School Daze: Hu/AA PG-13 Other Warnings inside

[Neko]

There's crossdressing, but you're all used to this by now. Seems the first thread must have gotten deleted in that odd hicup thing we had earlier and I never noticed. Anywho, here's both chapters for your enjoyment.

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Netto looked around the familiar building warily as he walked into the Net Saviors Head Quarters early that morning. Nothing said, ‘obviously a new mission’ like being told to be there at 8:00 in the morning by none other then Kifune himself. “I wanted to rest this weekend,” Netto sighed to his navi.

Rockman knew that there wasn’t much either one of them could do about it but he still gave his twin a sympathetic smile and nod. “I know, but look on the bright side, at least it’s just a random thing and not a new Net Mafia.”

Netto thought this over and nodded. “True,” he muttered. Nothing could kill a good three months of his life like a new Net Mafia.

“Morning,” a cool voice said behind him. Netto looked to the side to see Enzan catch up with him and fall into pace with his footing as they walked through the halls. “I’m amazed you got up so quickly.”

Netto grinned at Enzan, “Rockman wouldn’t let me fall back asleep,” he explained.

Enzan sipped on a cup of coffee and nodded, “Ah,” he replied. “That sounds about right.”

Netto crossed his arms, “Don’t trust me that much?” he asked his friend dubiously. He knew and Enzan knew that this was merely a play of their morning banter to offset the new mission but somehow it never got old.

Enzan shrugged, playing his cool boy attitude off just to annoy Netto like he knew he could. “Your record suggests otherwise, Netto.”

Netto bristled at the comment but he opted not to snap back a reply. Enzan gave him a side long glance and Netto enjoyed the obvious discomfort that he had caused his friend by swallowing his callow reply.

Finally they made it to the room that they were called to and pulled back the sideways sliding door to come face to face with… “Laika!” Netto gasped. “What’re you doing here?”

“I’m here on a mission, like you,” Laika replied with a slightly annoyed look on his face for being made to state the rather obvious to his slow friend. “I was about to come out and find you.”

Enzan walked past Laika, sipping on his coffee and ignoring the other Net Savior entirely. Laika decided not to note Enzan’s rather aloof attitude because he knew that Enzan was trying to prove that he didn’t need someone sent out to find him. Netto on the other hand…

“That’s not fair!” Netto snapped. “I’m here on time!”

“We know you are, dear,” Manabe said kindly. “Now come in, we need to get this started right away.”

Laika stood to the side to let Netto march past him, obviously a little more then upset at his treatment even if he still was 12 years old and even if previous experience usually dictated that Netto would never be on time. Ever.

While rolling his eyes Laika slid the door shut and walked into the room to sit next to Netto at the table. “Hello boys,” Manabe said in a quiet voice once all three of them had gotten themselves situated in the room.

“What’s up now?” Netto asked. He knew better then to expect a nice easy one shot mission when Enzan and Laika were both there.

“Well, I’m not sure if you boys have heard but lately there have been strange disappearances of students at a prestigious school up in the mountain area. It’s cut off from most internet resources except a basic connection so it’s impossible to wire the school and as of late so many students have disappeared that the school is in danger of closing,” Manabe began.

“This is upsetting because this school is known for taking in children of political leaders and scientists all over the world. More or less it is a statement of Electopia’s goodwill for the rest of the world. But now students are disappearing and other countries and agencies that represent the school are beginning to become agitated. That is why we need agents there checking things out from the inside,” Manabe finished.

Netto blinked, “Sounds easy enough, but if its so special then how do we become students without giving away our identity?”

“We’ve already created three fake identities for you three. However, there is a catch,” Manabe said quietly.

Netto felt a shiver go down his spine. Somehow he knew that this ‘catch’ involved him and he probably wasn’t going to be too fond of it. “What catch?” he asked.

Manabe cleared her throat. “Yes well, since we need to keep an eye on the entire school we figured that leaving out 50% of the student population would be a bad idea,” she began, avoiding eye contact with the three boys.

“Netto-kun?” Rockman asked. He obviously could tell where that current train of thought was going.

Netto himself was no fool in that sense. “Lemme guess,” he said dryly. “One of us has to pretend to be a girl to make sure that whatever is going on won’t slip by.”

Manabe nodded, “I’m afraid so. It would just be too easy to overlook something if we don’t do this. Even worse is, what if the next target is a girl? We can’t afford to loose any more students from this school. Electopia’s relationships with the world are strained enough as is after what Regal did last summer.”

Netto groaned. He knew instinctively that he was the best candidate for such a situation. However, since he knew the seriousness of the situation he didn’t argue about it. He had been willing to dress up like Aki-chan before to save his friends and sadly, he knew that Manabe knew that.

“I’m sorry Netto-kun,” Manabe said apologetically. “But this is really important.”

Laika and Enzan looked over at their friend who currently had his head in his arms on the table. “Fine,” he groaned. “As long as I’m still in my normal grade.”

“Don’t worry, you’re still enrolled as a 6th grader,” Manabe said kindly. “This mission isn’t meant to torture you dear.”

Netto nodded numbly, “All right then.”

Enzan and Laika blinked, then they realized their own problems. “Manabe-san, we’re not in school,” Laika noted.

“I know you two. I put Enzan in 7th grade as par his age and I’ve put you in 8th grade,” she told them. “I know you’re either past that point or it doesn’t matter but I can’t put you two undercover and put you in senior year or something. Is that all right?”

Enzan groaned softly but nodded his reply. Laika skipped the outward symbols of disappointment and remained as stone faced as ever when he nodded his own consent.

“Very well, I’ll give you one day to get ready. This is an indefinite amount of time so be ready for any period of time between now and possibly summer until their school year ends. At the very least keep anything from happening until we can get into the school and figure out things on out own. Unfortunately we can’t just ask them to shut down the school so it’s either this or we wait till summer. So we’ve gone with the best of both worlds.”

“Manabe-san, what about Netto-kun’s actual school year?” Rockman asked softly.

“We’ll transfer the grades you make at that school when you come back,” Manabe assured them. “You won’t fall behind I promise. Believe it or not, the fact that you’re a net savior doesn’t mean we’re trying to keep you from learning and making it through school.”

Rockman chuckled, “To Netto-kun’s immense disappointment,” he joked.

Netto’s lips quirked in a slight smile. “Shut up,” he murmured.

Rockman felt a tiny surge of pride in knowing that he managed to cheer Netto up.

“I’ll see you three by the end of the day,” Manabe said as she stood up. “Get ready.”

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Netto frowned as he lay on his bed. “Rockmaaaannnn…” he whined.

“Yes?” Rockman asked.

“What do you mean, ‘yes’?” Netto snapped.

“Are you that upset?” Rockman asked.

Netto rubbed his eyes, “No, not really. I mean, yes but also no. I know its important and I’m not angry about the whole ‘undercover’ thing just… uncomfortable.”

“Enzan and Laika?” Rockman asked him.

Netto nodded, “Yeah. I mean, well…”

“I understand,” Rockman said gently. “However, I think that putting this whole thing behind the fact that this mission is more important is quite mature for you.”

“Thanks… I think,” Netto said while giving Rockman a confused glance.

“Embarrassed?” Rockman asked.

Netto shut his eyes, “Not yet but trust me I have a bad feeling that I will be by the end of the day.”

Rockman chuckled, “Well, don’t worry. If it gets too bad just remember that at least they weren’t there during the whole Aki-chan incident. Something tells me that would out beat a school uniform any day.”

Netto snorted as a tiny blush tinged his cheeks as the unbidden image of the incident came to his mind. “Yes well, it was a good idea,” he told his navi.

Rockman held up his hands, “I’m not denying it. Trust me though, it takes a true sense of self to pull through with something like that.”

