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The grey-haired man smiled as he leaned back in his chair, his fingers knitting themselves together in front of his chin. His metallic eyes danced over his computer screen, the only one left on to illuminate the dark room. He took in each of his little project's features, the black hair, black eyes, slim build.
It wasn't exactly a crucial part of the game as a whole, more so just a pet project to amuse himself with.
He'd built plenty of AI before, so it wasn't like making it was all that difficult, honestly it was going to be harder to break the habit of referring to it as an 'it.'
It was a he now.
Of course, as a last-minute scraped together program there were plenty of issues with the system. He didn't quite have enough time to make sure the AI believed itself fully outside the game. His other AI all took on an administrative role, so after pulling from their coding to make this new system left some vestiges of that.
It shouldn't be too bad; he can always terminate the program should its actions dictate it.
Kayaba was honestly more worried the program would say something to actual players and they would figure out it's not like them and lash out. He truly doubted it would interface with the system enough to break the game.
He had a fix for that, of course, he wasn't a fool. It would have an innate knowledge of the game and its programming: knowing where some of the best places to loot are, the best sword skill combinations. If he had more time or began the project sooner he likely could have fixed that, it simply ended up being easier to program a different personality and backstory into it.
Him.
Right.
Him.
A player in the game with more knowledge than they should have just starting out? A player who was more skilled than they should be given their experience?
It wasn't like it was unheard of, especially not given the circumstances of the game: Sword Art Online.
It was rather easy to write in that the program had been a beta tester.
It hadn't, of course, which did pose some issues, in that the actual beta testers might remember that.
Which led Kayaba to bullet point number two of the personality.
Loner.
He didn't intend for the program to stay that way, certainly not, the entire point was to see what exactly would happen when he made an AI believe itself to be real and let it out into the fantastic world he created. He wanted to see it grow, to interact, to love. Could it love? He didn't know. That's what made it so exciting!
The game master honestly wished he had planned for this sooner. It was just such an entertaining idea, he couldn't wait to see how it played out.
Just what would happen?
Who would it be?
So, he designed it to be a loner. It was the easiest shortcut he could take to explain away its existence and knowledge. It is not as if solo players were unheard of, certainly, it would be strange for somebody to do it in a death game, but it's not like there is a precedent of how people would act in a death game anyway.
This was the first, after all.
And again, it wouldn't stay that way.
It'd grow.
Kayaba fully expected it to connect with the players.
It would make friends.
He would make friends.
Of course, this all hedged on the fact that the AI thought it was a player too.
Which meant backstories.
Which meant creative writing.
Don't get him wrong, he didn't hate creative writing, it was how Aincrad was built after all. It was just, after writing so many quest lines and NPC prompts and then the whole mess with the elves and whatnot, he'd grown a little tired of backstories.
Also, the game was set to launch in like..
Kayaba pulled his interlocked hands away from his face and rotated his left wrist towards his face, frowning momentarily at the lack of time.
.. twelve hours.
There wasn't really much time to both devise a brilliant and fool-proof backstory that fit the personality of the AI. So, he went with the first thing he could think of.
A child obsessed with the digital world after he felt like the real one had abandoned him. A boy raised to be guarded solitary after learning his parents had died and everybody had lied to him.
Kayaba used real pictures, of course, he wasn't a fool. Even if he made the program to not think too much about its 'real' family there would still be questions (some people were simply way too open about their real lives in online communities; it was worrisome).
Thus, Kazuto Kirigaya was born.
Kind of.
And when Sword Art Online went online, so would the Kirito system.
".. "
".. "
".. "
Kayaba sighed before slumping down his desk chair, bemoaning his ineptitude as he remembered the whole 'hand mirror' thing he had planned. Now, he was going to have to go through the character create system to design an avatar for Kirito.
That should take up the last half of a day before the game officially launched rather easily.
Why does creating an avatar always have to take so long?
Kirito blinked open its eyes for the first time as it took in the empty city plaza before him, completely ignorant of the fact that this was the first time it had ever blinked before. All it truly cared about was getting back into the game that it fell in love with all those months ago.
