A Life Best Not Lived: PG *Stream Spoilers* *Finished*

[YaminoMiko]

Will Gem crossfuse with Netto? And will Saito crossfuse with Stone? I really want to know!!!
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I wanna sleep, but I don't wanna sleep at the same time. @_@.
Repetition(RnREXE)

[Neko]

No, they won't.

Sorry, but I don't even plan to go there, waaaay to many plot bunnies digging a network of plotholes under that plotline.
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Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.

Avatar, credit Yakitate@devart

[YaminoMiko]

[Neko]

Netto typed away on a computer looking at old files. “Why are we doing this anyway?” Gem asked.

“Because I’m curious,” Netto answered vaguely.

Gem crossed her arms and smirked, “Riiiight…”

Netto ignored his navi and continued to root through old files. “Hey, Saito-nii-san, look at this,” Netto said while pointing at the computer.

Saito blinked at Netto but overlooked the use of his name and looked at where Netto was pointing. “Enzan and Laika signed this,” Saito mused.

“Yeah, the big hot shots,” Gem said. “Think they’re so great because they can crossfuse.”

Netto and Saito exchanged glances. “So that’s it,” Netto murmured.

“What’s it?” Gem asked.

“Nothing,” Netto said innocently.

Gem crossed her arms, “You’ve sure been acting weird, Netto. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Netto said dismissively.

Gem glared at her Net Op but Stone just patted her on the shoulder. “It’s all right, they’re just looking for some information,” he said.

“Right,” Saito said as he looked at some more files.

Netto stretched and leaned back in his chair. “Wow I’m tired,” he said.

Saito gave Netto a small smile, “Want me to get us something to drink?” he asked.

/Heh, this will be the first time you taste, better get something good,/ Netto chided him mentally as he said, “Sure.”

Saito gave Netto a real grin and left the room. Netto sighed and pressed the enter button on the keyboard. “I’d really appreciate a mission right about now,” Netto said.

“Bored?” Gem teased.

“No…” Netto said slowly.

Gem crossed her arms and smirked, “Sure you aren’t. Just like I’m not bored.”

Netto shrugged and continued to look for more clues as to where they were and why. No one ever said it would be easy.

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

Saito got the juice that he always saw Netto getting and started to make his way back upstairs. He walked past the room where the other crest holders were talking quietly. “There’s the kid,” Tesla said while taking a side glance out the door. “Maybe we can talk to him now. See what the hell is going on,” she muttered.

Meiru took a double take at the person walking by the door, “Tesla wait… I don’t think…” she started but her warning fell on deaf ears as Tesla walked out of the room.

Saito looked up at Tesla who towered over him with her hands on her hips. Saito smiled nervously as Tesla greeted him, “Well, well, well, the kid finally reveals himself. Do you like this world kid?”

“I…” Saito said in a soft voice.

“Netto, we’ve been trying to find you for ages,” Pride said.

Saito laughed nervously, “I’m not Netto-kun,” he said. “I’m Saito,” then for good measure he bowed politely. “Pleased to meet you.”

Everyone else just gaped. Let alone the fact that he looked exactly like Netto, but he was being polite. “We’re sorry,” Meiru said. “Although, can you tell Netto we’re looking for him?”

“Sure,” Saito said. “But we’re kinda busy. See you tomorrow at school, Meiru-san,” Saito said and quickly left the room.

Meiru sighed, “I tried to warn you.”

“How could you tell?” Tesla screeched.

Meiru crossed her arms, “Listen, Tesla, Netto has been my best friend for almost our entire lives. I grew next door to him and I know him probably better then anyone but his parents and Rockman, I know what Netto looks like and even if they do look really similar, I could still tell,” Meiru said heatedly.

Enzan sighed and looked at the dark room they were just in. “So, we’re back to square one.”

“So it would seem, Enzan-sama,” Blues answered.

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

“Here you go,” Saito said handing Netto the can of juice.

“Thank you,” Netto said, taking the beverage gratefully and drinking half of it in one gulp.

“Did you find anything else?” Saito asked while trying to figure out how to open his can.

Netto grinned, set down his own can and opened it for him. “Yeah, apparently we’re not special force operatives anymore,” Netto said.

“What do you mean ‘anymore’ you two were never special force. Just because you can’t crossfuse, what bull…” Gem started but her mouth was covered by Stone.

