Netto hid silently in a tree as Enzan came tearing out of the airport his hair still quite visibly wet. Netto had to stifle his laughter or he might have gotten caught.
Laika and WWW came out after Enzan, it was Laika who spotted the carriages.
"Is that our ride?" asked Laika.
Netto jumped out of the tree and landed gracefully on his feet. He then made a mad dash for the carriages and jumped inside with Enzan in hot pursuit.
"I guess so…" said Laika calmly.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
On the way to the palace Netto and Enzan sat across form each other having a silent battle. Enzan's icy cold stare was boring into Netto and the brunette was shifting uncomfortably. He didn't want Enzan to be mad at him, but he also didn't want to apologize. In his discomfort Netto even forgot that they were in Creamland for a few minutes as the carriage rolled along the rustic streets.
WWW and Laika were openly staring out of the carriage doors. Laika was a little less discreet than the others but staring all the same. The little town they were going through seemed frozen in time. Small houses with gingerbread lining them were dotted throughout the street. In between the houses were beautiful café's boutiques and other small shops that seemed to sell everything from clothes to groceries, although they were all the same size.
The people were just as timeless as the town. Each person had time period clothes, the ladies wore nice dresses and the men were dressed in what seemed their Sunday best. The styles and appearance ranged from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's but nothing after that time was in the scenic little town, save for a precious few things.
These things were computers and navi's. In fact, everyone seemed to have at least one or the other. The thing that was the most intriguing was that the navi's of these odd people were dressed in a similar fashion to their human counterparts.
Netto had been in the country once before was more worried for his life than the scenery. Enzan likewise had been there more than a few times and was currently plotting Netto's slow and painful death. Everyone else gaped openly at the beauty until the carriages slowed to a stop in front of the palace and the lady guard held the doors open for everyone inside.
Netto bounded out and ran across the lawn as fast as he could while trying to ignore his body's will to go on all fours. Enzan followed quickly running just fast enough to keep Netto nervous. He had no intention of catching him, but there would be some revenge along the way. Laika sighed and climbed out muttering something about how immaturity could spread. WWW came out last, Madoi looked up at the castle and gave a loud whistle.
The castle was so big that looking at it head on didn't allow her to see the whole thing. She wasn't even sure if it was the front, they might have come in the side for all she could tell. The beautiful building was white and had intricate carvings spread on the surface, depicting a battle of some sort. The doors were solid wood and gave Madoi the impression that they were very old. Everything was accented well by the beautiful scenery of the garden, it almost seemed like a picture and not a real place.
"Amazing!" she said shading her eyes to get a batter view of the structure.
Elec Hakushau nodded. "Yes, almost as impressive as the main castle of Kingland!" he said loudly, earning himself a glare from the guards who were holding the doors.
Mahajarama nodded in their direction in a silent apology and they nodded back. Then the guards closed the doors and climbed back into the carriage, driving it onto a different part of the grounds.
Netto, Enzan, Laika and WWW assembled in the main hall of the wondrous castle. The inside was even more stunning then the enormous exterior. The halls were lined with empty suits of armor and crystal chandeliers lined the ceilings every 10 feet or so. A grand staircase spiraled up to the next floor and was covered in a deep wine red rug. At the tp of the staircase was Princess Pride herself.
"Netto-kun!" she cried out joyfully as she ran down the stairs. Her golden hair fanned out behind her and her glassy blue eyes sparkled. She almost lost her balance while running down the stairs but quickly regained her composure.
"Poipu!" Netto waved and smiled. He had missed his friend a lot, she always was a good friend and a great listener. Maybe she could help him with his current predicament.
Pride ran up to Netto and gave him a big hug, which the smaller boy returned. This action raised a few eyebrows but nothing was said. Bride pulled away from the long hug blushing.
