"What is that!" Netto cried, surprised at something appearing so suddenly.

"I don't know, but I'm taking it down!" Forte stated as he got into a battle stance. Netto took in a breath and nodded.

"Alright Forte, let's do this! Battle Routine, set!" Netto yelled as he drew a chip out of his pouch.

"Execute!" Forte cried as he started to charge his Shooting Buster. The bird screeched again before diving forward, talons extended.

Netto tried to shake off the shaking feeling he had. Something was telling him that something was going to go wrong. Shaking his head to clear it, he took a chip.

"Battle chip, Dream Aura! Slot in!"

Forte grunted as he held off another talon attack by the giant bird, being pushed back. Although the Dream Aura protected him from any damage, he could still feel the force of the attack. Growling, he brought his buster forward. "Shooting Buster!"

He fired a multitude of buster shots at the bird, snarling when the bird just glided out of the way. Analyzing the battlefield. He was stuck on a small area of space, while his enemy was able fight from the sky. Furthermore, his enemy was pretty quick. If the bird was able to dodge a flurry of buster shots, then there was no telling how fast it was.

Suddenly, the golden bird started to flap it's wings quickly, sending a shower of razor like feathers at the navi. Quickly leaping all over the place to avoid them, Forte tried another Shooting Buster. Again, it was dodged. Growling, Forte leapt backwards to assess his options.

I hardly have any room to effectively fight! Forte thought as he started to prepare an Earth Breaker. That stupid bird keeps flying away after any attack I throw at it... Leaping up, Forte managed to intercept the golden bird as it was descending.

"Nowhere to run, bird." Forte said as he smirked. "Earth Bre-" the cloaked navi was cut off when the bird turned to look at him, gathering some kind of energy into its mouth. "What!" was all he got off before the bird shot the energy at Forte, driving him back into the ground.

"Forte!" came Netto's voice, "You alright?"

Snarling, Forte stood up. "I'm fine. That last attack broke the Dream Aura, though." he replied as kept staring at the giant golden bird. If he didn't know any better, it looked like it was smirking at him. He growled; nothing did that to him and lived.

Netto narrowed his eyes. "Then I guess we'll have to get serious then." he stated as he drew another chip. "Battle chip, Neo Variable Sword! Slot in!"

Forte's right arm immediately morphed into a slim sword with a curved edge. The bird screeched again, diving forward with it's talons.

"I don't think so!" Forte said as he jumped up into the air, bringing the sword back in position. "Take this!" he cried as he unleashed a sonic wave from the sword, heading directly towards the bird's chest.

The bird took off again, but not without getting hit near the chest area. The bird let off some sort of growl, and immediately flew right into Forte, making him fall to the ground again.

Landing upright, Forte growled as he held his side. That last attack hurt. "What is this thing?" he asked out loud, glaring at the brid figure as it started to glide back towards the platform. "That attack should have wounded it, but it shrugged it off like it was nothing!"

"This isn't a normal virus, Forte!" Netto said as he was preparing a few more chips, "It's just like that two-headed wolf we saw all those months ago..."

"Hmph." Forte snorted, standing upright again. "No matter. I'll bring it down..." he muttered as the bird flew forward, talons extended. It looked like it was ready for the kill. Forte once again jumped out of the way, letting the bird glide past him. Glancing behind him, he saw the bird turn once again. "He's too fast..."

"Here it is!" Netto exclaimed as he held up a chip. "Forte, when I send this chip to you, fire it point-blank into that birdbrain's face!"

Forte readied himself. "And what chip are you planning on sending, human?"

"This one!" Netto exclaimed. "Battle chip, Mega Cannon! Slot in!" he cried as he sent the data to Forte. The navi's right arm morphed into a red-colored cannon.

Smirking, Forte prepared to jump. Just as the golden bird was about to dive down at him, Forte leapt up at it. Extending the arm with the cannon out, he pointed it right at the bird's face. "Mega Cannon!" he cried as he fired.

