"Why did you leave, earlier?"
SearchMan suppresses his jolt of surprise and turns to face his operator. They're waiting in their hotel room for Arcadia - MegaMan had delivered an email from Lan several minutes ago, informing them that Arcadia had agreed to come - and he hadn't expected to be spoken to until after the white owl-Navi had arrived.
"Leave, sir?" SearchMan repeats. For a moment, he honestly doesn't know what Sir Raika is talking about.
"This morning," Sir Raika clarifies. "When I was . . . meeting with the Commissioner."
Those words sound awkward. SearchMan can guess why - that meeting was entirely based on Sir Raika's assumption that Mimic Lostie was a criminal. He hadn't been there, but he could guess how it went based on his operator's mood afterwards.
"I . . ." This is extremely difficult to admit. But Sir Raika is already waiting for the arrival of a Navi who can tell him the truth, so . . . "I went to see Mimic and his Navis."
Sir Raika stiffens. "What?"
"I told them about your suspicions," SearchMan says. He keeps his gaze steady, fixed on Sir Raika, even though he wants to look at the floor or anywhere that isn't his operator's face.
"That's why ProtoMan kept growling at me," Sir Raika realises. His eyes narrow slightly, but he isn't angry - just thoughtful. "And how he knew I was accusing his operator of being a criminal. Why did you tell them?"
"Because, last night, I thought you were being unfair," SearchMan explains. "I didn't say anything then because . . ." Because his loyalty had kept him from doing so. Sir Raika already knows that, so there's no point in mentioning it. "ProtoMan and Arcadia are extremely protective over their friends. I was worried they would react . . . strongly, if you were to accuse Mimic in front of them. So I warned them."
"ProtoMan nearly dropped a light on my head," Sir Raika says, and SearchMan winces at the reminder. He still remembers the odd glitching that had almost overtaken his systems when ProtoMan had flown into a rage at HQ, and the shock he'd felt upon seeing how close his operator had come to being crushed. "I'd call that reacting strongly, wouldn't you?"
"I didn't know MegaMan would bring him to help us," SearchMan says quietly. "And I didn't know ProtoMan would or could do that."
Technically, it was Sir Raika's fault anyway. If he hadn't decided Mimic was a criminal in the first place, none of this would have happened - and perhaps ProtoMan wouldn't harbour a desire to murder his operator. SearchMan doesn't think he's ever been afraid of any Navi in his five years of existence, but ProtoMan definitely scares him.
But, again, SearchMan says none of this, because his loyalty keeps him quiet. He's not afraid of his own operator - not in the way that some Navis are afraid of theirs - but he simply does not want to anger him, or disappoint him.
Though Sir Raika has certainly been disappointing him, lately. He's used to his operator thinking before he acts, and he's been watching Sir Raika leap from one conclusion to the next, until finally it all came apart when he realised what he was doing. The crash from that realisation had been hard indeed.
Sir Raika suddenly sighs, burying his face in his hands. "You told me I was interfering in something far different than I thought it was. I asked for your opinion. And I ignored everything you said. I'm an idiot." SearchMan tries to protest, but Sir Raika shakes his head. "You warned them about my accusations, and even after everything that's happened, my first instinct is to think you've betrayed me somehow."
SearchMan stops protesting. Sir Raika looks up, laying his hands on the surface of the desk, and gives him an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry," Sir Raika says quietly. "I was acting so stupid, so arrogant. I ignored everyone who tried to tell me to stop digging, and I kept going, deeper and deeper, until I ended up in lava. ProtoMan was right; you've got more sense than I do. I think . . . I think I need to learn to listen to you, instead of just giving you orders."
"S-sir-" SearchMan begins, startled.
"Just call me Raika," Sir Raika tells him. "You deserve that much, at least."
The joy that floods SearchMan's systems is so intense that he can hardly keep a grin off his face. "Of course, Raika."
Before either of them can make any further additions to the conversation, SearchMan is alerted to a Navi streaming into Raika's PET. He turns his head and sees Arcadia, looking at them curiously.
"You're really happy," is the first thing Arcadia says to SearchMan. "But your operator's feeling pretty wretched."
SearchMan stares at him blankly.
"My Empath Program allows me to sense the emotions and thoughts of those around me, Navis and humans alike," Arcadia explains. "I can tell you're happy because of something to do with names, but Raika's feeling wretched because he can't stop thinking about how much he's screwed up."
