The Day's End

Chapter 2: The Escape

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS!!! ALL HAIL CAPCOM AND THEIR GODLY MIGHTYNESS!  (starts singing "It's a Small World After All") gets put in a sack and dragged off to a loon house

WARNING: there are some places where the characters are out of character! But it is important for the story (remember Blues is traumatized) and you will see why later in the fic and also in other fics that I write that are connected to this.

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The red Navi stared at the monitor before him. There was nothing. He was able to contact the humans for a split second, then… nothing. All that remained of their world was the screaming static displayed on the little green-rimmed screen in front of him. Other than that there was an empty ringing silence that hung in the air, the kind that fills the lungs and churns the thoughts into jell-o.

Blues stood there, his mind frozen on one thought. He was all alone. He had been alone before, but now his communication had been cut off from the human world. He was blind, deaf, mute—useless and helpless. Enzan had been there to tell him what to do. No, he shook his head. There is no Enzan; Enzan is gone. There was only him. And so on and so forth went his circle of hopeless thoughts that made no sense.

The last flicker of the monitor before it dissolved out of view broke his mental conflicts for a moment. He gritted his teeth angrily. Enzan-sama wouldn't stand for this. Enzan-sama wouldn't have him be helpless. Enzan-sama wouldn't give up if he were in this position. He wouldn't just freeze up.

Blues looked up into the high ceiling of his PET. No, he wasn't looking at the ceiling at all. He was staring past it, past the room in which his PET lay, beyond the dark human sky, straight past the stars and into the heavens. A look of blank wonderment settled on his face. What would Enzan-sama do?

He could feel it now. Enzan was standing right before him, there, but not there. He knew what Enzan-sama would do.

He could hear Enzan now… I would look back on things that I have done before. Things that I've learned in the past, something that's near me that I can use to my advantage…

Yes, that's just what Enzan-sama would say. That's just what Enzan-sama would do.

Blues' hand lightly touched his crest and thought of its meaning. It was his identification. It told everyone who he was. Yes, but it also told him who he was just in case he forgot. He gazed down at the black and white crest embedded in his chest. He had forgotten. Enzan lived forever because Enzan lived inside of him, inside of the heart that he forgot he had. He mustn't be Blues right now… He must be Enzan. He had to find a way out of there. He had to think back…

flashback

"Burusu! Burusu! It's here!" Enzan yelled as he ran into his room waving something wildly in the air so fast that even Blues couldn't make out what it was. Enzan was eight and had grown slightly in the last year and a half. He wore a black jacket, red T-shirt, and blue-jean pants. His hair was still the peculiar black and white it had always been. His eyes were the brightest blue anyone would ever see and a triumphant smile spread across his face.

"What is here, Enzan-sama?" Blues questioned in voice of pure curiosity, which is something considering how the red-toned Navi always seemed to know everything.

The small boy bubbled his way over to scoop Blues' PET off of his desk and answered with glee simply dripping from his voice, "Of course you don't know, Burusu-kun!" He jacked the Navi into his home database and, trying to be sly, said, "Now I need you to go into the basement computers and locate one of the older files containing all of that… what was it called? Oh, yeah! Get me the Adobe Photoshop program!"

"If you want me to leave," Blues said smirking a bit, "you only need to ask…"

Enzan tried to look like he didn't know what Blues was talking about. "W-what? No, I just have… a few pictures I want to scan onto the computer and do cool things to that only Adobe Photoshop has!"

"As you wish, Enzan-sama," Blues replied. And with that, he turned and jacked into the basement system to search, not so enthusiastically, for the almost ancient program that had ceased to be made after Photoshop Excel came out in 2018. He had to admit that it was a bit unnerving to see his normally more quiet and less… ecstatic and hyper (maybe he should add childish) operator act in this manner. He was surprised when he actually came across the thing about thirty minutes later and returned to find that Enzan was nowhere in the room at all. He was about to search the house; after all, there weren't many places an excited child could hide for longer than five minutes. Just then Enzan came back into the room much more excited (if it was even possible) than he had been before. This was definitely peculiar as Enzan was not normally this active.

"Close your eyes, Blues," he chirped playfully. 'Honestly,' Blues thought amusedly, 'I guess I'm gonna have to work on his stealth and sneaking skills later.' After a second or two Enzan said in the same sickeningly joyful voice, "You're not closing your eyes, Blues! I really need you to close them!"

Blues sighed and closed his eyes as his little operator continued by saying, "Now jack back into your PET." Blues did so, wondering how Enzan ever knew whether or not his eyes were closed in the first place. Blues sighed waiting for the next command. "Now access the code 15847trial."

Blues let out another sigh saying, "Enzan-sama, could you please just tell me what—"

"Aw," Enzan said in a mocking tone. "Just access the code!"

