Stand Together and Smile
is a Sword Art Online fanfic by KnightEstoc.
Sometimes you make mistakes, like falling asleep on the train while going home, but sometimes those mistakes can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. After doing just that Asuna Yuuki meets Kazuto Kirigaya becoming good friends during their childhood. Along with Suguha they must take on the death game that is Sword Art Online. Though as it would seem that alongside Asuna and Sugu, others are eyeing the real prize, Kazuto. Will infighting for Kazuto's heart bring them to their doom or will they stand together and smile?
Knight himself claims that the fic was partly inspired by SAO: The Eroge and The Prince of Swords
Tropes found in this fanfiction:
- Adaptational Heroism: Kibaou, surprisingly enough. Because of the way Kirito helped teach some players how to fight, after the fight against Illfang the Kobold Lord, Kibaou came right out and said that not all beta testers are bad people. Later, when some members of the Aincrad Liberation Squad were following a similar path to the one Kibaou followed in canon, Kibaou actually helped stop them before things got violent between them and The Royal Blades.
- Ascended Extra: Argo.note
- Battle Harem: Well, considering all the girls are top-level clearers.
- Chick Magnet: Firstly, this is Kirito we're talking about here. Secondly, it's a harem story, so implied.
- First Kiss: Honor goes to Sinon.
- For Want Of A Nail: In this 'verse, little Asuna misses her stop on a train, which leads to her meeting Kazuto, which leads to her becoming tight friends with Kazuto and Sugu years before SAO's launch. This leads to Kazuto being less of a loner, and thus less of a "beater", which then leads to Kibaou's Adaptational Heroism.
- Knowing Asuna before Sword Art Online had even started, combined with Suguha joining the game, caused Kirito to spend some time teaching them the ins and outs of how to fight. Several other people wound up joining these classes...including Kibaou, leading to Kirito escaping his canon 0% Approval Rating.
- The chest that canonically doomed the Moonlit Black Cats was not a booby trap. That, combined with Sachi realizing how badly things could have gone if the chest had been trapped, led to the guild forming an alliance with the Royal Blades.
- Just as Asuna missing her stop on a train led to her meeting Kazuto, Kazuto wound up taking the wrong train by mistake when going to visit her. Ending up in a certain post office when Sinon was forced to kill the robber, Kazuto comforting her afterward pushed her to buy her own copy of Sword Art Online.
- Killed By The Adaptation: Lux, who canonically was a minor character who survived the death game and starred in the Girls Ops spinoff, was killed by Morte of Laughing Coffin in Sinon's backstory.
- Marry Them All: The eventual route that takes place, but Asuna is the one who technically gets the ring during the death game.
- Spared by the Adaptation: The Moonlit Black Cats.
- Spotting the Thread: Kirito found it suspicious that Heathcliff's HP never dropped below 50%, even in the big battle on the 50th floor. It was also suspicious to him that Heathcliff just happened to have the Holy Sword skill. When he saw Yui have a Freak Out when she saw Heathcliff for the first time, Kirito was able to figure out that Heathcliff and Kayaba Akihiko were one and the same.
- Trauma Button: When Heathcliff visits Kirito and the girls, just seeing him triggers a panic attack for Yui. This clues in Kirito that something's off about Heathcliff.