The bird screeched in pain as it plummeted to the ground. Forte landed behind it, and immediately ran out of the way to avoid being swatted by it's tail. The cloaked navi charged up his buster and followed up his attack with a Shooting Buster. The bird, however, merely shielded itself with it's wing.

Forte frowned. "No effect..." he muttered. How strong was the bird, anyway? The golden bird then shook its head and stared at the navi. Forte took one look at the bird's face and snarled.

"Forte, what's wrong?" Netto asked, trying to find another chip to send to Forte.

"That bird...just smirked at me." Forte said, eerily calm. "Nothing smirks at me in battle...not a virus, not a navi, and not some damn freak bird!" he growled out as he prepared another Earth Breaker.

"Forte! Don't!" Netto yelled, but Forte ignored him as he started to rush towards the bird.

The golden bird, however, had different plans. Narrowing it's beady eyes, it spread it's wings and started to glow with a blinding white light. Forte had to stop charging and cover his eyes because the light was so bright.

"What's...happening?" Forte choked out. It seemed that the area around him was warping, becoming distorted. He could hear the bird screeching, but he ignored it in favor of trying to keep his bearings. The light then became so bright that Forte had to shut his eyes.

"Forte!" Netto yelled again, trying to see if the navi was alright. Forte distantly heard it, but couldn't respond.

Suddenly, it felt like something was pulling him from behind. The pull was so strong that he lost his center of balance and collapsed onto his knees. Breathing labored, he closed his eyes to regain his balance.

---

"Master? What is happening?" Yuna asked, worried. Geetz was proving to be a strong opponent for Forte, and the goddess was concerned on how the two would survive. Her worry increased when she saw The Master frown.

"It seems that Geetz is attempting to materialize in the real world." The Master stated as he stared intently at the image. "Something that he didn't count on is happening, however."

"What?" Yuna asked in confusion. The Master closed his eyes and slightly smiled.

"Geetz is expending too much energy to phase into the real world. Consequently, he's bringing everything around him into the real world as well." he explained, still staring

Yuna blinked before her eyes widened. "So...that means...!"

The Master nodded. "Yes...just watch for now, though."

Yuna sighed as she turned back to the image. "I really hope that they get out of this alive, Master."

"So do I, Yuna...so do I." The Master remarked as they continued watching.

---

As soon as the light faded, Forte shook his head to clear it and stood up. "Where is that bird!" he snarled, regaining his balance. "Some cheap trick won't save it..." he muttered, looking back and forth.

"F-Forte...!" came Netto's voice.

"What, human? Can't you see I'm..." he growled out as he turned around, "...what!" he gasped, his eyes widening.

In front of him was the human. Netto's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and he was gaping at him.

"H-how? Is this even possible?" Netto muttered, blinking rapidly to make sure it wasn't an illusion. Forte looked over himself and at Netto, trying to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

Netto slowly walked over to Forte and laid a hand on his shoulder. Coming out of his confusion, Forte stared at the boy. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly, his eyes boring into Netto's brown ones.

"I can touch you..." Netto breathed, his expression changing into one of awe, "This is amazing..." he muttered as he took his hand off the navi's shoulder. "It's all so unreal...how did this happen?"

Forte shook his head. "I don't know...that strange bird did something though. It felt like I was being pulled somewhere." he murmured as looked around. Everything looked incredibly different now that he was seeing it from outside the network. That and just staring at Netto face to face made it seem all like a dream.

Netto suddenly started in surprise. "That bird! Where did it go!" he exclaimed before looking around wildly. Forte looked around in surprise; he had temporarily forgotten about the giant golden bird in the shock of actually being in the real world.

"Up here..." a voice boomed from above them. The two looked upwards, finding the giant bird looming above them.

"It can talk!" both Netto and Forte exclaimed simultaneously. The bird let off another screech, sounding distinctly like a chuckle.

