~Chapter 3- Training~

So, Nari's little apartment building became Thrax's new home.

"That was amazing," Thrax said as he finished his lunch.

"Huh?" Nari looked up from her plate.

"Ya' know, at the brain. That was genius!!!! Why didn't I think of that? Shutting down cellular communication….."

"That's because you're not a Black Death virus." She smiled at him dreamily for an awkward moment, especially for Thrax. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and Nari broke the silence. "Like I said before, I wasn't ready. The disease malfunctioned before it had a chance to take effect." She laid back in her chair and sighed. "Black Death work is harder than I thought."

"So…… what body is this, anyway?" Thrax asked as he slipped his glasses on.

"The city of Jessica," Nari replied.

Thrax leaned in, "Jessica…… who?"

"Jessica. Jessica Taro. Why?" she asked.

"Well…….." Thrax trailed off, remembering his dream. Oh boy.

A long awkward silence followed.

"OK…" Nari said finally.

"How about I show you how to take down bodies, step by step. Starting tomorrow," Thrax said without thinking, but he still sounded hopeful.

"Great! It's a date then!" Nari said excitedly.

"Well I don't---," Thrax started but got cut off by Nari.

"Come on, let's go!" And with that, she tugged on his hand and dragged him across the floor, sprinting to turn the abandoned apartment into a practice area.

The next day……..

Thrax and Nari stood in front of a makeshift "hypothalamus". Thrax got nervous, so he started to babble like an idiot.

"So what you want to do is jab your claw in here, right here, and like really jab it in there, you know, REALLY hard." With each word, Thrax pretended to strike his claw into the "hypothalamus". Nari giggled. Thrax blushed.

"Does my whip work too?" Nari asked innocently.

Thrax folded his arms proudly and smiled to himself. "Well, I don't know if it will work the same."

Nari smirked, drew her whip and lashed out at the hypothalamus, which was immediately engulfed with green flames and dark electricity. Before long, it was a pile of ashes. Thrax's mouth hung open stupidly. Nari smiled proudly to herself.

"Beginner's luck….." Thrax muttered under his breath.

Nari walked closer to him. "You're just jealous that you can't do that."

"Psshhh! I'm not jealous."

Nari lowered her eyelids and began to walk circles around him.

"Are too."

"I am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"You know you are."

Thrax opened his mouth to talk back, but knew that she was right. Although he hated to admit it, Nari had style….

"All right…. You're a great student, OK? Happy?"

Nari smiled with satisfaction, and continued her training session with Thrax. And with every month, they grew closer.

Nari began to learn to use her whip better, and Thrax was her teacher. About two days later, Nari was flicking her whip at a fake hypothalamus, each time causing it to burst into flames, Thrax watching about five feet away. She stepped backward to strike harder, but tripped on something. Nari turned around as she stumbled forward, right into Thrax's arms. She had her own arms wrapped around him for an awkward moment as they stared at each other in surprise. Nari giggled, and then awkwardly got up and continued to train as her face burned up. She smiled.

5 months later……..

At times, when Thrax was giving lectures about how to strike computers without having them blow up, they would find themselves being unable to break free of each other's gaze. Thrax tried to act evil and strategically, but he tripped over his words, and he couldn't stop staring at her. Nari, on the other hand, found herself daydreaming during his lessons. She saw his mouth move, but heard no sound. Instead, she heard:

Look at him….. he's such a good teacher….. and he's kinda cute…..Oh! Listen to myself! What am I thinking? It wouldn't be right to…. I mean…..

Nari's mind kept on babbling as she stared at him blankly. In turn, Nari entranced Thrax during her practice hours. Sometimes his mind strayed off so much that he started thinking in ways he never new he was capable of. He began to develop a feeling most viruses never even new existed…

2 months later……

"Hey Thrax…"

Thrax looked up. "Yeah?"

"I think that we should get to… know each other better. Like… dinner somewhere…"

"You mean like…a---*gulp*--- date?"

Nari looked at the floor, blushing. "If that's what you want to call it, then…yeah…I didn't know how to ask you, so…How about… tonight at the Zit?"

"Sounds…great," Thrax said. Nari looked at him sadly.

"You don't have to go, if you don't want to…" She looked disappointed.

"No, no, I…think it's a great idea, really. And, actually, um…You've been workin' hard baby, and I feel kinda bad for not giving you a reward, so… I was gonna take you somewhere anyway…"

Nari regained the light in her eyes.

"8:00?" Thrax asked.

"8:00."