Netto laughed, “I hope that was a compliment.”

“It was,” Rockman assured him. Then his expression became serious, “Netto-kun, seriously I think that what you chose is very mature. Don’t worry, no matter how… incredibly insane this will undoubtedly become I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”

Netto grinned at his navi, “Thanks, nii-san.”

Rockman nodded, “No problem, little brother. Now, get ready, we need to meet up with Manabe-san, Enzan and Laika in a few hours.”

“Right,” Netto sighed. He took in a few deep breaths and rolled off his bed. “I think I’m in some kind of shock because I feel way to mellow about this.”

Rockman giggled, “You’re not in the skirt yet. Just wait.”

“Joy,” Netto muttered sarcastically as he wandered around his room picking up things he would need for his latest mission.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

“Ready?” Manabe asked the three boys in front of her.

“No…” Netto said slowly.

Manabe chuckled wearily. “I’m sorry dear,” she said softly. “This is a crucial mission though.”

Netto nodded and sighed, “I know, I know. Believe me, I know.”

Rockman appeared on his shoulder, “We talked earlier. Don’t worry about anything Manabe-san.”

Netto nodded, “We’re just gonna have to find the bad guy really quickly,” he said cheerfully.

“Optimistic?” Laika murmured.

“Can you blame me?” Netto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Enzan shook his head, “Nope. But so help me if you complain about it too much.”

“I’ll keep that from happening,” Rockman promised. “Believe me.”

“You can’t say or do anything that will endanger the mission,” Manabe told them severely.

“Yes ma’am,” they replied.

She let out a long held breath in a woosh, “Good. Let’s go.”

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Later that evening Enzan, Laika and Netto were at the school and getting ready to be introduced to the school. Enzan was in a normal hoodie and jeans, Laika had traded his soldier’s uniform for nice black slacks, a brown turtleneck and an open green vest and Netto was in an orange v-neck t-shirt with a blue skirt worn over black pants, however the most noticeable change was the lack of the trademark bandana that he used to keep his messy brown hair out of his eyes.

When Netto came in, he was blushing madly as he tucked his PET out of view. “Okay, now I’m beginning to regret agreeing to this,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“You…” Enzan said slowly. Laika nodded over his shoulder while staring at Netto.

“Ever mention this when the mission is over and I swear I will make you pay somehow,” he told them sharply.

“We promise,” Enzan said quickly.

“Netto-san seems a little touchy,” Blues muttered to Rockman.

“Not touchy, just nervous,” Rockman explained. “He knows what’s riding on this.”

“They all do,” Searchman agreed.

“And now, welcoming three new students to our hallowed halls,” a woman’s voice announced loudly, “Enzan Yamada, Laika Slovski and Hikari Shotoka!”

Together the three friends walked out onto the stage to greet their new mission.

“Welcome to our school,” a tall woman said pristinely. She carried herself with the confidence of a person who had power and she spoke with the tone of someone who didn’t take jokes very well. “I pray you three will have a wonderful time at this fine establishment and move on to contribute to make this world a better place.”

There were polite smatterings of applause in the crowd but Netto could tell that half of the student population was trying not to fall asleep and the other half just wanted to get to dinner. As Netto’s stomach growled softly, he too, was reminded that the last thing he had eaten was a quick sandwich on his way out of the door.

“Now, please make your new peers feel at home and I wish that you will not gossip about recent happenings,” she said as her mouth twisted unhappily.

/I wonder what those ‘recent happenings’ are?/ Netto asked his twin a tad sarcastically.

/Hmmm…/ Rockman replied but didn’t offer Netto anything beyond that.

“With that being said, you are all dismissed for dinner,” she boomed into her microphone. “Please exit the theatre in an orderly fashion.”

The students at the school all stood up and filed out of the gym, high school seniors first down to the little first graders in the front. Finally the woman turned to the three boys. “My name is Ariane Aleska, you may call me Madame Aleska or Headmistress, understand?”

“Yes, headmistress,” all three answered in perfect unison.

Her stiff features relaxed into a hollow smile, “I do hope you three can find out what’s going on here. I wish you luck but please do not bring down the over all average of this school’s grading system. We work hard to be considered one of the best schools on this planet, understand?”

Enzan and Laika nodded while Netto gulped nervously. /Maybe I should have asked to be put back in fifth grade?/

/Ha ha,/ Rockman teased. /Relax, you’ll do fine. If you’re in way over your head I promise I’ll help./

Netto’s breath came a little easier, /Thanks,/ he replied.

“You three can go eat now,” she said dismissively. “Once again, good luck and I pray I will not have to see you outside of the school settings.”

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Netto took a bite out of a piece of bread and chewed it thoughtfully. “So, the headmistress knows. Anyone else?” he asked.

“I think she knows that we’re Net Saviors,” Enzan murmured softly. “I don’t think she realizes that you’re a boy.”

Netto sighed, “I’m not quite sure how to take that.”

“Take it as you will,” Laika said tartly. “But don’t mention such things again. We can’t blow our cover so soon.”

“Right,” Enzan agreed and set his spoon down in his empty soup bowl. “I take it here’s where we split off.”

“Girl’s and Boy’s dorms huh?” Netto asked. “Oh this will be fun.”

Enzan and Laika allowed themselves small smiles at Netto’s expense. “You can handle it. The rooms are singles so it’s not like you’re rooming with anyone.”

“Right,” Netto agreed and stood up. “Fair enough, I guess. Now I just have to find out where I am…” his voice trailed off as he looked around. Netto then realized that he was at a total loss of what to do at that point. Luckily he was saved from actually having to ask anyone because a bouncy 12 year old girl followed by two other girls appeared right in front of him. “Uhhh…” Netto said slowly.

“Hi! You’re Hikari-chan, right?” the girl in the front asked.

Netto looked the girl over. She was taller then him with black hair tied up with bright green ribbons that matched the color of her eyes. She was wearing a green t-shirt and a black skirt that fell to her knees and on her feet were black slippers with green embroidery. “Yes…” he answered slowly.

“I’m Kimiko!” the girl announced loudly. “You can just call me Kimiko if you want. That’s Gren-chan,” she motioned to a shy looking girl to her left. Her head was bowed so Netto couldn’t see her eyes but her pale brown hair was loose and fell around her face, further obscuring her features. She was dressed in a pale brown, long sleeved dress that went to her knees that was held around her waist with a white belt. “And that’s Tala-chan,” she motioned to her right where a very pretty tan-skinned girl stood. She was by far the prettiest girl in the group with dark black hair and piercing purple eyes. She was dressed in a simple red dress that fell to the floor with a purple sash that went over her shoulder and covered half the dress. She inclined her head to Netto who nodded in return unsure of what to say.

“Well Hikari, since you’ve met up with some new people we’ll take our leave now,” Laika announced.

“W-wait,” Netto said, spinning around to face his friends.

Kimiko put her hand on Netto’s shoulder. “They’re in different dorms. Don’t worry, you’ll see your friends tomorrow.”

“Oh, right,” Netto said and turned around to face the three girls. “So… where am I going to stay?”

Kimiko chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to everything soon enough. Follow me,” she said and motioned to a pair of doors that Netto presumed led out of the cafeteria.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

“So, where are you from, Hikari-san?” Tala asked in a calm voice as they walked down the hall to their dorms.

“Akihara,” Netto answered automatically.

“Oh? I’ve been there, what do your parents do?” Kimiko asked excitedly.

“My mom doesn’t work and my dad’s a scientist,” Netto replied. “Why?”

“Well everyone at this school has some kind of connection to be here. Even the teachers,” Kimiko answered. “My dad’s a millionaire businessman from Shishoda, a large city in northern Electopia.”

