A/N: Well, here's the third chapter, based off of the6th episode of NT Warrior. But first, a couple of shoutouts to those who reviewed the past two chapters.
First, to iloveyugiohGX93; thank you for the grammar criticism. I hope that this chapter is better grammatically. Also, the reason I posted 2 chapters in one day was that I had those saved on my computer for about a week and decided to post them both. I anticipate that future chapters will be updated on a more gradual basis.
Next, to Ghost501; thank you for the praise. I'm doing my best to keep it as grammatically proficient as possible. If you see any grammatical patterns that I seem to be consistently getting incorrect, feel free to leave a comment. To answer your question before; I'm operating under the assumption that NetNavis can manipulate the data in their NetOp's PC to construct whatever living space they desire, within reason. These "virtual homes" can then be seen by the NetOp through their PET when connected to the PC.
Anyways, this A/N has probably gone on for long enough. Enjoy the chapter!
Edited: wrote a little bit of a prologue and changed what MegaMan was doing when Roll came in. Also, I added a couple sentences of what happened when MegaMan woke up after Roll left.
Chapter Three: Melting The Ice
"Zzz…" the blue NetNavi napped in the corner, opting to rest for once after his frigid encounter with IceMan. "Urrh…" MegaMan groaned, roused from his slumber as a frigid chill took hold in his chest. His hand clenched over his emblem, the cold feeling spreading to the rest of his suit. "Wh…what's going on?" MegaMan chattered as he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt to keep himself warm. "It's almost like I'm being frozen all over again!"
He took his helmet off and threw it across the room into the corner, hoping the separation of the detached armor piece would make him warmer. When that failed, he grunted as he hastily removed his gloves, boots, and the pack that was on his back and threw them in the corner as well. Whilst it did make the cold more bearable, it did not make it go away, much to the Blue Bomber's frustration. With what little strength he had left, he stumbled over to the closet and opened the door, grabbing the blue blanket inside and wrapping it around himself. Whilst this provided some temporary relief, MegaMan could feel the cold intensifying in his processor. He rose to walk back to the bed, but fell to his knees halfway through, his shoulders shaking as he yelled "LAN!" But the young NetOp snoozed away on his own bed, and was completely deaf to the cries of his Navi. Tears streamed down his face as he thought For once, I'm completely powerless, and nobody's coming to help me… He succumbed to the chilled feeling of despair as his shoulders shook from both the chills and sobs.
All done! Roll thought as she walked through the Net, absent-mindedly humming a tune. She had just finished running errands for Maylu. Today was a Saturday, and since Maylu didn't have any piano lessons, she decided to take a page from Lan's book and sleep in. With this in mind, Roll took her time and admired the sights of the Cybernet. Oh, that looks pretty. That looks like a good quiet place. Oh, Mega might find that interesting… Several hours and many thoughts later, she had finished her errands that Maylu had left out the night before and leisurely walked home. Just as the entrance to Maylu's PC was in sight, she spontaneously shivered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in a futile attempt to keep warm. So cold…why is it so cold? She turned her head to see a frosty aura surrounding the door to her right. That's the link to Lan's PC. But why is it…MEGAMAN! Her eyes widened in worry, and not even bothering to knock threw the door open, ignoring the icy feeling in her hand when it made contact with the doorknob. What's going on that would cause Lan's PC to turn into the Iceworks? She shook her hand of the cold feeling as she scanned the room, looking for her blue companion.
What she saw made her jaw drop; MegaMan was kneeling on the floor; his gloves, boots, and helmet were on the floor and his blue blanket was hanging from his shoulders. The room was filled with the mixed sounds of his chattering teeth and his pitiful sobs. What happened in here? He looks so sick and vulnerable. She kneeled in front of him and held his shoulders, stopping them from shaking. "Mega? Can you hear me Mega? It's me, Roll!"
He looked up and saw her in the doorway. "R…Roll? Wh…what are you d…doing here?"
Roll shook her head and exclaimed "Forget about that. What on earth happened to you? You look like you just came back from Antarctica!"
Still shaking, the Blue Bomber replied "I…I dunno. I just woke up from a nap today and I started feeling like I spent yesterday in a freezer. And every once in a while I've been…"He didn't get to finish, due to his impending sneeze. "Ugh, sorry about that, Roll. I don't know what's wrong with me…" He looked down, embarrassed at his sickly appearance.
"It's okay; you don't need to apologize for anything, Mega." She grabbed a tissue from the spare data and started to wipe his nose, MegaMan watching her. She took note of the tears that had since dripped down his cheeks and pondered asking him about it. Looking at MegaMan's red cheeks however made her decide that the boy was embarrassed enough as it was without her pointing it out. However she did wipe the tear tracks off his cheeks, holding his head in place when he whimpered and tried to turn away. "Oh hush now; it's not that bad."
As she finished her task, she began to ponder something that MegaMan had said. Freezer… She instantly flashed back to the day before, when Tory's NetNavi IceMan had been forced to freeze him for an extended period of time when WackoMan held Tory's father captive. MegaMan had brushed it off as nothing, and Roll had easily forgiven IceMan due to the circumstances. You did spend yesterday in a freezer. Mega… She wrapped an arm under his shoulder, pulling him up and supporting him as she guided him back towards the bed in the room, and sitting both of them down on it.