It glanced down toward the brown, leather boots that protected its feet before pulling its two gloved hands into view and inspecting them.
It could hear its own heartbeat pounding through its ears as the hand clenched and it smiled.
I'm back!
The first players were already appearing in flashes of blue light behind it, but that was the least of its concerns. Two obsidian eyes scanned the street in front of him, taking in the life-like images of the world. The stone masonry that made up the streets and buildings. The soft flutter of the green leaves as the wind blew through the alleyways and rustled the bushes and trees. The warmth of the sun on his skin as it shone brightly overhead, perfectly matching the space where the star hung in the real world over Japan.
It was a beautiful morning in Aincrad, and Kirito couldn't wait to get back into the world he fell in love with.
Naturally, he did the only thing he could think to do.
He took off running.
From his position in the world, the game master resisted the urge to sigh as the faux player sprinted through the streets with unnatural ease, as if it were following a preordained route. It wasn't exactly a great first showing of the program, nor did it fill him with a lot of hope for its promise to stay alive in the game. He was confident it wouldn't die to any monsters, but it was probably going to be found out by the other players rather quickly if it didn't learn how to behave.
In the end, Kayaba merely shrugged from the overseer's room.
If it died, it died.
No harm, no foul.
Another player broke away from the market stalls and took off after Kirito. Kayaba allowed himself a small smile before he turned away from the screens to check on the rest of his new world. Some player interactions may actually do it some good, either it will learn to act more human, or it'll be found out.
He could only hope it was the prior.
At the very least, maybe this.. Klein could teach it how most people choose to walk when not in mortal danger. It wasn't like anybody other than the beta testers knew about the spawning grounds he was headed to. There really was no reason to run.
As it would turn out, hoping Klein would teach Kirito how to walk places was wishful thinking.
The large figure, clad in crimson robes, watched beneath the folds of the hood as Kirito sprinted away from the panicking crowds.
At the very least, Kayaba could take pleasure in the fact that it grabbed Klein as he went, so it was learning to make friends.
Plus, it wasn't all that unusual to be running at a time like this, he couldn't really blame Kirito for taking off. He had just made the announcement that the game was to the death now and that several hundred people had already died. Running was honestly one of the tamest ways he could think of to react, especially considering how three people just dove off the cliff to their deaths.
So, he'd forgive it for running this time.
Klein would teach it how to act normal in time, probably not directly, but through example.
Kayaba glanced away for a moment to watch as another person dove off the cliff toward their deaths, but by the time he looked back toward his pet project it was alone again and Klein was returning to the square.
Naturally, there would be some kinks to work out.
The sprinting and auto-navigation weren't bugs, of course not, those were completely intentional. It's exactly how he intended Kirito to be. Quiet, awkward, cocky, and with an impeccable set of directions only beaten by its impeccable set of lungs.
Yes. This was going perfectly.
As it would turn out, it would turn out perfectly.
Did the Kirito system ever learn to act more like a human? No, not really. At least, Kayaba could not say he had ever met any human who would ever say the term 'beater' was cool. The only consolation was that the people playing the game weren't much better. He didn't even really know why he had been worried. The community of people who would buy the virtual reality system he developed and played SAO as soon as it dropped weren't exactly the most socially gifted people out there.
He wasn't either, so it wasn't like he was judging them, it was more of just an oversight on his part that he believed anybody would think Kirito was weird. They didn't. They hated him, sure, but they didn't think the way he acted was all that peculiar. More so that he was just a dick who thought only for himself.
Again, these people bought a VR system that only supported a single game at the time. Then, they went on to pre-order that game, get it the moment it launched (which was a weekday), and skip school or work to play it.
Not exactly, the most casual of players.
At the very least, Kirito had made some friends, of which a worrying amount were women.
It wasn't that it was weird that women were playing Sword Art Online. Sure, statistically speaking more of the players were men, but there was still a decently large female population.
It was just.. how did that happen?
Asuna he could understand, Kirito had been one of the first people to reach out to her when she was still scared and without hope. That made sense.