“Oh,” Netto answered.

“Tala-chan’s dad is a cousin of the royal family of Namaste,” Kimiko said slyly. “She might even be a princess some day.”

“Stop it,” Tala said softly while blushing. “I’m here to study economics, not learn how to be a princess.”

“Wow,” Netto said, clearly impressed.

“Not really,” Tala replied while giving Netto a warm smile. “I’m just glad I’m here.”

“We know, we know,” Kimiko chuckled. “Oh, and Gren-chan here is the daughter of a politician in Ameroupe. Right Gren-chan?”

Gren nodded but kept her face hidden by her long hair.

“Wow,” Netto replied again. “So is everyone here like that?”

Kimiko nodded. “We’re all sons and daughters of the rich, royalty, politically powerful or those who are well known in the world for some reason. Every country and every major city is represented in this school some how.”

Netto whistled. /I’m beginning to understand why Manabe was so uptight about this mission./

/Yeah, no kidding,/ Rockman replied.

“Well, here we are,” Kimiko announced and pulled out a key. She fitted it into a lock and opened the door. “Here’s your room, Hikari-chan,” she said as she handed Netto the key. “I’m to the left, Tala-chan’s to the right and Gren-chan is right across.”

“Thanks,” Netto murmured as he accepted the key.

“I’ll help you around to the classes tomorrow, just make sure you’re up and ready by 7:30, kay?” Kimiko asked.

“All right,” Netto replied while giving her a smile, finally seeming to relax a bit. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The three girls bid their farewells and vanished into their rooms. Netto went into his own room and shut the door. “Oh thank god,” he muttered as he locked the door.

“Tired?” Rockman asked.

Netto walked over to his bed and fell onto it with a sigh. “Kinda. Something tells me this will be a long mission.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Rockman agreed. “Good night, Netto-kun.”

“Night, Rockman,” Netto replied sleepily as he drifted off to dreamland.
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Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.

Avatar, credit Yakitate@devart

[Bassman4566]

This will be funny i can tell good job Neko. How will Netto reacted when it comes to bathrooms?
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Rukario
credit to orinigal owner

"That's all she wrote" Syrus Trusdale

[Kitty-Chan]

At least girls' bathrooms are all stalls. Great chappy, Neko!
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Need more Zero/X, Netto/Rock, Rock/Netto, Forte/Netto, & Blues/Netto. PLEASE!
Ano sa...could someone please make me a Zero/X, Blues/Netto, or Forte/Netto avatar/banner? I would greatly appreciate it...
Thanks for the avatar, Mandi!
People! We need more Blues/Netto & Forte/Netto on the net. Come on; help me out here! *gives everyone her Super-Adorable Irrisistable Sad Kitty Eyes(TM)*

[Midnight]

Hehe, I remember reading this before the so-called "White Weekend," but not the second chapter...

Anyway, let me say that I applaud you for beginning another probably sugar-high-induced fic. Your newer characters seem somewhat interesting, as they are all from the same upper caste of the social hierarchy--it should be interesting how their personae develop and how they interact with Netto. I'm actually looking forward to seeing your characters in action in the future.

Great start, and here's to hopefully another rampant success.
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Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Neko]

Netto woke up very slowly the next morning. He knew what was coming and he dreaded it with every fiber of his being. “Rockmaaaan,” he whined with his head still under his covers.

“Yes Netto-kun?” Rockman asked politely, even though he knew perfectly well what Netto was upset about. Still, it wasn’t as if it was coming out of nowhere.

“Can I call of sick? I don’t feel well,” Netto’s muffled voice came from under the comforter.

“Netto-kun, I know when you’re feeling sick. And may I remind you that when you are sick you hardly want to admit it,” Rockman replied diplomatically.

Netto made a face into his pillow so Rockman couldn’t see. “That’s because I got sick right before a mission.”

“And what do you think this is?” Rockman concluded.

Netto blinked and realized that he had lost the argument. With a heavy sigh he sat up and glared at his navi. “You’re no fun,” he muttered.

Rockman gave him a coy smile. “Get ready, Netto-kun. We need to be ready by 7:30, remember?”

Netto grumbled and stumbled out of bed to get ready. After brushing his teeth and actually taking a brush to his hair which surprised Rockman a bit he returned into the room and looked at the uniform he was to wear while he was in class. “Rockman,” he said again.

“You’re at the school as a girl, you wear a girl’s uniform,” Rockman replied diplomatically. “Can’t be worse then Aki-chan’s outfit.”

“Aki-chan’s outfit had shorts,” Netto countered hotly.

“Point,” Rockman agreed in all fairness. “Come on, we’ve got 20 minutes and you probably want breakfast. Just put it on and we’ll tough out the rest together, all right?”

Netto sighed and nodded reluctantly. Within ten minutes he was in the uniform and heading out the door. The uniform wasn’t bad, really. Just a sailor top with black edging, a black pleated skirt held up with a belt, black knee highs and brown loafers. It was similar to every dime for a dozen school girl outfit he had ever seen, however that didn’t necessarily mean that he wanted to be in it. He was to tired then to truly care about his embarrassment and too hungry to stay inside so with a yawn and a small blush he walked into the school cafeteria where he grabbed a bagel and plopped down next to Laika on the far end of the first table. “Ugh,” he muttered while biting into the bread without even putting anything on it.

Enzan and Laika regarded Netto with interest and looked away, blushing slightly as he glared at them. “You two owe me soooo much when this is over with,” he muttered. “The outfit yesterday was fine, but this…”

“If it makes you feel any better, I doubt Laika-san or Enzan-san would look half as good as you, Netto-kun,” Rockman teased.

Netto gave his navi a dirty look and Rockman burst out laughing. “Come on, lighten up. It’s your first day.”

Netto took another bite and swallowed. “Right, and I’m totally not going to get massacred in the curriculum, right?”

“I said I would help,” Rockman reminded his operator.

Netto nodded and finished off the bagel. “Right, I remember now.” He sighed then looked up with a grin, “Right,” he said again. “We just have to work hard and get this done with quickly.”

Enzan and Laika relaxed as Netto sank back into his normally cheerful mood. As breakfast neared its end and the three friends got up to go to class Netto playfully linked his arms through Enzan and Laika’s. “Besides, Rockman’s right, I do look better then you two would.”

Enzan and Laika both nodded their agreement. “Undoubtedly,” Searchman agreed.

Netto tried to imagine Laika and Enzan in girl’s uniforms and tried to suppress the laughter that came with the mental image. He lost his internal battle horribly and burst into giggles as they separated. Laika and Enzan figured what he was thinking about and exchanged glances. “Netto, don’t.”

“Too late,” Netto laughed and ran down the hallway to where the 6th grade classes were. “Have fun,” he called and turned around to join the crowd.

“Fun, right,” Enzan muttered. “Because you know, I haven’t had my masters in business for 2 years now.”

Laika nodded, “Yeah I know.” With a hint of a smile he added, “At least we’re not in a skirt.”

“That’s true,” Enzan replied with amusement in his voice. “Very true.”

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

“Hikari-chan!” a loud voice cheered right before Netto found himself in the chokehold of another girl.

“Ki-kimiko!” he gasped and pulled at the arms that were around his neck.

“You’re choking her,” Gren said in a quiet voice.

Kimiko loosened her embrace and leaned forward so that her upper body was resting on Netto’s back. Netto blushed and wondered why she was being so friendly with him when he remembered that to them he was a girl. He’d seen Meiru do the same thing with her female friends many times. “Hey,” he said.

Kimiko looked around at Netto’s face. She smiled; unaware of how uncomfortable she was making him. “So, have a good night’s sleep?” she asked.