"Fools..." the bird spoke, leering at them. "I don't have time to play with you...Mistress Sera has ordered your execution, and I, Geetz, shall be the one to do it."

"Sera?" Netto repeated in confusion, eyes widening. "Is that the name of the person who brought us here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the giant bird.

"How sharp." the bird remarked sardonically, "I was planning on killing the both of you separately...however, due to a slight oversight of mine, it seems that the both of you are now together." Letting off another screech, it glared down at them. "No matter. That just means I can just kill both of you at the same time."

Forte snorted. "I'd like to see you try, bird." he growled, glaring at the giant bird above them.

Geetz let off another screech. "Amusing." it remarked as it spread it's wings, "But...playtime is over, I think. Preapre to die!" With that, Geetz started to dive down at them.

Eyes widening, Forte immediately grabbed Netto into his arms and leapt off the platform. Netto, surprised, watched Geetz destroy the platform that they were on only seconds before. Forte landed on the ground floor, immediately placing the brunette back on his feet. "Forte...?"

"Hide, now!" Forte growled as he got in a ready stance. Netto looked at him in bewilderment.

"But..."

"Do as I say!" Forte ordered, watching Geetz recover from crashing into the platform. "If you don't, you'll be an easy target! I can't both battle and protect you at the same time, human!"

Netto hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright...I'll send Battle Chips to you when I find a spot to hide in." The brunette started to run to a corner of the room when he suddenly stopped and turned around. "...be careful, fin-head."

Forte smirked at him. "I will, human." Netto slightly smiled at him before he resumed running to a corner of the room.

The caped navi then returned his attention on Geetz, who had recovered from crashing into the platform. "Now, where were we?"

Geetz growled down at the cloaked navi. "Impudent worm! I shall make sure your death is painful!" it boomed before spreading it's wings again. "Take this!" Geetz screeched before unleashing several razor-sharp feathers at Forte.

Swiftly jumping to dodge the feathers, Forte charged up another attack. "Shooting Buster!" he shouted as he moved, shooting multiple shots at the bird.

Geetz merely grunted and covered himself in its wings again. "This attack again, worm? You know it's futile!" it boomed as the shots bounced off the wings. Uncovering itself, Geetz looked around. "What? Where did he go!"

"Right here!" came Forte's voice as he leapt up from behind Geetz. "Earth Breaker!" he cried as he drove the energy into the giant bird's back.

Geetz shrieked in pain as the Earth Breaker collided with its back. "You shall pay for that, you worm!" it shouted before smacking Forte with it's tail, sending the navi crashing into the wall. Immediately, Geetz followed up with its attack by diving down, talons first.

Meanwhile, Forte was recovering from the attack. Netto saw this while hiding behind a pile of rubble and immediately got a chip out from his pouch. "He'll be damaged really badly if he gets hit..." he said as he slotted in a chip. "Battle chip, Barrier! Slot in!"

Forte saw the talons heading towards him as he crossed his arms to block the inevitable hit. He was surprised when some sort of barrier formed around him, preventing Geetz from hitting Forte. The navi smiled. "Thanks, human..." he muttered as he gathered energy for another Earth Breaker, "Time for a counter-attack."

Leaping up, he slammed another Earth Breaker into Geetz, this time hitting the bird directly in the chest. Geetz shrieked in pain again, and swatted Forte away with his wing. The cloaked navi landed upright and jumped away again, frustrating the golden bird.

"You will not get away from me so easily!" it shrieked before charging up an energy blast in it's mouth. "Die!" Geetz screamed before it shot multiple energy blasts everywhere.

Netto covered his face when an energy blast landed somewhere near him, making a large dust cloud arise. "Damn...I can't see anything..." he muttered as he tried looking around. He then heard a scream of pain somewhere towards the far end of the room. "Forte!"

