Lord Cynic: "Thank the Lord, I'm finally back! Please forgive the pun, if that's what it is. I'm so terribly sorry this took so long. I got my Internet back after over 2 weeks, only to find Fanfiction's on the fritz. Don't worry, I'm sure this fanfic will quench the thirst of some who've been waiting for another Lan/Maylu fanfic from me. This will focus solely on those two, but maybe I can scramble another fanfic featuring Megaman and Roll before February 14th. If not, or if I get it done on the day, you'll have two more to look for. Enjoy!"

Lord Cynic: "I don't own Megaman. I finally figured out how to spell Maysa though... albeit that being the anime version. Blah."

Even romance needs to go to school

Chapter 1: Consequences of a bad habit

The time, 8:30am. The date, Wednesday the 19th of April. The year, 2000X. The location, Dentech Academy in Dentech City; the school where forbidden Netbattles are held after school in the study hall and where Dentech City's #1 saviour against World 3 was educated.

Not for the first time, Lan Hikari was late for the beginning of class. Not for the first time, the teacher of class 5-A, Ms. Mari, was irate at the tardiness of the blue headband-wearing boy.

"I swear, that boy's taken the term "late" and brought it to new depths," she said irritably. "Does anyone know where Lan is today?"

Her students shrugged and shook their heads, and the defeated teacher sighed heavily. She scanned the room quickly and her eyes fell on the seat beside Lan and his childhood friend occupying it. The redheaded girl in the chair stared at Ms. Mari blankly, wondering why she was interrogating her with her eyes. However, she kept silent and Ms. Mari guessing for Lord knows how long.

The rest of the class watched the silent exchange between teacher and student intently, as if they were waiting for someone to crack and submit. However, it was clear that the staring contest wasn't likely to come to a conclusion anytime soon. Eventually, an impatient blonde girl decided enough was enough.

"If no one minds," she called out in a high-pitched, pretentious voice, "I'd appreciate it if you'd begin the lesson, Ms. Mari. It's plainly obvious that Maylu doesn't know where Lan is, even if she does live next door to him and watch him get ready for school every morning." The girl folded her arms as everyone's eyes widened and the poor Maylu's face flushed with crimson. "I wouldn't be surprised if she sat at the window of her room, recording Lan's morning rituals of disgruntled snores, followed by sudden yelps, ending with loud thuds that accompany his abrupt descent from bed to floor. Now please, can we start the lesson? I need my education."

The stunned silence that ensued from the blonde girl's forcefully calm outburst was extraordinary. If a pin, a pen or a heavy book were to land on someone's foot, you would not get a reaction until time stopped freezing over in the classroom. In fact, no one but the blonde girl (unaffected by her own words, of course) noticed a panting, PET-holding, headband-wearing boy enter the classroom. After he closed the door behind him, the first thing he saw was that almost everyone's faces were fixed with satellite-dish eyes, gaping mouths and the odd sweatdrop.

"Oh no!" the boy cried. "Time's stopped and everyone's been frozen! What'll we do, Megaman?"

"Don't be stupid, Lan," his navi scolded. "The clock's still ticking, and Yai's moving."

"Oh." The boy checked the first of his navi's facts, and he sweatdropped heavily. "8:40... um... hello, Yai," he greeted the blonde girl quietly.

"Hello, Lan," Yai replied coolly. "Glad you could finally make it. I didn't think you'd be here today, or at least this late."

"Yeah, well, um," Lan stuttered nervously. "You see, I... I got sidetracked..."

"Yes, sidetracked," muttered Megaman sarcastically. "You got 'sidetracked' trying to take a shortcut through the park, then got lost walking in circles."

"Thanks for your support, Megaman," Lan said, slits for eyes on his face. "Glad to know I can count on you to back me up."

"How about this?" Megaman suggested irritably. "Hurry to your seat before you get caught, and I'll forgot about a certain poem for a certain person you thought I didn't see in your files."

"Don't you dare!" Lan warned threateningly, although blood was gradually rising to the flustered boy's face.

"What poem?" Yai enquired, perking up with curiosity.

"It's nothing," Lan answered hurriedly, rushing to his seat.

Naturally, Lan's eagerness to avoid the subject peaked the blonde girl's interest. His dismissiveness left her pondering, and her ponders usually become theories that are usually correct. She didn't comment any further, but she wore an all-knowing expression that only Glide and herself could interpret.

Lan meanwhile had scrambled to his seat and was unhitching his backpack from his shoulders. He placed the bag cautiously under his desk, and ignoring Megaman's non-verbal scolding starting impersonating a punctual student waiting for the lesson to begin. As oblivious as he was, he didn't notice that Maylu's face was still dark red from what Yai had suggested earlier. All he was worrying about was making sure Ms. Mari didn't catch him out.

