"Alright... I'm here." Haruka spoke to the Bharata-varsien as she walked into their sacred dwelling.
It felt like this anyway.
Moiya got up from her couch and quickly greeted Netto's mother with all the warmth and the love she had. "Oh, Hikari-Sama, Every day, I thank Krishna for your two sons... I consider them both as good as mine." She spoke warmly as she embraced Haruka. "Truly, the Lord has blessed you with two spotless, moon-like heroes in your august family line. May you remain ever-fortunate."
Haruka hugged her back a bit awkwardly. Not being used to this open show of affection by a woman who was practically still a stranger...
A stranger she trusted with her Son's well-being despite being an immigrant and a cultist.
A very king cultist who was firmly grounded and loving and, most of all, sane.
She hoped.
"Come, sit beside me." Moiya sweetly ordered as she led Haruka to her couch. "Would you like something to drink? Water? Juice? Or would you like something to eat?"
"Ah... just some water, if you don't mind." No sooner then those words left her lips, she was given a glass by their eldest son.
Once again, Haruka could not help but notice how... natural his hair looked... and his red eyes.
Once the otherworldly youth stalked away, Haruka drank the cool and pure-tasting water.
"It's from a clay pot, makes it taste better and add some minerals too," Moiya commented with a bright smile.
"Ah..."
An uncomfortable silence descended on the group... And Haruka hated this quiet time.
"Alright... Tell me everything."
Maya's smile became a bit tighter... "What do you mean, everything?"
"let's start with the fact that my son called you Free-Navis... I already know the cult you are following."
"It's not really cult," Ekachakra interjected. "It's the most ancient science of Bhakti... Or the Culture of self-realization through the service to God in pure love." He explained. "And... How long do you think our kids can wait?" He asked the second mother in the room. "We have a lot to speak about, and I would rather not receive an SMS about a broken TV or a burning stove."
"Netto has friends; he's eaten a very hearty meal... Well, I don't know in how much trouble he can get into without Rockman." She knew her son, and she was well aware of his love for a good nap after a meal...
He was always tired. The Doctors said he was fine since he was a growing boy... they had also warned her that he would probably reach upward to six feet with how he ate and slept, but...
With how much radiation he had absorbed, Haruka would not be surprised if it was cancer messing up with his cells and body function.
"Ma'am?"
"Sorry... I just have plenty on my mind at this moment."
"I see." Maya inclined his head. "Then I don't think you will have less after our talk." She wrily admitted. "Long story short... NetNavis are not mere A.I but a type of humans that can live either in the virtual world or here-"
After the mother of many managed to explain what she and her family were (Navis... where the fabled cyber-fae. And refugee's from cyberspace.) She finally came to the whole reason why she had convoked Haruka in the first place.
"Haruka... A friend of ours found Rockman." She revealed...
"You... you did?" Haruka asked... a smile lighting up her face.
"Well... from what our friend told us. He's not Rockman anymore... and Forte's caring for him."
Haruka lowered her eyes... "So... He's really gone then." Another son dead... or as good as dead as he could. And then...
"Wait, what do you mean by 'Caring for him?' And who is this friend that gave you this information?"
A small smile light Maya's lips. "Like a father... that's what Sangita told us." She informed the woman. "you may know him under the name '. '"
"Serenade?!" Haruka gasped. "You mean, Mamoru's NetNavi?"
"You know Serenade and Mamoru?" Maya's eyes widened in surprise.
"A little, I'm a friend of Serenades friend," Haruka admitted. "And Mamoru is a friend of my son." Not that this friendship would last long since...
"Oh! That's great." Maya delightfully clapped her hand, the etching in her eyes glowing with joy.
"But how do you know Little Mamoru?"
. "I'm... his death, doula." Maya happily informed Haruka as if the imminent death of a child was no big deal.
"A... what now?"
"Ah... I'm a dying assistant." Maya admitted. "I make sure those souls are not scared during their move from one body to the next. And if permitted, lead them back home, back to godhead." She explained. "In our culture, we call it the final exam." Her smile turned a bit sad. "But with how it is... I may not be able to help little Mamoru since... I just gave birth, and I don't think He'll live for another month."
Both mothers turned silent as they contemplated this terrible event that loomed over the Horizon.
