Z-1

I laid there staring up at the night sky, I could feel the various wounds on my body leaking blood as well. Though I wasn't the only one, several other bodies lay dying or dead just a few feet away from me. They were my former… associates I guess would be the best term.

You see, we were all apart of a secret organization of assassins that get hired out to different countries or people of power to eliminate their targets. We never met the clients, just handed folders containing all the details we needed to know about our target and nothing else. Not why they needed to die, who they worked for, if they were good or bad did not matter. As only completing the assignment mattered.

One thing I'm sure our clients didn't know, or maybe they did and just didn't care, is that our organization employs child assassins. I am one of them. The recruits are brought in usually under the age of 5 and then relentlessly trained until their 11th birthday. That's when you get your first assignment with a squad that's lead by a veteran leader. Though they are called child assassins for a reason, they keep them for only 5 years after that as on their 16th birthday is when they are "ascended" by the organization.

It should be said that the organization is called Ascension, and it's almost fanatical in its teachings of how we should feel honored to get the chance to ascend. However there have been plenty of members that didn't feel… honored by the opportunity and attempted to escape only to be hunted down by their team they trained. Which as you've probably guess is where I find myself at currently.

My code name was Z-1 and I was one of only 2 others to ever have a flawless record, coincidentally the other 2 also attempted to escape the Ascension. I was responsible for killing one of them and the other was gone long before my time. Perhaps I'm getting my karmic payback for not helping X-12 to escape, I suppose I deserved it.

I clench my hand hard around the dagger in my right hand, while my left clenched the pistol. Frustration was all I felt and it was because this was my first failure more than anything. Whether it be an official mission or not, it was the first time I had failed to do something I had decided I would do. Pounding my right hand into the rough coarse dirt, I continued to stare at the sky.

No tears, no those were beaten out of us from a young age. No cries of emotion as they were met with broken bones and lashes. One of the bodies moves and they try to stand. R-79, he was a great student and the one that gave me the most trouble. Sadly he pissed me off. Raising my left hand I fired my last bullet into the side of his head.

"Should have been more aware of your surroundings, bastard. Heh." I finish that with a chuckle as the same could be said for me having been ambushed in what I thought would have been a safe location. Returning my eyes to the sky the last thing I saw was a shooting star piercing through the sky.

I closed my eyes tight to make a wish even though in my rational part of my brain I knew it wasn't gonna come true.

"I know I haven't done much of anything that could be considered good, but I would like to continue living. I know I'm not normal enough for a peaceful world, but I would like to try. I'll even accept SAO, haha- ack!" Blood dribbled down my cheek as I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurring.

Blinking my eyes I was rocked with confusion as with each blink the scenery changed from night sky with tips of trees in my vision to a white ceiling with bright lights shining on me. I reach my hand up to wipe my eyes but instead of a dirty and bloody arm, I'm met with surgical wires and tubings. My vision begins to clear and I see that I'm in a hospital room with futuristic looking machines around me.

A thought immediately pops into my head but I internally laugh it off due to the absurdity, that is until a 2 faces enter my vision on my right followed by a 3rd on my left. The 2 on my right were obviously of Japanese descent, one male, one female. The one on the left had to be in her 30s, but she honestly could pass as a mid 20 year old. My hands instinctively went to the positions where I would keep my hidden weapons only to find them missing.

Instead I rip the needle out of my arm to arm myself, but that causes a small alarm to begin beeping in the room. That was also when I noticed the pain racking my body all over. The 2 teens stood up while the girl ran out the room to call for a nurse. I guess I can thank Ascension for teaching us a multitude of languages, as I easily understood her Japanese. As I studied them while trying to ignore the pain I realize that the boy looks familiar and it dawns on me that the girl did too.

I drop the needle at the implications of everything as I come to terms with the fact that I'm currently laying in a hospital bed surrounded by the Kirigaya family from SAO. I run my hands through my short brown hair as I process everything before calmly relaxing them by my side as the doctor comes in and a few security guards.

Seeing my calm state, the security guards walk back out while the doctor comes forth and begins putting in a new needle.

"You shouldn't rip these things out, they could damage your veins if pulled out wrong. Luckily you seemed to have avoided any major damage." I just nodded absently at his words, just studying the main character from one of my favorite anime, Kirito, or Kazuto Kirigaya.

"-id, kid. Kid!" Finally I turn my head back toward the doctor, realizing I had zoned out. I look up at the middle aged man quizzically. Sighing he speaks again.

"What's your name, and do you have a parent or guardian we can contact for you? You had no ID or cellphone on you when you were brought here."

"I don't know." The doctor nods as he continues to look at my charts.

"Amnesia is not uncommon for people who've been hit by a vehicle." I look at him confused.

"I was hit by a car?" Kirito and Suguha get a guilty look on their face as well as the mother, and the doctor turns towards me.

"You did more than that, you saved this family from getting his head on. While they would have been killed, the car only clipped you rather than hitting you head on. Though you truly were very lucky to make it out with the few injuries you did. Besides a broken leg and a couple broke ribs you're completely fine." I deadpan at him.