He had just settled into his act when the disturbing time pause lost its effect. As soon as he started looking remotely interesting in school everyone had snapped out of their still states. Lan froze in his seat, hoping no one would detect his presence as they shook off their confusion. Thankfully, the perfect distraction would give him time to gather his things, ready for class. He still hadn't noticed Maylu's reddened complexion, nor her preoccupation and intense fascination with his desk.

Somewhere, someone, most probably Dex, hollered in anguished and leapt out of his seat, his right foot throbbing in agonising pain. Thoughts for Dex immediately turned to the time he got bitten by a robotic dog and cat. Lan still gave him cheek about this from time to time, but being the more 'mature' male he'd forgotten completely about it - eventually. Now that was all he thought about as he hopped painfully on the spot, to the immense amusement of everyone else. An encyclopaedia on Netbattle tips lay in feigned innocence on the floor next to Dex's desk, thus the source of affliction. Unfortunately for him, he didn't think that no one but a certain vertically challenged, blonde, wealthy girl would carry such a book around. Only one thought ran through his mind: "Oh, the pain!!!"

Ah, the wonders (and consequences) of tampering with the course of time.

Yai shook her head again, an evil smirk on her face as Dex continued hopping and clutching his suffering limb. However, she noticed that Lan and Maylu weren't participating in the mocking of Dex's torment. She thought this slightly suspicious, as from her brief experiences as part of the quartet of friends she already knew that the other three never passed up a chance to laugh at each other's misfortunes.

She remembered something Maylu told her about, involving Mr. Match and Torchman, and the results of his Megaman attention seeking. Maylu's hair hadn't looked its usual straight self for weeks as a result of Mr. Match's antics, Yai was told, and this was the course of great laughs for Lan and Dex. This had upset Maylu dearly, for she went to great lengths to make sure her hair was perfect. It was just wrong place at the wrong time when Torchman messed up Maylu's session at the beauty salon. Indeed, it was great trust and friendship that allowed Maylu to even build up the courage to tell Yai about the mishap, especially the parts about Lan and Dex laughing at her misfortune.

(A.N. - "The episode I refer to is "Hot Tempers". Strangely, Cartoon Network showed that episode after "Game Off" - a time when Yai had already been introduced. In "Hot Tempers" though, Yai isn't in the episode. I've even taped the episode (as well as every episode before it... coughsuckupcough...) and after three replays I came to the conclusion that either Yai was on a vacation, or Cartoon Network stuffed up the order of the episodes. On a side note, the episode's a perfect Megaman/Roll indicator, although as a Lan/Maylu hinter it would leave a lot to desire. However, as Roll says, "Arguing is healthy. It means it's a close relationship." (smirk))

'In fact,' Yai thought, 'she was more upset about Lan making fun of her hair than about Roll almost getting deleted by Torchman. She sure has her priorities straight. Lan can be such an insensitive clod sometimes; it makes me wonder why Maylu has a crush on him like she does. Poor Dex, he's too infatuated with her to realise she has feelings for someone else. Oh well, he's too blind to see a wall five metres in front of his face... although not as blind as Lan to realise that his childhood friend actually likes him, maybe even lo -'

Her train of thought was lost when she discovered everyone had fallen silent. She looked up from her thinking to find Ms. Mari with her hands on her hips, glaring at the class. This seemed to cease the contagious giggling that resulted from Dex's little 'accident' (although Yai knew otherwise), so now all eyes were to the front of the classroom. For the meantime, no one who was caught in the frozen time was aware of the extremely belated of Lan. His luck seemed to be holding up.

Satisfied that everyone was finally paying attention, Ms. Mari proceeded with the lesson at last. She walked up to the blackboard and began scribbling notes as everyone struggled to avoid eye contact with an agitated Dex. They still hadn't realised Lan's presence, but instead were getting uncomfortable with the extremely smug look on Yai's face. She couldn't care less, as she was concocting certain matchmaking schemes. The only hitches she could perceive were Lan's obliviousness, Maylu's naivety and Dex's jealousy. Still, she'd work out the bugs and glitches when her plan was set in motion.

When ten minutes had passed, Ms. Mari had completed her notes on elemental battlechips and navis; and strengths and weaknesses. When the last note was finished, she turned back to the class. Her eyes scanned the room with a "Get writing" expression on her face. She, like everyone else, hadn't spotted her newest, although extremely tardy arrival to the class. However, for a brief second her gaze fell on Maylu again, as if she was daring for a rematch of the staring contest.

Most of the other students had long fallen asleep, but a sharp clearing of the throat from Ms. Mari woke them up from their mid-morning naps and sent them straight to work. This included Lan, who was grateful for any source of distraction from his attendance. He bent his head down and began writing the notes in his notebook, completely ignorant of anything else around him.