"Bah... It's in Krishna's hands; there nothing more I can do." Maya dismissed the subject. "Now, let's get back to the subject at hand; Yous son's situation."
"Yes... Rockman... How is Forte treating him? Is he alright?" Netto's mother fussed, her instinct screaming to fly to were her adopted digital son was.
"As I told you, Forte seemed to have taken Rockman under his wing. Going as far as to call him Roku." Maya continued.
"Roku..."
"He's... he's has taken the form a tiny boy, I would say around four or five," Ekachakra interjected. " Lumine couldn't get close enough to."
"Lumine!" Haruka exclaimed.
"Oh... you know him?" Ekachakra asked at this surprising development.
"Of course I do; he's my best friend!" And how! "He's teaching me how to be a decent net-battler and Anti-terrorist so that my son won't have to risk his life in vain!" Her heart began to beat faster as she realized that she just had gotten in something much bigger then at first anticipated.
The couple stared at the practically single mother. "You... want to learn how to be an anti-terrorist..."
"Yes!" Haruka spoke with as much resolve as she could. "I've seen my only surviving son risk his life too often while adults just sit back and do nothing! I have to get involves before he..." Her voice failed her in the end.
How many times did she wake up, her body covered in cold sweat and tears, after seeing her Netto and Rockman died? How many times did she dream of Saito shouting words of hatred to his unworthy mother as he held his little brother's corpse in his arms?
No... Haruka's sleep was about as small as her trust for her husband.
"You know... I think we should make a group." Maya stated. "Me and Eka... well, were also into net-vigilantism and... we already know Serenade and quite a few NetNavi who only desires to protect the world and our children from threat."
"Really?" Haruka perked up. "I had no idea I wasn't the only one."
"Of course not... It's just Japan that sees no problem with sending so call geniuses to wars and enslaving other beings." Maya growled. "Trust me, in the rest of the world; it's not like that!"
Haruka's eyes grew wide... before she narrowed them. "Ah... I see."
Maya grabbed Haruka's hand, gently petting it. " It's Alright; I know what you feel." The blond woman spoke to her gently. "I... My people have suffered immensely at the hands of those big tech giants. I don't remember any of my early years, only that Papa had to shock my brain until I stopped acting like a rabid dog." She lowered her eyes. "To see my people enslaved to fight in the net, robbed of their will, ability to reproduce and have their own culture..."
"The UN and other governmental group are against it and are trying to change the view on Net-slavery and make it illegal..., and most of the world have listened for once." Maya spoke with a wry smile. "but, as you know, those things won't change until a big enough crisis shock about thirteen billion brains around hard enough..." She sighed. "There's plenty of decent people who are friends with the Faes... but whatever they can do will be too late for many of us... especially those we can't trace back to their family."
"Many of those you call Navi's are children... or people born to surrogate mother. They have no provenance, no idea who they are... and they are cursed to fight for the pleasure of other humans, being no better then slaves." Ekachakra's voice darken.
"Miss Haruka..." Ekachakra began, his countenance grave. "We trust you... we trust you more then the authority of this land." He admitted. " Your son saved my wife and girl's life... and it seems that our faith has been weaved in a way that... we have no choice but to include you on some weighty secrets."
"Prabhu... are you sure?" Maya asked, clearly concerned.
Ekachakra nodded. "Devi... Her sons are friends with our brood. It would be better if she were t know the full picture."
Maya nodded... and Haruka felt out of her dept. 'Is this how my son feels when he stumbles upon something?' She wondered.
Ekachakra got up from his couch. "Madam Haruka... What if I told you that Saito was alive? What would you tell me?" He asked the bereaved mother.
"... How do you know that name?" Haruka managed to rasp, feeling as if she had been caught in an accident.
"Netto told me... and what if I told you that Saito used to be Rockman?"
Haruka could only shake her head... no... not this could not be... this was impossible...
She could remember that dreadful day... and the body of her first baby boy on the cold Morgue table.
Greyish pale... cold... only a slight warmth remained were the vivid heat of life once blazed.
It had been too much for her... thankfully, Yuuichiro had handled the funerals and all that crap...
"And you still believe that man?" Maya's words cut like a plasma sword... and made Haruka realized that she had spoken out loud. "Listen... have you seen the body entering the furnace?"