“Thanks Stone,” Saito said who wasn’t in the mood to listen to someone rant.

Stone gave Saito a grin and nodded.

Saito took a sip of his juice and his eyes widened. /It’s good…/ he said.

/See…/ Netto prodded Saito. /We’ll see if there’s a Backwards World version of Maha Ichiban here,/ Netto said.

/Backwards World?/ Saito asked.

/Yeah, it’s what I’m calling this place./ Netto said.

Saito shrugged, /Works for me,/ he said as he continued to drink his juice.

“So what else did you find out?” he asked Netto out loud.

“Well, everyone else is here,” he said. /Meaning the crest holders,/ Netto explained.

/Right,/ Saito replied.

“And they’re all able to cross fuse, and… that’s about it,” Netto said.

“We could have told you that much,” Stone said.

Netto grinned, “Yeah, but finding out stuff is fun. Besides, re-reading some of these old mission reports is funny.”

“Did you read the one where Enzan and Blues ran into Narcy during the ‘Pink Virus’ fiasco?” Gem said while sniggering.

“Yeah!” Netto hooted. “It was hilarious!”

Saito shook his head amusedly and threw his empty can into the trash. “Well, we might as well get home. It’s pretty late.”

Netto looked at the clock that said 7:35. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Plus we need to do our homework,” Saito said matter of factly.

Netto groaned and Saito pulled his hapless twin out of his seat and started to steer him to the elevator.

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

The other crest holders were ready to call it a day as well. On the way out they saw Saito pulling Netto by his wrist out the door saying something about homework. Meiru giggled at the sight, “Almost like Rockman,” she said.

Saito pulled Netto into the cool evening air and together they started to walk home. /So now what?/ Netto asked.

/We go home, do out homework and look for more answers tomorrow,/ Saito said.

/Why the homework?/ Netto whined.

/Because we’re trying to blend in here. Drawing attention to ourselves is bad,/ Saito replied.

/Doing my homework would draw attention to me,/ Netto pointed out.

/Then we’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do,/ Saito said.

/Not fair,/ Netto muttered.

Saito just let a small grin form on his face and the rest of the trip was made in silence.

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

Saito woke Netto up the next morning and together they made the short trip to school. The day was similar to the day before aside from the fact that Dingo, Meiru and Jasmine kept on trying to talk to them but Saito kept on coming up with excuses to walk away or avoid them.

“Saito, are you sure we should be avoiding them like that, I mean it might make them suspicious,” Netto muttered to him at lunch so their navi’s couldn’t hear.

“I know but… I think they’re already suspicious so… I’m just trying to keep everything in control.”

Netto nodded and continued to eat his hot lunch. “Okay, fair enough.”

After school they weren’t called away on any missions so Netto dragged Saito around the city looking for a possible Maha Ichiban but there was none to be found. “Weird,” Netto said.

Saito shrugged, /Well maybe since I don’t exist as a navi things in this world did turn out like that./

/I guess…/ Netto said. “Well, let’s go to the ice cream parlor on 9th instead,” Netto said with a sudden mood swing.

“Ah, Netto-kun wait,” Saito said as he was pulled by his wrist in the opposite direction.

Miyabi peered around the corner of the vacant building that used to be Maha Ichiban. “They’re still together,” he muttered.

Shadowman gave a sound of discontent. “They’re twins; I guess it’s to be expected.”

Miyabi sighed and walked down the street. “I want some answers and I think Netto Hikari can answer some of them, whether he’s part of this world or not.”

“Just be careful of what you say until you know more about it,” Shadowman warned.

“I know,” Miyabi growled. “I know.”

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

Next chappie /o/
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Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.

Avatar, credit Yakitate@devart

[Midnight]

It seemed to be more like filler. A nice, decent read. I would have liked it a lot better if it only didn't make things worse in my brain. I'm still absolutely vexed about what the hell is going on and what is going on in that alternate universe, but I have a feeling that it will all be cleared up quite soon.

Anyway, nice chapter nevertheless.
_________________
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

[kuro-kitsune]

ooohhh...

