After breakfast was over Laika managed to shoo the neko boy away so he could clean up the kitchen.

"Laika-san, why don't you want help?" Searchman asked his operator as he carefully scrubbed flour off the cabinet.

"Searchman," Laika said while ringing out the sponge he was using over a bucket filled with water, "Did you notice Netto's odd reaction to when I tried to get the flour off him?"

"Odd?" Searchman asked. He noticed that Netto had winced but nothing that struck him as odd or out of place.

Laika held up the sponge and started to wipe the floury paste off the counter, "He's afraid of water, Searchman."

"O-oh…" Searchman said, his tail twitching.

Laika looked at the bucket and sighed, "I'm not letting him held because chances are he wouldn't be able to even put his hand in the bucket. Searchman, just how much did the virus affect you?" he asked while turning his gaze to meet his net navi's.

"I am not quite sure," Searchman admitted.

"And I'm sure Netto has no idea, either," Laika mused. "He probably doesn't realize what being infected means. He didn't know about the ears and he seemed rather surprised about the water… how much did it affect him mentally?"

"I don't know," Searchman said. "Why are you concerned?"

Laika wrung out his sponge one last time and wiped the last bit of flour off the counter. "Because, what else could have happened? What could have changed or been altered because of the virus. He obviously has enhanced hearing," Laika said, his mind drifting back to the tea kettle, "Anything else? Fear of water, he's obviously more sensitive temperature, what if something was changed that could possible put him in some kind of danger."

"Worried, Laika-san?" Searchman asked innocently.

A light blush tinged Laika's cheeks. "No," he said. "Just concerned."

"Right," Searchman said knowingly.

Laika didn't answer his navi and poured the dirty water out into the sink. He watched the milky liquid go down the drain thoughtfully and pondered what he could do to find out how Netto was affected. He obviously couldn't ask him, as Netto seemed oblivious to the changes until he was pushed in a corner and forced to stare them in the eye. He needed a formulaic way of going about doing this without getting Netto upset or letting Rockman realize what he was doing. He needed a plan of some kind.

"Laika-san?" Searchman asked inquisitively. Laika had just spent the last minute staring at his sink.

"Hm?" Laika asked while still staring at his sink.

"Never mind," Searchman said and linked out of the kitchen monitor. Who knew what Laika was thinking at that point?

Netto was curled around a pillow on the couch taking a nap when Laika came in. Laika looked at Netto then looked at the monitor, Rockman and to his very great surprise Searchman were both asleep in the monitor, curled next to one another. Laika racked his brains for what little knowledge he had about cats, "Cat's sleep up to 18 hours a day," he said automatically. "Well, at least it will be quiet," he murmured.

"Hm?" Netto asked sleepily. Obviously Laika had woken Netto up with his musings.

"Light sleeper?" Laika asked.

Netto yawned and stretched, "Not usually," he murmured.

Laika gave Netto a wry grin and sat next to him on the couch. "Tired?" he asked.

Netto shook his head, making his ears flop gently. "Not really. I don't know why I fell asleep."

Laika reached for the remote and turned on the TV. Netto blinked at him then settled once again around the pillow. Laika discreetly laid a piece of string on his lap in Netto's peripheral vision and started to flip through different channels. Netto didn't notice it at first but as Laika pretended to channel surf he started to move the string a little bit. It was bright red and it came from an emergency kit Laika had lying around the house so it was impossible to miss.

Netto noticed it and tried to look away but found that he couldn't. The string just seemed so… there. Like it was impossible to ignore. Unknowingly his tail began to twitch and he focused more on the piece of string. Laika noted this with a practiced eye but continued to pretend to channel surf while weaving the string in his fingers, wiggling it irresistibly in front of Netto.

Netto gulped and his ears went back in a very strong effort to ignore the string but it wasn't working. All the mental block he had ever worked up was beginning to dissolve and dissolve quickly. "Netto?" Laika asked.

Netto snapped his attention back to the TV, there was some kind of cooking show on. "Y-yes?" he asked in a voice he hoped sounded light and slightly bored once he noted what was on the television.

Laika continued to twirl the end of the long string in his fingers. The other end that was lying on the couch in between them also began to twitch. Netto shut his eyes in a last ditch effort to not pounce on the string. "Netto, are you okay?" Laika asked.

Netto nodded.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" Laika asked.

Netto raised his chocolate brown eyes to look at Laika's and only Laika's. "I'm fine," he said in a strained voice. In the corner of his eye the end of the red string continued to twitch and finally, loosing any and all control Netto had over his body at that point he turned over and pounced on the string.

In spite of himself, Laika couldn't stop moving the string. It was just intriguing that he would actually start playing with it. Netto attacked the end of it and Laika jerked it out of his hands. Netto went after where it rested and Laika moved it again. Netto pounced on it there and Laika made the mistake of moving it too close to himself. Netto, having no control whatsoever jumped on top of Laika making them both crash to the ground, Netto falling sideways so that Laika ended up falling on top of the smaller boy.