"No..." She felt hot... she felt cold... "No, I... Yui told me... he... I had to take care of Netto and..."
"Haruka... Miss Haruka." Maya called to Netto's mother... "Please calm down..."
She tried... she really did.
Meanwhile, back at the Hikari household.
"So... that's a bed," Partha observed as he kept bouncing on it... no, he was not jumping, just sitting down and bouncing up and down. " Uh... How do you sleep on that?" He asked Netto.
"I just do..." The young boy spoke as he tried not to stare at the stocky young man judging his bed.
"It's way too soft... I would get back pain sleeping on that." The redhead stated as he flopped down on its surface. "It's so weird..."
"You're the weird one," Netto stated.
"No, you."
"No, You!"
"No-"
"Hey, I found a Uno game!" Bhuta exclaimed from Netto's closet. "Do you think we could play?" He asked in his inimitable sweet voice.
Netto grinned. "yeah! I haven't played that for years!"
"Really? Alright!" The two boys declared in sheer jubilation.
He had learned from his cultist neighbour that they were not devoid of fun and game... they just didn't play games all day long. They had more fun roughhousing and imitating Krishna and Rama's pastime in their yard... but playing other games was not out of the question as long as their playtime did not take away from their spiritual practices.
They wanted Krishna-Bhakta's. not dried out and practically dying Buddhist monks.
"Alright, I'll go get the girls and tell them we have a game of Uno to play!" Bhuta told Partha and Netto as he practically ran out the door, unmindful of his heart. Five seconds later, he hollered to his sister about his finds and the game.
"So... how are you holding up?" Partha asked as he let himself slip on the ground. Unlike his big brother, he was wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt with a monkey on it; Sri Hanuman burning Lanka down.
"I'm... Alright, I guess."
"So you're not sure about how to feel about this," Partha concluded.
Netto huffed. " I mean... I'm happy, Rockman... Saito was found but. Why didn't they save him?" Netto asked, finally letting his feeling of betrayal shine through. "And why does Moiya want to talk with Mama? Mama has nothing to do with this!" His voice rose.
"Well... She's your mama... and Saito's mama too." Partha reminded Netto. "Listen, there are some things we're not meant to hear. And those things can only be dealt with by our parents."
"But-"
"And they will tell us once they know what's going on... they are adult and know more then us."
"Not my Mama... she doesn't know anything about what's going on with the net," Netto grumbles as he tried to hide how worried he was for her.
She was his mama, the one who took care of him when he was sick, who feed him sumptuous meals and who would listen to him as he told her of how his day at school went.
She practically raised him alone... Filling him with love.
"Maybe it's time for her to start knowing?" Partha advanced. "I mean... how do you think she feels about you going on dangerous adventures all the time... she almost lost you and Saito." The otherwise loud boy whispered.
Netto crossed his arms as he looked down at his tabi.
He... supposed Partha was right. Still, he didn't want his mama to know everything that happened there. It was his and Rockman's special things, something his mama didn't know about.
"You know... I would understand your heart better if you would say it out loud." Partha informed his friend, who proceeded to open his heart.
Partha listened to everything he had to say. His fears, his frustrations...
"-And it's not fair!" Netto wanted as he passed back and forth in his room, the impending game of Uno well and truly forgotten. " Mom has Secret, she keeps meeting this 'friend' of hers and... and she doesn't return unit late morning, and she's so tired back then she almost burns the toast!" he flailed his hands. "I don't know who this friend is, for all I know, it could be Lord Wily disguised as an old man and..."
"You worry about her... but you also jealous that she can have secrets." Partha resumed, causing Netto to blush.
"... I don't... I'm not..."
"Netto, your eleven... and I'm sure you have other secrets, right?" Partha asked from the floor.
Netto opened his mouth, thought for a bit and closed it with a click. "No...not really."
Well, there was the fact that Dekao had shown him some... pictures of naked women and man... doing things. But after helping Moiya give birth, he would never see any women the same ever again. And this was not a secret he liked, it felt like he had to tell his friend's mother and father because Netto wasn't sure Dekao should... have that.
And it felt disgusting, to be honest.
He felt Partha's very warm hands on his shoulder. "You know... you could always keep a secret diary," He proposed, and Netto made a face.