MIYABI AND SHADOWMAN!!!

no errors that i can see, and thank you for the comments! ^.^ keep writing, [waits patiently for next chapter]

~kuro-kitsune~

EDIT: i should read through earlier posts more clearly. XP

[DarkMega]

Oooo! I'm very curious as to what is going on!! Can't wait for more! Are there going to be any "fuzzy" moments in this ficcy? I can't wait to see what happens next!
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Justice has many faces, but this one just happens to be hilarious.
Thanks for the siggy, Hikari Angel!

"I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before."

"He who thinks by the inch and talks by the yard deserves to be kicked by the foot."

My livejournal- http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=dragon_denae (Knock yourself out.)

[Reina]

Ehehe, I'm still pretty confused, but I'm guessing that will clear up in a few chapters or so. ^_^ Can't wait for the next chapter!
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Never call me a midget or else something will happen..to you!

[YaminoMiko]

I seriously doubt the fuzzy moments....and I'm still confused on some parts of the story but keep up the good work Neko!!
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I wanna sleep, but I don't wanna sleep at the same time. @_@.
Repetition(RnREXE)

[Kitty-Chan]

Heh, the others must be getting frustrated with the runaround Saito's giving them. Go Saito! ^_^
I really don't think it's plausible that they'll get out of this mess with their secret intact. We need more of this ficcy, lots more.
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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)*

[Blue Bommer]

This story rocks! They both think the others bbelong there.
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[Neko]

“Netto-kun, isn’t that a little big?” Saito asked while staring the monstrous sundae in front of him.

Netto peeked at his twin around the side of the Banana Split. “Well, it is meant for two people, Saito-nii-san,” Netto said with a grin. “So,” he went on handing him a spoon, “eat up.”

Saito gave him a large grin and took the spoon.

“So, when do you plan on doing your homework you two?” Stone asked them.

“Never!” Netto said in a happy voice through a mouthful of whipped cream.

“Netto-kun!” Saito reprimanded him. “When we get home, Stone,” he told his navi.

Stone gave them a small grin and Gem crossed her arms in an annoyed fashion. “Do you have to be so responsible?” she asked.

“Someone has to,” Stone answered her calmly.

Saito giggled a little while Netto and Gem both rolled their eyes.

/You know, Netto-kun,/ Saito said to Netto while taking in a bite of strawberry ice cream. /We should really try on getting to the bottom of this./

/We will!/ Netto answered him while diving into the chocolate scoop. /As soon as we get an excuse to go back to the head quarters./

Saito ate a cherry, /Why do we need an excuse?/ he asked.

Netto raised an eyebrow and took another enormous bite of chocolate ice cream. /Well, we can’t just walk in, can we? I mean… wouldn’t they ask why we were there without a mission?/

/That is… surprisingly insightful of you,/ Saito teased him.

/I can come up with good plans to, you know,/ Netto said.

/I know, I know,/ Saito said in an effort to calm down his brother.

Netto gave his older brother a superior look and took another bite of ice cream, /I know,/ he said.

Saito giggled and finished off the last bit of the giant sundae. “Hey!” Netto protested.

It was now Saito’s turn to give the superior look. “Sorry, little brother.”

“Ha ha, that was great Saito,” Gem cheered.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be my navi,” Netto said.

“So?” Gem asked.

Netto stuck his tongue out at his navi and Saito grinned. /You used to do that to me…/ he said, slowly trailing of at the end, his smile fading.

/Yeah…/ Netto said.

/Netto-kun, we need to get home./

/I know,/ Netto answered.

Before their conversation could continue their PET’s began to ring. “Hello?” Netto asked.

“Hi Netto-kun, Hi Saito-kun,” Manabe said cheerfully.

“Hello,” they answered together.

“Listen, there is a special mission going on in a few hours,” Manabe started.

“Hold on, isn’t that for ‘Special Agents’ only?” Gem asked saucily.

Manabe gave a sigh that suggested she had heard the navi act like that many times before. “We need you two to open two locks in order to get inside,” she explained. “Otherwise the mission won’t work.”

“Oh, you need our help now,” Gem said, still eyeing Manabe contemptuously.

“Gem, hush,” Netto said.

“But…”

Stone walked over and quietly placed his hand over Gem’s mouth. “Thanks,” Netto muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

“No problem,” Stone answered.

“Okay, so I’ll give you two the coordinates and I expect you to be there in twenty minutes,” Manabe explained.

“No problem!” Netto said with gusto. Saito nodded silently behind him and Manabe grinned.

