I learned not to be surprised anymore Shouta. You should probably do that too." Yamada smiled as he patted his friend on the back.

It's been a few months since they started training. Their goal was to gain physical strength and agility.

Yamada, unlike Kirito, didn't have his skills anymore. He needed to learn all over again, all on his own.

Both he and Izuku needed to get their muscles and bodies back in shape. The two years in which Yamada was confined in his hospital bed took its toll on his hero career. He needed to catch up to his peers. Needed to get strong again. Not to mention the additional weapon training he was doing to use his axe once more.

Kirito, on the other hand, had a head start in terms of both physical strengths and weapons wielding. Given that he started training before the voice hero and that Kayaba transferred his skills to the real world.

The Yuei entrance exam wasn't as unattainable as it used to be.

His future seemed brighter than ever.

___________________________

The clunk of metal against metal could be heard in the background. Players fighting constantly to clear one more level.

A dark aura fills the room and suddenly all the characters are gone.

At the center of the room stands Heathcliff. His sword is plunged into shinshi's heart. Twisting the sword as he looks directly at Kirito.

It shouldn't feel like his own heart was being impaled. It felt as if his own life was disappearing.

He watched as Shinshi's body erupted in a display of bright colorful crystals. Tried in vain to catch them before they were gone forever. It was too late though. He was too late.

He was alone now.

Too weak.

Just a worthless Deku.

All of a sudden, he wasn't alone anymore. Players reappeared around him, trapping him in the middle of a circle. The whole world sinking into darkness as he felt the air enclose in on him.

Their hateful gazes weren't aimed at Heathcliff anymore. They were aimed at him. Their eyes boring into his very soul.

"It's your fault!" Screamed Diavel. His chest bleeding a constant flow of dark red. "You left me to die!"

"No..." He responded uselessly.

"YOU KILLED US! It's all your fault Kirito!"

" Worthless!"

"Killer!"

"Murderer!"

The screams were getting louder, the voices of both his friends and his enemies overlapping each other.

Overwhelming every last sense in his mind until he felt himself drowning in them. His heart plunged into a cold endless void.

"No...please...stop."

"Why didn't you save me Kirito." Shinshi's voice whispered in his ear. Making his heart clench and ache as he looked at the fallen, bleeding figure in front of him. As he looked into the dying eyes of the love of his life. His words, swords to the heart.

"NO! PLEASE! I'M SORRY!" He cried, desperately trying to reach the boy.

The closer hid hand got, the more the figure flickered in and out of existence. Until finally, just as his fingers brushed against the boy's face. He exploded into another fiery display of crystals.

"No..." falling to his knees, he figured that was what his heart must look like now. Broken. Shattered.

"No!" He woke up in cold sweat. His whole body feeling as if it was on fire. His heart threatening to beat right out of his chest.

His mother was watching him from her place near the bed. Her hands outstretched, hesitant. As if she couldn't decide whether she should touch him or keep her distance.

"I- I heard screaming..." She whispered, worry practically dripping from her voice.

She seemed to think it was okay to touch him after a moment. If the way she lunged at him, engulfing him in a bear hug was of any indication.

He couldn't help but feel grateful.

"It's okay honey. It's okay Izu. It was just a dream." She whispered over and over again in his ear like a mantle.

He couldn't help but cling tighter to her as he let his mind calm down. It was only a dream, right?

But it wasn't... was it?

It wasn't just a dream.

Because, when he woke up. His failures didn't erase themselves.

When he woke up, the people he failed were still gone.

When he woke up...

Shinsou was still dead.

He didn't let himself cry this time.

He just stayed there. Engulfed in his mother's warmth as he thought of the life he could've had if the boy was still by his side.

He didn't have time to dwell on that though... The entrance exam was this morning.