Forte had narrowly dodged an energy blast, but the force of the blast sent him hurling into a pile of rubble. He stood shakily, holding his side in pain. "Damn..." he let out as he looked at the looming figure above him.

"You see how futile it is to oppose me, you little worm?" Geetz screeched in a haughty sort of way, "You will not win. Just stay down and accept your fate..."

"Never!" Netto yelled out from the corner of the room, "We'll keep on fighting until we can't anymore! There is no way we're going to lose to such a freak like yourself, right Forte?"

Forte chuckled. "That's right...I'm not going to lose to something like you!"

Geetz growled. "Impudent worms...I shall savor both your deaths!" it roared as it gathered up more energy in its mouth. Forte started to move quickly; he couldn't afford to be hit by one of those blasts.

"Forte!" Netto called out, evacuating his hiding place as an energy blast was aimed at it, "Use your Vanishing World! It's the only thing powerful enough to really damage Geetz!" he yelled out, hoping Forte had heard him. Netto yelped as he quickly dived behind another pile of rubble, avoiding a flying energy blast.

Forte grimaced. "He's right..." he muttered to himself, "I have to make this count, though." He began to gather up energy. Forming both of his hands into a Gospel head, he readied himself.

Multiple energy blasts struck the ground, making everything hard to see from all the dust and smoke that had arisen. Gritting his teeth, Forte continued to steady himself. "Where is he..." he muttered silently to himself.

Then the dust cleared. Geetz was still hovering in the air, looking around for the cloaked navi. Forte smirked; this was it. "You've given me enough trouble..." he stated as he brought the Gospel head up, "Time for you to go! Vanishing World!" he cried as he shot the beam of energy at Geetz.

Surprised, the golden bird covered itself with it's wings. For a moment, it seemed to be able to stop the beam. Then Geetz roared in pain when the beam pushed it back and damaged it. Forte lowered the Gospel head, panting.

"Argh! You little-!" the golden bird roared while opening it's wings again. Geetz screeched in pain when they fully opened, revealing that some parts of them were destroyed. "My wings...you damaged my wings...! I won't let a worm like you get away with such an act!" The giant bird then started to charge up more energy.

Forte was still breathing heavily when Netto started to yell. "Forte, now's our chance!" he cried as he took one more chip. "One more of those and he's down for the count! Battle chip, Area Steal! Slot in!"

The cloaked navi immediately knew what Netto was talking about as he formed the Gospel head again. Taking in a deep breath, he immediately teleported behind Geetz.

Geetz's eyes widened. "What...!"

"This time, there is no escape!" the cloaked navi cried as he prepared to fire. "Vanishing World!" Forte roared as he shot the beam at point-blank range.

The beam pierced Geetz's chest. The giant bird opened it's mouth in a silent scream, it's eyes unfocused. "No...!" it muttered, "This is impossible...!" With that, the bird finally fell to the ground, slumped over.

Forte landed on the ground, slumped over and panting heavily due to the energy he used in using his Vanishing World two times in a row. He looked up to see Netto running over to him, beaming.

"You did it!" he cried, staring into Forte's face, "You got him good!"

Forte could only bring himself to smirk at Netto. "You expected anything different?" he asked sarcastically, looking at the brunette.

Netto closed his eyes and chuckled. "No, I didn't. Not from you, anyway."

Forte chuckled as well. "I don't want to say this, but...thanks." he said, looking down. "If you didn't send me that chip in time..."

Netto waved him off. "Don't mention it. After all, we're partners, right?" he said while offering Forte a hand to help him.

The cloaked navi stared at the hand for a moment. "Partners..." he muttered, looking thoughtful. That was when he noticed Geetz slightly moving around. Forte's eyes widened. That shot should have finished it off!

Geetz let off a low chuckle. "I have failed in my mission...how humiliating...however..." it muttered silently as it started to gather a massive amount of energy in it's mouth, "I will take both of you with me!" it roared as it shot it towards the duo.