“All right boys, I leave this in your hands,” she said and cut off the connection.

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

“Do we have to do this?” Enzan asked.

“Maybe going on missions will help us find out what is going on around here,” Charlie said.

“But what if this is a trap?” Enzan countered.

“Then we just need to be prepared,” Charlie answered.

“I agree,” Laika said.

“You do?” Searchman asked.

“Yes, being prepared and having a plan of our own is the best we can do,” Laika answered.

“Sounds good to me,” Tesla said while crossing her arms across her chest. “As long as I can actually do something.”

“So what exactly are we waiting for again?” Meiru asked.

“Manabe just said back up,” Roll said.

“Ah!” they heard a loud voice behind them. They all turned around to see Netto and Saito running up to where they were.

“Netto?” Enzan asked.

“Uhhh, yeah…” Netto said while he rubbed the back of his head in an obvious ploy to cover a lie.

Saito stepped in before his twin could do any more damage. “We’re the backup, Enzan-san,” he said while bowing politely. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to get ready to do our job,” he said as he grabbed Netto by the wrist and pulled him off around the building they were supposed to get into.

“Netto-kun, you need to be more careful,” Saito hissed once they got out of ear shot.

“Careful about what?” Gem asked curiously.

“Oh ummm… well you seee…” Saito said in a very evasive tone.

“We’re just trying to keep away from the ‘special agents’ so we can do what we do best!” Netto said in a cheerful voice, taking a stab at a possibly sore spot Gem might have.

“Yes! That’s right!” Gem announced. “We can do anything better then them a hundred times over!”

“Right!” Netto said.

Saito sighed and Stone smiled weakly. “At least they’re into it, Saito-kun,” he said.

“Yeah,” Saito said.

“Any day now!” Gem yelled.

“Ready?” Netto asked.

“Yes!” Saito yelled.

“All right then, plug in, Gem.EXE, transmission!” Netto yelled as he pointed his PET at a small jack in link by the door.

“Plug in, Stone.EXE, transmission!” Saito yelled, for once feeling the exhilarating rush that came with plugging in a net navi.

“Here we go,” Netto said while holding up a sword chip.

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

“They’re really good,” Enzan said as he watched Gem and Stone slice through the multiple viruses that were at the door way.

“We can do that just fine,” Tesla said in a bossy voice. “Why call in the twins?”

“Go!” Gem yelled loudly.

“All right!” Stone said and pulled away from the fight.

Gem stood in front of Stone and took on the full brunt of the attack herself. “Netto, I need a shield chip, go defensive!”

“Defensive?” Enzan asked while watching the battle. “Netto doesn’t…”

“All right!” Enzan heard Netto’s voice say. A second later a shimmery shield covered Gem as she held up a defense in front of Stone while he did something in the back ground.

“Stone, I want you to hack in and destroy the main defense system,” Saito’s voice said.

One minute later there was a final burst of light and the door opened in front of the other crest holders. “That’s why…” Laika said.

Netto’s face appeared on their screens, or maybe it was Saito’s. “What are you waiting for, go!” Netto’s voice yelled.

“Right,” Jasmine said and ran into the building. Not long after, everyone else followed, determined to get some answers.

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

“All right, that did nothing!” Tesla said.

“I hate to say this, but she’s right,” Yuriko said.

“We need a sure fire way of getting information,” Enzan said. “And doing these missions aren’t helping.”

“Then what do we do?” Meiru asked.

Enzan looked at his PET. “We need to get a hold of Netto, alone.”

“Why just Netto? What if he is part of this world?” Jasmine asked.

“That is a risk we have to take,” Enzan said. “We need to find out something. Anything at this point. The longer we spend here the longer whoever brought us here has to do whatever he, she or it has planned.”

“What is the plan?” Nenji asked.

“Good question,” Charlie said.

“I’ll go get Netto before he leaves,” Pride said and took off around the corner.

“So, where do we go now?” Netto asked.

Saito sighed, “Let’s go to the HQ to file another report,” Saito said with a small hint in his voice.

“Right…” Netto said.

“Wait!” a voice yelled behind them. They turned around to see Pride running towards them.

“Oh no,” Saito said.

“Netto,” she said grabbing his wrist. “You need to come with me,” Pride said.

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

Update I managed at Otakon. And my request thread.... wow @_@;;; I still need to eat people ^^ I'm human you know.

