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NOTES: Oog… Well, I promised AD-chan I'd get this up tonight, and damned if I'm not going to do JUST THAT. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed – I'm uncharacteristically short on demi-useless verbal padding tonight ^_^
There's one note I absolutely MUST attach to this chapter: that being a call for suspension of disbelief. Now that I think about it, the fact that this story involves the Rockman universe at all calls for it in the first place, but this bit's on a slightly different matter. See, there's a scene at the end of this where Rocco and Ford have something of an audience for their displays o' affection. That audience being entirely composed of high school students in a school based on my own, it is unlikely that, in reality, these students would have reacted in such a mature and accepting manner. Meaning there would have been at LEAST one shout of "FAGS!" from the back (or front) of the room. Why? Because my school is stupid. Very, very, stupid. The average IQ couldn't get its own drivers licence. Morons, all of them. However, I have noticed (much to my delight) that most yaoi/shounen-ai fics put their characters in a relatively accepting environment, and as such have decided to do so myself. Rocco and Ford have ENOUGH on their plates.
End today's social commentary.
Begin thankee-sai's ^_^: Crystalstorm 21, Teri-Teri, Gimp 666, Miss Marisa, Marisa again, and AD-chan. Special thanks to Bibly and AD-chan for the absolutely AMAZING fanart pieces they've done for this story. Would you two mind if I linked to them in the next chapter?
Oh, and Marisa: Heh… that's what sequels are for *tents fingers, grins evilly* And oh yes, there WILL be a sequel…
As for this story, the next chapter will be the last, but it'll be fluffier than this one (*gack* maybe even fluffier than chapter four o.O).
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"Cutman has the computer lab, so I'll send him out on some asinine errand and you can clock him when he gets out the door," Ford explained as they rushed down the corridor. "Where's our hacker right now?"
"Josh is in the Biology room, where we started," Rocco told him.
"Good. Guts is a moron, I can convince him I need Josh for bait or something."
Ford instructed Rocco to wait outside while he retrieved the drummer. The brunette could hear muffled voices as negotiations went on within, until at last the classroom door opened and Josh exited in a flurry of curses and flailing limbs.
"The joke's on you, moron! Rocco's too smart for some lame-ass trap. Christ, if you really did hurt him I'll – " Josh stopped when he noticed Rocco leaning up against a nearby block of lockers.
Ford closed the door behind him as he left the room, and couldn't help but grin at Josh's confusion. The boy's dyed black hair brushed the sides of his face as he looked from Rocco, to Ford, back to Rocco, then at the floor in a show of defeat.
"Right. I don't get it," he said with mock dejection.
Briefly, the boys apprised him of the situation – excluding, for now, the reason for Ford's treachery – and the three of them set off toward the computer lab. Once there, the previous scene repeated itself, this time with the slight variation of two boys with raised table legs standing outside the door, rather than Rocco alone. Cutman passed through the door in a huff, evidently disliking Ford's claim of authority, and was promptly knocked unconscious by the aforementioned boys and table legs. Rocco and Josh then entered to the sound of wild accusation.
"… just bust in here and make a bunch of stupid announcements?" one of the more outspoken students, a girl with mousy brown hair in a low pigtail, was saying. "You could have at least let us OUT of this hellhole first."
"He's not in charge here, Katherine," Josh said, walking over to stand beside Ford.
"The guy who made the 'stupid announcements' is," Rocco explained. "His name's Wily… Ford's just his lackey."
The last part was in a teasing tone, and Rocco grinned impishly up at Ford as he said it. Ford narrowed his eyes, then surprised Rocco by sticking his tongue out in a an endearing, if childish gesture.
"Wait… didn't Mr. Cutright just say something about you KILLING Rocco? What in blue heck is going on here?" Katherine asked.
"A little thing we like to call 'rebellion', m'dear," said Josh.
"Ford's gonna help us take back the school, and kick Wily's conniving ass," Rocco added.
"And I," said Josh, grabbing the back of Katherine's wheeled office chair and sending it rolling across the room, "am going to require the use of this computer.
Ignoring Katherine's protests, Josh began rapidly tapping at the computer's keyboard, confident and, before long, completely ensconced in his work. Ford and Rocco grabbed chairs and drew up behind him, watching the screen over his shoulder. Every so often Ford would offer some direction, instructions on what he wanted done. Other than that the room was silent, air thick with tension. After awhile, Ford took out a small electronic device, about the size of a cell phone, its most prominent feature an embedded jewel the same colour as the one on Forte's armour's chest plate. Rocco peered at it curiously.
"It opens the portal back to the lab," Ford answered his unasked question. "We can go through and bring your teachers back, maybe find something to use against Wily."
Rocco nodded, and tried not to think of the complications of going back. Would they stay there once Wily was taken care of? If so, how would they deal with all the Robot Masters? And what about Blue? Rocco's friends? He dearly wanted to see Roll and Dr. Light, but could he really stand to leave this place without even saying goodbye to the companions he'd gained in the past months?
His thoughts were interrupted by Katherine, who had rolled her chair up beside him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. She was giving him a particularly suggestive look which he immediately recognized as her signature form of jest. She was friends with most of Rocco's band, and took great pleasure in mercilessly teasing the lot of them.
"Aw, did Rocco get beat up?" she crooned, leering, "wan' me to kiss it all better?"
Rocco smiled and chuckled, his mood alleviated for the time being. He knew she was joking; Josh was the only one she ever seriously propositioned.
"Grrrrrr…"
Ford, however, clearly did not know.
