A/N: Once again, thanks to all of you who read this. I went to post this chapter and then realized is gonna be down for a few days. BLARRR! Oh well. More time for me to work on my fics and essay. I don't really have a lot to write about this chapter, other than that and review replies...

Featherdust: Forte plushie! YAY! -hugs her own Forte- SOO CUTE!....... Oh God I'm screwed up. Chuuu.

Reader: Why Kali looked like she wanted to kill Netto? You'll find out if you keep reading. And that's the second time I've heard someone mention the term "Mary Sue." I've never heard that before. What is it, like a random throw away character or something?

moonymonster: Plug in. Got it. I keep mixing those two up. Guess that's what I get for being lazy and not watching those last 10 or so episodes of .EXE... I'm really trying to stick to the japanese version of the series anyway. Never trust Fox Kids to dub anime... or whoever did the dubbing...

Impossible Reality
Chapter 2

After class that day, Netto quickly gathered his things, keeping a close eye on Kali as she took up the notes she'd had to write by hand. The girl never once looked up at him; in fact, she was pointedly ignoring him. At one point, Netto sent her a message, trying again to apologize for the morning incident. Ten minutes later, he received a reply telling him to leave her be. Rock offered to make a visit to her computer to try to cheer her up, and he had better luck… until he explained who his Operator was. Meiru and Roll had a much easier time of it. They'd even managed to get Kali talking to them, but between all the notes she had to write down and her apparent tension, not much was gained from that conversation. Still, Netto refused to give up. He already felt bad enough as it was. There was no way he was going to leave that afternoon knowing he'd ruined someone's life, even if it wasn't ruined, per say. It just wasn't like him to leave ends untied.

When class was over, he stood waiting outside the classroom door for the girl to emerge. She'd been held back by the teacher for some reason, but he decided he could wait a while. The door was cracked barely, but the voices from within were clear and audible. He tried not to pay any attention, and Rock even warned him not to spy on someone who already had him on their bad side, but it couldn't be helped, not if he wanted to catch her before she went home. With the stairs being right next to the door and all, who in their right mind would speed skate down two flights of stairs? Part of the conversation eluded him, as it was too soft for him to hear, but from what he could make out, it was nothing good. Curiosity was quick to overwhelm him, and despite Rock's persistance, he leaned a bit closer, one ear to the opening.

"... knew I was going to be moved, but I didn't think it was going to be this soon." It was Kali's voice, cracking with unshed tears. "They told me two days ago, and that's all the warning I got. I left yesterday and the trip lasted all day. They'd already registered me with the school, but I didn't think they'd be making me start this early. I wasn't even given time to rest after the drive!"

"Oh, poor dear," Mrs. Sosi comforted gently. Netto felt his heart sink as the conversation continued, the new girl's emotions hacking mercilessly at her barriers as she continued.

"The place was hell! I hated it! None of the counselors knew what they were doing, the care-takers were almost never around. We basically had to fend for ourselves and I was the oldest in the orphanage. I was the one everyone looked up to, so I could never be myself when I needed to. I had to be the strong one, I had to hold everyone together, I never got a chance to relax with all that pressure."

"Ohhh, shhhh... It's alright. You're in a new orphanage now, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"And is it better there?"

"Yes." There was a pause and a lot of sniffling, but it seemed that Kali was beginning to calm down. "All the others were sent to another orphanage in Carson. Most of them got adopted as soon as word of the abuses got out. The old orphanage is getting shut down next week as soon as they move everything out of there."

"Yes, I heard about that. It's terrible that you had to deal with all of that mess at your age... And have you ever had anyone adopt you?"

There was another small silence before the girl answered. "Once... I came close to it. There was a man and a woman who came. They spent a lot of time talking to me, then they spoke with one of my friends... I really had my hopes up for them. They seemed to like me, but they adopted her because she was five years younger than me. I was twelve at the time."

By that time, Netto had heard all he needed to. It was true, then, that she had been crying before their accident occurred. She certainly had reason to be. He couldn't imagine what it must've felt like for her to go through all of that mess. He'd never had to live without at least his mother around the house for longer than a week. Here, this girl had probably never even seen her mother or father. What must it have been like to live like that, being entrusted to hold up the spirits of all those other children when all you wanted was to crumble just like the rest of them?

Netto felt horrible, if it could be put in a word. He hadn't caused any of her grief, but he hadn't helped it either. He sighed heavily, regarding the PET in his pocket with a sad gaze. Rock returned his gesture, shaking his head slowly with a shrug.

"Maybe now isn't the best time to talk to her," he suggested quietly, and Netto nodded his agreement. He turned to head down the stairs when the sound of a door opening and closing behind him stopped him in his tracks. He turned again, half expecting a teacher to be standing there, but instead he found the red-eyed gaze of the new student. She didn't regard him with half as much anger as she had before; in fact, she seemed more weary than furious. Netto laughed nervously, fumbling around for something to say.

"Um... hi?"

Kali sighed, dropping her head miserably. "What is it? I know you stayed after school because of me... If it's about this morning, forget it. I'd really rather just go home and sleep this off."

Netto huffed, scratching at the back of his head as he opted once again to offer his apologies. At the last second, he stopped himself, letting his breath trail off before he could even begin and went for a whim. "May I walk you home?"