This was good news for Maylu, if she'd known the person she was doodling idly was sitting right next to her. As it was, her work was as discreet as possible, although it did involve a lot of bright colours (particularly red and pink) and love hearts. There were (very detailed) drawings of her and Lan, with tiny letters scribbled above their heads. Roll gazed up from her PET to glimpse the words the letters spelled and she almost burst out giggling.

"That's cute," she said instead, holding back the urge to giggle uncontrollably. "Lan and Maylu Hikari, very cute."

"Roll, shh!" Maylu whispered urgently. "Don't let anyone hear you, this is supposed to be secret business."

"Of course," Roll said brightly. "Just like the other seventeen secret businesses. I'm gonna go visit Megaman, later."

And just like that, Roll was gone before Maylu could get another word in. If there was a more extreme version of crimson, Maylu's face was shaded in it from top to bottom. She shook this off as best as she could, then continued with her drawing, albeit slightly absent-minded.

"Hey ya Megaman, how's it goin'?"

Megaman almost fell off his bed in shock. After he'd managed to compose himself, he tilted his head up to see Roll beaming down on him. The blue navi's face went an immediate magenta, but he sat up hurriedly to try and hide it.

"Oh, Roll! Er, I'm all right. How about you?"

"Never better," Roll said, beaming wider. "Whatcha doin' by yourself?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Megaman said. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Well, wherever Lan is, you're sure to be with him," Roll said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I didn't think anyone knew Lan was even here, besides Yai..." Megaman trailed off when a lightbulb registered in his brain. "Glide told you Lan was here, didn't he?"

"You got it in one," Roll said, pleased at Megaman's deduction skills. "Now you can tell me what you're really doing."

"Nothing to worry your pretty little head about," Megaman replied all too quickly. Roll raised an eyebrow questioningly, and the blue navi decided to elaborate. "It's something secret. Hush-hush, even."

Roll pouted. "C'mon, you can tell me. Pweeeeeease? I'll be your best friend!"

Now it was Megaman's term to raise an eyebrow. "I thought I already was. I'd need more of an incentive than just that."

Roll huffed and turned her back to Megaman. However, he simply smiled knowing that Roll was just being playfully angry. He yawned, stretched and made to lie back down onto his bed. Suddenly, he was taken back when Roll turned back around promptly and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

The kiss had exactly the effect what Roll was aiming for. Megaman went absolutely rigid in his sprawled position on the bed. His eyes were wider than dinner plates and he stared at Roll incredulously through a face covered in pink tinges. The only reply he received was giggling and a feigned expression of innocence from Roll.

"Is that a good enough incentive?" she asked, watching Megaman's face intently. This caused a plague of red tinges on Megaman's face, until the whole of his face looked like it had been sunburnt by Torchman. Roll giggled again. "I take it that's a yes?"

Megaman eventually recovered from his shock, and when he looked at Roll without the gaping fish expression on his face he wore a sneaky smile that surprised the pink navi.

"I'm not totally sure," he said coyly. "Maybe just a teensy bit more then I can make a decision."

"Oh, why didn't you just ask?" Roll asked exasperatedly, and she caught Megaman in a deep and passionate kiss that caught even him off-guard. Megaman definitely hadn't expected something so powerful from Roll, and it showed when they separated and she saw the look of utter bewilderment on his face. "If that isn't incentive enough to tell me, I give up."

"N-Nope," Megaman stuttered, swaying on the spot after that very distinctive step upwards in their friendship. "That's more than enough..."

"So..."

"Okay, okay, but promise you won't tell anyone about this, especially Lan and Maylu," Megaman pleaded. Roll nodded with a look of intrigue on her face, and she watched as Megaman opened up a suspicious-looking file from one of Lan's extracurricular folders.

"I never knew Lan would have something like that," Roll commented, marvelling on the realisation that Lan didn't just spend his time Netbattling, eating, sleeping and going to school. Indeed, she was surprised at any thought of Lan taking time out for secret projects, but said nothing as Megaman scanned the file so that they could read it.

"It's a... poem," Megaman said tentatively. He coughed briefly, but caught the look on Roll's face and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Lan being a poet, it's like Dex being a professor. However, Lan only ever writes about certain things... or people... getting what I mean?"

"Huh?" Roll was confused (for once), but Megaman gazed at her meaningly and she immediately caught on. "Ohhhhh, I gotcha. So, Maylu isn't the only one smitten about her childhood friend..."

"What do you mean?" Megaman asked. Roll pointed upwards at Maylu's drawing on her dreamworld. Megaman took one prolonged look at it, then turned around and switched on the mouthguard of his helmet. Unfortunately for him, even through his mouthguard Roll could hear the laughter of the blue navi, and she promptly battered him over the head with a cyber mallet.

"It isn't funny!" she scolded as Megaman gingerly rubbed his head. "She's become almost engrossed with her increased crush, it's almost impossible. Of course, she denies it about 25 times a day, but that charade gets old after about the 8th time."