Raika twitches, as if suppressing a flinch. "I was asking him why he wasn't in my PET this morning," he tells Arcadia. "He told me he warned you about my . . . my accusations. And I realised what an idiot I was being."
"He told me I could call him Raika," SearchMan says.
Arcadia blinks at them. "Well, that's a big difference in emotions," he says. "So, um, anyway." He turns to face Raika. "I think the first thing I should do is clear up the issue about me and ProtoMan. You thought that our operator had stolen us?"
"Neither of you were registered to Mimic Lostie," Raika mumbles.
"No, we aren't," Arcadia agrees. "But you already know that Mimic Lostie is a fake name, right?" Raika nods. "Mimic's real name is Chaud."
"As in Chaud Blaze," Raika says.
Arcadia barely twitches, but SearchMan can see a hint of unease in his eyes. "Not exactly," he says. "Not anymore, that is. I don't know if you know about what happened with IPC a few months ago?"
"Of course," Raika replies. "IPC doesn't have a branch in Sharo, but when the president of the world's leading company in PET-production disowns his only child, that kind of news gets covered worldwide."
"Shuseki Blaze," SearchMan comments, "the biological father of Chaud Blaze, now known simply as Chaud."
Raika sighs and runs a hand down his face. "I can see why he'd need to use a fake name, then," he says. "So, ProtoMan was never stolen. His operator just changed his name. To avoid attention, I assume?"
"Chaud hates attention," Arcadia tells him. "So, yeah, he's Mimic Lostie to anyone who didn't already know him before he was disowned."
"That explains ProtoMan, but not you," Raika says. "You were reported as stolen a year ago."
"My original operator disconnected me," Arcadia says, almost expressionlessly. Only the barest twitch of his clawed fingers shows that he's more affected by having to explain this than he's letting on.
"You were abandoned." Raika is more versed in cyberworld phrases such as 'disconnected' than most humans. He had made a point of learning as much of it as he could, so he would be able to follow along whenever they needed to interview a NetNavi or another denizen of the cyberworld, without SearchMan needing to stop and explain certain phrases.
"I've been an independent Navi ever since the N1," Arcadia explains. "But most people consider me to be Chaud's second Navi anyway, because I'm always with him and ProtoMan."
"Why aren't you his second Navi?" SearchMan asks.
He already knows quite a bit of this - he hadn't just gone to Mimic and his Navis to warn them about Raika's suspicions, after all. He'd also gone to try and find out the actual truth from them; they'd told him as much as they could, given the short timeframe they had, but it was more than enough to convince him to try and stop Raika from accusing them. It didn't work, of course, but he still tried.
"I'm . . . not sure I'm ready, yet," Arcadia mumbles, looking down at his feet and scuffing his talons on the floor. "Besides, my independent nature allows me to materialise in the Darkloids' dimensional areas. It's a useful ability, so I'm going to stay independent for now, to make full use of it."
"So you're the Navi Famous was talking about," Raika muses. "But why did your original operator report you as stolen, if they actually abandoned you?"
"Chaud and Amano . . . don't get along," Arcadia says hesitantly. "It's a little like how you and Lan were, but worse, because unlike you, Amano never wanted to be better - she's just a terrible person. Spiteful, mean, puts others down because it makes her feel some sick sense of satisfaction or pleasure." Arcadia looks up again. "A few weeks after the N1, she tried to get me to go back to being her Navi. I refused, and when she wouldn't leave me alone, Chaud punched her in the face. Then she tried to tell Lan that Chaud had stolen me, and even though he didn't believe her, she must've thought that she could get me back that way - so she reported me as stolen, probably to try and get the Net Police to hunt me down and take me back.
"But, well, the Net Police have bigger issues to deal with than one 'stolen' NetNavi. And besides, ProtoMan and I rarely go into Internet City these days, and certainly not as ourselves, so even if the Net Police were making stolen Navi cases a priority, they wouldn't be able to find me so easily."
"Hm," Raika says, leaning back in his chair. "This . . . certainly makes more sense than what I'd thought." He winces. "I'm sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion."
"There's more, actually."
Raika blinks, looking surprised, and SearchMan gives Arcadia a confused glance. This is as much as they were able to tell him this morning - and it's quite terrible, for a human so young to be disowned, and for a Navi to be disconnected for no apparent reason. What else could there possibly be?