She removed her gloves as MegaMan continued to shiver. She placed a hand on his cheek, startling him into keeping still. So…warm. Roll's…warm. Too cold and desperate to feel embarrassed any longer, he leaned slightly into her bare hand, eager for more heat.
Roll smiled and moved her other hand to rub his back, happy that she could at least do something for her idol. "Does that make you feel better Mega?" She asked in an almost motherly voice.
"A…a little" MegaMan murmured. Though that didn't last long; the chills moved to further intensify his core, causing him to wrap his arms around his torso as he tried to make it go away. Dear god; not again! Make it stop!
"Mega!" Roll watched in concern as she saw that his chills intensified. She looked at his shivering form, then to her hands as a realization hit her. There is a way I can make it stop. But…would he approve of it right now? Has our friendship developed enough for this yet? Her thought process was interrupted as she heard MegaMan's chattering teeth again and saw him vainly trying to rub his upper body to keep warm. He's suffering so much, and this time he can't do anything to protect himself. I have to help him! Throwing caution to the wind, the pink Navi wrapped her arms around his shivering body, pulling him closer to her in a hug. Her hands glowed as she gradually transferred her warm energy to the shivering boy. "It's okay Mega; I'll stay right here until the chills are gone. There there, everything's gonna be okay now…"
And there they sat for the next half hour, Roll holding the young boy against her frame, whispering words of comfort and reassurance into his ear to distract him, while MegaMan inadvertently cuddling against the young girl. MegaMan gasped as his shivers went away and his teeth stopped chattering. Roll noticed as the grimace on his face disappeared and the room temperature warmed up. Its…it's gone. Roll, you…thank you. MegaMan smiled as gripped her tighter, too happy and grateful to be embarrassed. He continued to rest his head against her emblem, enjoying the warmth that radiated from her and not wanting to let go.
They stayed that way for a while, neither willing to break the tender moment. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, for just as MegaMan's eyelids were drooping, a faint beep from Roll's helmet startled them out of their reverie. "It's Maylu. I've gotta get back before she suspects something…" Roll remembered how she got chewed out by Maylu for letting MegaMan sleep in a "girl's bed". It was all innocent teasing of course, but it didn't make Roll any less nervous or embarrassed. Not an experience I want to repeat… She cautiously let go of MegaMan, causing him to groan in a way that caused her to stifle a giggle. "Are you gonna be alright for today?"
Though the expression on his face showed that he didn't want her to leave yet, and Roll felt guilty at leaving him soon after he was cured, MegaMan simply nodded. He squeezed her one last time before letting go and lying back down on the mattress, dozing off in seconds with a smile on his face. Roll smiled and carefully adjusted his frame so that he lay under the blankets, with only his childlike face peeking out. She ran a hand through his blue hair and kissed his forehead. Sweet dreams, Mega. She took off, dashing back to Maylu's PC.
Maylu tapped her foot out of impatience, sighing with relief when Roll's image appeared on her PET. "What took you so long? I thought you were just running a few morning errands!"
Deeming the full truth too embarrassing to share, yet also not wanting to lie to her NetOp, Roll calmly replied "You were asleep and the net was calm, so I was just taking my time and enjoying the sights."
Sensing that there was something Roll wasn't telling her, Maylu got a mischievous grin on her face. Roll sweated nervously; anytime Maylu got one of those smiles, it usually meant bad things for the person, or in this case Navi, that it was aimed at. "You sure there wasn't another reason? Maybe something to do with your blue boyfriend?"
Roll blushed and pouted "He's not my boyfriend, and no." Dear god, not again!
"Then why is there a blue strand on your emblem?" Roll looked down and saw a thin blue line on her emblem. Silently cursing herself for not checking before she arrived, she quickly wiped it off. "And why are your gloves missing?"
Drat, I knew I forgot something. I'll have to pick them up on Monday. All the while, Roll was blushing the hardest that she had ever blushed.
"Busted, Roll. Now spill, what happened between you and blue boy?" Shyly, Roll revealed the faintest detail about the aftereffects of IceMan's freeze. Maylu simply smiled and said "Well, one thing's for sure. Glyde may have a virtual hot tub, but it has nothing on your TLC." Roll looked away in embarrassment as Maylu laughed at her innocent teasing. "Well, I'm gonna practice the Piano downstairs."
And with that, Roll was left to her own thoughts. That's it; I'm saving up for a cloning battle chip…
Later that Day
MegaMan's eyes fluttered open as he sat up and looked around. Roll? His eyes widened as he thought back to how Roll helped him earlier. "What happened? Was that a dream?" He got his answer when he looked in the corner and saw a pair of pink gloves on top of his armor pieces. He stood up and walked over to the pile, picking up the gloves. It can't have been a dream. But that means…that really happened. He shook his head as he began to blush, thoughts of Roll caring for him and nursing him back to health entering his mind. "What's happening to me? Never mind; I gotta get these back to Roll."
He pulled up an e-mail window and attached the gloves as an attachment file to it, still too embarrassed to deliver them in person. He sent it to Roll after writing
"Thanks for what you did. I'm glad you're my friend. I promise to repay you somehow. Thought you'd like these back in the meantime.
-Mega"
MegaMan smiled as he closed the window and opened up the viewing screen, revealing Lan still sprawled out on the bed, snoozing the morning away. Well, time to get my lazy operator out of bed!