What if Kirito decided to take up Klein's offer, waited for Klein to rally his guild, and left the town with them? Perhaps the entire Beater affair could have been greatly reduced, if quite a few Beta players attached themselves to pre-existing guilds. A few Beta Players publicly joining pre-established Guilds may have gone a long way to defuse the Beater affair - sure, there were many self-interested Beta Players (and many got themselves killed consequently for soloing), but quite a few too agreed to join Guilds carried over from other MMOs. Kirito had considered this in "First Day". On the other hand, he wouldn't have come to the realization that he missed Sughara, and may not have developed that Imouto complex that lasted until April 2024.

What if Kirito and Asuna continued travelling after Monochrome? The whole Black Cats Affair might have either been avoided, or at the very least, with the additional firepower of Asuna on board, the whole Wipe may have been completely averted. Then again, this means that Asuna may well not be joining the KoB, or the Black Cats in the end would been done in by becoming a Front-line Guild, which would place all their members in grave danger.

What if Kirito had taken up Sachi's suggestion, and withdrew from the Black Cats (Politely of course)? Would Sachi have died eventually (and if she had confessed by that time, it's even worse), Asuna's relation with Kirito either delayed, rendered more awkward (think Love Triangle nightmare), or completely butterflied away?

What if Kirito somehow ran into Silica earlier? Even better, what if this happens in one of the above three scenarios? Something tells me than in Scenario 1, Furrinkazan would get a rather impressive number of females.

Well realistically, if Kirito had joined Klein's group he would be with them, instead of saving Asuna at the start of Aria. Daibal certainly would have died, as well as Agil possibly or they would have retreated. Klein and Kirito's group would have been the lead clearer guild matched by KoB led by Heathcliff. With the several days delay in clearing first floor, it's quite possible that Keita's group will end up finding themselves even closer to the frontlines and get eliminated.

Though on the other hand, Kirito held hopes that Keita, when they reached the level of the clearer guilds would work to create a closer relationship among the top guilds, rather then rather competitive if not outright hostile one Heathcliff, the Army and the SDA created. Given that Kirito and Klein would be the one leading the charge now, it's possible the Black Cats would end absorbed by Klein's guild or would be familiar enough to go to them for help.

Now, if Kirito and Asuna stayed partners then I definitely don't think they would have been in the same dungeon at the same time as solo Kirito would have been and thus never joined the Black Cats, Sachi would probably die in this scenerio.

So yeah, since the reason anyone save Kirito is a POV character is because they happened to cross paths, if Kirito does something entirely differentely it should realistically employ the butterfly effect and grant us a whole new of POV characters. Buuuut I never do the absolute realistic thing in my stories.

Though I cannot phantom for the life of me why on earth an anime viewer would walk into a fanfic thread, and I do think all fanfic entries need to be hidden under a Spoiler Tag if it happens after the First floor is cleared, this is quite an awkward situation.:D

In the Furinkanzen scenario, the odds are high that much of the Beater nonsense may well be averted. After all, why hold all 1000 Beta Players responsible, when some of the Top Clearer Guilds made it this far thanks to Beta Players guiding the way? This is a very interesting scenario in my opinion, but I suspect once the Executions start, word would get out that the Guilds on the Frontline need Beta Players, if there are rather open cases of guilds with Beta Players helping.

Indeed, if Kirito's example does trigger a wave of aggressive front-line guild recruitment of Beta Players, odds are, most big guilds at the front-lines have no problems with the Beta Player issue. It may well be the Middle Guilds that aren't as happy with the situation, at least at first. If the "executions" still takes place, odds are, many Beta Players would cave fast and join a Guild for safety, and to claim that they are indeed doing their part, if indeed Kirito's joining triggers aggressive recruitment of Guild Players.

Of course, there could also be "Guild" Envy- one potential problem is that Furinkanzen get's branded a Beater Guild, for having exclusive assess to a single Beta Player.

The biggest butterfly would be the lack of "First Day", I think. Then again, Kirito's first breakdown might occur later, after the Anneal Blades, or after seeing some players die.

Another point to note: it is likely that Furinkanzen would find themselves on the front, roughly the same time Asuna goes on her Suicidal Rampage at the start of Aria. Odds are, many other groups ran into Asuna, so I think it is a justifiable plot coincidence for Asuna to run into Kirito still, plus or minus a few days. The events in Aria concerning Asuna might transpire in much the same way, though the +4 Anneal Blade Incident would acquire the dimensions of a Guild Rivalry of sorts, I'd presume.

The second possibility is that two or so weeks in, once Kirito is satisfied that Furinkanzen can stand on it's own, Kirito would leave to solo, or to accept other tutoring requests from other Guilds. That however, would either lead to a spiraling cast of OCs, Kirito dying at the First Boss, or even an earlier meeting with Sachi- the last is very interesting, but unlikely, and Sachi is not Asuna, so there's a good chance that he'd still get Sachi killed.

