Prologue

There was a gentle humming filling the air.

It was a familiar song that he had believed described him very well.

He resisted the urge to sing along to it, unwilling to interrupt the beautiful sounds.

Still, as much as he loved it, they couldn't just stay like this forever,

"The others will come soon," he said to the girl who was pressed against him.

She got to the end of the song before she answered.

"I hope they take their time," she said softly. "It would be great if it was just the two of us for a bit longer."

He couldn't agree more.

He leaned down to kiss the girl on her head...

Only to realize that there was nobody next to him.

He got up and looked around in terror.

He couldn't speak, there was no time! He had to find her!

Suddenly, the world seemed to turn red as everything started to shatter into polygons.

Where are you?! He wanted to call out. Where are you?!

All of a sudden, an imposing man wearing white and red appeared in front of him.

He glared at the boy with contempt.

And then he finally saw her. She was laying face-first on the ground, her back was cut open as she struggled to move.

"You couldn't save anyone. You couldn't save her, could you, «Black Swordsman»?"

And then he saw it, 4 other bodies laying around him. Cloaked in brown, yellow, purple and green.

Their friends...

From out of nowhere, he pulled out a sword and charged at the man, wanting nothing more than to kill him.

This is all your fault!

***

A black-haired boy immediately shot up and looked around.

Where are you? he thought desperately. Suddenly the realization kicked in, draining him of energy. ...Where are you?

She would never be here... never again could he see her...

He let himself lay on his back again as he stared into the sky.

Among the clouds, there was a giant steel-coloured castle. With its spires, it was an imposing sight to many... but to him, it only filled him with memories of another life.

"Are you still mocking me?" He asked that every time he looked at the place which was once his home and prison.

Today was January 7th, 2025.

Over a year had passed ever since the death game «Sword Art Online» was ended. Over a year had passed ever since he had last been trapped there. ...Over a year had passed ever since the last time he had heard the voice of the person who was as close as family to him... and even longer ever since he last saw her and their friends...

Kirito, the boy whom some would call a hero was laying in a random field, trying to get some sleep, only to be haunted by his past.

"Found you sleepyhead," a voice called out.

Knowing who it was, he continued to lay there, although he couldn't help but smile.

In a second, a girl clad in green and white, with a long blonde ponytail stood over him.

"Hello Sugu," he greeted his beloved sister.

"Hello Kazu," she greeted cheerfully as she sat down next to him. "You know, if you want to take a nap, we do have our own house. Also, a real house in the real world with a real bed." She plucked out some grass and sprinkled it on his face.

He smiled at her as he gently reached for her hand.

"But when I sleep here, I can get an extra hour of sleep before someone calls me lazy."

"Whatever," she said as she rested her head on his belly.

The two siblings lay there for a while, finding comfort in each other's presence.

"Are you still having those dreams?" she asked after some time.

"Yeah..." he answered sadly.

"Was it about her? About them? About him?"

She knew about everything that happened during his time in SAO because he told her every detail. She was the only one he spoke to regarding his past and the only one who knew of truths that he couldn't bear to tell anyone else about.

"All of them," he said sadly.

She gently smiled as she stroked his cheek.

"I really wish I could help you with them..." she said sadly.

"You've done plenty," he assured her. "If anything, all my problems are because of me. Seriously, it's been over a year and I still can't get over it, how pathetic can I be?"

"I don't think you're pathetic," she whispered kindly.

"Tell that to the others," he scoffed, although he appreciated her kindness.

"Well, do you want to hear something to cheer you up?"

He looked at her skeptically, not believing that anything could really cheer him up.

"Tell me, have you heard of «Zekken»?"

"Zekken, the «Absolute Sword». Currently the person everyone called the strongest player in all of ALO." He listed what he knew about them. "How could I not know about Zekken?"

"Right, sometimes I forget that you know EVERYTHING that happens in the virtual world," she mocked him.

He gave her a loving but annoyed look, appreciating how openly she was speaking to him but still annoyed as any sibling should be.

"Well recently they've been challenging people on the 24th floor of New Aincrad and they've been offering their own Original Sword Skill to anyone who could beat her."

"Their own Original Sword Skill," he repeated. This had piqued his interest.

"Yup, an 11-hit Original Sword Skill, the most hits ever in a single skill."

11-hits?! That's more hits than any sword skill that I've ever heard of.

"Naturally, many players have challenged her as a result, including your entire friend group and yours truly."

He ignored the gentle teasing of his lack of social skills as he thought of who this «Zekken» must be.

If they were able to defeat Leafa, they must be powerful! he considered. While he may never say it to her face – mainly because she would never let him live it down – he had always known that she was one of the most powerful players in all of ALO. In fact, it sounds like she even beat Asuna...

"Are they still taking challenges?" he asked Leafa.

She returned his question with a grin. "They'll be at their usual place in about an hour."

With a spring in his step, he got up and activated his wings. He smiled as he turned and offered his hand to Leafa.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get going! I've got a sister to avenge."

***

At the same time, a girl with purple hair woke up.

With a smile, she stretched out her limbs before laying back on the ground.

"Did you have a nice nap?"

She turned her red-eyed gaze towards the speaker.

She was a woman dressed in white with beautiful, light blue hair.

"Yes I did," the girl answered as she got up.

She took a look at the time. There was still an hour before she had to go challenge people today.

"I saw Aiko this time," she said to the woman. "She told me to keep trying to find the one."

"Don't you already do that every day?"

"Of course," she answered as she activated her wings. "But today, I've got a really good feeling."

And with those words, she flew off, her heart full of hope that she would fulfill her wish soon.

To readers of my other stories, please don't be mad, this shouldn't delay the releases of their chapters.

To be honest I just wanted to write a Kirito x Yuuki fanfic because it's my 3rd or 4th OTP of SAO and definitely my favourite rare-pair of all time. Also because a KiriYuuki story is what helped get me off the ground with The Midnight Shadow.

Shout out to "A Destined Encounter" by shou21 on Wattpad!

A setting similar to Kirigiya Love Affair's is being used, in that SAO was ended on December 25th. 2023 for the same reason, in fact a lot of events happen similarly to that story so Kirito and Suguha are still close, just without any romantic feelings between them, but he did still mistake her for Sachi when he woke up.