Snapshots (D?/A? G [K]) One-shot

[TheWebbuilder]

A.N.: I'm not entirely sure what 'verse' this fic takes place in; I think that the manga-verse would be the most appropriate, but you'll all just have to be the judge of that.

Anyways, I got to wondering, just what does the future hold for Lan and co? So here's some snapshots of my interpretation of their futures.

Begin!

“I don’t believe this. C’mon you, I’m going to put you together sooner or later. So just give in and help me out!” Lan Hikari paused in his endeavors to roll his dark brown eyes and then flick a runaway lock of his brown hair back into place.

“So does this mean that you’re ready to look at the directions, yet?” MegaMan’s sleepy voice filled the air. A split second later, the voice was joined by the holographic form of the blue Net Navi, as the Blue Bomber drew off his PET’s power to temporarily materialize in the real world. “It’s been what? Four, five hours? It’s gotta be at least two in the morning by now…”

“It’s actually closer to three.” Lan looked up at the ornate clock that decorated the room’s side wall. The machine’s two brown hands proudly displayed the time: 2:45 AM. A moment later the brunet grew concerned and cast a furtive glance at the staircase. “And not so loud, Maylu needs her rest.”

“After watching her shepherd Patch around all day, I can agree with that statement.” The Net Navi lowered the volume of his voice. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” Lan whispered and then turned his attention back to the task at hand. Parts and accessories of what was supposed to be the latest model bicycle littered the floor; the brunet thirty-two-year-old was currently at his wit’s end trying to put them all together. “This is the real problem: I’m sitting here at three in the morning; my seven-year-old son’s going to come bounding down those stairs in two and a half hours expecting his Christmas presents… which currently looks like it got hit with a bomb… or run over by a truck. So what are we going to do?”

MegaMan yawned before replying.

“Ask… Jazz to lock him in his room until it’s ready?”

“I actually thought of that, she’d never go for it.” The brunet sighed. “She’s got to be even more of a child than Patch is.”

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who programmed her.”

“Yeah, I know. I wonder if this is how Dad felt at times… listening to us argue.” Moisture suddenly burned in Lan’s eyes. To cover this, the man hastily picked up what he figured to be a steering bar and tried to fit it into the bike’s steering column- or what he thought was the steering column.

MegaMan just stayed silent. He knew just how bad Lan was hurting at the moment. It had been almost six months since Yuu and Haruka had died in a bizarre subway accident; the wounds of their death still opened easily.

At that precise moment, Lan felt a familiar hand cover his. The brunet looked up to find none other than Maylu Hikari standing over his shoulder. The redhead smiled.

“Try turning that this way.” Maylu shifted the position of the handlebar. Almost instantly the piece snapped into its allotted space. “There, that’s better.”

“Wh- wha- how-“ Lan’s voice froze in his throat. It took a good five seconds for the brunet to work it free. “How did you do that?”

“Woman’s intuition.” The redhead continued to smile softly. Maylu then placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder and guided him away from the bike-passing-as-a-disaster-zone and over to the couch.

Lan didn’t bother to put up any resistance. By this point in their marriage, the brunet knew when he was beaten.

“You can save the world but you can’t hold your own against a bicycle.” Maylu chuckled as she settled the brunet into the couch. A moment later the woman had plucked two cups of steaming cider from a side table and handed one to her husband. She then explained her actions. “You need to walk away from it for a moment…”

“I guess.” Lan admitted as he accepted the drink.

Maylu settled in next to the brunet, looking fairly perky despite the fact that it was three in the morning and she was wearing a long bathrobe. A fact which made Lan feel all the more embarrassed since he was still in his SciLab uniform; it meant that he’d been battling with Patch’s present that long…

“We’re going to be exhausted tomorrow.” Lan commented after taking a sip from his mug. The spicy liquid washed over his tongue. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“It’s alright. Instead of sleeping, I’m sitting here in the middle of the night next to my husband, drinking cider and watching snow drift by outside.” The redhead threw a smile at Lan- the kind that melted the brunet’s heart. “I’d say that it’s a decent trade-off.”

“You might think differently tomorrow when Patch is running into everything on his bike. It’ll be way too cold out there for him to use it tomorrow. We should have gone with the sled.”

“You’re just saying that because the bike’s outdoing you.” Maylu rested her head on the man’s shoulder. “You know that Patch has wanted this since he was old enough to walk.”

“Yeah… this means that I’m going to have to whip that mean old bicycle before morning.” Lan’s trademark cocky grin appeared on his lips. And at that moment, his wife fell in love with him all over again.

“I’m sure that you will…”

The brunet didn’t reply. Lan just slipped his arm around his bride and nestled his cheek into Maylu’s hair.

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

Princess Pride stared out of the ornate window before her and watched the snow spiral through the air to settle on the ground below. She was between assignments at this particular moment, an event which wasn’t unusual at all due to the holidays. Because of that, the silver-eyed woman was startled to find herself… restless. The sudden lack of problems or emergencies was unsettling, and without them Pride was finding herself off-balance.