"But only girls have secret journals!" He complained. He could still see the journaling aisle in the paper store... so much pink.
"I have a journal." Partha flatly informed Netto about that fact. "Mom and Dad know I have it, but they keep it close and make sure no one can get in... it's a shared secret. And even if they were reading it, I wouldn't mind much... except those pages marked with a blue marker."
"But... why?" Netto asked, his eyes wide at the prospect.
"Because I have nothing to hide... save some things only the Lord and I share." He admitted. "And any type of notebook will do; it's doesn't need to have a cheap lock on it; you just need to have a good place to hide it."
"Mom always finds the things I hide." Netto groused.
"Does she clean your room?" Partha asked.
"Yes... even after I clean it." Netto crossed his arms. He was not a pig, thank you very much, and he liked his space to be clean and dust-free!
Partha nodded wisely as he remains deep in thought. "I see... Then just write on your notebook that it's battle strategy, price inflection of battle chips... you know, boring stuff on the first few pages..." Then he smirked. "Or, you Could also write on it the most stupid thing you can think of... or the most brow-raising like, how to take over the world in a hundred step, why lord Wily's the best human on the planet or the bathtub ring growth report."
Netto grunted as he took this to heart... then he gave an impish grin to his friend.
"How about, 'the art of pooping.'"
Partha stared at him as if this joke was extremely bellow him... and then he broke in an equally impish smile.
"The adventure of monkey fart the Banana!"
"Dialogue with my dirty gym socks." Netto shot back as he tried to hold his laughter.
"The Untold Horror of the Fridge."
"They came from under my bed... in my dirty undies."
"The fuzzy sandwich and how it tasted." Partha burst into laughter at this... and Netto's face wrinkled itself at the image.
"Ewww! You really ate that?" the young boy asked, disgusted but still smiling.
"Ah! I did and will again if hungry enough!" Partha boldly declared. " I can eat and digest anything!"
"Oh really?" Netto rose to the challenge. "Then eat my dirty socks and shorts!"
"Eew, No way! You don't chant sixteen rounds." Partha protested with a sharp grin as he tried to stave off Netto's dirty socks he had just thrown.
"Hah! Lier, Lier Pants on fire!" Netto chanted as he pounced the younger boy; he wanted to wrestle.
"Hey! Don't tempt me!" Partha warned as he managed to get the taller boy in a headlock and out the room. "Were taking it outside, Mano a mano!"
"Your On!" Netto greedily took up the challenge. He knew Partha-Sharathi's strength, and he knew he wasn't afraid of getting dirty.
Really, he was so fun to wrestle with.
Even if it left, Netto winded for longer then what felt right.
"Um... Guys?" Bhuta interrupted their play. "I thought you wanted to play Uno?"
At this interruption, the two boys stopped their roughhousing and apologetically looked at Bhuta. "yeah, Sorry Bhuta... we forgot."
"Still would've beat the tar out of you," Partha growled lowly.
"Oh, like last week?" Netto smirked.
He really liked this.. he really liked the back and forth.
At the mention of Partha's embarrassing loss, the redhead's cheeks made competition with his hair.
"Alright, enough, you two." Bhuta scolded. "The girls are waiting for us."
"Better not make them wait then." Partha stretched as he walked out of Netto's room. Leaving his big brother, the older pre-teen, behind.
Now that his young friend was gone, Netto's previous worries returned at the forefront of his mind. That was until Bhuta got him out by putting his hands on the taller boy's shoulder.
"Say... If you want, you can keep your diary in my room; I won't read it. I swear it on my Honor as a Vaishnava." He said, his reddish eyes holding nothing but honesty.
Netto gave a small smile. "Alright." but this smile didn't stay for Long.
"Netto-Prabhu?"
"Say, Bhuta... what will happen to Saito now?" The mourning net-saver asked with a quivering voice. "He was found but... but why didn't they save him?"
"Well, I'm speculating that it may be because he's with Forte and, you know, Forte's apparently the combined form of the four horsemen of the apocalypse?"
"Wait, you believe in them?" Netto asked, quite surprised that his Vedic friend was aware of this myth.
"No, not really," Bhuta admitted. "There only one horseman of the apocalypse and his Name is Kalki; he's the last avatar of Krishna to advent on earth to kill all the sub-humans and start Satya-Yuga again. he won't come until the end of Kali-Yuga."