Silica too, he helped her revive her tamed dragon or whatever.
Lisbeth was a friend of Asuna, so the whole 'friend of a friend' thing took over, so that checked out too.
But then they all fell in love with him.
Now, Kayaba wasn't unfamiliar with love, he'd had a girlfriend once. In fact, she'd even come back and tried to kill him recently. Needless to say, he understood how affections worked.
He just didn't expect multiple women to fall in love with an AI he created.
Had he somehow made the character that appealing, or did they all just have terrible taste in men?
Add on top of all of that the fact that Kirito, the AI he had built on a whim, was also the holder of the 'dual wield' skill, a skill he had meant for a player to carry, it was all very.. unpleasant.
Which is why he found himself where he was now. Once again sitting in the overseer's room, watching as Kirito skillfully interfaced with the system console to try to save another AI.
Kayaba had already typed out the command prompt to terminate Kirito's program, all he needed to do was press the 'enter' key to initiate the process. It wouldn't even hurt anything in the long run, it wasn't like Asuna would see anything too wrong with the fact that another player had died while trying to hack the game. It would work perfectly to end Kirito and allow the game to continue as originally planned.
So, why was he hesitating?
Why couldn't he just end this farce before it got too out of hand? He could return the 'dual wield' skill to a player, take out the program that was never meant to be created and prolong the game all in one go. Because that is what would happen if he terminated the Kirito program right now, the game would go on far longer. Kayaba knew that better than he knew anything else in this world, Kirito was the greatest threat in the player base right now.
Well, 'threat' may not be the best word. Kayaba fully intended for the players to beat the game, their real-life bodies would give out at some point if they didn't and there truly was no point in a world with no residents. So, yes, the game would come to a close, and Aincrad would fall into ruin. At some point that is.
But should Kirito be the one to end it all?
Kayaba watched as his creation's hands ran along the holographic keyboard, dancing over the keys with unnatural grace. Those two fake, obsidian eyes widened ever so slightly as its lips turned down at the corners. The two hands paused in unison with momentary confusion before they once again moved again.
All the while, Asuna watched through teary eyes as the AI tried to save their daughter.
Neither parent was privy to the knowledge that Kirito was an AI as well. Yui knew. But Yui also saw their happiness, two of the few beings alive in within the realm of Aincrad who were actually living happily. They treated the world as if it were their actual homes, not just as a prison they needed to escape from.
For Kirito that was understandable, Aincrad was his home.
But Asuna merely didn't have much she wanted to return to. Her parents were lovingly apathetic at best, and she only saw her brother on rare occasions.
That was why Yui sought them out, even if she was mostly in a glitch-derived delirious state at the time. She knew they were something special, and when she finally met them, she couldn't bring herself to admit the truth. That Kirito was just as artificial as she was.
Not even when they loved her regardless of her being an AI.
Kayaba's pinky lifted from where it hovered over the 'enter' key and with a sigh it glid through the air up to 'backspace.' With a small amount of pressure, he deleted the command prompt and instead leaned back in his seat and watched as Kirito presented his wife with Yui's heart.
The long grey hair of Heathcliff swept back and forth through the air as Kayaba pondered how he should move forward.
All it took was a few lines of code and an invisible item appeared in Asuna's inventory, a second heart to match the first.
Kirito's.
This really wasn't how he intended the story of Aincrad going, but saying he was unhappy with how it turned out would be a lie. Kirito was a part of this world now, just as everybody else is. He believed himself to be real and he exceeded any and all of Kayaba's expectations.
It wouldn't be right for him to die with the world. He just needed to trust in Asuna to stay alive and bring Yui and Kirito with her to the next world.
He doubted she'd be able to bring him to the real world all that soon, but if everything went according to his plans, then she'd be able to see the two programs again when the 'seed' took root.
She'd just need to be patient.
A resounding crack echoed through the skies, sweeping outward and pushing the clouds away as waves of pressure rippled through the open air. Kirito watched from where he hovered in the air as the castle in the sky crumbled and fell into the void beneath it, pieces of the previously 'immortal object' shattering into clouds of blue polygons just as the players who died once had.