It is also possible that the Black Cats do get absorbed into Klein's guild. Indeed, Klein's guild may have a surprisingly large number of girls in them, if we want to go through the coincidence route. By April 2023, in the best route, we'd get Asuna and Sachi in Furinkanzen. If Sachi dies this time, it may well be a big hammer blow to both Asuna and Kirito - for Asuna it might be about as painful as seeing Yuuki die, for instance. It might even lead to an earlier Kirito x Asuna. If not, then a potentially awkward triangle might result, with Kirito leaning Asuna and Sachi... well Imouto zoned.

Now, if we take that Sachi is doomed to die, then odds are, she'd die in a different way. It will hit Kirito hard, but with a guild support structure and if Asuna was with Kirito at this point, not as hard as RNR.

It IS possible to get Sachi, Asuna and Silica and even Lizbeth in the same guild together, though without Asuna in the KoB, the butterflies would be huge. On the other hand, Klein's guild might be quite considerable - two principal sections - the Clearer Frontline Sections, and Middle Guild portion of Mid-ranking players, who acts as eyes and ears, assist to amass sufficient guild funds for resupply, engage in back-line skilling support. If there is a Middle guild, and Kirito frequently makes trips back to the Mid-levels, odds are, he's going to run into Silica, since Silica did make a good name for herself as a Mid-ranking player.

For all we know, at the point of RNR, Lizbeth may already be Furinkanzen's offical blacksmith, Silica the closest they have to an emergency healer, etc...

The big question is whether Heartcliff's identity can be unmasked. Indeed, I've wondered how Heartcliff convinced Asuna to join the KoB. Heartcliff may still be able to poach Asuna away- I'm sure personnel exchanges between Guilds was not necessarily unheard of.

By this point, even if we got the main cast remains intact (and no doubt, plenty of OCs will be in this story), we might get a happier Kirito and a story so far, far off the rails that everything would be different. Chances are still good though that Kirito may be able to unmask Heartcliff before level 100 and likely another 1000 players dead- the only question is when.

Whatever the case, we'd be feeling the knock-on effects far down the road. Chances are very high that Kirito's Unrequited Love Alliance would be even larger this time.

But it also butterflies away First Day, and I wonder whether it closes that "Imouto" Complex shown in the First Day that probably was the cause of his most traumatic troubles in Aincrad.

If the likes of Sachi or Silica had been in such a guild, could they have done much, much better in SAO, survive to the end and also be Clearance Level players? Especially if this happened within the first six to nine months?

If the likes of Sachi or Silica had been in such a guild, could they have done much, much better in SAO, survive to the end and also be Clearance Level players? Especially if this happened within the first six to nine months?

Yes, killing her off off screen is an incredibly bold move,but it immediately closes the possibility of any continuation beyond Aincrad.

On the other hand, with Kirito around, I guess it might indeed be plausible that Furinkanzen may have a front-line Clearer party, and a second section that usually are at the Middle Levels- the logistics end of the Guild.

on the Amusphere , perhaps sometime in 2026. It might be fun to see Kirito and his harem blowing each other up accidentally.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works.


October 22, 2022, NHK TV news reporting studio, Tokyo, Japan

“Our top story tonight”, a female news reader said, “Over two hundred have been found dead after playing the new virtual reality multiplayer video game Sword Art Online on the Nerve Gear virtual reality game console. The cause of death appears to be damage to the brain caused by microwave radiation emitted from the device. Family and relatives of anyone using the device are strongly encouraged to stay tuned, and to not attempt to remove the Nerve Gear device from the user, as this may result in the activation of the fatal microwave emissions”

“More disturbingly”, the news reader continued, “government agencies and media outlets across the world have received a message from an individual claiming to be Kayaba Akihiko, reclusive genius CEO of Argus Corporation, and designer of Nerve Gear console. The message states that the deadly effect of the Nerve Gear device is not a production defect, but was intentionally engineered into the console to produce the fatal microwave radiation upon the death of the player’s in game avatar, or any attempt to remove or destroy the Nerve Gear. Akihiko has given a two-hour window to transport victims of the device to hospitals. Local authorities are now in the process of transporting the victims, where they will be placed on life support. After the two hour window, the message states that any disconnection from external power for more than ten minutes will result in the death of the player, activated by the Nerve Gear’s internal battery.”

“Nerve Gear units and copies of Sword Art Online have been taken off store shelves across the country, and in other countries in which the console has been released, and any person who possesses as Nerve Gear or copy of the game that is not currently in use it is urged to turn the device in to local authorities. Earlier today, police raided the corporate headquarters of Argus with a search warrant, and seized blueprints and other materials pertaining to the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online, and brought several high ranking employees in for questioning, however, they have not located Akihiko. The National Police Agency, working in concert with Interpol, has set up an information hotline has been set up, and citizens are urged to report any sightings of Akihiko or other information relating to his whereabouts.”

