女らしいプログラム!
The Feminine Program!
Chapter Seven:
Surprise for Rock-chan!
-
By the time that the connection between Enzan and Laika's Navis was reestablished, Netto and Rock had finally vented their anger (or rather, Rock did) and was finished reporting to Kifune about Forte. Of course, the elder man nodded at their report, making noises of understanding as Netto explained the encounter as best he could with his companion correcting him at times with petty remarks. He tried his hardest to get everything out accurately, but with the female sarcastically putting in certain facts, he was an annoyed, blushing heap by the time he was dismissed. As he left the office, he spied Enzan treading towards him, a stoic expression on his pale countenance.
"Ask Enzan if Blues will be okay!" Rock hissed to her Operator from the PET. She had been worried sick over her crimson comrade ever since her fury dissipated and left her to see how stupid she had been fighting with the teen when Blues had been beaten to a pulp. But she didn't apologize to Netto and nor was she going to. With all things considered, he could have acted better towards the whole situation, but his stubborn-as-a-mule attitude refused to waver. If he hadn't hesitated, she might have been able to take some of the blows Searchman and Blues suffered from… But of course, Netto had to finally be concerned about her well-being and decide that it was more important waiting instead of plugging her in and get things done.
"Rock-chan wants to know if Blues will be okay… since, you know…" Netto muttered to the scowling bi-colored haired teen, reaching back to scratch at his nape. "She was worried about him… But what happened to the transmission? Searchman said it was cut off…"
"Interference… more than likely," Enzan replied solemnly, moving to gaze at the painting on the wall beside them. "Who knows what Forte was capable of doing… maybe he cut the connection to 'prove' how inferior our Navis are without us…" Netto nodded, sympathetically watching his teammate as he slid his pale hands into his coat pockets. It was obvious that the 'defeat' of Blues was weighing heavily against his pride and this ache that Enzan was feeling was probably Netto's fault. If he hadn't waited so long, then Rock could have done something…
But they hadn't informed him until there was no other choice. People were more hesitant to put the female NetNavi out on the battlefield more so than her Operator was and it scared him. Though, it was possible that the program hindered Rock's abilities, but since it hadn't… Well, it didn't matter now. What's done is done and there was nothing more that could be done for past occurrences. All that Netto could do was prepare as best as he could for tomorrow and hope that for a little while, at least, Forte wouldn't show his purple-striped face.
-
A couple of days passed without much disrupting the peace (that is, if you didn't count Netto and Rock's bicker-battles…) and now everything was back to normal with Internet City's restoration and the restrictions on the uncertified Navis being taken away. This pleased the Net Police and Netto's team, as the repairs on Searchman and Blues were completed and the Operators were put on alert. But even after a while, Kifune e-mailed all three, telling them just to keep their ears open and that any new information would be sent.
"Maybe we scared him off with your alterations, Rock-chan!" Netto teased one night, causing Rock to become a blushing blueberry before wailing loudly at how mean the brunet was… Said brunet just snickered at her overdramatic behavior before telling her that he would make it up to her with a ten-thousand watt smile on his face.
But by the time Friday came, Rock hadn't received anything, and she made sure Netto knew just how she felt about his 'unfulfilled promise.'
At first, it was just sarcasm.
"So, Netto-kun… where's this surprise that I heard so much about the other day?"
Then came the pitiful whining/guilt trip that made his heart plummet with chagrin.
"Neeetttooo-kkkuuunnn… Why haven't you given me anything? Don't you care about me? … You hate me, don't you?! Don't give me that look! I can tell! You wish that I was never programmed, don't you?" A sniff and then… "Waaah! I hate you, Hikari Netto! How could you be so mean to me?! I hope you get ran over on your way to school!"
And lastly, the anger intertwined with heated threats…
"Hikari Netto, if you don't tell me something, I swear, I won't wake you up in the morning for school and then you'll be late everyday! Also, I'll make sure that you go with lunch and dinner for a week!"