He couldn't even bother to hold back the tears that gathered in his eyes as he thought back over the death of Asuna, sacrificing herself to give him the chance to finally beat the game. It wasn't fair. They were supposed to go on together, but now they were both dead.
"You're not. At least not in the way you mean."
Kirito jumped before spinning around and staring wide-eyed as Akihiko Kayaba appeared behind him with a sad smile gracing his lips. They locked eyes for a brief moment, two pairs of grey eyes staring into one another before they both turned back to the falling castle.
"What do you mean?"
"You are not dead, nor are you alive."
"You have to realize that doesn't make any sense to me, right?"
Kayaba hummed noncommittedly as a large portion of stone fell off the structure with a sound reminiscent of a crack of thunder. Several floors could be seen on the open side of the piece, the various biomes looking just as beautiful as ever even as they collapsed into nothingness. The game's creator glanced over at the boy to his left because no matter how he looked at Kirito at this point, he would always be a boy. He's not just a system he created, he was real.
Which is why he had to say this because the truth was going to come out no matter what, and he would prefer Kirito hear it from him first.
"You noticed something was off when you saved Yui, didn't you? You tried backing her code up to your nerve gear, but you couldn't."
".. so?"
"Did you ever stop and wonder why you couldn't?"
Kirito didn't answer right away, Kayaba assumed he was thinking it over, trying to come up with the most logical reason for why that was.
Naturally, Kirito didn't quite like conforming to people's expectations.
"Nah, not really. Just figured it was something weird with the system created by a man who murdered six-thousand people."
The older man sighed even as one of his old hands was dragged through his grey locks of hair, "you are not a player, Kirito. You are an AI, like your daughter. You could not back up Yui's code to your own nerve gear because there was no nerve gear to back it up to."
The boy was quiet again, this time actually thinking over what was said.
It was a while before he actually spoke again, the sound of the crumbling cities filling the void his silence left.
He tried denying it, tried believing that he shouldn't trust what the insane man to his right was saying.
But he couldn't.
Something had always seemed.. wrong about himself. About his memories. Nothing ever seemed genuine.
He could clearly remember the faces of his mother (or should he call her his aunt?) and his sister. Everything in them was as clear as the day he entered the game (which in and of itself was concerning, why didn't his memories ever get any foggier?).
He remembered some past events of times he spent with the both of them, but those he was unable to picture. The information was there, the actions he and the others took, the effect it had on him and his life, everything. But he couldn't picture it.
He could see their faces clear as day as if the pictures were directly uploaded into his head, but he couldn't see his memories. Not in any way that seemed natural.
And there were so few.
For somebody whose memory seemed perfect for their faces and everything he'd accomplished since entering the game, why wouldn't he be able to remember his past life in detail? There were only a few select people and events he could remember.
Kendo with his grandfather and sister.
Learning his actual parents were dead and confronting his aunt about it.
Ignoring his sister and the guilt that had been crushing him ever since.
But through the lens of an artificial program given just enough of a past to make sense, everything changed. He could see their faces so clearly because they had been uploaded into his mind.. or code or something. He couldn't picture his past memories because they actually were just lists of actions and effects.
Kirito let out a tired sigh as he slumped down into a seated position.
"So.. they aren't real? My family."
"They are, they just don't know of you. Your mother and sister and all of those events actually took place, I merely used their family as inspiration for your past."
".. do.. do you think they would have accepted me? Loved me? Could I have been real to them?"
Well, that was not a question he had been expecting, nor was it one he knew how to answer. So, he didn't.
"I do not know, Kirito. I think that may just have to be something you figure out on your own, I'm sure Asuna would help you get in contact."
It took a moment for the words to actually reach the AI's brain after they entered his ears, but once they did his head whipped around so fast that Kayaba truly had a difficult time believing that nobodyrealized he wasn't human.
"You mean– ?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Your code has already been saved to her nerve gear, alongside Yui's. Your journey will not end hear, Kirito."
"What? No, I mean do you mean Asuna's alive?"