"Tell me about it," Megaman groaned after the bump protruding through the top of his helmet soothed. "This is just one of the 30 poems in the past week Lan's written about Maylu. He spends more time writing poetry than doing homework, which becomes tiresome after a while when I'm left to save him from failing."

Roll looked up at the file that was sitting in midair while the navis were talking. She soon realised it was the poem Megaman was talking about and read it curiously.

Strawberry Locks

I gaze at her long strawberry locks

As the time slowly ticks by on an eternal clock

Her flowing hair is like a river

When it falls over my face it sends a flurry of shivers

Her hair is as shiny as a car sparkling clean

The strawberry locks are the loveliest I've ever seen.

Her hair is just one of the things that I adore,

And when it comes to Maylu there's plenty more.

"Wow," was all that Roll said after a long silence.

"Yeah," Megaman agreed. "If only he spent as much effort doing his homework. I guess, as he puts it in another poem, his feelings for Maylu are a powerful force, twice as fierce as any electronic horse."

Roll was about to comment on this when the navis heard shouting from the classroom. Roll bid Megaman goodbye, but before she disappeared to Maylu's PET she blew a kiss to the blue navi. He blushed lightly, but caught it in his hand, blew another into an imaginary paper airplane and flew it to Roll. She caught it, giggling, and teleported back to Maylu's PET.

Megaman watched her go, then looked up to see what the shouting was about. He sweatdropped heavily as he watched events unfold.

"Lan Hikari! How nice of you to join us at last!"

Every student in the class jumped when Ms. Mari exclaimed while walking up to Lan's desk. The boy stared at the teacher blankly, trying to fix a calm and controlled expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently. "I've always been here."

"Not according to my recollection!" Lan winced as Ms. Mari's eyes narrowed. "I happen to know that you arrived here 40 minutes AFTER the bell!"

"W-What?! How?!" Lan swerved his chair around to try and find the culprit. Eventually his eyes fell upon Yai, who simply smirked back at him. 'I'm going to get her for this,' he swore private, then turned back around to Ms. Mari. He figured it was best to be honest, and said, "Okay, so maybe I was a little late. But from the look of the class when I came in, I didn't really miss much, did I?"

This took Ms. Mari aback, but she regained her composure. There was no way she'd lose a battle of wits to her one of her own students. The only problem was, she had nothing to come back with. Except...

"After school detention!" she said with finality. It had the effect she was looking for when Lan's eyes widened in horror.

"What? You're kidding me!"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Lan sighed heavily, but Ms. Mari was far from done. Her glare switched from Lan to Maylu, who shrank back in fear. The redhead didn't know what she had done, but she knew the consequences wouldn't be pleasant.

"You sit right next to him, yet you don't even see him enter the room," Ms. Mari said, her eyes boring through Maylu's already thin defences. "You can join him after school just for that."

"W-What?!" Maylu stared at Ms. Mari in disbelief. "B-But -"

"No buts," Ms. Mari said firmly. "After school, both of you."

The rest of the class sniggered, but Ms. Mari fixed them with glares and they were instantly silenced. Lan tried his best to look away from Maylu, who was feeling extremely hurt that she got in trouble for something that wasn't her fault. It was lucky that Lan was looking anywhere but at her, because at that moment her look of fury could definitely kill any unfortunate victim.

The bell rang for recess, and the class gradually filed out of the room. When the dust had settled, all that remained were the two kids that were caught in a nightmare. Lan would've left the classroom if he could, but as he was seated next to the window he couldn't squeeze out. Unfortunately for him, Maylu didn't look like leaving her seat anytime soon as her emotions boiled inside her. She still couldn't comprehend what just happened, and especially why Ms. Mari was so spiteful in dishing out the punishment. However, one thing she did know was that if Lan hadn't come late, she wouldn't be stuck being kept after school and missing a vital piano lesson.

When Maylu did rise from her seat, she was completely silent. Roll looked up at her worriedly, but nothing could provoke a response from the distraught redhead. Maylu walked to the door without saying a word, but before she opened it she whipped around and sent a death glare at the trembling Lan. She definitely didn't need words to tell him how she felt about this, but she didn't stick around for a reaction as she stomped out of the classroom.

Lan was rooted to his chair, the effects of Maylu's glare scorching him like red-hot coals. The look of pure anger in her expression was unlike anything he'd ever seen from her before, and it frightened him. No, more than frightened, downright freaked him out. She had never shown such a display of fury before, even if it was silent. The last thing she was this furious, which was when Lan had laughed at her hair, it cost the boy his homework.

Now, it looked as if Lan's lack of punctuality would cost him a friendship with someone so dear to him.

Lord Cynic: "Eh... started off intending to be comedy, turned out to be a little dramatic. I'm still typing chapter two as I speak, so hang on tight folks. Lord Cynic, logging out!"