"S-sorry," Laika said, trying to regain his breath. "I was trying to get it away."

Netto looked up at Laika with big eyes and Laika found himself starting to blush. "Laika?" Netto asked quietly.

"Y-yes?" Laika asked, still looking at Netto and still blushing.

"Your knee is on my tail, and it really hurts," Netto said.

Laika quickly pushed himself off the smaller boy and tried to regain his composure. "I'm sorry."

Netto picked up his tail and started to rub where Laika had landed on it. "No, it's okay. What is that?" Netto asked, looking at the red string warily.

Laika picked it up and tried to think of an excuse, "Oh, this is a string that's part of an emergency kit, sometimes when I'm thinking I pick something small up and begin to twirl it," Laika said hastily.

"Oh," Netto said, seemingly buying the explanation. "Can you not do that anymore?" he asked. "It…" he let the rest hang in the air.

"Don't worry, I won't," Laika said.

Netto smiled, "Thank you," he said gratefully.

Laika felt another blush threaten to appear if he didn't get the hell out of there. "No problem," he said standing up quickly. "I'm going to get something to drink, want anything?"

"Milk?" Netto asked. The answer sprang to his lips before he could even think about it.

Laika gave him a glance and walked to the kitchen.

Netto sat back down on the couch feeling very puzzled about Laika's reaction and what he just did. It wasn't like he wanted to pounce on Laika, it was that string. He couldn't help it.

Laika came back in with a glass of milk and a cup of iced tea. As he came into the kitchen he found Netto sitting on the couch looking very concerned. "Here," he said holding the glass in front of Netto.

Netto blinked and took it, "Thanks," he said.

"Sorry about the string," Laika said.

Netto shook his head, "No, it's not like you did it on purpose," he said taking a big gulp of the milk.

Laika turned his attention back to the TV with a small pang of guilt prodding him in the side as he did so. "Yeah, right."

Netto laughed quietly and put his glass on a coaster and resumed his curl up position around the pillow. After watching five minutes of a nature show Laika had on he fell asleep.

Laika sighed and continued to sip his iced tea while flipping channels. So his hunch had certainly been right, Netto's mind was affected by the virus and he seemed to be quite oblivious about it until it forced him not to. Laika looked at the sleeping Netto and began to wonder if the ears, eyes and tail were the only physical attributes he had received thanks to the virus.

Netto stirred in his sleep and wrapped himself even more tightly around the pillow. Laika turned of the television and went to his PC. He started to surf the net for anything that might help him find out what in the hell he was supposed to do with Netto.

Rockman woke up first, curled against Searchman. He looked at the sleeping face of the stern navi and smiled, it was amazing to see him look peaceful for once. He got up quietly and linked himself into his PET to see if Netto was awake. Of course he wasn't, but that wasn't going to stop Rockman.

/Netto-kun/ he prodded his twin.

/Go away…/ Netto muttered.

/Netto-kun, you've been asleep for three hours, wake up/ Rockman told him.

Netto opened one eye to glare at something but unfortunately his PET wasn't in front of him. /Leave me alone/ he muttered while burying himself into the pillow.

/Netto-kun/ Rockman said again.

Netto sighed and sat up, "All right, I'm awake. What do you want?"

Rockman looked around the empty room, "Where's Laika-san?"

Netto looked at the last place Laika had been, next to him on the couch. "I have no idea," Netto said. He stood up and walked in the hallways of the dorm. "Laika?" he called out.

Laika turned off his PC and stood up stretching. He heard his name being called by Netto and he vaguely wondered when Netto woke up. "In here," he said.

Netto opened the door to Laika's room and poked his head in. "Hi," he said.

"Did you need me for something?" Laika asked.

Netto shook his head, "No, Rockman and I were just wondering where you were."

"Oh, well, I was just in my room. Is Searchman awake?" he asked.

"He's still asleep," Rockman piped up.

Laika nodded, "Okay then. I might as well go get dinner. Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?" he asked Netto.

Netto nodded, "Yeup. I'm not a little kid you know."

Laika gave Netto a small grin. 'But you can act like it,' he thought to himself. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"What is there, on the base?" Netto asked.

"Not on the base, but the town nearby," Laika explained, "There's a good Choinese place."

Netto nodded, "Sounds good."

"Okay, I'll be back in about 45 minutes," Laika said and walked down the hall to get his coat. "Just, be quiet till I get back."

Netto stuck his tongue out at Laika, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my self," he said saucily.

"I know," Laika said while opening the door. "See you."

"Bye," Netto said cheerfully as the door closed behind his friend.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Awwwww, yay! Fluff fluff fluff! And the start of the first arc of Always Watching, enjoy :3