Moonlit Destiny

Author's Note: Wrote this eighteen years ago. It's full of cringe and OOC moments, but I'm preserving it for posterity. Bear with me: It'll take time to go through, revise, and upload everything. Enjoy the story and R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Rockman EXE series.

Pairings: Pre-slash Netto x Tohru. Referenced one-sided Meiru x Netto, unrequited Dekao x Meiru.

Summary:

Dark Chip Syndicate Nebula begins production on a reality-altering weapon. Amidst the chaos, Hikari Netto and his friends must battle countless Darkloids and creatures of another world to save their own.

Chapter 1: What Life Gives You

"Wake up!"

Zzzzzz…

"Wake up!"

Zzzzzzz…

"Wake up, Netto-kun!"

CRASH!

Fifteen-year-old Hikari Netto landed on the floor. He got out of bed, not in a good mood. His eyes were still half-closed and there was a hint of annoyance in his breathing.

"Morning, Netto-kun! Rockman said cheerfully from within the boy's blue PET.

"Morning yourself…" Netto got up off the floor and trudged down to the washroom.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. His eyes were red and his hair was all messy. Grabbing a comb, Netto brushed his hair while still moving the toothbrush to the corner of his mouth.

"Breakfast is ready!" a voice called from below.

Netto instantly finished his daily routine. He rushed back to his room and grabbed his backpack and PET, next running to the kitchen. He planted himself right in his chair and dug into his food. His mother had made his favourite breakfast, and it only took him several minutes to finish the whole plate.

Haruka shook her head and sighed.

Netto was about to make a run for the door when his mother shoved a slice of toast into his mouth. That didn't stop him though: He opened the door and skated towards school.

He managed to get into his seat three seconds before the bell rang. The door of the classroom opened to reveal Netto's teacher, Mariko-sensei. She was in the same outfit as always, though her hair had been let down more than usual; not that it made any difference anyways.

"How am I going to get through this day?" Netto grouched.

…

Of course, Netto did make it through most of the day, his break finally coming during lunch.

"H-hey, did you guys hear about th-that new water park that ju-just opened?" Netto was chewing his food, bits flying out of his mouth.

"Eeeeeew! Netto! Mouth closed! Mouth closed!" Meiru complained. "It's so disgusting!"

Netto knew she had a crush on him ever since they were kids. He usually played along with her just to annoy Dekao, but inside, he didn't really have those feelings for her.

"Yeah, I heard!" Tohru spoke up. "It's supposed to have the longest water slides in all of Japan!"

"You seem pretty interested!" Yaito snickered.

"Hey, how about we check it out after school?" Dekao suggested.

"That'd be cool!" everyone agreed.

Lunch ended, and the students headed get back to their places.

"Netto, come on! You don't want to upset Mariko-sensei again, do you?" Meiru asked. "We might have to leave for the water park without you."

"Huh? We're going to the water park?" he replied.

"You're the one who brought it up! Weren't you listening to what was said?"

In reality, Netto hadn't been listening to anything. Just nodding along. He was too preoccupied listening to the sweet tone of Tohru's voice. Netto secretly had a crush on him; his voice always seemed to brighten his day, and he was a good NetBattler too! Thinking about it made him blush, but he hid from Meiru's piercing gaze.