"How is Poipu-nya?" asked Netto grinning. He knew that she didn't particularly love her duties as a princess and asking this question had much more meaning then it seemed,
Pride sighed. "The usual, I've almost completed the second version of the virus program and it should be ready for release in a few months. I'm afraid my life hasn't been too terribly exciting beyond that. How about you?"
Netto smiled. "Boy, tons of stuff has happened! For one, I'm an official Net Savior and it in the way of schoolwork-nya."
"What schoolwork-nya?" came Rockman's voice from Netto's hip.
"Shut up Rockman-nya."
Enzan gave a small smile; he had heard this particular argument many a time.
Pride's eyes flashed brief puzzlement as she heard the "nya" but she decided not to pursue it. She knew that Netto would tell her in due time.
"Really? Well, you should have some time to catch up here." She grinned.
Netto groaned and Madoi gave a loud laugh. "That would be quite a sight to see." She said putting her hand on Netto's head. Netto winced at the applied pressure to his already crushed ears and Madoi quickly took her hand off his head.
"Sorry, kid." She whispered.
"It's all right-nya." He whispered back.
The rooms that were given to them were close together and close to Pride's room as well. No decided to comment on that though Madoi kept clearing her throat every time Pride did something such as giving Netto a hug.
What baffled Madoi more than anything was how oblivious Netto was to Pride's, rather obvious signs of affection. When they had settled into their rooms Madoi brought up this point to Hinoken.
Hinoken shrugged. "The boy may be one of the most brilliant net battlers in the world but he's not to smart in regards to much else but that and his computer."
Madoi sighed. "She makes it so painfully obvious that she likes him, I don't think even she notices it. But the kid doesn't even show a hint that he notices anything!"
Mahajarama sighed. "Madoi, the boys 12 years old. You can't expect for that thought to even cross his head. Especially when he thinks of Pride only as his friend "Poipu" that he met and net battled with."
Madoi gave a groan of frustration. "That's just sad! I mean honestly, he can't even notice the more obvious signs, like the hugs?"
Hinoken looked at her warily. "Madoi, you really shouldn't get into this. It's none of your business you know."
Madoi gave a grin and walked over to the dresser, gently pulling her hair out of it's gravity defying shape. "Who said I was planning anything?" she asked sweetly.
"You have it written all over your face." Said Hinoken
Elec Hakushau nodded. "Madoi, you like to pry into business when it isn't your own."
"Now where did you that idea?" she asked a wide, poisonous grin adorning her lips.
The three men looked at each other. "Madoi, if you do anything to get us in trouble we could wind up in jail. You can't just do whatever you want!" said Hinoken
Madoi waved her hand and picked up a brush, she started to pull it though her reddish curls "I know, I know! I'm not stupid. I'm just stating very obvious facts here."
Hinoken glanced at her and he felt a warms blush cross his face. 'Oh dear lord, please not her.'
"Anyways, I won't get caught, that I can promise." She winked at her comrades.
Mahajarama gave a gentle smile. "You just can't leave well enough alone can you?"
Madoi put down the brush. "I don't do stuff often." She said her eyes wide with fake innocence.
"No, you just never get caught." Said Elec Hakushau, laughing.
Netto laid down on his bed getting himself psyched up for the next day. He was quite happy with how things had gone so far as far a minimal embarrassment went. He was afraid that Poipu might ask him what was going on, or at least throw him strange looks. But as of yet, nothing had been asked of him but his job.
Rockman had noticed the same thing, but unlike his operator he wasn't relived, he was somewhat nervous. He knew that Princess Pride was by no means a fool. In fact, she was one of the smartest humans Rockman knew, and that was saying something because for a good portion of his early life his only company was scientists. But as much a Poipu's silence bothered Rockman, the silence of the guards bothered him even more. Again, they were by no means fools, and it was their job to spy and prod for the safety of their country. However, no harm no foul…. Supposedly.