Also I'm gonna start a fic for Yue that I most likely won't post here so updates might be a tad thin for awhile. Enjoy this chapter :3
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Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.

Avatar, credit Yakitate@devart

[Midnight]

Ummm...huh?

Just great. The plot only gets thicker and more cryptic. Now I have absolutely NO idea what is going on, nor how to make sense of the the entire situation. Nevertheless, you have asssured me that everything will turn out fine and lucid at the end, so I'll take your word for it.

Even though I am very much confused, this was still a good chapter, and hopefully your stay at Otakon helped inspire you for later or given you a break from writing. Good job.
_________________
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]

Uh-oh, Pride has zeroed in. Netto should say something along the lines of, "Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of 'Niisan." That would throw her for a loop. But, anywho, great chappy, Neko-sama; this one continuously keeps me on the edge of my seat.
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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)*

[kuro-kitsune]

have fun at otakon neko-sempai! i'll try to get your fanart done ASAP! :D *waves* don't strain yourself too much!

anyway, i liked this chapter. it made absolutely no sense to me ( ) but it was really fun. and it reminded me why i SHOULDN'T read FMA fics before reading rockmanEXE fics sometimes....

it's all the elric brothers and hikari twins fault! /o/ run away~

~kuro-kitsune~

[YaminoMiko]

I too have no idea what's going on. This is one cofusing chapter, Neko.
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I wanna sleep, but I don't wanna sleep at the same time. @_@.
Repetition(RnREXE)

[HubHikari]

wonderful chapter neko, you really know how to create Cliffhangers ^_^
keep up the great work.

[ChibiForte]

Yay! Another fun chapter, Neko-san! I wanna see more!! Now, if somebody were to wedgie Laika...

Don't take that the wrong way, I'm a freakin huge Laika fan, and you would not undestand the wedgie thing unless you've read my fics. LOONG STORY. Well, anyhell, keep writing Neko, you have a rabid Saito fangirl waiting RIGHT HERE! *waves arms to point herself out*
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Sig made by me. <3

[Neko]

“Hey, wait!” Netto said, “I…”

“Please,” Princess Pride turned around and looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes.

Netto sighed, “I…”

“Nah, it’s okay Netto-kun, I’ll meet you back at the house. But you have to do your own homework,” he added with a touch of laughter.

Netto smiled, “All right, nii-san,” he joked back.

“What, now you want to talk to us?” Gem snapped.

“Gem, be nice,” Netto said quietly. “Or I’ll mute the PET.”

Pride could hear Gem’s indignant grunt and she felt a small smile play across her lips. “Maybe you should leave you navi behind?” she whispered.

Netto glanced at Pride and realized what she was trying to do, “Um, no thanks,” he answered. He needed Gem there as insurance that they wouldn’t ask too many unanswerable questions.

“All right…” Pride answered unevenly.

“I’ll see you later,” Saito said and walked away.

“What do you need now?” Netto asked her.

“Just… come with me,” she said.

Netto followed her until they turned the corner and all the other crest holders were there. ‘Oh hell…’ he thought. ‘I don’t want to explain, not now.’

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Gem said saucily. “Besides, you need to get your homework done.”

“This problem goes a little deeper then homework,” Charlie said.

Netto sighed, “Look, I don’t know what you guys want…” he said.

“HA!” Tesla yelped making him jump. “You know exactly what we’re talking about. We know you’re the crest holder ‘Netto’ and hiding isn’t going to do anything. What’s wrong, do you like living here? Is this life better then the one you had or something?” she snapped.

“Tesla!” Yuriko hissed.

Netto glared at them, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said in a low voice and quickly walked away from them using a short cut to get home that only he knew about.

“What the hell was that?” Gem screeched. “’Crest holder’ my ass.”

“Heh, yeah,” Netto said slowly.

“Are you okay?” Gem asked. “Is something wrong?”

Netto shook his head, “Nope!” he said brightly. “I’m fine. But I don’t wanna do my homework.”

Gem laughed, “Ah, too bad kid.”

Netto shrugged and continued to walk home, very fast.

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

“We have to make him show it to us,” Tesla hissed. “There is no way all of us would be here and he wouldn’t.”

“Netto wouldn’t hide like that,” Jasmine snapped.