It was bad enough that the blonde had more time on her hands than she knew what to do with, what was even worse was that she had already completed most of the tasks that had designated to the “I’ll do it later” category.

And now, with nothing to do but watch the snow fall, Pride was having a hard time keeping her mind off of the past. It had been several years since she’d last seen Lan and his friends; the two kept in constant contact, but the princess found herself wishing that they could meet face-to-face sometime before… This was news best shared in person.

Pride’s hand drifted towards her stomach, and a smile flittered across her lips.

A strong arm materialized over her own, pulling the woman into an embrace. Pride felt someone standing at her back, and the princess smiled as she dropped her head back to rest it on the newcomer’s shoulder.

Raika’s upside-down face peered back at her.

“You’re back.” The blonde commented.

“Everything’s been shut down for the holiday.” Raika replied. “The station only needed a skeleton crew. I was the only married man there, so I was the first to be discharged.”

“I’m not complaining.” Pride smiled. “They can discharge you any time they want.”

Raika didn’t respond, but his wife could practically hear his smile agreeing with her. The silver-eyed woman slowly pulled away from the embrace and turned around to face her husband.

There he was, slightly older but still the same. Raika’s hair had taken to graying early, and it was obvious that the lines decorating his face were going to become permanent someday; but that didn’t matter to Pride. Neither did the fact that the Sharrian’s left sleeve had been gathered and pinned just below the elbow… Raika had lost his left arm during a Cross Fusion experiment almost immediately after they’d returned from Beyondard. As it turned out, the loss of that arm had been a blessing for it set Raika and Pride on the path to becoming man and wife.

“I wish I’d known you were coming…” Pride said slowly. “The goose won’t be done for another few hours…”

“That’s alright.” Raika drew his wife in close once again. “That’s perfectly alright.”

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

“Are you sure that you want off here?” The cabbie looked over the back of his seat at his passenger. “This may be one of the more upscale areas of town, but I still wouldn’t be caught dead here after dark; because there’s a good chance that you will be- especially at one in the morning.”

“I’m sure.” The woman slid her PET across the taxi’s scanner. The device transmitted the required data across the internet and automatically paid her fare. “Thank you for caring, but I won’t be on the streets long.”

“Suit yourself.” The cabbie shrugged.

The woman exited the cab and pushed a few strands of her chocolate-brown hair back under the kerchief that was tied about her head. The brunette hurried across the empty streets and rushed up to the large building that loomed over the area.

The brunette looked around, marveling at the changes that have occurred. Beach Street had to have gone downhill in recent years as she’d never seen the area this dirty and abused before.

The woman hastily slid into the hospital.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chaud turned away from the hospital room’s window and back to the bedside. The broken and weary form of his father greeted him there.

The dual-haired Op stepped over to the bed and gently took his father’s hand. Moisture burned at the back of his eyes, but Chaud Blaze forced it to remain there. His father still needed him to be strong, even if the elder man might never awaken again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The blue-eyed Op whispered, despite the fact that he already knew the answer. His father had never been one to show weakness, and his failing health qualified as a drawback. There was no way that his father would have revealed that information if he could have helped it.

As a result, Chaud had had no idea that his father was terminal until the first stroke hit. After that, it was too late. That stroke had done more than incapacitate his father; it had also ripped a large hole in the dam that the blue-eyed Operator had constructed around his heart. Now Chaud was desperate to clear the air between himself and his father… a desire that might now be impossible to fulfill.

A creak shot through the quietness of the air, prompting Chaud to look up at the doorway. A slight frown passed over his features as he saw who it was that was entering the room. But the Op consoled himself with the notion that it could have been worse, Lan could have shown up.

“Melody.” The dual-haired man acknowledged his guest’s presence.

“Chaud… I’m sorry.” The brunette stepped into the room and pulled the kerchief from her hair. “I know that you wanted this kept quiet and I haven’t told anyone else, but-”

“Don’t.” The man shook his head to emphasize his point. “You’re here, that’s what matters. I’ve been learning that there’s no time for regrets, so please don’t apologize. And for what it’s worth… I’m glad that you came. But won’t-?”

“No one will.” It was Melody’s turn to interrupt now. “Mother still won’t acknowledge me, and with father dead…”

“I’m sorry.” Chaud said while he silently chided himself for forgetting the death of Dr. Doss Doppler. The man had perished in the same accident that had claimed Raika’s arm. Doppler’s wife had divorced her husband several years before Chaud had met Melody. And to this day, the woman refused to have anything to do with her child.

“Like you said, life’s too short for regrets. So don’t be sorry. My situation allows me to be here.” Melody moved to the bedside and gently placed her hand on the elder’s Blaze’s palm. “How’s he doing?”

“The same.” The blue-eyed Operator shrugged slightly, moreso in an effort to shake off the remorse that threatened to swallow him whole than anything else. Why had he let things go so long without trying to talk to his father? “He’s still unconscious, and the doctors aren’t optimistic… But I’ll be here as long as it takes…”

The brunette girl’s eyes flooded with concern.