Kayaba blinked once. Twice. Thrice.
"Oh, right."
Truthfully, he hadn't considered the fact the Kirito might think Asuna was dead. He thought he'd made this whole 'peacekeeping' chat obvious enough that the boy would just realize that the girl wasn't dead. He certainly hadn't been as aggressive as the game's creator expected for somebody thinking their loved one just died.
Especially considering Kayaba was the one who drove the sword into the girl.
The older man huffed out a laugh before turning around and disappearing into the clouds, leaving just a few parting words for the boy as he disappeared with a flash.
"The servers will shut down in five minutes, goodbye Kirito."
Kirito didn't notice the secondary flash of light that accompanied the man's exit until a small weight pressed down over his hand, thin fingers curling around it. His breath caught in his throat as he turned to meet the hazel eyes he fell in love with.
For a moment, all they did was stare at one another, both of their eyes flicking around the other's face as they were bathed in the warm light of the setting sun. Then, they leaned into one another, basking in their loved one's presence as the death game finally ended after two long years.
".. so.. I guess this is goodbye."
He was certain it was because no matter what happened he was still an AI. He knew she loved Yui, their daughter, and nothing about that was fake. But he still couldn't bring himself to hope that things would stay the same between them after she learned the truth.
".. no.. no, it isn't."
Asuna had meant the words to be reassuring, he knew that it didn't help him at all though. She believed the two of them were going to die still, she didn't know why he was saying goodbye.
"We're going to disappear as one, so we'll be together forever."
Her voice was soft and her tone careful, but it didn't help as he broke down in tears once again. His face fell forward and landing against her the bare skin of her shoulder as warm tears flowed steadily from his eyes and choked sobs escaped his lips.
Asuna didn't hesitate for a moment before gathering him in her arms and holding him tight, one of her hands carding through his black hair comfortingly. She was quiet as she did so, allowing him the time he needed to breathe, listen to her steadily beating heart, and collect himself.
".. before we go.. will you tell me your name?"
He shook his head into her shoulder, trying to get her to stop, but she pressed on regardless.
"Your real name?"
He choked back another sob as he stuttered out a quiet 'I'm sorry' over and over again.
".. well.. my name is Yuuki Asuna.. you don't need to be sad, Kirito-kun, you've made me happier than I've ever been, so lift your head up, I want you to be just as happy as I am in the end."
He did, he lifted his head. His mouth parted as he finally tried to just force the words out, but before he ever got the chance, their world exploded with white light. Their eyes clenched shut instinctively as the bright light flooded their vision, and when they finally opened them again, they found themselves in an unfamiliar world.
One alone in a gilded birdcage, thousands of meters above the ground.
The other floating through the air beside a blonde sylph woman after Asuna idly equipped the only two items left in her inventory (only to be exceedingly confused when neither did anything).
Kirito looked down at his tiny hands before glancing to her left. He froze at his daughter's excited face, the air practically thrumming with energy as her wings beat faster and faster as she tried to hold herself back from lunging at him.
He opened his arms and the other pixie practically teleported into them with a loud squeal.
"Papa!"
One of his fingers reached up to stroke the girl's ebony locks, "hello, Yui darling."
He didn't notice the long-blonde hair disappearing behind the woman as she spun around to face the duo, wide-eyed.
"Nav Pixies have families!?"
Kirito blinked.
Well, this was going to be hard to explain.
"Yes?"
The sylph blinked.
"Cool!"
Or not.
Who even was this girl?
Kirito pulled up the account information easily enough only to freeze at the name plastered at the top.
".. Suguha Kirigaya?"
He didn't have time to react before two hands wrapped around his entire body, only leaving his head exposed, and she shook him furiously.
"What are you doing saying my name like that!"
Even if his world was spinning from both whiplash and the fact that this was his sister in front of him, he still needed to force out a request.
"We.. uhh.. we need your h- help."
Gah! Why is it so hard to speak to somebody you love like a sister just because all of your memories of her were fake and she has no idea who you are!
Truly curious.
Fin.
Maybe.
Probably.