A/N: Back with my latest update. It's a bit short, so I'll make it up to you guys in length next time. Now, reviews!

Ultimate Black Ace: As for whether Sonia has already met Lyra (that will be her name instead of Harp in this fic) that will be revealed. Yes, Geo could've told the truth, but then again, keep in mind that his mother was putting him on the spot. Let's face it: who thinks rationally when being questioned suddenly by their parents? And thanks for the feedback on my fight scenes.

ShadowBR2: Thanks for your review. That was my intention with this story: to recreate the Megaman Starforce universe, except to make it darker and more edgier, as you have put it. I wanted to portray the character Geo Stelar through the eyes of the average teenage boy, struggling to find his place in the world. As for how Aaron Boreal knows about the War of Waves (that's what I've named it in this fic), I've theorized that when the Satellite Admins came to Earth's orbit, the human's must have noticed them, and questioned their existence. The Admins would have told them who they are and where they've come from and about the War of Waves. Even though EM Technology was already around (hell, we use it everyday in the 21st century!), it wouldn't have been as advanced if it wasn't for the Admins and their contact with the humans. This may be contradicting canon, but then again, this is an AU.

Book I: It's Been Four Years

Chapter 9: Emotionally Sensitive

Space.

People have questioned its existence for so long. What was space? It seems like nothing more than an endless dark void, stars and planets scattered across it. Space is, in fact, made of interstellar matter, which is basically gas. Almost everything was technically made of gas, though it's not exactly what it seems. Nevertheless, from the outside, it would seem as if there was no life.

Lifeless.

However, there clearly was. In the middle of nowhere, there floated a being – a single being. Green EM Waves took place instead of a human body. A small golden crown sat on his forehead, and a large red flapped on his back. Black bracelets were clamped on his hands his neck. The bracelet on his neck not only was connected with his cape, but also the long wide white strip with a gold outline in front of him.

He looked as if he couldn't speak, let alone had a mouth. Then, he spoke, "Taurus, step forward."

And right there, another EM Being formed out of nowhere. Like the other EM Being, this one didn't have an actual body, but rather hot flames took its place. A red helmet sat on his head, with a long grey plate stretched out to resemble a nose. On the top of his head, flames formed the shape of two large horns, striking fear to anyone who passes him. Big red shoulder pads sat on his shoulders.

"Yes, King Cepheus?" Taurus said in a low gruff voice. "What have you called me for, my lord?"

"Taurus," King Cepheus said. "I am sure you are aware of Omega-Xis and his escape with the Andromeda Key? And his location on Earth?"

Taurus nodded. "Yes, my lord."

"And that is why I have called upon your assistance. In order to take over Earth, that measly planet, we will need that Andromeda Key. That key is the one thing that will lead us to our salvation. Do whatever – whatever – is necessary to get the job done."

"Consider it done, my lord."

"Ah, Taurus?" King Cepheus said, stopping the bull-like creature from leaving. He stared at Taurus with his blood-red eyes. "Make sure that this mission is successful. I'm sure you know the consequences for failure. Surely, you don't want to share the same fate as Cygnus, your fellow comrade?" He let out a hollow chuckle.

If anyone were watching their conversation, they would swear that Taurus, as strong and fearless as he may seem, gulped from the threat. He slowly nodded and with a flash, the EM Being disappeared.

"Thank God it's lunch time," Bud huffed, stretching. "I'm starving!"

Zack laughed, adjusting his glasses. "You're always starving, Bud."

As Bud gave Zack a deadly glare, Sonia turned to Geo, who was still working on a math assignment. "Hey, you coming to lunch or not?"

Geo smiled. "Yeah, I am. I'm just working on my homework. I've managed to find some time in class to work on it, and I'm almost done." With homework out of the way, Geo would find some extra time to Virus Bust with Omega-Xis, who was at the time napping in his Transer.

Luna nodded. "Okay, we'll save you a seat in the cafeteria. C'mon, guys."

