Netto sighed as he sat down near the fire he made. It had been two months since he had arrived in this screwed-up world with Forte by his side, and he was feeling homesick. However, he knew that he had to quickly adjust; he didn't know how long it would take him to get to the Environmental System.

The day after he left Shinta's family, he rechecked the coordinates. To his dismay, the Environmental System was pretty far away, possibly more than a hundred miles. However, he reckoned he had plenty of time to get there, so he traveled slowly and carefully. Forte, however, wanted him to pick up the pace. Netto then argued that rushing ahead into somewhere they didn't know anything about was foolish. Forte was seemingly placated by the retort.

Before Netto knew it, two weeks had already passed while they were traveling. During that time, Netto had tried to ration everything he had, but he was running short on water. Remembering everything about how to survive outdoors, he went looking for some water to refill his canteens.

Sure enough, he came across a river while deviating from the road. At first, he was hesitant about taking some of the river water. What if it was polluted? Forte, however, told him to stop being a coward and just take some of it. Shrugging, he did so and continued.

He was surprised with the amount of towns he had seen along the way. The people in them seemed to be doing better than most of the people in the city. It seemed that many people got back up onto their feet despite the disaster that shook the world. The people were currently happy, and they were beginning to reuse the technology that was nearly destroyed thirty years prior.

One day, Netto found himself wandering through a town. One month had already passed since he left the ruined city he had woken up in, and he found himself wandering aimlessly. Although he had a coordinate lock on where the Environmental System was, it wasn't much help if he didn't have a map with him. Luckily, he found a junk shop inside the small town; maybe he could find something worthwhile...

Walking up to the counter, he found a middle-aged man asleep on the counter. Annoyed, he slammed his fist down onto the counter. The man groggily opened one eye and regarded him blearily. "Can I help you?"

Netto narrowed his eyes a bit. "Yes, I was wondering if you had a map. I'm trying to find...a place. I need a map to find where it is." Sighing, the man got up and headed towards the back room.

"Let me see where I can find one..." he murmured as he walked into the back room, seemingly ignoring Netto's glare.

Huffing, the brunette turned to look at the objects nestled in piles along the wall. "Now I know why they call them junk shops...none of them have anything anyone wants." Netto muttered to himself as he inspected all the piles. However, as he passed by one pile, something caught his eye.

"What's this?" he said as he looked closely at one pile. He thought he saw something in there that looked strangely familiar. Digging through several pieces of junk, he found something that shocked him. "A PET charger?" he asked in disbelief. "How is this here?"

"What is that for, human?" Forte asked dryly from his PET. He was annoyed that they were taking too long in the shop. Netto took the PET from his waist and stared at Forte.

"I just found something that I've been worried about not having!" he exclaimed as he held up the charger for Forte to see. The navi narrowed his eyes.

"Why do we need that? It's just useless junk." Forte snorted, seemingly unimpressed. Netto sighed.

"It's to keep your PET alive, fin-head. I don't know why your PET doesn't drain as fast as any other, but I don't want to take any chances." he explained crossly.

It was true; Forte's pet didn't seem to drain as fast as anyone else's, including Rockman's PET. The PET had been on for most of the month already, and the bar was still above the half-way level. However, Netto knew that the PET wouldn't remain like that forever and knew he needed to get a charger. It was just his luck that he found one.

Forte just snorted as Netto turned back to the pile to see if there was anything else of interest inside it. After digging around for a few minutes, he finally picked up something with a shocked look on his face.

"No way..." he breathed, "Battle Chips?" He looked at them one by one with trembling hands, eyes widening by the second. This couldn't be a coincidence...

Then his eyes immediately narrowed. This was all too convenient...if it was in any other circumstance, he would count himself lucky to find such necessities within a junk shop, but this wasn't a normal circumstance. Shrugging, he found himself taking the two items anyway. "It may be odd, but I don't think I have a choice right now..." he muttered to himself while he walked back to the counter, both items in hand.

At that moment, the shopkeeper returned with a rolled up map in hand. Yawning once again, he eyed the two items on the counter. "Oh, so you want something else then." he said dully as he placed the map alongside them. Mumbling to himself, he kept glancing at the items and at Netto. Finally, he typed something into a machine and it beeped. "That will be 500 credits."

Netto's face immediately paled. That was one thing he overlooked; he didn't have any type of money on him. "Alright, let me get it out of my bag..." he said nervously. He wanted to see if there was anything in there that could help him.

"Very smart." Forte grumbled. "Not looking to see if you have any money before trying to buy something." Netto didn't even bother to answer that.

While Netto was searching through his bag, he came across a small blue card that was laying near the bottom of it. "What's this?"

The shopkeeper took one look at the card and took it. Before Netto could protest, the machine beeped once again and gave the card back to the brunette. "There you go." he yawned, obviously wanting to get back to sleep, "All paid for. You have 49,500 credits left on that card. Have a nice day." With that, the man put his head back down on the counter and closed his eyes.