Netto nodded mutely. Tala came over and smiled, “We came over this morning to see if we needed to get you out of bed but you were already gone,” she explained.

Netto shook his head. “Nah, I got Rockman if anything goes wrong. He nags me forever if I don’t get up on time.”

“Which, even though you know I’ll nag, you still do,” Rockman replied. “And you’re still late to school every day. Or at least you were. Pretty convenient to know that school is right next door.”

Netto shrugged, “So I don’t have to skate like a madman to make it to school right when the bell rings. I have bigger problems here then that.”

“Not an academic?” Kimiko guessed.

“Nope,” Netto replied with a slight air of pride.

“H…I mean she’s not very book smart,” Rockman explained. “However she is a lot smarter then she is willing to admit to herself because she knows that if she did she might have to apply herself,” Rockman added with a wicked grin.

“I have no qualms with turning off my PET you know,” Netto muttered.

This comment made Tala, Kimiko and even Gren laugh out loud. /Like you could escape me,/ Rockman chuckled mentally.

Netto rolled his eyes, /Damn, and I thought it was a good comeback too,/ he said sarcastically.

Rockman laughed at this outright, and Netto gave him a tight grin in return before both boys burst out laughing together.

“It’s nice that you and your navi are so close,” Kimiko said wistfully.

“Oh? Do you have a navi, Kimiko-san?” Rockman asked kindly.

Kimiko shook her head and rested her chin on top of Netto’s head while thinking of a proper answer.

“She’s very familiar with people she likes,” Tala explained in a soft voice. “It’s actually a form of flattery from her.”

Netto laughed nervously, “Interesting,” he replied in an equally soft voice.

“My dad told me I couldn’t have a navi until I got straight A’s for a whole year. My average is barely a B so I’m guessing I’ll finally be able to get one when I’m 18 and my own owner,” she explained.

Netto shrugged, “Nothing wrong with that,” he pointed out.

Kimiko shook her head, “No. But my dad wants me to be his perfect little angel when all I want to do is become a school teacher. I tried mentioning it once but he seems convinced that I’m his little ornament to hand to another business man’s son some day to solidify a contract.”

“That’s horrible,” Netto gasped, obviously scandalized. His anger pushed away what little self control he had over his voice and the reply came out rough.

All three girls looked at him oddly and he blushed, trying to regain the ‘feminine’ voice he had worked on. “Yeah, so, what do you plan to do?” he asked.

Kimiko blinked then rested her chin back onto Netto’s head. “I don’t know. When I graduate I plan on running away but I’m only 13, I have 5 long years to think about what I plan to do. Right now I’m just trying to live life to its fullest.”

“Good girl,” Tala said with approval.

“Speaking of age, why are you in this class, Tala?” Netto asked. “You look older then 13.”

“When I started my education at this school I could only speak Arabic and so I was unfit for the mainstream classes. I had two years of private tutoring in three other languages including English, Japanese and Spanish. That way in the off chance I do end up in line for the throne I’ll be able to negotiate. However, it cost me two years of school to be able to learn to speak those languages fluently so I’m a bit behind elsewhere.”

“So you’re 15 then?” Rockman asked.

Tala nodded, “Yes. I don’t mind though, I have very good friends in this grade.”

“What about you?” Netto asked Gren.

Gren blushed and shook her head. “I’m just here to study and learn.”

“She wants to be a librarian,” Kimiko said in a loud whisper.

Gren’s blush deepened and Netto chuckled. “That’s cool. You like to read?”

Gren nodded, “And write. I like poetry, a lot.”

“She can write stories and poetry in like, five languages. It’s amazing,” Kimiko said. “I can barely speak Japanese.”

Rockman laughed. “Nett… um, Hikari-kun has that problem too sometimes it seems.”

“Net?” Tala asked.

“Net is a…” Netto searched for an excuse.

“Net is a nickname that was given to Hikari by some friends in Akihara. She’s really good with programming and computers so her friends call her… uh Net,” Rockman said quickly, making up a story on the spot.

“Cool!” Kimiko said. “You’re a programmer?”

“Kinda,” Netto admitted with a small blush even though he was quite pleased with the obvious attention he was getting from his new friends.

“Oooh, nice. Think you can look at my computer? It’s going really slow lately and there’s no viruses or spyware or anything. I have no clue why…” Kimiko’s rant was interrupted by the teacher coming into the room.

“Students, please take your seats,” the teacher said in a curt voice.

Netto leaned over, “I’ll come after school. Is it hooked up to the internet?”

Kimiko nodded, “Yeah, the school’s system. Thanks, Net,” she winked and straightened up.

Netto nodded happily, glad that he had at least a semblance of his normal name. /Perfect, we can use the computer to explore the school’s files if we’re lucky./

Netto felt Rockman’s agreement. /Right, but we’ll have to be careful./

/Yay, maybe we can get out of this school by the end of the week,/ Netto said happily.

/Somehow I doubt that, but think what you will,/ Rockman replied.

/Someone has to be optimistic in our little group,/ Netto said matter of factly. /If not me, then who?/

/Point,/ Rockman laughed. Then both boys were forced to quiet down so that Netto could actually pay attention to what was going on. He didn’t have the option of failing, because that meant endangering the mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This fic is so much looooovveee /o/
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[Midnight]

And I'm sure that you're having a fabulous time writing it, at least as fabulous of a time as I am reading it. But I digress...

I enjoyed the fact that you paid so much attention to the development of your minor characters in the course of this chapter, most especially Kimiko. They add a lot of depth to the story as a whole, and I look forward to seeing how you have Netto interact with them.

Good work. ^_^
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Viewtiful Starman]

Yeah, seconding what Midnight said there. Even with just two chapters you've done a pretty good job of developing your OCs so far, and I'd like to see where they go in the plot from here.

I was a bit unsure about this one at first, it seemed a little too similar with your last crossdressing fic I read... But that was quickly dispelled with the way you had Netto complaining about it when he found out, and it did end up being quite a bit different.

Besides the writing and character development, I really like how you're having Netto handle the situation. The mistakes he's made with his role are believable for his intelligence, character and the setting. And it sets up for the likely subplot about him being suspected without seeming contrieved so far.

Keep up the good work, I'd like to see more of this.

[Kitty-Chan]

I think Netto is performing wonderfully under the circumstances. I also agree with everyone else on the development of your original characters. My only gripe is that there isn't enough Net Savior interaction, but it's still early in the fic, so I'm fairly certain that that will change.
_________________
Need more Zero/X, Netto/Rock, Rock/Netto, Forte/Netto, & Blues/Netto. PLEASE!
Ano sa...could someone please make me a Zero/X, Blues/Netto, or Forte/Netto avatar/banner? I would greatly appreciate it...
Thanks for the avatar, Mandi!
People! We need more Blues/Netto & Forte/Netto on the net. Come on; help me out here! *gives everyone her Super-Adorable Irrisistable Sad Kitty Eyes(TM)*

[Neko]

Netto stumbled out of the classroom with a downcast look and a heavy sigh. Kimiko came up behind him and put her arm around his shoulders. “Like I said, barely B average is good here,” she said with a small smile. “It gets easier to handle with time.”

Netto shut his eyes and shook his head dazedly. “My brain feels like it’s been wrung out several times,” he groaned. “I had no idea you could get a brain ache.”

Tala and Kimiko laughed outright at this and even Gren managed to smile a little. “This school does a lot of things to a person,” Tala chuckled in her musical voice. “Many, many, many things. And believe me when I say that the day to day stuff is the least of your worries.”

“Yippie,” Netto muttered sarcastically. He had only been there for a day and he was already exhausted. Perhaps he should have asked to be placed in the 5th grade curriculum after all.