"Chaud told me I could tell you everything," Arcadia says. He looks at Raika with an oddly composed expression. "You've already proved that you can't be trusted to leave things alone, so we thought it would be better to offer this up freely rather than risk you trying to pry again."
It doesn't take a genius to realise that it's not just ProtoMan who's angry at Raika for his accusations. The oddly composed look on Arcadia's face is hiding his own anger, a mask made from the most fragile of materials that just barely conceals what's underneath.
Raika realises this too. He says nothing, though SearchMan sees a flicker of guilt in his expression - and if he can see it, then Arcadia must be able to sense it, with that Empath Program of his.
So Arcadia tells them everything.
For the next several minutes, SearchMan and Raika listen in horrified silence as Chaud's story is revealed to them - the abuse and torture he suffered at the hands of his father, and the bullying that ProtoMan was forced to endure from the Navi known as Proxy. Arcadia tells them how Chaud got his cybernetic eye, and how he was sometimes confined to his room and starved, and why he's so quiet. He tells them why Proxy bullied ProtoMan so much, as a punishment for Chaud when Shuseki Blaze saw that he cared more his Navi than he did himself.
And he tells them about Shuseki Blaze disowning Chaud, literally throwing him out onto the streets, and how Chaud had almost starved to death. Then he tells them what happened after the press conference in which the president of IPC had told the world that he had disowned his son.
"He tried to kill himself?" Raika's voice is hushed and choked with horror.
"More than once, technically," Arcadia says, in a very subdued tone. "The roof was the big one, of course, but . . . You've seen that scar on his hand, right? The bite mark?" Raika nods. "He did that to himself. He bit his hand so hard that his teeth broke through the skin, and he was bleeding so much . . . I'm not sure if he was trying to commit suicide again, or if he was just trying to hurt himself. And he tried to starve himself as well - Dr. Hikari had to force-feed him. He . . . he hasn't tried anything since, and he's getting better all the time, but he'll never be totally okay. Some- sometimes I catch little flashes of thoughts, bad feelings, and they never last long, just a second or two, but h-he never acts on any of them."
Arcadia goes quiet, and SearchMan waits for him to continue, until he realises that Arcadia is actually finished with his horrifying tale.
He regrets wondering what else Chaud could have gone through. This is the worst possible answer he could have gotten.
"Even Lan doesn't know this much," Arcadia says, looking at SearchMan and then Raika. "He knows a little bit - enough to realise that Shuseki Blaze isn't a good person. But, like I said, we thought it'd be better to just tell you instead of risking you deciding to dig into it yourself."
"Excuse me for a moment," Raika blurts out, scrambling out of his chair and hurrying out of sight.
"What's wrong with him?" Arcadia asks, turning to SearchMan.
Aside from the horrifying story you've just told us? SearchMan thinks, but he doesn't say that, because it would come out very wrong and he has absolutely no desire to be rude or insensitive to a Navi who was forced to witness such horror.
"I think he went to-" SearchMan begins, before he's interrupted by the sound of retching from the bathroom. He winces.
"Oh," Arcadia murmurs, cringing a little. "I, um. Yeah. I kinda get that. Chaud- Chaud sometimes did that. When he was really scared, that is."
"I'm glad NetNavis don't do that," SearchMan murmurs, leaning against a datablock. "Otherwise I'd be throwing up right now, too."
They wait for a few minutes, until Raika finally comes back, a glass of water in one hand and the other pressed against his mouth. He looks paler than normal, and his body trembles slightly as he settles back into his chair.
"Raika?" SearchMan calls tentatively. "Are you . . . well?" He'd almost asked if he was okay, but given everything they've just heard, the answer to that would probably be an emphatic no.
"Been better," Raika mumbles around his hand. He takes a deep breath, sets down the glass of water, and then leans forward and presses his hands into his forehead. "I was trying to accuse him of being a criminal. A criminal. What is wrong with me?"
"You didn't know," SearchMan tries to tell him.
Raika snaps his head up and gives SearchMan a heated glare. "That's no excuse!" he snaps. "That boy has been through absolute hell, and I could've- I could've . . ." He covers his mouth with his hand, the anger quickly melting to horror once more. "I could've driven him to suicide again."
"You would've just annoyed him more than anything," Arcadia says. "Besides, you didn't get very far into your . . . investigation. There wasn't enough of one anyway. It doesn't matter anymore."
"It matters to me," Raika mutters. He tangles his fingers in his hair and stares at the surface of the desk. "I need to apologise to him. But . . . ProtoMan won't let me anywhere near him."