Netto walked out of the shop, still stunned. Even without knowing what kind of money system this place used, he knew that he now had a large amount of money on him. His first thought was why he had so much; surely Shinta wouldn't have given him such a large amount. It was confusing, to say the least. Everything seemed to be one big coincidence.

"Hey!" Forte finally yelled from the PET. "Let's get going already. We've spent enough time in this run-down area as it is!" Snapping out of his thoughts, Netto shook his head.

"Not yet, Forte...there's some stuff I need to get before we go off again. Now that I have some money, I can get some new clothes!" he exclaimed happily.

Netto's clothes had become overly worn over the past couple of weeks, and he found himself needing some new clothes. Walking around the town, he quickly found a clothing shop. Shrugging, he entered the shop and was immediately greeted by a plump woman who was smiling.

"Why hello dear!" she squealed, which made both Netto and Forte slightly shiver. "What may I help you with today?"

Netto nervously rubbed the back of his head. This woman was slightly creepy. "Well, I need some new clothes to travel in, since my old ones are getting worn out..." he didn't get to say anymore as the woman took his arm and practically dragged him into the back.

"So you're a traveler then! I don't see too many of those these days! I know the perfect outfit for you!" she cried as she nearly threw him into the dressing room. "I'll be right back with some clothes for you dear, just take your clothes off and put them to the side." she said as she walked out, missing Netto's blushing face and Forte's snickering.

A while later, Netto was looking into a mirror with an awed expression.

"Just turn this thing around and let me see you, human!" Forte said annoyed. He wasn't really interested, but he wanted to make sure the human wouldn't be an eyesore for the rest of the journey. Netto complied with the request, and Forte looked over the brunette.

Well, he certainly looked different. Instead of his orange vest and black shorts, he was now wearing black pants and a plain, long-sleeved black shirt. Netto was also wearing a pair of dark gray shoes to complete the look. However, the most shocking thing Forte found was that Netto was wearing a long brown traveling cloak which looked suspiciously like Forte's.

The navi blinked in surprise before snorting. "You look like a cheap copy of me." he stated flatly.

Netto just grinned down at Forte. "Don't you know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?" He chuckled when he saw the navi grumble and turn away. It was at that moment that the shopkeeper came back in with a package in her arms.

"I knew that outfit would be right for you!" she said happily as she gathered up all of the discarded clothes. "Since these clothes are all worn, I'm going to throw them out, is that alright?" Netto was about to say "no", but something stopped him as he nodded. She smiled again and went to the front again.

Netto turned to look at himself in the mirror again. Forte was right, he did look like an impersonator of the navi. What he found more shocking though was the fact that he liked these clothes. Looking in the mirror again, he saw one thing that would clash with his outfit. Hesitantly, he reached up and slowly untied his headband and took it off. Staring at the worn cloth and Rockman's symbol, he stuffed it into his pocket; he didn't want to throw it away.

The lady came back in humming. "Come with me dear, it's time to go pay for this stuff." Netto nodded, picked up Forte's PET, and followed her out to the front.

At the counter, she smiled down at him. "First off, since you are traveling, I've amassed a few things you might need...such as undergarments in this package." she said as she handed it over to a slightly blushing Netto. "And don't worry about ruining the clothing you're wearing; the material is made of good quality, so it should last for a very long time even if you are constantly traveling." Typing a few key on the register, it beeped. "Everything comes to 5000 credits."

Netto handed the card over as she swiped it in the machine. It beeped again and she smiled. "Thank you! Your balance is now 44,500. Have a safe journey!" He thanked her and left.

Sighing, he looked at Forte. "Now I think we're ready to go."

Forte snorted. "Finally."

That had been more than a month ago.

Since then, there had been nothing too eventful that happened. About a week ago, he saw the PET battery start getting low, so he stopped in at a town he was passing by to rest at an inn. Forte was complaining that they were losing time, but Netto reminded him that if he didn't recharge the battery, then he really would be trapped inside the PET. Forte reluctantly conceded.

Netto was now constantly checking the map so he was sure that he was going in the right direction. He marked the coordinates of the Environmental System down on the map, and regularly marked his location so he wouldn't get lost. He still had quite a ways to go, but he was confident that he would make it there within another two months time.

He hadn't seen any type of animals ever since he started journeying. When he asked someone about it in a town, they laughed at him. Thankfully, one kinder soul explained to him that while most animal species were still alive, most of them didn't prowl around. It seemed that they were elsewhere; while he heard of other townspeople seeing animals all the time, he didn't see any at all. The thought of it saddened Netto.

However, he also noted that many people didn't travel much. Most of the time, he was virtually alone while traveling. He did run into other travelers every once in a while, however, and usually spent the night talking with them. Most of the time, they were just telling each other their lives on the road. When dawn came, Netto usually left without learning the other traveler's name.

Netto's relationship with Forte was getting better, thankfully. Although Forte still called him "human", he was saying it with considerably less malice in his voice. Likewise, he called him "fin-head" much less now. Although their relationship was getting better, they still called themselves partners.