And while this ranting and raging went on, Netto carelessly hit a button on the PET that prohibited him from hearing Rock and vice versa and sighed when there was silence. "It's too bad that I hadn't thought of that earlier…"
"Aw, she's just upset," Meiru interjected beside him while she scooped up some of her rice. "I know I would be if my… er… friend had told me that I was getting something special and I didn't get it. I can't rightly blame her for yelling at you."
The male nodded, moving his arm so that his head could lean against the appendage. He looked around the table that Meiru and he were sitting at, noticing that Dekao, Yaito, and Tohru hadn't been released from class yet. 'So no support for me… Oh, well… at least Dekao isn't here to shove all this stuff in my face…'
"I know… But the thing is… I don't know just what to get her! I mean…" he began, rolling his chocolate-colored eyes to watch his hot pink-haired friend eat, "what do you girls like, anyway?"
A noise of inquiry hummed from the girl's throat while she chewed pensively. It was a bit tough, she admitted mentally, but eventually she figured out what would help her friend with his problems. "Let her go shopping or something like that! Tell her that anything she wants, you'll buy! But with limits, of course!" said Meiru as she perked up happily before clasping her two hands together in joy. "Oh, that would be so romantic! Rock-chan's sure to like that! And Roll can go with her, if you want!"
"Yeah… that would nice… But don't think that I'm paying for Roll's stuff, too!" exclaimed Netto as he saw the smirk on his friend's face fall. "Aw! That's not very nice, Netto!"
Scoffing mockingly, the teen turned his head away, nose stuck up. "I'm not made out of yen! I don't need to worry about your bill along with Rock-chan's! Nobody knows how much she's capable of spending!" Giggling at his exaggerated reaction, Meiru smiled apologetically at the young man, causing his defensive behavior to melt away with a blush. "I know, I know… I was just messing with you!" she explained calmly as he settled down back into his chair. Winking at him, she stole a bite of his own lunch. "Hey, now! You've got your own-!"
"I've got plenty of yen anyway…" interjected Meiru before eating her stolen spoonful of food. Netto watched her chew slowly before seeing her gulp it down her throat. "I had a bit of a virus problem a while back, so I got a good amount then." Glancing over to him, she moved her hand to give his back a friendly smack which caused the poor teen to lose his breath. "Besides; like I was going to do that to you anyway!"
After placing a hand over his chest while he coughed, Meiru went back to her lunch, chuckling as Netto coughed and fussed at the same time. "Just be happy that Dekao isn't here; he'd mock you the entire time!"
"Y-yeah… I know…" And Netto was truly thankful that Dekao hadn't been released from the 'cage' yet and that Rock hadn't figured out that he wasn't paying attention to her…
-
Netto had never been more grateful for Sunday afternoon than he was now, since Meiru was to arrive shortly to plug Roll into the Internet with Rock. Ever since the two Operators figured out the time of their Navis' shopping trip, it had been easy to quell the blue NetNavi's mood swings for a while… But now she was getting fussy because of her impatience and she wouldn't allow the male to do anything about it while she pouted.
"Oh, c'mon, Rock-chan; you've been waiting all week! What's wrong with waiting for two more minutes?!"
"That's just the point; I've been waiting all week to even gain a clue as to what I was getting! You just gave me a time Friday! Can you really blame me for getting antsy about it?" Rock retorted with a huff as she tapped her foot repeatedly against the floor. She perked slightly when she heard an amused chuckle emit from her Operator's larynx and her sour mood alleviated somewhat. "No, I guess I can't…" he muttered warmly from his seat in the living room. "But I promise… you'll get your gift today… Whether or not company comes or not…"
"Company?" asked Rock curiously as she turned to look out at Netto. "Mmm-hmm. Meiru and Roll are coming over, so you better get happy soon," he answered while grinning. "You don't want to spoil everybody's fun, do you?"
"Of course not!"
"Well, then, lighten up!" Netto exclaimed encouragingly, "You're always so… so moody… You were before your programming was changed… It's time you let yourself have fun and just not care!" At this, Rock paused to ponder over her partner's words before a small, playful smile lined her lips and she giggled mutely. "But if I didn't care… who would make sure that you care?"