"Lan can't tell ProtoMan what to do, and neither can MegaMan," Arcadia says. Raika winces, and then looks up as Arcadia continues. "But ProtoMan will listen to me and Chaud, even when he's angry. You're leaving tomorrow afternoon, right? So unless there's a case in the morning, maybe you can head over to the Hikari house, and you can talk to Chaud then. I'll give you directions if you want."
"Thank you," Raika says emphatically. "You have no idea how much I-"
SearchMan detects another Navi streaming into Raika's PET. MegaMan appears between him and Arcadia, looking frantic - but he only pays attention to Arcadia, completely ignoring SearchMan and Raika.
"Chaud's gone missing," MegaMan announces abruptly.
"What?" Arcadia's voice is sharp.
SearchMan barely contains his gasp of shock. He glances over at his operator, and sees him stiffening, battling with his own shock, along with guilt, for some reason. SearchMan can't imagine why he would be feeling guilty, but there are more pressing matters at the moment.
"He's not at home," MegaMan says, practically trembling with frantic energy. "He took his PET with him, but he's left Ragdoll - and we don't know where he is! We've tried contacting him but we think he's turned off the messaging features on his PET, because we can't get through at all. Lan sent me to get you, since you can help us track him down with your Empath Program."
Arcadia nods, and turns to Raika and SearchMan.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he says quickly.
"Wait," Raika suddenly says, before Arcadia and MegaMan can leave. "We can help too. SearchMan's Search Program can be used to track the data signatures of NetNavis."
"I already scanned ProtoMan's data the first time we met," SearchMan confirms. "I won't get a precise location, but I should be able to narrow it down."
"Lan's already out looking for Chaud with Mom and Dad," MegaMan says. "We might be able to find him quicker if we look separately. Let us know if you find him, okay?"
"Of course," Raika agrees.
MegaMan nods, and then he and Arcadia stream out of Raika's PET.
"Start tracking ProtoMan's signature," Raika orders, standing up and rushing over to where he'd hung his coat.
SearchMan nods, quickly bringing up his Search Program.
"Turn left here," SearchMan says.
Raika follows his Navi's instructions. He's only half-paying attention, but half of his attention is more than enough, and it gives him the opportunity to think.
His thoughts . . . are not good.
Raika can't get what Arcadia told them out of his head. Everything that Mimic - that Chaud - has been through, all the pain and fear he's been forced to endure simply because his father is quite possibly the worst example of a parent he can think of. And now Chaud's gone missing.
He can't help but think that he's responsible for this. Arcadia had said that his accusations would have annoyed Chaud more than anything, but is that true? Could he have upset Chaud so much that he's run away from the Hikaris, even though they clearly care for him, and he obviously cares for them in turn?
Maybe he's even driven Chaud to suicide again. The thought that his actions could cause someone to kill themselves sickens him. He has to fix this - he needs to apologise to Chaud, to tell him how wrong he'd been to even think about accusing him of being a criminal.
But first he needs to find him. He hopes he can. SearchMan is tracking ProtoMan's data signature, and Arcadia is helping the Hikaris look in another part of the city, because there's no guarantee that Chaud and ProtoMan are together even if he took his PET with him.
Raika looks around, wishing he'd thought to bring a torch with him, or something that could help him see. His PET can provide some light, and the street light above and the various neon signs around the city help to illuminate the streets, but it's still difficult to see. It's the middle of the night - the fact that a child is wandering around out here, alone in the dark, is extremely worrying.
He turns down a small street at SearchMan's instruction. The small road is hemmed in by two high walls on either side, and there's only the barest amount of light down here, provided by a lit window somewhere nearby and a couple of badly-lit street lights. Raika heads down the small street without question - if SearchMan says this is where he needs to go, he'll trust his Navi.
Halfway down, he sees a small shape on top of the wall to his left, and pauses for a moment. He squints, trying to make out what it is, and sees a shock of white hair - turned almost grey in the dim light - and recognises who it is within moments.
Raika steps forward until he's directly beneath Chaud, and sees that he's sitting on the wall with one leg hanging down, leaning forward. There's an odd growth of what looks like mushrooms in front of him.
"Tell me the name of god you fungal piece of shit," Chaud mutters, just barely audible enough for Raika to hear.
"Why are you swearing at a mushroom?" Raika asks, before he can think better of it.