Blues did so without further complaint. "All right, can I open my eyes now?"

Enzan laughed lightly. "Just a second. Activate 25847trial."

Blues did so and noticed a considerable difference as an obvious change in lighting activated around him.

"All right!" came the voice of his operator.

Blues opened his eyes and felt his jaw drop. He was standing in the middle of a battling arena filled with tall towers of rock. The floor was maroon grid pattern and the walls were black with streams of blue and purple moving down. As he scanned the data, he noticed that he could change the appearances as he wished and that he could even block out anyone trying to contact him.

"Happy Birthday, Blues!" came the excited voice of his operator startling Blues out of his thoughts.

This was over whelming for the red Navi. He had never been treated so kind in his entire life. He honestly thought he was going to cry for a few seconds but settled for an astonished, "Enzan-sama… I—I—"

Enzan smiled down at his Navi. "I thought you might like it. Now you can have a place to go when you need to release your energy. I don't have a lot of time to train with you, so we can also practice here together when we're on the go! That way we can be the best!"

"Thank you, Enzan-sama," Blues said softly, finding his voice again.

"Let's get down to training right away!" Enzan said, getting several battle chips ready.

"Hai," Blues said, allowing himself a half-smile. A very happy birthday it was.

end flashback

That was it—the battle arena. How simple the solution to his problem was, and yet how not simple… Enzan and he had altered the program to create many other things inside the PET making it like a mansion, only not all of the doors lead to a room. Some doors such as those on the third story opened links to other web pages, other cities, other countries. The possibilities were endless. The link to SciLab was too damaged to enter no doubt, but there were still others.

The red Navi made his way to the third story where he knew there was a link that would give him the quickest route to SciLab. He had always known that it would come in handy someday. He reached the third floor, but continued on upward. The spiraling staircase proceeded to reach up and up until finally coming on the landing of the fourth floor which was nothing but a hallway with one door at the end of it. The floor creaked in protest at him as he made his way toward the powerful crimson of the door in front of him.

Blues reached out and grabbed the golden doorknob and let his hand rest there, feeling the heat coming from within. He stared at the purple cryptic writing embedded in the hard door and clenched the door knob tighter as if unsure. Maybe he should use another way? No, this was the best route for him to follow. He used his wrist to carefully turn the knob and welcomed the pops and clicks from years of little use. Finally the knob reached the end of its line and came to a sudden halt.

He didn't even have to pull on the handle; just the turning of the knob activated the portal and a gust of hot wind from the other side shoved the door open as Blues quickly stepped back as not to get slammed against the wall. Burning wind rushed into him filling the cold empty space of the hallway, and the just rising sun welcomed him to step out onto the already warming sand. And he, being a determined Navi on a mission, obliged.

Ready for the worst, silver hair blowing freely in the wind, Blues stepped out into the sun and began in the direction he knew was right. Who knew what surprises the Undernet would bring…

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Dr. Hikari slammed his fist down angrily on the table before him. He had been working all night trying to contact Blues. The two only connected for a few seconds before the signal broke apart and disappeared. There was nothing more he could do for the Navi. The doctor gritted his teeth at the thought. He had failed the Net Saviors when he wasn't able to tell them that there would be an attack on the Sonic Generator when it had been so obvious. He had failed Blues because he couldn't get him out; the Navi could be deteriorating by the second and there was nothing he could do. He failed Enzan when—

The tired doctor sunk back into his chair. Any other time that he had failed, the outcome was repairable. This time he had taken a life and that was something no one could fix. He couldn't give Enzan the life he gave Saito; the ambulance had gotten there much too late. He was dead before they got to him. Everything that night had been too late.

flashback

Dr. Hikari stood staring at the empty board room before him. The long, U shaped tabled was lined with dozens upon dozens of empty chairs that had, moments before, been occupied, but now were silent and motionless, cold and empty. Lost in his trance of nothing, he didn't notice the teen with black and white hair walk up to him.

"It's not your fault," he said softly, snapping the doctor out of his thoughts.

"Oro…?" he replied. "What?"

"It's not your fault," he repeated. "There's now way you could have seen this coming."

"But it was so obvious," Dr. Hikari hissed, gritting his teeth. "I should've been able to--"

"No," Enzan said firmly, "Just because the Sonic Generator was a likely target doesn't mean that other things weren't." Seeing the doctor's lack of sleep was finally catching up with his brain, Enzan continued, "The Sonic Generator had always been a likely target of any net mafia, but a lot of other things have always been and always will be. Think about Net Savior Headquarters, Forte, every new PET SciLab developed to use to the Net Savior's advantage. It's not like you were looking where a threat didn't exist, the new dimensional field just wasn't the one that was attacked."