"That doesn't really sound fine." He smiles sympathetically and places the chart back into a holder on the wall.

"Trust me, it's better than the alternative. Now I leave you all alone, something tells me this family has something they want to tell you." He gives a nod to everyone as he exits the room, and the Kirigaya family all stand up and then bow towards me.

"Thank you for saving us!" They chorused together as they held the bow, until I finally waved them off.

"Please, I can't accept your thank you's as I don't even remember doing it." The mother raises first and sits back in her chair beside me and places a hand on top of mine.

"Whether you remember or not, you still saved us. We are eternally grateful for that." I just give a faint smile and nod my head. Kirito and Suguha return to their seats on the opposite side as they look at me. They both seem to be thinking about something seriously and keep taking peeks at their mother over and over again until she finally sighs.

"Uhm, I don't know how to ask this since we don't even know your name, but we have talked about it and the kids were hoping that if you don't have a family that you would come stay with us. At least until your body is fully healed, we would feel bad if you didn't have a place to stay especially while in such a state." I was honestly shocked, I don't think at any point I would have though somebody would offer such a thing.

I look back and forth between the family in slight shock, and then Kirito scooted forward and said his piece.

"Ya, we could even pick up a rental NerveGear and a copy of the new game SAO for you to play while you rehabilitate." Kirito looks over to his adoptive mother Midori, and I follow it to see her nodding in agreement.

"I- I don't know what to say." Before anyone could continue the same doctor returns and a police walks in as well.

"I'm afraid we have some bad news, or maybe it's good news that he has amnesia. Young man, we couldn't find any trace of your DNA or fingerprints in any of the databases." Midori looks toward the doctor in shock.

"But what does that mean for him?" The doctor shakes his head and sighs.

"It means that officially according to the government, he doesn't exist. Or rather he was never born, at least not through the proper way. It also means we will most likely never find his family or who he might be unless he remembers on his own." The Kirigaya family's jaws all drop as they look at me with sorrow, but I mostly shrug it off as I look to the doctor.

"If that's true then what does that mean for me?" Now the police officer steps forward.

"Well to start off we would begin registering you into government database, get all the proper papers filled out and then either find you a home or get you government assistance to assist you until you can financially support yourself." At this Midori stands up and Kirito and Suguha stare at her in surprise.

"If he doesn't mind I would like to register as his guardian and take him into my care, until he no longer needs it." The cop scratches his head and the facial expression he was making, made it seem like this was a bit above his pay grade.

"Errr, uh sure. I'll talk to my superiors and let them know, but I personally don't see a problem with it. If anything it makes this a lot easier especially for the kid." Midori sits back down with a thankful sigh and she looks at me with a smile.

"Will that be alright?" I just nod my head and return her smile.

"I'd greatly appreciate the help. Though there is one problem." Everyone looks to me in confusion or worry.

"And what would that be?" The doctor asked for everyone.

"What is my name going to be?" Everyone just kind of looked back and forth at each other and nobody really had an answer, though Suguha made a suggestion.

"Well if he's going to be staying with us, why not just give him our family name, and then we just have to decide his given name." Everybody turned towards me and I just shrugged and nodded.

"That's fine with me. Then does that mean you're going to name me, since you're technically my adoptive mother?" Midori looks at worriedly.

"Are you sure you want me too?" I turn from her to Kirito and Suguha.

"Do you 2 like your names?" Confusion was evident, but after thinking on it for a moment they eventually nodded.

"Then it's settled, I would like for you to name me." I said with a soft smile, she suddenly looked as if she had a ton of pressure on her.

"Uh, how about Shinji? Kirigaya Shinji." She looked to me hopefully and ran the name through my mind over and over again before smiling and nodding.

"I like it. From now on I'll be Kirigaya Shinji." The Kirigaya family had bright smiles on their faces as they looked at me and even the cop and doctor and warm smiles at the scene. Midori looks toward the officer.

"Please bring the paper work required for everything, and I will help… Shinji fill it out." The cop nods and quickly exits the room.

"Uh hey doctor. When do you think I'll be able to be discharged from here?" He gives me a look over before thinking for a moment and shrugging.

"Like I said before besides the leg and the ribs, and obviously the amnesia, there's nothing wrong with you. Nothing that would need you to stay in the hospital at least, so once you finish the paper work the police has you're free to go." Even I felt joy hearing that, as I was already getting a bit antsy stuck inside this room in this bed. Thankful and happy smiles were on the faces of my new family, though even though I knew them from the show I was still a bit wary of them.

Maybe it's just my training shining through, but it's hard to trust people that I'm realistically meeting for the first time. I'll just continue to act the way I have been as it seems to appease them for the most part, besides it's not like I have much longer here. Kirito just said that SAO launches tomorrow, so I won't even really be here long enough to garner any suspicion. Just another mission I suppose, but maybe just maybe this could be something I've always seen from my past world.

A family.

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Should be 2 chapters every week, see ya next week.