Chaud shrieks and falls off the wall, landing on the other side with a loud thump. Raika cringes, wondering how much that hurt, and a moment later a pair of hands grip the top of the wall and Chaud climbs back up, staring down at Raika.
Both of his eyes gleam oddly in the dim light. Raika remembers something that MegaMan had said, earlier that day - he'd said something about things being transferred to Chaud, and one of those things had been night vision.
Night vision is a natural ability of cats. It's likely that ProtoMan has night vision, and that ability transferred to Chaud - as did ProtoMan's agility, evidenced by how easily Chaud had gotten back up to the top of the wall despite it being twice Raika's size. He remembers meeting Chaud yesterday, seeing him run through the obstacle course at SciLab with the ease of a professional traceur - someone who practises parkour, that is. He . . . also remembers being very dismissive of his abilities, despite how impressive that display had been - he'd been determined to look down on the two Net Savers who use Cross Fusion to fight, but Raika has since learnt that all the intelligence in the world means nothing if you use it wrongly.
"Sorry," he calls up to Chaud. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"S'alright," Chaud mumbles, settling down on the wall in a manner remarkably similar to a cat. Raika wonders if he even realises he's doing it. "How- how'd you . . . f-find me?"
"I had SearchMan track ProtoMan's data signature," Raika tells him. This is the first actual conversation he's had with Chaud that isn't laced with his determination to look down on him, or his drive to find some evidence to prove that he's a criminal. It's . . . awkward.
"Rude," Chaud mutters. "Can't- can't get any p-peace."
Raika winces. "Sorry," he says again. "I didn't . . . I didn't mean to invade your privacy, or anything."
The look that Chaud gives him is very similar to the look SearchMan had given him after the incident at HQ.
"Wouldn't be the f-first time," Chaud says.
"Yes," Raika sighs, "I know. And I'm sorry about that. Really. I was wrong, horribly wrong, and I'm truly sorry for everything."
The gleam of Chaud's eyes vanishes for a moment as he blinks. "I know," he says. "Lan said."
"I still need to apologise," Raika says wholeheartedly. "And . . . and I want to ask - why are you out here?"
"Just needed . . . space," Chaud mumbles. "The- the H-Hikaris are nice, but s-sometimes I need to be- to be alone, an-and they don't . . . they don't like leaving m-me alone, unless I- u-unless I'm in my bedroom."
So he hadn't run away at all. But why is he out here, so late?
Raika glances past Chaud at the dark sky. "It's past one in the morning, you know," he says.
Chaud's eyes widen. "Shit," he hisses emphatically. "Didn't m-mean to st-stay out this long. Lost tr-track of time."
If he needed time alone, it's likely because of Raika's stupid actions. He can't really blame him for losing track of time.
"The Hikaris are looking for you in another part of the city," Raika tells him. "I can contact them and have them pick you up, if you want?"
" . . . Wanna walk?" Chaud asks. "With me. I don't mind. You- you wanna t-talk anyway."
Maybe they can meet the Hikaris along the way. And he's right; Raika does want to talk to him. He's already apologised, but he feels like he can't apologise enough for how he was acting, and besides, he wants to at least get to know this boy a little better.
Arcadia has already told him the important parts. But he wants to talk to Chaud himself, to form an opinion of him based on what he's actually seen rather than what he thinks he's seen. He wants to make amends, and maybe this is how he can do it.
He certainly hasn't heard any growling coming from Chaud's PET. It's far from approval, but if ProtoMan isn't growling at him, there may be hope yet.
Chaud climbs down from the wall, as easily as he'd gotten down from the one at SciLab. While he does that, Raika sends off SearchMan to tell Lan that he's found Chaud.
"So," Raika begins, as he and Chaud make their way out of the small street, "why were you swearing at that mushroom?"
Chaud blinks up at him. "Decay exists as an extant form of life," he says. His tone is a smooth as the first words he'd said to Raika yesterday.
He'd thought it was a mistake, a hole in the timid act that Chaud was using. But he knows now that the timid act isn't an act, and now that Raika actually thinks about it, those words had sounded like a quote or something - same as now. Chaud stammers and mumbles when using his own words, but he speaks much better when he's quoting something. Odd, but not completely ridiculous. Though the meaning of his words is completely incomprehensible.
" . . . Okay," Raika eventually says. Clearly Chaud isn't going to explain what these apparent quotes are, or even what they mean. Raika doesn't expect him to.
