When Our Blades Cross (A Sword Art Online Story)

Weakness

A/N: Hey :). Recently I've noticed you guys have a lack of knowledge on the protagonist, only thing being that he was abused, not even knowing to what extent. So I'm putting this little piece together that was before Sword Art Online, hope you enjoy! With that being said, I plan on having multiple chapters like this (half before SAO, half in), leading up to his time of picking up SAO. Some may start like this, others may end. Though there probably won't be another until they're out of the game, for there is another arc to this little story.

"Bork! Bork!" Gosen turned at the sound of a dog, seeing a small black puppy dashing towards him. He gave a light smile as it stopped at his feet.

He kneeled, holding the palm of his hand out to the puppy. While he knew the proper thing to do was to hold the back of his hand out, Gosen didn't want to look at the scars on the back of his hand. He pet the dog a little, fidgeting with its collar so he could see the tag. "Let's see who you belong to, buddy..."

"Excuse me!" A boy dressed in all red ran up to him, panting. He pointed to the dog, "That's my dog... he ran off before I could clip the leash on, ehehe..." The boy awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Gosen was disappointed for a second that he wouldn't get to spend more time with the animal, but gave a nod anyway.

"My name is Michael, by the way," the boy said with a goofy grin as he clipped the leash on the puppy. Michael extended his hand, "Yours?"

Gosen averted his eyes, "G-Gosen..." He responded, keeping his hands in his pockets, the last thing he needed was someone asking about the scars on his hands. Usually he wore gloves to cover them, but they were in his bookbag as of this second.

Michael tilted his head, withdrawing his hand. "Nice to meet ya!" Gosen nodded again. "You don't talk much, do ya? That's fine."

"Michael! Dinner is ready!"

"Coming!" Michael yelled, looking back to Gosen, "I don't know if you're free, but if you are, wanna join us for dinner? I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind."

Gosen thought about it for a second, before bowing his head slightly, "I'd appreciate it."

Michael grinned, "Sweet! Follow me!"

"H-hold on," Gosen said, reaching into the pockets of his bookbag to find his gloves, then putting them on, following Michael.

"Welcome home, sweetie," Gosen heard a voice as they opened the door. The house was nothing like his own home. Instead of the absolute mess his own home was, it was neat, organized, and clean. "Huh? Who is this, Michael?"

"Oh, mom, this is Gosen! I invited him over after he helped me find Shadow!"

"Oh, Michael... you're way too trusting," his mother smiled, "Gosen, huh? That doesn't sound like an American name..."

Gosen bowed slightly, "M-my mother was J-Japanese, my f-father is American."

Michael's mother smiled softly, "Well, I wasn't planning on it, but I can make room at the table for you.

As Gosen took a bite of the meal, the first thing he noticed was the explosion of flavor compared to his usual canned meals. His eyes lit up, "W-what is this, i-if you d-don't mind me asking?"

"Huh? It's spaghetti," Michael's mother says, "though I have to say, I've never seen a kid who eats with gloves on..."

Gosen gave a weak smile, "R-really? I-It's a custom a-at my house..." he lied, hoping she'd buy it.