Disclaimer: Don't own Megaman.

This chapter was originally supposed to go with the last one, but it became a bit to long. Enjoy!

KailaTheMobiaFox: I would say something, but I don't want to ruin the surprise! Read on, and find out! :) Thanks for the review!

"Man, I'm stuffed!" Lan exclaimed loudly as they exited the breakfast restaurant.

"Me too!" Dex agreed.

When Maylu had arrived, everyone was excited to see her. They had bombarded her with questions on why she hadn't talked to them for so long. Maylu didn't feel comfortable in telling them about her family problems, so she just said she had been really busy. The others immediately accepted the answer and continued like nothing was wrong.

Surprisingly, Chaud had joined them as well. He was mostly quiet except for a few remarks here and there. Maylu had been caught off guard by his detached attitude. When he was with her at the park, he had been very warm and friendly, but now he acted as if nothing had happened. It was like he had walls blocking off anyone who wanted to get close.

Maylu made it her new goal to break those walls down.

"Alright everyone!" Yai piped up. "Let's go to the arcade and have some fun!"

Letting out some whoops and cheers, they all charged forward on the bustling streets. As the others walked ahead, arguing about which game was best, Maylu dropped back to walk beside Chaud. She was determined to make him talk.

"I talked to my dad last night." She awkwardly began. "We sort of argued, but I think I got my point across."

He remained silent, ice blue eyes staring straight ahead. Usually people would take the hint and back off, but Maylu wasn't exactly one to give up.

"It's really thanks to you that I even worked up the courage to say anything at all." She pushed on, ignoring his cold attitude. "I know I already said this before, but thanks. It really means a lot to me that-"

"It was nothing, Sakurai." He cut her off aloofly, still not meeting her gaze. Maylu frowned at how he was still addressing her so formally, even though he had agreed just a day ago that he would call her as a friend would. This definitely wasn't the boy she had talked to yesterday.

"I believe your friend wants your attention." He added.

"Maylu!" Yai called from ahead. "Come here and tell them that 'Kitchen Princess' is much more fun than 'Zombie Wars!' "

The redhead reluctantly turned her gaze away from the dual-haired teen. She lengthened her strides to catch up with the rest of the group. "What is it you're arguing about now?" She asked, putting on a fake smile.

"These three dunderheads," Yai gestured to Lan, Dex, and Tory, "think that a zombie game is much more fun than a reality based one!"

"Reality?" Dex protested. "How is a princess that cooks a reality game?"

Maylu let her 'Chaud troubles' slide to the back of her mind as she watched her best friends argue over something so trivial. Her smile soon became genuine as she backed Yai up in outwitting the boys. By the time the group reached the arcade, her attention had already been averted.

Before long, everyone was dashing to participate in their favorite games. Maylu laughed as she went up against Lan in a digital shooting competition. Obviously, she lost, but surprisingly not by much.

Yai had suckered Dex and Tory into playing the princess game as long as she promised to try 'Zombie Wars.' Maylu rolled her eyes. The boys should've known better than to make a deal with Yai.

Chaud had stuck with Lan and Maylu, although he didn't really attempt any conversation beyond a few sarcastic remarks aimed at the other boy. Lan always just smiled and would challenge him in another game. Although it looked like Chaud had an arrogant attitude, he had really improved since when they first met. Now a days, his rude side seemed to make less and less appearances. Maylu was convinced that it would just take time to break his shell.

After a while of playing arcade games, the two boys couldn't resist the temptation any longer. Maylu soon found herself observing a heated battle between their two navis. The cyber stage was a blur of red and blue as they clashed together, looking for an opportunity to gain the upper hand.

Roll and Maylu watched on in awe, etching every move into their memory. Both females felt a longing to have their ability, to be able to move at lightning speeds and rise above all else. To be able to win. They also knew that such a dream was rather distant. Although the girls were certainly not weak, they most definitely wouldn't be able to compete against top netbattlers. Even if they would never match Lan or Chaud's skill, it would be nice to not always be the damsel in distress.

Roll sighed lowly as she continued to track the other navis attacks, knowing that she was forever doomed to be average. Plus, she was still underage. It was a stab to her feminine pride, but hey, the truth hurts.

"Ready to give up yet, Chaud?" Lan asked with a cocky smile as Megaman jumped down at Protoman, his sword headed straight for the red navi.