"Oh."
"Now come; we need player five!" Bhuta declared as he grabbed Netto's wrist and dragged him downstairs to play a game of cards.
Back at the Volnutt-Dei residance, Haruka had managed to get her raging emotions under more or less control... and had already contacted Lumine and Serenade (Actually Sangita.) about the whole subject matter.
"Alright, so... Saito is... Rockman is an avatar, and Saito's alive and somewhere else, is that right?" She asked as she held a cup of lavender tea, the pipping hot vessel keeping her in the present.
"Yes," Lumine confirmed. Having arrived twenty minutes ago.
To see her friend emerge from the TV like a thief a window had been... quite the experience. "I've been following Forte and Saito since I found them. By the way, Eka, I also ran into another Fae, a nurse type." He informed the head of the Vaishnava family. "She's sleeping in your home terminal and... She smells of detergent." He meaningfully spoke.
"I see... and how did she smell like? Is it a brand you know? Is it available at the local store?" Ekachakra das asked. Much to Haruka's consternement.
'What is he talking about?' She wondered.
"Indeed, and I would say, Netto and Saito, know it well..." Then Lumine's glance fell on Haruka. Then he gazed meaningfully at Maya and her husband.
"My dear Haruka... As I was saying to Ekachakra Prabhu, the first person to find Saito's Avatars was a certain Roll Sakurai."
The young mother's eyes grew wide. "Sakurai... Roll-chan is Maylu's NetNavi." Then she thought about it for a bit, letting the previous information she had gained mutate and grow into a better understanding.
"... No, She must be... She's Maylu's... sister."
Really, If what Ekachakra and his wife said was true, which it was, as proven by a genuine Lumine sitting on a couch and sipping some herbal tea of his own, then all high-end net-Navi;s were really the kidnapped members of a race of cyber-being enslaved by Netopien.
"Oh! I think I've met her." Maya spoke with a happy surprise, Pandora to her breast. "Do you know what happened to her mother? And what about her father?" she openly fussed.
"Ah, her mother died when she was quite young, and her father and big sister, Rolland... Her mother, Marie, came from Eclaire." Haruka tried to remember the often sickly woman. "She died a few years after Maylu took birth, and Rolland... or Roll raised Maylu until she began school..." Haruka's sharp eyes narrowed. " No... Rolland is still raising her, but we call her Roll." She raised her gaze to Ekachakra and Lumine. "Mister Ekachakra, can your kind be bound to electronic?"
The brunette closed his eyes and nodded. "Unfortunately, a certain Japanese... Programmer found the way to capture us... but it only works well if it's used on a child since their growing brain can integrate the binding code better.." he clenched his jaw. "recently, instead of brainwashing our kids, they started a breeding program approximately fifteen years ago..."
"Oh my..." Haruka was now starting to regret her decision. But at the same time, Haruka's mother had always thought that a hurtful truth is worth more then a pleasing lie. "So you and your wife are Hunting down those traffickers."
" No... not really." The man of the house admitted. "To be honest, me and my dear wife have been victims, and while we could certainly seek revenge... we won't."
"You see, Haru-Ji." Maya began with a serene smile. "In our Culture, the Hare Krishna culture, we don't take revenge on those who have wronged us. We tolerate it and see it as Krishna's inconceivable mercy..."
"And we also know that God will take care of those rascals in his own time... we don't have to worry about it." Ekachakra picked up. "I've seen it happen so many times, Madam Haruka, as long as you don't try and avenge yourself."
"It doesn't mean that we don't fight, though," Maya added as she handed Haruka her precious bundle, now happily fed. "And while we didn't actively try to find them, Sri Krishna basically put all the clues in front of our eyes."
Haruka reflectively stared at the few-day-old babies, still wrinkled and bunched up after her recent stay in her mother's cramp womb.
It had been years since she held a newborn... a fragile baby... a new life.
She looked at Maya for confirmation... and the Fae's soft smile told Haruka all that she needed to know.
She expertly took the Volnutt-Dei's newest addition; she was perfect, swaddled in her pink blanket. Only her little rosy face was out, her mouth and tongue working as she slept peacefully.