Geo turned back to the sheet of equations on his desk as he watched Luna and the others pack their bags and leave the room, along with the other students, rushing to get to lunch. He silently worked on his homework for the following 5 minutes, and after he finished, Geo packed his books in his bag and brought it to his locker.

As he entered the cafeteria, everyone was already in the middle of his or her meals. He could see different 'groups' sitting in different tables. For example, the jocks sat at one table, talking about last night's football game and tossing food at each other, while the 'popular' girls sat at another, giggling with one another and teasing cute boys around them. Geo shook his head – one of the many things he hated about the high school system. He then saw Sonia sitting with Luna and Zack. She smiled, waving him over. Geo grinned and walked over to their table, his lunch bag in his hand.

"Well, here's the dedicated student himself," Sonia giggled. Geo and the others laughed quietly as he sat down next to Sonia.

"Where's Bud?" Geo asked, setting his food out on the table.

Zack pointed to the lunch line, where Geo saw Bud asking the lunch lady for seconds. "Where else?"
The spiky haired boy shrugged as he proceeded to eat the ham and cheese sandwich he had made the night prior. He reached for his water bottle and tried to open it, but it was jammed shut.

"Damn it," Geo growled, standing up to the left of the table as he continued his attempt to open it.

"Geez, someone needs to hit the gym," Zack teased.

"Says the 3'7 midget," Geo said jokingly. Zack's face turned red as Sonia and Luna laughed. Zack mumbled something about actually being 4'0, but no one seemed to notice. As he finally popped the bottle cap open, Geo was suddenly bumped from the back by Bud, who had a tray full of food and didn't notice Geo.

Sonia suddenly shrieked. Geo began to wonder why, when he realized that his bottle was now empty of water, and that the water has spilled on Sonia's jeans. She stared up at the two.

"Oh my god!" Geo cried, his face turning bright red. Now everyone in the cafeteria has noticed them, everyone now staring at Geo. He could hear people whisper among themselves. Geo heard a girl seethe, 'the emo loner had spilled all over THE Sonia Strumm!'.

"Look what you've done!" Bud growled, setting his tray down and cracking his knuckles.

"What the hell! You bumped into me!" Geo exclaimed.

"Guys, stop!" Sonia cried.

Bud was grateful that there was no teacher on lunch duty at the moment, as he suddenly socked Geo in the stomach, causing him to fall over on the carpeted floor.

"Bud!" Luna cried.

Geo was glad that he had spent the last couple of weeks training, otherwise he would've blacked out by then. His stamina had built up quite a bit. Nevertheless, he was still in his human form, and so it seemed as if it hurt more than getting pelted by multiple CannonBase Viruses at once. Bud pounced on Geo, about to punch him again. However, this time Luna stood up and stopped him.

"Bud, you idiot! Stop this, now!" Luna hissed. Bud then stopped and turned to look at the girl, his eyes suddenly full of fear. "Bud, get off Geo! It is your fault; you bumped into Geo! You ALWAYS do this: you keep blaming others for every single stupid mistake you make. I swear; you're such a screw up! So stop putting the blame on other people, and be mature for once!"

Now everyone's attention was on Bud, who looked as if he were on the verge of tears. He stared at Sonia, then at Geo, then at Luna. The overgrown teen then ran out of the cafeteria.

Sonia jumped out of her seat and knelt down next to Geo. "Geo, are you okay?"

Geo nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," he said. "Sonia, I'm so sorry about…" he trailed off, staring at her wet skirt.

Sonia flicked her hand in the air. "Ah, forget about it. It's just water; it'll dry off."

Geo, still clutching his stomach, got up and sat back in his seat as Sonia left to get some napkins to dry off. The attention then died off and the other students went back to eating and talking. "Hey, Luna. You didn't have to be so… I don't know, cruel. I mean, he looked as if he was going to – "

Luna glared at him. "Oh, shut up Geo. I just saved you from the worst beating you will ever have in your life."

The worst beating I'll ever have? Hardly. "Yeah… thanks."

