Author's Note: While this is way overdue, I've decided to end Cyber Island at this two or three part saga. It sure has been a 'bumpy' ride, me being so darn slow at releasing this stuff sometimes, so yeah. As a bonus though, this chapter is pretty much twice the size of my ordinary chapters, so I can fit in the last revolutionary clash, the climax of the relationships, and the final challenge of Cyber Island. So to the people who bothered to wait for this very moment, sorry for the wait. I hope I make it worth it. Oh, and there's always the chance that I'll make a continuation. Cyber World, perhaps?
Take note, the action won't be in this chapter, just the relationships so I can get them out of the way.
It had been a day since the viruses had been exterminated from the island. Everyone took that day to rest up and recover from the many incidents they've had to deal with. They had gathered into the hotel lobby after Rockman sent word that Meijin had sent another email.
"So Meijin was that crazy man that sent me here?" Saratu exclaimed. She chuckled evilly. "We-e-ell, you'll just have to let me 'meet' this Meijin fellow. I sure have something or other to show him."
"Wow, Netto. Your friend is one sadistic, scary person," Enzan said smugly. "I like that."
"Okay, I'm gonna read it out now," Rockman announced. Clearing his throat, he began reciting Meijin's email.
'Everyone,
Good job in dealing with the virus problem, you should all be very proud of yourselves. You have thoroughly tested most everything that was required. Yuuichiro and I have collected almost all the data we need.'
"Does that mean we're finally finished with this, de gutsu?" Gutsman whined. "After that neko incident… and the virus… I wanna go home already!"
Ignoring his outburst, Rockman uncomfortably continued.
'However, there is one final test that must be performed…'
Rockman stopped reading, his mouth gaping open.
"Something wrong?" Netto asked.
"Rockman?" Roll waved her hand in front of him. She gave up trying to get his attention and looked at the email. Everyone watched as she too froze, her mouth falling.
"You guys okay?" Yaito went over to look, then was also stuck with an open jaw.
"Okay, that's it. This is just too damn ridiculous now," Enzan scowled, grabbing the PET and reading the email. Rather than standing with a gaping mouth, his face looked confused for a split second before he began reading it again.
"So, what is it?" Netto asked curiously. Enzan finished off the email.
'I would like to test the capabilities of Fusion combat. For this, I ask that Enzan, Netto, Blues, and Rockman use the Island as a battle arena.'
Netto stared at him, taking it all in.
"WHAAAT?"
"There's more," Enzan said.
'Since I have no doubt that this will be very dangerous, I'll be having a ship arrive to carry everyone else off the island. They will be able to watch from a monitor on board the ship. Of course, I'm sure you'll want to have your fun, so you will have two days of free time. You won't have any viruses or anything of the sort to worry about, so relax and enjoy yourselves. I will contact you when the ship is ready. –Meijin'
By this point, everyone in the room was standing with a gaping mouth. Well, other than Blues and Enzan, who were close to jumping with joy.
"YES! I finally get to fight Rockman! Thank you God! OH YES!" Blues yelled in joy.
It was the second last night. The girls once again prepared their estranged meal, this time an ugly combination of spinach, hamburgers, and what may have been baked potato at one point. The boys slowly took a simultaneous bite.
"So…How is it, guys?" Meiru asked wonderously.
"Great!" they said in delight, continuing to eat.
"But you know, it is still pretty ugly…" Netto mumbled, poking it with his fork.
Meiru made to hit him, but sighed and decided to try and keep the peace for their last dinner on Cyber Island. "Don't be so stingy and eat it, Netto!" she yelled instead, grabbing the fork out of Netto's, ditching it into his estranged puddle of food, then thrusting it into Netto's mouth. Netto almost choked in surprise, swallowing half of it to avoid choking on it. He chewed the rest quickly and swallowed.
"W-What was that for?" Netto said, coughing slightly. He grabbed his glass of soda and downed it. He placed the glass back on the table and sighed in relief. Looking around, he saw that all eyes were on Meiru and himself, everyone having cheeky grins.