“Awww, don’t sweat it, Net-chan,” Kimiko grinned. “Everyone has their strengths. Some kids here are almost failing their classes but they stay on because they’re really good at sports and stuff like that. If you’re as good at programming as you say then join the tech team and get credit there, then the school will recognize you there.”

Netto’s eyes lit up, “Really?” he asked. Perhaps he wouldn’t get kicked out after all.

Kimiko nodded, “Yeah. But you still have to be somewhat good in your classes, it’s just a way to balance things out.”

“I can do… okay,” Netto said hesitantly, trying to go over what he was supposed to have learned in class that day.

“Okay is good,” Tala replied. “Okay is fine as long as you excel in something else.”

“That I can do,” Netto said happily. “Just, don’t expect any 100’s on my tests.”

Kimiko burst out laughing. “Only Gren the wonder whiz can get those,” she said cheerfully and pulled Gren into a one armed hug. “She’s the one with the brains.”

Gren blushed a bright scarlet but Netto could detect a small smile on her lips. She was proud of her namesake in her little group of friends. He nodded in return, “Well your title is safe. I’ll be happy with not getting 50’s,” he sighed.

“Well, the school day is over,” Kimiko noted. “So, how about taking a look at my computer. I’ve been dying to get online for ages,” she said with a dramatic flair looking like she was about to swoon. Tala and Gren both laughed at their friend’s antics and Kimiko winked at Netto. “Besides, think of it as a test to get into the tech club. If you can find out what’s wrong then you’ll probably make it in.”

“They’re good?” Rockman asked.

Kimiko nodded, “Oh yeah. Not all of them are exactly book smart, but they’re the ones who help keep the stuff at this school running and not corrupted. Rather then have a tech team come all the way out here the faculty board figured they’d just let the students take care of it.”

/That eliminates the possibility of outside help in the kidnappings,/ Netto noted.

/So, whoever is doing this is in the school,/ Rockman finished. /Hmmm… not sure whether that’s good or bad./

/Look’s like we’ll have to find out,/ Netto replied fairly.

“So, to my dorm?” Kimiko asked, jerking Netto and Rockman out of their mental chat.

Netto looked surprised for a second, then he regained his bearings on the real world. It was hard talking to Rockman and paying attention at the same time and he didn’t have the luxury of knowing that his three new friends knew about him and Rockman. They didn’t even know his real gender. “Sure,” he said with a quick laugh.

“You space out easily,” Tala noted. She had been watching Netto the whole time and she could have sworn she saw his eyes change in some way but it was probably just her imagination. She shook her head, ‘Gren’s the one with the story plots, not me,’ she chided herself.

Netto rubbed the back of his head, “Heh, yeah, kinda,” he admitted. “Sorry.”

Kimiko crossed her arms and tapped her foot in faux impatience. “Are we gonna go to my dorm or not?” she asked with laughter in her eyes.

“Calm down, Kimiko-chan,” Gren said in her quiet voice. “We know you’re still there.”

“How could you not,” Tala teased.

Kimiko took the joke in a stride and bowed like a stage performer. “Thank you, you’re so kind,” she said in an extravagant voice as she took yet another sweeping bow. “I’d like to thank the academy…”

“Yes, yes,” Tala sighed although Netto could tell she was biting back laughter. “We’re going to your dorms.”

“Wanna get pizza?” Kimiko asked, her little skit over for the time being.

“Hm…” Gren said softly.

Kimiko noted this and didn’t push her shy friend. It must have been a sign that Gren disagreed although it didn’t seem that way to Netto. Apparently the two had been friends for a very long time. “All right, chinese food then?”

“Sounds good,” Tala agreed while Gren nodded over her shoulder.

Kimiko glanced at Netto. “How about you, think it’s okay?”

Net blinked, “Sounds fine. But… where does it come from?” he asked.

“The kitchens,” Kimiko replied. “Students order dinner and it’s brought to their rooms. Part of the whole dorm expenses.”

“Woooow,” Netto said slowly.

“Heh, if you’re right enough to go here then it’s a given,” Kimiko said airily then she glanced at Netto and realized her mistake. “No… offense of course,” she said slowly.

Netto shrugged, “I’m not rich,” he replied. “But I don’t mind.”

“If you’re not rich then how are you here?” Kimiko asked. “I mean…”

“A bit abrasive tonight, aren’t you?” Tala asked in a quiet tone while crossing her arms. She didn’t seem like she’d be one to yell but her displeasure radiated off her in waves that the other three could feel.

Netto shook his head, intimidated by the older girl. “No, no, it’s all right, I mean…”

“A scholarship program,” Rockman butted in. “Net’s here because of her programming skills.”

Kimiko whistled and pounced on the subject change. “Nice. So you must be really good at it,” she noted.

“It got me here, didn’t it?” Netto asked truthfully while mentally congratulating his navi.

“True, true,” Kimiko agreed and pointed to a door. “This is mine, I’ll order the food and you can take a look at my computer.”

“Fine with me,” Netto said happily as they walked into the room.

Once inside, Netto booted up the PC while Kimiko walked into the adjoining room to order their food. Tala put her hand on Netto’s shoulder while they waited for it to boot. Netto jumped and looked at Tala. “I’m sorry for what she said. Sometimes she doesn’t know that there are people out there who don’t have as much money or resources as she. It makes me wonder how seriously she wants to be a teacher.”

“If it’s something she loves then she’ll be fine,” Netto said with a smile. “And no offense taken. I don’t mind. It’s not like she’s flaunting her money on purpose.”

Tala nodded and Netto turned to the computer which was displaying a warning about a corrupted file. Netto tapped a few keys and a black encode screen came up. “Huh, the OS core file was damaged,” Rockman said as he looked over Netto’s shoulder.

Netto shrugged, “It’s okay,” he said. “This OS is popular, I’ll just rewrite the damaged part and let the rest patch up its self.”

“Can you do that?” Gren asked, obviously interested.

Netto nodded, “Yeah, it’s not really hard because the popular OS’s are also the most simple. Now the Sci Labs mainframe OS is a pain in the butt,” he laughed as he rewrote the part Rockman pointed out to him.

“You’ve been to Sci Labs?” Tala asked excitedly.

“Yeah, all the time,” Netto replied and pressed the enter key to let the computer finish booting up. “Why? Interested in tech science?”

Tala blushed, “Well… I mean…”

Kimiko came back it and raised an eyebrow. “It just finished booting up?” she asked.

“Your OS was damaged,” Netto replied. “The slowness was probably caused by it and if you had come home today and tried to boot it up it wouldn’t have gone through. It should be fine now.”

Kimiko plopped down in front of the computer and pushed some keys. Her eyes lit up as the screens popped up, one after the other. “Awesome!” she cheered. “Net, you rock.”

“Why thank you,” Rockman chuckled. “Although, that’s not the case.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Netto said sarcastically.

Kimiko blinked, then realized the joke. “Heh, Rock, rock, cuuuute,” she giggled and stood up. “Well, the food should be here soon. What do you want to do?”

“How about we do our homework?” Gren asked. “So you can turn it in on time for once.”

“Awwww,” Netto and Kimiko sighed together.

“Come on,” Tala chided them. “Do it now and don’t get yelled at later.”

Netto rolled his eyes, “You sound like Rockman.”

“She’s right you know,” Rockman agreed. /Netto, let me in on the Net, I want to look for stuff./

Netto nodded and held his PET behind his back and Rockman quietly exited the scene. Netto turned back to his friends, feeling accomplished. “How about we play some videogames afterwards,” he suggested.

“Now you’re speaking my language,” Kimiko said happily. “All right, homework now, then videogames.”

