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. Enjoy the story and R&R.

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

Pairing: Established Netto x Tohru.

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 10: Showdown with Shademan

"Shademan!"

The vampire-type Navi grinned, showing his pointed fangs.

"Synchro Chip, slot-in! Cross Fusion!"

Fragments of data formed around Netto and Enzan, coming together and completing armour. They were now equipped and ready to the Darkloid commander.

Shademan chuckled, lifting his left arm and extending a wing.

…

"Tohru-kun, the light is pointing to the left, desu!" Iceman yelled as his operator came to two different paths.

"Got it!" Tohru didn't stop running. "Netto-kun, please be safe!"

…

"Battle Chip, Spread Gun!" Netto opened fire.

"Useless!" Shademan disappeared into the shadows, undamaged by the attack.

"Battle Chip! Heavy Gauge! Custom Sword!" Enzan ran forward, taking a wide slash at Shademan as he reappeared.

"Red Wing!" Shademan left a black hole, releasing several bats.

"Battle Chip, Volcano Cannon!" The bats were turned to ashes by the heat of the blast.

"Shade Drain!" With both wings outstretched, Shademan flew into Netto, biting away Hit Points and adding them to his own.

"Netto!"

Before Enzan could react, Shademan disappeared again, leaving another black hole.

"Red Wing!" The second black hole unleashed more bats. They latched onto Enzan, their fangs digging into his armour.

"Delta Ray Edge!" Enzan made a triangular formation around them, cutting them to pieces in a single movement.

"WHAT?" Shademan felt Enzan's sword plunge into his chest. The Darkloid commander pulled the sword out of his chest, cracking it in half and throwing Enzan off into the corner.

"Enzan!" Yaito screamed as Shademan approached.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword!" Netto intervened, bring his sword down on Shademan's wing.

"When will you learn?" Shademan spun around. "Element Dark!"

Black fire emerged from the floor, forming a hurricane of dark energy. It blew Netto back into the wall, knocking him out of Cross Fusion.

"Crush Noise!" Shademan set off an ultrasonic wave that neared the fallen boy.

"Netto!" everyone screamed.

"STOP!"

Netto lost sight of everything in that moment. He felt as if he was floating in midair. He heard the sound of something splattering on the ground, as well as a sharp pain that filled his right arm.

He didn't want to open his eyes. He was afraid of what he would see next. His arm felt as though it had been torn off, and a hot feeling had enveloped his entire body.

Although faint, he could hear the screams of his friends.

Netto forced himself to look at the awful horror that awaited him.

Tohru-kun? Netto shifted under the other boy's weight, lying in a pool of blood. I was hit…but Tohru-kun pushed me out of the way?

Tohru moved Netto's hand out of the way, examining the wound.

"Tohru-kun!"

"We…need something to wrap your wound."

"Forget that! What about yours?"

Tears came from Netto's eyes as he gazed upon the laceration across his boyfriend's back.

Shademan was shocked as well. He was frozen in place, refusing to believe his attack had been obstructed in such a way.

"Hawk Cut!" Enzan took the chance to cut Shademan's right wing apart.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Shademan backed away, data leaking from his shoulder.

"Battle Chip! Gun del Sol EX!" Enzan produced a solar sensor in front of himself. In a blaze of sunlight, Shademan was roasted to nothing.

"HOW DARE YOUUUUUU?"

"I'll be all right. Ah! Don't…Don't worry about it." Tohru removed Netto's bandana from his forehead, tying it tight around Netto's injury. "We'll get everything patched up after this! I promise!"

"Tohru-kun…" Netto cried against his chest, soaking his shirt.

"Don't cry. I'm fine." Tohru sat up, disregarding the pain from the cut in his back. Brushing Netto's brown hair tenderly. "Just relax."

…

"Shademan has been deleted!" Yuriko gasped, looking up at the computer screen.

"Enough of this! I'll finish them myself!" Regal was getting very angry. "Plug-in, Laserman! Transmission!"

The room lit up as Regal plugged his Navi into the network. Multicoloured rays bounced around the room, only to dissipate into the darkness moments later.