“I’m sure he appreciates that.”

Chaud didn’t reply. He wanted to get off this subject as soon as he could.

“How’s Kalinka?”

“Doing about as well as you are. I just came from Oran Memorial.” Melody’s mind dashed back to the events that had taken place just hours ago. “Dr. Cossack died an hour and a half ago, Kalinka’s back at her apartment now. She said that she had expected this, but needed to be alone…”

Although he had expected this news to come for years, Chaud still felt like someone had just taken a sledgehammer to his chest. One of the world’s most renowned scholars and Net-physicists had just left this earth.

“That’s… understandable…” The dual-haired man slowly ventured out onto shaky surface of his next comment. “Cossack never recovered from his encounter with Bass… To be honest, I think he died back at the WWW base after coming face-to-face with the creation he considered his son… And now, my father’s lying here… just like Cossack was… And I may never get the closure I need, just as Kalinka did.”

“Chaud…” Melody stepped around the bed and gently placed her hand on the man’s shoulder. “He knows.”

“And so do I.” The blue-eyed man replied. There was no bitterness in his voice, only sadness. “But we still need to hear each other say it. I just hope that we get that opportunity.”

“Then why don’t you?” The brunette gently suggested. “You still have the time right now and even if Mr. Blaze can’t respond… it might just be what you both need right now… He’s still with you; you need to take advantage of that.”

Chaud stared at his companion for a long moment. He’d considered doing something along the lines of Melody’s suggestion for some time now, but had always dismissed the idea. But hearing it from someone else… The entire notion made much more sense… and now that he was willing to act on it, there was no reason not to proceed.

The moisture finally broke through the man’s blue eyes and dove down his cheek.

Chaud didn’t care.

The man turned back to his father, and took the elder’s hand in his own.

“Dad…” A lump threatened to choke the words off in his throat, the words that Chaud needed desperately to say. He swallowed and tried again. “Dad… I just wanted to say…”

Melody moved closer and took the man’s other hand. Now the elder Blaze had someone on each side of him and a companion in each hand.

“I just wanted to say that… I… I love you…” Chaud’s eyes clamped down to prevent any more tears from escaping. His breath froze in his throat.

The elder Blaze’s grip was tightening.

“Dad!” The blue-eyed man clamped his own hands around his father’s. “Dad, I love you!”

There was one hard squeeze from the elder Blaze.

The man’s hand went limp.

The machines and monitors started squealing in panic.

The doctors and nurses came running.

Chaud turned away. He knew that their efforts would be futile; it was his father’s time.

Melody met him by the doorway. The two embraced.

And Chaud wept.

End!

[Unknown Neo]

That was cute, heartwarming, and sad in one story. Very nice work web. Very nice.

[ComicX6]

I liked this. It was cute, sad, and it was nice how each and every character reacted to the events that they were caught up in.

There is one thing I found a little... odd:

Lan Hikari: 24 years old.
Patch Hikari: 7 years old.
Me: Hate to do the math.
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[TheWebbuilder]

Uh... whoops... ._.;;

I can't believe I didn't catch that... I knew I was tired when I wrote this, but I didn't realize I was THAT dead to the world. Thanks for pointing that out out to me... *fixes*

Someone please shoot me. Just shoot me now...

[Unknown Neo]

Now why would you want someone to do that?

[Plantman]

[Plantman]

[Sol]

Just a quick addendum:

Neo, please stop shooting off one line posts. Not just in this forum, but the others as well. It does fall under spamming and you will get in trouble for it.
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<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

[Sol]

Just a quick addendum:

Neo, please stop shooting off one line posts. Not just in this forum, but the others as well. It does fall under spamming and you will get in trouble for it.
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<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

[Midnight]

Hm.

I liked the concept of this piece of work--a brief look into one of the myriad possible futures of the characters in the universe, and they seemed to be quite pleasant in many ways. The format...I don't like too much. It's disjoint--several entities vying for the attention of the reader. To me, this seems like reading four separate vignettes that are loosely tied together by string. I believe that these would have had a more profound impact if you took each one separately, fleshed them out a touch, and presented them as four short stories. Many of them--especially Enzan's--leave much to be desired and the current length just doesn't so justice to it.

And now, for something that has really irked me (not just the specific user I'm quoting, but for any other person who regularly engages like this)--

[TheWebbuilder]

I see your point, MC; and a good one it is. I'll probably go back and rewrite each snippet as a full-fledged one-shot sometime in the near future since I seem to be delving into this aspect of the BN-verse (Well, this and Yuu's early years) more and more as of late.

[Unknown Neo]

Really? Great. Just great. I'll work on it and try to look over my posts more.
This happening bother me as much as anyone. Now let's get back to Web's great fic.

[Megawoman.EXE]

I really like this compolition of little short stories. The stories were heartwarming and had great match ups which most of the fans here have pretty much figured out. I was rather sad at the end when Sr. Blaze died, but the rest was awesome. Each story warmed my heart since it did also give the christmas feeling in each one. Keep up the great work Webbilder.
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