Luna nodded, staring up at roof. Sonia soon came back all dry and they began eating once again. This time there was a silence between them, as if there was tension. Suddenly Luna groaned, cursing under her breath as she raked her nails through her long blond curls. "Crap… How could I be so stupid…?"

"Luna, what's wrong?" Zack asked.

Luna sighed, putting down her fork. "I suppose… I was a little rough on Bud…"

Geo rolled his eyes. 'A little'?

"Relax, Luna," Sonia said. "He's probably fine with it. Everyone has a little… breakdown like you did."

Geo coughed, looking in another direction. I'm… not so sure about 'everyone'…

"It's not just that, it's…" Luna groaned again. "My mom is a criminal defense lawyer. She protects those who are innocent and are accused on false charges. One day, Bud's dad was accused for the murder of a doctor."

Geo, Sonia, and Zack all gasped silently to themselves. They continued to stare at Luna, as if begging her to continue with her story.

"Really?" Sonia whispered. "M-murder? You're kidding!"

"Apparently, the main accusation was that the doctor messed up a prescription order or something, and Bud's dad got pissed. I don't exactly remember; my mom told me this when I was, like, 6 or something. Anyways, long story short, my mom got him off the hook and proved his innocence. By then, I was about 4, and then she learned that Bud's dad had a 4-year-old son. They set us up for a play date, and after that, we were pretty much best friends."

"Wow, I-I had no idea," Zack said. "I mean, I met you two when we were in grade 4, and I never knew you two had a background like that!"

Luna nodded. "Yeah, it's something alright. The point is, I know him. I know why he does the things he does, how he thinks, how he thinks. Even though it doesn't seem like it, the oaf is really emotionally sensitive. You have absolutely no idea. Even if you tease him a little, he'll take it really personally and mope about it to himself for the rest of his life. And I was just so… stupid to just be like that to him, and I worry for him."

Geo's eyes widened. He was not only surprised to learn about how the two met, but how much Luna actually cares for Bud. When he had first met her, she struck him as the heartless spoiled girl who always gets what she wants and does whatever she wants, despite how other people may feel.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Luna," Sonia said in a reassuring tone. "If you just apologize later on, then I'm sure everything will be a-okay!"

"Yeah," Luna said, though seeming unconvinced. "Yeah, I suppose."

Meanwhile in the school gym, Bud was by himself playing basketball, practicing his shots. As he wiped sweat off his forehead, he ran up to the board from the right to do his signature lay-up – a shot that won him and his team plenty of games in the past. This time, however, he accidentally took an extra step and the ball whammed against the left of the backboard and missed the hoop.

Growling in frustration, he grabbed the bouncing basketball and threw it hard against the wall, the sound resonating throughout the large gym. As the sound began to cease, it was silent until Bud began to scream, "I'M SUCH A SCREW UP!"

Bud walked over to the bleachers and sat down, covering his red puffy face with his large hands. "Damn it… I'm so messed up…!" he grumbled to himself in between sobs. "All I've ever wanted was to impress Prez… even though we're best friends, I l-look up to her. I really do – I admire her in every way! How she… she…" He broke down again.

"You're upset."

Bud yelped in surprise, jumping off the bleachers, looking around for the source of the voice. There was nobody there. "Who's there?" he cried out.

"You're upset. I can tell," the voice said again. The voice was gruff and low. "I can… help you – help you prove your worth to this 'Prez'. No longer will people look down at you."

Bud shivered, his heart skipping beats. Who was this? And why can't he see the person? Was he hallucinating? "Who's there?" he cried out again.

" 'Who's there'? Is that what you're asking me?" the voice said, laughing.

Suddenly Bud's body began to feel warm – really warm. And that warmth turned into a scorching heat, as if he was being lit on fire. And then he realized: he was being lit on fire! Screaming loudly as if his lungs were about to collapse, he felt his body doubling in size. Before he squeezed his eyes shut, he saw a faint image of the shape of a bull.

"Call me Taurus."

A/N: No spoilers for next chapter, but it's kind of obvious that there will be a lot of action. So stay tuned.

Ahem… review? Pretty please?