She was beautiful... and it brought Haruka back at the time when she was also holding two bundles of joy, not knowing that she would cross over the rainbow bridge...
She clutches the baby, Pandora, to her breast.
'No... Saito didn't cross this bridge yet." She pursed her lips...
"Haruka? What's the matter?" Maya asked, not expecting this reaction from another mother.
"My Saito... was taken from me... I failed both of my children." Haruka did her best to withhold her tears, unwilling to wake up tiny Pandora. Maya laid a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "And now... He's stuck in the web!" Her voice broke as she began to weep quietly.
She felt someone sitting beside her, it was Lumine; the gangly Navi slung an arm around his friend. Hugging her close while simultaneously making sure he would not wake up the newborn. "It's alright, Haru-chan. Saito's fine, and Forte won't hurt him. I promise..."
Once again, Haruka managed to bottle up those emotions; she would use them later when she would train... and not hold a precious little girl in her arms.
"Haru-chan... I promise you this; Nothing will happen to Saito, even if Forte loses patience with him..." Lumine reiterated his assurance. " The Saito in the net, Rockman was an avatar."
"An avatar?" The overwrought mother asked.
"Wait... so the avatar program is still going on?" Ekachakra asked, his eyes wide and his copper tone paler.
"Oh no, it was cancelled decades ago." Lumine waved off. "But... I do believe it was not completely closed. Think of it as... an Indi-prog. Something that was done independently from any big company..." The lavender reploid trailed off.
Haruka handled the well-fed bundle of love to her mother and wrapped her arms against her best and only true friend's waist. "Yuichiro... Yuichiro's the one who 'programmed' Rockman..." The words came bitter from her mouth.
Yuichiro had knocked her up in Uni, ruining her chances to finish he education and ballet major; he was the one who insisted they get married before it started showing... and not to end it.
And he had been the one who dealt with the doctors and all the details after Saito's... supposed death.
And he was at the head of the Sci-lab Navi division... and he was the one who supposedly made Rockman...
Rockman was not a Navi...
She looked up to Ekachakra, and his wife, both of them were looking at Haruka with deep concern.
"Do you... do you have the proof that Saito... that what Forte's holding really is my Saito?" She begged.
"Just by his look," Lumine revealed as he released Haruka from his arms and took out a PDA. There were quite a few pictures of a blue boy with very messy hair held by what was unmistakably a very traumatized if fatherly Forte.
He... didn't look as terrifying, especially with how he carried Netto's twin brother in his arms.
He was bright blue, and his green eyes were the mirror image of his grandmother. He had messy hair... but for Haruka, it was like looking at an old picture of Saito when he was still with them.
But...
"He's... so young. And thin..." Haruka fussed as she scrolled through all the pictures Lumine had taken this day. Whipping away her tears as she gazed at her firstborn. "Lumine... why is he blue?" She asked the Fae.
"That's the Colour of the reseted avatar. This is basically what hides under Rockman's form." The lavender Navi explained. "As for why he looks too small and thin... I have no idea." He admitted. "Oh, here's... I took this one when Forte went shopping with Little Saito. I swear, your Son had the Herald of Darkness wrapped around his little finger." He cooed and chuckled as he showed said picture to Haruka.
She felt Maya lean closer to her as she gazed at the set of Picture pertaining Forte on a mission to find the perfect toys and game for Saito... and as it turned, the Herald of Darkness seemed to be having a great time with Haruka's son.
And know some underground stores that just so happened to have children's toys for Navi, apparently.
Forte's smile was bright, free from his usual sneer. And yet Haruka could also notice how... sad he looked.
And handsome... especially how he held her son expertly to his hip as he paid for his purchase.
And the way Saito gazed adoringly at the dark Navi...
'If only it were Yuishiro there..." More tears flooded her eyes... She was seeing her baby boy with the world's most dangerous Navi. Her baby boy that didn't know her, the baby that that was taken from her...
"Are you sure he's safe?" The mother of two asked Lumine again, who gave a small huffy smile.
"Yes, I've followed the Herald of Darkness for a good two hours, and while Saito did throw a temper tantrum, our edge-lord supreme treated the whole affair with patience, poise and-"
Suddenly, Maya's old Motorola rang. Causing Croire to wake up and start crying.