Chaud smirked back. "As if, Hikari." Protoman raised his own sword, the two blades meeting in a deadlock. By now, a crowd of spectators had surrounded the battling arena, Yai and the others among them. Many of the people had picked sides, some rooting for Lan, and some for Protoman. (Although for the latter it was mostly girls.) Maylu and their group didn't know who to pick, so they settled for cheering on both.

Megaman grit his teeth, using whatever strength he had left to push against the red raider. "You're putting up a good fight, Proto."

"Likewise." He grunted out. In a last ditch effort, he threw his bodyweight forward, attempting to throw his opponent off.

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound. Everyone watched in shock as both their blades abrubtly splintered in two. Energy bursted forth and the rivals were sent flying backward, immediately logging out.

Maylu stared in mild surprise. Honestly, she was sorta expecting an outcome like this. Whenever Lan and Chaud fought, it always ended in a close match, sometimes to close to even decide the winner. This was just another netbattle, just another draw.

Three... Two... One...

"Megaman definitely won!" Lan cried out, breaking the awed silence.

"Yeah right!" Chaud shouted back. "Protoman made the last move, therefore winning the battle!"

Maylu shook her head and smiled. She also knew that those two would fight to the very last word saying that their navi had won, stubbornly claiming that somehow theirs had held out longer than the other. And then, the crowd would go wild, excitedly chatting to each other about who they thought was the victor.

Just as the redhead had guessed, all the kids surrounding the stage began to pick sides, arguing and discussing the factors of the show down. Each one pretending to know more about netbattling than the other. How predictable.

Maylu made her way over to the two boys who were continuing to argue. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms and listened to their hard headedness. After a few minutes of this, they finally settled for glaring at each other. It was ironic how they could be such big rivals, but also be friends.

"Are you done bickering?" She asked with a smirk. "Cause if you are, I was thinking we could all head out for lunch."

"Yeah, I'm starving!" Tory exclaimed, clutching his stomach.

"Let's go!" Dex did a fist pump and started marching out of the arcade followed by Yai and Tory. Letting out a huff, Maylu grabbed the wrists of the other two boys and dragged them along.

The rest of the day went by similarly. They all just hung out, had fun, and joked around. Maylu had never felt happier than now. It seemed like so long since she had just enjoyed herself with her friends, when in reality, it was only about a week ago.

Chaud remained distant, but after the netbattle with Lan, he had loosened up a bit. To the redhead's disappointment, he still wasn't acknowledging her, not even giving the slightest sign that he remembered their conversation the day before. Pushing away her annoyed feelings, she reminded herself that she wasn't going to give up on him. Whether he liked it or not, Chaud Blaze was going to become her friend.

Time flew and soon it was almost six. Everyone parted ways, waving goodbye as they headed home for the evening. All of a sudden, the girl felt a pang of realization hit her. Throughout the day, she had forgotten all about her father. Even more surprising was the fact that she hadn't seen or heard from him the whole day. She had been positive that he would have come after her to reprimand her for being a 'rebellious teenager,' but he never did. For some reason, this made her more nervous than if he had really went to find her.

When she got home, his car wasn't there, and no lights were on in the house. Quietly, Maylu pushed open the front door, warily looking around the empty building. He should've been home from work by now.

Sighing, the girl fixed some dinner, and made extra just in case her father decided to return. When she had finished, she waited in suspense at the dinner table. It was better to face him right away instead of avoiding the inevitable. Plus, she knew now that she was capable of standing her own against him.

Forty-five minutes passed. The sun sank beneath the horizon. Maylu paced in the living room nervously.

Fifteen more minutes. She went upstairs and changed into some sweats and a worn sleep-shirt.

Thirty minutes came and went. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair, painfully pulling at the tangles.

Twenty minutes. The redhead climbed into her bed, yanking the covers to her chest. Slowly, her eyelids became heavy and she drifted to sleep.

Her father didn't come home that night.

Author's Note: Don't panic! Her dad didn't abandon her or anything like that. Although right now, I wouldn't put it past him. :/

I would also like to mention that Maylu doesn't like Chaud like that right now. She just wants to be his friend.

ALSO! I wanted to ask everyone a question! WHO SHOULD ROLL BE PAIRED WITH? Megaman, or Protoman? Honestly, I might be a MayluxChaud shipper, but I think Roll can go with either of the two. Help me out and give me some opinions, and don't forget a reason why she should be paired with either!

Thanks!

MI3