"As usual, our local couple is not afraid to show their affections, aye?" Yaito said playfully.
"You didn't tell me you two were together, Netto," Saratu said with a grin. "And here I thought the little boy who thought he'd marry me would stay true to that!"
Everyone gasped and laughed. "Oooh, juicy past love confessions!" Roll said, sounding like a typical gossipy girl. "Tell, tell!"
Everyone banged the table rowdily, wanting to hear more about Netto. Everyone except for Netto, who desperately wished that Saratu would shut her mouth. Even Meiru showed interest in the subject, although she tried to hide it.
"Well, well, where do I begin…?" Saratu tapped the table with her fingers, humming. "Well, when I first arrived to stay at Netto's place, we were, like, about four. I lived with him for about a year. I guess he didn't know any other girls at the time, and he'd always act so shy around me. It was so cute!" she squeaked. Everyone laughed, picturing a kiddy, childish, and shy Netto, fawning over a girl. Meiru still listened intently. "So after a few days, he became a little friendlier, and we were always together after that. Even bathing together!"
"Netto you pervert! Even at that age, my gosh!" Yaito said, laughing.
"That's disgusting," Enzan said, his face red from trying not to laugh.
"Gosh, come on Saratu! Quit it already! I'm sure they're not really interested anyway!" Netto tried to defend himself.
"We're interested!" they all yelled out. Netto jumped in surprise.
"You guys suck…" Netto sulked. Saratu continued.
"So anyway, we were playing Doctor, and I was the doctor of course, and all of a sudden Netto asked me 'what's marriage mean? This boy and girl on TV said they were having a marriage'. So I say 'when two people like each other, they get married!'. Netto says to me 'okay, I'm going to marry you then!'." Saratu stood up and cuddled herself. "Aww, it made me all mushy inside! Netto's the first to ever confess to me!"
"H-Hey come on, now! I thought marriage was just something friends did for fun! And you were the only other person I knew my age! Besides, it's not like you really liked me or anything! After all, I'm just a normal guy with nothing really special about me!" Netto said in a hurry. Saratu stared back at him, with a cheeky smile on her face.
"Who said I didn't like you?"
Everyone stopped laughing at this point, their mouths gaping. Even Netto and Meiru had froze in surprise.
"Um, w-what do you mean by that?" Netto stuttered, his face flushed.
"Just what it sounds like Netto," she climbed over the table to Netto, leaning over close to his face, causing him to tremble and sit back. "I…Like…" she prodded him on the nose. "You."
All the blood in Netto's body must have emptied into his face to get the color that appeared on it. Rockman, who was sitting patiently next to him, saw Meiru's face of shock and a slight sadness. Rockman had watched the relationship between Meiru and Netto closely. He coughed and prodded Netto, whispering to him so only he could hear.
"I think it'd be best if you cleared everything up, right here and now," Rockman said. He was talking about Netto's feelings, of course.
Netto first looked at him with a face saying 'WHAT, ARE YOU FRIGGIN' CRAZY?' then took a deep breath, knowing that, as usual, Rockman had a good point.
"Uh, look, Saratu…" Netto said, standing up and pulling Saratu off the table next to her. He glanced over to Neta, who had a face saying 'You make her sad, and I'll rip it off.' He shuddered, but felt that he had to go on. "Back then, like I said, you were the only girl I knew. I'll admit, maybe I had a bit of a thing for you, but I realize now that it was only because you were the only girl I knew. So, what I'm trying to say is…Uh…It was a kind of puppy love, I guess."
Saratu listened intently, along with Meiru, and everyone else. In fact, everybody had forgotten they were eating.
"So…Anyway, while it makes me really happy to know how you feel, I just can't return those kinds of feelings…Sorry."
"You in love?" Saratu asked suddenly.
"Huh?"
"You in love with anyone else? Cause if you're not, then why not get together with me anyway? You never know, you might fall for me," Saratu said, holding his hands. Netto grimaced, moving his hands away slowly.