"Hare Krishna, Moiya sp- Bubu-" And that was as much as she understood, for the rest of the conversation was in...
One of those dialects from Bharata-Varsa Haruka didn't know about.
After a minute or so, Moiya closed her phone and turned to Haruka with a... peculiar smile.
"Tell me, Haru-ji... when Netto was a baby, did he liked to chew on live electrical wires?"
Haruka's eyes grew wider then the moon. "How did you know?"
"We all did... It's something common for us Cyber-fae to do when stressed." Ekachakra stated. "And from what I've heard, Partha and Netto started wrestling in the house... and Partha trew, your son in the TV."
Haruka stared at the father of seven.
"As in, your son is in your TV right now and can't get out since he's too short to reach its ledge from cyberspace... It's a common problem." Ekachakra shrugged. "By the way... have you ever felt the need to chew on the power cord when stressed? Batteries? Lithium? ?"
At this point, Haruka remembered something Lumine and Serenade had warned her about.
In her crusade to protect her son from responsibilities he was not ready for, She would have to let go of her preconception and learn about many truths... some of which harder to swallow then most.
Her son being a Cyber-Fae... was one of them.
"I... Is there other symptoms other then extreme Pika?" Haruka asked as she got up, following Ekachakra back to her house.
"High resistance to radiation, a healthy appetite with little to no weight gain... the ability to enter the net through any portal like TV screens, computer monitors and jacking ports, to name a-" Ekachakra was about to elaborate when Maya received a SMS...
"Oh, Krishna, all-mighty." Maya's dismay was as clear as day. "Update, Netto didn't want to wait for us and ditch my kid to go look for Saito in the net." The mother of six closed her phone, looking at Haruka with a mix of annoyance and motherly concern.
" So... he's not in my TV anymore?"
"Nope, he's in the web... and if my heart friend's right, Netto will find Saito and..."
Confront Forte.
Haruka's knee's felt wobbly... and yet. "What can I do?" She asked, despite the fear that grabbed her throat.
The four Navis looked at Haruka.
" Haru-Chan." Lumine addressed his friend as Prometheus and Ekachakra... changed form.
Maya's Husband resembled a blue angel Navi with a magnificent wingspan, and Prometheus was, without a doubt, the cyber-reaper.
Both men climbed the home studio and entered the TV as one climbed through a window...
"... Just navigate me, support us." Lumine grabbed Haruka by the shoulders, steadying her. " We will do our best to catch Netto-Kun before he goes in too deep... hopefully before he catches up with Forte." The Navi gave his dear friend his specialized PET.
"Right... Be careful out there." Haruka prayed as she embraced her dear friend.
Lumine released her, gave a salute and also went through the TV. leaving the two women of the group at home...
Maya sighed, looking at the TV set wistfully before turning back to their altar, the family idols' wearing gold and blue, their broad eyes unlimited kind and their arms upraised in a show of sweet surrender.
The blond mother put Pandora back in the baby box... and she picked Croire up, slipping the tiny baby under her red sari and to her breast with practised ease.
"Pandora doesn't cry for anything... Thankfully, Shreya will tell me what Asha needs." She spoke without any prompting. "I would love to follow my man, but... I'm still recovering from delivering those two, and they need their mama nearby."
"Once again, women are put to the side," Haruka grumbled as she sat beside her... friend.
"Not really, were holding down the fort." Maya was quick to correct. "Do you know who are the most important persons in an army?" She asked Haruka.
The mother of two shook her head, knowing that it would be better for her to hear what the astonishingly young mother had to say.
"It's those who remain at the base, for they protect the camp, the intelligence department, The fuel pump, the cantine, the wounded and those who are about to go out... and they make sure those who fight have a place to return after all is said and done. A place where they know they are safer then in the middle of a battle field." Maya stated as she sat down on a rocking chair as she fed Croire. "After I'm done feeding her, we can both pray to the lord for our kids and my husband's safety."
"What would prayer's accomplished." Haruka testily asked; she hated being on the sidelines again.
Maya's eyes took on a playful and divine light. "Oh, you'd be surprised."
Back with Forte and Roku...and Mety the Metaur.
"Alright, I guess we found everything," Forte mumbled as he heavily sat down, his files filled with whatever enrichment a Godling may need.
Alright... a young boy may need.