Dr. Hikari turned to face the young Net Savior and said angrily, "That's not the point!" He turned away to look out the window at the setting sun and continued more softly, but not any less frustrated, "You may be intelligent, Enzan, but you wouldn't understand. You're still just a child. The point is that I failed to notice what was really going on! I'm the one everyone turns to when something goes wrong and when I mess it up I'm responsible for the consequences!"

Enzan just stood there until the scientist had finished his outburst. He wasn't sure where he had learned how to handle this; maybe he watched the way Blues acted towards him. Perhaps it was the calm tone his Navi took on to calm him down, or maybe it was the way the red Navi's silence infuriated him, yet made him understand himself at the same time. Either way, Enzan knew it worked for him, so maybe he could produce the same effect on Dr. Hikari.

After a lengthy silence Enzan said, still looking into the older scientist's eyes calmly, "You're right; a good leader takes responsibility for his actions. But you're also wrong." He looked towards the large window on his right to see the setting sun. "Mother always told me that when something goes wrong you can't stand there and blame yourself—it will make you crazy. And you can't spend your life blaming some one else—that's a waste of time and energy, and it's also dishonorable. You've got to do your best to fix what you can and for the things that you can't, well, life goes on."

Dr. Hikari stood silently, mulling over what the boy before him said. Why was Enzan trying to make him feel better? Perhaps Netto had rubbed off on him some, given him a desire to comfort someone else for nothing in return but a sense of pleasure in helping another person out. Strange how ironic that after all these years all that it had taken to make Enzan grow up was one immature kid that was his complete opposite. And the two stood like that turned towards the window watching the sky fade to a powerful orange for a very long time, that is, until Kifune found Enzan.

"Ah, just the Net Savior I was looking for," Kifune said in a business-like way, breaking the delicate silence like glass.

"Konnichiwa, Kifune," Enzan said curiously, turning to face him.

"Konnichiwa, Enzan, Hikari-hakase," he replied. When Dr. Hikari nodded his head in reply Kifune continued, directing his attention towards Enzan. "It seems we have pinpointed the location of a warehouse that Magenta Flash has taken the generator to. Go ahead and jack Blues in so he can download the information onto your PET and come with me."

After Blues was safely in the system, downloading the coordinates for the warehouse, Enzan and Kifune began to stride down a long hallway outside of the main briefing room. Only every now and then did they pass by a window, which were quite large and sent a red-orange haze to the hall's natural color.

end flashback

He had failed the boy who had forgiven him for his failure. Now he had failed Blues, too, or maybe he didn't; he didn't know for sure yet. Perhaps Blues had survived somehow. How could it be that the least understanding people could understand him? Had they, themselves, been misunderstood altogether? Both obviously had something more that lay beneath the surface.

flashback

Some time after Enzan had disappeared with Kifune Dr. Hikari continued to stare off into the distance of the now-approaching nightfall. As the sky faded into purples and blues he seemed to feel a presence in the supposedly empty room, as if someone were watching him. Not being able to stand the feeling of being watched, he turned toward a nearby monitor. Blues stood staring at him, or maybe he wasn't; it was always hard to tell with him.

"Hello, Blues," Dr. Hikari said in more of a melancholy tone than he had intended.

"It wasn't your fault you know," Blues replied simply.

Dr. Hikari couldn't help but blink at the Navi's behavior. It wasn't like the red Navi to answer in such a way. This was, indeed, a rare occurrence. He turned to fully face the monitor. "Since when are these things your concern?" He stopped. He hadn't meant for that sentence to sound like that. Hopefully the Navi hadn't been offended. When Blues didn't answer he said apologetically, "I'm sorry. You know, human issues, human response."

"I didn't take offense to that," Blues said, yet again, simply and too casual for his usual character. After a pause in which Blues studied the scientist from behind his visor, he continued, "I was just waiting for you to continue. I assumed there was more."

Another pause occurred, longer than the last, before Dr. Hikari decided that no tricks were being played. "I just can't help feeling that something is terribly wrong here. I feel like there's something I'm missing, but I just can't seem to place it."

"Then that would be because there is something you're missing," Blues replied. The scientist looked at him in surprise. "Sometimes you've just got to keep looking until you find out what it is. If you never find it I guess it's for the best. Things happen for a reason."

Dr. Hikari could do nothing but stand there. There wasn't anything that he could say in response to this. Maybe that's why Blues didn't talk to people like this very often. He seemed to infuriate your mind and emotions with trying to think of an answer or reply, anything to say, but there wasn't. His name seemed to fit him now in that he had such a subtle and melancholy, yet tranquil way of giving you an answer that could never be completed, but at the same time it was a statement that was neither meant nor needed an answer in the first place. The Navi turned toward the window, yellow light traveling across his visor.