"Actually, there kinda is someone…else…" he said, feeling shy with everyone listening.
Saratu looked sad for a moment, but smiled soon afterwards. "Well, while I think it totally sucks that you dumped me, I'm glad you didn't try to go around everything and just told me straight out. But still…" she suddenly punched him in the face, sending him hurtling into the wall. "…Ahh, now I feel better!" she said with a laugh.
Meiru got up to check on Netto as everyone else just gazed on. Saratu went to sit with Neta once more. Meiru crouched by Netto, checking his head.
"Are you okay, Netto?" Meiru asked, lightly massaging the bump on his cheek. Netto slurred up, stumbling a bit before regaining his composure.
"Wow, that was some punch…Thanks Meiru, I'm fine, really!" he said with a laugh, sitting at the table once more. Everyone continued to eat after that, and not much talking was done. It was after everyone finished that they began to talk, first gathering at the lounge.
"Hey! Enzan!" Yaito suddenly called out. Enzan turned to face her. "Come with me for a walk!"
"What? Why?" Enzan asked stubbornly. "It's cold. I'm cold. It's dark. I'm tired. It's completely illogical. It's…"
Yaito smacked him across the head with a nearby cushion, then grabbed his hand and waltzed outside.
"Guys, we'll be back later!" she called before disappearing outside. Nobody said so, but they all knew what Yaito wanted. And all the boys thought the same thing.
'Gosh, that lucky punk!' they all cried inside.
Dekao and Gutsman had a burst of courage from watching this, deciding to have a go. They both marched straight for Meiru and Roll.
"Hey Meiru, why don't we walk too?"
"Roll de gutsu! Let's go for a walk de gutsu!"
Meiru and Roll had blank looks on their faces, then hurriedly grabbed Netto and Rockman and ran. Meiru ran up the stairs heading for the roof, and Roll ran outside towards the beach.
Dekao and Gutsman stood where they were, a brief wind flying by.
"We were dumped, Gutsman…"
"We weren't even picked up to begin with, de gutsu…"
Meiru ran to the roof, Netto trailing behind her, then finally stopped, the both of them panting.
"W-What's going on?" Netto asked between huffs.
"N-Nothing, I just… wanted to get away. That's all," Meiru puffed.
When they regained their breath, they walked over to the side railing, looking out at the horizon, the water reflected the moon's rays. They gazed out in awe.
"The view here is amazing," Meiru commented.
"Yeah, it's too bad we wont' be able to see it after this, huh," Netto said, turning around and resting his back on the railing. "I guess I'm gonna be fighting Enzan tomorrow."
Meiru nodded. "Yeah…"
Rockman and Roll strolled by the shore. They still hadn't said a word, both still trying to think of something to talk about. Incidences when one of them would open their mouths trying to say something then shut it before the other would realize.
They stopped walking after awhile and stood facing the water. The waves were softer than usual, and there was hardly any breeze, leaving the place fairly quiet. Rockman raised his hands in front of him, staring at them, the moon shining behind them.
"It's still kinda surreal, isn't it, Roll?" Rockman said, still staring at his hands. "We've actually been human for quite some time. It's amazing! And soon, Navis all over the world will be able to do this! It'll be like a huge… Cyber World!"
Roll smiled broadly. "Yeah, it'll be so much fun for everyone! Navis can play games with them like we did, or eat food!" she laughed out loud. "They can have sleepover parties!"
"Oh man! That party was crazy!" Rockman laughed, remembering.
"But still," Roll had stopped laughing. "The viruses might break out into the real world again. That could cause all kinds of chaos."
Rockman looked at her with a determined smile. "Then if that happens, Netto and I can take care of everything again! I won't let anyone get hurt, and I'm sure Netto feels the same!"
"You were always so caring, Rockman…" Roll said, looking away from Rockman.
"Really? I didn't notice!" Rockman said, scratching his head and laughing.