Surprisingly, Roku was not one for toys like cars and planes. Instead, he had gravitated to...
Cows.
So, on top of those fancy bed program, tables and games they could play together, Forte had bought his son a herd worth of cows... and some other animals and toys like building blocks, cars, dolls (Milkmaids. Roku had called them.) and a paint program made specifically for children.
Oh... and a pillow and a ball for Mety the Mettaur. And some toys for Gospel, of course.
His beast had been a good boy, and Forte wanted to give him something other then his cloak to play with.
As for the reason why Forte and Roku had been left alone...
Easily fooled programs operated online stores, and their security were so lax, it was practically like walking through the front door and meeting the manager of very friendly therm. Meaning Forte had the run of the online store with Roku.
Well, there had been this one program flitting about... that weirdo kept stalking them.
If not for his previous mistake, Forte would have shot the useless chunk of Data, but he refrained.
He didn't want to scare his son away... the first time had been terrible enough as it was.
Now, after all this, the trio was back to Gospel's cave, the safest place in the net for them.
Forte had installed the playing mat down for his little Godling to play on. And after another standoff between Gospel and Metty (he needed a better name.), both pet, beast and god-like Navi were playing gently.
Forte sat down on a sofa program, it was already late after noon, and he was exhausted. And this without fighting.
He also had plenty to... urgh, think about.
About Cossack... about his quest.
He was not a bachelor anymore; Forte now had a rather enormous responsibility.
He had to raise Roku back at where he should be, the rightful ruler of the world wide web... no, the world.
But... what type of ruler did he want his Roku to be? Did he want to have a dictator who would slaughter all humans, keeping a few as slaves and pets?
Or... would he rather raise a fair ruler? One who would punish the miscreant and protect the innocent?
Or... maybe not a ruler at all? Maybe... just Roku?
Yes, Ruling over people was hard, they had to both fear and love you. Forte was good with the subjugating part and the loneliness that accompanied it...
He didn't want his son to experience that... he deserved a better life, a simple life.
The life Forte wished he had... but had lost out of anger and wounded pride.
Really, the more he thought about it, the more Forte realized that he'd essentially dug himself in a deep hole he could not get out of. Worst still, he was not alone anymore; he had Roku with him.
Roku... Rockman...
Just a young, impressible child stuck with the cyber-devil, having chosen the greatest sinner as his father.
'Maybe... Maybe this is the Cyber-Gods mercy! Rockman and... Netto were always trying to make me turn a new leaf!" Sure the duo hated his guts at first, and there was still this paranoia that whatever kindness they showed, the Herald of Darkness really was just a ploy to destroy him...
But...
Well, he was a little fond of them. And Netto was not as bad as he seemed.
Poor kids were failing school rather hard, and it was not for lack of trying.
Actually, it seemed to Forte that Netto had simply given up on school... and yet still tried to make the most out of it.
Forte had no idea what caused the kid to willingly fail his grades... maybe it was a way to get back at his dad or...
Or he was simply unable to focus, or he didn't care...
Or he did care but didn't have the intelligence to strive there.
Some... were just terrible students. But to be honest, Forte once made friend with a guy who willingly took to homelessness... Via a TV, of course.
He was the happiest man on the planet, was grateful for whatever he had and gave to everyone without counting.
This... This man would also pray to this... God thing every day. He'd even told Forte how God provided him with everything he needed.
When this man died... it was reported that he was holding a yellow Hindu bible and some meditation beads—a serene smile on his face.
This man had dropped out of school, owned nothing and lived day by day like it was a gift of God.
...
Maybe... Netto could live like that. It would break the heart of his mother, and Forte wasn't sure if he would be lucky enough to find a mentor who would be willing to teach him... since the streets were still a dangerous place, and most homeless were there by force, not by choice, and were all pretty bitter about it.
Besides, the Dark Herald had no idea how to raise a fair and just king...
Forte shifted as he sat back and watched Roku play with Gospel and Metty. He was making a story about a blue cowherd boy fighting big demons.
"And then, Krishna split Bakasura's beak in two, killing him!" He narrated as he tore the duck plush, only to have it reform. "His friend were happy that Bakasura was dead, and Bakasura's soul entered Krishna's divine body and attained liberation."
The dark Navi smirked...Kids and their imaginations.