Netto turned around and looked shocked at the incoming projectile at them. There was no way that they were going to dodge that!

Forte looked at the energy blast and at the wide-eyed boy right next to him. Without hesitation, he covered Netto's body with his own.

"Forte...!" was all what Netto was able to get out before the blast hit Forte's back. The cloaked navi screamed out in pain, the blast also vaporizing his cloak. When the blast stopped, his head dropped to look at the boy.

Netto looked absolutely mortified. "Forte..." he choked out, his face pale. "Why...!"

Forte growled as he summoned the last of his energy into his right hand. "No time...for that right now." he muttered as he leaped at the slumped figure of Geetz. "Die! Earth Breaker!" he yelled as he brought the energy down on the bird's head.

Geetz could only stare up at the descending energy approaching his head. "Mistress Sera..." it muttered before the Earth Breaker collided with his head. The head shattered upon impact, the remains lying at Forte's feet.

Forte stared at the pieces on the ground, his breathing labored. "Good riddance..." he murmured before he collapsed to the ground.

"Forte!" Netto yelled as he started to sprint towards the prone navi. In his rush, he didn't notice as something fell out of his pocket.

Finally reaching the navi's side, Netto held Forte's upper half in his arms as he stared at the navi's face. Checking over the navi's body, he looked at the numerous injuries and burns on Forte's body. The navi's entire back was scorched from protecting Netto from the blast. Already, Forte's eyes were half-lidded, a sign that he would be falling unconscious soon. "Forte, why! Why did you protect me?" he asked, his voice cracking.

Forte smirked at him. "Why are you even asking?" he let out weakly, slightly cringing in pain. "I saved you, didn't I?"

Netto's eyes threatened to spill over with tears. "Yes, you did...but look at you!" he choked out, tears already coursing down his face. "You're...you're dying..." Even he could see that Forte was dying; the navi had simply taken too many injuries.

"Human..." Forte whispered, almost unconscious. "You should know me by now...I always do...what I want to do." he stated before falling totally unconscious. Netto, seeing this, was startled.

"Forte...?" Netto whispered, shaking Forte. "Forte! Wake up!" he said with increasing volume. "Fin-head! Wake up!" he commanded silently. The navi didn't respond.

More tears coursed down Netto's cheeks. "No..." Netto murmured as he brought the body closer to his chest. "It wasn't supposed to be like this...we were supposed to go home together..." Netto whispered as Forte's breathing was diminishing. "We were supposed to go home, and I was going to ask you if you would like to stay...then maybe...Forte..." This time, Netto couldn't hold back his tears.

"FORTE!" Netto screamed out, his voice reaching the heavens.

---

Finally having enough, Yuna turned back to The Master. She had tears in her eyes as well. "Master, please! Allow me to go down there and help them!"

The Master regarded her with a cool look. "Why do you care so much about them Yuna? They are two insignificants in the universe, after all." he said with steel lacing his voice.

"No! They aren't!" Yuna nearly screamed. "No one is insignificant! If we divine beings are allowed to think that, then what use is there in watching and protecting over them?" she yelled out with tears running down her face. "Furthermore, all of this came about because of our disdain for the humans. If we do not correct that mistake, then all of this will happen once more..."

The Master blinked as Yuna bowed low before him. "Please, father! Let me help them in this time of need!" Yuna only addressed The Master as father when it was a matter of great importance.

The blond haired man suddenly smiled. "I see you have learned your lessons clearly, Yuna." he said while he helped Yuna up. "You are correct; we cannot allow ourselves to hate the very people we protect. That is why I shall allow you to go down and help the two of them."

Yuna looked up at The Master with a smile, tears still glistening in her eyes. "Thank you, father..." she said before she teleported out.

The Master remained staring at the spot where Yuna was only a second ago. "I have raised one daughter who is wise beyond her age and another who refuses to let go of the past..." he sighed, "I only hope it isn't too late for Sera." The Master said sadly as he made his way towards Sera's chambers for her punishment.