Enzan and Blues were having thoughts similar to Rockman's and they were not happy with how their perceptions panned out, because by all means, Poipu and her guards should know their "secret". So either one of two things were certain: one, Poipu had a horrible security system that couldn't detect the Neko Virus, or they knew.
But if they knew, then why weren't they approached at the very beginning? This question perplexed both Enzan and Blues, giving them both a very restless first night at the Royal Castle of Creamland.
"Netto-kun…." Rockman said gently in a vain attempt to wake up his operator.
The sound of Rockman's gentle voice drifted in and out of Netto's subconciousness.
"Netto-KUN…." Rockman was a little more forcible now.
Netto winced and wriggled under his covers pulling the pillow over his new, more sensitive ears.
"NETTO-KUN!" Rockman yelled at the top of his lungs.
Rockman's voice was anything but gentle now, and the harsh sound brought Netto to a new morning, and a rude awakening.
"WHAT!" he yelled back
"It's morning, get up and get dressed, Princess Pride just sent an E-mail saying that breakfast was ready." Said Rockman, his voice returning to the normal decibel level.
Netto poked his head out from under his pillow and the sent of the breakfast reached him. "Mmmmm… smells good."
"Then get up." Said Rockman, sensibly.
Netto didn't need telling twice. He quickly got up, dressed and in a matter of minutes he was downstairs heading towards the breakfast table.
Everyone else was already there and waiting for him. Netto blushed a little when he realized as such and gave a small bow to apologize for being late.
Madoi slung an arm around his shoulders. "It's alright kid! We've only been here for a few minutes. So I say since everyone is here, dig in!"
Princess Pride nodded. "Yes, that would be a good idea. Afterwards, I wish to talk to the Net Saviors alone,"
Madoi snickered. "Okay, we'll take our breakfast upstairs."
"Oh, please don't do that. I wish to have a nice breakfast with everyone here." Said Princess Pride quickly.
Netto sat down and Princess Price sat down next to him, an action that raised a few eyebrows.
"So, did you all have a pleasant sleep?" she asked
"Yes, thank you for asking." Said Mahajarama, before any of his colleges could make a statement that was rude or otherwise, incomprehensible.
Netto nodded, after stuffing a rather large bite of pancake into his mouth.
Enzan who looked worse for the wear, nodded as well, although it was quite obvious that he didn't get very much sleep the previous night.
Laika didn't even respond, but instead kept on eating his breakfast quietly.
Princess Pride noted that Enzan didn't seem to get a lot of sleep but decided to address it later in private. It wouldn't be nice to single him out in front of everyone, although his uneasiness unsettled her.
Soon breakfast was over and Princess Pride led Netto and Enzan to a conference room down a far hall.
Princess Pride took a seat at the far end of the table and Netto and Enzan took seats adjacent to hears on either side. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, sighing heavily.
"I wish to talk with you about a very grave matter." She said quietly.
"What's wrong-nya?" asked Rockman quietly
"It seems that Creamland is once again being targeted by Darkland. Only this time, it's direct. As you both probably know, my coordination is coming up soon and I will be crowned official ruler of Creamland. Darkland has a prince and he will stop at nothing to get Creamland, his parents no longer try to control his actions and instead let him rule the country. I'm not even sure if he's still a prince or if he's the king now. Regardless, he has threatened to wage a net and land war on my country unless I go there for treaty talks before my coordination. This is where you two come in."
Enzan and Netto looked intently at Princess Pride, she seemed very upset and Netto could sense an air of panic coming from her that he had never felt before. He wanted to dismiss it as something from him being Neko-fied but his instinct told him that was wrong, Poipu was truly scared.
Princess Pride took a deep breath and plunged on. "I can't support a war, land or digital and this country is too small for an Army regardless. If I don't comply too his wishes he'll just use one of the other countries he took over to attack this one. Please, I need someone there to make sure he doesn't do anything."
"But, if we both go there, then Creamland is open for attack-nya." Said Enzan; not bothering to hold back his current speech.