Netto sat down next to Kimiko and Gren and together they struggled through the day’s homework.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I SWEAR TO GOD I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU. Just... KH2 is soooooo addictive >.> Sora... Halloween Town Sora... soooo cuuuuuuute...

Okay, here's a chapter for ya XD plot coming soon I hope.
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[Midnight]

No problem, Neko.

Anyway, I liked this one. It seems like you do a good job of focusing on the characters and the interactions that they undergo. It makes them seem a lot more alive.

However, I really can't help but have the nagging suspicion that you are basing the characters that Netto encounters on the members of the fiction channel...it's kinda uncanny, but maybe that's just the fatigue talking.

Anyway, good work. But yeah, maybe the KH2 is slowly consuming you. o_o
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[YaminoMiko]

You're playing KH2 too, Neko?

YAY! I gotta admit, KH2 is addictive. XD I love cub Sora. Lion cub Sora is too cute.

Lion Pete....well, he just killed everything.

Overall, this story is pretty good. It reminds me when Netto became a girl on one of your fanfics. Keep up the good work.

DON'T STOP WRITING!
_________________

I wanna sleep, but I don't wanna sleep at the same time. @_@.
Repetition(RnREXE)

[DjangoSP]

Now, this is an increasingly awesome story!! ^_^ As funny as Chobits, as controversial as GALS!!, and as heartwarming as Elfen Leid. T_T Great job, Neko, and keep it up!!!!! :D
_________________
I am Solar Boy Django! TAIYOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!



Credit goes to X-Zero EXE for the uber-cool sig!!! :D

[Kitty-Chan]

KH2 is addictive; my friend Amie & I just finished a KH2 marathon we started Thursday. Halloween town Sora, Antiform Sora... *drools* Amie remarked that Space Paranoids Sora looks like Rockman.
But, back on topic, this is really good; & if you are basing the characters off people in the chan, lemme in! ^_^
_________________
Need more Zero/X, Netto/Rock, Rock/Netto, Forte/Netto, & Blues/Netto. PLEASE!
Ano sa...could someone please make me a Zero/X, Blues/Netto, or Forte/Netto avatar/banner? I would greatly appreciate it...
Thanks for the avatar, Mandi!
People! We need more Blues/Netto & Forte/Netto on the net. Come on; help me out here! *gives everyone her Super-Adorable Irrisistable Sad Kitty Eyes(TM)*

[Neko]

I'm *not* XD Tala, Kimiko and Gren are based of three 'sisters' I wrote for a story that never was written and so the charachters remained in a notebook until I pulled them up again.
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[Neko]

Around eight Netto made it back to his dorm where he quickly shed the uniform for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Around eight-fifteen Rockman appeared back inside his PET looking slightly worried. Netto quickly sat up and grabbed hit PET as Rockman began to chatter excitedly.

“Netto-kun, there’s a file database of every student that has disappeared and why they were here,” Rockman said quickly.

“Well, I would expect so,” Netto said with a frown, wishing Rockman had something more substantial.

“No, I mean there was a database of all the students in the office. But it’s creation date was before the first student disappeared,” Rockman continued feverishly.

Netto’s eyes widened. “What?” he gasped. “You’re joking.”

Rockman shook his head and closed the link that he had used to get into his PET to enable more privacy before he continued. “And,” Rockman said in a whisper, “there are students on it who haven’t been kidnapped.”

“Who?” Netto asked with slight anxiety.

Rockman bit his lower lip and opened a copy of the file he had made before he took off. The first person Netto saw was Tala. Netto’s expression darkened as he glared at the file. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Rockman nodded and closed the file. “The student before her, Robert someone, was already kidnapped two weeks ago before we got here. He was the son of a businessman like Kimiko; only he got much higher grades. That was his noted talent.”

Netto frowned, “Should we call Manabe?” he asked.

“No,” Rockman said firmly. “We can’t risk bringing out the police so soon without anything but a file. I found this but I couldn’t trace it. All I know was that it was on a computer in the main office. For all we know, hundreds of people can have access to it every day. It might even be a student,” he added.

“So we keep an eye on Tala for now and try and catch the person in the act?” Netto asked.

“That’s probably the best we’ve got,” Rockman agreed.

Netto stood up and grabbed a hoodie. “I’m going over Enzan and Laika’s,” he said quietly. “I’ll make sure I’m not seen. You stay here and cover for me if anyone comes.”

Rockman nodded, “Stay in touch or I’ll come after you.”

Netto drew the drawstrings of the hood so that his eyes were in shadow. He gave Rockman a thumbs up and slipped quietly out the door, letting it close with a soft click.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Enzan closed his book with a sigh and looked at the ceiling. “This is boring,” he told it.

“I’m sorry, Enzan-sama,” Blues’ voice could be heard from the PET that was resting on the nightstand.

Enzan shook his head slowly and got off the bed. “Getting through this faster just gives us more time to concentrate on what we’re here for.”

“Actually, I checked earlier and it seems that Rockman had gone into the school mainframe without detection,” Blues told Enzan.

“Netto must have found a way in,” Enzan said with a soft whistle at the end. “Well, that’s something at least. I wonder if they…” he started but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Enzan glanced at it and then walked over and opened it to see Netto on the other side give him a small sheepish grin.

“I have something to tell you guys,” he said softly.

Enzan looked in the hallways and pulled Netto roughly inside his room before they could be seen. “It better damn well be good or you’re in big trouble.”

“Oh, it’s big,” Netto assured him. “Can you get Laika in here?”

Enzan sighed and nodded to Blues who quickly began writing an e-mail to send to Searchman. “What happened?”

“I went over to Kimiko-chan’s to fix her computer,” Netto started as he pulled off his sweatshirt. After he managed to get out of it, he continued on in a quick and silent voice as Laika came in with a key that he had presumably copied from Enzan. “Anyways, I got Rockman into the net without anyone noticing and he went to go take a look around to see if he could find anything.”

“And?” Laika asked, crossing his arms, getting ready to lecture Netto about the importance of ‘undercover’ and what it meant.

“Rockman found a file of the students who have disappeared that was created before the first student vanished,” Netto said in a quick breath.

“Are you sure?” Laika and Enzan asked in unison.

“Of course!” Netto snapped back, obviously scandalized at the hinting of his navi’s incredibility. “There’s a catch though.”

“Of course,” Enzan sighed, he knew it was too good to be true.

“Well?” Laika asked, egging Netto on.

“It was on a public access computer in the main office. So it could be anyone’s. But, this proves that it’s an inside job, and we know who the next target is,” Netto concluded.

“Who?” Blues asked.

“Tala-chan, she’s a classmate of mine,” Netto said with a small frown. “She’s a really smart girl who is somehow related to the royal line of Namaste.”

Enzan chewed his lower lip in anxiety. “If they succeed then Namaste would come after Electopia,” he noted quietly. “They’re touchy about what happens those who are in power or near it.”

“So?” Netto asked. “What’s out next step?”

“Well, obviously we should keep up what we’re doing,” Laika said. “It’s a good thing Netto’s in her class and close to her, that makes this a bit more simple.”

“Obviously,” Netto said with a bit of sarcasm.

Laika chose to ignore that as he went on with his plans. “We’ve got the upper hand right now because we have the element of surprise. They don’t know that we know about the file and who the next target. If we use this to our advantage we could catch the person next time they make their attack.”

“But where will it be?” Enzan asked. “And when?”

“That’s my job,” Laika said. “I’ll cross-reference all the other attacks, when and where they took place and how far apart they were. Maybe I’ll be able to distinguish some kind of pattern.”

“Sounds good,” Netto agreed. “What about Enzan?”

Laika glanced at Enzan who looked questioningly back. “Laika, can you go through the list and find the connections each student had in order to get into this school? Not just the obvious things, but the little details that keep them here, like a talent or some kind of connection that they used.”