---

Netto remained kneeling on the ground with Forte's prone body close to his chest, sobbing. He couldn't do anything to help the navi, not even healing battle chips helped.

That was when he heard some footsteps behind him. Turning his head around, he saw a girl about his age with tanned skin and green hair in two pigtails approach him, sadly smiling. "Hikari Netto..."

Netto looked at her, surprised. "How do you know my name? And what are you doing here?" he growled out, wary of the new person. If the girl was scared, she didn't show it.

"Forgive me...I have been watching you all this time, and I couldn't do anything to help until now..." she said sadly. Netto's eyes widened in realization.

"You...you sound like that voice from before..." he muttered in shock before he shook his head. "But I can tell you aren't...you sound more kind..." Yuna smiled again.

"I am sorry for all the pains my sister, Sera, has brought upon you. I may have arrived too late to do anything about Geetz, but..." her gaze traveled down to Forte. "I can help save him. It is the least I can do for everything you two have gone through."

Netto stared at her, unbelieving. "You...you can help!" he stuttered. "Why should I trust you?"

"To trust me or not is up to you, Netto." Yuna said kindly, smiling at the boy. "And yes, I can help Forte...but..." she hesitated, as if unsure. "It is incredibly risky. It may not work..."

Netto glanced between her and Forte for a few seconds before he stood up. "Do whatever you have to do to save him." he stated with a hard edge to his voice, staring at her.

Yuna was startled. "You want to do this, even without knowing what you're about to do? This can potentially kill you!" she stated while looking at the boy.

Netto shook his head. "I'll do whatever it takes to save Forte's life...he saved mine, and now I'm going to save his." he muttered while looking at Forte's unconscious body. "Just tell me what I have to do."

Yuna looked hesitant before nodding. "Alright, I'll explain what you're about to do. We're going to link Forte's lifeforce to yours." Netto stared up at her in surprise.

"A link?" he repeated, somewhat startled. "Like the one between me and Rockman?"

Yuna shook her head. "Somewhat. This one is going to be different, though...with this link, Forte will be able to live because he'll be connected off of your own life. Anything that happens to him happens to you as well, and vice versa." she explained as she stared at Forte's prone figure. "However...the process of creating such a link is highly dangerous."

"What's the dangerous part about it?" Netto asked quietly, not taking his eyes off his partner.

"To create the link, both of the people involved must trust each other deeply...at the same time, both people will experience each other's memories and feelings at one time." she said, "That's the dangerous part about it; the sudden onslaught of memories and feelings may drive one or both people insane." Yuna explained before sighing. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

The brunette looked determined. "Yes."

Yuna smiled. "Alright then...just hold Forte close to you, and I will start the rest." Netto complied with the request as Yuna gathered some energy into her hand. "I have the fullest confidence in you, Netto...I know you won't fail."

The goddess then held out her finger and pressed it to the middle of Netto's forehead. "Alright, it begins..." Yuna breathed as she started the process.

The effects were immediate. Netto fell down to the ground screaming, clutching his head in pain. His eyes were clenched shut as he took in all the memories of Forte's life all at once. Screaming in pain again, he punched the ground as felt what Forte was feeling during each of those memories.

Netto could see when Forte was first created in the Science Labs. He could feel Forte's happiness as he trusted Dr. Cossack so completely. He then saw how the Science Labs ordered Forte's deletion, the fight, and Forte getting the scar across his navi emblem. He felt sadness, despair, then finally, rage.

He saw Forte's struggle to survive on his own in the Internet, deleting countless viruses and searching for a challenge. He finally came across the ruler of the Ura Net, Serenade. He saw the legendary battle between Forte and Serenade, and how Forte was nearly deleted from the fight. Netto then saw Forte wandering, searching for a reason for his existence, and his pledge that he would bring judgment to the human race.