Sighing once again, he scooted closer to the fire and hugged himself closer under his cloak. The air was chilly, and he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. His mind was racing with too many questions.

I still can't tell if this is the future of my world or not...it's possible, but...something seems off. He thought. If it really is the future, how far have I been flung into it? It would have to be pretty far, since I can't recognize anything here.

Bringing the PET up, he looked at it from all angles. And how exactly did I get stuck with Forte? Granted, it's not so bad...he at least keeps me company. he thought, amused. It's still weird being with him, though.

That voice was the one that brought me here... he thought. There's no doubt about that. But...what is it planning?

"Oy, human." Forte grumbled, annoyed. "What are you doing?" Netto blinked and brought the PET level with his face so he could speak to the navi. Netto shrugged.

"Nothing...just thinking."

"Oh." He fell silent after that, leaving Netto to his thoughts.

Some more time passed, and Netto still couldn't fall asleep. Glancing back at the PET, Forte still seemed to be awake as well. "Forte?" he mumbled, trying to get the navi's attention.

"Yes?" Forte responded, somewhat groggily.

"I was wondering something..." he began, unsure if he should ask. "Why do you hate humans so much?" he ventured finally.

Netto knew he was treading on dangerous ground. He knew some of Forte's back story from Dr. Cossack himself, but that was it. Netto wanted to know why Forte despised humans so much; he wanted to know the truth.

The navi's eyes narrowed as he frowned. "I don't have to tell you, human."

Netto sat up from his position on the ground to look at Forte. "I don't know the full story about you...all I've heard was negative things, the most prominent one being that you hate humans with a passion. I'm just asking why."

Forte snorted. "You wouldn't understand at all." Before Netto could speak, the navi cut him off. "Don't say you would either, because you don't! Can you understand the feeling of being alone for most of your life? Can you understand the hate of everyone else for being too powerful? Can you understand the pain of being left to fend for yourself by your creator?" he questioned angrily, stunning Netto.

However, he didn't stop there. "No, you can't! You're far too ignorant! You'd be the same as me if it happened to you. You'd be shunned by society and have people you trusted trying to kill you...So don't you dare try to say that you would understand my pain." he raged before silencing, turning away so he wouldn't have to look at the brunette.

Netto looked down at him with an odd mix of sadness, pity, and anger in his eyes. "Forte...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up old memories." Forte turned his head to look at him. "However...should you really judge humankind by the actions of a few people? To hate all humans because you were betrayed by some is ignorant and just insane if you ask me.

The navi turned to him, his eyes blazing. "What would you know!"

Netto glared at him. "I'm saying I don't know what pain you've gone through, but what I am saying is that just hating humans in general is stupid! You can hate Dr. Cossack and whatever scientists he worked with, I don't care. But taking it any farther than that is just stupid." Forte said nothing. Netto yawned and laid himself down on the ground again.

"I'm going to sleep now, and I suggest you do too. We have a large amount of ground to cover tomorrow." he said while curling himself up in his cloak. "Good night, Forte." he murmured before closing his eyes.

Forte kept staring at him until after Netto was long asleep. He seemed to be mulling over what the brunette had said. Sighing, he prepared to switch the PET to sleep mode.

He doesn't understand your pain, but he's willing to. Perhaps you can trust him? One part of him said as he paused.

No! he mentally snarled, I promised myself that I would never trust humans!

You're beginning to with Netto. The voice said. Forte audibly growled.

Shut up!

You're just denying it because you don't want to be betrayed again. The voice stated matter-of-factly. He's right though; you can't go on hating all humans like this.

Forte's eyes widened for a few moments before he shook his head. You don't know anything. He mentally told the voice. He could almost feel the voice smirk.

Whatever. I would trust him...you don't want to, but I can feel that you're starting to yearn to. Just give it time... Before Forte could retort, the voice fell silent. (1)

He sat there for a time, thinking. Could I really trust this human? Forte thought to himself. He then shook his head. No! Trusting him would only bring weakness. I will destroy the humans one day...I will make sure of it. He then set the PET into sleep mode.

He had one last thought before shutting down for the night, however.

...I'll just save Netto for last.

---

Next Chapter: Uncertain Future: Netto and Forte are almost there; it's just a bit farther...however, they are sidetracked when they come across some sort of mechanical graveyard. With some exploring, both human and navi come to a revelation. With the revelation, Netto resolves to not only get home, but make a promise to Forte...

---

Author's Note: This chapter actually came out when I wanted it to. Go me.

Anyways, I want to clear up some things first. First off, this is strictly EXE canon; specifically the game canon. I do have some manga elements involved, but they are mostly concerned with Forte.

Next off, about the two goddesses in the interlude. No, they aren't the same Sera and Yuna from Rockman DASH. In fact, DASH isn't even connected to the storyline in any way. I just needed two figures for the interlude, so I just decided to name the two goddesses Sera and Yuna. It's a much better alternative than having original characters, I think.

Anyways, look for the next chapter soon...

Thanks go to Quatre Winner and JK Fie'r for Betaing.