"But if someone doesn't go with Poipu, then she's in danger-nya." Said Netto
Poipu sighed. "I've been at this standpoint for over a month. I can't afford to wait any longer, that's why I sent for help from the Net Saviors."
Enzan pinched the bridge of his node and closed his eyes as if he had a headache. "Well, it seems that the only solution is to send one of us with Princess Pride and have one stay and protect Creamland-nya."
Netto nodded. "That way neither Poipu nor Creamland is in jeopardy-nya."
Princess Pride smiled. "I know I'm asking a lot from you two, but can you please?"
Enzan looked at her. "Of course, it's our job. We'll make sure nothing happens to your country-nya."
Netto laughed a little. "Enzan is feeling a little nice today-nya?" he teased
Enzan blushed; he felt the heat rush to his ears making his starting headache worse. "No, not really, I'm just saying what our job is. Now that this is settled, I need to go take some aspirin-nya." Enzan stood up and left the room quietly closing the door behind him.
"Are you sure it's okay to ask this of you Netto?" asked Princess Pride
Netto nodded. "Of course! I'm glad you asked for my help-nya."
Princess Pride laughed. "Oh, is it too much to ask that you'll be the one going with me to Darkland?"
Netto shook his head. "Nope, I think Enzan should stay here anyways-nya. He's better a defending that I am."
"That's because you attack the first thing you see-nya." Rockman's voice floated from Netto's PET holder.
Netto's eyes widened at his navi's comment. "I do not!"
"Hai hai-nya." Said Rockman; unconvinced.
Princess Pride laughed and stood up; much more relaxed. "Netto, you always seem to make me laugh." She said
Netto gave her a broad grin. "Well at least he's good for something-nya." Rockman teased.
"Hey-nya!"
Princess Pride laughed again and walked towards the door and Netto followed.
"Poipu, where are you going-nya?" he asked
"I'm just going out to the garden, the roses just bloomed and I wish to see them. My mother started the garden when she was a young girl and now I grow it in her memory."
"Did something happen to your parents-nya?" Netto asked
Princess Pride looked downcast. "Yes, they both died when I was a little girl." When she didn't elaborate Netto decided to not push the subject. Instead, he followed her out to her garden and started to walk among the beautiful flowers. One thing Netto didn't realize about being infected with the Neko-virus was that it affected his sense of smell and now all the heavily perfumed flowers were overwhelming his senses.
Rockman noticed Netto's distress "Netto-kun, are you all right-nya?"
Netto nodded, then he sneezed. He looked up from his sneeze bleary eyed to see Princes Pride holding a tissue out for him.
"Thank you-nya." He said
"Is the scent that strong?" she asked
Netto shook his head. "No, it's a really beautiful place, I'm surprised you have such time for a garden like this."
"I make time, sometimes gardening is my escape from the palace, even though I'm only a few feet away."
Netto nodded, he knew what she meant. Sometimes he really didn't want to fight but he still had too. Netbattling was normally a way to relive his stress, but sometimes he had to do anything but Netbattle and Rockman normally complied with his wishes. He knew Rockman got tired too, even though he had never heard him complain.
While Netto was in his own thoughts; Princess Pride went over to her special roses and picked one out carefully cutting the stem at an angle with a special pair of scissors. "Let's go back inside. It's starting to get a little windy."
Netto followed her over to the palace walls. They were almost inside when a huge gust of wind came and blew Netto's hat clean off his head.
Princess Pride put a hand to her mouth, not in surprise, as Netto would later learn; but rather to cover a small smile.
"I can explain-nya."
This means no update for awhile. This is completely caught up with what it's at now on the REO boards. Enjoy and REVIEW!
And for those who are pushing for either longer/more frequent updates. Choose one. Either you get an 8 page update once a month or a 4 page everyother week.
Got a new fic,another Rockman one. Plus finals, so I'm buiser than ever, so tell me what you perfer.