"I guess…That's what I really love about you."
"…Huh!"
Netto noticed Meiru shivering. He sighed and took off his vest and put it on her. "Jeez, if you're going to run outside, you should bring a coat or something."
Meiru laughed, looking at Netto sarcastically. "Sorry!"
Inside, Netto was having a strong debate with himself.
'Come on, man! What are you waiting for? You're alone with her! Tell her you love her! God, do something!' 'But-but what if she doesn't like me?''Buh-buh wuh if she donn't lyk me? Quit babying around and just say it! Take the chance!'
'Oh gosh…'
Netto stood straight and turned to face Meiru. "Meiru," Netto said, wanting her to face him. "I've got something I want to say."
'Could he be saying…?' Meiru gasped inside.
"Meiru?"
"Yes?"
"I…I love you."
Fireworks were blowing up inside both of them, but for different reasons.
"Netto?"
"Y-yeah?"
"I love you, too."
Netto's face slowly started to curve into a huge smile. "Really?"
"Really really!" Meiru said happily.
Netto gave her a big, strong hug, and didn't let her go. "God, I've always wanted to do this!"
"Do what?"
"Give you a big hug!"
"Well, there's something I've always wanted to do." Netto loosened his grip a little.
"What's that?"
Meiru bent upwards towards Netto's face, and before he knew it, she had put her lips on his. It was a short kiss however, and she pulled back. "That's what I wanted to do for a long time."
Netto smiled at her. "Hey, no fair!"
"What?"
Netto bent down to her this time and kissed her. It was a longer kiss this time. When he drew back, Meiru breathed in, as though she had lost her breath.
"If you're going to give me a kiss," Netto said, grinning. "You've gotta let me enjoy it for a bit longer."
"Well, aren't you Mr. Confident today!" Meiru said, pushing him playfully. "That's it, I don't like you anymore!" she said before running away from him.
"What? Hey! Come on! Like me!" Netto said laughing, trying to catch her. They ran around the roof for almost half an hour before they finally tired out and fell flat on the floor in the middle of the roof.
"I…Still don't like you," Meiru huffed.
"Why…Why not?" Netto puffed back.
"Because now… I only love you."
They edged closer to each other, and lay watching the stars, keeping each other warm.
"Did you just say…" Rockman asked, unsure of what to make of her statement. "That you…for me…Um…"
Roll blushed lightly. "Yeah, I did… I… I love you Rockman."
Rockman was stunned for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. "I… I also…Um… for you…"
Roll started giggling. "The brave Rockman, who could face an entire syndicate of evil, is having trouble with something? That's a first!"
Rockman blushed strongly.
"I know what you're going to say. But still…" Roll moved closer to him, gripping onto his arm as she loved to do. "I want to hear you say it."
Rockman looked at her, then calmly said "I love you more than anyone else."
Roll's grip tightened on his arm, her lips curving into a strong smile.
"Can we stay like this for a bit longer, Rockman?"
"I was hoping to."
"Dammit, I love you, you freaking moron!" Yaito yelled at Enzan.
"Well isn't that just great! You know what? I love you too, you short, big-foreheaded idiot!" Enzan yelled back.
"Doesn't that just beat all!" Yaito screamed. "I guess we should start making out or something!"
"Let's do it then!"
They grabbed each other and kissed madly, falling to the floor.
'Haha, all I have to do is yell at him like this, and I get everything going my way!' Yaito thought to herself, laughing evilly inside.
"LOnElyyyy… We're sO loNElyYy… WE haVe noBOdy… tO CaLL our OWWWNNNNN!"
Dekao and Gutsman sat in the lobby, sniffling and singing off-key. Saratu and Neta stared at them dully.
"What a bunch of babies," Saratu said. "It's disturbing to watch this, Mom. Can we go for a walk or something?"
"Yes, we should, before I get sick of this."
And so, Saratu and Neta left the building, leaving Dekao and Gutsman to sing very, very badly.
END CHAPTER 15