The screen was covered entirely with the following text:

KAYABA AKIHIKO INFORMATION HOTLINE:

Phone: 555-394-1369
Email: akihiko_tipline@npa.gov.jp

Author’s Note: The Akihiko hotline and email are obviously completely fictional, so don’t bother calling! I do not know what the proper format for a Japanese phone number looks like, so I took some artistic license

What if, Sachi never died? What if she was given a second chance at life? Would she become one of the strongest players in SAO? or would she return to a life of fear?

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works.

June 17th, 2023, apartment near Tokyo University

I sat at the desk in my small apartment, staring at the form on my desk. It read: “Firearm Acquisition License Application”. Contrary to the belief of many foreigners, you could buy a gun in Japan, if you were willing to fill out a mountain of paperwork.

Picking up my pen, I signed my name, “Shinichiro Matsuoka” in the “name column” and “24” in the age column. I then checked off the box next to “rifle” in the weapon type column and “target shooting” in the “purpose box”.

But in truth, that would not be the primary purpose for which I was purchasing the weapon. Oh, I would use it for target shooting, but I had something else in mind… for the primary purpose…

“What is my primary purpose? Simple, to kill Kayaba Akihiko, the man who caused me and my family so much suffering.

It happened on June 12th, 2023. I had been living away from home in this apartment for three years now. I had just gotten back to the apartment at around 5:00 when the phone rang. It was my mother, she sounded distraught, unable to hide her tears even over the phone.

I asked her what was wrong, though I knew what it had to be. Ever since September of last year, my entire family had been dreading this… “Sachiko…”, she said through her sobs… “Is dead… killed by… that… that game”.

As soon as I heard her name, I broke down into tears. Sachiko Matsuoka, my little sister, dead at only 16…. Murdered by Kayaba Akihiko…. As though he had personally run her through with a sword.

Three days earlier, June 14, 2023, Day of the funeral of Sachiko Matsuoka

I stared, tears in my eyes, as the last early remains of my sister were lowered into the Earth. Sachiko… She had bought that game that day, not knowing it she was about to fall victim to the worst mass murderer in history… She had always been a sweet, innocent girl, somewhat quiet, perhaps even shy at times… Why? Why did she have to die? Did she suffer? Did the Nerve Gear console transmit pain to the user? Why did Akihiko want to kill her and so many others? Simply for his own sick pleasure?

That night, I was haunted by nightmares, horrible images passed through my mind. Sachiko backed into a corner, terror in her eyes, as some dark figure raised a sword over her. The blade swung forward in a flash of cold steel and flying blood.

The image switched, to a ward in a hospital in Tokyo, where Sachiko lay on a bed, connected to life support systems. Suddenly, a humming sound came from the Nerve Gear console over her head. Sachiko writhed in pain for a few seconds as the microwave generator mounted in the device literally cooked her brain alive. Sachiko fell still, as the heart rate monitor letting out a loud bleeping sound as Sachiko expired.

The images changed again… the dark figure revealed his face, to be that of Kayaba Akihiko, exactly as like the photo circulated throughout the media since September. I tried to walk towards him, I would kill him with my bare hands, crush his neck until he breathed no more.

But something was holding me in place, like I was paralyzed. As I struggled to move, Akihiko stood there, waving a broadsword stained in Sachiko’s blood in my face and laughed sadistically, clearly enjoying my suffering and my inability to do anything about it.

After several seconds Akihiko and his maniacal laughter faded, replaced by a second, feminine figure, none other than Sachiko herself, dressed in dark blue vest and a lighter blue dress with a dark blue skirt matching her vest. I knew at once this had to be Sachiko’s game avatar.

“Sachi-chan?”, I asked.

“Onii-chan”, Sachiko softly said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t see you again. I… I just want to tell you I love you… and don’t lose yourself in grief… Don’t blame yourself…”

Don’t blame yourself, onii-chan”, Sachiko continued, “Because there is someone who is very much to blame… That man is Kayaba Akihiko. I… do not wish you to burden you with this… but… if you ever find out anything about Akihiko, make sure he is brought to justice…”

With her next sentence, Sachiko’s voice changed, a coldness and vindictiveness I had never heard before. “And after Akihiko ends up on the other side…”, Sachiko said darkly as, she produced a large spiked mace out of nowhere, “I’ll see that he gets what he deserves….”.

As she finished her sentence, Sachiko swung her mace for dramatic effect. As soon as the mace hit the ground, Sachiko picked it up and put it behind her back, causing it to seemingly disappear. As Sachiko did so, returned to her usual self.

“Send my parents my love…”, Sachiko said, “Until I see you on the other side… Sayonara, onii-chan.”

As Sachiko started to fade away, I felt tears well up in my eyes. “Wait!, Don’t leave me!”, I said, hoping she would return, but it was to no avail. She was gone in seconds.

“SACHIKO!!!”, I yelled as I woke up, realizing I had actually shouted. The tears in the dream were also quite real, having soaked into my pillow.

Thankfully, no one was woken by my shout, as no one entered the room as I whispered “Sachiko-chan… I will kill Kayaba Akihiko for you… or die trying…”