Through Forte's memories, he could see what happened after the whole Proto incident. His near deletion, his merging with Gospel just to survive, and the struggle to survive once more. Netto couldn't comprehend how Forte survived with all the pain he had put up with.

Finally, Netto opened his eyes. Yuna gasped audibly; they were uncharacteristically cold. "Filthy humans..." he muttered lowly, "I shall bring judgment upon them..." Netto then shook his head and screamed again. "No! These are Forte's memories, not my own!" he panted out, his mind threatening to overload with everything that was shown to him. "I am Hikari Netto, not Forte!"

Yuna watched with surprise etched onto her features. "He's incredibly strong...he's fighting to keep his identity intact..." she said in wonderment.

Netto crawled over to Forte's body and took it into his arms again. "Forte!" he nearly yelled, "You're not dying, not if I have anything to say about it!"

That was when he fell unconscious.

Yuna looked shocked for a minute before she saw a faint glow outline both bodies. She then smiled. "It's beginning..." she said as she looked at the both of them. Suddenly, she looked horrified. "No! I completely forgot about the other link...!"

Making a quick decision, she walked over and put her hands on Netto's forehead. "Forgive me again, Netto...I must do this. If I don't cut the other link, then you will surely die..."

---

Forte was floating somewhere. He didn't really care since he was dying, but everything around him was just a bright white color.

He didn't know what was going on at this point, though. All of a sudden, he had started to receive several images of Netto. He could make out through the hazy state his mind was in that these were memories, since they showed the boy when he was younger.

One memory in particular stuck out.

"Mama?" a ten-year old Netto spoke up, "When is papa coming home?"

Haruka smiled down at her son, albeit sadly. "I'm sorry Netto, but he won't be home for another two weeks...he's off on assignment."

"Oh..." Netto looked downcast for a moment. Forte could see that the boy was fighting to not say anything or cry, but his whole demeanor changed in a moment. "Alright then! I'll just have to talk with papa when he comes home, huh?"

Rockman smiled from his PET. "That's the spirit, Netto-kun!" Netto grinned down at him.

"Let's go on the net! I wanna show papa how good I'm at battling viruses when he comes back home!"

The memory ended right there, and Forte was left mulling over it.

The thing that stuck out was that the memory wasn't a happy one. He actually felt what Netto was feeling; the sadness, the loneliness, and even hate against his father. Forte was surprised that someone like Netto could even feel hate.

As more memories passed, Forte learned a bit more about the boy he had traveled with for the past 4 and a half months. He couldn't explain it, but he felt everything Netto had gone through. What shocked him the most was the amount of negative feelings that he had kept bottled up inside him.

"Netto..." he murmured, "I didn't realize how alone he felt sometimes...his father is almost never there for him, except in times of crisis...he wants closure in a father figure, but since he almost never sees him at all, any problems he has is bottled up..."

"...Forte..." a voice came out of nowhere. The navi looked around in surprise.

"Did someone call my name...?" he whispered out as he looked around.

"Forte...!" the voice called out as Forte recognized it.

"Netto? What are you doing here?" he asked as Netto floated closer to him.

Netto didn't say anything as he enveloped Forte in a strong hug. "What...?" Forte let out, shocked.

"Forte..." Netto said as he hugged the navi closer to his body, "All those horrible things you've seen...how could you deal with such pain?" he asked, closing his eyes.

Forte felt something he had never felt before in his entire lifetime. Comfort. "I could ask you the same thing, Netto...how could you just keep to yourself like that, just keeping all the negative feelings to yourself?"

"I don't know..." Netto breathed, looking at Forte as he released the hug. "There are times I just want to spill out my feelings to my father, but I almost never see him..." he muttered sadly. "So I keep the pain inside...I thought if Rockman or anyone else didn't see me like that, then they wouldn't get worried about me."

Netto then stared Forte straight in the eye. "Were you looking for a reason for existence all along? Just something so you wouldn't feel insignificant?"