They walk in silence for a while. To Raika, it seems fairly awkward, and he feels the odd need to fill the silence with chatter - which is unusual for him, because he's never wanted to actively carry on a conversation. Chaud, however, doesn't seem to mind the quiet.
He's half Raika's size, very skinny, yet he's able to keep up with him easily. And he avoids obstacles as easily as he would in the daylight, another reminder of his night vision, as if the gleaming eyes reflecting the dim light whenever he looks up at Raika isn't enough of a reminder. Meanwhile, Raika only sees signposts or street lights a moment before he almost walks into them, and only manages to avoid them either through his own quick reflexes or because Chaud tugs him out of the way in time.
They eventually find themselves on a wide street. Raika has no idea where they are, but judging by the way Chaud perks up, he does. Of course, it makes sense - he actually lives in this city, whereas Raika has been here for a grand total of two days.
Raika squints and sees that this appears to be a food district. Chaud seems to be paying one particular eatery a good amount of attention, pausing and studying it. The place seems small compared to the other eateries and restaurants around, and it's boarded up - clearly it's been closed for a while now. From what Raika can see, it used to be some sort of curry shop.
Chaud blinks, seeming to come back to himself, and then they continue walking. They get halfway down the street before Raika notices one place that appears to be open - an ice cream shop, with a neon sign above the door saying MIDNIGHT ICE CREAM in bold pink and blue lettering.
"Want some ice cream?" Raika asks, nudging Chaud gently and pointing to the shop. "We may as well. The Hikaris probably won't find us for a while yet anyway." SearchMan had come back a few minutes ago, with a message from Lan saying that the Hikaris are on their way.
"'kay," Chaud says. He follows Raika curiously.
There's only one member of staff in the ice cream shop. The shop itself is quite small, and the counter is tall and has stools on the customer side, so maybe this little shop has a very specific customer base. The fact that it's open in the middle of the night and is called Midnight Ice Cream could mean that it caters to night owls, or people who were just wandering around, like Raika and Chaud.
"Hello," Raika greets the man at the counter. "Could we get two ice creams, please?"
"Uh," the man says, "who's 'we'?"
Raika blinks, wondering what he could mean by that. Then he looks down and sees that Chaud is trying to peer over the counter, but he's too small to see over the top and is hidden from view. He eventually resorts to gripping the edge of the counter and hauling himself up onto one of the stools. The man looks startled to see him.
"Oh, alright," the man says, blinking. "Er . . . flavours?"
Raika hopes the man isn't this terrible with all his customers. But maybe he's just thrown off by the fact that two children - though Raika can hardly call himself a child, since he's fifteen - have just wandered into his shop when it's past midnight, and one of them is very clearly too young to be wandering around at this time.
"Mint, if you have it," Raika says. He glances at Chaud questioningly.
Chaud spends a moment studying the menu on the wall next to the counter, and then turns to Raika and holds up four fingers. That puzzles Raika for a moment, until he remembers Arcadia telling him that Chaud doesn't always want to talk in front of people.
He'd held up four fingers, so Raika glances at the menu and quickly picks out the fourth item on the menu.
"Chocolate for him," Raika tells the man.
A few minutes later, they walk out of the ice cream shop with their orders in small plastic cups, and spoons to eat with. Chaud takes the lead from here, taking Raika to a park that's nearby - he says it's apparently very close to the Hikari household, but since the Hikaris are still out and are coming to meet them, they may as well stay here and wait.
There's a bench under a street light that's thankfully bright enough for Raika to actually see what he's doing, though he notices Chaud squinting and avoiding looking at the light too closely. Right - his night vision most likely makes his eyes more sensitive to intense light such as the street light.
" . . . You kn-know," Chaud suddenly says, when they've both almost finished their ice creams.
Raika pauses, his spoon halfway to his mouth, and looks at Chaud. He can see his companion's expression much better in this light, but even so, it's almost unreadable.
"Arc-cadia told you," Chaud says. "A-about . . . about me. Us. Ev-everything."
Raika barely contains his flinch at the reminder of the horror that Chaud and his Navis have been through. "He did," he confirms. "I . . . I want to ask, if it's okay . . ."
Chaud tilts his head, silently inviting him to speak.
Raika takes a deep breath. "Why don't you go to the police?" he asks. Chaud stiffens, but he continues on regardless. This is something he's been wondering since Arcadia had told him and SearchMan the whole truth. "What that- that poor excuse of a human being did to you was abuse at best, and actual torture at worst. He shouldn't be allowed to walk free."