“It may take awhile but I think so,” Enzan said. “I’ll probably have to call in a few favors with some friends in order to find out the darker stuff but it should be doable.”

“Good,” Laika said simply. “Netto, you stay close to your classmate and call us if anything happens. Understand?”

“All right,” Netto sighed. “Are you sure there’s nothing for me to do?”

“Get into the tech club where you’ll have access to a computer 24/7,” Enzan answered. “You’re probably the one out of us who’ll have the easiest time of it. Besides, you need something in order to stay in this school for longer then a few months.”

Netto reddened angrily, “Just because my grades aren’t perfect…” he started hotly.

“Means you need something else,” Enzan sighed. “I know, we know. That’s how this school works. Now will you just go and get back in your dorm before someone realizes you’re missing?”

“Fine,” Netto rolled his eyes and pulled back on his sweatshirt. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

“Night,” they answered and watched as Netto left the room quietly.

“He’s going to have his work cut out for him,” Laika said softly.

“Like I said, he’ll have the easiest time of making it in. At least he can write stuff from scratch,” Enzan replied.

“Can you?” Laika asked.

“Not easily,” Enzan said with a smile. “And I sure as hell can’t read binary. Then again most people can’t.”

“Most people aren’t him,” Laika said with an amused grin as he picked up his key and got ready to leave the room.

“Laika?” Enzan called before Laika could leave.

Laika turned to face Enzan with a questioning glance.

“Good luck,” Enzan said with a nod.

Laika grinned, “You too,” he answered and left the room.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Netto woke up the next morning with a sigh and went through the normal routine of getting ready for school. He only complained once before he put on the uniform and was out of the room in a reasonable amount of time. “Going to try and get into the Tech Club today?” Rockman asked.

Netto nodded. “Yeah, they’re right, we need the access. It’ll just make things easier all around.”

After being greeted by an overenthusiastic Kimiko, a tepid Gren and a grinning Tala, Netto struggled through the classes with occasional help and explanations from Rockman. Finally, when the day ended Netto excused himself from the little group of friends he had managed to get himself into.

“Where are you going?” Kimiko asked.

“I’m going to try out for the Tech Club,” Netto explained.

“Ooooh, good luck,” Kimiko said with a giant grin. “It’s hard but I’m sure you’ll make it.”

“When you do, why don’t you come over to my dorm for pizza as a celebration?” Tala asked.

“Sure,” Netto said, brightened that he didn’t have to think of any excuse to be around Tala. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Good luck,” Gren said with a soft smile and Netto left them to go in search of the club room.

“This is it,” Rockman said as they passed a blank wall.

Netto turned and looked at it. “You sure?” he asked, waving his hand in front of the wall.

“Positive,” Rockman said with a frown. “It has to be. I can tell this is where the data waves are coming from.”

Netto placed his palm flat against the wall and felt the electronic impulses underneath. He grinned and placed his PET up against the wall. “It’s a camouflage,” he said. “Here, can you hack into the first firewall? I think I know how to get it to open.”

Rockman did as he was told and Netto entered a default input code. “You sure?” Rockman asked.

“Trust me, the simplest things set these off,” Netto said cockily as it sparked. “See?” he asked and finished putting in the code. There was a whir and the outline of the door became nearly visible. Netto searched around until he found the handle and opened it up to find a young man a few years his senior clapping his hands slowly.

“Very nice… Miss… Hikari is it?” he asked with a grin. Netto looked up into cold blue eyes that were half covered by glasses. He boy had light gray hair and wore what seemed to be a permanent smirk on his face. “I heard you were coming today so I set up this little test. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Where did you hear that?” Netto asked, biting back a sense of anxiety. He hadn’t told anyone but Enzan, Laika then later his other friends.

“Ah, wouldn’t you like to know, my dear?” he asked with a flashing grin. “Regardless, you passed with flying colors so it seems you have some modicum of talent.”

“Yes…” Netto said slowly, never taking his eyes away from the boy’s own.

“Oh! Where are my manners,” he said quickly. “My name is Jerald Denison, I am a freshman in the high school. I’m amazed to see a hacker so young. It took me years to learn what I know.”

“I started early,” Netto said dryly.

Jerald laughed long and hard and the not so funny joke. “Well, then, welcome to the Tech Club. I’m the president so any questions should be addressed to me. We meet every Monday and work on whatever pet project the school decides to give us. As well as, you may be called on to help repair things if need be. Any questions?”

“No,” Netto said.

“Then, see you next Monday,” he said with a smile and left the room.

“I don’t like him,” Netto said stiffly as he quickly left the room not long after.

“Me neither,” Rockman agreed.
_________________
Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.

Avatar, credit Yakitate@devart

[Midnight]

It's nice to see that you've returned to this fic after such a long hiatus...

Anyway, this chapter was a light read, and it served to keep the plot flowing. The plot point about the public 'hitlist' is quite intriguing, though I can't help but think that a crafty villain could use such a motif as a decoy...

And as for your new character, he seems quite suspicious, though it could only be beacuse he had a few lines of text devoted to him.

Good work.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Kitty-Chan]

He may or may not be dangerous; after all, techies tend to hear about everything because people tend to ignore them. :eyes: Great chappy, Neko.
_________________
Need more Zero/X, Netto/Rock, Rock/Netto, Forte/Netto, & Blues/Netto. PLEASE!
Ano sa...could someone please make me a Zero/X, Blues/Netto, or Forte/Netto avatar/banner? I would greatly appreciate it...
Thanks for the avatar, Mandi!
People! We need more Blues/Netto & Forte/Netto on the net. Come on; help me out here! *gives everyone her Super-Adorable Irrisistable Sad Kitty Eyes(TM)*

[Neko]

BEWARE! After a freaking YEAR I update! Bwahahahahaha!

Heh, this seemed like an easy one to restart because I plotted out the entire thing. Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Netto walked back down the hall feeling uneasy. Rockman noticed his unusual quietness and frowned. “Netto-kun?” he asked softly.

Netto glanced down at his PET and then looked ahead to make sure he was going the right way. Rockman seemed even more perturbed now that Netto was making a point not to reply to him. “Netto-kun?” he asked again, a little more forcefully.

Netto sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, I’m just thinking.”

Rockman skipped the joke and glared at Netto. “I don’t want to read your mind but I will if I have to,” he threatened.

Netto bit his lower lip and then let a slow breath out through his nose. “Did something about him seem… off to you?”

“Who, the tech club president?” Rockman asked.

“Yeah, I mean I know he was creepy but there was something else. Maybe it was because I was so close to him but he just didn’t… feel right. You know?” Netto asked. “Almost like…”

“Like…” Rockman pressed. “I can’t compare if I don’t know what you’re thinking about Netto-kun.”

“Well I guess if I were to compare, he kinda felt like me. But not.” Netto ran his fingers through his hair and growled. “I don’t know. I’m confused.”

“Oh,” Rockman said, suddenly realizing what Netto meant. “You mean his data signature?”

“Is that what that was?” Netto asked.

Rockman nodded. “Yeah, I forgot that you really don’t feel data signatures. Every navi has them.”

“Humans don’t,” Netto replied pointedly. “Your point is?”

“I felt it too,” Rockman assured his friend. “And I ran a check. I didn’t think you were sensitive enough to feel it.”

“I am,” Netto said dubiously. “And?”

Rockman tapped a file inside his PET to bring up the results of his scan. “Well, he had a very sensitive handheld and he was wearing a body tight force field which was why you sensed a data signature. It was the force field.”

Netto raised an eyebrow. “Paranoid much?” he asked. He was quiet for a second then he said, “handheld? Was it a PET?”