Meiru sat in the back of the room holding her knees to her chest. Laika and Enzan noticed this and walked over while Jasmine and Tesla continued to squabble. “What do you know?” Enzan asked her.

Meiru looked up at them and then back down at the floor. “I don’t remember,” she said. “But… Saito seems so familiar somehow,” she said.

Enzan and Laika exchanged glances, “Do you know something about Saito?” Enzan asked her.

Meiru shook her head, “Nothing but what I see in the class room. And, that might not be Netto,” she said with a smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him turn in his homework two days in a row.”

“Meiru-chan…” Roll said softly.

Meiru sighed, “I really want to go home.”

Laika nodded, “Yeah, we know.”

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

“What are you planning, Laika-san?” Searchman asked from his PET.

“A way to get Netto on his own,” Laika answered as they walked away from the Head Quarters building.

“That sounds like a good plan,” Enzan’s voice said behind him. “Any ideas on how to do it?”

Laika let Enzan catch up with him and they continued to walk down the street. Laika shook his head, “He and Saito seem to be inseparable.”

“This is too confusing,” Enzan muttered.

Laika nodded, “I know, but we should at least try and get some answers and this is the one way I can think of right now.”

Enzan nodded and they continued on their walk.

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

Gem and Stone had taken a small break to go to Internet City to get some new battlechips while Netto and Saito did their homework. As soon as their navis left the boys abandoned their work and started to talk. “We can’t keep living like this,” Saito said softly.

Netto sighed, “I know, but what can we do? Who can we go to without revealing anything?”

“I hate to say thing, but I’m beginning to think we’re not going to get out of this with our link in tact,” Saito told Netto.

“I’m beginning to think that too,” Netto groaned. “So, should we just go to everyone else, or hang on for a little bit longer.”

Saito gave Netto a small smile, “Hang on for a little bit longer. Who knows, maybe something will happen soon.”

Saito nodded and flopped onto the floor. “Netto-kun, is this what life would have been like if I never died?” he asked slowly.

Netto sighed and lay down next to his brother, “I don’t know. I’d like to think it would be though. Nice and peaceful like this,” he sighed.

“Contrary to what you show everyone you sure like peace Netto-kun,” Saito said with a small grin.

Netto stuck his tongue out at him, “There is a difference between net battling and fighting for the world,” he said.

Saito nodded, “Yeah, I know.”

“Nii-san?” Netto asked, his eyes slipping half closed.

“Yeah?” Saito replied also half asleep.

“Don’t you kinda wish we could stay like this, I mean, if it was possible?” Netto asked.

Saito grinned softly, “That would be wonderful.”

Netto laughed, “I thought so too, too bad it has to end soon.”

“What has to end?” Saito asked.

Netto blinked and looked at the ceiling, “I… don’t know,” he murmured.

In the computer Gem and Stone exchanged worried glances. Something wasn’t right with how they were acting and it just got a whole lot weirder.

Slur turned away from the monitor, grinning softly. “What an interesting little game,” she said silkily. “Duo-sama, are you ever going to let the humans and navis go?” she asked.

Duo looked down at his small colleague, “I want to see if they can break free of the illusion on their own. Are they strong enough?” he asked himself.

Slur looked at the monitor, “I don’t know about that,” she said with a laugh.

“Have you changed anything?” Duo asked her.

“Just a few things, I want to see if Netto Hikari and Rockman are as strong as they seem.”

Duo sounded pleased when he said, “Good plan, Slur.”

“Thank you, Duo-sama.”

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

“So we’ll try tomorrow?” Enzan asked Laika.

Laika nodded, “It’s our best bet for tomorrow. Netto might still be upset about today and we need to handle this bit by bit.”

Enzan nodded, “Okay, I think I can wait one more night.”

Laika turned away and started to walk to his own dorm that was magically provided for him. “It’s not like we have a choice,” he muttered under his breath.

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

Next bit /o/
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[Midnight]

*jawdrop* Bombshell!

This is reminiscent of the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation--where a supernatural entity tests the human race by putting one (or in this case, two) humans in an alternate reality and let them reason their way out of it. I admit--as the chapter began, my perception on the story became more murky and unclear, but when the revelation presented itself, it all became lucid. Very nice, as it pretty much guarantees any savvy reader will get here, simply because curiosity is too much to overcome.

This should be FUN. Good work.
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