"Maybe," Chaud mumbles, narrowing his eyes at his ice cream cup. His next words are full of bitter anger. "But who- who'd believe . . . s-s-some-mm . . ."
He's clearly have difficulty talking about this. Either he's too bitter and angry to get the words out, or fear is starting to choke him. Either way, Raika doesn't want to watch him force himself to talk.
He nudges Chaud, waits until he's looking, and puts his ice cream cup on his lap. Then he raises his hands.
[if it's easier just sign] Raika tells him.
Chaud's eyes widen.
"Yeah," Raika says, lowering his hands. "I know sign language. In Sharo, all Net Savers have to learn some basic signs for covert operations - I decided to learn the full language, because it was fascinating to me, being able to speak without using my voice." He gives Chaud an ironic smile. "And you were right to warn Lan that I was mean. I'm sorry about that."
"S-sorry," Chaud mumbles, looking down at his lap.
"It's fine. Like I said, you were right anyway. So, you were saying?"
Chaud shoots him a quick glance, then puts his ice cream cup down and starts signing.
[who would believe some kid and two NAVIS over president of IPC] Chaud tells him.
Raika sighs and leans back against the back of the bench. "You've got a point," he admits. "But what about physical evidence? You didn't give yourself that scar over your eye, or the eye itself."
"Mugging gone wrong," Chaud mutters.
Raika winces. "Ah. That would be an easy explanation," he says. "And anything your Navis witnessed could be explained as you reprogramming them and planting false memories."
Chaud's eyes gleam in the light as he looks up at Raika. "Nev-never do that," he says emphatically. "I w-wou- I wouldn't. They- they're n-not . . ." He bites his lip, looking frustrated, then raises his hands again. [they're not dumb programs they're people]
"I know," Raika says, "but the court probably wouldn't see it that way. Your father-" He sees Chaud's flinch and quickly corrects himself. "Mr. Blaze could easily use that as a defence, if it ever came to that."
Chaud blinks at him. "Why do- why do you believe m-me?" he asks quietly.
Raika can almost hear the desperation in his voice, as if he needs to know the answer. Arcadia had already said that Lan - and possibly MegaMan, by extension - knows some of what happened, but not as much as he'd told Raika and SearchMan. Lan likely only knows because he must have seen something that tipped him off to what might be happening behind closed doors.
Chaud had never been given the chance to choose to tell Lan anything, and he probably won't tell him more than he already knows, not willingly anyway. Considering how protective Lan is of Chaud, he'd probably never let him out of his sight again if he knew the full truth.
It's different with Raika, though. Chaud had chosen to allow Arcadia to tell him - to stop him from making the same mistake he did earlier, of course, but it was still his choice. And he doesn't know why Raika believes him, when there's no evidence aside from what Raika can see in front of him. Which, in his eyes, is evidence enough.
"You didn't have to tell us anything," Raika says. "You could've just gotten Arcadia to tell us your real name and clear up whether or not he and ProtoMan were stolen. But you chose to tell us the whole truth, even though you've likely never told anyone else." Chaud doesn't react much beyond another blink, but Raika can tell that he's right. "I know it was to stop me from doing what I did earlier, but still, you didn't have to. And it clearly affects you, even just talking about it. So, that's why I believe you."
Chaud continues looking at him, but there's a hint of something like awe in the way he's looking at Raika now.
The silence stretches for a few moments, until Raika decides to get back to his ice cream - it's mostly turned into mush by now, but mushy ice cream is still ice cream, so he just drinks the rest of it and looks around for a bin to throw the cup and spoon into.
"Thank you," Chaud suddenly mumbles, just as Raika spots a bin nearby. "F-for . . . believing me."
"It's the least I can do," Raika says softly. "You deserve that much from me. It doesn't make up for how I've been acting, but it's the least I can do."
"It helps," Chaud says faintly. "To- to make up, I m-mean."
Raika sees that Chaud's also finished his own ice cream, so he holds out his hand to take it. Chaud hands him the cup, giving him a grateful look that's more than just thanking him for taking the rubbish.
He's just thrown their rubbish away when he hears a familiar voice calling out, and he turns to see Lan - with his parents not far behind him - running up the path toward them. Chaud glances at Raika briefly before standing up to meet him, and Lan practically crashes into him, sending both of them stumbling back a few steps.
"Where the heck were you!?" Lan demands, pulling back and gripping Chaud's shoulders. "We thought you'd run away or something!"