Rockman shook his head. “No, it had no registry or anything I could recognize. It appeared to be completely custom and there were no files inside it to suggest a navi was with him.”

“Scary,” Netto said with a short laugh. “Paranoid and he builds his own devices from scratch.”

“Not someone to take lightly,” Rockman warned.

Netto nodded. “I know, I know,” he assured Rockman. “I just hope he didn’t sense me the way I sensed him.”

Rockman shook his head. “I doubt it. Even if he did, he wouldn’t know what it was. I’d worry more about what he’s hiding then what he can figure out.”

“Right, but now let’s go get some pizza,” Netto declared and turned down the dormitory hallway.

“Of course,” Rockman said quietly while suppressing a laugh.

“Hey, I gotta eat,” Netto said cheerfully as he knocked on Tala’s dorm room. There was no reply and Netto felt uneasy. “You don’t think…” he said softly.

“Be careful,” Rockman warned. “Try the door and be ready to attack if anything happens.”

Netto nodded and pushed down on the handle gently. It gave and the door opened with a soft click. It was dark inside and there was no noise coming from the room. Netto bit his lip and listened to his hear pound in his ears. /Damn it. Are we too late?/

/Careful,/ Rockman warned. /Just see what’s going on and we’ll make our next move from there./

Netto nodded and crept quietly into the room. He scanned the room once and saw that there were no other electronic devices to signify another person or navi inside the room. He sighed, feeling defeated and flipped on the light.

“SURPRISE!” two voices yelled. Gren said it in a more normal tone but Kimiko yelled it loud enough to wake half the dorm.

Netto jumped a foot into the air and the lights flickered and went dark. Kimiko looked up and frowned. “Awww, common Tala, I thought your lights were just changed.”

“They were,” Tala said, looking perplexed.

“Heh…heh…” Netto murmured as he leaned against the wall for support. “Surprise party.”

Gren patted Netto’s arm. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Netto took in a deep breath. “Fine,” he said, trying to regain his dignity. “I’m fine… just…”

“Surprised?” Kimiko asked wickedly.

“Ha,” Netto laughed shortly. “Very funny.”

Rockman was currently lying on his back inside Netto’s PET. /Ow…/

Netto winced and rubbed his head. /Sorry. I didn’t think there was anyone here. I even checked. I didn’t mean to overload…/

/I know, it’s okay. I’ll live,/ Rockman assured him.

Netto grinned sheepishly and followed Kimiko into the room as Tala called maintenance to change the burnt out bulbs. Gren gave Netto an apologetic smile and shut the door behind them.

Kimiko laughed and slung her arm around Netto’s shoulders. “Man, you really took your sweet time coming in though. It was like you were trying to break in or something. What, were you expecting some evil bad dude to come leaping out of the shadows?”

Netto snorted. “Maybe,” he teased. “I wouldn’t put it past you to come leaping out of shadows.”

Tala put a hand over the receiver. “She’s got you there,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. Even Gren had to put a hand over her mouth to hide a small grin.

Kimiko crossed her arms and pretended to be insulted. “Honestly, I have more class then that,” she declared.

“Really?” Netto asked.

“Of course, if I was going to attack someone I would probably pounce from behind. A frontal attack from the shadows kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?” she asked with a wicked grin.

“Oh, of course,” Tala said while setting the phone back into its cradle. “Because nothing else would make as much sense as that.”

Kimiko shrugged and flopped on the bed. “Just saying.”

Netto laughed and slumped into a chair. “Well, the thought is appreciated. I’m usually not that uptight.”

“We figured,” Tala said kindly. “We got pizza and some movies. Is this a celebration party or a wallow in pity party?”

“What’s the difference?” Netto asked impishly.

“Well, if it’s celebratory chances are Kimiko is going to start a pillow fight later on,” Tala said with a grin.

“Ah,” Netto laughed. “Celebratory. Although there’s no need to throw pillows at my head.”

“Awwww,” Kimiko whined.

“You made it?” Gren asked.

Netto grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it with zeal. “Yeup. The president’s a bit of a creep though.”

“Eh, don’t worry about old Jerald. He’s just the headmistress’ pet. You just worry about showing off enough to stay here so we can keep on scaring you every time you walk into a dark room,” Kimiko teased.

“Joy,” Rockman’s voice said from the PET around Netto’s waist.

Netto grinned and finished off his first piece of pizza. “Don’t think that will happen again.”

“Damn,” Kimiko said good-naturedly and reached over to get her own slice from the pizza box.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Netto woke up around 3:30 to Rockman’s mental prodding. “Hm?” Netto asked out loud.

/Sh, keep quiet,/ Rockman said softly. /I got an e-mail from Enzan. He says he and Laika found out a few things./

/Are they important?/ Netto asked.

/Important enough to ask you to sneak out of dorms at 3:30 in the morning,/ Rockman pointed out.

Netto suppressed a yawn and sat up. /Point,/ he said and looked around. He was passed out on Tala’s bed next to Tala. He blushed, remembering that he fell asleep in her room while they watched movies. He looked over on the couch and saw that Gren was curled up around a pillow. Then he looked and saw Kimiko splayed out on a large pillow directly in front of the TV. He grinned and slid off the bed, wrote a quick note about leaving early and then left the room.

He snuck out of the dorms and walked to the boys’ side. He looked around then decided to sneak in through the window rather then chance getting caught in the halls. He located Enzan’s room and a tree nearby and climbed it. Gently he slid through the boughs and had Rockman unlock the window. He opened it gently and stepped inside the room.

He turned around and saw Enzan and Laika both in battle positions staring at him. Enzan looked annoyed. “Could you be more unorthodox?”

Netto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry. I didn’t want to get caught.”

“Just close the window,” Enzan said stiffly as he crossed the room.

Netto did as he was told and walked over to Enzan’s bed. He sat on it with a yawn. “Well?” he asked.

“We found a pattern,” Enzan said handing Netto a cup with brown liquid in it.

Netto sniffed it cautiously to make sure it was hot chocolate while Rockman replied. “What was it?”

“It lies in the talents,” Laika said. “Each of the kids that have been kidnapped have been the best at what they did. The star football player, the best speech writer, the best math student and so on.”

Netto took a slow sip and sighed. “And Tala?”

“Best ambassador,” Laika said. “She is part of the ambassador’s club and her skills have been acknowledged by several organizations, including some countries.”

Netto whistled. “What does it mean?” Rockman asked.

“Someone is using this school to gather the best of the best,” Enzan went on. “We don’t know why but now we should be able to predict more of the targets outside of the list you found.”

“Okay, who isn’t on my list that is in the best?” Netto asked.

Enzan scanned the list and sighed. “Does the name Jerald Denison mean anything to you?”
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[Midnight]

Well. Quite a line to end the chapter by.

(Note to readers: Neko believes, and I very much support, that you should probably reread the entire thing to refresh the memory--it's not that long, anyway.)

It's good to see that you have opened the crack on who seems to be the antagonist of the story. The line that you have ended the chapter on builds suspense, but I have to say that that was the only thing that the chapter was riding on. The first portion seemed kinda...blah, but it's still okay, if not for a little more development of the characters in Netto's immediate circle. Nevertheless, I would suggest allowing your characters to develop a bit more--I still have a hard time remembering who Netto's friends are and what their quirks are.

Nevertheless, a fine start in getting back to writing. Cheers to you!
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Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Sithking Zero]

Very nice work! I didn't expect it to be as good as it was...

BTW, Neko... are you Neko-salosa on FF.net?

Anyways, Not ENTIRELY sure it was nessecary for Netto to be a girl, but the tech club head certainly does seem to be setting himself up to be a villian. I'm DEFINATELY watching this thread.
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