"I know I'm not human, yet somehow there are ways that I feel…" he continued, trailing off slightly as if no one else was in the room and he was just muttering musings to himself. "Someday I'll see the sun, the real thing. Not through the monitor and I'll be able to feel it, smell it, taste it—everything."

"The sunlight doesn't have a taste or smell, Blues," Dr. Hikari said sadly, turning to look out the window as well.

"Yes it does… It tastes like summer, it smells like freedom and it sounds like… life," he said at almost a whisper. His voice seemed so sad, like a wild bird's song does when it's kept in a cage, soft and yearning for something, almost mourning. "In advance, Hikari-hakase, I forgive you."

"What?" the doctor replied, confused at the statement.

All of a sudden the footsteps of a boy with black and white hair could be heard coming down the long corridor, and Blues quickly bowed and said, "I apologize. I forgot my place." And with the appearance of Enzan he pixilated back into his PET.

Enzan just kept on walking towards the door leading outside, hearing the beep that signaled Blues' return to his PET. Halfway out the door he turned, spotting Dr. Hikari and gave him a thumbs-up, smiling slightly and continued out the doorway as the doctor only managed a little half-smile and a shaky wave. As for his conversation with Blues, he would cherish that moment forever. What was it about the strange masked Navi that no one seemed to know? In a way the normally impassive Navi seemed to be like a small child burying things in a deep sand pit where no one could find it. Blues' last conversational sentence to him unnerved him greatly. Blues must have been right; there was something he was missing, indeed—and he was determined to find out what it was for the sake of the innocent people's lives that were at stake.

end flashback

The tired doctor smiled coldly to himself. He had been too late in figuring out what there was that was fishy about the situation. They should have known before sending Enzan out that Magenta Flash wouldn't give their position away so easily. Little had he known, as he waved so half-mindedly at the young boy going out the door, it would be the last time he would see Enzan. If he had known he would have hugged him, wished him good luck, begged him to stay… something other than his barely taking notice of the boy's leaving. Somehow, though he felt that there was some hope. Blues forgave me ahead of time, remember? he thought, allowing himself a quiet little smile.

Beep-beep beep-beep beep…

He looked over at the monitor. Time froze for a second, like someone with a universal remote pressed pause, then play again. He read the computer screen over and over again, looking back and forth between the PET and the computer monitor connected to each other by several cables. He couldn't believe his eyes. His heart pounded in his chest.

YOUR NETNAVI HAS EXITED THE PET.

LOCATION: UNAVAILABLE

STATUS: 100

HEALTH: 92.3

DAMAGE: 7.7

ZENNY EARNED: 6000

Blues was not only still alive, he was out of his PET and was only slightly damaged. So many thoughts raced through Dr. Hikari's head he couldn't make sense of them all. One repeating one stuck with him, though—Blues was alive. Now all he had to do was find out where the Navi was, where he was going—

A large door opened and closed from behind him. He whirled around to face the person who had jerked him out of his thoughts and tell them the good news. And he came face to face with Netto who was beaming at him and holding curry. Seeing his father's expression dissolve into one of sadness, Netto looked down at the curry.

"I know it's a little early for breakfast, Papa," he explained, "and curry doesn't really go with breakfast, but Mama wanted us to have something if Kifune was calling me here so early. Can't go fighting crime on an empty stomach, you know!"

Dr. Hikari gave his son a little smile and replied, trying to be a bit more cheerful, "I'm sure we'll have time to eat before you go and see Kifune. It smells delicious."

Netto, taking his father's attitude as just tiredness, grinned and sat down with the curry, not taking notice of the red PET behind Dr. Hikari's large chair. Meanwhile, as Dr. Hikari sat numbly listening to his son and doing his best to laugh at the jokes, his mind kept going back to a certain subject… What should he tell Netto?

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yeah, so there's that chapter. Sorry it took me so long to update; hopefully it won't take me so long in the future. My teachers decided that everything should be due this week because that's just fun! Oh well… So R&R and tell me what you think of it! I tried to make it pretty long because of my lack of updating. The only reason this fic is rated the way it is, is because of the first chapter; I don't think the others will really be so "brutal-past-revealing" as that one was. Oh, and I was going to let you know that you will find out about Blues' attitude and not having been "treated so kind in his entire life" later, though I can't decide whether it should be in this fic or in the others… Reviews will tell… There's gonna be multiple ones! At least two others connecting to this story will be made, but I had to make this one first because the others would just give away so many juicy events for this one. This is one of the fics that will make you wander what you're missing and make you go crazy looking through mangas or searching for prequels to this just to make sure (or at least that's what I'm trying to make it turn out to be). You'll understand as the chapters go on. And remember… R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R!!!!! .yayness!