[hider=Aura: An Introduction] Amber eyes stared across the large room towards an empty space in the wall. The eyes belonged to Aurora. Aurora Shizuko. And what the amber eyes gazed upon was not the empty space but the figure of her best friend, Nora, who stood glaring at her with angry eyes. The bloodied, trembling body of her dead best friend.... dead.... [i]Dead. She is dead... So why does she continue to follow me!?[/i] the blue haired girl wondered as her heartbeat sped up and fear began to crawl upon her skin. [b]"...ra? Au...ra....? Aurora?"[/b] a familiar voice called to her. Amber eyes darted across the room and landed on the woman who stood before her. When she looked around, she realized that she was suddenly back at the counselors office. Hadn't she left to go home? [b]"Why did you come back here? Did you want to talk about something?"[/b] the woman asked her, sounding polite and concerned. [i]It was a mistake. Even if i could, I wouldn't speak to you.[/i] Aura spoke in her head, though it was clear the woman, her counselor, would never know what she was thinking. Without so much as a second glance, Aurora turned around and left the office and the building altogether. As she stepped outside, the light rain that fell began to calm her down, and the walk home became more pleasing. She knew if she looked behind her, Nora would be following at a distance. It was always like that ever since the accident. No matter how much help she tried to get, the one thing that it never fixed was her voice.... and her ghost. Being without a voice was not so bad. There were times when she wanted to speak, but found that a sneer or glare could do the talking for her. The problem she had was with her [i]dead[/i] best friend looming over her during every moment in her life. When she got to her lonely apartment paid for her by the modeling agency that desperately wanted her back, Aurora first went to the shower to warm herself up and maybe forget today even happened. After all, later on she would get to escape from everything. Video gaming was the only thing that kept her sane to a certain point. When she was focused, there was no one else but her. No one else she could hurt, no one who could really hurt her. She was safe and free and it was an amazing feeling. Nora couldn't get to her then. She couldn't.... [i]But when i return, she will be waiting for me.[/i] With a sigh and roll of her eyes, Aurora started up the shower and washed up. After that she ate then retreated to the safety of her room. This was the one place Nora couldn't get to. When she looked around the space, she was relieved to see the ghost of her friend was no longer there, and all that waited for her, was the new game she had purchased earlier that day. Sword Art Online. It was some kind of cool VRMMO that she couldn't wait to get started with. After an attepmt to set verything up and getting angry that it didn't work the first time, she reffered to the instruction manual for the Nerve Gear and found she had missed something. [i]I have to say 'Link Start?'[/i] With a clench of her fists, Aurora set up the game once again and redid the calibration, brushed out her hair, and then placed the nerve gear on her head. Laying back on her bed and covering up, she stared at her ceiling as she fought with herself to regain the ability to speak clearly. Her lips quivered a few times as she almost got it, but each time she seemed to fall short. [i]Why can't i do this? This is my escape.... only two words keep me from getting to a place where all this shit doesn't matter anymore. Come on Aurora, you can do this. You-[/i] Her thoughts were cut off by a creaking sound. Turning her head towards the sound, she saw that her door was slowly creeping open. The fear began to hit her hard then as the face of Nora appeared in the doorway. [b]"AIEEE! L-L-LINK START!!"[/b] --- In a matter of moments her orientation changed and she went from laying down to standing straight up in the center of a plaza of sorts. Stretching out her arms and legs, Aurora proceeded to get a feel of her new avatar. Her head was lighter without the weight of her hair pulling her down, and instead of the dyed blue she had it before, it was blonde and cut in a bob. Her amber eyes were a deep green and looking down at her body, she noticed her boobs were a lot smaller. As if that mattered anyway. She looked around at everyone who seemed excited to be there and she was just about to [i]actually[/i] use her face muscles and smile, but not a moment later a girl bumped into her from behind and turned her happy mood into a foul one. [b]"Hey, watch where your going klutz."[/b] she said then blinked and touched her throat. She could speak. [b]"Would you look at that. Now I can tell people like you off."[/b] she said to the pink haired girl who was looking at her with wide eyes. With a flip of her hair and a roll of her eyes, she turned and walked casually away from the large crowd of people. It felt different but familiar all at once. Walking and swinging her arms was a natural thing to do, but at the same time it felt like she was in a different body. Before she could completely exit the plaza, blue lights started to appear around her and the sound of scared shouts was heard. People started asking each other what was going on as the plaza became crowded and players started packing in around her like sardines. [b]"Hey, can you step aside?"