[Gekkou Online Arc]: The Resurrection Saga

6 months after the Sword Art Online incident and the freeing of the American Server's players, the surviving main characters were reluctant to meet one another. Dean Alburn (Akimoto)and his girlfriend, Madison Rheed (Maeko), were fortunately living in the same city as Chase and Andrew Peters (The Yin and Yang Twins), the four occasionally met with each other in the real world talking to their former Sword Art Online friends over the internet. The images of SAO never left their heads and still haunt them to this day.

Sliding glass doors parted as Dean stepped inside a game store, a new Virtual Reality Mass Multplayer Online Role Playing Game (VRMMORPG) was hitting the shelves today, it was called Gekkou Online.

"Isn't that the guy who was a part of the final battle in SAO?" A kid whispered to his brother as they waited in line behind their mother. "Akitoto or something wasn't it?" The kid whispered back.

Dean chuckled lightly as he headed over to the shelf where Gekkou Online was being stored.

Dean bumped into Andrew as the two passed each other. Andrew turned his head and noticed it was Dean. "Oh, hey Dean, Sorry I didn't see you there." He replied, in his hand was a copy of Gekkou Online.

Dean was about to say something, then he was cut off. "So you two are getting it as well...?" A average sized, brunette said behind them. Madison stood there with a copy of the game herself.

Andrew shook his head. "Not me, I'm staying clear of these types of games for a while, I uh.. don't find them safe.." He looked down at the cover. "I just stopped in to get it for Chase."

"Why didn't she get it herself?" Dean asked as he picked up the Amusphere 2. He held it in his hand and rotated it, observing it. Then memories flashed in his head, Kane, all of the people he saw die and shatter into pixels. The day he found out that they were all stuck in the game. Everything all at once. He grabbed onto Andrews shoulder to steady himself.

Andrew lifted his hand up and grabbed onto Dean's shoulder. "Everything alright?" He asked. "Chase said she didn't come get it cause she didn't want to get memories of the old days by seeing all these new machines." He looked at the Amusphere 2 that Dean was holding. "Believe it or not, she's tough on the outside, weak on the inside."

Dean stood and shook his head. "Fine, just remembered the game." Dean said as he walked over to the counter, pulling out his wallet. He sat down the Amusphere 2 as well as Gekkou Online and the cashier rang them up.

Maeko got in line behind Dean, holding an Amusphere 2, and GO. Lately, something has been telling her to play the game. She could have sworn, that just the other night, the tear drop shaped necklace that she kept around her neck at all times, was whispering to her. She still wondered why she still had it, since it was an in game object. But it had helped her through stuff even Dean couldn't once they got out of the game.

As soon as he, Andrew, and Madison were all out of the store, the three decided to stop at a fast food restaurant inside the mall they were in. The three parted afterwards and walked towards their homes.

Dean opened the door to his room and sat the Amusphere 2 on his bed with the Gekkou Online case next to it's box.

Dean paced back in forth in his room. He ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his eyes. He was going to enter the game. He hadn't played anything since he had been released from the hell called Aincrad. He was terrified. He guessed he just had the lingering feeling that if he joined, Kane would be there. The long lost friend that he had found in the middle of a shit hole.

He powered on the Amusphere 2, and flipped the case.

The Amusphere made a pleasant 'whirring' sound as it booted up. On the back of the Gekkou Online game case, Dean could see the 'RECT' Video Game industries logo printed on the back, the game was rated E10+ by the ESRB.

"Welcome to Gekkou Online!" flashed across the top of the case.

"The long awaited sequel to the VRMMORPG game known as Sword Art Online is finally here! Are you a returning player? Load your stats from the previous game! New floors! New bosses to fight! New land to explore! New people to meet! Tested by professional game testers and passed with a 100% rating of being completely safe to play, no worries of getting stuck in the game this time around. What are you waiting for? Start exploring the world of Gekkou Online!"

"From the same creators as Aincrad.." Dean whispered as flashbacks filled his head once more. He stumbled backwards, finding support on his desk. He sat down, and turned on his computer. "Going in." He typed into a chat of people he knew. And then he put in the Gekkou Online game, and raised the Amusphere 2 over his head.

Colors flashed in Dean's eyes, several sensory details popped up on the screen representing his sight, taste, smell, and every other natural sense, the pop ups checked off and the words "Welcome to Gekkou Online!" flashed across the screen, the words faded and a login box appeared on screen.

Dean entered the username "AkimotoHeikichi" as his username, then entered in his password. Another pop up box appeared asking what his in game name would be, he entered "Akimoto". The name registered and another pop up box appeared saying. "Sword Art Online Username Registered, would you like to load stats?"

He selected Yes and his sight went black, music started playing as emeralds around him shattered, he opened his eyes and saw himself to be standing in a grassy forest, he was in Gekkou Online.

Akimoto swiped his hand downward and brought up his menu. He checked for the log out button, and sighed in relief when it was there. He exited that portion of the menu and brought up his inventory, he equipped his Coat of Twilight, and his Mithrodian sword. The only one in to be known of in SAO.

The rustling of leaves was heard in a bush nearby, Akimoto gripped his sword and a blonde girl poked her head through the bush, spitting out a leaf. It was Yang.

"Yang!" Akimoto said, grinning as he sheathed his sword and walked over to her.

Standing up out of the bushes, Yang wiped the leaves off of her green outfit, it was the same one from Sword Art Online, she loaded her stats as well. "Yo." She noticed Akimoto had the same gear from SAO. "You imported your stats here as well?"

"Might as well." Akimoto nodded. "Wouldn't want to be a total noob." He said, laughing.

"Are you the only other one who bothered to play this game?" she asked.

"Well, Madis- Maeko. Bought the game earlier today, so I'm guessing she will be joining us later." Akimoto shrugged.

"Hmph." Yang thought aloud. "Guess it's just us three from now on.. huh?" Her voice dropped as she stared at the ground.

"Looks like.." Maeko said as she came out from behind a row of trees to the right of Akimoto. She walked over and slid her fingers into his. You wouldn't have recognized her if she hadn't of said a word, her hair was now brunette, where as it used to be jet black in SAO. Her outfit now consisted of shorts, and a black and golden short sleeved shirt. She had a katana style sword sheated on her back, and black boots that had a slight metal tip on the end.

Confused at how Maeko looked different, Yang opened up her menu and scrolled to the options, her avatar was allowed to be changed this time around, she changed her hairstyle to make it shorterbut decided to keep the same look, it wouldn't feel the same without looking how she used too.

"We're most likely on the first floor, mind opening up a map and finding where this floor's town is located?" She looked towards Akimoto.

Akimoto nodded, realizing now for the first time. That since Kane was gone, he had to take leadership of The Eternal Keepers. What was left of them. He fell to his knees before he could lift his hand to open his menu. Images flooded his head once again, the things he thought after coming out of the game. How it was his fault Kane was dead. And only seconds before the game was over. It was all his fault. The images left again, and he looked up to see worried looks from both Maeko and Yang. He shook his head and stood up, opening his menu and looking for a map.