"Huh?" The girl lifted her head, confusion written all over her face. She stared at him for a moment, looking at him as though he'd told her the sky was green. "Wh... why?"

Giving her a silly grin, the boy shrugged. "Just because. You've been through hell and you could really use a friend right now. That much is certain. And I take it you don't really know anyone in this school yet?" A shake of the head confirmed his assumptions. "Well then, since we didn't get off to a very good start, I'd like to walk you home to make up for it."

The girl fingered the corner of one of her books, staring at him crucially for a moment before finally giving in. Netto smiled a bit brighter. Things weren't looking so bad now. He even offered to carry her books, though there were only two small ones, but she declined and he let it be. Not a word was spoken between the two of them as they made their way down the stairs and out to the brick walls surrounding the school. They even made it as far as the first few houses in total silence before either of them said anything to the other.

Invisible to the girl, Rock shifted inside his PET, clearing his throat loudly. Netto glanced down at the small blue device and was met with an impatient stare. "Well?" the Navi said quietly. "Aren't you going to say something? Maybe talking will help her out a little."

"No, not really," the girl countered, earning her a surprised look from both Navi and Operator. "I think he's heard enough."

"Oh," Netto groaned, scratching at the back of his head. So he'd been caught red-handed. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to listen in, honest."

"Don't worry about it. People would've found out sooner or later." Kali shrugged lightly, then stared down at Netto's pocket where the PET rested. She couldn't see it, but from the voice of the Navi inside, she knew it was there, on the boy's other side out of her view. "So, that's your Navi?"

Netto looked back down at the PET, then reached into his pocket and took it out. The small Navi onscreen blinked, then waved kindly at the girl, who waved back with a blush and a shy smile. "Him? Yeah. His name's Rockman, but I call him Rock for short."

"Hi there, Kali-chan!" Rock said cheerfully.

"Hi... Wow... You're not like the Navis my friends had back in my old place."

Netto arched an eyebrow. "Of course not. Mine's one of a kind."

The girl shook her head, a few stray locks of hair waving in front of her. "No no, I mean... he's got a personality. I've never seen one that had that. And he looks different. Every Navi I've ever seen was one boring style or another. The only way you could tell them apart was by their name or their color, but they all looked and acted pretty much the same. I never knew there were some out there who were different."

Rock blinked, as did Netto, at the girl, both equally surprised. "You've never seen a custom Navi before?" one asked.

"They're all over the place in this town," added the other.

Kali absently began tugging at one of her sleeves. "Well, once I thought I saw one. I don't really remember though. That was back when dad was still around. He used to talk about it all the time, but I only caught a small glimpse of it once. He said it was a secret."

Something lingered in her tones, but neither Operator nor Navi could quite place it. Wisely, Netto doubted he should press the matter further. "Most of my friends have custom Navis. Fact is, I don't really know anyone who doesn't have a custom Navi. If it bothers you to be around them, I could... uh... hide Rock in my pocket or something."

"Oh no," Kali laughed, realizing where Netto was headed. "I've had hell of it, but Navis don't bother me at all. I'd really like one of my own someday too. Maybe... you can introduce me to some of your friends... and their Navis."

The boy laughed a bit, shaking his head at the new student. "You really like Navis, don't you?" The girl nodded at first, then blushed a bit and stared off at the rows of houses before them thoughtfully.

"Better than people sometimes... I guess I'm more willing to trust something I know can't hurt me..."

Netto groaned softly. It would make sense, he reasoned with himself. Then he remembered she didn't have a Navi of her own. He stared down at the PET and the little blue Navi on the screen. Rock's thoughts seemed to parallel his own. The Navi shifted his gaze from him to the girl and back, hesitated a moment, then said softly, "Hey, people aren't that bad. I know - I've lived my whole life around them. I can tell you from experience that while there are those out there who try to ruin it for everyone, there are others who strive to make things better. Netto and his friends are those good people; you can trust them. I'm not saying it's wrong to put your faith in a computer program - people do it everyday - but don't let a few rotten apples spoil the entire barrel."

The Navi's words sunk in slowly, and Netto once again mentally gave his thanks to Rock for his ability to say just the right thing at just the right time. How he was able to do it was beyond him; he was just grateful that he was. Kali tore her eyes away, the distress returning to her features as she found a spot off in the distance to stare at while she got her thoughts back in order.

"I know..." she sighed heavily. "It's just... not easy, y'know?"

"It's alright," Netto added. "We understand, and don't worry, it'll get better. ACDC Town is much more aware of what goes on in it than most other places are, so if something is happening to anyone, everyone knows... 'Course, that can be a good thing and a bad thing sometimes, but at least you know you'll be safe.... Oh, is this where you live?"

Following his gaze, the girl nodded, eyeing the small gray building with slight wariness. "Yeah, this is my stop." She turned to Netto, showing him a genuine smile for the first time that day. "Thanks for walking me here. I'll see you tomorrow then? And your friends?"

"That's right."

Netto returned her gesture as she waved, then watched her turn and walk towards the orphanage before he turned also and made his way home, feeling a great weight suddenly lifted off his shoulders.