Tittering cheerfully at the 'argument' they were having, the male watched his NetNavi's verdant irises glitter with joy and he knew that today would have memories that he would treasure forever.
"You don't have to care about me all the time…" Netto slowly began as roses bloomed across his cheeks at the thought that he was about to admit something so personal. "All that matters is that I care for you."
The cordial statement caught the female Navi off-guard and her own blush formed as she fidgeted about in bashfulness. Never before had she heard Netto say something so… so utterly sweet to her. Yes, he had said things like 'you're my friend and I'll never let you down' and sentences like that… But never had he…
Never had her Netto-kun said something so romantically clichéd… and it was appreciated far more than anything else that he had ever told her…
And then the doorbell rang…
-
"C'mon, Rock-chan! Let's go look in this store!" Roll ejaculated elatedly while tugging on her friend's hand. "I bet that they have something really nice for you to buy!" At this, Rock giggled happily as she walked towards the next store, eyeing one of the extravagant holographic dresses in the digital display case. "I think I already see one that I like…" she muttered in awe to her pink companion, who giggled girlishly. "That's the spirit! There are no limits to what you can have!" pulled the blonde Navi as she dragged Rock into the quaint store.
"Yeah, right," Netto hissed as he watched Rock disappear into the store with a jingle of the door. Though it was amazing that the clothing chip line had been finalized earlier that year, he found that he wasn't too thrilled with the notion that Roll was going to persuade Rock into buying some of the most expensive things in the whole city. '… There goes my allowance…' But despite the idea of spending all that money, a small smile traced itself across his countenance and he was caught by an ecstatic Meiru.
"I saw it! I saw it!" she sung playfully, wagging her pointing fingers to the beat in front of his blushing face. "You're happy that you're making Rock-chan happy!"
"Why wouldn't I be?" defended the flustered teen immediately before he turned away to hide his façade. "It's Rock-chan, right? I mean… it's just natural, right? That's like saying that you're not happy when Roll's happy…"
Scoffing, Meiru moved about in her chair to place her hands on her hips in indignation. "Geez, Netto, you take everything so seriously! I was only teasing!"
Netto swung his head around to retort when Rock's beaming face popped on the computer screen. "Netto-kun!" called the female jubilantly, "Netto-kun, look at this dress!" Rock eagerly pointed to the dress that she had been observing adoringly before and he suddenly forgot about his qualms with Meiru. "Yeah, I see it. What about it?" inquired then teen tenderly as he crossed his arms on the desk to lean forward. "Isn't it pretty, Netto-kun?" began the cheerful blue Navi, "It's only seventy yen! Can I have that, pleeeaaassse?" begged Rock as her eyes glittered and her bottom lip protruded in a puppy-dog sulk. "Can I, Netto? Please, please, please, please?"
"I don't see why not," Netto confirmed with a grin. He couldn't help but laugh when Rock began to squeal and jump up and down, gaining her several awkward stares. But that didn't stop her cheer and he admired her with glimmering chocolate orbs. "Go ahead and buy it. You deserve something nice after all that you've done."
Flushing pink, his NetNavi turned her head slightly to the left to hide her bashfulness from the humans. But her effort was in vain for Netto caught it as soon it the light hue appeared on her cream-colored cheeks and he snickered. "Geez, Rock-chan… it's just a compliment!" he teased flirtatiously with a droop of his eyelids. Meiru's eyes shifted back and forth between the screen and her friend and her mind became boggled at how easily the male could slip into this type of manner.
But her brain was even more baffled at the thought of Rock responding… 'Never thought that Rock would be the one to flirt back…' she thought wondrously before a tiny smile lined her lips.
"Arigatou, Netto-kun…" Rock whispered coyly, "I'll find you something-."
"Don't worry about me, Rock-chan! Today is for you; I promised you this and I have no right to take it away from you," intervened the brunet with a stern yet gentle voice. "No Enzan or Laika… No Forte or any other terrorist net-mafia… No me getting angry over the littlest of things… It's all about you…" Turning to Meiru, he eyes searched hers and she gulped when she saw the shimmering devotion in the dark irises. "Right, Meiru?" he queried for support.