[/b] she asked, not waiting for a reply as she moved a whiny little girl aside who was blocking her way out of there. When she reached the edge of a plaza she hit something. .....An invisible wall? That was when the sky turned dark red and when she looked up she saw the drippings of a blood like substance come down and form into a hooded figure. [b]"The Game Master?"[/b] she wondered, but after a few minuted her suspicions were confirmed... And a hell of a lot more crazy shit was happening. When she had opened her menu, she saw the log out button was gone. In her items was a mirror that made her look like herself, and if she died in the game, she died in real life too. That about summed it up she thought. its not like she was paying too much attention. [b]"Well Aurora, your life officially sucks."[/b] she muttered to herself as all hell broke loose and people started to panic. While everyone around her started crying or shouting or running, Aurora kept her calm, although inside she was just a little worried. As she walked along the road following the beginners guide and a map she had purchased before people started pushing her out of the way, she thought about wether she should believe everything the Kayaba guy had said. The only thing she knew for sure was that she couldn't log out since the button was gone. But what if she did die in the game... what would happen in real life? [i]Lets just assume i do die in real life..... then... Nora will finally get to me.[/i] she cringed at the thought of that and suddenly, she didn't feel like taking any chances. --- Two months had passed and the same reason to stay alive ha dent changed. Nora couldn't get to her if she was alive. But, if there was only one thing so far Aurora, or Aura now, had come to know about SAO, it was that she could trust no one. Crouched behind a tree in the west fields of floor 20, she glared with a cold look at a man she'd been following for a week now. She was waiting for the right time...to return a favor he'd done for her the second day she was in the game. A few ways out of the third town on floor one, this man named Raiden had attacked her, beaten her senseless until she was nearly dead. All in an attempt to get her items. Even after she'd handed them over, he had left her in an alley to die. If not for a man with long black hair who had come along to heal her before running off, she would have died. Now many levels stronger, she was here to take this guy down and repay him for teaching her a lesson in fear. She went to her inventory and equipped her Phoenix Armor (Light) before she made her way over. Raiden had his back to her and she silently walked over to him. She initiated a duel and he looked confused before turning to look at her. [b]"Hello there. Remember me?"[/b] she said with a cold look. He smirked, and she knew he recognized her. Clicking accept, he shook his head. [b]"Yeah, your that girl i took the items from on floor one. Trying to get them back?"[/b] he said smugly. [b]"Not quite."[/b] she said and waited for the countdown to finish. As soon as the duel started, they went at it. Aura was easily outmatched by his strength, but her speed and agility was enough to keep her safe from his attacks. She landed blow after blow on him as he struggled to keep up, and gradually his health sank to yellow. When the winning screan for the duel popped up, she ignored it and continued her assault on him. Activating her Sonic Leap skill, she attacked him once more, sending him to the ground as his health bar dropped into the last stage of yellow. Aura closed her eyes and sheathed her sword before pulling out her two throwing picks and kneeling on his chest. She drived her picks into each of his hands, pinning him to the ground. He looked panicked as she did. [b]"What do you want from me!?"[/b] he yelled, obviously afraid as his HP dropped more. [b]"You left me for dead. Why?"[/b] she demanded him to answer. [b]"I'm sorry, i was just desperate. Please let me go."[/b] he begged. [b]"I wont. You left me to die so i will return that favor to you. I was lucky someone came by to save me."[/b] she leaned her face close to his and whispered menacingly. [b]"Let's see if your [i]desperation[/i] saves you tonight before that poison in your hands kills you. I wonder if you wont be so lucky."[/b] she hissed before standing and going to retrieve his fallen sword, moving away from him. His HP slowly declined and he simply lay there, mortified. [b]"If your lucky, someone will find you. ...Hmm? White Serpent? I like. It certainly suits me better than it does you."[/b] she said walking away and equipping his sword as her own. [b]"And one more thing. If you live, here's a piece of advice. If you plan on pissing off a girl, make sure she's dead or she will hunt you down to the other side of this world. I'm sure the other girls you beat up would have done the same had i not gotten to you first."[/b] With a stretch she called a goodbye and casually walked back towards town. It was about an hour later when Aura was sitting in a tavern eating some food at a table alone, that a screen popped up. It listed a shit load of money and a long list of items as if she had just beaten a low level boss or something. With a smirk she accepted it all and stood up as a few people began staring and pointing to her. [b]"Poor Raiden. I guess no one found you."[/b] Aura said as she walked out, not a hint of guilt shown or felt. [/hider]