Rocco turned to see Ford hunched over in his chair, glaring at Katherine and growling deep in his throat. He continued like this for a few seconds, until he realized Rocco was looking at him, at which point his face took on a confused expression. It was as if he wasn't entirely sure why he'd been angry in the first place. Rocco smiled, recognizing his friend's first experience with real jealousy. Then it occurred to him just why Ford was jealous, and felt a slight blush tint his cheeks.
"Well, whaddaya say, hun?" Katherine poked Rocco, having been deprived of his attention.
"You know Kat, I'm RIGHT HERE," Josh pointed out.
"So you are," Katherine said nonchalantly, turning her attention away from Rocco and throwing her arms around the black-haired drummer. "I promise, I'll never do it again."
"Heh, sure. At least not when I'm around."
"Oh, you spend half your life with your face pressed up against a computer monitor anyway." Katherine kissed Josh's cheek affectionately, and the two continued to banter.
Ford and Rocco, meanwhile, had managed to lock themselves in another heated staring match. The feeling this time was more tender than competitive, however. Confident that Katherine was no longer a threat, Ford had relaxed considerably and now gazed at Rocco with a decidedly melancholy expression. There was a sadness in those crimson eyes, and he wanted Ford to be free of it.
"Ford?" said Josh.
Ford didn't respond, in fact didn't even seem to hear.
"Ford?" Josh tried again.
"Huh?" the purple-haired boy started.
"I can deactivate the doors and shutters, and cut off the P.A., but as soon as I do this guy's gonna figure out the jig is up," Josh explained, still tapping madly away at the keys.
"Um… I believe we call that a 'moot point', boys," said Katherine, looking past Ford and Rocco at the open door. "Mr. Cutright is gone."
Indeed he was, apparently having awoken and departed while they were otherwise occupied. None of their other classmates had noticed, as their attention was already split between Josh's ministrations and Ford and Rocco's curious behaviour. Josh continued his task with renewed energy, his fingers blurring with increased speed.
Within minutes the shutters had retracted from the windows, allowing relief and sunlight to flood into the classroom. The students didn't leave, however, as the classroom was on the second floor (making a window escape out of the question) and they didn't want to risk running into any of the "substitutes" on the way out. Ford asked Josh to retrieve a code from Wily's database, opening the portal generator to reveal a small, glowing keypad. Once he had entered the correct combination, Ford placed the generator on the whiteboard and held his hand over the jewel at its centre, motioning for Rocco to stand behind him.
"You TREACHEROUS, INSOLENT little shit!" came a voice from the doorway, that of a particularly incensed Dr. Wily.
Ford's eyes flashed at the sight of his former master. He slammed his hand down on the jewel without hesitation, and the generator began to glow. Suddenly Wily was across the room, his body being infinitely more agile in this world than in his own. He placed his hand over Ford's and pressed it into the transforming generator. The low humming that had begun with the portal's activation rose to a high-pitched scream, and sparks began to fly out from under Ford's hand. The electronic wail was soon joined by the sound of Ford's painful cries.
He's forcing the portal's energy into Ford's hand, Rocco thought frantically, he's burning him!
Rocco charged at Wily, jumped onto his back, and hooked an arm around the Doctor's neck. Showing his strength had increased as much as his agility, Wily easily extricated himself from Rocco's grasp and threw the small boy to the ground. It distracted him enough, however, for Ford to grab his jacket collar and remove both of their hands from the sputtering portal generator. A door-sized rectangle of purple light appeared on the wall in front of them. Rage driving him, Ford all but threw Wily through the portal, then sank to his knees, cradling his seared right hand.
"Forte!" Rocco rushed over to Ford and knelt at his side.
"Rock," Ford choked, face twisted in agony, "I can't let you go through."
"What? But we have to – "
"I can finish him off. It'll stop hurting once I cross over. Wily can't come back through this way, but he'll be waiting for us on the other side, and he'll close the portal behind you if you go first. It's already set to automatically close behind me, so you couldn't follow either."
"So we'll both go through together," Rocco argued.
Ford shook his head, "No. I can send the teachers back before I kill Wily, but once he's dead I won't be able to make any more portals. You can't leave Blues here and… I don't want you to get hurt again."
"Don't kill him, then. Come back with the hostages and seal off the connection."
Ford said nothing, but opened his eyes at last, revealing to Rocco the extent of the pain he felt. His hand was blistered, smoking, its owner trembling from the burn's sensation. Rocco understood. How could he convince Ford that it eventually got better, that after a few weeks the intensity of physical pain faded to a bearable level? His friend couldn't live with the aches and strife of being human, and Rocco hadn't the heart to force him to do so. He sighed and helped Ford to his feet.
"Goodbye, Forte," he whispered, fighting the impending tears.
"Rock…" Ford gasped, breathing heavily as the pain overwhelmed him.
Ford faced the portal, and looked ready to leave when suddenly he turned, and pulled Rocco in for a final, heated kiss. Rocco didn't hesitate, but responded – quite justifiably so – as one who will never see his partner again. The tears came at last, spilling down his glowing cheeks and onto their joined lips. This time a fierce ache accompanied his former feelings of love and passion. And when it ended, when Ford tore his lips away and disappeared through the portal without another word, Rocco felt more empty than he ever had in his human form.
He sat down heavily, not caring that the eyes of every student present was on him. The violet light had disappeared along with Ford, leaving only a blank whiteboard to stare at. Slowly, Josh approached his stunned friend.
"Rocco… Rock – " Josh faltered.
"Rocco. It's still Rocco, Josh," the brunette insisted.
"Rocco, was that… did he mean… did you come from the same place he did?"
"More or less."
"Who was he?" Josh asked.
"He WAS my enemy, once. Now…" Rocco trailed off, and sighed.
"Now what is he?"
"Gone."