The hot-pink haired girl watched in amazement at how different the boy in front of her was from six years ago… He had gone through such a strange metamorphosis. Not many people could sit there and say that they matured because their parents changed their NetNavi's gender. It seemed pretty comical the more Meiru thought about it…
But as Rock and Roll stepped up to the cashier Navi, she couldn't help but think that even though he matured by different means than normal, Netto was anything but normal.
-
With the dying rays of the sun, Meiru and Roll decided to leave the Hikari house to get ready for school. Rock and Roll said their good-byes and 'I'll see you tomorrow's and Meiru plugged her pink Navi out to head downstairs to the door.
While Netto was walking behind Meiru down the stairs to see her out, she stopped abruptly and almost caused him to knock into her. Gasping, he took a step back, eyeing his shorter friend warily. Regaining his composure quickly, he then moved so that he was in front of her form. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently, scared that something was wrong.
Staying silent, the girl stared inquisitively at him, as if she wanted to query him about something but didn't know how to string together the words.
"Meiru? Sakurai Meiru, what's wrong? You feeling sick or something? You were fine just a-."
"Did she really change you that much?" abruptly asked the girl.
Blinking several times before the question settled in the confines of his adolescent mind, he sighed heavily, figuring out what his friend was wondering about. "I guess she has… I mean… I don't know… Am I really that different?" pondered the sixteen-year-old as he lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck. 'I've been doing that a lot lately…' Netto thought as one of his eyebrows moved upward before resolving that that thought was too trivial to be of any importance and he threw it out the mental window.
"Yeah… but you've changed for the better," replied Meiru optimistically as she smiled, "Surely this 'lesson' won't last much longer, you know? Your parents are bound to see how much you've matured! Then, everything will return to normal!"
Netto found that he couldn't quite place why he didn't reply nor could he explain why his heart fell six fathoms below his chest while he opened the door for Meiru and watched her walk home.
'Normal… Everything will return to normal… No more awkward moments… no more ideas of 'marriage' and 'romance'… no more love/angst movies… and no more fights with… with…' he thought with narrowing eyes and a bittersweet feeling nibbling at his sunken heart. He should be happy. He should jumping for joy… But he wasn't… He just… wasn't…
'Why do I hate the idea of the 'lesson' ending? Have I grown used to having Rock-chan around?'
Questions ran rampant through his mind even when he returned to his bedroom to find Rock searching through video files until a noise of success rang from her mouth.
'She has such a pretty voice…'
"I found it! Netto-kun, come watch Loveless with me! Please? I know it's a romance and all that, but… for me?"
And as the anime show played before him, Netto found that Rock's comments didn't compel him to respond. In fact, he was more than happy to sit there in his chair and watch her emotions range from joy to sadness at the different scenes. Vaguely, he recalled the first moviethat they had watched together since her change and he shuddered at how badly that had turned out… But this time…
This time…
'… I didn't even fight back… I didn't cause a ruckus…'
Rock turned to him and smiled and he found it too contagious to even try to avoid.
'To think… I might lose this… this feeling… this joy…'
"Aw… isn't that kawaii, Netto-kun?"
'Despite our differences… despite our fights…'
"Netto-kun?"
'… She's become my joy…'
"Isn't that so sad? Being called Loveless? It is such an awful name…"
'Am I your joy?'
"I hope that I have a bond with like that with someone… someday…"
The sadness and longing in those emerald gems were all that he needed to see and his heart began to fracture from the weight.
"… Can I be your joy… one day soon?"
But his voice had been too soft so Rock didn't hear him… the cracks kept forming…
'… I don't want this to end…'
…
"… Netto-kun? You're being awfully quiet… Are you all right?"
'No.'
-
End of Chapter Seven!
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There is actually another end scene to this chapter, but I didn't know how many knew about Loveless and would understand what I had, so I changed it. Hope this is better! If you want to read the first scene, just say so in a review or e-mail me!
Thanks to the reviewers! I know my last chapter was short, but I'm glad you enjoyed Forte's response to Rock-chan! P