"S-sorry," Chaud mumbles, as Dr. Hikari and his wife finally reach them. "Just . . . wandered. Lost track of t-time."
"I should think so." Dr. Hikari's tone is stern, but his relief is clearly visible. "Don't wander off in the middle of night without at least telling us that you're going out, okay?"
Chaud nods, looking shame-faced and a little embarrassed. Dr. Hikari's wife reaches out and gently ruffles his already-messy hair.
"If you want another midnight adventure," she says good-naturedly, "stay closer to home, alright? Play in the park or something." Her expression falls a little and she turns a bit more serious. "We were so worried about you."
"M'sorry . . ."
Raika can't help the little smile he feels tugging at his lips. It's heartwarming to watch this - the Hikaris obviously care for Chaud quite a lot, and Chaud's shame now is a clear indication of how much he cares for them, because he hadn't meant to worry them like this. How could he have ever thought that Chaud was simply pretending to care about the Hikaris? The thought seems absurd when he looks at this scene.
"Thank you for finding him," Dr. Hikari's wife says, speaking to Raika.
"Oh, um." He's a little startled at suddenly being addressed. "It's no problem, ma'am."
"Just call me Haruka," Dr. Hikari's wife tells him.
"Ah- yes, ma'am. Haruka. Ma'am." This is so ridiculously awkward.
Luckily, it seems that Haruka doesn't mind - she simply chuckles, while Dr. Hikari watches with an amused smile. Lan's grin is bright enough to rival the street light burning above their heads, and Chaud seems to be thoroughly enjoying Raika's embarrassment.
This is enough for one night, he thinks. Besides, it's high time he gets some sleep - it had been one o'clock when he'd found Chaud, and he has no idea what time it even is right now.
"I'd better get going, now," he says to the Hikaris - and Chaud, though he honestly looks like he's a member of the family as well, despite just simply living with them.
Raika gives them a respectful bow, and turns to leave. As he's walking down the path, he hears Lan shouting after him.
"See you tomorrow, Raika!"
Raika allows himself a full grin.
He'll be leaving tomorrow, but he's learnt something from his time in Japan. That's what he was here for in the first place, right? Maybe it wasn't what he'd intended - Net Saver training never is - but it's something he thinks will stick with him for as long as he lives.
There aren't any cases the next morning, so Raika simply heads to SciLab. Lan and Chaud are already there, helping Famous and a few other scientists set up the obstacle course from the dimensional area lab. Raika offers his own assistance, much to Lan and Chaud's delight. Famous appears to be happy that they're finally getting along, as well.
Soon after lunch, Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe arrive with Dr. Hikari, and Raika's time in Japan is up. They head to the airport in the Commissioner's car - it's a little cramped, with four extra passengers, but Lan and Chaud are both small enough (and in Chaud's case, skinny enough) to share one seat between them, so Raika and Dr. Hikari can sit comfortably.
The plane that was sent to pick him up is from Sharo's military - he's almost sad to see it, because the moment he steps onto that plane, his training is over. He has no idea if he'll ever see Lan or Chaud ever again, but he hopes he will.
SearchMan asked to have his own private goodbye with the trio of Japanese Net Saver Navis, and Raika sees no harm in it - besides, if he's going to be actually listening to SearchMan from now on, rather than simply just giving him orders, he needs to learn to let his Navi have more freedom.
"I hope your time here was useful," Commissioner Kifune says, inclining his head to Raika. "You certainly seem far more relaxed than you were yesterday, at least."
"I've had a few things beaten into me since then," Raika replies, casting a swift glance at Lan and Chaud. They both grin at him, and he returns it willingly.
Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe both look as happy as Famous had been to see them getting along. Raika wonders how different things would have been if he'd simply tried to be friendly right from the start - this certainly feels much better than constantly putting down his fellow Net Savers.
Raika straightens, then bows formally. "Thank you for having me," he says.
With that said, he turns to walk up the ramp of the waiting plane.
"Hey, Raika!"
He pauses and half-turns to face Lan. Chaud is beside him, shuffling his feet and looking like he wants to call out as well, but Raika has never heard him speak above a mumble and he doubts he ever will.
"Come back soon!" Lan calls, raising his arm to wave cheerfully. "Maybe we can show you the best places to eat, next time!" Chaud nods in agreement, giving his own little wave.
Raika smiles at that, and raises his hand in goodbye before heading into the plane.