Forte nodded. "At that point...I felt alone. I just needed something for me to concentrate on, something to dedicate whatever life I had to...I chose the destruction of human kind." he muttered as he looked away. Netto smiled.

"I don't blame you at all...I would have done the same thing." he replied as Forte looked at him, shocked. "But now, I want to ask you something..."

Holding out a hand, Netto extended it to Forte. "I want you to come with me when we get back home. I don't want you to feel the loneliness you have been feeling anymore..."

Forte eyed the hand skeptically. "But what about your father? And Rockman? What will they have to say?"

Netto smiled again. "We will deal with that as the time comes. So what do you say?" he asked, again extending the hand towards the navi. "Let's go home. Together."

Forte stared at the hand again before he took it within his own. "Yeah, lets go back...together."

Netto beamed at Forte, and to his surprise, Forte smiled back at him too. Vaguely, he felt something detach from him, as if it was being taken away, but he paid it no mind. He just hugged Forte again as he drifted off into unconsciousness, with Forte following quickly.

---

Yuna stood back up as the glow around the two bodies intensified. When it finally died out, Netto was holding Forte's PET tightly to his chest, with the unconscious form of the navi inside. Yuna sadly smiled.

"You two did it...now both of your lives are connected to each other, for better or for worse." she said as she placed her hand over Netto's unconscious form. "Now, I shall take the both of you back home. Both your fates have changed drastically, and both of you face many challenges ahead." she said gravely as she started to glow. "But for now, just rest. You have earned it."

And in a flash, both her and Netto were gone.

Just a few steps away from where the goddess stood before laid the forgotten blue headband with Rockman's symbol on it.

---

Rockman sat down and panted, resting after a quick spar with Blues. Silently, he thanked Roll for calling Blues to spar with him; it really got his mind off his troubles for a short while.

Blues sat down next to him, also panting. "You've gotten better." he remarked. Rockman smiled at him.

"Or you could have gotten worse." he replied before snickering. Blues only frowned at him.

"How are you holding up?" Blues asked, and Rockman slightly narrowed his eyes.

"I'm fine...I'm sure we'll find Netto-kun soon." Rockman replied, a bit icily.

Blues sighed. "Rockman, you can't keep beating yourself up over this. It wasn't your fault!"

"How can you say it wasn't my fault! Netto-kun got kidnapped under my watch, and I couldn't even do anything to help!" Rockman shot back, anger creeping up into his face. The blue navi then caught himself and sighed. "I'm sorry Blues...it's just been tough. No evidence has turned up, and I'm on edge..."

"It's understandable." Blues said as he patted Rockman on the shoulder, "It's only been a week, after all."

Rockman nodded. "Maybe you're right...I should give it some more time-" he cut off when he gasped and clutched at his chest.

Blues was startled. "Rockman! What's wrong!"

Rockman fell to his knees, clutching at his navi symbol. "T-the link...!" he gasped out, "It's been severed!" he let out as he quickly fainted.

Blues immediately called his operator. "Enzan-sama! Quickly get Dr. Hikari!"

"Blues, what happened?" Enzan asked urgently as he started to dial up Yuuichirou.

"Rockman has fainted, and he mentioned his link with Netto being severed!" Blues said quickly while picking up the navi.

"What!" Enzan exclaimed. "I'll hurry, just make your way towards the Hikari residence!"

Blues nodded as he picked up the pace. Quickly looking at the unconscious navi in his arms, he grimaced.

If the link between Rockman and Netto has severed, then...something bad has happened. Blues thought as he started sprinting towards the Hikari's network.

Something huge was about to happen, and Blues wasn't sure if he was going to like it.

---

Author's Note: Whee, one more chapter to go...

I managed to get this chapter out before the weekend, since I'll be busy. The final chapter will come out within a week.

Thanks go to Quatre Winner and JK Fie'r for betaing, and a special thanks for this chapter's beta, Neko Salosa.